When we think of a decoration store, we immediately think of this brand, one of the French’s favorites. Bad news, it wants to close or transfer between 40 and 50 stores.
Increase in the cost of raw materials, rise of e-commerce and change in consumer habits in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic… The reasons are multiple but the home and decoration sector is facing a crisis deep. While the Habitat brand went into liquidation at the end of 2023, it is the turn of another brand to announce that it will have to make decisions for the months and years to come.
However, it has enjoyed dazzling success since its launch in France in 1996 and quickly became an essential reference in the interior decoration sector. Its varied offering of products inspired by trends from around the world has won over the French and the brand has more than 300 own stores in France. This big brand is Maisons du Monde. For more than 25 years, Maisons du Monde has been offering decorative objects, tableware, but also furniture in different worlds to match all styles.
However, despite its initial success and the development of its online offering, the Maisons du Monde brand is also experiencing difficulties. In a recent press release, it announced that it had experienced a drop in sales of 9.3% in 2023 compared to 2022, but also a drop in its net profit of 74% in 2023 compared to 2022. In this context, Maisons du Monde indicates having to make decisions.
Among them, that of separating from physical stores with “40 to 50 store closures/transfers and nearly 30% of the network under affiliation/franchise by 2026″ specifies the brand in its press release. This decision comes as an extension of its 2023 strategy. “At the end of December 2023, the store network reached 340 directly owned stores, following 18 net closures including 5 store transfers to affiliates, as planned,” Maisons du Monde indicates in its press release.
As of now, these are just predictions. No store listings or names cities was not given by the group. Christophe Lapotre, executive operating director of the Group, reassures and tells AFP that the closure of stores would only concern a “tiny” part of the park. He specifies that the group has identified around 50 stores whose profitability needs to be optimized. This could involve, for example, a move (from the city center to a commercial area), the renegotiation of rents, but also the closure of certain stores.