Press - 2011

28 December 2011

Leader Price – Geimex: arbitration decision in the dispute between the Baud family and Casino

– The Casino Group will have to pay €7.25M to the Baud family compared to €550M they originally requested;

– Given the “obvious exaggeration” of their demands, the Baud family has been ordered to reimburse €1M to the Casino Group for legal costs incurred

Saint-Etienne, December 28, 2011 – Casino has become aware of the arbitration decision in the dispute between Casino and the Baud family, as a shareholder of Geimex, which operates the Leader Price brand internationally.

The Baud family accused Casino to have intentionally deprived them of their preferential right when proceeding with the disposal of the polish assets to the Tesco group in 2006. They sought €550M for compensation, reduced to €517M as of the day of the court hearing. Casino, for its part, has always acknowledged the omission of notification but pleaded the unintentional nature of this omission and objected to the obviously excessive demands of the Baud family.

In its decision of December 23, 2011, the arbitration tribunal rejected all claims of intent from Casino and awarded damages of €7.25M for the loss of opportunity caused by the omission of notification, only 1.4% of the amount claimed by the Baud family as reported by the arbitration tribunal.

Casino will have to pay that amount to the Baud family minus €1M, paid by the Baud family to Casino to reimburse legal costs, in light of the “obvious exaggeration” of their demands.

This €6.25M is therefore disproportionate to the Baud family’s initial demands and has no significant impact on the Group’s accounts.

About the Casino Group

The Casino Group is one of the leading food retailers in the world. In addition to its 9,500 outlets in France (Géant Casino, Casino supermarkets, Franprix, Leader Price, Monoprix, Petit Casino, Spar, Vival and Cdiscount), the company has another 2,200 stores, mainly in Latin America (Brazil and Colombia) and South East Asia (Thailand and Vietnam), which account for 40% of its sales. In 2010, Casino had consolidated sales of €29 billion. It employs 230,000 people around the world.

Press contacts

IMAGE 7
Leslie JUNG
Tel. : +44 7818 641 803
ljung@image7.uk.com

GROUPE CASINO
Thierry ORSONI
Tel. +33 (0)1 53 65 24 78
torsoni@groupe-casino.fr

 

21 December 2011

Announcement from Big C Thailand regarding the new timeline for its capital increase plan

Paris, December 21st 2011

Big C Thailand, a subsidiary of Casino Group announced today that the timeline for the capital increase plan approved by its Board of Directors on 19 October 2011 and the details for the next Extraordinary General Meeting (“EGM”) will be considered at the next meeting of the Board of Directors at the beginning of 2012.

Taking into consideration both the extraordinary conditions resulting from the floods in Thailand and their aftermath and the timing of the year, Big C considered that it was not practicable to hold the EGM within this year.

Analysts and Investors Contacts

Régine GAGGIOLI
rgaggioli@groupe-casino.fr
+33 1 53 65 64 17

Aline NGUYEN
Anguyen@groupe-casino.fr
+33 1 53 65 64 85

21 December 2011

The Casino group strengthens its commitment to gender equality

Since 2009, the Casino Group has held the AFNOR Diversity Label, which is awarded to companies that have implemented a comprehensive, properly structured anti-discrimination policy, and the Group remains convinced that team diversity is a factor in both social cohesion and economic performance. Its commitment to equality has just moved up a gear with the signing of a new agreement with the social partners on gender equality in the workplace, based on the areas for improvement identified by Terrafemina.

Gender equality in the workplace is one of the HR priority objectives of the Casino Group, which signed a gender equality agreement with the social partners in its DCF subsidiary as early as 2005.

In 2008, the group also introduced equal pay measures as part of the mandatory annual round of negotiations, with the result that, for equivalent positions, salaries are now at the same level for men and women within the Group.

And in 2010, the Group worked with Terrafemina to carry out a company by company study/diagnosis covering 2008, 2009 and mid-2010, in order to identify the priority areas for improvement that were used as the basis for negotiating the professional gender equality agreement announced today. The Group agreement will apply to every branch and subsidiary from the beginning of 2012.

