Even when it’s snowing, it’s impossible to miss the turquoise blue and canary yellow façade of the new Hygena store in Annecy-Epagny (Haute-Savoie). This uninhibited choice of colors illustrates the kitchen designer’s desire for rejuvenation and rupture. “We have repositioned the brand on tailor-made equipment, ready to assemble and at low prices”, specifies Sébastien Lelieur, the director of the brand.
Not only can the customer order in store and online, but he can also choose his route: reflection on the site hygena.com, meeting with an adviser in store and, why not, payment on the Internet… Hygena undertakes to provide an estimate within 1 hour and to deliver the order to your home within three weeks. The slogan “My cooking in easy mode” sums up the ambition. From the entrance to the store with a surface area of 250 m2, this simplicity is assumed with a raw concrete floor dotted with yellow arrows to guide the visitor towards the kitchens on display. Pop and Latin music, small coffee-tea, on a sofa or ottomans: everything is thought out to put him at ease.
A special place in the memory of the French
Launched in 2022, the network has two other points of sale in Antibes (Alpes-Maritimes) and Saint-Quentin (Aisne), knowing that a dozen inaugurations are planned this year. “The objective is twofold: to open around thirty stores by 2025, and to become number 1 in e-commerce”, assures Sébastien Lelieur. This digital specialist can count on the notoriety of the brand: Hygena occupies a special place in the memory of the French. Founded in 1925 in Liverpool, the group crossed the Channel to become the leader in Europe in the 1980s. Unfortunately, after a series of social plans and takeovers, it fell behind its competitors Ikea, Mobalpa, Schmidt, Leroy -Merlin… without, however, falling into oblivion.
In 2015, the Savoyard SME Fournier acquired the brand and six years later joined forces with WM88, a furniture manufacturer from the Vosges, to give it new impetus. Good pick. Admittedly, the market is occupied by powerful players such as Ikea or Mobalpa, but it remains promising: 38% of households are not yet equipped. In order to succeed in the kitchen segment for less than 5,000 euros, the Hygena franchise offers a short range: 22 fronts and 100 furniture references, 16 colors and around fifty brands of household appliances and sinks… “Like the prices are low all year round, there are no promotions or discounts on the quote”, adds Sébastien Lelieur.
A turnover of 2 million euros
To develop, the brand is looking for young entrepreneurs with dual skills in management and sales in food or DIY stores. The sense of customer service is also essential. In Annecy, the store is run by four “experts”, that is to say salespeople, in addition to the manager. Each project leader must plan an investment of between 275,000 and 300,000 euros, with a minimum of 60,000 euros in personal contribution. The entry fee is 15,000 euros, and royalties reach 4% of turnover.
Hygena helps to find the premises, if possible in a commercial area. The Annecy store thus opened near an Auchan hypermarket, in order to take advantage of footfall. After two years of activity, the average turnover should exceed 2 million euros per year, ie the marketing of 600 kitchens. As the network is recent, it is also agile and adaptable according to the feedback from the first franchisees. Why not bet on this renaissance?
An article from the Franchise 2023 special issue of L’Express. On sale from March 16.