Coqs fight in the world of boxers
"Can I congratulate you"?Last June, Dominique Seau believed in a hoax.But no, the boss of Athena and Eminence did not dream.It was Arnaud Montebourg who called him on his laptop to thank him for producing another briefs in France.Fifteen days later, the Minister of Productive Recovery even made the trip to the Aimargues factory, in Camargue, followed by a string of journalists.The cantor of Made in France did not dare that day to repeat his blow from the Armor Lux sailor by putting on the blue, white, red boxer that Andhena created for her 50th birthday."But he did his job as a man-sandwich very well in front of the cameras," said Dominique Seau again.
A good ad for Athena, who had gone on a crusade for a few years to make up for her big rival, the leader Dim.Even if new small claws point to their nose, these two brands always dominate the market of male underwear in super and hypermarkets.Where more than one on two is flowed in France.DIM takes 34% of sales, compared to 27% in Athena (Eminence group).In volume, the two protagonists are even in the elbow.
Happy new for these boxer experts - the 80% acclaimed model, when the SLIP only represents 20% of sales - the male business was held in recent years.First of all because these gentlemen delegate this purchase less and less often to their partner: they are now taking care of 53%.However, happy corollary, they are more spending on the subject.Let us add that the French are in Europe those who invest the most in their briefs, with 34 euros per year - the Italians put the package in their socks.Second factor of dynamism, the underside have become a fashion accessory.And not only among young people who make them outrageously exceed their jeans, sporting the boxer belt like a totem.
Consequently, the manufacturers' obsession is to innovate to encourage their customers to return more often to the lingerie department.On this ground, Dim keeps a step ahead since he launches a novelty every six months.Not that he has huge research teams: the brand buys Labos' creations on shelf, like those in Ceti de Lille, or specialists, such as Lycra.The main trends?Sport first.Thus Dim released in 2011 its 3D Flex, an elastane and cotton fabric which extends in all directions.Comfort then, like the "soft touch", which replaces the traditional elastic to avoid compressing the belly too much.Finally, the boxer seeks to correct the small faults: the gentleman, with its hull in triple thickness, thus values the male attributes.Soon, the Xtensive line will even mask the beads.An entire program !
Athena, more shy on new materials, is satisfied with more or less breathable and flexible cotton.But he catches up on the other innovation niche, the colors and patterns.He plans to strike hard in 2014 with new microfiber belts decorated with printed digital photos, on the theme of California.The goal is clear, it is a question of attracting those under 25, followers of colorful patterns.In this area, it is a small brand, Freegun, which gives the.In four years, its boxers covered with Tagada strawberries, Tetris bricks or Marvel heroes have risen to more than 5% market share.Neither one nor two, Dim and Athena were inspired to get out of the equally vibrating collections."When you launch a vegas line, they retaliate with casino token patterns," laughs the boss of Freegun.Victims of this avalanche of innovations, brands of brands have seen their market share go this year from 29 to 27%.
However, the price criterion remains decisive.76% of boxers are indeed sold in prizes of three or four and half benefit from discounts.On this ground, Athena has been running in mind since he launched, at the height of the crisis, in 2009, his Eco Price pack at 25 euros on the four boxers.His inventors baptized him "the logan of the panties": a value for money which allows him to no longer leave the podium of the best sales in France and to weigh almost 40% of the turnover of Athena.Dim has also tried to retaliate with his Eco Dim, two boxers, a black and a white.So successful."Quality does not follow", breathes a buyer.Athena is also very aggressive on the promotion side: 65% of her briefs are offered with discounts or free."They even make it a little too much," comments Elodie Nicolas, product manager at System U, annoyed to find his brand brand sometimes at the same price as the claw.