The agreement covers five major themes : recruitment, training, remuneration, career development and parenting. It also aims to ensure that women are more aware of the managerial positions available to them, including field positions, and provides for various steps to be taken in areas such as combating stereotypes, with the completion of a recruitment guide for all the Group’s HR and recruitment managers. The guide contains specific recommendations and a number of measures to facilitate female employees’ access to training and provisions on remuneration (equality on recruitment, gradual reduction of existing pay gaps, upgrading of part-time contracts). It also aims to ensure fair treatment in career development and a better balance between work and family life by, for example, pursuing partnerships to carry out inter-company crèche projects.

The aim of the framework agreement is to extend the benefit of tried-and tested measures to all Group companies. Within Casino Distribution France, for example, between 2005 and 2010 the percentage of female employees increased from 15.6% to 21.67% for the “executive” category and from 31.6% to 37.12% for supervisors.

The agreement complements and enhances the Group’s very proactive policy for women, as well as recent initiatives such as its work with the Parenting Observatory, whose charter the Group signed up to in 2008, or the creation of a separate, independent network known as “C’avec elles”, which brings together more than 400 of Casino’s female executives. It aims to provide its members with a forum for discussion and dialogue, promote their career development and improve their visibility within the Group.
About the Casino Group

The Casino Group is a leading global food retailer. In addition to its 9,500 outlets in France (Géant Casino, Casino supermarché, Franprix, Leader Price, Monoprix, Petit Casino, Spar, Vival and Cdiscount), the Group owns 2,200 stores abroad, primarily in Latin America (Brazil and Colombia) and South-East Asia (Thailand and Vietnam), which account for 40% of its business. In 2010, the Casino Group achieved a consolidated turnover of 29 billion euros. It employs 230,000 people around the world.

Press Contacts :

IMAGE 7

Catherine DESGRANDCHAMPS
Tel. : +33 (0) 1 53 70 74 44
cdesgrandchamps@image7.fr

Priscille RENEAUME
Tel. : +33 (0) 1 53 70 74 61
preneaume@image7.fr

CASINO GROUP

Frédéric CROCCEL
Tel. : +33 (0) 1 53 65 24 39
fcroccel@groupe-casino.fr

19 December 2011

Casino has entered into exclusive talks to supply the Alsace Co-op’s convenience stores

Saint-Etienne, 19 December 2011 – The Union of Co-operatives of Alsace (U.C.A.) and Casino (through its Convenience-Stores division) have entered into exclusive talks in order to reach an agreement for the supply of the Alsace Co-op’s convenience stores.
Subject to the successful conclusion of the negotiations, a supply contract would come into force at the beginning of 2012 for a period of seven years and would provide for the supply of a range of both nationalbrand and private label (Casino) products to the UCA’s network of convenience stores.
This supply contract would cover those UCA convenience stores that are less than 1,000m² with a network of 141 sale outlets of 80 to 800m² that currently have total sales (taxes included) of €93 million.
This contract would cover a product range of 2,500 to 15,000 items, depending on the size of the store, that would consist of 60% private label and 40% national brands (as compared with 90% national brands at the moment in the Alsace Co-op). All the regional Alsatian products will remain unchanged.

About the UCA
The Alsace Co-op is the leading retailer in Alsace with sales of €650 million. It has a total of six hypermarkets, 22 supermarkets and 141
convenience stores, as well as a butchery and charcuterie production plant.

About the Casino Group
The Casino Group is one of the leading food retailers in the world. In addition to its 9,500 outlets in France (Géant Casino, Casino supermarkets, Franprix, Leader Price, Monoprix, Petit Casino, Spar, Vival and Cdiscount), the company has another 2,200 stores, mainly in Latin America (Brazil and Colombia) and South East Asia (Thailand and Vietnam), which account for 40% of its sales. In 2010, Casino had
consolidated sales of €29 billion. It employs 230,000 people around the world.

