E.Leclerc Reinvents Drive-Through Fulfillment — 70% Faster, 50% More Orders

Discover how E.Leclerc transformed its high-volume grocery drive-through with the Exotec Skypod® system—boosting order capacity by 50%, cutting customer wait times by over 70%, and streamlining operations for both shoppers and staff.

About E.Leclerc

E.Leclerc is a leading French retail cooperative known for its low-price strategy and wide range of products including groceries and electronics. With a strong presence across France and most of Europe, it operates hypermarkets, drive-through pickup services, and online platforms.

The Challenge

As E.Leclerc’s drive-through grocery store in Seclin, France rapidly expanded its customer base, it faced several pressing challenges:

• Long wait times: Customers were waiting up to 15 minutes to pick up their orders — far too long to meet modern expectations
• Limited capacity: Without automation, the site could handle no more than 800 orders per day
• Inventory pressure: The store typically manages around 60,000 fast-moving items, requiring an efficient system to keep pace with demand
• Strained working conditions: Employees were walking several miles per day to collect and deliver orders, impacting both productivity and well-being

Looking for a way to overcome these challenges, E.Leclerc turned to Exotec. Director Maxence Maurice, who had been following Exotec’s innovations closely, saw the Skypod system as the preeminent solution.

“I chose Exotec systems for their storage density and operational flexibility,” Maurice explained.

Smart Fulfillment for a Seamless Drive-Through Experience

At E.Leclerc, the Skypod system is primarily used to buffer and store ambient and chilled orders, while frozen items are kept in a separate cold zone. These frozen goods are later merged with the rest of the order using Skypath conveyors.

When a customer arrives at the drive-through pickup, they check in at an external terminal, which automatically triggers the retrieval of bins from each storage zone. Skypod robots retrieve the buffered ambient and chilled orders from high-density racks in under two minutes and send them to buffer loops positioned above 12 automated delivery stations.

As the customer pulls up, their bins are automatically lowered in a smooth, continuous flow, ready to be quickly loaded into their car.

Key Benefits

• Increased number of orders: Drive-through now handles up to 1,200 orders per day, a 50% increase on the previous average of 800 orders per day
• Reduction in waiting times: Average waiting time for customers has fallen from 15 to less than 4 minutes — an over 70% reduction
• Increased customer satisfaction and loyalty: Shorter waiting times have boosted customer loyalty and the number of new customers per week has risen from 5 to 30 — a 6-fold increase
• Improved working conditions: The physical workload of employees has been considerably reduced, allowing them to concentrate on customer care and service