By Writing Morbihan
Published on
From a friendship was born a professional adventure. The Morbihannais Maëlan Dahyot and Kévin Bauché hold the Tonton Outdoor specialized sports stores in Vannes (Morbihan). Meet.
Two sports enthusiasts
Maelan DahyotNéant-sur-Yvel and Kevin Bauche, from Lizio, have been friends since they were teenagers. Their friendship around sport crystallizes in the central hinge at the Ploërmel football club. Their collaboration will also be professional. In 2010Maëlan opens a franchise store (Sobhi Sports) in the inner city of Vannes. Kevin joins him later in the adventure. The Covid-19 health crisis shows them the importance of a web platform. They then left the franchise and rolled out their brand and site in 2021: Tonton Outdoor. Where does this name come from ?
When I released “Tonton”, Maëlan said “no” to me right away. But if, look, your son does call me “uncle Kev”, yet we are not from the same family. We all have an uncle or an aunt to rely on, regardless of their relationship.
Four points of sale
Three physical points of sale. one online. Here is the stage of the professional marathon of the two partners in 2022. “We have a running store and a Patagonia space in the city center as well as a 400 m² store in Kerlann with a hiking space and another dedicated to running (running, trail running, fitness, etc.),” explains Kévin Bauché.
Sports stores stand out from the big brands with a specialized high-end positioning :
Norrøna, Fjallraven, Icebreaker, Arc’teryx, OVERSTIM.s (nutrition) from Plescop, Veets, etc.
The new Vannetais do not run in the same category as the big brands. “We are an alternative. Some people new to sports will naturally turn to general stores. If they get a taste, they will come to us, the specialists,” says Kévin Bauché, who adds:
For example, we offer extensive support in the choice of shoes. We spend 30 minutes on average with the client. We direct towards what corresponds according to the size, its pathologies, frequency of use, sensation, etc.
The Morbihannais have passed the turn of the web. “We imagined the site as close as possible to the store experience: those who know what they want will search in the search bar and those who want personalized advice can choose to be guided by a funnel of questions precisely targeting their needs,” says Kévin. The platform also offers a map of sporting events in the world with the recommended equipment to optimize participation in the chosen event”. Since the creation of the e-commerce platform, Tonton Outdoor has passed 2,500 online sales.
Partners of local and national athletes
The sellers are big sportsmen. You will probably come across them on the Ultra Marine events or at the Vannes Marathon. Some clients have ambitious sports projects:
A customer can come out of the store equipped to do the Kilimanjaro, the GR34, etc. […] We meet crazy projects: two young people from Quiberon are on a 3-year journey by bike, a couple crosses South America (Andes Cordillera) on horseback for 8 months, a couple in Lapland, etc.
Tonton Outdoor accompanies a forty local athletes in their practice as Elodie WanherdrickStephanie Le Floch, Pol Le Bot or even Arnaud Hairie (winner of the great Raid on the Ultra Marin). “We are the official equipment supplier of Pierre-Ambroise Bosse who will try to win the Olympic title in 2024 in the 800m,” says Kevin.
In the continuity of this approach, the company from Vannes has acquired another service company to offer “Xperience sport”. The 250 athletes in the catalog can be put in contact with companies or individuals. The co-managers are on track for this new adventure.
Stores: 20 and 24 Place des Lices and 11 Avenue de la Marne, Vannes. The e-commerce site on this link.
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