About Casino Convenience Stores
A pioneer in food retailing, Casino Convenience Stores has a total of 6,700 sale outlets in France (Petit Casino, Casino Shopping, Casino Shop, Spar, Spar Supermarché, Vival, etc.). Based on the values of service and customer satisfaction, Casino Convenience Stores is pursuing a strategy of diversification and geographic expansion that is driven by a policy of continuous recruitment. With 2010 sales of €1.6 billion, the division is the dedicated convenience-store retailing arm of the Casino Group and is currently one of the leaders in its market.

Press contacts :
IMAGE 7
Karine ALLOUIS – Tél. : +33 (0)1 53 70 74 81
kallouis@image7.fr
Priscille RENEAUME – Tél. : +33 (0)1 53 70 74 61
preneaume@image7.fr

GROUPE CASINO
Frédéric CROCCEL – Tél. +33 (0)1 53 65 24 39
fcroccel@groupe-casino.fr

17 November 2011

Big C Thaïland announces the temporary postponment of the capital increase plan due to the exceptional flooding situation in Thailand

Big C Thailand, a subsidiary of Casino Group announced today the decision of its board of directors to postpone the Extraordinary General Meeting convened to approve the capital increase plan announced on October 20th. This temporary decision is the result of the exceptional flooding situation in Thailand.

The capital increase plan will be subject to the shareholders vote at the earliest practicable date before the end of the year, when the flooding situation will allow it.

Analysts and Investors contact:

Régine GAGGIOLI
rgaggioli@groupe-casino.fr
+33 1 53 65 64 17

Aline NGUYEN
Anguyen@groupe-casino.fr
+33 1 53 65 64 85

17 November 2011

Cdiscount launches a MasterCard® bank card

A bank card designed for online shoppers
Regardless of where the card is used, the customer can enjoy the benefits of Cdiscount: special offers, discounts, warranties …

This pioneering approach sets Cdiscount apart from the rest of the cut-price e-commerce market, as it launches a single debit/credit card that offers multiple services such as universal cashback and free delivery and allows customers to choose between debit and credit purchases at any time:

  • Cashback  All purchases made with the Cdiscount MasterCard® generate cashback* regardless of the amount, store or site where they are made. For every 1,000 euros spent, the customer receives a 10 euro voucher to spend on Cdiscount.com.
  • Specific services for distance selling
    Free delivery for small parcels at Casino Proximité
    Extended cooling-off period (30 days instead of 7)
    Exclusive discounts on selected items
  • MasterCard acceptance network and benefits
    Thanks to the MasterCard acceptance network, the Cdiscount MasterCard is accepted by more than 32.9 million** merchants worldwide. It also benefits from MasterCard support and insurance services.

An innovative card
The card enables customers to choose between making a debit or credit purchase at any time. They can also use the secure client area on the Internet to switch between debit or credit expenditure.
In addition, it includes the MasterCard PayPass™ function for simple, fast contactless purchases up to a maximum of 20 euros.
The Cdiscount MasterCard® is the latest in the new range of BANQUE CASINO cards and has been produced with the electronic payments knowhow of its new shareholder and partner, the Crédit Mutuel Group.

About Cdiscount
A pioneer in e-commerce, Cdiscount.com is a subsidiary of Casino and is the leading online retailer in France (€ 1 billion of net sales in 2010). The company has 1,100 employees.
Cdiscount.com offers a range of more than 100,000 products from some 20 stores: DVD, video games, IT, TV, HiFi, photo, telephony, GPS/auto, small and large appliances, sports, textiles, shoes, wine, toys and services. Cdiscount has 10 million customers.

About Banque Casino
Banque Casino is a subsidiary of the Casino Group and the Crédit Mutuel Group. It develops and markets bancassurance products and services to Casino Group customers: bank cards, consumer credit, insurance and pension products.
It markets its products in Casino Hypermarkets and Supermarkets, in Proximité outlets and on the Cdiscount website.
Banque Casino has designed this new card in partnership with Crédit Mutuel. By early 2012, the bank’s full range of financial products will be delivered by Crédit Mutuel.

