RC Group produces for many Cosmetic Valley brands: "Guerlain was our first baby".
La Ruche, Guerlain's cosmetics factory in Chartres, is one of R.C.Group's major clients. Quentin reix
From display to advertising, RC Group, based in Boulogne-Billancourt, is an essential link in the luxury chain of the major cosmetics brands. The Guerlain Group has been the architect of this success story, which was driven by its creator, Raphaël Cohen, who has become a key player in the point-of-sale advertising business.
An admirer of the luxury boutiques on Avenue Montaigne, Raphaël Cohen's ambition has always been to enhance the beauty of the brands he works with. The group, which is headquartered in Boulogne Billancourt, is composed of 17 companies in France, Italy and China. With its 6 business lines (POP, Display, Print, Digital, Events and Packaging & Gift) it can now meet almost all of its customers' needs.
How has the perfumer Guerlain, which is attached to the Eurelian and Yvelines regions through its production sites, been a determining factor in your influence? Guerlain was our very first client in the luxury industry, and in 2001 it allowed us to propel ourselves into this world. After this first challenge, there was LVMH and many others. Our historical business, the transformation of cardboard into decorative elements (display head, EDG), then evolved to give way to 6 different businesses.
From the business of creating POP displays, you have created five other branches? Yes, one of them being digital. Recently we produced for Christian Dior perfumes, we are together spectacular digital installations in Time Square. The brands send us their content and we take care of the post-production, installation and deployment.
You also take care of print support, but in what way? For example, we take care of the display of brands in department stores and airports. This is possible thanks to our subsidiary located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, expert in silver and digital printing. With a surface area of over 2,000 m², our high-performance machinery enables us to produce high-quality quantities, from printing to installation. This is how we produce and install the decorative elements of the Dior Chanel Louis Vuitton windows.
You speak of a "virtuous ecosystem". What do you mean? Before, everything was produced in China. With the upheaval in the world, both economically and politically, brands now want each catchment area to produce its product. What is produced in France for the French market is now produced in France, what is produced in Dubai is produced in Dubai, and what is produced in China is produced in China, etc.
Many of your clients are members of Cosmetic Valley. Do they have new requirements? To make high-end local products while being environmentally and socially responsible. Several of our companies hold the "Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant" (EPV) label, which distinguishes French companies with artisanal and industrial know-how deemed to be of excellence. Just as LVMH has its embroiderers, Chanel has its button makers, RC Group has its craftsmen.
What is the main evolution of POP ? It has become completely "societal". It respects today's major issues such as the preservation of the environment. Today, everything is biodegradable and recyclable. This is also the wish of the big brands we work with. In their specifications, the respect of the environment is a major concern which is placed in first position of their expectations well before the prices finally. We are in the same logic as our customers, and our operation could be compared to that of a beehive, a bit like Guerlain, which has chosen to name its Chartres factory in this way.
How did it all start? I used to do POS advertising in the retail sector, in particular the catalogs of several supermarkets. In 2001, while on vacation, I met a person in charge of POP at Guerlain. I didn't know it yet, but this meeting was to be decisive for my future! In 6 months, I changed my job by offering my services to the perfumer. Guerlain was a great economic and creative opening.