These success stories that relaunched French electronics

Enceinte acoustique Devialet Phantom. Après les déboires de ses anciennes gloires, le secteur de l'électronique grand public se cherche depuis des années une tête de pont comme Devialet.

Posted Sep 26, 2022, 3:50 PMUpdated Sep 27, 2022 11:51 AM

French Tech, French Touch or French luxury. By completing a fundraising of 50 million euros a few weeks ago, Devialet has given itself the means to accelerate on the Asian markets where the croaking sound of its audio speakers is already causing a stir. “We have done studies, if I had our products manufactured in China, there would be less attractiveness for Devialet in China”, notes its general manager, Franck Lebouchard, without however wanting to take on the role of the standard bearer of electronics. French for individuals. After the setbacks of its former glories, the sector is recovering in any case.

But Devialet is not the only one today able to make people forget the disappointments of Archos – the French pioneer of MP3 players weighed down by the competition after a pivot towards Android smartphones -, of Parrot – now turned towards professional drones – and, to a lesser extent, Netatmo. Bought by Legrand, the connected thermostats and other video surveillance cameras are still a success, but the company has also had to develop an indirect sales model via electricians. Among the French “stars” of consumer electronics of the 2000s and 2010s, only Withings and its connected objects for health continue to develop directly with consumers, after a purchase and then a resale by Nokia.

Focal opens boutiques all over the world

But other success stories are being written. Historical specialist in French Hi-Fi sound, Focal and its 500 employees have taken full advantage of the post-lockdown boom in the interior equipment market. Last year, the Saint-Etienne company saw its turnover jump, to 144 million euros against 110 million euros in 2019, including the British brand Naim. Profits (Ebitda) have almost doubled in two years (24 million euros).

Acquired by the Alpha Private Equity fund in 2019, the group allows itself a big difference consisting in making its least expensive devices more accessible (below 1,000 euros for a helmet) while multiplying by three the average price at which it sells its products. , at more than 20,000 euros for an audio speaker.

At the same time, Focal is developing a boutique network all over the world. Twenty-five are already open in Lyon, Cannes, Berlin, Shanghai, Seoul and even Melbourne. More than a dozen are already planned, for example in Dubai. “In Prague, our partner generated 2 million euros in Focal product sales in his store last year, when he only sold 50,000 euros in a multi-brand environment”, rejoices Cédrick Boutonet, the Director General.

Crosscall, relocation in progress

With 140 million euros in turnover, Crosscall has made a name for itself as the champion of made in France in smartphones. But unlike the Wiko brand, which sells Chinese devices while claiming its Marseille roots, Crosscall has chosen to turn its back on factories in the Middle Kingdom to relocate its production of ultra-resistant smartphones (for law enforcement and security forces). building professionals) in Aix-en-Provence.

The project is underway: prototyping and testing are already taking place near Provençal lavender, before accessories and smartphones follow suit.

Lunii conquering the world

More modest, Lunii and its small interactive story boxes for children begin their conquest of the world. The company, its audiobook publishing house and its 94 employees recorded 20% of their revenue internationally last year and are aiming for 30 million euros in turnover in 2022.

Specialized in desktop audio headsets, Orosound, for its part, has its products manufactured in Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine) and Granville (Manche) for renowned customers such as Morgan Stanley and Disneyland Paris. At 2 million euros, its turnover could double this year. International already accounts for 40% of revenue.

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