About MasterCard
MasterCard (NYSE: MA) is a global payments and technology company. It operates the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries. MasterCard’s products and services make everyday commercial activities – such as shopping, travelling, running a business and financial management – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. For further information, go to www.mastercard.com. You can also follow us on Twitter: @mastercardnews or be part of the discussion on The Heart of Commerce Blog.

Cdiscount Press Contact:
Antoine Lamarche – antoine.lamarche@cdiscount.com – (+33)5 57 14 45 20

Casino Press Contact :
Groupe Casino : Frédéric Croccel – fcroccel@groupe-casino.fr – (+33)1 53 65 24 39
Image 7 : Priscille Reneaume – preneaume@image7.fr – (+33)1 53 70 74 70

MasterCard Press Contact:
Donatienne Douriez, MasterCard – donatienne_douriez@mastercard.com – (+33)1 42 73 81 23
Myriam Gasnier, Weber Shandwick – mgasnier@webershandwick.com – (+33)1 47 59 56 36

* €10 voucher for every €1,000, excluding ATM withdrawals, up to a maximum of 100 euros in vouchers per year. Counted annually and reset on the card anniversary date.
** MasterCard figure as at 30 September 2011.

9 November 2011

The Casino Group innovates with the first in-house conference on family caregivers

A family caregiver is a worker or a retiree who helps, in a non-professional capacity, a dependent elderly or disabled relative (spouse or child) to cope with everyday tasks. Today there are almost 4 million family caregivers in France and the figure is set to increase as the needs of our ageing society have to be met. Now that the Dependency Reform has been deferred, Casino felt it was essential for the Group to show it cares… for caregivers.

Some 100 Casino Group employees came to listen to speakers from CLIC, (the Local Information and Coordination Centre in gerontology) of the Loire administrative department, the MDPH (Departmental Disabled Persons Office), AG2R-La Mondiale Insurance, a psychologist, the Casino Group’s national referring physician and an occupational physician, as well as moving stories from family caregivers of elderly and disabled persons. The aim was not just to inform and educate Group employees, but more especially to unburden caregivers by providing help and support. A “first” in the business world, the conference was a success.

To ensure that this would not be a “one-off” initiative, a questionnaire was distributed asking participants to choose the topics they would like to learn more about. The most popular ones were inheritance issues, services and benefits for disabled and elderly people and the “I am a carer – let’s talk about it!” discussion group. Between December 2011 and June 2012, monthly workshops will be held for groups of around 12 employees, led by a specialist from the sector.

In Q1 2012, a dedicated handbook – “Have a care for carers” – will be distributed to all Group employees to inform them of the services and benefits available and point them towards stakeholder agencies.

A second conference will be organised in 2012.

Press Contacts

Image Sept
Grégoire Lucas and Priscille Reneaume
Tel.: 01 53 70 74 70
glucas@image7.frpreneaume@image7.fr

Casino
Frédéric Croccel
Tel.: 01 53 65 24 39
fcroccel@groupe-casino.fr

20 October 2011

Announcement by Big C Thailand of a capital increase’s project for up to THB 25 billion (c. EUR 595 million)

Big C Thailand, a Casino affiliate, announced today that its Board of Directors has unanimously approved a rights offering of the ordinary shares of Big C for up to THB 25 billion (c. EUR 595 million). Casino, the main shareholder of Big C, intends to subscribe to the capital increase pro rata to its current ownership.

Proceeds from the capital increase will be used by Big C in priority to repay existing debt incurred for the acquisition of Carrefour’s operations in Thailand. The transaction will also provide the company with greater financial flexibility, hence enabling it to implement the next step of its growth strategy.
This plan, which notably aims at further strengthening its co-leadership position in the Thai retail sector, includes the expansion of its store network across different formats nationwide, the acceleration of Big C ‘s dual retail and commercial property model as well as potential acquisition opportunities on a selective basis in Thailand and in the region.

The rights offering is subject to the approval of Big C’s shareholders at the extraordinary general meeting of Big C, which is scheduled for 17 November 2011.

Big C rights offering subscription period is expected to take place during December
2011.

