French supermarket chain, Casino Group, has partnered with L’Oréal France to launch a beauty and well-being store concept in Paris in the face of ever-increasing online competition.

Two French powerhouses have joined forces to open beauty stores in Paris. The new units, to be called le drugstore parisien, is a new concept by L’Oreal and Casino Group offering beauty and well-being products, health care items and over-the-counter medication. The first two stores are slated to open later this month, in the heart of Paris’ chic 6th and 9th districts, and will offer services and special amenities specifically for urban consumers. These include mobile phone charging points, parcel pick-up points, light therapy areas, sinks and dressing tables, a hair salon, dry cleaning, water fountains, free WiFi and shoe-shining machines.

The beauty stores are positioned as “the urban store for beauty from within, practical treats, and serendipity (the art of making unexpected discoveries),” according to Casino Group.

“With this ‘Parisian drugstore’ we meet the expectations of consumers in metropolitan areas,” said Jean-Charles Naouri, Chief Executive Officer, Casino Group.

“We are delighted to be driving change alongside Casino by delivering a new beauty experience for consumers in France, and at the same time, bringing new life to the development of concepts at the forefront of new beauty consumer trends,” said Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, L’Oréal.

The stores will be an opportunity for L’Oréal to showcase their brands, including L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline, Garnier, NYX Professional Makeup and Essie, as well as exclusive, expert brands so that shoppers can discover something new each time they visit a brick-and-mortar store.

Unlike pharmacies, such as Duane Reade, Walgreens and CVS, or Boots in the UK, French pharmacies typically only stock medication and a limited range of personal care products, and they have limited store hours. They are closed on Sundays. The new stores will have longer hours to cater to the needs of urban lifestyles, and appeal to a broad range of customers. One day a month, the stores will also be open for 24 hours to offer Parisians exclusive events and well-being services.

For Casino, the partnership will allow the supermarket retailer to branch out beyond grocery stores, attract consumers and compete with online retailers.

The specter of Amazon’s growth also looms, since the online giant acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in June 2017. Traditional French retailers have enhanced their online presence, and also evolved their retail brick-and-mortar offerings in a bid to entice customers away from online shopping.

Department store Le Printemps opened a food hall earlier this year, and LVMH opened a second gourmet food store, La Grande Epicerie, in Paris’ sixteenth district.

If successful, the store concept will be further rolled out in Paris and internationally.