Former Intersport salespeople are now its bosses, at the head of 380 employees and twelve stores in greater Montpellier.

Jean-François Hugues, Caroline Carpentier et Sébastien Stafrach ont tous les trois commencé en alternance. Midi Libre – DR

Tous les trois ont commencé dans leur entreprise au plus bas niveau de l’échelle. Ils en sont aujourd’hui à la tête et continuent à la développer avec ferveur, réussite… et humilité.

Both experienced Intersport with eight employees. In Lattes, in 1998. Work-study. He was a racket stringer. She, a textile saleswoman. Since then, both the brand and their functions have changed a lot. Intersport has 380 employees. And they are the bosses: Caroline Carpentier and Jean-François Hugues. Associated, with a third man, Sébastien Stafrach, who joined a few years later as a work-study student.

"That means I have red and blue blood!"

"I was born at La Hutte, that's to say if I have red and blue blood", smiles Caroline Carpentier, recalling her parents who ran this historic brand at Intersport in Lunel and La Grande-Motte in particular. Already, she felt like an entrepreneur at heart. But I never told myself that I was going to buy the company and it was impossible to project where it is today." D’as much as with the cooperative system of Intersports, she had to start from scratch.

For Jean-François Hugues, the journey is different. In 1998, in Lattes, "I wondered what I was doing there, remembers Jean-François Hugues. I arrived from Mende and enrolled at the sports college in 96-97. There were strikes. I wallowed… but it’s the year where I perhaps learned the most"

Lattes, Jacou, Saint-Clément, Saint-Aunès, Nîmes…

So he took charge and took on odd jobs. So up to racket stringer. Then, as he says, "the planets aligned». The business manager remembers each step, each date. In 2000, in Juvignac, he was responsible for the equipment department. In 2002, he became director. Position he held at the two Interports de Lattes in 2004. In 2006, the two partners really took the plunge and joined forces with the historic Patrick Hanot (read elsewhere). Jacou 2006, Saint-Aunès 2008, Saint-Clément-de-Rivière in 2011, Balaruc in 2012, Alès in 2015, Nîmes in 2016. With annual turnover ranging from 4 M€ at 10 M€.

The winning trio

All around Montpellier, their brand is essential for any sports fan. They are the winning trio: Jean-François Hugues, Caroline Carpentier and Sébastien Stafrach.

Jean-François and Caroline are the first à to be associated with the former boss: Patrick Hanot. It’éwas in 2006. Before it gave way to Sébastien Stafrach, who also started out on adventure with a work-study contract.

If today Caroline Carpentier follows each of the twelve stores closely, she is a member of the management committee. of management of Intersport France, under cooperative status. She is responsible for the IT part. Locally, Jean-François Hugues manages the HR, accounting and management parts. and communities. Sébastien is in charge of commerce, purchasing and operations.

"For me, the story really began in Juvignac, believes Jean-François Hugues. We didn't have teeth that scratched the floor but I loved sport and the connection with people, it's extraordinary. And there was a lack of structure in terms of the sports offering. There, we're a hit, the sports market is evolving well and we're taking huge market shares."

At the time, however, there was no shortage of competition: City sport, Go sport, Sport 2000 and Décathlon of course. Today, if the Odysseum sports hypermarket is above the rest, they are doing well. With great enthusiasm and without losing their smiles.

"I experience emotions like I experienced them when I was an athlete"

"We grew up as a good father, without spending money that we didn’not have", explains this purebred Lozerien who highlights his Mende origins and peasant common sense. While having played ball at interesting levels: the round, with Éveil Mendois until CFA2, or even at Lattes or Castelnau-Le Crès, and the oval, at Palavas, until CFA2; rsquo;in Federal 3.

Enterprising, Caroline Carpentier and Jean-François Hugues are. Collectives, too. Except that… "As we grew up, we felt that we were losing our values, so we wrote them down." Humility, solidarity, ambition.< em> "And in all of this, relationships must be based on trust." Starting with the employees, of whom they’ try to know the first names. "Without them, we are nothing", explains Jean-François. And then I love the team. I experience emotions like I experienced them when I was an athlete."

"My great pride, adds Caroline Capentier, today a member of the management committee of Intersport France, it’s about being able to create lasting jobs. We are growing but the employees are also growing with us."

Settling in the city center, "a great challenge"

From now on, the three partners are well established. Now is the time for development. All you have to do is see in Saint-Clément-de-Rivière: the store has changed era, and area with its 2,500 m2. And when Go sport folded, Intersport, based on cooperative operation, asked itself the question: should they resume or not? ? In the sector, there were four in the balance: Nîmes and Alès, two cities where they were already present, that of the Carrefour Grand Sud shopping mall, in Lattes, and of course that of the Triangle. The real novelty: settling in the heart of the city. A "super challenge" that they are ready to take on with enthusiasm. As usual. With them, everything seems so simple.

Also read: Intersport will officially make its mark on the Polygone square at the start of summer

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