CES SPORTIFS QUI SE SONT RECONVERTIS DANS LA FRANCHISE
Press release - February 2024
Behind people’s moves into franchising, there is often a desire for a career change. 37% of French people see in franchising the opportunity to acquire new know-how, and one in three believes that this model helps them take back control over their lives (through being able to better manage their time and choose where they live).[1]
At the end of a sporting career, many athletes decide to change course and take up a franchise business. As we begin this sport-packed year culminating with the 2024 Paris Games, we meet four former professional sportspeople who have become franchisees or franchisors.
Brice Marmonnier - Feuillette
The inspirational story of Brice Marmonnier began with a dramatic turn of events. Having been the victim of a violent collision with a car and undergone no fewer than 28 operations in 11 years, he lost half of his right leg to an amputation. Following a successful operation, he had a prosthesis fitted and took up sport again barely a few weeks later. With an enthusiastic outlook and a taste for everything, he tried out several sports including rowing (French champion in para rowing over the Olympic distance and silver medallist over the sprint distance), and triathlon (French para triathlon vice champion in 2018 and third place in the World Cup in the USA).
On the eve of his 40th birthday he decided to ease off and go into business. This is when he turned to franchising and chose the bakery sector for its viability. He was then won over by Feuillette, and has spent all his time on this project for the past six months. He will be opening his first shop in Chambery on 26 March this year.
Mountassir Bouhadba - Gigafit
Mountassir Bouhadba is a former professional boxer who competed in many championships between the ages of 13 and 23. In 2011 he started out in business by founding a sports-focussed communications agency Three years later, he decided to open his first health club in Paris, which he began franchising soon afterwards. Today there are more than 100 Gigafit clubs open or under development in France and abroad.
Achille Campion - Hippopotamus, Au Bureau, Crêpe Touch
Having played football all over the world from the age of 16 until he was 30, Achille Campion went back to college and earned an MBA in finance, following which he opened his first franchise. Before long, he was expanding into other concepts and is now a multi-brand franchisee with two Hippopotamus outlets, two Au Bureau pubs and two Crêpe Touch restaurants.
Cédric Le Hénaff - Armorlux
A professional footballer for 10 years, Cédric Le Hénaff dreamt of launching his own business. It was while visiting Franchise Expo Paris 2023 that he succumbed to the charms of Armorlux. In September 2023; he opened his first shop in Nice with his wife. Both have the ambition of increasing the brand’s visibility on the French Riviera
Franchise Expo 2024 is the opportunity for anyone looking for a change of career but wondering how to go about it, to gather information from an array of brands (more than 500 this year!), experts for the French Franchising Federation, and legal advisers, banks and chartered accountants.
[1] Findings from the 19th Banque Populaire franchising survey, conducted in partnership with the French Franchising Federation and Kantar.
About the French Franchising Federation
A major player in the dynamism of the French economy, the French Franchising Federation is the professional federation of franchisors and their franchisees since 1971. It represents the franchising model, a model of entrepreneurship based on the transfer of know-how and the sharing of value. Its role is to promote, defend and perpetuate the franchise model, but also to federate its ecosystem and create the tools and the environment for the development and performance of franchise networks. In 1981, the French Franchise Federation created the Franchise Expo Paris exhibition, which has since become a major annual international franchising event.
In France, franchising accounts for 1,972 networks, 84,497 franchised outlets, for a turnover of more than 76.6 billion euros. The activity generates 828,178 jobs (direct and indirect). In 2009, the FFF created the Acadélmie de la Franchise, the first training organisation for franchising professions, whose services are aimed at future franchisees, but also to future and current franchisors.
Find out more at: www.franchise-fff.com
About Infopro Digital
Infopro Digital is a B2B group specializing in information and technology. Ranked as the 8th largest technology group in France, the group is present in 18 countries and employs nearly 4,000 people. Its innovative solutions are aimed at professional communities in five key economic sectors: Construction & Public Sector, Automotive, Risk & Insurance, Industry, and Retail. Thanks to the group’s sector-specific expertise, Infopro Digital covers all the needs of professionals. Its solutions enable decision-makers to make informed decisions and companies to sustainably develop their business and performance.
Find out more at: www.infopro-digital.com
About Tous entrepreneurs
This media dedicated to entrepreneurship and franchising has been designed to allow entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners to find all the information they need to build and develop their project all year round. They can find testimonials, practical advice, expert opinions and all useful information on business creation.
This media platform, which is affiliated to the Franchise Expo Paris exhibition, also focuses on franchising and its advantages.
Find out more at: www.tousentrepreneurs.com
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