Ludovic Detammaecker
Ludovic Detammaecker was the first franchisee in the country, and now runs two stores.
Franchise-Magazine (French) reported on Detammaecker, who became the first French franchisee in 2003 after a career in “industrial robotics”, and who now runs two stores in northern France. He was “driven by the desire to be his own boss”, discovering Cartridge World on the internet and “attracted by the prospects for the growing segment”.
After spending two weeks in Australia doing research on the franchise, Detammaecker set up his first franchise in Lille, which being a “metropolis of 200,000 inhabitants, seem[ed] perfect to develop this new business” in. He found a location for the franchise by conducting market research, which showed that the Rue Nationale “main road” was “not too central, not too eccentric”, and noted that “at the time, customers consisted mainly of individuals. So it was a location that brings a[n] interesting turnover”.
Detammaecker also mentioned that funding for the project posed “no particular problem” as he secured bank funding, and added that his “development ambitions [were] more substantial than the operation of a single store”, with two new units opened in Villeneuve d’Ascq in 2004 and Dunkirk in 2005, though the former was closed in 2013. He stated that the store “worked well, but the commercial area had deteriorated”, and so he now “centralises all my activity” on B2B customers in Lille.
Adding to his work with Cartridge World, Detammaecker also operates a fitness brand for women called Curves, and notes that what “amuses me is a challenge […] not necessarily for income but for my professional growth. I work from Monday to Saturday non-stop […] today, with experience in delegating to my staff in my two stores, I can identify a little more time for me”.
He is also one of three representatives from Cartridge World in the marketing commission in the region, adding that “we are alone without being alone. But I could not work in a network where everything is predetermined. Cartridge World, however, leaves room for initiative”.
The Recycler previously reported on new Cartridge World stores in Lorient, rue de Rivoli in Paris and Pontivy, Morbihan, and the French arm of the franchise is set to have opened 15 new locations by the end of 2014, with nine stores opened in the “first eight months of the year” as well as approval of three new stores. There are already over 135 Cartridge World stores in France, with some of the new stores opened in Moulins, Nevers and Rennes, whilst two stores are set to open in Bergerac and Périgueux.
The multi-franchise sites accounted for 50 percent of the franchise’s sales network, with Cartridge World reporting that it had ended 2013 “on balance” in comparison to 2012, with a turnover increase of 3.4 percent to €24 million ($31.6 million). The franchise stated that this reflected the “performance and success of the group in a time of economic crisis”.