What does Auchan mean in French?

Auchan is derived from Hauts-Champs, the name of the Roubaix neighbourhood where Gérard Mulliez opened the first store. The name refers to the brand's French place of origin.

Is Auchan a good supermarket?

Auchan is a large food retailer offering groceries, fresh food, household goods and general merchandise through different store formats. Whether Auchan suits a shopper depends on the local assortment, prices, promotions, location and services.

Is Auchan expensive or cheap?

Auchan's prices vary by country, store format, product and promotion. Auchan cannot be classified as uniformly expensive or cheap across all markets, because a meaningful comparison requires the same products and quantities in the same location and period.

Is Auchan cheaper than Carrefour or Lidl?

Auchan is not consistently cheaper or more expensive than Carrefour or Lidl across every product and market. Carrefour and Auchan operate several formats, while Lidl focuses mainly on discount supermarkets, so comparisons should use identical products, quantities and promotions.

Is Auchan open today or on Sunday?

Auchan opening hours depend on the specific store, country, date and local trading rules. Shoppers should check the selected store's current listing on the official Auchan website before travelling.

Is Auchan and Alcampo the same?

Auchan and Alcampo belong to the same international retail group, but Alcampo is the name used for Auchan's Spanish operations. Auchan established Alcampo in Spain in 1981.

How much is Auchan worth?

A current, authoritative market valuation for the privately owned Auchan group is not established by the verified information here. Auchan Retail reported revenue of €32.142 billion in 2025, but revenue is not the same as company value.

Is there Auchan in the United States?

Auchan's reported 2025 operating footprint covered twelve countries, and the United States was not among the countries listed in the available 2025 results. Auchan's international operations are concentrated in Europe and selected markets in Africa and Asia.

Who owns Auchan?

Auchan

Ultimate ownerFranceAssociation Familiale Mulliez

Brand origin: France
Main production: Several countries, incl. Spain

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Ownership chain

BrandAuchanFrance
Auchan Retail S.A.
Elo S.A.
Ultimate ownerAssociation Familiale MulliezFrance

About Auchan

What is Auchan?

Auchan is a French food retail group founded by Gérard Mulliez in 1961. Auchan operates hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores and online retail services. Auchan Retail reported revenue of €32.142 billion in 2025 and operated 2,897 points of sale in twelve countries. Auchan Retail combines physical stores with digital shopping services. The group operates under the Auchan name in several markets and uses the Alcampo name in Spain. Auchan is a retailer rather than a manufacturer of a single product category. Auchan stores sell groceries, fresh food, household goods, clothing, consumer electronics and other everyday products. Auchan also operates private-label ranges alongside national brands. Auchan's official French website is auchan.fr.

Who owns Auchan?

Auchan is ultimately owned by the Association Familiale Mulliez, according to Made O'Meter's ownership data verified on 13 September 2026. The ownership chain is Auchan, Auchan Retail S.A., Elo S.A., and then the Association Familiale Mulliez. The ultimate owner is family-owned and headquartered in France. The Mulliez family held 85% of Auchan in 1999, while employees held 15%. Current public reporting describes the Association Familiale Mulliez as the family organisation associated with Auchan and other retail businesses. Ownership of the wider group should be distinguished from the management of individual national operations. In September 2026, Russian authorities placed Auchan's Russian assets under temporary administration by L.E.V. Management, according to Reuters. That action concerns control of the Russian assets and does not change the ownership chain recorded for the Auchan group as a whole.

Where does Auchan come from?

Auchan comes from Roubaix in northern France. Gérard Mulliez created Auchan in 1961 by opening the first store in the Hauts-Champs neighbourhood of Roubaix. The first Auchan store opened on 6 July 1961 in a disused 600-square-metre Phildar factory owned by Gérard Mulliez's father. The name Auchan was derived from the French name of the Roubaix neighbourhood, Hauts-Champs. Auchan opened its first hypermarket in Roncq, northern France, in 1967. Auchan founded the real-estate subsidiary Immochan in 1976. Auchan began international expansion in 1981 by establishing Alcampo in Spain. Auchan established its banking division, Banque Accord, in 1983. Auchan opened its first hypermarket in Italy in 1989. Auchan opened its first hypermarkets in Poland and Luxembourg in 1996. Auchan launched operations in Hungary in 1998 and opened its first hypermarkets in China in 1999. Auchan entered Russia in 2002 by opening its first hypermarkets there. Auchan opened its first hypermarket in Romania in 2006 and its first hypermarket in Ukraine in 2008. Auchan opened its first hypermarket in Dubai in 2009 in collaboration with Dubai World.

