7
What was your background before starting
with Groupe SEB?
Before joining Groupe SEB I worked with
brands including Danone, Orangina,
Schweppes and Kronenbourg. This
wide-ranging experience enabled me to
acquire a very good knowledge of global
distribution. I’ve been with Groupe SEB for
nearly five years now, firstly as Chief Oper-
ating Officer in charge of the Group’s sales
and marketing functions worldwide, before
moving to governance on July 1, 2022, with
the desire to put all my energy into devel-
oping and growing the Group.
What guides you from day to day?
I’ve been lucky to be able to travel for my
work, which has given me a taste for ad-
venture, for pushing my limits, connecting
with others, and above all an appreciation
of collective values. I truly believe in this
collective strength. As a manager I owe it
to myself to perform not only at a personal
level, but also to help the entire group grow,
which in turn enables us to support each
other and continue to move forward. And
for the future challenges we’ll be facing, I
will always endeavor to rally the people who
work for Groupe SEB.
After a record year in 2021, there was a
slight downturn in the Group’s results.
How would you describe 2022?
2021 was indeed a record year. We benefited
from a boom in Small Domestic Appliances
and very strong demand from consumers,
whose behavior changed during the pan-
demic: the home sector is flourishing. This
is fairly unique!
The Group nonetheless stayed on course in
2022 Yes our balance sheet has declined
but our sales were 82 higher than in 2019
the last year we can consider normal
The professional services business saw
strong growth compared to 2021 156 of
which 92 is organic growth Yet again
Groupe SEB proved the resilience and
strength of its model and its great agil
ity when faced with various events We are
particularly pleased with our performance in
China where Supors sales exceeded
2 billion for the first time ever
Everyone worked hard throughout the year,
with tenacity and determination. So we were
able to continue investing in our strategic
drivers: product innovation, the internation-
al deployment of our champion products,
the attractiveness of our brands and the
activation of all distribution channels. Nor
was there any lull in our investments (in-
dustrial, logistics and information systems)
for competitive advantage, which are crucial
for the future.
Yet not all indicators were favorable?
We started 2022 with great enthusiasm, with
the end of the pandemic in sight, but we
nonetheless faced a number of challenges
throughout the year, with a divisive geopo-
litical environment, marked firstly by the
war in Ukraine and then by an energy crisis
in Europe. As the months passed, this all
generated a downturn in activity in Europe,
disruption of supply chains and erosion of
margins in an inflationary environment.
Over 165 years the Group has lived through
several critical periods, which we have al-
ways navigated successfully by being able
to adapt. Despite the unfavorable market
conditions, we have faith in our economic
model and can count on the Group’s tre-
mendous collective spirit.
What are the growth drivers for 2023?
We are optimistic about the structural growth
outlook of the global market for Small Do-
mestic Appliances and professional coffee.
The professional market is very dynamic at
the moment, and business has recovered well
for cafés, hotels and restaurants. We recent-
ly strengthened our leadership in this sector
with strategic acquisitions that complement
and are consistent with our existing offering.
Innovation and digitalization are also powerful
drivers for future development
“2022 marked
a return to normal
after the records
broken in 2021.”
Stanislas de Gramont