Italian sport brand Macron growing strong in France

By

Marion Deslandes

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
May 8, 2017

Like the newly elected President of France by the same name, Italian sport outfitter Macron, specialised in team kits, is very much on the rise. Fittingly, the Bologna-based sport company is expanding at a fast clip in France too, where it operates 16 monobrand stores and where it plans to open more branches, at a rate of 3-4 per year, potentially reaching twenty stores by the end of 2017.

France is in fact the brand's third-largest market, after Italy, where it was founded in 1971, and the UK. "France accounted for 11% of the company's total revenue in 2016, which was €72 million," said Silvio Martinuzzi, head of France for Macron. Quite a leap from the €15 million Macron generated in 2005. The company has a 13,000 m2 warehouse in Bologna and is present in 1,000 multibrand stores, as well as operating a network of over 100 monobrand stores. The Macron Store concept, launched seven years ago, is innovative as it caters both to the general public and to a business clientele. "We are the only brand operating this business model, combining a showroom and a traditional retail area," said Martinuzzi.

In France, Macron's retail network is based on partnerships in stores of about 300 m2, and the regions next on the agenda are the Paris area, the South-East and the West.

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Macron was originally a manufacturer for major sport labels such as Adidas and Nike, and is the official team-kit supplier of several professional clubs and sport federations. In top-flight football, OGC Nice in France, Lazio in Italy, Sporting Lisbon in Portugal and Crystal Palace in London all wear Macron, as do the national rugby teams of Scotland and Italy.

Macron has a staff of 200 and last year it launched running and leisurewear lines, targeted specifically to private customers. This is still a side-venture, as the group's main business remains the supply of team kits (accounting for over 50% of revenue), ahead of the merchandising for the sport teams Macron outfits, including replica kits.

But will the fast-growing sport brand be affected in France by sharing the same name as the new President? "It will not affect us, said Silvio Martinuzzi. We are well-known in the sporting world, our natural environment, and the difference is clear." The Italian company's CEO, Gianluca Pavanello, commented on the amusing side of this on French newspaper Les Echos. "We have many points in common, a young, modern, dynamic image and we are fervently pro-Europe. [Emmanuel Macron] could well be our brand ambassador." Is a collaboration on the cards?