What products does Auchan make?

Auchan does not primarily make products. Auchan is a retailer that sources and sells food, household goods and general merchandise through its stores and online channels. Auchan hypermarkets and supermarkets typically provide fresh produce, meat, fish, dairy products, bakery goods, packaged groceries, drinks and frozen food. Auchan also sells household cleaning products, personal care products, clothing, small appliances, consumer electronics and other non-food goods. Auchan sells products under its own retail labels as well as products made by outside suppliers. The precise range differs by country, store format and website. Auchan's retail formats include hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores and digital services. Auchan's French operations also include online ordering and store collection services through its retail platform.

Is Auchan French?

Auchan is a French supermarket and hypermarket group founded in France. Gérard Mulliez opened the first Auchan store in Roubaix in 1961. The group is associated with the Association Familiale Mulliez, a family-owned organisation headquartered in France. Auchan has expanded beyond France into multiple international markets. In 2025, Auchan Retail reported operations in twelve countries and 2,897 points of sale. Auchan is therefore French by origin and ownership, while its retail operations are international. Auchan is not a Russian company. Auchan's Russian operations are a national business within the wider group, and Reuters reported that they remained active in 2026 despite the transfer of those assets to temporary administration.

Is Auchan still in Russia?

Auchan was still operating in Russia in September 2026. Reuters reported that Auchan operated about 230 stores and an online business in Russia, with approximately 30,000 employees. Reuters also reported that Russian authorities transferred the Russian assets of Auchan to temporary control by L.E.V. Management in September 2026. A separate Reuters report said that Auchan operated 229 Russian stores at the end of 2025 and generated 127 billion roubles in sales during the first half of 2026. Auchan entered Russia in 2002. The Russian business is therefore an established part of Auchan's international history, although its legal and managerial position changed in September 2026. The transfer of temporary control applies to the Russian assets and does not establish that Auchan originated in Russia.

How large is Auchan?

Auchan Retail reported revenue of €32.142 billion in 2025. Auchan Retail said that it operated in twelve countries with 2,897 points of sale in 2025. The 2025 revenue breakdown included €16.368 billion in France, €4.540 billion in Spain, €2.295 billion in Portugal, €2.863 billion in Poland and €1.614 billion in Romania. Auchan Retail reported EBITDA of €1 billion in 2025, up 16.1% year on year. In 2021, Auchan achieved revenue of €30.544 billion and operated in thirteen countries across three continents. France accounted for 53% of turnover in that year, equal to €16.233 billion. The number of countries and points of sale can change as Auchan opens, closes, sells or acquires operations. In 2024, Auchan Retail acquired 94 former Casino stores in France and 481 convenience stores from the Dia group in Portugal.

What happened to Auchan's international businesses?

Auchan has entered and exited international markets through acquisitions, partnerships and disposals. In 2012, Auchan acquired Metro subsidiary Real's Eastern European activities for €1.1 billion. Auchan sold its Italian subsidiary to Conad in 2019. Auchan sold its Chinese subsidiary SunArt to its partner Alibaba in 2020. Auchan sold its Taiwanese activities to PX Mart in 2021. These transactions changed Auchan's geographic footprint over time. Spain remains associated with the Alcampo name, which Auchan established in 1981. Auchan's 2025 results identified France, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Romania as major operating markets. Other operations listed in the 2025 reporting included Luxembourg, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Ukraine and Russia.

Is Auchan a hypermarket or a supermarket?

