20(a) Provide the name and full description of the community that the applicant is committing to serve

Prototypical answer:

Table of Contents

1 - How the community is delineated from Internet
2 - Structure of the community
3 - History of the community
4 - Estimated size of the community

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1 - How the community is delineated from Internet

The LECLERC community is composed of all entities or end users having a commercial relationship with the “E.LECLERC Movement”, commonly known under the LECLERC brand. This group was created in 1949 by Edouard Leclerc to develop mass distribution activities.

It is composed of independent members that must comply with certain basic rules to be authorized to use the “Leclerc” brand. These basic principles are: the independence of its members, price policies to benefit consumers and consumerism, solidarity and security within the movement, social vocation of the company, and defense of free competition.

The “E.LECLERC Movement” is based on the following main structures:
* A.C.D. Lec (Association of the E.LECLERC Distributor Centers) where the role is to determine the strategic policies for the brand. This institution is the candidate for the NewGTLD and will be the registry of .LECLERC.
* Galec refers to the main suppliers for the group and its members on a national level.
* 16 regional cooperatives negotiate with the suppliers in order to adapt the products to the specific consumption of the region
* SIPLEC is in charge of importing petroleum as well as food and manufactured products.
* SCAMARK’s mission is to develop and market the distributors’ brands
* National and international stores held by the members and affiliates.

Additionally, the group is composed of independent members that pay fees and agree to comply with the policies of the movement. Those members are linked to the A.C.D. Lec by a tab contract which defines the rules to use the brand name as well as the criteria that members have to meet to be allowed to use the LECLERC brand. Independent “associates” pay a brand license to be as well authorized to sell Leclerc products within their own structures.

13 Companies were created to develop specific concepts for diversifying the activities of the “E.LECLERC Movement;” for example, the Devinlec - PRESTALEC company is in charge of developing the “Le Manège à Bijoux” jewelry concept.

To become a member, the applicant must have worked for the ʺE.LECLERC Movementʺ for several years and must be sponsored by at least one other member.

The community is also determined by other entities (individuals or business entities) having a commercial relationship with the ʺE.LECLERC Movement.” It includes suppliers, partners, manufacturers, and end users who may have a loyalty card.

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2 - Structure of the community

As specified above, the community is strongly structured and organized around A.C.D. Lec and GALEC. These entities determine the global and local strategies for the other parties constituting the community. They also ensure that the basic principles are respected in their specific domains of activity.

GALEC, the second most important entity of the Movement LECLERC and closely related with A.C.D. Lec, negotiates with all the suppliers the sales policy enabling the stores to have an efficient, consumer-oriented price policy.

At a national level all the LECLERC stores are members of GALEC (Groupement d’Achat des Centres E.LECLERC), a Limited Cooperative corporation with a board of directors and a supervisory board, in charge of referencing suppliers. Furthermore, GALEC is a financial contributor and coordinates the specialized subsidiaries (for example Siplec, Scaramark, Leclerc Voyages, EDEL, Devinlec…)

Firms operating under the Leclerc brand in France as members of the A.C.D. LEC are also members of GALEC and are subject to the provisions of the Cooperative.


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3 - History of the community

The ʺE.LECLERC Movementʺ was created in 1949. A.C.D. Lec was developed in 1964 to define the strategies of the movement. Next, GALEC was added in 1970 and specific companies have been created to meet the needs of the movement since the creation of the GALEC.

The ʺE.LECLERC Movementʺ was founded to develop the distribution activity while respecting the values of the initial E.LECLERC brand. Its primary activities are to pursue its efforts to offer quality services at the best price and defend free competition.


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4 - Estimated size of the community

The number of members and associates in the community can be estimated, but this represents only part of the community. In fact, the other entities are much more difficult to evaluate. The movement had 410 French members, 49 foreign members and 15 associates in 2011. Each of these members and associates can hold several companies using the LECLERC brand.

The movement is also composed of 16 regional cooperatives and 13 specific companies and is not only known in France since several members and associates export the brand image abroad. The E.LECLERC Movement is present in Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Slovenia.

In 2010 the E.LECLERC Movement had approximately 94,000 employees and represented around 18% of the mass distribution market share in France.

In 2011, 12.000.000 customers were in possession of a LECLERC loyalty card. More than 90 % of these cardholders were active customers.

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