Darty
| Darty | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Part of KESA Electricals Plc |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Headquarters |  Paris, France |
| Key people | David Newlands (Chairman) |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | White goods, Telecommunications, Information technology |
| Revenue |  10.3%
(French operations only) |
| Employees | 11,234 |
| Slogan | le Contrat de Confiance translated into The Contract of Confidence |
| Website | www.darty.com |
Darty, founded in 1957 by the Darty Family in France, is now a wholly owned subsidiary of KESA Electricals Plc specialising in Electrical retailing. The company has different operations across Europe, the original being in France and now in three other countries (in conjunction with KESA), Turkey, Italy and Switzerland.
French Operations
In France and Luxembourg Darty owns 209 stores making it the second largest retailer of the KESA Group (First being Comet with 248 stores), which overall equals up to 274,400 square metres of selling space. They also (at the end of 2006) reported they had 10,848 employees. [1]
Darty is the leader of specialized distribution of electronic products for the general public in France. Another of their slogans is to satisfy 100% of the customers. Darty France also provides a repair service guarantee, that if it's broken in the first six months they will fix it.
History
The start of DARTY (1957 - 1974)
In 1957, the Darty family - the father and his three sons, Nathan, Marcel and Bernard - managed a small store of textiles. The Darty brothers started to sell stock, and, to attract customers, they left the goods on the pavement. In a few days, the stock was liquidated. In 1967 the Darty brothers transferred to a larger warehouse.
Regional Expansion (1975 - 1992)
In 1988, the brains trust initiated an O.P.A, with the approval and the support of the founders of Darty, allowing the repurchase of the company by its employees (LMBO) and thus showing economic and social innovation. The operation was a success, since 90% of employees took part and controlled 56% of the capital. At the end of 1988 Darty opened its 100th store.
Kingfisher and KESA periods (1993 - 2003 onwards)
In 1993, Darty was bought by Kingfisher plc, which integrated Darty and Comet, in a European entity based in Paris: Kingfisher Electricals S.A. (KESA). In 1999 this led to Darty opening up a commercial Internet site. This entity increased via acquisitions and, at the beginning of 2003, included Darty and But in France, Comet in the United Kingdom, BCC in the Netherlands, Vanden Borre in Belgium and Datart in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In 2006, Darty launched DartyBox, which is an ADSL internet, television and telecommunications provider based on the network of French internet operator Completel.
Other Operations
Turkey
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In Turkey, Darty owns and operates only one store which is 1,500 square metres and has 58 employees. Operations in Turkey started in 2006.
Italy
Italian operations of Darty own 9 stores with 214 employees and 13,600 square metres of selling space. The stores include three in Milan, one in Turin, one in Piacenza and others in Giussano, Cesano Boscone, Paderno Dugnano and Orio.
Switzerland
Swiss operations of Darty include 3 stores in Crissier, Etoy and Villeneuveand which adds up to 4,400 square metres of selling space. This operation has 114 employees.
| DartyBox | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Public |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Paris,
France |
| Industry | telecommunications, television and internet service provider |
| Parent | Completel |
| Slogan | Contract of Darty Confidence |
| Website | www.dartybox.com |
DartyBox
Dartybox, in France, Luxembourg and parts of Switzerland was launched in 2006. It's a cable service which offers Triple-Play allowing, unlimited use of the Internet or Telephone and the Internet bundle or the choice of just Television and the Internet. The offer is ADSL proposed which is based on the network of the Completel France operator. It is said to be the only offer on the market with an engagement of guaranteed operation, based on the "Contract of Darty Confidence".
See also
- Comet Group plc - Sister company trading in the UK
External Links
References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
