In Dijon the Lapierre cycles can boast of a new label. They have just won the distinction “Savoir faire 100% Côte-d’Or” awarded by the Departmental Council. However, the bikes are not made in France, but the know-how remains local.
It’s not just wines or cheeses that can claim to be 100% Côte-d’Or. In Dijon, Lapierre cycles can also display this label awarded by the Department.
The company exists since 1946 in Dijon. It employs nearly 130 people. We see the assembly lines at the exit of the city, in the direction of Beaune.
The family group was bought in 1997 by the Dutch, and since last year, the company has gone under the American flag, and yet, Cycles Lapierre have just obtained the label “Savoir-faire 100% Côte d’Or “. Dorian Tabeau, the sales director, explains why this world-famous brand wanted to win this distinction.
France Bleu Bourgogne: what does this label represent for you?
Dorian Tabeau : This label allows us to show that there is a historical anchoring of the brand in the territory. Because despite the fact that we were bought by groups and despite the fact that we are 75 years old in a very competitive and very dynamic universe, we are still in Dijon and it is not only the brand’s head office , with marketing, communication and trade type offices. Here, we also have another factory and here attached to the head office. And so it makes it possible to show and prove that there is industrial know-how, cycling experience in the Côte d’Or.
How many bicycles do you manufacture and how many are assembled today in Dijon?
Lapierre designs a little over 130,000 bicycles and the Dijon plant generates between 20 and 25% of overall production.
Will this label change anything in the way you sell your brand?
I would say that we put more forward and we assume our French side. It will be less the case for the Burgundy side, to be honest we don’t want to sell a France that is cliché, because in Burgundy, instinctively there is wine that will certainly stand out and honestly that’s not what we want to sell.
– Olivier Estran
Our territorial roots are there, and we are very proud of it. And once again, we are very proud to still be in Dijon. This label. it’s an internal reward, for people who are in production. Some for 40 years, and it is also a reward for them. And in addition, the largest store, Lapierre in the world and in Dijon. And so, suddenly, this label is also a showcase for this store. And then it allows you to say “here, we do things in France and in particular in Dijon!”
Can this distinction bring you more sales?
I don’t know if there will be an increase in sales. We know that the bike will progress. In the space of three years, the market has evolved by more than 40%. I think it helps to increase interest in the brand at the local level, for a certain number of consumers who may not yet have known that we were here. They may adopt Lapierre more easily because some of their bikes will be assembled here.
– Antoine Gavory
