With the health crisis, household products have never shone so brightly. In 2020 alone, multi-purpose cleaners recorded a 26% increase in sales in supermarkets, according to figures from the IRI institute. In this market dominated by heavy goods vehicles, a newcomer, “100% made in France”, made its entry last year.
Its name is original, a bit enigmatic: it is La Marque en Minus. “The idea is to remove everything that is useless,” said Maxime Deguine, one of the two co-founders, aged 29. And to recall thus that a “household product is in fact composed of 95% water, all sold in a single-use plastic packaging”, he is indignant, while advocating in passing a total transparency in the ingredients used.
Following this observation, with his partner, Nicolas Simon, he designs “concentrated” products made up of natural components, 100% biodegradable and delivered directly to customers (in letterboxes) in recycled boxes: either detergent in capsules , dishwasher tablets and four cleaning products (one for the windows, another degreaser for the kitchen, an anti-limescale for the bathroom and a multi-surface for the living areas), offered in small cartridges to be diluted in water. ‘water.
Exponential growth
Launched in April 2020, in full containment, these articles met with immediate success: “the first two weeks, we had 400 orders”, he recalls. Since then, growth has been exponential: “We now have more than 20,000 customers, and we hope to reach a turnover of 1 million euros by April 30,” he explains.
Of course, the health crisis has given them a big boost, the French having become cleaning professionals. “It also saved us two to three years in ecological awareness,” assures Maxime Deguine. There is no question of offering these products at a high price. On the contrary: “If we want to have an impact on the planet, we must be able to approach the prices charged in mass distribution to make them accessible to as many people as possible,” he hopes.
Bottles to “keep for life”
Thus, the 42 doses of washing powder are sold for 17.90 euros (or 2.34 euros per unit), where the 22 capsules of the L’Arbre Vert brand are at 8.55 euros (or 2.57 euros per unit). unit). “On laundry, our prices are quite competitive. For dishwasher tablets (the set of 66 is sold for 17.90 euros), we are still 15 to 20% more expensive, he admits. But we are working to reduce costs. The larger our volumes, the more we will get there. “
When ordering on the site, a subscription system, without obligation, is also offered. “It’s called a regular delivery service. Depending on the number of washes per week that everyone will have mentioned when ordering, we suggest sending a new pack directly to the consumer on a regular basis. But we are against overconsumption: first, we will send him an email to be sure that he really needs the product or if he prefers that we postpone the shipment, ”he explains.
Of the 20,000 customers, 65% are “subscribers”. This especially applies to laundry and dishwasher tablets. Less for the cleaning products which are sold on the first order in a pack with four large “keep for life” bottles and eight refills (two of each) for 29.90 euros. Enough to brighten up its interior for about a year. Then the cartridges are sold 2.50 euros. And it is not finished: soon, a product for the floor should join the range.