C&A Stops Sales in Russia

C&A Europe and the Russian franchise ‘Russian Trade Group’ (RTG) made the mutual decision to end the joint operation after the contract expired at the end of last February. The decision was the result of a corporate strategy C&A, which consists of giving up the development of the franchise RTG was the only franchisee C&A Europe since 2004. Located in the shopping center «City» of the Moscow capital has become the last point of sale of the company in Russia.

C&A reorders its dome in Europe
The fashion distribution company has signed Alain Caparros, a former food industry manager, as the new CEO for Europe. The executive will replace Philippe Brenninkmeijer, who resigned last May. This is the first time that a director outside the founder family takes over the reins of one of the C&A divisions. Following the departure of Philippe Brenninkmeijer, it was Edward Brenninkmeijer, CEO of C&A in Brazil, Mexico and China, who assumed the reins of the European market.

Alain Caparros will assume the position of C&A Europe next August
During the last decade, the executive has served as CEO of the German supermarket chain Rewe. Caparros began his professional career in 1981, when he joined the cosmetics group Yves Rocher. In 1994, the executive left the company to sign up for the supermarket chain Aldi, where he became general manager of the French market. A decade later, Caparros headed the Swiss group Bon Appetit, which was held by Rewe in 2003.

«Under its leadership, Rewe has transformed its business and operations significantly and the company has become one of the most profitable operators with a focus on the omnicanality,» C&A said in a statement. Martijn Brenninkmeijer, CEO of Cofra Holding, owner of C&A, said that «Alain Caparros is the right leader to ensure that the transformation of C & A Europe, which is showing early signs of success, accelerates and is implemented and optimized to create a strong business for the future».

A long story. Current hard times
C&A was founded in 1841, the first store was opened in the town of Sneek in the Netherlands by the Brenninkmayer brothers, Clemens and August. C&A brand name received in 1861, the company is currently managing the Brenninkmayer family. Under the brand C&A produces clothes and accessories for men, women and children. According to the official website, at C&A about 2.000 stores in 21 countries. Its headquartered are in Düsseldorf (Germany).

«At the same time, the group is also simplifying its organization to make it more efficient and reduce costs,» he says. C&A has already begun tightening its belt in Spain, where they closed 23 stores in 2016 and dismissed 16% of the workforce. C&A has been so affected by the irruption of Primark in the Gran Vía Madrid, which has had to close its emblematic store there.

In Germany, the company plans to eliminate 160 jobs in its Düsseldorf office and seventy more in its Belgian subsidiary, based in the town of Vilvorde. The Dutch company, which is still in the hands of the founding family, announced a € 1 billion investment by the end of the year to reorganize its business and resume its growth path in 2021. C&A has a network of some 1.500 stores in Europe and delclared sales of around 2,920 million euros.

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