To decorate and harmonize your interior, choose all your decorative objects carefully and know how to match them with your furniture. Do you already have a favorite brand? Get out of your comfort zone and consider analyzing others, as they may be more advantageous.
In this article, let’s expose the 3 most popular brands, reflecting the preference of the French with their specificities and their assets, even if they are not all of French origin.
1. The dreaded Ikea
Ikea or Ingvar Kamprad Elmtaryd Agunnaryd is a Swedish company headquartered in Delft in the Netherlands. This name results from the combination of the name of its founder, that of his parent’s farm, and that of his village.
The company specializes in designing, producing, and selling furniture and decorative items in kit form. It has 422 stores in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Oceania, and Asia. But France plays a significant role in marketing Ikea products, with its 34 stores. Since 2009, Ikea has been recognized as the number 1 in terms of furniture in France.
To meet the needs of the French, the collections are regularly updated according to the evolution of time. For example, at the moment, it is launching the Scandinavian design.
Its concept is based on the self-service of an extensive distribution network. Its logo was inspired by the Swedish national colors (blue signifying confidence and excellence and yellow marking happiness, creativity, and energy).
All Ikea stores have a food store with Swedish specialties. Its products are packaged in a flat pack for easy transportation and assembly. They are inventoried in a catalog duplicated in a hundred million copies. To encourage customers to buy on impulse, they are invited to browse the entire store where all the products are displayed. Only the founder composed the captions for the photos.
Ikea’s strengths lie in its wide variety of quality products at low prices. These are delivered with a 6-month guarantee against breakage. Lately, the brand is leaning towards natural, renewable, recycled, or recyclable materials such as fibers, cotton, plastic, etc.
2. The powerful Hard Discounter Action
Action is a Dutch brand that is spread all over Europe like in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, etc. It is developing with incredible speed in France until it has more than 500 stores, apart from its second logistic base measuring 40,000 m² and its fifth logistic base.
It specializes in the production of diversified non-perishable products, especially for decoration (wall clocks, table lamps, string lights, etc.), sports, leisure, etc.
Its main potential is that it offers promotions and very attractive prices, thanks to a group of 13 buyers. During the day, they contact brands and stores all over Europe. And they collect and negotiate unsold, overstocked, and liquidated items from bankrupt establishments. In other words, it offers special deals and constant novelties.
Its stores measure between 800 and 1,200 square meters.
Despite its low investment in marketing and communication, the word-of-mouth concept is sufficient to multiply its customers and optimize its turnover.
3. The famous Leroy Merlin
Leroy Merlin is a real French brand. It has been integrated into the Adeo Group, which is a well-known brand. Although it is present in France, this does not prevent it from happening in other countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America.
In addition to its specialty in decoration, it also works in construction, furnishing, DIY, and gardening. It offers a wide range of decorative objects at the best prices, such as mirrors, carpets, frames, lamp posts, etc.
Its strengths are based on 6 values that it shares with its employees and customers: respect, commitment, boldness, proximity, trust, and autonomy. Leroy Merlin has 142 stores, plus an e-commerce site that is one of France’s 15 most visited sites.
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