LENÔTRE, GASTRONOMIC EXCELLENCE

LENÔTRE, GASTRONOMIC EXCELLENCE
Thanks to the quality of its products and strong logistical capacities, the renowned
French caterer Lenôtre stands out as a key player for events. Its savoir-faire is also
coveted beyond French borders.
From the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris
to the Palais des Festivals in Cannes,
Lenôtre is present on all fronts. “Our
organisational capacities allow us to
export the specificities of our brand to
many places and to meet a wide variety
of demands,” announces Martine Lambert, Sales Development Manager. The
company’s offer has made it the leading
French caterer in terms of turnover.
Lenôtre is based on two main activities: the distribution of products to
the general public via boutiques, and the
organisation of receptions. “For this
second activity, we are specialised in
seminars, meetings, as well as product
launch activities and special soirées,”
continues the Manager. “We have experience in the most important conference
venues in Île-de France.” Lenôtre also
has a subsidiary on the Côte d’Azur,
close to Cannes, enabling it to be locally
present for the organisation of receptions for private as well as corporate
clients. “We target a very international
clientele that comes to the region for
conferences or gala evenings.”
numbers.” Clients are generally large
French companies that, in the context of conferences or meetings, seek
irreproachable gastronomic quality as
well as originality, without being overly
ostentatious. The brand is also well
known overseas. The economic emergence of certain countries such as Russia, China or India has brought new
clients interested in luxury, gastronomy
and French savoir-faire.
In this way, the company helps to
organise events in very distant destinations, for large receptions where high
quality is expected. Certain French
brands present in other countries wish to
be supported by Lenôtre to reinforce
their corporate image. “The company’s
international orientation is also translated by the widening of our network of
boutiques,” specifies Martine Lambert.
“The development, in France and
overseas, of small Lenôtre retail outlets
of 30, 40 or 100 m2 is part of our future
Few subcontractors
Quality is the company’s prime characteristic. “We design all our products,”
points out Rémi Raymond, Events Sales
Manager. “We are pastry chefs, bakers
and chocolatiers. Little is subcontracted,
allowing us control over the quality of
the whole offer.” Whatever the request,
Lenôtre guarantees the gastronomic
talent distinguishing it from its rivals,
even at gatherings for several thousands
of guests. “We are regularly selected for
events involving a large clientele volume
for one of our assets is our logistical
reliability,” indicates Martine Lambert.
“Last year, one of our events gathered
over 15,000 persons over two days. On
the other hand, we also cater for conferences with 100 to 200 persons, where
business lunches are for more limited
COMMERCE INTERNATIONAL
175
N°81 - JANVIER 2012
projects,” adds Rémi Raymond. “Chocolates, macaroons and various fine
foods will thus gradually be more accessible outside our borders.”
A return to the terroir
The context of economic crisis has
changed demand. Clients now wish for
more terroir products, sometimes less
sophisticated, but with the same stringent quality criteria. “Our offer is sometimes based on simple, unostentatious
creations, made from finely selected
fresh products, in accordance with
Gaston Lenôtre’s philosophy,” explains
Rémi Raymond. “Our teams comprise
ten ‘Meilleurs Ouvriers de France’
(Best Workers in France) headed by our
Executive Chef Guy Krenzer. Innovation
is another key to our development:
an approach supported by Patrick Scicard, Chairman of the board. The quality
of our teams, under the headship of
Creative Director Bruno Messey, permits
us to offer new ideas for specific presentation concepts or precise themes.”
Sustainable development also occupies
a growing role within the offer. Lenôtre’s
suppliers are selected according to
strict criteria: producers with sustainable practices and breeders respectful
of nature and the environment. •