Today, you generate 50% of your revenue from exports. What were the major milestones of your international development?
When my father took over FERMOB, he was looking for a company manufacturing a “clean” product – a finished good that could be exported worldwide. He bought the company on that exact premise. It ticked all the boxes: a finished, exportable product coupled with total manufacturing mastery.
From the very beginning, there was a drive to build global business from scratch, as the company’s revenue was initially 100% domestic. Inspiration came from what leading French furniture brands were already doing abroad, like GRANGE (which unfortunately no longer exists) or LIGNE ROSET.
My father noticed they were highly internationalized with a strong presence in Germany and the US. That was the start of our story. We didn’t spread ourselves thin: we exhibited at the Cologne trade fair in the early 90s, then at US trade shows, aiming to meet partners and set up a network of agents and distributors.
I believe we crossed the 20% export revenue mark fairly quickly, about four to five years after starting.
FERMOB claims the French “art de vivre” as a core part of its value proposition. How has this helped you internationally?
The goal isn’t necessarily to push a pure “Made in France” label, because we have always been transparent that while our products are primarily manufactured in France, it is never 100%. Some parts come from Italy or Tunisia. However, we lean heavily into the French style and art de vivre.
This creative, elegant, and premium image of France carries a lot of weight in the US, but also in Asian markets. However, it is crucial that this “French touch” isn’t perceived as rigid, overly classic, or stuck in the past. We express it with a modern twist through our colors and designs. That is one of the keys to Fermob’s success abroad.
In your opinion, what made the difference in these two major markets, the US and Germany?
The first differentiator was making internationalization a core pillar of the corporate strategy. Everything must be organized to sell and deliver anywhere in the world. By stating that international is a strategic pillar and that our organization must align with it, we set a clear course. To do that, you first have to tear down all psychological barriers.
Broadly speaking, in Europe and Germany specifically, there is no reason to set limits. European export has been seamless since the Eurozone was established: there are no currency fluctuations, transport isn’t overly complex, and the countries are politically stable. These are highly solid foundations. At Fermob, we use the exact same organizational structure to manage our European markets as we do the French market. My father coined a little phrase that sums up this mindset: “We don’t see the difference between one client and another.” In fact, for the European consumer, regardless of the country, tastes, styles, and colors are highly similar. The same collections resonate, so there is no need to adapt our product lines.
Regarding the US, which is our largest market, we had both the right strategy and success (which I distinguish from luck). Initially, we went through a distributor we worked with for 25 years. With them, we executed beautiful “contract” projects (B2B commercial spaces like parks, gardens, municipalities), which acted as powerful brand awareness levers. We ultimately acquired this distributor five years ago, and we now operate our own wholly-owned subsidiary in the US.
Finally, we operate in a niche market. There are very few global players in the outdoor furniture segment when you look at it through the lens of metalworking. We succeeded because our specific offering didn’t necessarily exist elsewhere.
Could you share the international success you are most proud of?
Our greatest success, given what we’ve built, is being present in iconic locations worldwide. I can name a few truly legendary ones: Times Square in New York, the Sydney Opera House, or the Forbidden City in Beijing.
I could also point to Bryant Park, that beautiful park in Midtown Manhattan. We have been supplying them with Fermob chairs for 33 years. That project became a flagship that allowed us to win other projects and scale up significantly. Today, we are a highly recognized brand for public space outfitting in the US-a market far larger than France.
Could you share an international failure and the lessons you learned from it?
I could talk about China, where business never really took off. Our latest attempt involved e-commerce: we wanted to create a marketplace with a remote inventory hub in Singapore to guarantee 72-hour delivery. We launched right before the COVID crisis, and it didn’t work.
Ultimately, this illustrates that you sometimes run into structural limits. In China, there are very few single-family homes and therefore few private gardens, and public space landscaping hasn’t yet developed to our standards. Sometimes, the inherent characteristics of a market simply prevent easy entry.
Looking ahead, what do you think the new model for international success will be?
Admittedly, we are navigating a much more volatile period, but I don’t believe chronic instability is a long-term certainty. Setting current geopolitical tensions aside, I think the world craves more stability. Sure, there is a convergence of tensions, wars, and protectionist temptations, but fundamentally, I don’t think this upends the classic models.
Different models suit different stages and company sizes. When you are a small business, you export via distributors or agents. Later, you establish a footprint, hire locally, open a subsidiary, or execute M&A. That’s exactly what we did with Fermob in the US: we started with a distributor, grew with them, and then acquired them in 2016 to create our local subsidiary. These different models will remain highly complementary in the future.
If you had to name one area undergoing major shifts, what would it be?
As a brand, our next major challenge is digital visibility, specifically through the e-commerce channel. Digital is both a brand awareness lever and a sales channel that will become dominant. That applies to B2C, but also B2B, which can now capture direct sales positions.
It is a profound transformation: to expand globally, brands must successfully execute their digital pivot. However, you have to strike a balance; not every brand has the resources to operate manufacturing sites or employ staff everywhere.
What do you expect in the future from a partner like Altios to continue accelerating globally?
At our scale, we are starting to achieve a substantial international footprint, so our advisory needs are evolving. We have less need for partners to incorporate a subsidiary or manage our HR and logistics, as we mastered those operations long ago. Moving forward, we increasingly need complementary support in strategy and organizational design. That is a critical factor for driving profitable growth. In fact, that is our current core focus in the US.
Finally, what three pieces of advice would you give an executive looking to succeed internationally?
First, be bold: Have absolutely no complexes and tear down the psychological barriers.
Second, fund your ambitions: You must invest and organize around key capabilities like freight, logistics, payments, and HR management.
Finally, stay focused: Succeeding globally means knowing better than trying to be everywhere at once – but it also means removing all limits once your country strategy is locked in.
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