In the gloomy economic climate of the health crisis, some business sectors are getting their thorns out. This is the case for the web, and more specifically for online sales, and thus for Soledis, a small business in the Vannes area and a national player in e-Commerce. We're delighted to be boosting the local economy, creating jobs and shaping a future that's less pessimistic than it might seem.
A FULL ORDER BOOK
Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 health crisis, e-Commerce represents a real opportunity for many customers to maintain or grow their business. This is the case for some of our customers: Alexis Robert which switched to 100% e-commerce during containment and BV Group with the SmartObjet.fr website who repositioned their business to meet the demand for masks, since they already had the right suppliers.
For our part, from the beginning of March, we had to respond to strong demand from customers for upgrades to integrate new functionalities such as click & collect, or to adjust hosting due to traffic peaks. The health crisis has accelerated awareness of digital sales channels, and new customers are flocking to us to create or redesign Prestashop or Woocommerce e-commerce sites. Even with the decontamination, in-store sales haven't always returned to their former pace, and e-commerce is becoming an essential part of companies' 2021 strategies.
6 NEW HIRES IN 6 MONTHS
To meet the growing demand from the agency's e-commerce customers and to anticipate future workloads, Soledis has hired 6 people in the last 6 months, bringing the total number of employees to 25, with several positions still to be filled (web project manager, developers, etc.)! The company is delighted to be playing its part in creating jobs in Brittany in such an economic climate.
NEW PREMISES
To be able to accommodate all these new recruits, multiply our meeting rooms and improve our break area, we have expanded. The premises are still located at Parc Pompidou in downtown Vannes, but now on three levels and 650 m2! The first is dedicated to the development studio, infrastructure, customer support and project managers. The second is occupied by management, administrative services, a new meeting room and a nice break area. And finally, webmarketing occupies the 3rd level.
"We've done some partitioning, decorating and soundproofing work to guarantee maximum comfort for our employees when they're not teleworking. What's more, we've completely redesigned our layout to favor individual offices and maximum comfort. We only have 2% of duplicated office time. It's a change from our usual habits, but we feel that the working conditions are a real tool for well-being in the workplace."
GROWTH SUPPORTED BY BPI
Since 2015, SOLEDIS has been supported in its growth by BPI, and since 2019 by BPGO, as part of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI).
"BPI's aim is to give high-potential SMEs the means to achieve their ambitions. The example of Soledis speaks for itself. The company has reached a good level of maturity, boasts solid technological skills and has proven its professionalism. Last but not least, the company's managers have a real vision of their market and of their added value," emphasized Eric PERCHAIS, BPI Innovation Business Manager for Morbihan in 2019 at the time of the fund-raising (Read the joint Soledis-BPI interview here).
It's a successful gamble: investments are paying off, and growth is on the cards! By the end of 2020, we'll have reached our target of 2 million in sales, despite the COVID-19 crisis, and 2021 already looks set to be a busy year.
