the meteoric rise of a bookseller specializing in manga and comics

With five bookstores in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) in the field of comics and manga, Comptoir du Rêve has experienced supersonic growth since 2020. As a result of numerous investments, the success of the brand is making a lot of noise in the bookseller market .

Even before we enter the Toulouse bookstores, the subject is already at the heart of conversations between customers and sellers. Where will Comptoir du Rêve end? How does he manage to have absolutely all the books? There are many questions about this brand specializing in mangas and comics which has taken over the Toulouse city center.

And for good reason, Comptoir du Rêve today has no less than five stores in Toulouse. With 700 m² and pWith more than 60,000 references, the brand has become the number 1 independent specialist bookstore in France in terms of choice and surface area. A total success which does not fail to provoke a reaction.

With effective communication on social networks, an incredible choice of books and significant financial capacity, Comptoir du Rêve has managed to conquer the market since its arrival in Toulouse, rue Rémusat in 2020. The first specialized manga store was already making more than 300 m². “I wanted to compete with online bookstores like Fnac or Amazon. To do this, a lot of space was needed and a maximum number of titles should be presented. Everyone thought I was crazy when I opened this bookstore because it was an extraordinary project.”remembers Cyrille Cotelle, manager of Comptoir du Rêve.

It is clear that the concept works. In less than five years, rue Rémusat in Toulouse has become Cyrille Cotelle’s landmark. He was able to set up a total of four stores there labeled “Comptoir du Rêve”, offering everything from comics to romance. “We reinvest what we earn to grow. Then, we are the first bookstore to try TikTok, which brought us customers”asks the manager.

The meteoric expansion of Comptoir du Rêve is closely scrutinized by other independent bookstores in Toulouse. Many agree that the fierce competition from Le Comptoir, as they call it, is not easy to live with.

But the market still remains viable for the different players. Crossover Mangas is an example of this. Launched in 2021 and now located at 16 rue de Metz, the brand has succeeded in attracting new enthusiasts. Co-manager of the store, Benoit Mino assures that he knows “an increase in the number of customers”. He evokes a “healthy competition” with the Comptoir du Rêve, “who plays Monopoly, but has not stolen his place as first Toulouse player.”

“Our goal is that Comptoir du Rêve customers then come to us,” continues Benoît Mino. An observation shared by a large number of booksellers who accept the overpowering of the Rue Rémusat brands and try to differentiate themselves to attract new customers and keep their loyal customers. “Le Comptoir is out of the category, but some of the public appreciate the intimate side of our stores more. We have more time to discuss and advise”asks Sylvain, manga manager of another heavyweight on the market: Bédéciné.

These visits by the same customer to different brands in the city center also represent Cyrille Cotelle’s vision of the market: “I don’t think bookstores compete with each other. We are creating a center of activity. People come to Comptoir du Rêve then tour the other bookstores. It’s dynamic for everyone.”

If it is not time to sound the alarm, the specialized manga and comics market seems to be doing well blocked in Toulouse. “I don’t think there is room today for another actor”assure Benoit Mino.

There isn’t room for many people anymore. And some even burned their wings. This is particularly the case for the BD Fugue bookstore. Established in 2012 on rue Sainte-Ursule, the brand was forced to close at the end of last year. Its former manager, Guillaume Hainaut, recounts an extremely complicated period: “I decided to invest in another store on the street, specializing in manga. But I quickly had cash flow problems. I received help from other bookstores, but it wasn’t enough. It was difficult for everyone.”

Ironically, the 130m² premises were bought by Cyrille Cotelle, contributing to the ever-increasing expansion of Comptoir du Rêve. “These are the laws of the market, it’s unfortunate. I had no other choice but to give in, it was the court that decided so”breathes Guillaume Hainaut, who wishes to point out that its closure was not caused only by the Comptoir du Rêve, but above all by problems with publishers and the overall drop in manga sales.

“It’s an opportunity that I seizedexplains Cyrille Cotelle when talking about the buyout. I am now thinking about whether I want to keep the BD Fugue brand or name it Comptoir du Rêve.”.

In addition to BD Fugue, the Les Petits Ruisseaux bookstore, specializing in comics and children’s literature, closed its doors last March in the Saint-Cyprien district.

If so many actors have launched into manga, it is because Covid has caused the number of sales to explode. But the market ran out of steam as quickly as it took off. “There was a real boom in 2020, but now it’s going down.”assures Sylvain at Bédéciné. “We had a very bad period last year, we came close to closing”confirms the manager of Crossover Manga. The decrease in manga sales reached 12% in 2023.

Some independent bookstores then find themselves in difficulty, especially as online commerce and supermarkets attract customers. There is no need to go far to realize this delicate context. Visiting the Atmosphères bookstore, rue des Filatiers, we are interrupted by a young man looking to submit a CV. The response from the manager, Christophe, is scathing: “impossible to recruit for me. I don’t even pay the minimum wage.”

With sufficient cash flow to absorb this drop in sales, Comptoir du Rêve stands out from the crowd. It’s simple, and all the booksellers agree on this point, the rue Rémusat bookstores offer all the books in their respective specialization.

This way of operating is a matter of debate among certain market players. “Le Comptoir du Rêve has a vision opposite to ours, it is an American company”whispers Yohan Rouanet in the Terres de Légendes bookstore, established for more than 20 years on rue Gambetta. A statement supported by his colleague Jean-Pascal Molus: “The job of a bookseller is not to have everything all the time, it is to make a pre-selection. Le Comptoir du Rêve is closer to Cultura rather than a bookstore.”

Cyrille Cotelle is not of the same opinion. According to him, the independent bookstore model in France has not reinvented itself sufficiently. “They are on average 60-80m² so the space is too small. Most often, the bookseller does not have the book requested by the customer and must then order it.” For the manager of Comptoir du Rêve, this system automatically directs the customer to online commerce, which is easier to use.

Proud to have launched a hybrid model combining “the wise advice of the independent bookstore and the stock of cultural surfaces”Cyrille Cotelle intends to continue to expand: “It’s not because we earn money that we have sold our soul. Le Comptoir du Rêve has opened up a new field of possibilities and I always want to pass on the passion for books.”