France's Carrefour opens first pedestrian drive outlets in Paris | Progresiv
French retailer Carrefour opened its first Pedestrian Drive outlets in the Paris region on Monday, one of the 'milestones' of its 2022 transformation plan. The openings came just after the inauguration of its e-commerce platform in Alnay-sous-Bois on 10 April. In Paris, the retailer has more than 250 convenience stores, and the new Pedestrian Drive outlets strengthen its omnichannel offering, it said. 
Two outlets opened in Lyon and St. Etienne on 9 April, followed by 6 pick-up points in Paris (in the 11th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 20th arrondissements). The Pedestrian Drive service gives customer 'wider product offerings, competitive prices and zero delivery fees'.
Shoppers can choose from 15,000 products online at Carrefour.fr. This offering will rise to 20,000 by 2019.Once they've paid for their purchases, they can pick up their order on foot the next day from a local store. The capacity of the Aulnay-sous-Bois facility will allow orders processed per day to increase from 3,500 to 8,000 by 201, the company said.
"Carrefour’s omnichannel approach means adapting to our customers based on their needs and providing them with the right service at the right time," commented Marie Cheval, executive director for customers, services and digital transformation for the retailer.
"It’s by taking full advantage of the density of the coverage that we enjoy across the country and leveraging all our delivery services that we will succeed in meeting our customers' needs more effectively and achieving our aim of becoming the leading food e-commerce retailer," she added.
In the future, the retailer plans to open 185 new Drive outlets across France (including 15 Pedestrian Drive outlets); and add 26 towns and cities to its home delivery service, all by the end of 2018. Customers in fifteen towns will also be able to receive their shopping in less than an hour using a new express delivery service, delivered in partnership with the La Poste group and its subsidiary Stuart. (www.esmmagazine.com)
