[Rétro] Duralex – La Poste: glassware continues its renaissance with marketing operations

After a notable collaboration with Le Slip français, it is now La Poste which is joining forces with the iconic brand. A partnership formalized this Thursday, September 19 on the Duralex site, in the presence of the Centre-Val de Loire Region and the Orléans metropolis, with Stéphane Bern as sponsor of the operation.

By Mael Petit.

Everyone is snapping up Duralex. Since its survival recorded last July with the takeover in Scop by employees, brands and companies seem to be rushing to the gate to associate their name with glassware. A situation which contrasts with the moribund post-covid years, a time when the rating of the flagship of French industry seemed at its lowest. Since this summer, Duralex has started a “renaissance operation” to relaunch the machine as quickly as possible. It first came through an unprecedented and sensational collaboration with Le Slip Français, a successful Parisian fashion company, embroidering around the famous made in France which characterizes both companies. And after a return to school which saw sales explode, it is therefore the turn of La Poste to join forces with the glassworks with the common idea of… safeguarding French heritage! Because all means are good to get people talking about the takeover of Duralex, a strategy motivated by the urgent need to bring in cash quickly.

Development of e-commerce

And the least we can say is that it works. “ We made last year’s turnover on the website in 40 days », welcomes the general director of Duralex, François Marciano. The boss even recalls that he had to work hard all summer to manage the influx of orders from French people taken by the risk of seeing the emblematic company of their childhood disappear. A real success, the marketing operation with Le Slip Français even maintained sales at a high level, so to avoid seeing the soufflé fall, it is now La Poste who is coming to pose for the photo.

On paper, such an association is surprising. The deputy director of the postal service company Philippe Dorge visited the glassworks site this Thursday, September 19, for a tour of the factory. For him, the support of La Poste is completely natural because “ a public company must put itself at the service of the territories and the needs of society “. Concretely, through this partnership, La Poste must offer visibility to glassware with the development, within 150 Post offices in Centre-Val de Loire, of “Duralex corners”. On which limited edition packs of six mugs will be stored and sold in the run-up to Christmas. At the same time, the group guarantees “ his help and his know-how » in terms of the development of its website which will be “ modified into an e-commerce site from November 15 “. An announcement which comes exactly one year after an agreement between the former management of Duralex and the Loire company Camalo, specialized… in e-commerce logistics. Still in the context of online orders, La Poste also promises price advantages for shipping parcels. One last point which still remains unclear since the details have not yet been finalized according to Philippe Dorge.

Defense of industrial heritage

But the main advantage of this partnership is the presence of Stéphane Bern as sponsor of this collaboration. Duralex thus benefits from the image of one of the favorite personalities of the French whose role will be to carry Duralex particularly in the media, in addition to lending his image which will be found on the famous end-of-year mug packs. “ Heritage is not just castles or monuments, but also our businesses where behind each of them, women and men make the places vibratewas moved by the television host present at Duralex for the occasion. Before recounting the memory of French companies, let’s make them prosper because by saving our companies, we also save the heritage of a territory. So you’ll see me on Duralex lenses and I’m proud of it “. Residing in Eure-et-Loir and involved in the local life of his territory, this role of ambassador was quickly accepted by Bern. And he is not the only regional personality contacted since the starred chef Christophe Hay also made the trip to praise the glassworks products.

The attentive eye of communities

An all-out canvassing which finds its source on the side of local authorities, stakeholders in the setting up of the Scop. Like the metropolis of Orléans, the Centre-Val de Loire region has put in the work to guarantee the viability of the project as well as the confidence of the banks. So it’s no surprise to see them redouble their efforts to shine the spotlight on Duralex as much as possible, to the point of influencing the strategy to be implemented for Duralex’s success? “ Of course we keep an eye on the evolution of the company. As partners, communities have a central role and we obviously pay attention to the money we provide », Specifies the president of the Region François Bonneau. Far from talking about being placed under supervision, the communities apparently do not refrain from influencing the strategic decisions of the company. Or to use his image as during the arrival at the end of July of the New Popular Front and Lucie Castets – for equally political purposes if not more – in his quest for Matignon in the heart of summer, a visit which had brought together all the national media on the Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin site. An initiative incidentally not to the taste of the president of the metropolis Serge Grouard who nevertheless appears smiling alongside the president of the Regional Council.

We will have understood, in the wake of French Slip and La Poste, many would like to ride the Duralex wave which for its part is playing the game in search of visibility. Moreover, François Marciano fully accepts it. “ We have requests from everywhere that we don’t know how to respond to, but I hope that these partnerships will continue to be numerous in the future. “. Behind this strategy lies in particular “ the fear of forgetting », admits the boss of Duralex, and above all the objective of getting off to a very strong start in terms of sales in these first months to generate cash flow. But the question of the strategic sustainability of a multiplicity of longer-term partnerships will arise. To respond to this, the recruitment of a sales team should be finalized by the end of the month. With the aim of reconquering the international market where partnerships will quickly be limited.

More information elsewhere on Magcentre:

La Chapelle St-Mesmin: Duralex x Le Slip Français: the unique collaboration!