Three years in a quarter

After achieving significant results in the second quarter and double-digit growth in 2019, when it led the Abras Ranking, The Carrefour Brasil Group aims to accelerate the digitization of its entire ecosystem, from the retail and cash & carry flags to its financial services division.
"We had a growth of e-commerce expected for three years in just one quarter. Atacadão has advanced in its digital strategy, starting its marketplace operation and already records promising results. Banco Carrefour, on the other hand, in addition to growing 85% in digital sales of new cards, is preparing to soon launch its digital portfolio," says Stéphane Engelhard, Vice President of Institutional Relations of the Group, exclusively to Giro News. "We understand that some behaviors have changed and we have begun to adapt to suit this new consumer."
In the quarter, online channels accounted for 39% of home appliance sales and 7.7% of food sales in the retail division - perishable products have 60% penetration. Carrefour's food e-commerce rose 377% in the period. "The integration of formats is proven by the increase in new customers, which accounted for 60% of e-commerce sales, 70% of which are totally new to the company's ecosystem," he says.
The executive points to online shopping as the main trend for the second half: "people started using this service early in isolation and it ended up becoming a habit that we believe will continue, even after this period of pandemic."
For Engelhard, another point that will be maintained is security measures. Among the trends, it is also worth mentioning the 90% increase in the assortment of organic foods last year. The company expects to increase sales of the category to R$ 500 million by 2022.
With a 13.5% increase in gross sales in the second quarter to R$ 11.8 billion, the cash & carry flag has stood out within the Group.
"The priority is in Atacadão, which opens about 20 stores annually. In 2020, six units have already been inaugurated. With the acquisition of 30 Makro stores for R$ 1.95 billion, the company accelerates its expansion plan in 1.5 years," said the Vice President.
The expectation is that the transaction, which awaits the approval of Cade (Administrative Council of Economic Defense), will be completed in the second half of the year.