It all started in 1960 when two French families with furniture shops, helmed by the Roches and the Chouchans, decided to join forces to create a brand, Roche Bobois. “Little by little, they developed their own operation, their own showrooms in Paris, more showrooms in Paris, and then they had the idea to franchise,” Martin Gleize, the company’s international director, tells host Dennis Scully on the latest episode of The Business of Home Podcast. They took the brand to Belgium, and then to Canada and the U.S.; today, the company is internationally known for its chic contemporary design and has 265 showrooms across the world.
From the start, the families took inspiration from the luxury French fashion houses and focused on creating a strong brand as a foundation for business growth. “An abstract name that would define style didn’t really exist [in furniture and design] back then,” says Gleize, who joined the company in 2002. To accomplish this, Roche Bobois advertised outside of the furniture world, focusing on fashion magazines like Elle and newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Interestingly, Roche Bobois does not design or manufacture its pieces in-house, instead collaborating with outside designers and relying on a network of factories and workshops to make its product (its hits include the iconic Mah Jong and Bubble sofas). This approach has strengths and weaknesses, but it unquestionably gives the company the freedom to focus on its brand-building and stores. “There is a divide between the manufacturing world and the distribution world. It’s two brains, like the left brain and right brain,” explains Gleize. “What I’ve experienced is you cannot do both things. You cannot be a wholesaler and a retailer—it just doesn’t add up. At some point, I think a brand has to decide.”
Elsewhere in the episode, Gleize discusses the confusion of the post-Covid landscape, the opportunities and challenges in China, and how he hopes future technology will change the showroom experience.
Crucial insight: Unlike many of its competitors in high-end furniture, Roche Bobois does the bulk of its advertising directly to the consumer, as opposed to the trade. “We have always dedicated our energy to talk and to give everything we can in terms of clarity, transparency, service and quality to the end user,” says Gleize. “We try to build enough desire in the brand so that they will make it one of the names they want in their house.”
This episode is sponsored by Loloi and Annie Selke. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
The Thursday Show
Business of Home executive editor Fred Nicolaus and host Dennis Scully discuss the biggest news in the industry, including Design Manager’s new acquisitions, why Williams-Sonoma is suing Dupe.com, and Amazon’s rumored $20 sofa. Later, BOH editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen joins the show to recap High Point Fall Market.
This episode is sponsored by Kohler and Klafs. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
