Welcome to the 2023 half year results conference call. I'll now hand over to Mr. David Lubek, Chief Financial Officer of Casino Group. Please go ahead, sir.
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to Casino H1 Results conference call. A few words of introduction before going through our presentation. On May 25, 2023, the President of the Paris Commercial Court decided to open a conciliation procedure for Casino Group for an initial period of 4 months, which may be extended by a further month. The purpose of this procedure is to enable the group to engage in discussions with its financial creditors within a legally secure framework. The conciliation procedure only concerns the financial debt of Casino Guichard-Perrachon SA and certain of its subsidiaries. All information regarding the conciliation procedure is available on the company's website, and no comments will be made on this procedure during this presentation, which is focused on H1 results.
As an aside, given this ongoing procedure and the legal framework within which we have to operate, there will be no Q&A session after this presentation. Our presentation starts, as usual, with a summary of our H1 financial figures. Page 2, the main result highlights. Group sales were down -4% in H1, -1.3% at constant exchange rate. Sales were down -5% in the France retail segment, and up 10.4% at constant exchange rate in Latin America. Group EBITDA was down -51% due to the sharp downturn and price repositioning in our hyper and supermarkets in France, while our premium banners and Cdiscount had a positive EBITDA variation, as well as our LATAM segment. We will get into the details of these numbers later on.
Moving first to the Q2 sales and then to the details of H1 results. Page 3. Q2 sales at group level were down -1.2% on a like-for-like basis. In the France retail segment, sales were down -4.2% on a like-for-like basis, reflecting growth in Parisian banners and convenience, and a sharp decline in Casino Hypermarkets and Supermarkets, including the impact of a significant price repositioning. At Cdiscount, sales were down -22% due to the decrease of unprofitable direct sales, consistent with our strategy to reposition the business on the profitable marketplace. Marketplace sales were closer to equilibrium at -2.5%. This led to a new improvement of the share of marketplace to 58% of total GMV for the half year, up 9 points compared to 2022, with positive impacts on Cdiscount's margin.
In the LATAM retail segment, like-for-like growth of 7.6%, with a strong performance by Grupo Éxito and a successful turnaround of the Pão de Açúcar premium banner in Brazil. Let us get into the details of Q2 sales in France. Page 4. Same-store sales were down -4.2% in Q2, with very different dynamics in the Parisian and convenience banners on the one side, and hyper and supermarkets on the other side. Parisians banners and convenience delivered positive growth with relatively higher consumption in the Paris area compared to the rest of our geographies. Franprix was up 4.3% like-for-like. Monoprix City was up 2.5%, with Paris up 4.5%, and the convenience Monop' format was up 5.3%. 95 Franprix and Monop' stores opened since the beginning of the year.
Casino Convenience was at 2.7% on a like-for-like basis, with a continued expansion, 271 stores opened in H1. In our Casino Hypermarkets and Supermarkets, sharply negative sales trends reflected both the impact of volume drops and the impact of the price repositioning, which is now complete. These price cuts amount to -10% on average and have led to a 15 point improvement in relative pricing. Hypermarket are now in line with the target of 110 relative pricing index, which translates into a 100 for loyal customers subscribers at the level of the market average. Supermarket price index is at 113, slightly below our target of 115. That is a 105 for loyal subscribers.
In supermarkets, this price repositioning has led to a return to positive customer traffic and volumes back in line with the market, as we will see on the next slide. In hypermarket, the recovery has been lagging, with traffic still negative. Page 5. This slide shows the recovery in supermarkets, in traffic and volumes following our price cuts. As you can see, traffic came from -11% at the end of the first quarter to +1% at the end of the Q2 . Volume trends have improved as well, from -23% to -4%, coming back to market trends in volume. IRI market trends showing at -5.4%. This is the first step of the targeted recovery in the supermarket format.
As for hypermarkets, there have been some sequential improvements since the price cut in terms of both customers and volumes, but they are still lagging and trends remain significantly below market. It will take longer to get customers back to this format. Moving to H1 results, starting with France. Page 6, sales in France were down -5% in H1, with Parisian and proximity banners up, and hyper and supermarket sharply down. EBITDA in the retail banners recorded a sharp drop from EUR 478 million to EUR 101 million. This results from very different dynamics in our hyper and supermarkets on the one hand, and our Parisian banners on the other hand.
Due to lower sales and investments in price, as well as the impact of higher energy costs, the EBITDA of our Casino Hypermarkets and Supermarkets dropped by minus EUR 344 million year-on-year. The EBITDA of our Parisian banner, Monoprix and Franprix, however, was slightly up during this semester, with growth in sales more than outweighing inflation in costs. Total EBITDA dropped from EUR 539 million to EUR 102 million, taking into account the disposal of Brunello and the end of property development contribution. Page 7, moving to the commerce segment, Cdiscount. Cdiscount EBITDA doubled in H1 to EUR 32 million. The driver behind this performance was, first, the improvement in the mix of business, and second, the significant cost-cutting implemented in the last year.
