La Redoute is a hybrid model between a digital platform, attracting millions of unique visitors worldwide every month, and an iconic brand with a rich 180-year entrepreneurial history. The company, a specialist in home decoration and fashion, is now present in about twenty countries through its nine own stores and twenty-one corners in Galeries Lafayette, which has owned La Redoute since 2022.
Fabien Versaveau, the new CEO since the beginning of September.
La Redoute has a rich 180-year history, with Belgium playing a fundamental role in its international growth. How has the brand evolved over time to remain a leader in e-commerce for fashion and home decoration?
'Although the iconic catalogue first appeared in the 1920s, La Redoute was a pioneering company when it came to digitalising its offerings. As early as the 1980s and 90s, with the advent of computers, La Redoute launched its website and e-commerce in general, allowing customers to place orders 24/7 (no need to call during business hours). In 1983, La Redoute opened one of its first subsidiaries in Belgium, followed by the launch of its website in 2006, consistently identifying Belgium as one of the key markets for business development. This forward-thinking approach has always been part of the company's DNA, particularly with the launch of the La Redoute app in 2012. The customer journey has continued to evolve toward a phygital model, combining physical stores like La Redoute Intérieurs and AM.PM (important for seeing, touching, and visualising products) with an ever-developing "App-first" digital experience to streamline the shopping process as much as possible. Today, La Redoute has nearly 10 million active customers worldwide and generates 90% of its revenue online.'
Over 70% of La Redoute's offerings are created in-house. Could you share more about your design and production process, and how you ensure that the "French style" remains accessible and relevant globally?
'Our in-house brands, La Redoute Intérieurs and AM.PM for the home decoration market, are the core of La Redoute's business. They represent a strong value chain and are central to the economic model. A great deal of emphasis is placed on creation, with a team of about a dozen in-house designers working daily at our historic headquarters in Roubaix, France, designing, creating, and developing products for the two collections launched by these brands each year. A style office, led by Marie Noulez, highlights future trends across French and international markets, ensuring that everyone can find products that let them "live beautifully".'
How is La Redoute embracing the opportunities in a shifting economic market?
'Expansion in Northern Europe is one of La Redoute's strategic focuses, with a hub that includes the established Belgian market and the emerging markets of Germany and the Netherlands. Globally, the objective is to focus primarily on the home and decor sector. We are making the strategic choice to concentrate on home decor, capitalising on our two brands, La Redoute Intérieurs and AMPM.'
If we look ten years ahead, where does La Redoute want to be? Are there any specific plans or goals for this period?
'The-commerce sector is constantly being disrupted by technological and structural innovations. La Redoute wants to maintain its entrepreneurial spirit and agility to capture emerging activities and sources of growth in the future. The company aims to ensure profitable, sustainable, and more responsible growth in an increasingly competitive economic environment, primarily by continuing to focus its growth efforts on the Northern European markets of Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, while also identifying new high-potential markets for expansion. La Redoute will also continue developing its in-house brands (La Redoute Collection, La Redoute Intérieurs, AM.PM), which are key points of differentiation from other e-commerce players in the home decoration and fashion markets.'
'This year, 2024, marks the 10th anniversary of La Redoute Intérieurs, at a time when the company globally announced a year ago its strategic decision to strengthen its presence in the home decoration market. To celebrate its 10 years, La Redoute Intérieurs is offering a (re)discovery of 10 years of iconic collaborations—creations that have marked the brand's history: Sarah Lavoine, Margaux Keller, Balzac Paris, Guillaume Delvigne, Sam Baron, Camille Omerin, Constance Guisset, and Pool. Often a trailblazer in introducing new designers, La Redoute has dared to showcase bold creations that were ahead of their time and remain just as relevant today.'
More information:
La Redoute
[email protected]
www.redoute.fr
France