Founded by Matthieu Lohiague, a joinery enthusiast with over 10 years' experience, Fenêtres & Confort opened the doors of one of the region's largest window and door showrooms at the beginning of the year. With the financial backing of Groupe Janneau, the company aims to renovate 200 projects, and is planning to recruit new fitters and sales staff to keep up the momentum. Portrait of a player banking on hyper-customization to accelerate home energy renovation in the Bayonne region.
Matthieu Lohiague has been immersed in the world of joinery ever since he graduated with a Master's degree in management and business strategy. For over 10 years, he has worked alongside company directors and joinery craftsmen, helping them to set up their own businesses.
In September 2020, I met Pierre Bordier and Henri Janneau, and Fenêtres et Confort was born. Today, this Janneau agency is made up of 4 people, a young but highly experienced team.
Boosting home energy renovation in Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Since the launch of his Bayonne branch, Matthieu has noticed that 95% of his business involves renovation. Indeed, energy efficiency is often the No. 1 criterion when it comes to replacing windows. According to the Pyrénées-Atlantiques government department, energy vulnerability affects one household in seven in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. A region where 657,000 homes can benefit from the France Relance plan and the MaPrimeRénov' scheme. However, according to a Teksial-OpinionWay study presented in 2021, 66% of French people can't name any renovation aid.
A problem Matthieu Lohiague has clearly identified. He therefore wanted to position himself as a partner and facilitator between public authorities and private individuals. "We also guide our customers on payment methods and help them with tax incentives, in particular in conjunction with MaPrimeRénov'."
A fast-growing company on a human scale
As a partner of Janneau Menuisier Créateur, Fenêtres et Confort is committed to putting people at the heart of its business model. This commitment is reflected in the choice of partners and in the day-to-day work with customers. "Before being an entrepreneurial adventure, it is a human adventure. Whether with customers or partners. We're not just installers of joinery, but true creators of solutions, whether in terms of comfort or safety."
After starting out on his own, Matthieu Lohiague estimates that he will be working on 200 residential projects by 2022. To support this growth, the company is also planning to recruit two to three members of the installation team and a sales representative, in order to further develop the branch and increase its market and regional positioning. Matthieu Lohiague also confides in the possibility, in 2023, of expanding into tertiary renovation: "Janneau Menuisier Créateur is a specialist in the renovation of estates throughout France, so we're not ruling out going into this market in the next few years."
200 m² digital showroom
As a partner of Janneau Menuisier Créateur, Fenêtres et Confort benefits from a high value-added innovation: a digital showroom where each homeowner can design and visualize a life-size entrance door. This unique innovation enables Matthieu Lohiague to offer private customers a comprehensive and, above all, tailor-made approach, as each product can be personalized. "This showroom offers a more human approach, because it's a real product experience. It was a must to have this showroom so that private customers could test their door the way they test a car before buying it." An essential element for Matthieu in a post-health-crisis context where the global trend is to take care of one's home.
The Janneau Menuisier Créateur branch also emphasizes French manufacturing for all products and the choice of local partners. This choice was made to ensure the quality of our products and to meet our social commitments: collection of end-of-life joinery from construction sites for recycling, bio-sourced wood from sustainably managed forests, local sourcing and short circuits...
