Between second-hand and rental, which activity is more profitable?
This subject is a little outside my primary expertise, which is within logistics. For strategy today, we’re more focused on rental than on supplying second-hand services. At Gemo we are big believers in rental services. However, it is still in early stages and we don’t have any figures to share with you. When it comes to rental, we also see that other service providers are-well organized and more established. At Gemo, the aim is to deploy rental services.
What is your other main logistics priority for 2024?
When we changed to a new version of our WMS, we needed to adapt the logistics tool to our business needs, and in particular to manage the increased demand for omnichannel purchasing. In other words, to manage all our omnichannel operations (stores in France, foreign stores, B2B orders, etc.) from a single central warehouse. We are currently investing heavily in mechanisation and extending our textile warehouse in Western France (Chemillé-Melay) from 22,500 to 30,000 sq.m. We are in the process of mechanising the picking section with expertise from a German mechanisation company called SSI Schaefer. Tomorrow, the capacity of this warehouse will increase to 80,000 parcels per year. This mechanisation will enable us to both to speed up our flows and prepare our orders for stores, international markets, Gemo Pro, or tomorrow for rental. All functions are based within a single inventory centre. The idea, in other words, is to avoid having dedicated stock scattered all over the place. It’s a virtuous circle for the company as a whole.
Gemo key figures
2023 sales: €890 million including V.A.T., stable compared with 2022
4.7% of sales (excluding V.A.T.) in digital, up slightly
430 stores in 17 countries
125 corners at supermarkets (Intermarché)
14,000 products per year
3,700 staff
Jean-Louis Borde
07/2015 – now : Head of Logistics Distribution, Gémo, Eram Group
02/2009 – 07/2015 : Logistics Manager, Dorel Juvenile
09/2007 – 02/2009 : Logistics Manager, Compagnie Madrange
What impact does a circularity strategy have on logistics?
