There is not only Amazon for the whole world of DIY and home care (and garden, for those who have it). The pandemic has forced us to spend more and more time in our homes, often working in them, and this has helped to sustain consumption related to furnishings, small chores around the house (or even big ones, see those related to bonuses), all interior adaptation for smart working. It is precisely on this business that he is betting ManoMano, the French e-commerce specialist in home furnishings, DIY and gardening which is now depopulated throughout Europe, including Italy. The company has just announced its 2020 results: turnover doubled both globally, to 1,2 billion euros (the forecast was around one billion), and in Italy, the first country by growth after France, to 130 million .
“Smart working has changed people's habits and has allowed us to grow. Most of our business comes from DIY and gardening, but the renewed focus on interior design has been important”, confess Philippe de Chanville and Christian Raisson, co-founders and co-CEOs of ManoMano, who consequently look with great confidence to 2021. To date, e-commerce of this sort of Leroy Merlin digital it already has 50 million unique visitors a month (+70% compared to 2019) and 7 million active customers (+100%). References are over 10 million and attention to customers has led consultancy services to generate 2020 million conversations in 2,3 alone (+130% compared to 2019).
The challenge now is to conquer Northern Europe, given that so far it has been the South, Italy and Spain in the first place, that have given the best answers. Italy is one of those countries where the French company intends to consolidate its presence the most: of the 350 resources to be hired by 2021, many will be in our country, thanks also to the growth of commercial partnerships with local vendors (there are now more than 600) and the launch – which already took place in 2020 – of two new services: ManoMano Pro, the marketplace version dedicated exclusively to home professionals (including electricians, plumbers, architects and bricklayers) e Fulfillment hand, the first Italian logistics hub, located in Cremona in Lombardy.
This novelty will also allow the development of a new system in Italy fast and free delivery service (1-2 days, a challenge to Amazon), with full order tracking and dedicated customer service. “2021 promises to be a year of consolidation of offers and services for our customers and business partners. It will also be a year of acceleration, especially for the international development of the United Kingdom and Germany, and of consolidation for Southern Europe, where we count on being able to contribute to the digitization process of local companies in our sector", added Céline Vuillequez, COO of HandHand.
