Auchan

Auchan (French: [oʃɑ̃]) is a French multinational retail group headquartered in Croix, France. It was founded in 1961 by Gérard Mulliez and is owned by the Mulliez family, who has 95% stake in the company. With 354,851 employees, of which 261,000 have 5% stake in the company, it is the 35th largest employer in the world. The company operates under the name Auchan in France, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Portugal, Senegal, Ivory Coast, as Alcampo in Spain, and as Aшан (Ashan) in Russia, Ukraine and Tajikistan. The company has also previously had operations as Auchan in Italy, China and Taiwan. The name comes from the first Auchan shop in Roubaix in the district of Hauts-Champs, the pronunciation of which is identical to that of "Auchan". As of 2022, Auchan is one of the world's largest retailers with a direct presence in France, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Taiwan (ended in 2021) and Senegal. In 2022, the company's revenue in Russia amounted to 237 billion rubles. Auchan is a rare example of a Western company continuing to operate in Russia after the country's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, as well as actively funding and supporting Russian military efforts. As a result, Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention placed the company on its International Sponsors of War list. By 2025, the group announced it will have 2,896 stores in 12 countries.