- Food & omnichannel. Thailand shows the way

Food & omnichannel. Thailand shows the way

In Thailand, Central Group is the largest retailer by sales. The food subsidiary with sales of €1.8 billion turnover in 2018 is run by the grocery expert Stephane Coum, (aged 48), a former Carrefour executive. In an interview with Regine Eveno, he explored his strategy to further exploit customer data, roll out home delivery and digital innovation via partnerships with JD.com and Grab, the Uber of Thailand.

Regine Eveno: Asia’s retail landscape is characterised by very diversified conglomerates. What is the Central Group, active in Thailand, Vietnam and Italy?

Stéphane Coum: Central Group is a huge and highly diversified family conglomerate. It is run by our C.E.O. Tos Chirathivat, the grandson of the founder. With 70,000 employees and a turnover of US$13 billion in 2018, Central Group is both Thailand’s biggest mall developer and a major food, non-food and department stores retailer. We run an array of restaurants and hotels and have a large footprint within the premium segment, with our shopping malls, Centara hotels, Central and Robinsons* department stores and high-end supermarkets Central Food Hall. This anchorage comes from one of Thailand’s main characteristics. With a population of 69 million, we have 40 million tourists every year. In addition, Central Group has a strong foothold in Europe,…

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