The drive took advantage of the Covid-19
The drive market in 2020 is doing very well. Indeed, 2020 will have represented between three and four years of normal growth in normal times. According to the latest estimates, the direction of turnover is €9.5 billion, up 40% over one year. In 2019, the drive was at €6.8 billion in sales, compared with €6.4 billion in 2018. It was then that Covid-19 was the best ambassador of the drive.The first lockdown was very hard in terms of constraints. And consumers also faced a sense of fear. Mechanically, the further you move customers away from the shops, the closer you bring them to the drive. The second lockdown was less drastic and less constraining, but the drive did not mark time.
With an estimated turnover of €4.6 billion (+42%), E.Leclerc is far ahead of Carrefour (€1.2 billion, up 52%), Intermarché (€1.1 billion, +80%) and Auchan (€1 billion, +35%). It is difficult to catch up. E.Leclerc started first in this field and has the best locations. Moreover, the drive accentuates the readability of the price. The advantage is that you know the price of your shopping before you finalize the order. In this field, the positioning of the E.Leclerc group is the most attractive.
In addition to a catch-up effect for these late entrants in this niche, the natural strength of the latter has a lot to do with this ranking. In fourth position, the Auchan brand suffers from a general phenomenon of attractiveness. And for Chronodrive, in sixth place (turnover of €567 million, up 31%), it is rather the absence of a positive customer base effect.
