This year, Carrefour in Georgia, owned and operated Majid al Futtaim, celebrates ten years of serving, championing and operating within Georgian communities. Since its launch in 2012, one the country’s largest hypermarket and grocery chains has provided value to consumers through every interaction.
It is a remarkable feat to be able to meet the needs of today while anticipating future trends for a decade. On the 10th anniversary, we are proud to say that we have achieved this.
Carrefour has celebrated several milestones in the last 10 years, including
Contributing to the employment and training of locals in all countries
When entering a local marketplace, one goes through “start-up mode”, discovering a country and its cultural and adapting to it. We have found in Georgia a pool of incredible talent. Despite being a global brand, 99.5% our 3000 employees are Georgians, with the majority of them being women.
During our time in Georgia, Carrefour has trained and found local talent that can help improve the skills of its colleagues. We have even created a Retail Business School to train Georgian managers. We are proud of their progress and growth.
We encourage people to think about a career at our company because we support the employment of locals across the country. Many employees have started as cashiers or stockers and climbed the ladder to become high-ranking manager in our network.
Carrefour operates in Georgia 5 hypermarkets and 13 supermarkets as well as more than 50 convenience stores.
We have technical positions in the digital world, as well in the fields of finance, logistics, marketing, and more. We support our colleagues at Carrefour and do everything we can to create new, exciting experiences for customers.
Strengthening local farmers, suppliers and businesses
In order to continue strengthening the Georgian economy, our brand actively supports farmers to bring light to their products. Since entering the Georgian Market, Carrefour has worked closely with more than 800 local suppliers, contributing to both the local economy and the development of agriculture. We are proud that many local farmers and suppliers have grown and gained experience with us.
Our main priority is to work more closely with local farmers in order to provide affordable and high-quality products to Georgians. This strengthens our supply chain and boosts the national food chain, as well as the local economies.
Introducing local private label made in Georgia: ‘My Choice’
We also introduced “My Choice” a local private brand made in Georgia, which offers the best value for money among its categories. This gives Georgian manufacturers another chance to be in our stores and sell their products to customers at the best price.
Our loyalty programme, MyCLUB
MyCLUB is another of Carrefour’s important achievements. It allows customers to earn points and accumulate them while shopping.
Collect more and save more! MyCLUB was launched in Georgia to celebrate Carrefour’s seventh anniversary. Carrefour decided that it would reward its loyal customers with the opportunity to earn points, redeem them and discover the best deals and exclusive rewards.
MAF Carrefour — Carrefour’s delivery service app
We strive to make shopping a more enjoyable experience for our customers and offer them a variety options. This year, we have introduced a new service: our own delivery service.
MAF Carrefour is Carrefour’s app for delivery services. It allows customers to shop online and have 5000+ products delivered to their home or desired location. The app gives shoppers convenient access to a service.
MAF Carrefour’s combined app and delivery service is a digital solution that allows customers to shop at home or on the go. This new app allows loyal customers to use the brand loyalty programme MyCLUB. Our rewards program offers more tailored promotions as well as the chance to spend and collect points for MyCLUB, which can be used against any product in our assortment.
Our activities are based around a common goal – to support and strengthen communities we serve, and to strengthen the economy and agricultural sector of the country.
We are also expanding “Carrefour City”, our convenience format that offers a variety of essential items closer to people’s houses and neighbourhoods.
Self-checkout systems are the best way to ensure maximum security
Carrefour has always placed a high priority on saving our customers’ time and money. We introduced self-service counters to make shopping easier, more flexible and safer during the pandemic.
We plan to expand the service to more stores in Georgia to ensure maximum comfort and avoid long lines.
Rapid physical and digital expansion
We are expanding rapidly, both physically and digitally. Carrefour has more than 50 convenience shops in Georgia, including 5 hypermarkets and 13 supermarkets. The strategic plan has multiple directions in order to meet the needs and expectations of all stakeholders.
First, we will continue expanding into regions in order to continue serving our community as best we can. We plan to open a small and large hypermarket in Zugdidi. We continue to expand in different regions and increase employment opportunities, which are of paramount importance for local talent.
CSR Projects: Helping those in Need
Our team has undertaken a number community engagement projects over the years. This gives customers the opportunity to improve the lives of vulnerable groups in Georgia.
Carrefour has formed partnerships with various organizations, including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Tbilisi City Hall and the Autism Research Foundation, Red Cross Society in Georgia and Emmaus Georgia. We have played a significant role in helping people who are disabled, single mothers, families that are socially vulnerable, orphans and war veterans, as well as children with serious illnesses and the elderly. We do not limit ourselves to one-time charity projects but rather focus on long-term campaigns.
Carrefour is not only concerned with raising awareness but also takes steps to socially integrate people with special needs by hiring them.
Carrefour has recently joined the Business Advisory Council, an innovative platform that supports the realization of children’s rights at the workplace, on the labor market, and in the community. We believe that by working together, we can make a significant difference to the future of children in Georgia.
Sustainability strategy: the brand’s commitment to the environment
Carrefour’s desire to be environmentally and socially responsible guides its operations.
Carrefour Georgia introduced the first locally produced reusable bag – MADE IN GEORGIA. Later, it launched reusable wheels bags as part of the Honour Nature campaign to educate Carrefour’s customers about the environmental harm caused by single-use plastic bags and the benefits of using reusable bag.
Since the launch of Carrefour reusable bag, sales have increased by up to 120%. Carrefour offered a reward to all customers who chose reusable bags as an additional incentive. During the campaign, Carrefour offered rewards to over 1.5 million customers. Since the launch of these campaigns, Carrefour has seen a 80% decrease in the use single-use plastic.
Environmental protection and the importance of educating youth
We are actively working to promote environmental protection, particularly among the younger generations.
Carrefour has released the first Georgian colouring book on the harmful effects of plastics on the environment. Brand representatives distributed these books to public-school and schoolchildren.
We are proud to say that Carrefour, which has been tested in many countries, has brought its international shopping experience to Georgia. Since we opened in Georgia, our competitors have tried to improve and develop by following our example. Healthy competition is good for us and helps push us harder. Our activities are all based on the same goal: to support the communities we serve, as well as to strengthen the economy and agricultural sector of the country.
Blog by Jerome Akel Country Manager of Carrefour Georgia
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