2020- So is Le Petit Depot ?

The Petit Depot team still has plenty of new products in store for you for 2020

Le Petit Depot 2020, more than 8000 products.

Le Petit Depot 2020 is above all the only business that has ensured a continuous flow of products from France, even at the worst moments of the COVID crisis, when 95% of the world’s aviation was stranded on the ground.

Le Petit Depot 2020 is the reliable partner that made possible your supply without limitations and on time kept incredibly short.

Le Petit Depot 2020, it is the even stronger confidence of our faithful customers, as well as the trust earned from others.

Le Petit Depot 2020, these are new projects in the pipeline, for serving you better.

We will keep you informed ... in the next coming !

LePetitDepot.com- A permanent reinvention serving ”the taste of France”

Lepetitjournal Singapour | Published on 14/04/2016 at 11:00

In the space of 3 years, Le Petit Depot has made a place of choice in the hearts and the fridge of many French people and fans of French products in Singapore. A success that owes a lot to the ability of Yannick Guédon and Frédéric Douvillé, the founders of the French online product sales platform, to constantly reinvent themselves to better serve customer needs.

Le Petit Depot celebrates its 3rd anniversary. How did the platform evolved over this period?

Yannick Guédon - Le Petit Depot has grown. It grew up faster than expected. When we created the company, on April 6, 2013, it was only a question of filling a gap following the departure of Carrefour. In 3 years we have moved to a complete alternative offer.

This was done in large part thanks to our customers who immediately provided a positive response and constantly pushed us to transform ourselves and to enrich the offer to best meet the needs they expressed. The platform itself has evolved to make the experience of shopping online both easy and fun. Over time, thousands of details have evolved in the organization, especially on technical and logistical aspects.

The product offering has grown considerably. Since March 9, 2016, Le Petit Depot has been distributing Carrefour products through several stamped ranges, "Carrefour Veggie", "Carrefour Frozen", "Carrefour kids", "Carrefour baby" "Carrefour selection".

Do a complete shopping online without breaking the bank, with quality products.

How many products can we find on the LePetitDepot.com website platform today?

Frédéric Douvillé - The partnership with Carrefour brings the total number of references offered on the site to 2,600, including 1,600 from national brands and 1,000 from Carrefour. It is the equivalent, in France, of a small Monoprix. The ambition of Le Petit Depot is to offer its customers the possibility of doing complete shopping online without breaking the bank, with quality products whose origin, like ”Label Rouge” poultry, is guaranteed.

YG - In the organic and gluten-free sector, we had identified that there was significant demand, but that there was a price problem. In both cases, the products that can be found in Singapore are offered at significantly higher prices than conventional products. Thanks to the partnership with Carrefour, organic products are sold at the price of conventional products. For people looking for gluten-free products, the Petit Depot offer almost covers all needs.

How does the service offered by Le Petit Depot work?

FD - The Petit Depot’s proposal is that any order placed before 6:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. on Sunday) is delivered the next day in one of the 3 slots offered: from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. or from 2 p.m to 6:00 p.m, 7 days a week plus a time slot in the evening from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm from Monday to Saturday.

We imagine that such a proposal, which seems simple for the customer, represents a daily logistical challenge.

FD - Delivery, especially when it comes to fresh produce, is a crucial point. This requires very precise adjustment. For frozen foods, for example, we launched the offer in September, but we waited until February before launching ice cream. We wanted to tweak the delivery system to be absolutely flawless.

Free delivery from $ 70 purchase, loyalty program? Le Petit Depot seems to be constantly innovating. What prompts you to do it?

FD -There are a lot of interactions between Le Petit Depot and its customers. It is by listening to their needs and suggestions that we have implemented free delivery for purchases of $ 70 or more. Again, it seems simple, but for Le Petit Depot, it was a bet: that of lowering its margins by focusing on volume growth. It was a business decision that had implications for the entire organization.

It is also on the basis of comments from our customers that we recently set up a loyalty system. This is all the more true since as consumers, none of us was sensitive to this aspect. We wanted to set up a very simple system. What we wanted is that customers see very quickly the realization of the loyalty program. For a regular customer, this makes it possible to acquire a voucher every month and receive it automatically without having to take any action whatsoever. Some very regular customers may get 2 per month. Those who are less will get 1 every 2 months.

Third example: that of means of payment. We just changed our system so that all cards are accepted, including debit cards and American express for a few days.

What is your personal assessment of this adventure?

YG - It’s a project that could not work if we didn’t believe in it and were not extremely motivated. In return, we spend a lot of time and fatigue. The satisfaction we get from it is to bring something new that is a real answer for people. It is also a great intellectual satisfaction for us who come from large structures and did not have entrepreneurial experience. In many areas we have had to move into the unknown. There is an intellectual excitement to brainstorm together with the need to find the right solution. The small business is a testing ground from A to Z. In this respect, it is an exciting playground.

At posteriori, was the fact of being two, important?

FD - Being two is essential. It is a real force of questioning. All decisions are made in pairs. Being two allows you to take a step back. There is always something one sees that the other hasn’t seen. This applies as much to the ability to innovate positively as to avoiding making bad decisions. We also rely a lot on historical clients and increasingly on the team, since Le Petit Depot today is a dozen people in the field of logistics, administrative services, marketing and communication.

