On 22 January, NEOMA welcomed Thierry Cotillard, President of the Mousquetaires Group, to the Rouen campus for an ‘Inspirational Encounter’. It was an opportunity for him to talk with his competitor, Michel-Edouard Leclerc, President of NEOMA, and above all to interact with our students. Here we sum up the event in 3 questions. 

What have been the major developments in mass retail? 

Thierry Cotillard recalled the changes mass retail has undergone over the last ten years: the concentration of the sector “which shows no sign of stopping”, and the emergence of competitors like Amazon, “a revolution”, or specialists such as Grand Frais. Despite this context, he emphasised that supermarkets “which had been written off rather too quickly” have managed to hang on. However, opening new shops has become more difficult, “we’ve gone from creating 200,000 m2 of shop floor space per year to only 60,000 m2 for the Intermarché group.” 

What is the growth strategy for the Mousquetaires Group? 

The Mousquetaires CEO explained his growth strategy by the acquisition of 300 Casino shops: “If you can’t open new shops or push back the walls, you have no other choice than to get hold of 300,000 m2.” These are square metres that the group is renovating and transforming. Early results are promising: an 18% lowering of prices, a 10% increase in footfall. The Mousquetaires are now aiming for 20% market share by 2027.

The career of the CEO of Mousquetaires 

Thierry Cotillard is the son of a Breton farmer. Nothing in his background predestined him to work in mass retail but it was through a cousin that he came into the system. “Then it was who I met,” he explained. “The Head of an Intermarché had spotted me. He asked me to take over from him, I said no once, twice, then the third time I had no choice. At the age of 39 I found myself in charge of Intermarché, it wasn’t easy, and I didn’t really feel I had the right to be there. But it all went reasonably well and I really enjoyed being in that job.”

Thierry Cotillard was elected ‘Retail Personality 2024’ at the E-commerce evening in Issy-les-Moulineaux last November. It was very important for NEOMA and the students to host a leader, and to be able to share his vision of the industry.