Monoprix Bets Big on Fast Food: Introducing ‘La Cantine’

Offering items like a ham-and-butter sandwich for €4.50, a salmon panini for €7.50, and a long coffee for €2.50, “The Canteen” at Monoprix in the bustling Beaugrenelle area of Paris’s 15th district seeks to attract the hurried urban professional tired of high prices and long waits at restaurant terraces. Situated at the heart of the store, which generates the highest sales figures for the brand, this space opened on April 1st. It features a menu available at the cost of a meal voucher (between €8 and €10) for dining in.

“This is a new pillar of our strategy,” states Alfred Hawawini, General Manager of Monoprix. By year’s end, ten more such canteens are expected to open. Similar initiatives have been launched within Franprix (“La Cantinerie”) and Casino (“Cœur de Blé”), the group’s other major brands. In ten years, the retailer, now under the ownership of billionaire Daniel Kretinsky, aims to generate half of its revenue (excluding Cdiscount) from fast food, up from 10% currently.

According to data from the Food Service Vision institute, the “chain restaurant” sector (including brands like Paul, Mie Câline, Cojean) nearly doubled its revenue between 2020 and 2023, reaching €20.6 billion. Monoprix is therefore betting on this market, which already accounts for 17% of its sales. The goal is to rejuvenate its business with higher-margin offerings, especially as its growth has plateaued and its operating profit halved last year (from €148 million to €73 million). “We serve the economy of laziness,” explains Philippe Palazzi, who promises delivery through Uber Eats and Deliveroo. In the long run, leveraging its convenient locations, the group plans to extend this model to all 624 Monoprix stores, 48% of which are franchised.

However, The Canteen project is not without its risks. With around fifteen full-time staff employed at Beaugrenelle, this diversification incurs costs, even as the group posted a loss of €295 million in 2024. To establish itself against well-entrenched competitors, the urban brand will need to stand out. The chain is essentially betting on succeeding in the lunch break market by replicating what it has achieved in textiles: offering high-quality, unique products at affordable prices.