2023-06-25 12:22:34
Beyond being official supplier of the Tour de France for a second year, the Roubaix brand Jules will take advantage of these three weeks to discover or rediscover its “In Progress” project by meeting the public and will be present on the departure villages and Fan Parks to present its exclusive Tour de France collection. Meeting with Benoit Latron, Marketing Director of Jules.
Benoit Latron, Marketing Director of Jules
Bruno Cammalleri: Why use the levers of sport and sports marketing?
Benoit Latron : Jules, it’s style, it’s fashion. Many men are interested in clothing and want to be stylish without being fashion enthusiasts. There are, but most of our customers are not fashion enthusiasts. Therefore, when we are interested in the male target, it is particularly relevant for us to bring them to us and interest them through their passion and some of their universes: sport, music where we are partners of the Main Square Festival or even gaming. This is the thinking we had at the time. Sport as a playground to interest men in Jules.
Bruno Cammalleri: What is the genesis of the partnership between Jules and the Tour de France?
Benoit Latron : We had a first contact with ASO to have a Tour de France license and develop the first Tour de France ASO collaboration with a men’s ready-to-wear brand not specialized in sports. The official supplier for ASO staff outfits was Le Coq sportif, but they did not have a commercial license in men’s ready-to-wear. This first discussion with ASO therefore naturally resonated with the reflection we had on the passions of men. We got along very well with the ASO teams and this license was a good commercial success for a trial run.
When ASO contacted us once more to continue the approach of a capsule collection, there was for them the change of equipment supplier with the idea of splitting in two the partnership between the technical part and the equipment part of the ASO officials who work on the Tour de France. We wanted to continue the adventure with ASO to increase our presence in the Tour de France, hence this 4-year contract until 2025. With two components: BtoB in equipment for the organizing teams of the Tour, and a component general public via the recurring capsule collection that can be found in our stores.
Bruno Cammalleri: What is your assessment of the first year of partnership in 2022?
Benoit Latron : being an official supplier has meant that the capsule collection has been available for longer in our stores, with greater visibility and volumes compared to the “pilot” year. The Tour de France capsule collection was a big hit in 2022. We sold it for 8-9 weeks in stores, starting in early June on Father’s Day until mid-July. Stores located along the Tour route achieved the best performance. We are also sold in official ASO stores
In addition, we were very pleasantly surprised with regard to our visibility on the course, even if we are not in the caravan. All the same, we have two Jules cars as well as a fixed caravan in the start villages and fan zones: we appreciated this contact with the crowd, being able to meet the public and being in this festive atmosphere. This allows us to meet our customers (and non-customers!) in a different context than a store. The opportunity for us to talk regarding our products and the brand’s commitments. Having the intern participate in the Tour de France event is another significant satisfaction noted in 2022.
Bruno Cammalleri: Which area do you want to improve from 2022 to 2023?
Benoit Latron : Animate the Fan-Parks along the route. This is an important dimension for us. All of our 56 stores near the route will offer entertainment to customers with surprises and privilege days in the race in the Jules car to be won. This is a point that we wanted to improve this year compared to 2022. In addition, for this edition, the JStream will still be present and will have a new look. The caravan will be all dressed in green with an inscription “JULES – men in progress” affixed to the device. The Jstream will be present this summer near the start (or finish) village to the delight of Tour de France fans who gave our brand a superb welcome last summer.
Bruno Cammalleri: How will the Jules / Tour de France 2023 capsule be?
Benoit Latron : The Tour de France capsule consists of 1 “Free wheel” jumper, 1 shirt, 4 T-shirts, 1 Bermuda shorts, 1 polo shirt, 2 pairs of socks, 2 boxer shorts and 1 pair of flip-flops. The complete kit for the perfect Tour supporter by the roadside! It was also a great pleasure in 2022 to see people dressed in Jules capsule clothing on the roads of the Tour. The capsule is like the Tour, with the Jules touch, and the result of real work carried out with ASO so that it complements their products. The capsule will be composed solely of products from our “In progress” range.
This range is notably composed of jeans made from recycled materials, cotton and elastane for example. These are clothes designed to last, to be transformed, to be reused. All of the products in this range are more local, more sustainable and more responsible. The Tour de France capsule is part of the “In progress” spirit. As a mission-driven company with eco-responsibility at the heart of its project, Jules wants to limit its impact on the environment and this “In progress” range should represent 50% of the collection in 2025.
Bruno Cammalleri: What will be the Jules goodies for Tour spectators this year?
Benoit Latron : We have a fixed caravan where we will make the public play by asking intelligent questions regarding Jules, sport and our commitments to the environment. We try to be fun thanks to our great animators and we provide material on our approach to explain our mission to combine style and durability in our products. In other words, talk regarding us while remaining light. The goodies are also part of our eco-responsible approach. These are always useful goodies, in particular the fans to allow the spectators to be able to get some air.
Bruno Cammalleri: Jules is the “Official Look” of the Grande Boucle with 300 officials and members of the Tour de France who will be dressed in outfits and in the colors of Jules, but not only…
Benoit Latron : Beyond the partnership with the Tour de France, Jules is a partner of Cofidis all year round. It is a very friendly and local partnership. See you on the northern side! When we signed with ASO last year as official supplier to the Tour, very symbolically the first ASO race was Paris-Nice then… Paris-Roubaix. The race passes each year in front of our headquarters in Roubaix. We are located on the final avenue which leads to the Roubaix velodrome. We really like this story and this symbol. We also know many people who work for the Cofidis team, which has its headquarters 5 kilometers from ours, and we got along very well with Cédric Vasseur and his team. The meeting was quite natural and we equipped Cofidis teams with representational clothing. We were on our side in full relocation since we opened our first denim factory in the North.
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