Marketplace share of GMV improved by 9 points year on year, from 50% to 58%, with marketplace revenues and advertising revenues growing year on year by respectively 2% and 5%, both of these sharply up compared to 2019. Combined with a cost saving plan revised upwards to EUR 90 million and a decrease in unprofitable direct sales, this has led to an EBITDA margin of 5.3% compared to 1.9% in H1 2022. Page 8, moving to Latin America. Our two business units have published their results in detail. This slide presents the main highlights. Sales in LATAM were up 10% at constant exchange rate.
Following its repositioning out of the hypermarket format, GPA was back to sales growth at 3.6%, with some market share gain and strong growth in its EBITDA of 45%, with a successful turnaround of its premium format, Pão de Açúcar. Exito delivered sales growth in Colombia and Uruguay. Its EBITDA, as recorded in our accounts, was slightly down at constant exchange rate due to the impact of the 2022 tax reform and some non-recurring real estate profits in 2022. Recurring EBITDA, as published by Grupo Éxito, was up 7.8% in Colombian pesos. The spin-off project of Grupo Éxito is proceeding, with the most recent milestone being the approval by the SEC of the 20-F on July 25. We expect the shares distributed to GPA shareholders to start trading by the second half of August.
This will give Casino full optionality to handle separately its stakes in GPA and Éxito in order to maximize value. Page 9. Net normalized result was strongly negative in H1, at EUR -1,344 million. Compared to last year, the decline was due for one third to operational performance already commented and to an increase in financial costs linked to the increase of interest rates. 2/3 of the decline is explained by one-off non-cash impairment of deferred tax for EUR 683 million in application of IAS 12, following the review of the business plan of the French perimeter. Tax loss carryforwards have no time limit in France, but only the tax loss that can be activated in the midterm business plan are recorded in our accounts, hence the depreciation. Page 10.
Non-recurring expenses, total EUR -1,665 million in H1. This exceptional loss is mostly due to non-cash depreciations in LATAM, of which EUR 951 million of goodwill and brand depreciation at GPA, and EUR 219 million of impairment of Exito goodwill. These business units were previously valued with a discounted cash flow method as long-term strategic investments. In view of the decision to dispose of our LATAM business units as part of the group's updated business plan, published on June 26th, and in line with IAS 36, realizable value is now based on the valuation parameters used in a potential disposal. As for exceptional costs in France, the main factor were, first, the EUR 216 million write-down of Distribution Casino France goodwill following the review of the business plan.
Second, restructuring costs in connection with our cost saving plan. Page 11. Consolidated net income group share is strongly negative in H1 at EUR -2,231 million, and mostly reflects the impact of the various depreciations already mentioned in deferred taxes and impairments at Casino France and LATAM. Excluding goodwill impairments and changes in deferred tax, the change in net income between H1 2022 and H1 2023 would amount to EUR -.488 million, mostly due to the hyper and supermarkets results already commented. Page 12, free cash flow in France. Free cash flow in France deteriorated in H1 compared to last year, due to two phenomenons. First, the loss of working capital financing for EUR 800 million, already commented in our June 26 presentation. Second, the drop in EBITDA in hyper and supermarkets.
Excluding the loss of working capital and CapEx financing, free cash flow is EUR 410 million lower than last year in H1, of which EUR 389 million is due to lower EBITDA, mostly in hyper and supermarkets. As for our cost-cutting and inventory reduction plans, 40% of the targeted cost-cutting has been realized in H1, and 31% of the inventory reduction plan has been realized as well. Page 13, net debt in France. At the end of June, net debt in France stands at EUR 5.5 billion, up EUR 300 million year-on-year. This variation includes the impact of negative cash flows and the loss of working capital financing, partly offset by our disposals, including EUR 910 million in H1 23, consisting mostly of the remainder of our stake in Assaí.
Page 14, group net debt. Group net debt was close to stable over the last 12 months, at EUR 6 billion 59 million and of June 2023, against EUR 5 billion 971 million at the end of June 2022. The aforementioned increase in the French perimeter net debt was mostly offset by the reduction of GPA's net debt, due to the sales of hypermarkets to Assaí . Page 15, finally, to conclude on our liquidity position in France. June the 30th, the group had cash and cash equivalent of EUR 1 billion 135 million, of which EUR 917 million in available cash, EUR 166 million of cash in tills, and EUR 52 million of immobilized cash. The credit frame segregated accounts amounted to EUR 19 million.
All confirmed credit lines have been drawn and remain drawn as part of the ongoing conciliation procedure. Looking forward, Accuracy's reports on the group's liquidities forecast, first produced for our June 26th release and updated as of July 25, does not anticipate any liquidity issue between now and the end of fiscal year 2023. This forecast is based on a number of assumptions already disclosed in our June 26th release, including the deferral of EUR 300 million in group tax and social security charges, as per our agreements with the French state, and the continued freeze until the end of the year of financial expenses and debt maturities. It also takes into account the disposal to Intermarché of the stores mentioned in our press release. Another key assumption of this forecast is the continuation of current supplier payment terms with the support of credit insurers.
On this basis, on the assumption that the group's financial restructuring will be completed successfully, the interim financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis. This concludes my presentation. Thank you for your attention.