Electrifying France’s retail sector: How Kempower & Sowatt empower fast Ev charging to Intermarché
Retail locations are becoming a cornerstone of Europe’s fast-charging infrastructure, where mobility, convenience and commerce converge. In France, this shift is already well underway and the Intermarché site in Ambérieu en Bugey stands as a flagship example of how EV charging can successfully integrate into everyday retail environments.
In August 2025, Kempower partnered with Sowatt Solutions, a French charging point operator (CPO), to deploy a high-power public charging hub at this Intermarché location. Designed specifically for the retail segment, the site delivers fast, reliable charging while supporting commercial performance for the retailer and long-term profitability for the CPO.
Since its inauguration, the site has already delivered over 200 MWh of energy averaging around 30 MWh per month across more than 10,000 charging sessions, underlining both strong utilization and consistent driver demand.
The challenge: making fast charging work for retail
Retail charging sites require speed, convenience, and above all, unfailing reliability. EV drivers expect seamless experience, while retailers aim to increase dwell time without compromising parking flow. At the same time, CPOs must operate cost-efficiently, maximize grid usage and ensure high uptime to secure a strong return on investment.
For the Intermarché Ambérieu en Bugey location, Sowatt was looking for a solution that could:
- Serve multiple EV drivers simultaneously during peak retail hours
- Offer high charging power among a high number of connectors
- Fit seamlessly into a busy supermarket parking environment
- Scale utilization while keeping operational costs under control
Manager’s perspective
The Intermarché store owner reflects on the evolution of the project and highlights the benefits of partnering with Sowatt, which provided a seamless turnkey solution from the initial feasibility study through to day-to-day operations. “The project was driven both by regulatory requirements and by a genuine demand from customers for electric vehicle charging services,” says Intermarché store owner Rémy Chevallier.
Today, the charging hub has become a strategic asset for the store, attracting new visitors and generating highly positive feedback regarding the simplicity and convenience of the user experience. More than just an additional service, the hub has helped increase store traffic and attract new visitors.
A diverse user base: more than just shoppers
While the hub perfectly serves Intermarché customers, data shows a much broader impact. The site has become a mobility landmark in the Ambérieu area:
- Sowatt customers: Regular local users who have integrated the hub into their weekly routine.
- Transit drivers: Thanks to its high-power capabilities, the site attracts long-distance travelers looking for a quick, reliable top-up.
- Proximity users: Professionals and local residents without home charging who rely on the hub’s consistent availability. This diverse mix ensures high rotation rates throughout the day, not just during store opening hours.
The solution: distributed, scalable fast charging built for retail
Kempower delivered a distributed DC fast-charging system, optimized for retail environments where flexibility and availability matter as much as raw power.
The site is equipped with 8 x 400 kW charging points, delivered through 8 Kempower Satellite units powered by 2 x Kempower Power Units, providing centralized power and dynamic load distribution.
This architecture allows the available power to be shared intelligently between vehicles, ensuring that EV drivers receive the best possible charging speed at any moment, while avoiding unused capacity and reducing grid inefficiencies.
The modular charging design adds another layer of reliability to the site design. Built-in redundancy means that in the case of a fault with one power module, the system can continue to function normally at a slightly lower power capacity, without major disruption to the charging experience.
Thanks to the small footprint and long cable reach of Kempower Satellites, the chargers integrate naturally into the Intermarché parking area, preserving traffic flow and maximizing the number of usable parking bays, which is a critical factor for retail sites.
Benefits for EV drivers: fast, simple and convenient charging
For EV drivers, the Intermarché Ambérieu site offers a charging experience designed around real-world needs:
- High charging power, ideal for both short top-ups and longer shopping stops
- No high/low power connector selection required. The system intelligently optimizes power delivery for each vehicle and dynamically balances energy across all connected EVs
- Multiple connectors, minimizing waiting times even during peak hours
- Easy accessibility directly at a retail destination
- Reliable uptime, ensuring drivers can charge when they need it
- Flexible payment. Drivers can choose their preferred method for a frictionless checkout, including direct payment by credit card via the contactless terminal, dedicated mobile applications, RFID charging cards, and all other major payment solutions.
Charging can be seamlessly combined with grocery shopping or other errands, turning necessary charging time into productive retail time– exactly what EV drivers increasingly expect from public charging.
Benefits for the retailer: increased dwell time and customer value
For Intermarché, the charging hub adds tangible commercial value:
- Increased dwell time, translating into higher in-store spending
- Attraction of new customers, including EV drivers who may not otherwise visit the store
- Enhanced customer experience, positioning the site as modern and future-oriented
- Support for sustainability goals, reinforcing Intermarché’s commitment to the energy transition.
By hosting fast chargers directly at the store, Intermarché strengthens its role as a daily destination, not just for shopping, but for e-mobility services as well.
Benefits for the CPO: utilization, efficiency and ROI
From a CPO perspective, the performance data from Ambérieu clearly demonstrates the strength of the retail charging model:
- 200 MWh of energy delivered since August 2025
- More than 10,000 charging sessions
- Consistent average monthly energy delivery of ~30 MWh
Kempower’s dynamic power sharing enables high utilization rates, serving more vehicles with the same grid connection and reducing stranded capacity. The distributed system also improves resilience:if one component requires maintenance, the rest of the system continues operating, helping protect revenue and uptime.
A blueprint for scalable retail charging in France
The Intermarché Ambérieu site shows how retail and fast charging can reinforce each other when the infrastructure is designed correctly from day one. By combining Kempower’s modular, distributed technology with Sowatt’s operational expertise, the project delivers benefits across the entire value chain from EV drivers to retailers and CPOs.
As retail locations continue to emerge as one of the most important charging destinations in Europe, Ambérieu stands as a replicable, high-performance reference site, proving that fast charging at retail can be both customer-centric and commercially successful. er Italy.
