Business Talk – The Establishment of a French Premium Outdoor Brand in Vietnam

The outdoor market in Vietnam has been growing exponentially in recent years. To better understand this trend, we met with Christophe Trémeaux, owner of the Fermob showroom in Thao Dien.

Hello Mr. Trémeaux, thank you for agreeing to answer our questions. The furniture market and the world of design were not unfamiliar to you before embarking on the outdoor adventure with Fermob. Could you tell us more about your professional background?

Indeed, from the end of my studies, I entered this field, which had always strongly interested me. I worked at Le Bon Marché in Paris, then moved to London, where I ended up staying for 14 years. I was the director of a Roche Bobois store, then of several stores in the country and on the continent. I returned to Paris for 4 years before moving to Shanghai as Sales Director for Asia, still with Roche Bobois.Changing continents also means adapting to new consumer habits. The positioning is not exactly the same depending on the region: brands like Roche Bobois are high-end in Europe but are positioned as luxury brands in Asia, for example.Finally, I moved to Vietnam to oversee sales and development for two Roche Bobois stores in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. It was at that point that I was approached by Fermob.

Regarding the outdoor market in Asia, it seems to be developing in a rather uneven way depending on the country. How was Fermob established in the region at that time?

The Vietnamese population is young, driven, and increasingly educated. Supported by a stable political situation, Vietnam offers vast opportunities for economic development. With projected growth of 5% by 2029, the Vietnamese furniture market is full of potential. The outdoor sector is expected to generate 80 million dollars in 2025, with 60% of the market concentrated in Ho Chi Minh City, reflecting its status as the country’s economic capital. It is a booming sector: growth of 2.5% per year is expected over the coming years, with strong progress anticipated in the premium and luxury categories.Fermob is a French brand, based in Lyon, known throughout Europe as a benchmark in outdoor furniture. In recent years, the outdoor market has started to develop in Asia. Fermob had already begun to establish its presence through stores in certain strategic countries such as Korea, Japan, and Thailand. There were no Fermob stores in Vietnam. You could find a few products in multi-brand partner corners, mostly focused on indoor furniture, but nothing significant. The brand had no presence in Vietnam and was known only through word of mouth.

So how did you build both your relationship with Fermob and your business?

I was contacted by the owners of the Fermob store in Bangkok because I was working in the furniture sector in Vietnam. They were looking for someone interested in the project of opening a store to represent Fermob in Ho Chi Minh City. Thinking it over, I couldn’t think of anyone to recommend, but I was very interested in the project myself.So before taking the plunge, I studied the market. Then I partnered with the owner of the Bangkok franchise. He knew Fermob, I knew Vietnam. Together, with the help of a Vietnamese legal advisor, we created the company Poétic Garden, a Fermob franchisee. Throughout this adventure, we were supported by the Relocation Vietnam team, who advised and helped us at every stage: from setting up the company to renting the store, including immigration procedures. Usually, you set up the company first and then find a location, but we did the opposite. A crush on a magnificent corner store in Thao Dien pushed us to speed up the process, and six months later we opened the store.We designed all the plans hand in hand with Fermob: the whole project was collaborative, which allowed us to build a strong relationship. I regularly receive guidelines, which I am free to follow depending on the store’s context. For example, Fermob sends us many marketing materials, which we are free to use and supplement. Today, 50% of our communication comes from Fermob, and the other half is fueled by our local projects.I am completely free to set my prices, taking into account production and transportation costs… Currently, the prices I offer are the same as in Europe for the first collections, and the higher ranges are about 30% above the European market. Establishing the brand here is a real challenge: we are constantly working to adjust its positioning and increase its visibility to make it known among the Vietnamese population.

You had spent 5 years in Vietnam before starting this project, so you probably had a fairly clear idea of how the country works. Nevertheless, what advantages and challenges does Vietnam present?

