Gautier: from children’s bed manufacturer to a successful international brand

When French consumers think of Gautier, they think of children’s beds, contemporary living rooms, and products designed to last.

For 60 years, the French furniture “Gautier” Group has built its history around “made in France” quality and establishing itself as a brand that takes care of its people. From car-shaped beds to furnishing entire homes, here is a brief glimpse of the last sixty years of creativity.

Julien Gauducheau, Director of Communications at Gautier for the past 10 years, describes the company as such: “A family business for 60 years, Gautier is a creator, manufacturer, and distributor (with chains in France and elsewhere) of furniture for the entire home. The brand represents a truly responsible production process with respect as its core value.”

Created in 1960 by Patrice Gautier and his wife Annick, Gautier is based in the Vendée region of France. In the beginning, the brand focused on children’s beds, offering original furniture for that demographic: cabin beds, rocket beds, or the emblematic car bed that was recently reissued. In a short space of time, Gautier was a huge hit with its customers. Strengthened by this breakthrough and determined to meet the demands of its growing clientele, the company broadened its range. By the end of the 1990s, it offered furniture for living rooms before expanding the offer to the whole house.

Gautier is doing well. Undoubtedly, the global pandemic worked in its favor, as it did with all home and furnishing players, but the key differentiator was the group’s emphasis from the start on being “made in France”. 

With more than 750 collaborators and 120 stores worldwide, Gautier is in full expansion. The brand has 70 stores in France and enjoys a strong international presence. In total: 65 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The ambition is to open another 40 stores in the near future. 

Most of the time, the stores are located on the outskirts of cities and cover an average area of 500m2. To attract future members of its franchise network, the group focuses on its exclusive, functional, and differentiating products that are made in France, as well as its spaces designed to inspire consumers or enhance the work of their sales consultants.

The earliest franchised stores saw the light of day in the early 2000s. The first store opened in La Rochelle in 2005. This was a major upheaval for Gautier, which had to integrate and surmount new challenges such as managing a chain of stores or selling and advising on the shop floor. 

Further points of sale were opened in quick succession, and the company managed to build a real relationship across the chain of stores, making each one feel completely part of the #GautierTeam! Thanks to this close cooperation, decision makers can easily understand their customers’ needs and desires and act accordingly. An ability to adapt quickly is one of the hallmarks of the brand.

For example, as customers’ desires and behaviors have evolved, so did the role of sales at Gautier. The “salesperson” has had to upskill and become an interior design consultant, supported by the adoption of digital sales support tools.

Gautier is a recognized player in the furniture market, both by its peers and consumers, who regularly elect it as their favorite shop in its category. Always on the lookout for new trends and ready to reinvent itself, it is one of the pioneers and leaders in a sector that is regularly subject to the moods of the market. It is in this context that Gautier approached Dassault Systèmes and INSPI and selected HomeByMe to digitalize the customer journey and personalize the shopping experience. More on this to come!

Gautier, furniture and a brand built to last.