It is directly descended from the Pain Quotidien ('daily bread') cooperative which was founded in western France in 1894.[1] In 1920, the association brought together 300 affiliated grocers.
In 2023, Mercure International of Monaco will begin replacing the Casino and Géant brands with Coopérative U in Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon and Senegal.[2]
In February 2024, the Schiever group becomes a partner of Coopérative U.[3] It announces that it will begin replacing its Auchan hypermarkets with Hyper U and its Bi1 supermarkets with Super U in March 2025. [4]
On May 16, 2024, the group was renamed “Coopérative U”.[5]
The largest (in size terms) is the hypermarket Hyper U, which accounts for 15.89% of the group. There are 71 Hyper U stores, which account for a total of 239,293 square metres of retail space (at an average of 4,985 square metres per store). The average spend per trip is €43.60.[8] These are generally found outside larger towns, but normally as stand-alone structures (rather than as part of a shopping centre)
The next brand down (in terms of size) is Super U which accounts for 79.58% of the group. There are 773 Super U stores, which account for a total of 1,355,004 square metres of retail space (at an average of 2,016 square metres per store). The average spend per trip is €33.30. These are typical supermarkets, and are found either in the centre or on the outskirts of smaller towns. Again they exist as standalone structures.[8]
Within city centres (and in rural areas), there are smaller stores known as U Express, which account for 4.53% of the group. There are 294 U Express stores, which account for a total of 104,468 square metres of retail space (at an average of 730 square metres per store). The average spend per trip is €17.00.[8]
Utile are the smallest brand stores in Système U with 410 locations across France. They are usually run as independent convenience stores and so do not accept Système U clubcards. They are found mainly in small towns, village centers and at rest stations (except on dual carriageways and motorways) in rural parts of France.
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