Weinberg Capital Partners

Company overview

Besson Chaussures is one of France’s leading shoe retailers thanks to its network of 170 stores, with sales areas of 1,200 m² on average, located on the outskirts of urban centres. The individual stores are run by managing agents. Besson Chaussures has developed an omni-channel retail model, involving the integration of its physical stores with its rapidly growing online sales.

The distinctive features of Besson Chaussures are its attractive range of quality products (leather shoes account for 60% of its revenue) at affordable prices (€38 on average) targeting female consumers purchasing items for themselves or family members.

Its selection is the widest of any shoe retailer in France, with 4,000 styles available, 75% of which are models from its own brands (in particular the Besson Chaussures brand), with the remaining 25% from international brands.

Our approach

Our objective is to give the company and its employees the means to achieve their goals and deliver on their roadmaps for future development. Since our investment in Besson Chaussures, the retail chain’s identity and product range have moved in a positive direction, including the optimization of the own brand portfolio and a redefined marketing strategy. Its retail network has seen steady expansion, with 10 store openings each year.

The new concept rolled out in 2020 for stores in city centres and shopping centres is showing great appeal among customers and the company has launched its internationalization strategy with its first store openings outside France (in Spain).

In 2021, Besson Chaussures moved to become a full omni-channel retailer, with the launch of its ship-from-store service.