Carrefour pays €79mn for 17% share in Showroomprivé to broaden digital presence

Carrefour has purchased a 17% share in Showroomprivé, the private sales e-commerce site that specialises in flash offers.

The move will allow Carrefour to further explore its digital ambitions by becoming a player in online private sales, a part of the retail sector that requires membership to access unique offers on high-profile brands.

It has paid €79mn for the shares from Conforama and is part of the two groups' strategies to offer an 'omni-channel' offering for their customers, with a special focus on commercial, marketing, logistics and data.

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"This partnership is a new step in the acceleration of our digital strategy, in an omni-channel approach," said Alexandre Bompard, CEO of Carrefour.

"I am convinced of the quality of Showroomprivé's management and the strong potential resulting from the operational cooperation between our two groups."

Showroomprivé employs close to 1,000 workers and operates in eight other European countries as well as France. Thierry Petit and David Dayan, its co-founders, added: "We are pleased with this partnership with Carrefour.

"It allows us to enter a new stage after the agreement with Conforama, in partnership with one of the world's leading retailers. It opens up unprecedented opportunities."