Many French people systematically go shopping at E. Leclerc. This retail giant was born in France in 1949. It was none other than Edouard Leclerc himself who opened the first brand in his native Brittany. At the time, the concept he proposed was quite innovative: to shorten the distribution circuit in order to be able to offer more attractive prices to consumers. He therefore applied wholesale prices directly to retail, which made other traders jump, who went so far as to convince suppliers to no longer deliver them in 1959.
Despite the obstacles, the brand is successful, its popularity based not only on the attractive prices it offers, but also on its reputation as a solidarity brand: during the protest movements of certain groups of farmers and producers, Edouard Leclerc openly supports them.
You should know that Edouard Leclerc was, before becoming a major player in mass distribution, a former seminarian. Its family heritage happened to be bourgeois and Catholic, values that can be found in the imagery of its logo. Indeed, according to Creads, the famous “L” would have been heavily inspired by Landerneau’s coat of arms: both feature azure blue as their main color and sport a similar visual layout.
In addition to the design of his logo and his flagship colors, Edouard Leclerc would have been inspired by his Catholic heritage in the creation of his company. Indeed, his vision of things probably combined Catholicism and purchasing power, an association of ideas that can still be found today among certain leaders of large commercial groups, particularly in the United States.
Today, this brand remains the most competitive in France in terms of price, as reported by Le Web Grande Conso, which provides us with the list of the cheapest Leclerc subsidiaries, calculated according to their Distri Prix index. A ranking that you can find below!
