Système U is a French symbol group retailers cooperative, comprising about eight hundred independent hypermarkets and supermarkets, headquartered in the Parc Tertiaire SILIC in Rungis, France.^[1]

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Système U

Company type	Private
Industry	Retailing
Founded	1894; 130 years ago (1894)
Headquarters	Rungis , France
Key people	Dominique Schelcher
Products	Food, bazaar, textiles, cultural products, etc.
Revenue	$19.692 billion (2009)
Subsidiaries	Super U, Marché U, Super U, Utile
Website	http://www.magasins-u.com/

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It owns the trademarks Hyper U, Super U, Marché U and Utile, which are used by its members. It had a pre-tax turnover of 12.7 billion euros in 2002 and 13.8 billion in 2003,^[2] rising to 15.6 billion euros in 2007; this makes the company the sixth largest retail group in France. ^{[citation needed]}

It is directly descended from the Pain Quotidien ('daily bread') cooperative which was founded in western France in 1894. It arranged a strategic alliance with the larger E.Leclerc supermarket group in 1999.

There are four brands found within Système U:

• The largest (in size terms) is the hypermarket Hyper U, which accounts for 15.89% of the group. There are 71 Hyper U stores, which account for a total of 239,293 square metres of retail space (at an average of 4,985 square metres per store). The average spend per trip is €43.60.^[3] These are generally found outside larger towns, but normally as stand-alone structures (rather than as part of a shopping centre)
• The next brand down (in terms of size) is Super U which accounts for 79.58% of the group. There are 773 Super U stores, which account for a total of 1,355,004 square metres of retail space (at an average of 2,016 square metres per store). The average spend per trip is €33.30. These are typical supermarkets, and are found either in the centre or on the outskirts of smaller towns. Again they exist as standalone structures.^[3]
• Within city centres (and in rural areas), there are smaller stores known as U Express, which account for 4.53% of the group. There are 294 U Express stores, which account for a total of 104,468 square metres of retail space (at an average of 730 square metres per store). The average spend per trip is €17.00.^[3]
• Utile are the smallest brand stores in Système U with 410 locations across France. They are usually run as independent convenience stores and so do not accept Système U clubcards. They are found mainly in small towns, village centers and at rest stations (except on dual carriageways and motorways) in rural parts of France.