Ed (pronounced E-D, abbreviation of "Europa Discount") was a French brand of discount stores founded in 1978. It franchises its name to small-format hard discounts stores in France. It was part of the

Carrefour Group Carrefour () is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, France. The eighth-largest retailer in the world by revenue, it operates a chain of hypermarkets, groceries stores and convenience stores, which ...

Key dates

* 1978: First store opens in Paris. * 1987–1988: Opening of 100th store. Fresh food and veg first introduced into stores. * 1999–2000: Joins Carrefour Group. * 2012: Take-over by Dia

History

On 3 June 2009, there were 916 Ed stores in France and more than 10,000 employees. The assortment is primarily food stores Ed, fresh produce is placed at the heart of the positioning of the brand. Ed bought the chain of 'Penny Market' discount stores in May 2005 and 60 stores of the French subsidiary of Edeka (Treff Market in France) in eastern France in 2003.

Re-branding to Dia

In April 2009, a test of changing some 'Ed' stores to the Dia branding was announced by the

. The shops of

Villeneuve-Saint-Georges Villeneuve-Saint-Georges () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. People from Villeneuve-Saint-Georges are called ''Villeneuvois'' in French. History Prehistory and Antiquity Vill ...

and

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home to near 34,000 residents, who are referred to in French as M� ...

were some of the first. An insider to the company declared: "The decision to move all of the 918 Ed stores to the Dia banner is already certain. But the timing is not yet decided." In 2010, 250 stores will be transformed into Dia.Carrefour tente de se relancer en France
20 February 2010 It will mark the takeover by the Carrefour group deep discount from its branch in France, to create new synergies with other brands of the group. The Carrefour Discount product range however, should not be sold in Dia stores, which have their own label called "Dia". "But to reduce procurement costs, both private label roductshave the same suppliers," says one expert. "Simply replace the Carrefour packaging with Dia packaging." Dia stores could also replace some

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

supermarkets located in areas with low purchasing power, rather than the more upmarket Carrefour Market. Conversely, Ed stores in upscale areas like city centres could be transformed into Carrefour City.

References

Supermarkets of France Retail companies established in 1978 Retail companies disestablished in 2012 No frills {{France-company-stub