Press

3 October 2011

The Casino group launches a universal debit card through its Banque Casino subsidiary in partnership with MasterCard

In response to customer expectations, the Casino group and MasterCard have joined forces to provide a non-credit payment card that offers a wealth of commitment-free benefits and services. In addition to earning “S’Miles” points at Casino outlets, the Casino MasterCard® earns points in any store where purchases are made. The Casino group is the only retail brand to provide a product of this kind.

A stand-out product that completes our loyalty programme
In launching this immediate debit card, backed by a loyalty programme of this type, the Casino group aims to revitalise its payment card offer and meet the expectations of its customers.
The Casino MasterCard offers the following advantages:

Loyalty: The card includes a universal programme that can earn S’Miles throughout France and abroad, regardless of where the purchases are made, and loyalty is three times better rewarded than with a traditional loyalty card in Casino outlets:
• 1 S’Miles per euro spent at Casino
• 1 S’Miles per 5 euros spent elsewhere

Simplicity: The consumer does not need to change banks. This is a genuine MasterCard with a simplified acceptance procedure and includes MasterCard’s support and insurance cover at a very competitive price (free for the first year, then € 16 per year – one of the cheapest on the market). Benefiting from the MasterCard acceptance network, it is accepted by more than 32.7 million merchants worldwide.

Innovation: The card is a real innovation as it makes customers’ daily lives easier, avoiding the need for them to keep several different loyalty cards in their wallets. In addition, it offers the MasterCard® PayPass™ service, enabling contactless payment for purchases of up to 25 euros with over 341,000 merchants worldwide.
It has been available since 28 September throughout the Casino hypermarket and supermarket networks.

About “S’Miles” reward points

S’Miles is a multi-partner loyalty programme.
Each partner brand rewards its customers for their purchases by enabling them to accumulate S’Miles reward points. The S’Miles earned can then be redeemed for credit vouchers or gifts.

In exchange for 800 S’Miles, customers can get an immediate 10 euro discount on purchases at Casino. They can also choose from a selection of over 100 gifts by logging onto “My card and my S’Miles” at www.casino.fr.

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 generates 62% of its turnover and 59% of its operating income in France, and 38% of its turnover and 41% of its operating income abroad. It is present in Latin America (Brazil and Colombia) and Southeast Asia (Thailand and Vietnam).
As at 31 December 2010, the Group recorded a consolidated turnover of 29 billion euros and a net income (Group share) of 559 million euros. Casino is listed on the Paris Bourse.

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 and territories. 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.

Press Contacts Casino:
Casino group: Frédéric Croccel – fcroccel@groupe-casino.fr – 01 53 65 24 39
Image 7 : Priscille Reneaume – preneaume@image7.fr – 01 53 70 74 70

Press Contacts MasterCard:
Donatienne Douriez, MasterCard – donatienne_douriez@mastercard.com – 01 42 73 81 23
Myriam Gasnier, Weber Shandwick – mgasnier@webershandwick.com – 01 47 59 56 36

28 September 2011

CasinoExpress.fr: drive-through shopping the Casino way

The Casino Group is expanding its portfolio of formats with the launch of a new drive-through experience called “CasinoExpress.fr”. The first pick-up point is located near Lyon, on the road to Vienne (Vénissieux).

Casino has designed this new local service to be as accessible to as many people as possible and to meet the needs of customers and consumers who want to be freed from the bother of shopping while avoiding delivery charges and the need to wait in at home for the delivery to arrive.

Casino is thus enhancing its offer with a new service: CasinoExpress.fr, a 100% drive-through experience.

The CasinoExpress.fr service consists, on the one hand, of a dedicated website (www.casinoexpress.fr) where orders can be placed online and, on the other, of drive-through collection points where customers can come and pick up their shopping two hours after ordering it. A CasinoExpress.fr team will then take no more than 5 minutes to load the shopping straight into the boot of the car.

Being 100% free and with no minimum order requirement, this new channel offers low prices (in line with hypermarket competitors) coupled with a shopping experience that enables customers to focus on their everyday shopping needs.

The new distribution channel builds on the know-how the Casino Group has built up in two areas:

  • local shopping, which it has been championing for over a century through brands such as Petit Casino, Vival, Spar, Monoprix, Franprix – a sector in which it is currently the leader in France;
  • e-commerce, with Cdiscount – the Number 1 non-food e-commerce retailer in France.

CasinoExpress.fr also benefits from the expertise the Group has acquired in online food retailing through “Mes Courses Casino”, which is already available in more than 80 of its hypermarkets and supermarkets where a pick-up facility is available at the store (pick-up by car or at the in-store reception).

