Distribution recruitment agency

The Retail economic sector

With around 44,000 points of sale in France, the Grandes Surfaces Alimentaires (hypermarkets and supermarkets) play a leading role in large-scale food retailing. In 2023, the mass retail market will be worth around250 billion euros, with five major groups sharing nearly 85% of the market: Carrefour, Leclerc, Les Mousquetaires,Systeme U and Auchan.

The first hypermarket was established in France in 1963. Today, there are over 2,000 hypermarkets and around 10,000 supermarkets across the country. The majority of these chains belong to integrated networks or organized trade groups.

Located on the outskirts of towns and cities and with extensive parking facilities, these stores offer a significant proportion of non-food products (household appliances, multimedia, books, clothing, shoes, jewelry, etc.). However, their development is currently limited by market saturation and regulations governing new openings.

In recent years, the hypermarket model has experienced difficulties in the face of changing consumer habits. Customers increasingly prefer proximity stores and low prices, leading to a decline in sales at traditional superstores. To adapt, retailers are diversifying their services and reorienting their strategy towards smaller, more accessible store formats.

In addition to the major brands of the food industry, supermarkets offer private label products. In 2023, these products accounted for around 34.4% of the supermarket market. Their share varies by brand, reaching up to 76% in own-brand stores and around 27% in classic hypermarkets and supermarkets.

For several years, hypermarkets have diversified their offer beyond their traditional listings, positioning themselves in sectors such as optics, jewelry, as well as services such as ticketing, insurance products, tourist offers and telephony.

With around 5,875 supermarkets in 2023, these chains predominate in terms of number of outlets. Networks of independent chains play an important role in the number of traditional supermarkets.

Changes in executive professions in retail and distribution

The distribution sector is constantly evolving, influenced by new technologies, changing consumer practices and market trends. These transformations have a significant impact on employment and recruitment in this field.

In 2023, French companies recruited nearly 331,000 managers, an all-time record. For 2024, the need for executive skills remains high, particularly in professions related to digital, data and digital transformation.

Retail and distribution executives play a key role in these developments. Sales functions, the sector's core business, mobilize all sales teams to adapt to changes dictated by evolving buying behaviors, new consumption patterns, customer profiles, markets and competition. New technologies also offer opportunities, while imposing imperatives linked to the environment and sustainable development.

Also, theartificial intelligence is transforming the recruitment process, offering companies powerful tools to attract, assess and select the best talent. These innovations bring considerable advantages in terms of speed, efficiency and accuracy.

In 2024, the retail job market is experiencing evolutions marked by digitalization and the integration of new technologies. The increase in positions linked to e-commerce and data management is driving companies to look for candidates who are proficient in digital tools and capable of optimizing online sales.

As a result, retail companies are adapting their recruitment strategies to meet today'schallenges, with an emphasis on digital skills and the ability to innovate in an ever-changing environment.

But at all levels, upstream from the act of selling (whether for the organization of supply and purchasing, for marketing and merchandising, for development), and also downstream administration and management, invoicing, logistics, after-sales service, organizational models will be led to undergo profound, gradual transformation.

The new forms of commerceare pushing superstores to reinvent themselves every day: less mass-market, more personalized, multi-channel and offering new services and specific added values on more targeted market segments.

Profiles recruited for mass retail:

Commercial profiles

Store manager, Store manager, Department manager, Network manager, Regional manager, Food/fresh manufacturing department manager, Non-food or dry food department manager, Cashier area manager, E-commerce manager, Development manager, Franchise development manager, Customer relations center manager.

Purchasing and Marketing

Distribution buyer, Category manager, Stylist, Visual merchandiser, Merchandising manager

But also in other fields such as:

Environment : Sustainable Development Manager
Security : Store Security Manager
Logistics : Store logistics manager