Case Study: Carrefour - Transformation of a retailer

Carrefour's transformation

The company has pivoted to focus on providing superior online services with more shopping options for customers than ever before, including inverstment in click and collect, home delivery and a host of further online capabilities. Further to this, they have adopted an omnichannel strategy to bring all these elements together so that customers have the greatest possible flexibility when it comes to purchasing both online and offline. Carrefour’s digital capabilities are rapidly evolving thanks to a targeted investment strategy. This has focused on developing new tools as well obtaining some of Europe’s brightest talent across multiple areas of digital expertise.

How we succeeded together

Ariad has built a partnership with Carrefour to help them find some of the finest digital minds in Belgium to fill key roles within their growing team such as Product Owners for their Carrefour Drive project. Drive is a new initiative which allows customers to order online and then drive to the nearest pickup station to have their purchase loaded into the car in a matter of minutes. The project was ambitious, aiming to open 70 stations within a year. This initiative is an important part of Carrefour's larger plans, which is invested heavily in expanding its omnichannel offering. Ariad's experts are playing a central role in the implementation of the scheme throughout the Belgian market.

Product owner is a role that is associated with scrum framework, which has the goal of facilitating effective team collaboration and delivering high-value products as quickly as possible. The product owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the work, and is the accountable person for all teams. They can do the work themselves or prioritize the requirements, enabling others to take on the right tasks at the right time. A product owner generally has been specially trained or certified, and may have worked in a variety of environments, and while this role is highly in demand, the supply of product managers is quite competitive.

Finding the right people who are knowledgeable, capable, and are great fits for the Carrefour's culture and objective is not a simple task. In house HR doesn't always have the niche knowledge or network to find the right experts fast, if at all. Ariad was able to help by sourcing the best talent for the job. As our specialized recruiters are knowledgeable about the business needs and the needs of the candidates, they are able to quickly connect someone from within their network. In this case, Ariad placed the necessary experts fast, allowing the ambitious project to start right away.

“Digital talent is scarce in the Belgian market," explains Carrehour Belgium's Digital & E-commerce director. "Ariad searched & found several relevant e-commerce/e-marketing profiles that strengthen my team and make Carrefour the first Belgian omnichannel retailer. I can therefore strongly recommend the Ariad consultant team.”

Insider knowledge of an employment market that can often be difficult to navigate has been essential as the company looks to expand their online profile within the country. At Carrefour, they have laid out an impressive 4 year development plan that will lead them through transformation, with much focus on opening and simplifying processes, and deeply adopting omnichannel offerings. Such a partnership will only go from strength to strength as Carrefour look to cement their status as digital leaders in Belgium.