7,000 items, national brands and Casino own-label

CasinoExpress.fr offers a catalogue of 7,000 everyday products covering all departments: market produce (fruit, vegetables, meat, fish), fresh produce, frozen foods, grocery, health, household items, variety store… with maximum focus on quality and freshness. For example, CasinoExpress.fr guarantees a minimum pre-expiry date (30 days for grocery, 7 days for yoghurt and dairy, 6 days for cold meats, ready meals, cheese, butter, smoked and salted fish, 3 days for deli products, 2 days for meat, poultry and fresh fish). In addition, special emphasis is placed on organic products and those from sustainable agriculture. Cold chain integrity is, of course, strictly maintained throughout the process.

CasinoExpress.fr includes major national brand products as well as Casino own-label products (Casino Délices, Casino Bio, Casino Famili, Casino Saveurs d’ailleurs, Casino Terres et Saveurs, Club des Sommeliers, Casino bien pour vous, etc.). CasinoExpress.fr also makes mothers’ lives easier with a wide range of baby products (organic food, wide selection of infant milk, infant care accessories, health, etc.).

Furthermore, a low price policy will apply throughout the year, backed up by regular promotion campaigns.

A flexible, quality service

Thanks to real-time stock management, CasinoExpress.fr is aiming for near-100% product availability. Customers can either pre-pay for their orders online or pay by bank card at the drive-through. All purchases are made using a secure payment procedure (PCSI-DSS certified).
CasinoExpress.fr offers a highly flexible service: customers can place an order around the clock and come to collect their shopping from a drive-through, open Monday to Saturday from 8.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. Depending on their needs, customers can collect their shopping from two hours to up to 7 days following their order.

The CasinoExpress.fr drive-through in Vénissieux occupies 1600 square metres of warehouse space and will employ 30 staff, recruited locally in partnership with the Job Centre.

Press contact: Frédéric CROCCEL – Tel. 01 53 65 24 39 – fcroccel@groupe-casino.fr

27 September 2011

Casino: success of a €600 million bond issue

Casino announces the successful issue of a €600 million 4.5-year bond.
This operation strengthens the liquidity of the Group and extends the maturity of its debt, with the purpose of refinancing the end-2011 and early-2012 debt instalments.

This new bond, which will pay a coupon of 4.47%, has been largely oversubscribed by a diversified investor base.

Casino is rated BBB- stable by Standard & Poor’s and Fitch Ratings.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Banking, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, ING, Natixis and Société Générale were lead managers of this bond issue.

Saint-Etienne, 27 September 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

27 September 2011

Exito announces successful COP 2,500 billion (USD 1.4 billion) capital increase

Almacenes Éxito S.A. (“Éxito”), a Groupe Casino subsidiary, announced today the share allocation of its COP 2,500 billion (USD 1.4 billion) capital increase at a price of COP 21,900 per share. The offer was oversubscribed 2.6x* (excluding Casino’s pro-rata subscription) reflecting strong local and international demand for the shares in a challenging market environment.

Éxito will use proceeds from this capital increase to accelerate its expansion plan and consolidate its leadership position in Colombia. In addition, the proceeds will also be used to fund the acquisition of Casino’s majority stakes in leading Uruguayan retailers Disco and Devoto, with Éxito becoming the group’s integrated platform for growth in Hispanic Latin America.

Casino has subscribed its pro-rata participation in the capital increase, maintaining its stake in Éxito at 54.8%.

*and 1.7x including Casino’s announced subscription
Paris, September 27th 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

 

 

DISCLAIMER

The Exito common shares in this offering have not been registered under the securities laws of any other jurisdiction outside of Colombia. The offering will take place in the United States in accordance with Rule 144A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and to certain non-U.S. persons in offshore transactions in reliance of Regulation S of the Securities Act. The Exito common shares offered will not be registered under the Securities Act and cannot be offered or sold in the United States without registration or an applicable exemption to the registration requirements. The offering does not constitute a public offering of financial securities in France within the meaning of Article L. 411-1 of the French Code Monétaire et Financier and Title I of Book II of the Règlement Général of the Autorité des marchés financiers (the ‘‘AMF’’) and, therefore, no offering material has been or and will be filed with the AMF for prior approval. Consequently, the Exito common shares may not be, directly or indirectly, offered or sold to the public in France. The common shares being offered are registered in Colombia’s National Securities and Issuers’ Registry (Registro Nacional de Valores y Emisores – RNVE) and in the Colombian Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Valores de Colombia- BVC). Almacenes Éxito S.A. is a supervised entity by the Colombian Financial Superintendency.

 

 

14 September 2011

Nathalie ESTRADA is appointed Human Resources Director of Cdiscount

Nathalie ESTRADA is appointed Human Resources Director of Cdiscount. She will report to Emmanuel GRENIER, CEO of Cdiscount.

