New target locked for Rivolier, the arms distributor from Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert, in the Loire. The Loire group (300 employees; €140 million in revenue expected in 2024) took advantage of the summer to pursue its external growth strategy with the acquisition, via its subsidiary Brandy, of a majority stake in Land Of Dogs, a German distributor specializing in dog accessories (5 employees; €1 million in revenue). “The dog is the hunter’s biggest expense. The connection is quickly made, especially since Rivolier is already the exclusive distributor for GPS specialist Garmin for an animal tracking collar. From hunting dogs to pets, there is certainly a gap, but we are still in passion markets linked to nature,” explains Alexandre Van Robais, CEO of Rivolier.
With this acquisition, Rivolier, which mainly operates in Defense and Security, is strengthening the Pet branch of its Nature division. A division that today includes distribution to French gunsmiths and shooting ranges, fishing and leisure stores – the result of the acquisition in 2011 of the Sert company in Blanquefort (Gironde) – and accessories for pets and leather goods – a diversification born from the takeover in 2016 of the Brandy company in Mazamet (Tarn).
A nature center worth 25 million euros
In 2023, Rivolier had already given a little more weight to this diversification in the animal universe with the acquisition of La Compagnie des Pet Foods (€10M in turnover; 40 employees), specializing in the design, import and distribution of products intended for pets (1,300 references, sold in 2,500 points of sale in France and Belgium).
With the acquisition of Land of Dogs in early August, Rivolier is accelerating its development in a promising market segment. “Today, we are a significant player in the world of toys and accessories for pets. Our nature division now has a turnover of 25 million euros. This gives us a certain credibility and legitimacy in these different markets,” explains Alexandre Van Robais.
International in the crosshairs
With this acquisition, Rivolier has reached a critical size and has also gained “a better balance” in its customer portfolios. “This merger is the realization of a project to guarantee the group long-term sustainability; it marks a strategic step in the internationalization of the PET division,” explains a press release from the group.
Created in 2013 in Hamburg, Land Of Dogs has already been working with the Rivolier group since its inception. “This operation allows us not only to consolidate our presence in Germany but also to access new growth opportunities on the European market, says Alexandre Van Robais. When you are a distributor from France, after a while you hit a ceiling. This acquisition in Germany opens up opportunities for us on a market that is the second largest in Europe, behind England and ahead of France. It is also a great launch pad for Europe”, continues the manager, who remains “attentive to new international acquisition opportunities”.
Although Rivolier has not yet validated any new targets, the group’s strategy is clearly to “continue the external growth plan that allowed us to go from 3 million euros in turnover when my father took over the company in 1989 to 140 million euros today,” explains Alexandre Van Robais. “We have the teams to do it. We will have other opportunities in the years to come, but for 2024, we will already have digested all that,” he confides.
Developing own brands
With two firmly established poles now – Defense and security on one side and Nature on the other – Rivolier intends above all to build an identity around its own brands. With this in mind, the Loire SME has just taken over the Gabion Unlimited brand, specialized in waterfowl hunting, developed for 13 years by the company Avantage Sport (Le Havre).
“This year we took over the Markhor brand, which is aimed at mountain and extreme hunters. We are currently redesigning a product portfolio and setting up a network of ambassadors. The idea is to arrive in 2025 with a range of products that is 100% Rivolier-branded. A range that we will offer to the entire European market and also to the United States, since we have had a sales subsidiary there since 2023,” explains Alexandre Van Robais.
By developing its own brands, the manager intends above all to get closer to end customers. “When you are a distributor, you do not have direct access to customers. The idea through this own brand strategy is to be able to speak directly to customers, to pass on messages, to better control the brands and the associated communities”, explains the CEO.
Committed “fully to this approach for 6 months”, Rivolier intends to accelerate its brand strategy in 2025 “with new value offers, new ways of conversing with customers, explains the group’s CEO. This is an area that we treat with great importance because it is the very evolution of the role of distributor”, insists Alexandre Van Robais, who already relies on a marketing division of around fifteen employees within the group.
Take care of your sourcing and your image
This new positioning will also involve a lot of internal sourcing work. “The idea is to move down the value chain by having better control over our sourcing, product design and everything related to CSR. We are increasingly demanding in this area,” assures the Rivolier manager.
To do this, Rivolier does not hesitate to take, once again, stakes in certain manufacturers. “We did this in 2021 by taking shares in the Tarn cartridge manufacturer Jocker, which develops 100% biodegradable cardboard wads (hunting cartridges, editor’s note). This allowed us to take a very differentiating position in this market and at the same time to be responsible in our purchases and the quality of the products we offer,” argues Alexandre Van Robais.
Taking care of your brand image to be more successful… This pretty much sums up Rivolier’s strategy, which aims for growth of 5 to 10% per year. “The goal is to cross the 150 million euro turnover mark as quickly as possible,” concludes Arnaud Van Robais.