Athena, on the other hand, satisfies the distributors by the quality of her deliveries.Stock breaks are indeed very rare in him: he provides 98% of orders, compared to 85% for DIM.The explanation is in the factories, where Arnaud Montebourg had surrendered.Far from being a handicap, producing more part of its collections in the villages of Aimargues and Sauve provides him with welcome reactivity for last -minute restocking.Of its 30 million t-shirts, boxers or briefs sold each year, 16 come directly from Asia, where production costs are four times cheaper;12 are woven and cut in the south of France before being assembled in Romania or in the Maghreb.And 2 million are fully made on site."We can thus reproduce a Slip made in China overnight if a client claims it," says the group's general manager, Joseph Serres, in the middle of his multicolored coils.Dim cannot say as much.The former industrial group of Autun (where only tights are still manufactured) subcontracts all its production in Romania, China or Bangladesh."We always go further, even if a lot of products do not arrive with the right color or the right button," deplores Alain Germain, CFTC delegate.
But this flexibility is not enough in Athena to make the law on the shelves.Because, to put the distributors in the pocket, nothing beats a well -muscled sales force.However, thanks to its strong presence in the stockings, tights and female lingerie, DIM can mobilize 80 salespeople, twice as much as Athena.Unlike its competitor, part of them specialize in the supermarket network.DIM thus finds itself in quasi-monopoly situations next to the MDD, especially in many Parisian monoprix.Each year in the spring, the brand organizes its Beautiful Days, a week during which the whole Men-Femme-Enfants offer in the central aisle on pre-filled cardboard shelves.Athena, he barely achieves 5% of her turnover in lingerie.Suddenly, when it comes to giving its opinion on the arrangement of products at Carrefour and others, Dim manages to place itself at the start of the department, just after the brand of the brand.To the chagrin of Athena, who covers the same niche.
The lack of notoriety of Athena in front of DIM is not foreign to this balance of power either.Thanks to its number 1 place in female lingerie and its famous jingle "papapapa papapaaa", Dim is quoted spontaneously by 59% of French, against 26% for its rival.
For a long time, he monopolized television advertising.In 2012, the inventor of the bottom Sunday invested 7 million euros there (according to Kantar) there.With a little too wise messages, such as these rugby players having studio passes to prove the flexibility of their 3D Flex."It's basic, but it allows you to reach the greatest number," defends Pauline Laplace, responsible for man at Dim.But as early as 2014, Athena and Eminence will make a comeback on the small screen, after more than ten years of silence."It's a good time", according to the director of the Athena brand, Anouk Ribard, who is about to launch a denim range for 25-35 year olds.And on the message side, Athena intends to stand out by playing the humor card, with a parody of Levi’s, Western way.Already last year, the brand had talked about with a display campaign doubled by a making of the photo shoot broadcast on the internet.We saw the perchist Renaud Lavillenie and other naked current athletes in a stadium.The filming team was also in the simplest device."We have totaled 3.5 million pages seen for 13,000 euros in investment," says Dominique Seau again.
Athena was less successful when he sought to diversify his distribution circuits.Its own stores were a failure.Likewise, Dim has only a dozen.However, a new competition is emerging. Les chaînes spécialisées (Undiz, H & M, etc.) keep making followers.Female claws and Aubade make a foray into men.And small brands jostle habits: Freegun, but also Pull In, French Slip, or French boy, appreciated by gay environments ... Potential acquisitions for our two leaders?Unlikely.The Eminence group, owned by the investment funds LBO France and LFPI since 2011, does not want to disperse.For its part, Sun Capital, the investment fund which bought DIM for a bite of bread with the American giant Sara Lee in 2007, seeks to part with it.But the brand, which is part of the dbapparel group with Wonderbra, Playtex ..., has still not found buyer.The case is not yet in the bag.
Athena: Group's turnover in France: 103 million euros (including 70% with Athena) Production places: France, Romania, Maghreb, Average Asieprix (Lot of 2): 16 eurosmarks: Athena, Eminence, Mddpart demarket in supermarkets*: 27%
Sun: Group's turnover in France: 280 million euros (share of non -communicated DIM) Places of production: Romania, Average Asieprix (lot of 2): 19 eurosmarks: DIM, Playtex, Wonderbra… Market share inLarge areas*: 34%
* Value
Sophie Lécluse
