It is a brand that is still largely unknown, but which is enjoying growing success.
The Jysk furniture brand has been weaving its web in France for 15 years.
A TF1 team looks into the secrets of this Danish rival of Ikea.
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The 8 p.m.
A brand new Jysk store has just opened in Saint-Mard, in Seine-et-Marne. This Danish brand has been weaving its web for 15 years on French territory, trying to compete with the Swedish giant, which has been well established for 40 years now. But faced with Ikea, which earns 47 billion in turnover worldwide, this company with more than 5 billion in global turnover is seeking to do well. “We play to win, we prefer the challenge”assures Romain Liénard, retail manager of the Saint-Mard store, in the TF1 8 p.m. report at the top of this article.
On the shelves, the furniture, the design and even the name of the Danish products recall the offer of the famous Swedish brand. With one difference, the price, often lower at Jysk for comparable quality. To achieve this result, the brand does not manufacture its furniture itself. Thanks to its 3,500 stores in Europe, it puts pressure on suppliers, mostly Chinese, to reduce costs. The communications budget is also limited. There are no advertising spots on television, for example.
“An extremely practical alternative”
Furthermore, the stores are smaller than those of its competitors, only a few hundred square meters. A policy that does not displease its customers. “You enter the Ikea store, you have to go all around the store. Whereas there, you don’t need to, you go straight”testifies a man interviewed at Jysk by our team.
With this modest size, there are no plant or crockery departments. The Danish brand focuses less on quantity than on proximity. It opens stores where the furniture giants have not yet set up shop. “Their point of sale strategy is quite clever because, precisely, by setting up in small and medium-sized towns which do not have large furniture stores within 50, 60, 80 km, they become an alternative extremely practical”deciphers Laura Bozobza, marketing expert.
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This strategy is now adopted by all brands, including the sector giant. “To get ever closer to the French, IKEA continues to open new stores, with more urban formats, such as recently in Paris, Toulouse or La Rochelle”the group notably announced in a press release.
Faced with the proliferation of competitors, one of the historic brands was forced to adapt. “We are developing new services, such as this long-term rental service. For 15 euros per month, you can have a beautiful sofa at home, without buying it, by renting it”explains Anne-Laure Feldkircher, general manager of BUT stores. A growing market of 26 billion euros that Jysk hopes to capture as much as possible. With a clear objective: open 500 stores within 20 years. Or a point of sale less than 30 km from each French person.
