Mr. Bricolage takes heart

The difference is already obvious from the outside. Positioned right next to the lettering on the store (which has a covered retail area of 4000 m² and an outdoor yard of 900 m²) and clearly in evidence is the new logo in the form of a heart. “The heart excites feelings and passion. We want a logo with a high recognition factor,” explains marketing director Eric Rosier.
Yzeure is where Mr. Bricolage opened its new prototype store with the heart-shaped logo as the group’s identifying feature.
This heart, which can be found all over the place, is designed to set the company and its 407 DIY superstores apart from the others within the French market. This is a market that is characterised by concentration and by the retailers’ struggle for market share; the number of discounters is increasing, as is the range of products that builders’ merchants are now offering to end-consumers. “In order to guarantee a profit and remain competitive, Mr. Bricolage needs to be positioned in a way that does justice to its market, its sales projection and its store profile, which ranges from 1000 to 10 000 m²,” explains Eric Rosier.
The new concept is intended to ensure that the group continues to achieve rates of growth that are above the market average. The aim is to make every store the market leader in its own catchment area and achieve same-store sales growth in the order of ten per cent, while at the same time investing only five per cent more than in a traditional store (€ 168 per m² instead of € 160 per m²).
“Décor market”
The new concept is oriented towards decoration and “soft” DIY. Hard DIY, on the other hand, which is under extreme competitive pressure from discounters like Brico-Dépôt and Bricoman, as well as builders’ merchants, is no longer available in the self-service part of the store. Instead, this category of products occupies an area of 1 500 m² in the Yzeure store that is not accessible to the public.
The décor department forms the focal point of the store.
Decoration is afforded much greater significance in a countermove. A circular area covering 200 m² (with a diameter of 17 m) and known as the “Place de la décoration” determines the structure of the entire store.
Presented here are curtains, wallpapers, special-effect paints and cushions, generally selected and arranged by colour. Further back come wall paints, which are presented according to the place they are destined for (bathroom, kitchen, living room, etc.). Then located on the outskirts of the area are…