Snowleader, the reblochon company

What is Snowleader ? 

Snowleader is a French startup which has created an e-commerce website specialised in outdoor sports. It sells winter sports, hiking and urban equipment like skis, technical garments or skateboards.

Born in the Alps in 2008, the company offers a very large assortment as they work with more than 250 brands like Salomon, Picture Organic Clothing, The North Face or Völkl and more than 14,000 products are available in their catalogue. Thomas Rouault, the current CEO, makes it a point of honour as he carefully wants to consider all the needs of its customers.

The financial strategy

Thomas Rouault and Gaetan Bastard-Rosset, who were associates in Snowleader's creation, started with only 12,000 euros. But this provision of capital was not enough to perpetuate the company and garuantee its survival. That's why they deployed an important fundraising plan. First, the company obtain 600 000 euros from three major investors : Crédit Agricole de Savoie Capital, Expansinvest and a « family office », a private investor at the head of a family holding. This amount allowed the stabilisation of the financial situation of the company and guaranteed the working capital. Banks were also reassured so Snowleader was more trusted and could pursue its growth and start to think about foreign markets. A second campaign raised 2.5 million euros, confirming the originality of Snowleader 's business plan.

 

Local partnerships and support

Snowleader was initially based in a ski station, Le Grand-Bornan, because the company needed a functional warehouse. That is why they collaborated with a local store and were able to open client accounts and stock goods. After the two fundraisings, the company moved to Annecy to get closer to the brands it distribute. In fact, Annecy is the heart of the sports industry and its main players like Salomon, The North Face, Patagonia, Dakine, Picture Organic Clothing, Millet or Lafuma have their European headquarters there. 

 

A special association named Outdoor Sports Valley (OSV) was created in 2010. Its goal is to unite, represent and take part in the development of the local and national outdoor industry by focusing on four main areas : economic development, human resources, regional promotion and sustainable development. The governance of this association is divided in 3 parts : a board of directors defines its strategic objectives and actions, elected officials support it and an executive team accomplish it. The board of directors is made up of 19 members, all CEOs from the industry and Thomas Rouault is one of them. He is responsible for business services including, for example, delivery services or purchasing packaging, reducing significantly the costs of OSV's members.

 

But another partnership is a part of Snowleader's DNA. Since its very first order, Snowleader had worked with a local cheese maker, Pochat & fils based in Thônes. The company is very proud of its origins and Reblochon is a symbol in Haute-Savoie, which is why they decided to offer a free cheese for each order over 150 euros. This way, they help local producers and promote their good quality products. It also gives originality, credibility and a human side to the company.

 

Snowleader's cross-channel strategy

Finally, Snowleader adopted an original cross-channel retail strategy. This term describes a new kind of customer experience which merges online and offline purchasing making each retail channel complement one another.

This strategy allows Snowleader to improve its interactions between its retail channels and make customer experiences more fluid. It also reduces costs and margins for retail orders with a transfer to the Internet. And finally, this strategy optimises stock and human resources management of each channel thanks to joint management.

Snowleader has integrated this retail strategy to its global one that's why they invested in connected and luminous store of 100m² in the center of Annecy. The store offers a bootfitting workshop, a physical presence of Snowleader's online bestsellers and a touch screen internet module offering Snowleader's complete online offer. Customers can easily buy the product they need. It is also a collection point and renders customer relations more human. 

As this store is a success, Snowleader aims to open two stores a year.  

So, is Snowleader a retailer of the future and an example to follow ? 

Julia D.