produce the Olympic mascot, the golden contract for this factory

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At the entrance to the factory La Guerche-de-Bretagne (Ille-et-Vilaine), they are no longer completely alone. THE Phryge, mascots of the Olympic Games, are there, of course, some of them wearing their hats Noël for the holidays, but they now mix with the French Bear, this new range launched by Doudou and Company coming off an extremely prolific summer of 2024.

“We anticipated the 'yes blues' so as not to experience manufacturing troughs. We took inspiration, as references, from the codes of the teddy bear from around thirty or forty years ago, to make it a 2.0 bear, more modern,” says Alain Joly, the founding president.

300,000 mascots produced at La Guerche

Because the challenge is there for the French firm: to continue. Thanks to the exceptional contract signed with the organizing committee of the Olympic Games, 1.5 million mascots were produced, including nearly 300,000 designed in the La Guerche-de-Bretagne workshopaccording to the company. An “exceptional” figure, which allowed it to increase its turnover by 35% over the year 2024.

The “boom” came a little later than expected. The start-up was even disappointing, although the teams had been trained in the production of 1,000 mascots every day. “When we saw the opening ceremony, we knew we had won,” smiles Alain Joly. For a month, we delivered like crazy. What is nice is that there was no break at the time of the Paralympic Games. The enthusiasm around these Phryges is such that the capital sympathy continues. »

Tourist networks are active

2025 therefore promises to be a year of transition, during which the sale of Phryge will represent a crucial part of the activity of Guerchaise seamstresses: “In the Paris region, we feel that there is still a great appetite for the consumer , and particularly among tourists. Not one leaves without their mascot. We have reason to believe that the start of 2025 will still bring good sales,” appreciates the president.

Despite the initial controversies linked to the relocation of a major part of production in ChinaDoudou et Compagnie has given itself a nice spotlight in the plush industry. Whose future is increasingly questionable in France, due to the competitiveness of the price of Asian labor.

Alain Joly does not despair: “We want to perpetuate the French know-how of our factory in La Guerche-de-Bretagne. We need to be able to design techniques that allow us to be as close as possible to the market price. There is a real challenge in the coming months. »

The 2030 Olympics in the viewfinder

The firm also signed a contract with PSG and produced the soft toys of Germain the lynx, the Qatari club's mascot, which will be marketed from January 1, 2025. It is also said to be in discussions with the organization of the Winter Games from Milan – Cortina d’Ampezzo 2026 for the manufacture of some of their soft toys.

Afterwards ? There will be the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps, with its share of derivative products. This is a promise from Alain Joly: “We will be on the starting line. »

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