How do you see your role within the French community?

YG - From the start, Le Petit Depot has endeavored to assume its responsibilities towards the French community by supporting as often as possible a large number of projects in the artistic, sporting or humanitarian fields.

FD - Beyond this involvement, the Petit Depot’s experience in the expat life of our clients sometimes exceeds what one could imagine. ”I just arrived. I discover your site with amazement” some told us. For people who live far from home who have to adapt to a lot of new things sometimes very far from their bearings, Le Petit Depot and its familiar product offer is a gift, also a way of living French culture on a daily basis in Singapore.

Le Petit Depot, because you deserve your favourite French food!

Bertrand Fouquoire, writing for Le Petit Journal in Singapore – April 2014
(transl. Julie Taylor)

We all have insatiable cravings for things we desire. And Yannick Guédon and Frédéric Douvillé’s cravings led to the creation of website LePetitDepot.comThey were crazy about their favourite French food (and realised they were not the only ones!). However, tracking down favoured products was an expedition in itself, and buying them was an expensive process. So, they decided to make the effort to import their desired products directly from France. This led to the creation of a new on-line grocery and home delivery service in Singapore. But the story does not end here...

Who are the founders of Le Petit Depot ? The brains behind the business are two Frenchmen who have been living in Singapore with their families for the last 10 years. In the past they had bought French products at the French supermarket Carrefour. But the closure of this supermarket in 2012 left a huge gap in the market. Fans of such national favourites as Amora mustard, BN and Pom’ Potes found themselves with a limited selection of products to choose from, having to hunt far and wide for these products in supermarkets throughout the island. At the same time, the French community in Singapore was booming with more and more French families coming to live and work in the Lion City. In many cases both adults were working, meaning they had less time and energy to track down their favourite products.

Let’s create a specific solution to this problem, suggested the duo. We’ll offer a wide choice of quality French products, at reasonable prices, without the hassle of leaving your home.

We’ll create a little on-line French supermarket, here in Singapore.

Several months later, after an intense period of preparation, Le Petit Depot was launched online, displaying straight away its strong brand values with a little pink and green van, part Kangoo, part 4L, speedily delivering goods to its customers without delay. .

« In the early days», explained Frédéric, “we only offered canned and packet goods, which were easier to manage and transport.” Very soon after came the chilled produce deli – now the highlight of the site - with yoghurts, cream desserts, pastries, fresh pasta, pastry for cooking... and of course cheese! “Today”, points out Yannick, “Le Petit Depot offers over 1600 products, of which more than 200 are chilled items, and over 100 are frozen products.”

The buzz spread among the French community. Customers participated spontaneously in the project, advising which products they would like to buy (Rochers Suchards chocolates, Paic citron washing up liquid etc...) and the services they would like to see on offer (expiry dates, delivery times clearly listed etc...). In such an environment the small online shop flourished, being open to its customers’ feedback and looking for ways to meet their needs in the most efficient and effective ways possible. .

Service at the heart of a start up.

This may be a start-up business, but the steps taken by these two training engineers to create the business are highly precise and specific. Behind its simple and easy-to-use interface, Le Petit Depot.com’s website is the result of a complex and demanding back-office system. “We are equipped with an evolutionary tool”, explains Yannick, “which allows us to integrate new functions little by little, in line with customers’ needs. Our aim is to offer customers the same level of comfort and information online as you would find in a shop...without leaving your home!” .

Service providers, suppliers,... the two entrepreneurs have procured the services of the best professionals available so they can offer customers a first-rate service, from their first click to the delivery of their goods. The latest news: they have signed deals with reputable firms so they can offer a range of high quality meats and hams online. .
The duo make an imposing pair, with a contagious energy and enthusiasm, creating 1000 new ideas a minute. “The days and nights are not long enough”, concedes Frédéric, “but this is an incredible adventure for us!”

And the story continues…

And the future ? « We are focusing on development control with one priority: the growth of the business must allow us to optimise customer service and not devalue it under any circumstances.”

Since this article was published on-line, we've experienced an increase in demand, prompting us to dramatically extended our product range, creating new product sections and developing existing ones. We now offer:

- a wide range of entirely French frozen produce

- a section dedicated to Christmas, with a wide selection of festive fare

- a meat and cold cuts section, thanks to our enhanced partnership with Huber's butcher and a weekly delivery of cold cuts direct from France

- a beauty and health section offering such well-known product ranges as Avène, LaRochePosay, Phyto and Klorane

- a baby food and health section offering brands such as Mustella, Klorane Bébé, GoodGoût

- a large selection of wines, culminating in a Wine Fair twice a year

- le Petit Depot’s kitchen garden featuring a selection of fresh vegetables

In january 2015, Expat Living's magazine Readers voted for Le Petit Depot as one of the best on-line grocers in Singapore. Thanks to you, our dear customers, we now swim with the big fish in the big pond! We thank you for your loyal custom which incentivises us to go further to satisfy your needs.".

To see all the products, place your order and arrange delivery please visit lepetitdepot.com