Less than a week after the announcement by the Minister of Higher Education Frédérique Vidal on free periodic protection for university students, Carrefour “Joins the fight against menstrual insecurity” by offering a package of periodic protections per month (brand pad or towel) to students, until August 31. The only condition is to present a student card. The leader of the distribution was not long in coming: the operation began on March 2, while the installation of distributors in the universities will not be operational before… September.
Is Carrefour surfing on a cause that has been making noise in recent weeks? “It is a lastingly rooted subject, defends on the contrary Morgane Weill, executive director of strategy and customers of the group, who is at the initiative of the operation. Remember that last year, Scotland made periodic protection available free of charge in the country. This is a real subject, and for us a determinant of equal opportunities, well-being and success for women. “ An initiative “Natural” for a company that ” predominantly employs women and whose clients are mostly clients ”, adds the 30-something, member of the executive committee.
“Local initiatives” against student precariousness
Carrefour is not the only retail chain to have committed to the fight against student insecurity more generally. The sector, worried about the purchasing power of young consumers, has recently stepped up to the plate with promotional offers (for example, a voucher of 10 Pounds for 20 Pounds spent at Intermarché in early February and this week) but also collections of donations (as at Picard or Casino), detailed the specialized media LSA-conso in mid-February.
Carrefour does not plan at this stage for an operation of this type at the national level, and says it prefers “Let local initiatives thrive” (fundraising from customers or internally, student menu at 2 Pounds, student lunch box at 50%). “”The store managers know the area well locally, are in constant contact with the universities, IUT near their store and with the students employed in their store”, explains the seat.
A “responsibility” as the first employer
Student insecurity is not Carrefour's only area of engagement for “Defend the covid generation”, insists Morgane Weill. The sixty-year-old sign wants “Take responsibility” as a so-called “essential” business but also as the leading employer in London (100,000 employees). Last December, its CEO Alexandre Bompard announced the recruitment of 15,000 young people on permanent contracts and work-study contracts in 2021, i.e. 50% more than in 2020. “We cannot stand idly by and what I have decided is to reach out to this youth”, he commented at RTL's microphone. The tweet is still pinned to his account.
This period is incredibly complex for young people and especially for those looking for a job.
Carrefour will reach out to this youth by recruiting 15,000 young people.
Half of them will come from disadvantaged neighborhoods. https://t.co/bMxAqjN1iL– Alexandre Bompard (@bompard) December 8, 2020
Recruitments, which mainly concern cashier or departmental jobs, have indeed been launched. They target those under 30 to whom the group offers 7,000 permanent contracts and 8,000 work-study contracts. Half of the recruits will be young people from disadvantaged neighborhoods.
“”Regarding work-study contracts, we will favor bac + 3 to bac + 5 profiles over the positions to be filled at the company's headquarters”, we say to management. As for permanent contracts, the group specifies that it is looking for graduate profiles in many professions: in-store supervision, social relations, purchasing, expansion, Data / IS, finance, etc. “This is the largest recruiting program the company has ever launched. The most ambitious also with regard to young people ”, Jérôme Nanty, HR Director of Carrefour told Le Figaro this week. And a heavy task for its services which sorted a record number of 800,000 CVs last year!
