Babymoov
Founded: 1997
Sector: childcare
Status: mid-sized company
Managers since 2022: Célia Grignon, Pierre Magro, Sandrine Monestier
Employees: 140, including 90 in Clermont-Ferrand
Sales 2024: between €55 and €60 million
Website: babymoov.com
Highlight:
meeting with
Célia Grignon Managing Director Innovation and Marketing BabyMoov Group
>> her LinkedIn
Since 2022, alongside Sandrine Monestier and Pierre Magro, Célia Grignon has completed the trio at the head of the Babymoov group, founded in Clermont-Ferrand in 1997. And how the little childcare company has grown! Today, it’s a name known the world over for its innovative products, extensive range, and circular economy and reparability efforts – remarkable in a sector thirsty for plastic and consumables. Creation of the Badabulle brand in 2007, acquisition of Belgium’s Doomoo in 2023, double-digit growth since 2019… The Babymoov model works. Célia G. and her associates have no intention of abandoning this identity any time soon: development that is assertive, sustainable and useful, but not at any price.
A history of continuous innovation
The Babymoov birth announcement is signed by its three dads: Arnaud Thiollier, Arnaud Courdesses and Laurent Windenberger. In 1997, these three students from the ESC Clermont School of Business combined their talents to set up their own nursery products company. How to stand out from the crowd? “At the time, there were few players in the market, and their products weren’t always adapted to parents’ expectations. They relied on a very broad offer, a strong identity and innovation above all. They’re more than just start-ups, they’re idea agitators”, says Célia Grignon. In the catalog: food processors, deckchairs, swings, pregnancy cushions, bathtubs, play mats, baby carriers, breastfeeding accessories…
Products put to the test
To invent smart new products (and, above all, to sell them), Babymoov draws on a strong idea that has guided it from the outset: collaborative innovation. This means opening up design and testing to parents and childcare professionals. During “Creation Marathons”, nurses, physiotherapists, pediatricians, midwives, childminders and parents are invited to try out products, give their opinions and submit their ideas. This led to the creation of several Babymoov products, such as the portable, nomadic baby monitor, which can be installed anywhere.
Our products must meet parents’ needs, not create new ones.
That’s why co-creation is in our DNA.
Born in Clermont-Ferrand…
Babymoov has never left its Clermont-Ferrand birthplace. Staying? There are two obvious reasons: a solid, close-knit and welcoming network; and a city conducive to innovation. “Here we find a real power of the collective. We feel supported and we find solutions together. For a company like ours, which isn’t afraid to rethink its models and question its ways of doing things, to adapt its mode of production… it’s ideal.” The company is supported by the CCI, notably on training issues, as well as the BPI and Ademe for energy transition. It is a member of the Dirigeants commerciaux de France (DCF) network, and takes a keen interest in the local start-up scene. Babymoov is also a partner of the Village by CA incubator.
…and conquering the world!
From an early age, this little Clermont-Ferrand native had the ambitions of a big name. In 2007, she created Badabulle to raise her profile in the retail sector. A first subsidiary opened in Hong Kong in 2011, before others followed in the UK, Germany, Spain, the USA… On the sales side, the company’s products are sold in some sixty countries, and over 50% of sales are generated abroad. Babymoov has many parts produced in Asia… but takes care of its “made in France” share (5% of the total) – and even “made in Puy-de-Dôme” – since part of the plastic injection moulding is carried out in the Jura region, as well as in Orléat, near Thiers. Today, Babymoov is looking to the West. The aim is to make lasting inroads into the American market.
Repairs, reconditioning, durability
As part of its efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, the group is launching its Greenmoov circular economy program and the sale of reconditioned products in 2020. In short, it offers to buy back its own products, whether in working order or defective, since it has inaugurated its own repair workshop. Customers receive a diagnosis of the product they wish to part with and, if agreed, a transfer within 72 hours. Transport is free of charge. The product is received, reconditioned and then put back on sale at a 30% discount. As a sign that this is not just a cosmetic decision, but a real area of development, Babymoov has joined the circular economy network set up by the Métropole.
These second-hand products come with a twelve-month warranty, while new ones are guaranteed… for life. Since 1997.