Best in France Case Study January March 2005 By: Caroline Limet, Myriam Rouis and Gillian Stevenson

Camper the Company Cultural company –The Fashion Footwear Industry Majorcan roots Installation in France in 1992 Currently operates 3 Camper retail outlets in Paris Shop-in-Shops in other fashion stores Diversification reserved for Spain only: hotel and restaurant in Barcelona (Foodball)

A Spanish Success Story One of the oldest existing shoe producing families –1975: Francos death, Spain is a closed country; almost underdeveloped, rural image 1976: first product line in Spain sold in traditional shoe shops –Spain opens, realises it has potential, Spanish culture expands 1981: first privately-owned Camper shop in Barcelona 1980s: 20 Camper stores throughout Spain

Camper Internationalisation 1992: Camper enters the main fashion capitals of Europe : Paris, London, Milan –Following similar expansion as before –1992: Olympic Games in Barcelona, World Exhibition in Sevilla, Spain proves its dynamism, playing an important role in design and textiles: Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Mango, Zara… 2000: Globalisation: Japan, Taiwan, US, South Africa…

Facts and Figures More than 3500 points of sale all over the world 60 Camper stores worldwide 2000: 3 million pairs of shoes sold 70 % sales outside Spain 250 shoes commercialised each year Camper part of Coflusa group: Camper, Viajes Iberia (travel agency) and Lottusse) 2001: Turnover: 1.8 billion 8400 employees worldwide

Companys Structure in France 3 Camper stores in Paris (10% sales) –Rue du Cherche-Midi –Rue du Faubourg St Honoré –Rue des Francs-Bourgeois « Shop in shops »: corners in fashionable department stores, such as Galeries Lafayette Multi-brand points of sale

Companys Products Main success: first line in France: Pelotas Twins Casi Wabi Collector

Companys Products Product lines last for only one year No specific product collection for France Continuity in collections and product lines Prices: from 40 to 250, average: 110 Campers original soles (many are registered as trademarks)

Products Image Casual unisex shoes Quality, fun Rural for urbanites Originality, uniqueness ( 2001: elected Fashion brand of the year- Footwear news ) Upscale locations yet less expensive than designer shoes Mediterranean nature, globally chic Comfort and creativity Neither luxury, nor sport Diversity Business model: Swatch

Production Proud roots: –80% of the production on Majorca Island –20 % in Mainland Spain (Alicante: leather capital), Portugal and Morocco No production in France Production is completely outsourced

Organisation of sales representatives 5 sales representatives –2 responsible for Paris –2 responsible for the South –1 located in Nantes, responsible for the West Mission: –Presentation of the display –Retailers collection –After-sales service

Salesforce in a shop One Manager One Assistant Manager A few Salespeople Cosmopolitan and young –A five-day sales-school in Majorca each year for the managers The managers give salesadvice to the salespeople in the shop Move frequently from a shop in Paris to another Can move abroad if they want to

Campers Clients years old « bobos » (failure in rue de Passy) Urban Early adopters, trend followers Those who dare to be original Unisex shoes, but womanisation 60% women Women: Casi Casi Men: pelotas

Reasons for expansion to France The 1992 Olympic Games brought about a radical change in the perception that the world had of Spain and Spanish things Paris - one of Europes and the Worlds fashion capitals Expansion at this time also London and Milan FDI: Market Factors over search for efficiency and resources

Campers Values Towards the costumers : Take your time Walk, dont run Mediterranean culture, « cultural brand », hispanic atmosphere (shoes, promotion, salespeople) Tradition of art de vivre, tourism, welcome Geocentric approach Shoes inspired by farmer footwear steeped in island tradition

Campers Values In the company : Young people (about 30) The atmosphere of a start-up Very cosmopolitan Relaxed People wear Camper shoes Everyones creativity is encouraged Easy to move from a position to another No public accountability

Promotion Advertisement only from 1998 Only 2% of the turnover dedicated to promotion Models are everyday people Global marketing campaign (in English and Spanish) Magazines and posters in-shop only Word-of-mouth (chiropodists) Web site Distribution network allows promotion (shop in shops and multibrand)

Adaptation to France No standardized recruitment model Local recruitment of people with a spark (high competition) Internal growth through promotion International transfer, no use of expatriates Training and motivation : Yearly conferences (conventions) in Majorca to instill the companys values Advertisement in French fashion magazines (Elle) High share of best practices inter countries

Key benefit numbers Turnover: 6,4 million in 2003 (vs. 1 million in 1997) 62 employees (7 in 1997) Globally, pairs sold in 2000 Very small promotion costs (2% of the budget) France: first international market Springboard for international expansion

Key Constraint Costs Real estate costs (comparable to London, higher than Milan) Travel costs for training purposes Distribution costs Taxation system –Corporate income tax: 35.4% (vs. 35% in Spain, 34% in Italy, 30% in UK) –Personal income: 58% (vs. 45% in Spain, 45% in Italy, 40% in UK) –Employer social security: 45% (vs % in Spain,35% in Italy, 12,8% in UK) Legal constraints (trademark)

Essential advice For the fashion industry, heavy investments in dynamic cities are necessary for successful implantation elsewhere Good internal communication leads to high employee satisfaction and commitment It's better to build a brand around old- fashioned ideas than to try to be fashion- forward Lorenzo Fluxa Camper's current success is the result of years of work, family tradition, a great group of people and a lot of imagination Dare to change customers habits Walk, dont run

We thank Philippe Salva Morer, Press and Public relations manager, 22 rue du Pont Neuf Paris, Andrew Kiernan, Visual Merchandiser, 22 rue du Pont Neuf Paris, Agnès, shop manager, 1 rue du Cherche Midi Paris Pedro Monge Alvarez, international communication manager,

Bibliography Camper, les pieds sur terre, Jean-François Arnaud, Le Figaro entreprises, Nostalgie et sportswear en ville, Juliette Garnier, LSA, Camper, chausseur rural pour pieds urbains, Gervasio Pérez, Courrier International, Camper à marche forcée, Caroline de Malet, Le Figaro, Le paysan Camper séduit lurbain, Marc Fernandez, Le nouvel économiste,

Our team Caroline Limet, HEC G9, Myriam Rouis, D49, Gillian Stevenson, 23 rue de la Sablière, Paris,