French rail station management company SNCF Gares & Connexions has selected Carrefour and Lagardère Travel Retail to establish 150 station food stores by 2030.
The contract was awarded following a competitive tender process for new local services in railway stations.
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The two retail giants envision the inauguration of 30 stores annually, strategically located in stations of varying sizes throughout France and particularly where no existing supermarkets are in proximity.
Travellers and local commuters can expect to encounter two distinct retail formats.
The first includes food stores under the Carrefour banner, occupying spaces ranging from 80m² to 400m².
The second will feature dedicated online order pick-up points.
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By GlobalDataTwo innovative concepts will be piloted: Potager City, a distribution model delivering fresh produce, including fruit, vegetables and local goods, and Api, a self-service mini-market offering a convenient shopping experience.
The rollout of the first Carrefour-branded stores within railway stations will commence before the end of 2025.
Lagardère Travel Retail chairman and CEO Dag Rasmussen stated: “It is with great enthusiasm and shared ambition that we embark on this new partnership with Carrefour after winning the tender organised by SNCF Gares & Connexions. This project showcases our expertise in high-traffic retail locations, backed by a comprehensive portfolio of leading brands.
“It also illustrates our shared commitment: to offer millions of travellers and local residents a modern, local retail experience with quality products and services, transforming stations into true hubs of activity that meet the needs of an increasingly mobile world. This a great example of our commitment to sustainable, high-quality local retail.”
The initiative falls under SNCF Gares & Connexions’ “Place de la Gare” programme, which aims to integrate practical and community-focused services into urban centres.
Central to this initiative is a novel commercial proposition that prioritises localised food services, enabling customers to integrate shopping into their travel schedules.
SNCF Gares & Connexions CEO and SNCF Group deputy CEO in charge of transformation, Marlène Dolveck, stated: “Through this partnership with Carrefour and Lagardère Travel Retail, we are going even further in simplifying the daily lives of travellers by offering a new network of food stores across all regions. This aligns with the goal of Place de la Gare: to make stations more convenient, useful and enjoyable, while encouraging people to take the train.”