Auchan is both a hypermarket and a supermarket group. Auchan opened its first hypermarket in Roncq, France, in 1967. The group later expanded into smaller supermarket and convenience formats. Auchan Retail's 2025 description covers all food retail formats, including physical stores and digital shopping services. A hypermarket generally offers a larger combination of grocery and non-food products than a supermarket. A supermarket concentrates more heavily on food and everyday household shopping. The assortment, opening hours and services depend on the country and individual store. Auchan also operates online ordering and collection services in markets where those services are available.

How does Auchan compare with Carrefour and Lidl?

Auchan, Carrefour and Lidl are separate European grocery retailers. Auchan is historically associated with large hypermarkets and a combination of food and non-food retail. Carrefour also operates multiple store formats, while Lidl is primarily associated with discount supermarkets. Whether Auchan is cheaper than Carrefour or Lidl depends on the country, store, product, package size, promotion and comparison date. A general price ranking cannot be established from the verified ownership and company information used here. Auchan's 2025 performance reporting described a price repositioning and modernisation plan in France. Price comparisons are most meaningful when the same products, quantities and promotions are compared in the same market.

Subsidiaries: Auchan Retail Portugal, S.A.

Frequently asked questions about Auchan

What does Auchan mean in French?: Auchan is derived from Hauts-Champs, the name of the Roubaix neighbourhood where Gérard Mulliez opened the first store. The name refers to the brand's French place of origin.
Is Auchan a good supermarket?: Auchan is a large food retailer offering groceries, fresh food, household goods and general merchandise through different store formats. Whether Auchan suits a shopper depends on the local assortment, prices, promotions, location and services.
Is Auchan expensive or cheap?: Auchan's prices vary by country, store format, product and promotion. Auchan cannot be classified as uniformly expensive or cheap across all markets, because a meaningful comparison requires the same products and quantities in the same location and period.
Is Auchan cheaper than Carrefour or Lidl?: Auchan is not consistently cheaper or more expensive than Carrefour or Lidl across every product and market. Carrefour and Auchan operate several formats, while Lidl focuses mainly on discount supermarkets, so comparisons should use identical products, quantities and promotions.
Is Auchan open today or on Sunday?: Auchan opening hours depend on the specific store, country, date and local trading rules. Shoppers should check the selected store's current listing on the official Auchan website before travelling.
Is Auchan and Alcampo the same?: Auchan and Alcampo belong to the same international retail group, but Alcampo is the name used for Auchan's Spanish operations. Auchan established Alcampo in Spain in 1981.
How much is Auchan worth?: A current, authoritative market valuation for the privately owned Auchan group is not established by the verified information here. Auchan Retail reported revenue of €32.142 billion in 2025, but revenue is not the same as company value.
Is there Auchan in the United States?: Auchan's reported 2025 operating footprint covered twelve countries, and the United States was not among the countries listed in the available 2025 results. Auchan's international operations are concentrated in Europe and selected markets in Africa and Asia.

Sources: auchan-retail.com: 69a97bf327030373070144.pdf, auchan-retail.com: 69a9789770f0d402331451.pdf, reuters.com: what we know about russias move take control nestle auchan assets 2026 09 18, reuters.com: nestle russia pledges continue operations despite kremlin transfer assets 2026 09 21, reuters.com: nestle responds putins decision put its russian business under external 2026 09 18, auchan-retail.com: auchan retails 2025 annual results, fr.wikipedia.org: Association familiale Mulliez, auchan-retail.com: 6881ec3318742421791241.pdf, encyclopedia.com, en.wikipedia.org, auchan-retail.com: who we are, pl.wikipedia.org, reuters.com: factbox auchan frances 2nd largest food retailer idUSLDE6B50S1, es.wikipedia.org, fr.wikipedia.org: Auchan Holding, mycourses.aalto.fi, auchan-retail.com: 69a97bea9a6e3342904790.pdf, pt.wikipedia.org, capital.fr, ecdb.com, lemonde.fr, francebleu.fr

Sources: en.wikipedia.org: Auchan, en.wikipedia.org: Association Familiale Mulliez

Ownership data is compiled from public sources and verified where possible. Spotted an error? Suggest a correction below.

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