Paris, 20 October 2011

Analysts and Investors Contact
Régine Gaggioli : rgaggioli@groupe-casino.fr / + 33 (0)1 53 65 64 17
Aline Nguyen : anguyen@groupe-casino.fr / + 33 (0) 1 53 65 64 85

This announcement does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to purchase, otherwise acquire, issue, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of any securities, nor any solicitation of any offer to purchase, otherwise acquire, issue, subscribe for, sell or otherwise dispose of, any securities. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and may not be offered or sold in the United States unless they are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act is available.

19 October 2011

Casino’s convenience store division signs partnership with La Poste

Today, Christian Cléret, CEO of Poste Immo and Jean-Pierre Lanzetti, CEO of Casino Proximité signed a five-year partnership agreement to setup convenience stores in vacant real-estate sites next to post offices in towns with less than 12,000 inhabitants.

Over the last few years, La Poste group has been rolling out an extensive modernisation program of its industrial facilities, creating mail preparation platforms in city outskirts and vacating the buildings located next to its post offices which previously housed local mail distribution centres.

Casino will be able to rent these unoccupied buildings and turn them into convenience stores.

This partnership concerns an initial batch of about fifty real-estate sites located all over France.

This innovative partnership will benefit La Poste group in three ways. By renting its vacant buildings to convenience stores it will reduce its current real estate costs, dynamise communities and improve the service offer and appeal of town centres.

For Casino this is a partnership founded on the shared values of customer service and proximity. This long-term alliance will enable the food retailer to increase its presence in towns with less than 12,000 inhabitants and cater for the needs of local elected representatives and consumers.

Paris, October 19

About La Poste Group
A limited company in 100% public ownership since 1 March 2010, La Poste is an original multi-business group structured around four activities: mail, parcels express, banking and the La Poste retail brand. Each year, La Poste’s 17,000 branches are visited by some 45 million individual and 3.5 million business customers. La Poste’s operational infrastructure allows it to process and transport 26 billion objects per year. In 2010, La Poste group generated revenues of €20.9 billion and employed more than 276,000 staff. By 2015, La Poste intends to become a European leader in local postal and financial services. La Poste group is innovation-minded and strives daily to develop services and products that will facilitate the lives of its clients and employees in the future.True to its values and public service missions, and backed by the commitment of its postal workers, the La Poste group aims to become a benchmark in the arena of the modern public enterprise.

About Poste Immo
Wholly-owned subsidiary and global real estate operator of the group La Poste, Poste Immo intervenes both as land and as a service provider with a park of 13.000 buildings and 7.6 million m². The company operates the Group’s real estate policy according to an ambitious sustainable commitment through its four activities: attending the Jobs of the Group for the development of their projects, preservation and increase of the value of the patrimonial asset, the rationalization of occupied surfaces, and the optimization of the asset management. Its responsible approach also extends to its employer’s social role, its culture, its functioning and its relations with all stakeholders. 

About Casino
The Casino group is a leading food retailer in France and internationally. Multi-format and multi-brand, it runs a network of 11,700 stores.
The Group is present in Latin America (Brazil and Colombia) and Southeast Asia (Thailand and Vietnam) and generates 46% of its turnover outside France (Third-quarter 2011 sales data).

About Casino Proximité
Casino Proximité is a food retailing pioneer with 6,700 stores in France (Petit Casino, Casino shopping, Casino shop, Spar, Spar Supermarché, Vival…). True to its founding values of customer service and satisfaction, Casino Proximité is implementing a strategy of diversification and geographical expansion driven by a sustained recruitment policy. The Casino group’s convenience store division generated a turnover of €1.6 billion in 2010 and is currently the leader in its market.

Press Contacts

La Poste Group
Stéphanie FRAISSE / Tél : + 33 1 55 44 22 39 / Fax : 01 55 44 22 62 / steph.fraisse@laposte.fr

Casino Group
Frédéric CROCCEL / Tel. + 33 1 53 65 24 39 / fcroccel@groupe-casino.fr

Image Sept
Grégoire LUCAS / Tel. + 33 1 53 70 74 94 / glucas@image7.fr
Priscille RENEAUME / Tel. + 33 1 53 70 74 61 / preneaume@image7.fr