When you have lived and worked for several years in Vietnam, you get used to the quirks of local bureaucracy. I would say everything is always more complicated here, but nothing is impossible. You just need to be patient. And having worked in France, I wouldn’t say administration is necessarily more complicated here.But in some areas, Vietnamese people are very quick and accommodating, especially for construction work. When we found our location and drew up the plans, we quickly needed to make adjustments: repainting façades, installing signs, etc. It is very easy to hire skilled tradespeople available within a few days.Furthermore, Vietnam is full of international companies, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. Finding a reliable logistics partner for shipping products was fairly simple. I quickly found a French transport company that had just set up in Vietnam and with whom everything runs smoothly.Vietnamese policy is business-friendly. One of Vietnam’s real advantages lies in its setup, operational, and running costs. Import taxes are lower thanks to the VFTA free trade agreement. Our store’s break-even point is five times lower here than it would be in France.

How do you perceive the tastes and expectations of your target consumers, and how do you adapt to them?

Our clientele is 95% affluent Vietnamese seeking European quality. As Vietnam develops, their purchasing power is increasing, and the market is expanding.Their tastes are similar to Europeans, especially in terms of color. Fermob currently offers a palette of 25 colors, which evolves every year. The brightest are often used in marketing campaigns and to attract customers into the store, but consumers often end up choosing neutral and understated tones.Fermob’s designs are organized into several collections that adapt to different consumer profiles. We tend to expand our ranges rather than launch entirely new ones each season. Nevertheless, Fermob is evolving, with seating options in fabric or leather aimed at interiors, and an outdoor kitchen presented last April at the Milan Furniture Fair.Here, to reach our target audience, apart from the store—which is essential—we communicate a lot on social networks, especially Facebook, which is widely used by Vietnamese people.

How do consumer requests influence your decisions? Could you give an example?

As a reference in outdoor design, we also receive requests that cannot be fulfilled by Fermob alone. This is the case for cafés or restaurants that do not always have the budget or the time. We have a warehouse where a few best-sellers are stocked, but most orders come from France.Production takes an average of 5 to 6 weeks, sea transport about 2 months, then you have to add customs and land transport. We generally allow 4 months between order and delivery, which is not always feasible for our clients.We also have increasing demand for materials other than steel and aluminum, such as wood or teak. I took all this into account and, with Fermob’s agreement, divided the store into two areas: the ground floor is dedicated solely to Fermob, and the mezzanine allows us to open up to different products.It’s worth noting that Vietnam is the world’s second-largest furniture exporter, particularly in wood, with 93% of its production destined directly for export. Outdoor furniture represents a significant and growing share of these exports. As a result, only a tiny fraction of national production is sold on the domestic Vietnamese market.My goal is to offer locally produced, still high-end items that meet broader demand. Today, I offer wooden furniture, planters, and lighting, in addition to Fermob products.

What are your future prospects? Do you have short-term and long-term plans?

Our activity is growing gradually. The beginning of 2025 was very positive, with a 30% increase compared to last year. Such growth encourages us to think about the future.Premium brands like Fermob cannot become known solely online. A physical presence is essential for building strong visibility and brand recognition.District 7 in Ho Chi Minh City is a very interesting catchment area. In the short term, I would like to expand the brand across the city by opening a second store there. We already have orders for Hanoi, so the medium-term goal will be to cover the whole country with a third store in the heart of the capital.Finally, if I find investors and partners who believe in this project, my long-term vision is at the Asian scale. Fermob is not yet physically present in certain countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, or Cambodia, where it is already interesting to consider expansion.

What advice would you give to an entrepreneur wanting to start a business in Vietnam?

First of all, be well prepared. Even if the market is favorable, you absolutely need to prepare your project and your budget according to the sector, and above all, gather local information.When moving abroad, it’s necessary to remain humble toward the people and cultures that welcome you. My advice is to surround yourself well: having a legal advisor and an accountant who know the country can help avoid many pitfalls.Also, be patient and open, and learn from your mistakes. Just because something doesn’t work doesn’t mean you should give up—you have to be ready to fail sometimes and keep thinking long-term.

Finally, can you tell us what you are most passionate about in your current position? And share what makes you proudest in your overall career?

I am passionate about design, whether for indoor or outdoor furniture. I love presenting my selection of furniture: it’s my way of helping clients create a beautiful outdoor space that is comfortable and suits them.I’m proud of my store, especially since its recent redesign, and of the success it’s enjoying despite the challenges.More generally, I’m proud to have more than 20 years of professional life abroad, to have been able to adapt without difficulty in each country, and to have an open mind toward different cultures.