The first store to go under the Proxi brand was inaugurated at Etang-Salé les Hauts on April 12. Three other former Vival businesses became Proxi in April, opening the deployment process in Réunion of the main neighborhood retailer brand of the Carrefour group.
Very simple but warm, this first inauguration took place in the presence of Alain Picard, operational director of proximity at GBH Réunion and Sandro Germain, director of Proxi network development. Also celebrated the Gino Darty event, sales coach who will support traders joining Proxi, et Françoise Piffarelly, sales manager, marketing and logistics. Paul Dijoux, point of sale manager – which he runs with his wife Sonia and two collaborators, Fabien Callogine and Fabien Tell – is therefore the first to display the Proxi sign on its business. And the whole spirit of local commerce was concentrated in this moment of conviviality.. The small “ceremony” demonstrated the bond uniting a team and its customers. It also demonstrated the relationship based on trust between the merchant and the brand.. With the new name “Proxi” on the newly repainted front of the store, in fact, this vocation of proximity is displayed even more clearly.
A “school store”
The Etang-Salé les Hauts point of sale (160 m2 including 100 m2 of commercial space) became the first Proxi on the island, just like he was the first Vival in 2008. “This point of sale was created to show what a professional local business is” recalls Alain Picard. The modern version of the Lontan store served as a model for other businesses. It was with Paul and Sonia Dijoux that a number of traders interested in the advantages of a commercial franchise backed by a large distribution group came to inquire.. Paul Dijoux has no doubt that it will be the same with Proxi. Hence his expression “school store” to describe the point of sale he runs. “The Proxi brand is already generating a lot of interest and requests,” he confides..
Department manager, department manager, etc. : Paul Dijoux spent his entire career within the Vindémia group before embarking on the adventure of independent commerce. Furthermore, this trader at heart has a passion for training. He trains young people in his company to obtain a professional diploma. It is also to this commitment that Alain Picard paid tribute., Sandro Germain and the entire GBH Réunion proximity team by inaugurating the first Reunion Proxi at Etang-Salé les Hauts.
New colors, new signage, new products
“We are like big people but very small” summarizes Paul Dijoux to describe his local store. On the shelves, MDD Carrefour products have replaced Casino products. “It’s generally the same type of offer, but with a wider range at Carrefour. The Carrefour private label is present in all product families. We also distribute wines from the Augustin Florent cellar, brand of the Carrefour group. » New distinctive signs, which will be found outside and inside all Proxi stores, make their appearance. Outside, the sign of course : it takes place on a storefront painted a soft gray, but also a facade in dynamic fuchsia and green colors. Inside, new fuchsia signage welcomes customers. Very recognizable too, the Proxi outfit : the merchant and his staff wear black polo shirts in the name of the brand. However, each business retains its personality within its neighborhood, and each trader his freedom of choice. In terms of logistics, supply efficiency is there. An evolution, as the network expands, will undoubtedly see the development of diversified services that make life easier for customers. As, for exemple, a gas cylinder service in areas far from service stations. “Who says services says attendance and therefore turnover. Everyone is there : the customer, the merchant and the brand” observes Alain Picard.
Comment collected by Olivier Soufflet and photo Anakaopress
