Celio wins Camaieu. The men’s clothing brand bought the Camaïeu brand name at auction on Wednesday, December 7 at the Vendeville auction house (Nord), for an auctioned amount of 1.8 million euros. Sold following the liquidation of the company which, until October, operated 511 stores in France and employed 2,600 employees, the brand falls into the lap of Laurent and Marc Grosman, founders of the Celio brand.
Sébastien Bismuth, its president, is well aware of the development potential of Camaïeu. This specialist in relaunching clothing brands worked to get Jennyfer, a chain aimed at young women, back on track, renamed Don’t call me Jennyfer, before joining Celio in 2020, while the company was in the safeguard procedure. . Mr Bismuth was forced to close 150 stores in 2020 and 2021 to return to profit. “Celio is now saved”accurate to World Mr. Bismuth. The brand, which operates nearly 700 stores (including 374 in France), generates approximately 500 million euros. “It’s the leader in men’s fashion, which dresses all men, from 15 to 70 years old”, observes Mr. Bismuth. According to him, Camaïeu would be its counterpart on the women’s market.
In fact, the brand was the leader in the women’s market in France. Its notoriety is exceptional: more than 93% of women over the age of 25 know it. And the closing of all its stores at the beginning of October had aroused emotion throughout France. What will Celio do with it? “We have to start from scratch to relaunch Camaïeu, by rethinking the model, returning to its brand DNA that dresses all women, without claiming to be in fashion”, formulates Mr. Bismuth. However, Celio will not take over any Camaïeu store, some of whose addresses will be sold in January by the judicial liquidator. He will not take over either the warehouse which, in Roubaix, employed a hundred employees; this real estate complex will also be sold by mutual agreement at the beginning of 2023.
“Bringing this iconic French brand back to life”
All the relaunch of the brand will take place far from Hauts-de-France, where Camaïeu was born. It will be in Seine-Saint-Denis, in Saint-Ouen, headquarters of Celio. It will require reconstituting a team of buyers and designers, in particular. Sébastien Bismuth does not exclude “obviously not” to rehire former employees of Camaïeu. To do “reviving this iconic French brand”, “it will take talent, know-how”, he assures, without however committing himself further. Fans of the brand will have to wait, however. The claw will not reappear on women’s clothing “before 2024”, specifies the one who went to Vendeville to bid in the auction room of Mercier & Cie.
You have 35.77% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.