A logistics service provider in the luxury and fashion sector for over 20 years, the family entrepreneurial group Superga Invest aims to accelerate its international development. Leslie Bréau-Méniger, President of the Superga Beauty subsidiary, discusses the success story of a company that has demonstrated its expertise and strengths over the years.
SUPERS HAS BEEN FOUNDED BY YOUR FATHER TWENTY YEARS AGO, AND LAST YEAR YOU TOOK OVER THE LEAD OF THE BEAUTY DIVISION. WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND PARTICULARITIES OF FAMILY GOVERNANCE?
The advantages of family governance are numerous. Firstly, I would say that it allows for quick and informed decision-making. Because we operate with a long-term perspective, our decisions are made through the prism of the development and sustainability of our activities.
We also have the advantage of being close to operational collaborators, allowing them to evolve rapidly, take on more responsibilities, and appreciate their contribution to advancing the group. We feel their dedication and loyalty, which is very pleasing! On the issue of governance, it is important to find one’s place within a family business and to know how to assert oneself. This is part of the daily equation.
WHEN WERE YOU APPOINTED PRESIDENT OF SUPERGA BEAUTY?
It was in July 2019. Having worked for 15 years in the cosmetic industry, notably within the L’Oréal group, I naturally took over the beauty division at the time of its creation. This strategic consolidation allows us to support cosmetic brands by offering them various services in the beauty sector.
We wanted to bring together our industrial subcontracting sites under the same banner, to present ourselves as an industrial partner for brands, rather than a collection of companies providing various services to the beauty industry. Our main missions are to design, formulate, manufacture, and package skincare products, perfumes, and more recently, makeup.
Our latest acquisition has strengthened our presence in the perfume industry. Thus, since April 2021, we officially became the owners of the Strasbourg-based perfume production site of Cosmeurop, one of the flagship companies in the sector.
WHAT HAVE BEEN YOUR CHALLENGES SINCE YOU TOOK OVER?
The main challenge is to structure this consolidation and then develop it without losing agility, which is the very basis of our profession. We now have six industrial sites (of varying sizes), five of which are located in Hauts-de-France. Some are more specialized in skincare, perfumes, or makeup. This allows us to be particularly agile according to the needs of our clientele.
It is crucial to demonstrate organization without losing agility and responsiveness – two qualities necessary for the proper functioning of an SME transforming into an ETI. They are also part of the DNA of the subcontracting profession. Our clients expect us to be fast and efficient.
The second challenge that goes hand in hand with the first is human. Superga Beauty now has more than 500 employees. We have significant challenges in terms of recruitment, both at the executive level and for packaging operators, with a significant proportion of temporary workers due to seasonal peaks in certain activities, especially in co-packing (order preparation) for boxes, POS (point of sale advertising), filling kits, or advent calendars… There is significant activity during the summer when preparing Christmas campaigns.
We now have more than 50 packaging lines (production lines on which skincare and perfumes are filled). This represents more than 90 million products made per year for our clients, with a turnover of 100 million euros for this activity.
WHAT ARE YOUR DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS FOR THE COMING YEARS?
We aim particularly for major French institutional brands, but our group still needs to gain recognition… We also aim to expand internationally (in addition to our subsidiaries in Asia) to showcase our French expertise worldwide!
Source : Objectif ETI – 22 Mars 2022
