Food retail
Schiever joins the Système U cooperative
The Schiever family group and the Système U cooperative of independent retailers have announced the signing of an agreement under which Schiever will join the cooperative from 2025.
Sector and regional development
The Schiever Group, a family-owned independent retailer founded in 1871 in Avallon (89), today employs nearly 8,000 people in France and abroad, in Poland, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Backed by its integrated logistics, it operates over 200 directly-operated stores in a variety of sectors (including DIY and textiles, with a strong emphasis on food) and formats (hypermarkets and supermarkets), and supplies over 200 independent convenience stores, mainly in rural areas in the northeast quarter of France.
Having entered the cooperative world by acquiring the Rihouet group, Intersport’s second-largest French member, on March 1, 2024 (31 Intersport stores, Blackstore and Intersport Outlet), the Schiever group today confirms its attraction for this model and has chosen to become a partner in the Système U cooperative, France’s 4th-largest food retail group operating under different banners, vocations and store formats.
The strength of a network of independents
Geographically complementary, the Schiever family group and the U cooperative share the same values of sustainability and solidarity between group members, and the same desire to offer a more responsible, locally rooted form of commerce.
While this merger complements the territories in which each company is established, it also enables the Schiever Group to benefit from the attractiveness of a national brand known for its commercial dynamism, while strengthening a network of independent entrepreneurs who share tools and processes in complete transparency.
The Schiever Group’s hypermarkets are scheduled to switch to the U banner in January 2025.
Since 1871, our history has been marked by our independence, and since 1993 by our partnerships with recognized and successful players in the retail sector. We know well and meet regularly with the different players in the French retail sector. The cooperative structure seems to us to be increasingly in line with our vision of tomorrow’s retail organization: sharing experience, co-construction, collective decision-making… Moreover, as we have just done in the world of sports by joining the Intersport cooperative, we are joining a group of men and women entrepreneurs, owners and managers of their businesses. We fully share this long-term vision and the values expressed on a daily basis.
Vincent Picq – Chairman and CEO Schiever
The Schiever group’s move to join the Coopérative U is first and foremost the result of a meeting of minds based on shared values. Vincent Picq, his family and the associated directors of Système U have come together around a long-term vision of local retailing with a human face. V. Picq appreciated the democratic and transparent way in which our cooperative operates. We thank him for his decision. For the Système U teams, this membership represents a formidable project of integration and joint development for the years to come.
Dominique Schelcher, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Système U
