With a turnover of 12% in 2023, these brands have benefited from the inflationary crisis.
A midnight blue storefront, decorated with pretty joinery, with “Maison Bécam” standing out in golden letters. The brand’s 25 bakeries are now very recognizable in the Greater West. And the company displays its ambitions: 50 new stores will open by 2026, notably in Paris, in the North, the East and in Nice, at the rate of one inauguration per month, half franchise, the other in a subsidiary. Maison Bécam already has 450 employees for 16 million euros in turnover expected in 2024 (+ 6%), one year after becoming profitable.
Son of bakers from Mayen and Angers, Nicolas Bécam, 45, opened a first bakery around twenty years ago in Angers with his wife, Cécile Bécam, who came from the hotel and catering industry. “ We dreamed of having our small bakery, to resell it after seven years, then resell it again, for bigger each time. A classic route in the sector. But we discovered ourselves entrepreneurs : overcome challenges, assess what we do “, notes Nicolas Bécam. In 2012, Le Jardin de Saveurs, a first commercial name, then became Maison Bécam which opened four stores. The first fundraising was completed the same year with six local entrepreneurs. With the couple’s mentor Bertrand Baudaire, general director of the La Boucherie group (130 restaurants, 5 million euros in turnover).
The brand is part of these networks of bakeries generally located on the outskirts of cities which have experienced rapid growth over the last ten years. Marie Blachère, Ange, Louise and Sophie Lebreuilly… Developed as franchises but also in branches, these brands have benefited from the inflationary crisis with strong growth in their turnover in value of 12% last year on average, according to data from the Xerfi institute. Proof of their success, they are now attracting the interest of investors. At the end of 2022, the Teract distribution group (Gamm Vert, Jardiland) took 74.56% of the capital of Boulangerie Louise. In the fall of 2023, Lov Group acquired a stake in the Ange bakery network.
The bulk of sales: sandwiches and snacks
“ The bakery is a sector that enters into head-on competition with fast food. These are circuits which are very dynamic with a very strong network, explains Matteo Neri, research director and expert in the agri-food sector at Xerfi. Thiss brands have reproduced the marketing codes of mass distribution with promotional offers on certain products. » Enough to attract many consumers in times of rising food prices with, often, a better quality-price ratio for products than what is offered in fast food. Moreover, sales of bread, which remain a flagship product for consumers, only represent 30% of turnover on average. “ The bulk of sales concern sandwiches and snacks »continues Matteo Neri.
However, by preparing the bread dough on site while charging reasonable prices, these chains benefit from the name “bakery” and thus distinguish themselves from other brands such as Paul and La Mie Câline. The latter only operate on-site cooking (“cooking terminals”) and are losing momentum, according to Xerfi.
Compared to an independent baker, their economic model – in a network – allows for significant economies of scale. “ Today, with inflation, a self-employed person must make at least 1 million euros of activity within two years to stay alive and to repay the banks. In a network, we think, we buy and we win collectively “, believes Nicolas Bécam, who now favors “ the animation of a network of franchisees, because direct management is very cumbersome “.
Some of these brands seek to position themselves in a more premium segment than others. “ In the bakery, there are ultimately three models. The independent, which does everything on site, but without an identified brand, the network of identified brands, such as Ange or Feuillette, but which does not make everything in-house (like pastries and pastries). And we, who are both at the same time “, continues the director of Maison Bécam. At his house, all the breads are “ kneaded, shaped and cooked on site ». While the pastries and pastries are prepared in its central laboratory in Angers, “ for more regularity in production »before being frozen and transported.
Coffee shops in the city center
Often located in commercial centers or near roundabouts, these chains prefer the outskirts of towns to city centers. Free parking spaces, larger spaces… These peripheral districts are “ less restrictive and the financial outlook stronger »notes Nicolas Bécam, who first invested in the hypercenter of Angers or Nantes.
However, these new bakeries have not said their last word and intend to conquer the centers by positioning themselves on a concept of coffee shops more inclined to appeal to city dwellers, like Café Marie Blachère or Ange Coffee. The idea being to compete with brands such as Starbucks. “ There is room and a real expectation among young people for this very specific model which will probably develop at the expense of traditional cafés. »estimates Matteo Neri, from Xerfi.
