From Perdoux to Desmartis, a nursery with 150 years of history in Bergerac

CEach year, 1.3 million plants are grown there. The surface area of ​​this company located in Bergerac (Dordogne) and, to a lesser extent, in Saint-Nexans and Saint-Laurent-des-Vignes, reaches the staggering figure of 300 hectares. It employs around a hundred employees, 80 of whom are permanent. Who am I? No doubt that most Bergeracois will have easily found the name of the Desmartis nursery, a true local emblem. In good health, with a turnover of 15 million euros in 2023, the company is nonetheless an old lady.

It’s been 150 years since the Desmartis adventure began on the banks of the Dordogne. At the beginning, there was Jean Perdoux whose family of “modest gardeners”, from Limousin, had taken up residence in Bergerac in the 18th century. But it was in 1874 that the name Desmartis entered history, thanks to a union. Located on Boulevard Wilson and Rue du 14-Juillet, the nursery of the same name continued during the First World War, under the leadership of André Desmartis. In 1949, when Jacques Desmartis took over, the company employed 15 to 20 people on an area of ​​7 ha and became one of the five largest nurseries in France.

Rise and Fall

At the beginning, there was Jean Perdoux whose family of “modest gardeners”, from Limousin, had taken up residence in Bergerac.

In the 1960s, the company, which would set up on the Route d’Agen in 1972, continued to grow and open agencies in the region before setting up eight garden centres, including those in Bergerac, but also diversifying into the parks and gardens business. Thus, the green spaces division built the Clairefontaine pitch (national football centre), worked at Euro Disney and on the forecourt of La Défense in Paris. But the crisis caught up with this company, which ended up selling its green spaces department in 1988.

After filing for bankruptcy in June 1989, the family business was bought by a British group that immediately sold the garden centres to the Conte family, then owners of Jardiland. In 1993, after filing for bankruptcy again, the Conte family took over the nursery. It should be noted that the Bergerac store, which is the largest in France in terms of surface area, remained under the Desmartis brand until 2010.

Bought internally

Sold by the Contes, the Jardiland company took control of the nursery between 2005 and 2014, the year it was put up for sale. That’s when Patrick Chassagne, the operations manager at the time, and Dominique Audy, the sales manager, decided to take the plunge, signing the purchase in August. “We had to work on restoring it,” says the former. “At the time, nurseries were losing €2 million per year for a turnover of €8.5 million.”

Five years later, in 2019, Desmartis joined forces with the Delbard rose garden by purchasing its brand license. In this way, it doubled its production of rose bushes (140,000 per year) and fruit trees (80,000 per year), which allowed it to accelerate its external growth by 25%. The Covid epidemic, which turned consumers towards their homes and gardens, finished boosting sales. “Between the 2018-2019 financial year and the 2021-2022 financial year, turnover increased by 50% to €15.5 million.”

International fame

Labeled High Environmental Value, Desmartis sells to specialist distributors throughout France (80%), to communities, landscapers or wholesalers (20%). “But we don’t sell to individuals,” emphasizes Patrick Chassagne. “There is still confusion, because many Bergeracois say ”we go to Desmartis” when they talk about Jardiland.”

Desmartis’ reputation extends beyond its borders, particularly with its “flagship” lagerstroemia. “We are recognized as specialists in Europe, and even in the United States,” confirms Patrick Chassagne. A new variety will also be named on Thursday, July 4.