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Louis Le Duff
A real trade
based on dough :
bread dough, brioche dough,
pastry dough,
pizza dough...
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Page 5 of 6
Louis Le Duff hammers home his conviction, “We are nothing without our teams” and makes Henry Ford’s words his own, “You can take my factories and my money but leave me my people and I can rebuild my empire”.
The loyalty he inspires in his people – several old faithfuls have been with him from the start – and his belief in fundamental values have nurtured the growth of the network of names.
Not content with the success of Brioche Dorée, in 1983 Groupe Le Duff started to test Pizza Lucio, an Italian system with table service which turned out successful. Pizza Lucio merged a few years later with the Del Arte chain bought from the Accor group. In a fragmented French market with over ten thousand pizzerias in competition, Louis Le Duff set up an organised network. He partnered with franchises and tenant managers who ensure the success of every site and take an active part in its development.
To rationalise production of bread, Viennese bakery and pastries for his growing group, in 1988 Louis Le Duff set up the brand’s production system. Today Bridor has five units and supplies not only Brioche Dorée and Pizza Del Arte but also caters for hotels, restaurants, individual bakeries and supermarkets that focus on quality. |
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Handcrafted products, industrial management – Bridor now accounts for a quarter of Groupe Le Duff’s sales.
Other names have joined the group. In 1988, Le Fournil de Pierre was bought from its founder who was about to retire. The name was being renewed and the company planned to put it into franchise. One of the clients of the Montreal Bridor unit, which supplies the eastern seaboard of America, was La Madeleine, a chain of 65 French-style restaurants in the south and east of the United States. In 2001, Groupe Le Duff bought the chain and gave it a new lease of life through its technological and operational strength.
The objective today is to rationalise the group’s brands and focus development. The hardest part for this entrepreneur who would like to grasp every opportunity is as he admits, “not to confuse diversification and dispersal; keep the objective in view; learn to say no”.
At the dawn of 2006, Groupe Le Duff’s objective is on track with a mix of branches and franchises offsetting each other to preserve the integrality of the concept and make it more potent. 60% of the restaurants are branches and 40% are franchises, concessions or joint ventures (in association with local entrepreneurs) and further start-ups and conversions are planned. |
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