Arnaud Bruillon is the CEO of Finsbury. He will be this Monday January 24, 2022 on the M6 show Patron Incognito. This president with a very atypical background will go as close as possible to the field from which he comes, since he joined the company as a temporary worker before climbing the ranks.
The atypical career of Arnaud Bruillon
Arnaud Bruillon’s career path is rather far from the beaten track. Unlike many CEOs of large, successful companies, he did not have an education. In fact, it was at the age of 17 that he left everything to enter the world of work directly. And he began his career with… Finsbury. We are then in 1994. In reality, he will spend his entire professional career in the company he manages today.
Unlike other CEOs on the Patron Incognito show, he did not found his company. On the other hand, he quickly proved his commitment to Finsbury and even led this company on the path to success. In an interview given to Decision makershe describes his journey as that of a “ of a “self-made-man” salesman who progressed to the position of store manager. »
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The history of Finsbury
Finsbury is not a company of French origin. Even if it has developed greatly within France, it was born in England and more particularly in Northampton. The founders of Finsbury, Jean-Pierre Dahan and David Cohen, decided after imagining their project to settle in France.
It was only in 1986 that this company dedicated to shoes opened its first store in France. The two founders of the house opted for a chic neighborhood for this boutique: Opéra, in Paris. This area is home to department stores and attracts a high-end clientele, particularly thanks to Printemps and Galeries Lafayette.
It must be said that Finsbury wants to position itself on luxury, while remaining affordable. It therefore offers shoes for less than 1000 French francs, an amount which remains relatively high since it corresponds to €273 today, taking into account inflation.
Today, Finsbury still targets the same clientele, men, mostly CSP+, who are looking for shoes for more “business” oriented outfits. The desire is always to make the high end accessible with prices around €250, prices which still remain quite high compared to certain competitors.
Arnaud Bruillon and his development strategy for Finsbury
While he only did extras as a temporary worker, Arnaud Bruillon quickly obtained employee status. It was then that an idea that had been bouncing around in his head began to come to fruition. In 2000, he revealed his plan to the two co-founders: to develop Finsbury through the franchise system. He wants to become the first to take the plunge.
However, the adventure is not easy. Arnaud Bruillon will try to obtain a loan to finance his project and will see his request rejected eleven times! He nevertheless continued his efforts and finally managed to convince a bank during his twelfth meeting. He therefore launched his first franchise store, the Petits Champs store in Paris, but managed to negotiate the exclusivity of this franchise system. Arnaud Bruillon will then tackle Toulouse and subsequently open no less than seven stores between 2000 and 2010.
If he really launched his career in the business world through this franchise system, it is also because Arnaud Bruillon harbored a passion for the world of entrepreneurship. He is really involved in his role as leader and admits to having always seen himself as a business leader. “ What allowed me to stand out from the others was that “I never behaved like a local shopkeeper”. I understood very early on the need to lead as a business leader, guided by a long-term vision, without being afraid to take risks and initiatives. », he explains in a interview.
2010: Arnaud Bruillon becomes CEO of Finsbury and diversifies the activity
In 2010, while it was developing its franchise system, Finsbury’s founders announced their retirement. They therefore naturally suggested that Arnaud Bruillon, who actively participated in the development of the company, take over. It is from this moment on that the development of Finsbury will accelerate.
Arnaud Bruillon will tackle several areas. The first is the diversification of collections. Indeed, a great creative person, the CEO of Finsbury has always had his hands dirty. He himself supervises the creation of the shoes which is done at the company’s Paris headquarters. The iconic model remains and will remain the Consul, which is still currently sold. Finsbury says more than 100,000 have been sold since the first store opened in 1986. Of course, new shoes have appeared to keep up with changes in fashion. Shoes are no longer alone and we now find ankle boots, moccasins and even sneakers!
At the same time, in 2012, Finsbury launched Edgard. Arnaud Bruillon, in his desire to diversify the company’s activity, intends to launch into a segment related to high-end shoes: luxury shirts. Later, the CEO will admit that this sector is more difficult to break into. So he made the decision, in 2016, to limit the development of this brand.
The company’s CEO has also diversified the business model. Exit the sole sale of shoes. From now on, Finsbury also offers services that support the brand’s customers throughout their purchasing journey and even after! They can now benefit from a shoe repair shop, a blog that brings together all the maintenance tips and even a patina bar. Located in the heart of the Finsbury “boutique club”, this bar not only allows you to obtain limited edition models of shoes, but also to personalize the patina of your shoes, to have a truly unique pair.
If, for more than 35 years, Finsbury has focused on providing men with shoes, the brand is preparing to take a huge step. Indeed, this 100% masculine brand is preparing to release its first collection for women, in 2022. This strategic axis of course aims to diversify audiences and reach a wider range of consumers.
Finally, the third diversification is geographical, since Arnaud Bruillon wanted to develop the group’s network of branch and franchise stores, in France, but not only.
The deployment of Finsbury in France and internationally
Finsbury regularly recruits new employees to develop its network of stores. Today, the brand has almost 80 stores, 44 of which are not franchisees. To open your own shop as a franchisee, the procedure is always the same: the entry fee is €20,000. You must then pay the €500 training fee. The franchisee must then pay the brand a royalty amounting to 5% and 2% of its turnover.
This strategy initiated by Arnaud Bruillon continues in parallel with Finsbury’s international expansion. After a first test in Morocco, in Casablanca, the company began to open boutiques and offer its shoes in various shopping centers around the world. Finsbury is now present in Tunisia, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Belgium and Luxembourg. The brand has also deployed its stores in overseas territories.
Arnaud Bruillon’s ambitions for Finsbury
In 2019, Finsbury’s turnover was €45 million. Arnaud Bruillon greatly wishes to develop the brand to the point of reaching the objective of 100 million euros in turnover by 2023-2024.
Among Finsbury’s other projects, we find of course international, but also digital, which has necessarily developed during the pandemic. Despite the mixed success of Edgard, Arnaud Bruillon still demonstrates his desire to launch into other products linked to men’s fashion, whether in textiles or even leather goods.
Arnaud Bruillon aka Tristan in Patron Incognito on M6 for Finsbury
Arnaud Bruillon inevitably marks the news with his presence in Patron Incognito on M6. As a reminder, the show allows physically transformed CEOs to integrate, incognito (as the name suggests) teams and observe employees in the field.
Arnaud Bruillon’s advantage is that he knows the field perfectly since he was able to climb the ranks, going from temporary worker to CEO of Finsbury. In particular, he will go to the store to observe how customers are supported. Indeed, the consumer journey from their entry into the store to their purchase is the subject of in-depth reflection on the part of the company’s boss. Among his projects, he wishes to strengthen and personalize the support offered to them in their purchasing process, but also throughout their use of Finsbury products.
