From knowledge to action - in small, independent steps to digitization
with SAP Business One Cloud in the grocery trade
FAIVRE DISTRIBUTION GmbH brings a piece of France to Germany. FAIVRE DISTRIBUTION is a young company that, as an importer, sales representative and marketer of authentic French specialties made in France, has been able to acquire a considerable name in the food industry within just a few years.
Gaëtan Faivre is a native Frenchman and the founder of FAIVRE DISTRIBUTION GmbH. With his passion for retail and his market expertise gained at well-known global players, he started building the start-up in 2019. The father of three chrildren came to Germany around 20 years ago and worked as an analyst, department manager, head of merchandising and managing director in German and international retail before starting his own business. He got to know, appreciate and love his wife Donata during this time and Germany became his adopted country. “With our professional know-how paired with the passion for quality products, the network on manufacturer and retailer level and the knowledge of both mentalities and languages, we can offer our customers an excellent all-round service as a reliable partner,” says Gaëtan Faivre when asked what makes the Düsseldorf-based company stand out from competitors.
„I wanted to follow my heart’s desire and build another bridge between France and Germany from which both countries could benefit. Once I had gathered enough courage and the business plan was in place, I took the risk – and have not regretted it to this day.“
Gaetan Faivre, Founder and CEO FAIVRE DISTRIBUTION
Digitization as the key to success
From his many years of management experience, he knew that he had to establish an enterprise resource planning system promptly. Nevertheless, he deliberately waited almost two years until he was sure that he had successfully mastered the first steps and would be able to survive on the market with his company in the long term.
Donata Faivre, who has always had a particular affinity for IT and supported her husband during implementation, looked at two possible ERP systems in 2021. The decision was then made in favor of SAP Business One.
Once the solution had been decided, the young entrepreneur turned directly to SAP for recommendations on which consulting firm would be suitable for an implementation.
“Do It Yourself!” – Self-reliance often pays off.
It was therefore SAP itself that directly recommended conesprit to the start-up as an SAP service provider and provider of the SAP Business One Cloud. “We immediately felt comfortable with and at conesprit,” reports Donata Faivre, who is almost forty years old.
After it was also clear that they would be able to implement the system almost on their own and thus save immense costs – it confirmed the decision to rely on SAP and conesprit. With the “Do It Yourself Implementation Package”, conesprit provides a firmly defined software and service scope, which, with detailed training documents and an implementation guide, offers the possibility of introducing the system as independently as possible. The implementation effort is therefore shifted away from the primary cost, towards self-sufficiency and thus cost savings. Many founders also see this as a positive development, as this allows them to take a closer look at their existing processes and, if necessary, optimize and digitize them directly.
People are still the most important success factor
“With SAP Business One Cloud, you have a real-time overview of orders, contracts and open invoices. So you are always and everywhere in the picture about the current status of business activities company. That’s immensely important in this business,” says the young mother-of-three, describing the system’s added value in day-to-day use.
“During corona, consumers in the retail sector sometimes treated themselves to more because restaurants were closed. Many also ordered online. On the other hand, sales have stalled. Now inflation is coming. It remains exciting. I’m glad that we’re already so good on the market and have a lot of support on the IT side,” says the native Breton, describing the current situation.
With conesprit as a strong partner at its side, FAIVRE DISTRIBUTION is constantly planning further. Currently, the focus is on using the merchandise management processes from SAP Business One. For the coming period, the integrated accounting is also to be used. “Our goal in the medium term is to gain employees* with whom we can grow together and offer them an appreciative working atmosphere,” is how the likeable Frenchman describes his goal and drive. With so much drive, knowledge and a heart in the right place, the young family will certainly succeed. That would be added value in every respect for the company – and not just in terms of culinary arts.
