Casino Group reported more than 24,000 employees and nearly 6,500 sales outlets in 2025, with about 85% operated through franchises or leasehold arrangements. The group describes itself as a leader in convenience retail in France.[1]

Foundation

Casino’s history begins in 1898, when Geoffroy Guichard established the company that would become Casino Group. The first store was opened in Veauche, in the Loire region near Saint-Étienne. The name “Casino” was inherited from a former casino/concert-hall property that was converted into a grocery store; the name subsequently became the identity of the retail business.[1]

The company expanded rapidly during the early 20th century. One of its most significant innovations came in 1901, when Casino introduced its own branded products. This is regarded by the company as the creation of the first retailer private label in France, an important milestone in the development of supermarket own-brand products.[1]

In 1906, Casino opened manufacturing facilities to produce goods carrying the Casino brand, further integrating retailing and product manufacturing.

Expansion before World War II

Casino expanded its network throughout the first decades of the 20th century. By the late 1930s, the company had developed a large network of stores, warehouses and manufacturing facilities. Historical company records indicate that it operated thousands of retail locations and numerous production facilities before World War II.[1]

The company also developed a strong connection with Saint-Étienne. In 1931, the Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium was inaugurated and named after Casino’s founder. The stadium later became closely associated with AS Saint-Étienne, one of France’s best-known football clubs.

Introduction of self-service retail

A major transformation came after World War II.

In 1948, Casino opened its first self-service store in Saint-Étienne, moving away from the traditional shopkeeper-assisted grocery model toward the format that would eventually become standard in supermarkets.[1]

The company subsequently introduced larger formats:

• 1960: first Casino supermarket in Grenoble.
• 1967: first Casino cafeteria in Saint-Étienne.
• 1970: first hypermarket in Marseille, under the Géant concept.

These developments allowed Casino to operate across several retail formats, from neighborhood stores to supermarkets and hypermarkets.

From the 1990s onward, Casino increasingly developed into a diversified retail group rather than simply a supermarket chain.

A particularly important event occurred in 1992, when Casino merged with the retail activities of the Rallye Group, associated with businessman Jean-Charles Naouri. This significantly changed the group’s structure and contributed to its subsequent expansion.[1]

During the 1990s, Casino expanded its portfolio through investments and acquisitions involving several major retail brands, including:

• Monoprix
• Franprix
• Leader Price
• SPAR in France
• Vival

Casino also began expanding internationally, particularly into Latin America. In 1998 it established operations in Argentina and Uruguay, while in 1999 it acquired stakes in major retail groups in Colombia and Brazil.[1]

For a period, Casino became a major international retail group.

Its expansion included businesses in:

• France
• Brazil
• Colombia
• Argentina
• Uruguay
• Other international markets

Brazil became particularly important. Casino acquired control of GPA (Companhia Brasileira de Distribuição) and developed a significant presence in Brazilian food retail. It also became involved with Assaí, a Brazilian cash-and-carry retailer.

The group subsequently reorganized and divested several international activities, ultimately becoming much more focused on France.

Casino also became an important player in French e-commerce.

In 2000, the group acquired control of Cdiscount, an online retailer that developed into one of France’s largest e-commerce platforms. Cdiscount eventually became a major component of Casino Group’s digital strategy, particularly in non-food retail.[1]

The relationship between Casino’s physical retail network and digital commerce became an important part of the group’s broader transformation.

The modern Casino brand is significantly different from the large-format supermarket and hypermarket model that characterized parts of the group’s history.

Casino Group has increasingly concentrated on proximity retail, meaning stores located close to customers in cities, neighborhoods, towns and rural communities. The company describes its current strategy as focusing on convenience, accessibility, food shopping and services.

In 2026, Casino began introducing a new visual identity and store concept. The first stores using the new identity opened in Feurs and Saint-Étienne. According to Casino, the concept is designed to create a more modern, human and practical neighborhood grocery experience.

The group’s strategy is currently centered on what it calls a new form of “proximity” retail, with an emphasis on everyday food shopping, takeaway food and additional everyday services.

Casino stores generally focus on everyday consumer needs. Depending on the size and location of a particular store, the assortment can include:

• Fresh fruit and vegetables
• Meat and seafood
• Dairy products
• Bread and bakery products
• Frozen foods
• Packaged groceries
• Beverages
• Snacks
• Household cleaning products
• Personal-care products
• Baby products
• Casino private-label products
• Locally sourced products
• Ready-to-eat and convenience foods

The exact assortment varies substantially between Casino stores because the brand operates across different store formats and locations.

One of Casino’s most historically significant contributions to French retail is its private-label strategy.

The company launched Casino-branded products as early as 1901, making its own-brand business one of the oldest in French retail. Rather than simply selling products made by external manufacturers, Casino developed products carrying its own brand identity.[1]

This helped establish a model that later became commonplace throughout the supermarket industry: retailers offering their own branded alternatives alongside national brands.

Casino has historically operated numerous retail formats.

These have included:

• Casino supermarkets
• Casino convenience stores
• Casino hypermarkets
• Smaller neighborhood grocery formats
• Franchise and leasehold stores

The group has progressively moved away from large-format retail and toward smaller stores and franchise-based operations. This is part of its broader restructuring and proximity strategy.[1]

Casino should not be confused with the entire Casino Group. Casino is one brand within a much larger retail portfolio.

The group’s current portfolio includes:

• Casino — food and convenience retail
• Monoprix — urban food, household and lifestyle retail
• Franprix — urban convenience stores
• Naturalia — organic and natural products
• Vival — local convenience stores
• SPAR — convenience grocery stores
• Cdiscount — e-commerce, particularly non-food products[1]

This portfolio allows Casino Group to operate different retail concepts according to location, customer profile and shopping occasion.

Casino’s identity has traditionally been strongly associated with red branding and a distinctive logo. The brand has undergone several visual changes during its long history.

In 2026, the company began deploying a new Casino store identity, describing the redesign as part of its broader transformation and “Renouveau 2030” program. The new concept emphasizes proximity, quality, convenience and the social role of neighborhood stores.

The legal corporate entity behind the group is Casino, Guichard-Perrachon S.A. The company is a French public corporation headquartered in Saint-Étienne.

It should therefore be distinguished between:

Casino → the retail brand customers see on stores.

Casino Group → the larger corporate group that owns and operates multiple retail brands.

Casino, Guichard-Perrachon S.A. → the listed corporate entity behind Casino Group.

Casino Group has undergone a major transformation in recent years following financial difficulties, asset disposals and a restructuring of its business.

Its current strategy is considerably more focused than the group’s previous international model. The company emphasizes:

1. Proximity retail
2. Franchising
3. Urban and neighborhood stores
4. Food and everyday shopping
5. Takeaway food
6. In-store services
7. Digital commerce through Cdiscount

Casino describes this transformation as an effort to become a leading group of proximity brands in France.

Casino has a particularly long history in French retail. Its importance comes not only from its size but also from the innovations it introduced.

Among its notable milestones are:

• Establishing a major French grocery business in 1898
• Introducing a retailer private label in 1901
• Developing its own product manufacturing facilities
• Introducing self-service retail in 1948
• Opening an early French supermarket in 1960
• Developing hypermarkets and cafeterias
• Building a large portfolio of specialized retail brands
• Expanding internationally, particularly in Latin America
• Becoming a significant participant in French e-commerce through Cdiscount[1]

The historical milestones above are based primarily on Casino Group’s own corporate history.[1]

1. Histoire – Groupe Casino