Nathalie ESTRADA is a graduate of the Institut Commercial de Nancy and was previously VP Human Resources for American Express France, a position she occupied after being Director of Human Resources France for Accenture.

Saint-Etienne, September 14, 2011

Press Contacts:

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

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

8 September 2011

Thierry ORSONI is appointed Communication Director of the Casino Group

Thierry Orsoni was born in 1961 and is a graduate of IEP Paris. He is appointed Communication Director of the Casino Group, reporting directly to Jean-Charles Naouri, Chairman and CEO of the Casino Group.

Thierry Orsoni has been Communication Director for Club Méditerranée since 2000 and will take up his position with the Casino Group on November 2, 2011.

Prior to this he worked for SANOFI, where he was successively Publishing Manager, Press Department Manager and Communication Director, France.

During his career, he has also held positions in the communication departments of various organisations and companies, for example the Fédération Nationale du Crédit Agricole and Banque Populaire du Nord.

Saint-Etienne, September 8, 2011

Press Contacts:

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

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

5 September 2011

Exito Launches COP 2.5 Trillion ($1.4 Billion) Offering of Common Shares

Exito announced today the launching of its offering of common shares, as stated on June 29th, following the formal approval received from Colombian regulatory authorities on 2 September.
The company intends to raise approximately COP 2.5 trillion ($1.4 billion), based on a price per share of COP 21,900, representing an 8% discount to Exito’s share price(1).
Proceeds from the issue will be used to finance the Exito’s expansion plan in Colombia and in the region, including the acquisition of Casino’s majority stakes in Disco and Devoto in Uruguay for a total value of US$746 million.
Exito’s current shareholders have a priority subscription right to the new shares, pro rata to their interest in the company. Common shares not acquired by current shareholders will be allocated to international investors and to the general public in Colombia. Casino, which owns 54.8% of Exito, intends to subscribe to the capital increase pro rata to its current ownership, thereby maintaining its controlling interest in the company.
The subscription period will run from 5 September to 23 September 2011.

(1) Based on the average price over the month preceding the Exito Board of Directors’ decision setting the subscription price and adjusted for the portion of the 2010 dividend that will be paid in advance to current shareholders before the completion of the new share issue.

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
DISCLAIMER
The Exito common shares in this offering have not been registered under the securities laws of any other jurisdiction outside of Colombia. The offering will take place in the United States in accordance with Rule 144A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and to certain non-U.S. persons in offshore transactions in reliance of Regulation S of the Securities Act. The Exito common shares offered will not be registered under the Securities Act and cannot be offered or sold in the United States without registration or an applicable exemption to the registration requirements. The offering does not constitute a public offering of financial securities in France within the meaning of Article L. 411-1 of the French Code Monétaire et Financier and Title I of Book II of the Règlement Général of the Autorité des marchés financiers (the ‘‘AMF’’) and, therefore, no offering material has been or and will be filed with the AMF for prior approval. Consequently, the Exito common shares may not be, directly or indirectly, offered or sold to the public in France. The common shares being offered are registered in Colombia’s National Securities and Issuers’ Registry (Registro Nacional de Valores y Emisores – RNVE) and in the Colombian Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Valores de Colombia- BVC). Almacenes Éxito S.A. is a supervised entity by the Colombian Financial Superintendency.

31 August 2011

Success of a USD 900M medium-term financing

Casino has announced today the closing of a medium-term financing for an amount of USD 900M (approx. EUR630M) with a group of 9 international banks : JP Morgan (facility agent), Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC and RBS.
This operation, which enables the Group to strengthen its liquidity and access to competitive financial resources, shows the quality of Casino’s signature.

Paris, 31 August 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

28 July 2011

2011 Second-Quarter Sales and First-Half Results

– Second-quarter 2011 sales up a very strong 18.8%
 . Faster organic growth, at 7.8% excluding petrol, versus 4.7% in the first quarter
– Very strong organic growth in international markets, with sales up 15.1%
– Accelerated organic growth in France, with sales up 3.2%

– Market share in France up 0.2 point

– First-half 2011: EBITDA up 7.1% and trading profit up 5.6%
 . Excellent performances in International markets
. Gradual improvement in profitability throughout the period in France

– Underlying attributable profit: €178 million (-14.3%)

– Objective of asset disposals increased over €1 billion (vs. €700 million initially), of which €680 million already committed

– The Group confirms the objectives set at the beginning of the year for 2011

– It sets the objective to maintain its net debt/EBITDA ratio at a level below 2.2x at year-end














Press contact

For any press request relating to the Casino Group and its brands: Casino, Monoprix, Vival, Spar, Naturalia and Franprix

 

Group Communication Department
directiondelacommunication@groupe-casino.fr
(+33) 1 53 65 24 29