The outbreak of war in Ukraine may give his company additional exposure… His first container was sold to a couple of “completely normal people”, a male nurse and a schoolteacher. “So far, my clients are not collapse or conspiracy theorists. They are rather resilient, in anticipation and want to protect themselves, in the broad sense of the term”, assures Florence Sanner.
At 32, this woman created the company in October 2021 A refuge in my garden, specializing in the construction of buried shelters fitted out in containers. Originally from Rochelaise, she settled in the Indigo business incubator in Surgères (Charente-Maritime) – about thirty kilometers from the port city – after starting her career at Bouygues Construction, in Paris.
This former works engineer has been working on this project for three years. “In concrete terms, it’s about fitting out a tailor-made container in my workshop, like a tiny house. Depending on the demands, the degree of self-sufficiency varies. There may be an underground drinking water tank, the presence or absence of batteries for electricity, a shower or not, different types of filters… Earthworks are carried out at customers’ premises, with a connection to the networks. Then a reinforced concrete shell is poured. Then everything is closed, neither seen nor known! A manhole-type entrance is planned, but the objective is for this refuge to be invisible from the outside,” explains the entrepreneur.
Wine cellar or safe as a secondary function
Florence Sanner does not believe in an imminent end of the world. She imagines these refuges as a place of refuge while a disaster passes. “In France, there are around fifty nuclear power plants. We are not immune to a radioactive leak. In an isolated and airtight buried shelter, it is possible to wait for the cloud to fade. This can be useful in the event of chemical pollution, particularly in the Seveso areas, storms… Or even during a pandemic, one can imagine isolating oneself for the time of a peak or contamination, ”she adds.
In this “niche market”, the manager has received “around fifty requests over the past three years”. With the realization of her business, she will be able to deliver her first shelter next summer. The investment is substantial: it takes at least 60,000 euros for a model delivered with basic equipment, in a small container (15 m2). “This is not a decision to be taken lightly. Generally, customers imagine a second function for this shelter. For example, a wine cellar, a cinema room, a music room, a safe…”, adds the young woman.
It claims to be the only French company to offer this type of service, while the sector is more developed in Switzerland. To make itself known, it will hold a stand at Survivalism Fairwhich will take place at the Porte de la Villette in Paris from May 20 to 22.
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