Serge Papin
Serge Gérard Christian Papin is a French business executive and politician. He was chairman and CEO of the cooperative retail group Système U from 2005 to 2018. He is known for promoting sustainable business practices and for launching the manifesto Osons Demain, pour la transition écologique des entreprises. In 2024, he became non-executive chairman of Auchan France, and in 2025, he was appointed Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises, Trade, Crafts, Tourism and Purchasing Power in Sébastien Lecornu's second government.
Biography
Early life and education
Serge Gérard Christian Papin was born to Jean Papin and Madeleine Duranteau, both grocers. His family ran a store in La Châtaigneraie, Vendée. He studied at the Saint-Joseph College in Fontenay-le-Comte, later completing vocational studies in accounting and commerce. He holds a BEP in Commerce.Career
Papin began his career in retail in 1972 as a warehouse worker at an Intermarché in Fontenay-le-Comte. In 1976, he joined Système U Ouest, where he created its communications department and later managed the Super U store in Chantonnay, which he bought in 1989.He rose through the ranks of the cooperative, becoming regional vice-president in 1997 and CEO of Système U Ouest in 1998. In 2005, he was appointed CEO of Système U National, leading the group’s modernization, marketing strategy, and ecological initiatives such as the Écovalor recycling project.
He left Système U in 2018, succeeded by Dominique Schelcher, after forging an alliance with Carrefour to strengthen negotiation power with suppliers.