- Desjoyaux Pools has grown from a family business in France to an international exporter of swimming pools, with €90 million in annual revenue and exports to 80 countries. - The swimming pool market has seen strong growth in recent years, with smaller, more affordable pool designs becoming increasingly popular. - Desjoyaux aims to reach €100 million in revenue and sell 10,000 pools annually by 2023, expanding to 3-5 new countries and driving growth at its 7 subsidiaries. - In addition to pool sales, Desjoyaux generates revenue from related equipment and has a longstanding partnership with French football club AS Saint-Étienne.

1. FROM FAMILY BUSINESS TO INTERNATIONAL EXPORTER
ACCORDINGTO THE FRENCHFEDERATION OF SWIMMING POOL PROFESSIONALS,POOLSARENOW
MORE ACCESSIBLETHAN EVER: WHILE TEN YEARS AGO IT WOULD HAVE COST €35,000 - 45,000 TO
BUY A POOL,TODAY THE COST HAS FALLEN TO €18,000 FOR AN ENTRY-LEVEL IN-GROUNDPOOLAND
AS LITTLE AS € 6,000 - 7,000 FOR A SELF-BUILD POOL KIT.
2017 WAS AN EXCELLENT YEAR, WITH 45,810 IN-GROUNDPOOLS AND56,000 ABOVE-GROUND
POOLSSOLD.
On thisbuoyantmarket,Desjoyaux hasbecome aname thatno longerneedsanintroduction.50
years’experience,450 dealerships,andexportingto80 countries...We caughtupwiththe
company'smanagingdirector,Jean-LouisDesjoyaux.
How is businessgoingfor Desjoyaux Pools?
On 31st
August 2017, we closed the third financial year in a row with a double-digit increase in
revenue. Recording €90 million in revenue with growth of 10% — as high as 20% two years ago —
meanswe can lookto the future withpeace of mind.Followingthe unprecedentedeconomiccrisis of
2007, when we sold around 6,500 pools instead of the forecasted 14,000 units, we went through a
tough period. People were saving not spending. About 70% of our business comes from selling
swimmingpools, whilethe restisgeneratedbysalesof equipment andaccessories:spas,enclosures,
covers,heating,roboticpool cleaners,solarpoweredshowers,LEDlighting and so forth. We sell just
under 9,000 pools a year, 35% being export sales.

2. How are your international sales?
Our productsare presentin80 countries.We have subsidiariesinSpain,Germany,Italy,Portugal,the
US, Brazil and China.Pluswe have points of sale on six continents. For example, Egypt is one of our
longest-standing partners.
What are the latesttrends in the swimmingpool sector?
Thingshave changed since the 1980s when we only dealt with large pools (14 m x 7 m or 12 m x 6 m
and 2.80 m deep).Nowthe trendseems to be for installing pools in the space available. Customers
have increasingly smaller areas of land and want their pool to fit accordingly. They see a pool as a
place for coolingdownandrelaxingrather than athletic training. So today we’re seeing dimensions
of 8 m x 4 m and even 5 m x 2 m and quite shallow depths so that all users can touch the bottom
easily.However, eveninsmallerspaces,we canoffera more sportingdimensionwithreallyeffective
counter-current swimming systems.
How is the outlookfor 2018?
The goal is to meet our target of €100 million in revenue and sales of 10,000 pools split equally
between imports/exportswithinthe next five years. We also plan to open new agencies in Bulgaria
and Iran. Our objective is to start operations in 3-5 more countries and we have ambitious plans to
drive growth at our seven subsidiaries.
Tell us a little about your partnershipwith AS Saint-Étienne football club...
Our partnership with L’ASSE dates back over 15 years now. Our company logo is printed on the
players’ shorts, excellent visibility for us but it is also great to support something you care about.
Overthe years,we have establishedstrongtieswiththis Loire-based club. Plus, I’ve been president
of L’Etrat football clubfor25 years.Football is a passion that attracts values that we hold dear, such
as team spirit and the passion for taking on a challenge.
Article publishedinthe Frenchweeklynewspaper L’Essor de la Loire