Rising fuel prices, the rise of telework, democratization of digital… General Manager Marie-Laure Basset recognizes it: there was an “alignment of the planets” when launching Api, a new concept of autonomous and connected mini-market in rural areas. , whose idea is imported from Sweden.
Imagined by Julien Nau, Alex Grammatico and Jean Luc Treillou, Api opened its first point of sale a few days ago in Claix (Charente). The ambition is to reinvent the convenience store. “We can continue to dream of it, but the traditional model of the village grocery store no longer works, Marie-Laure Basset analyzes, we must therefore find another solution to revitalize the rural sector. And this idea is a 40 m2 mobile home offering 700 product references, accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week thanks to a QR code which allows the doors to be opened, with payment by credit card.
Accessible prices
An agricultural engineer, Marie-Laure Basset spent twenty-five years in the food industry, an environment she knows inside out, through her experiences at Marie (cooked meals) and Room Saveurs (delivery of meal trays for companies). She quickly concluded that Api’s idea could only work by relying on heavyweights, and by achieving economies of scale.
“We are in partnership with one of the leaders in the manufacture of mobile homes, and with Carrefour for products, because it very quickly became clear to us that to supply these stores, we needed a major retailer capable of managing the supply and logistics to each point of sale. We also need affordable prices, because this is one of the failure factors of village grocery stores, which are often forced to charge higher prices than in supermarkets. »
The targeted municipalities must have at least 750 inhabitants
After the opening of the first store, “we want to set up the stores in clusters of five, which is more interesting from a logistical point of view. This will allow us to maintain an economically viable convenience store model. “Api is first targeting Charente and Charente-Maritime, “and our objective is to set up forty in New Aquitaine by the end of 2023, and 600 in France within five years. »
The targeted municipalities must have at least 750 inhabitants, not already be equipped with a mini-market, and be located at least half an hour round trip from a supermarket. “We will obviously not replace the supermarket, but in this period of high inflation, especially fuel, our idea is to participate in the defense of purchasing power. “A building permit must be submitted for the installation of the mobile home, “and we are asking the town hall to provide us with a land, but we just need an electrical connection, not even a water point. »
“The offer may change depending on the stores”
These will be autonomous stores, “in the sense that we want to make people autonomous: they can come on a Saturday evening at 10 p.m. without anyone’s help. “But a human presence will still be assured, with the hiring of a manager for five stores. “He will be present in each convenience store at fixed times, and will have in his missions to exchange with the customers, and to accompany them, in particular in the creation of the account which generates the QR code, because even if this one has become widespread thanks to the Covid-19 crisis, there remains a subject of digital divide in the rural world”, admits Marie-Laure Basset.
In terms of products, each store will cover all departments. “We offer a large fresh linear, frozen, fruit and vegetables, drinks but no alcohol, hygiene products, for animals… The offer may change depending on the stores: if we are close to heavily trafficked roads, perhaps we will have a very strong snacking offer, which will have no interest elsewhere. And we will also supplement our products with local producers. »
Eventually, the chain hopes to be able to offer other services, “such as a parcel relay corner or partnerships with the medical sector, with the idea of recreating a village square. “Api is aiming for a turnover of 200,000 euros per store and per year, profitability to be achieved “from a hundred stores”.