Number two in a changing juvenile products market, the cooperative chain, after a phase of restructuring and in-depth work on the brand, is looking to redeploy and open 50 stores by 2020.
Baby 9 wants to give itself a new lease of life. The childcarewhich celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year, seems to have come to the end of a necessary period of restructuring. "We have not been spared by the economic situation, and we have had to close stores in recent years.explains Manuel Lefèvre, President of the cooperative and point-of-sale operator Baby 9 from Mondeville (Calvados). From a total of 170 outlets in 2012, the group of independent retailers now boasts 140 outlets with a total sales area of 86,000 m².
While it has cleaned up its network, the number-two retailer in the market (behind the branch-based Aubert) has above all "worked hard on the fundamentals of the brand", says the CEO. These include omnichannel development and web-to-store ramp-up - "today, 65% of products purchased online are then picked up in-store"; modernizing IT systems to pool inventory; strengthening relations with major brands and suppliers via the central purchasing unit; and stepping up digital communications to reach young, hyper-connected parents.
Covering the whole world of 0-2 year olds (bedrooms, textiles, toys, strollers, car seats...), Bébé 9 has also broadened its offer. "We've introduced a range policy to make the brand more accessible in terms of price, and expanded our own-brand product ranges under the Bébé essentiel, Bébé expert, Bébé référence and Bébé création collections."
All these actions are beginning to bear fruit: last year, the cooperative saw its sales increase by 2% on a like-for-like basis, to 170 million euros. Faced with increasingly fierce competition (rise of pure players and the second-hand market, in addition to traditional specialists and supermarkets), Bébé 9 was forced to reinvent itself.
Suburbs and shopping centers
Redeployment of the network is now one of the chain's priority objectives, and it will be opening between six and ten stores this year (Avignon, Brignoles, the French overseas departments and territories...). Manuel Lefèvre announces: "By 2020, we aim to open 50 outlets, targeting the Paris region and towns such as Bayonne, Brest, Lille, Nice...". Out-of-town concept, Bébé 9 favors formats of 600 to 800 m², but has also recently been testing smaller units (around 300 m²) dedicated to shopping centers.
Fairly flexible in its recruitment, the company welcomes "entrepreneurs from a variety of professional backgrounds, who want to invest in the cooperative and adhere to its values: democratic voting, involvement in specialized committees...". Financially, applicants must be of sound financial standing, with a minimum personal contribution of 100,000 to 150,000 euros.
Some associates operate several stores, but the vast majority are monosites. A passionate profession, childcare requires a high level of daily involvement and a keen sense of management (up to eight or ten employees, depending on the size of the outlet).
