 | |
| Type | Société par Actions Simplifiée |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Founder | Andre Venturini |
| Headquarters | , France |
| Products | furniture, home decoration, major appliances, small appliances, consumer electronics |
| Revenue | € 1.8 billion [1] (2010) |
Number of employees | 6500 employees in stores and 300 at headquarters |
| Website | but |
BUT is a French brand of retail stores specialized in home goods, including furniture, large and small appliances, and consumer electronics.
The BUT brand was created in 1972 by André Venturini in Le Havre, France. With his son Michel, he rapidly expanded his network by using franchising. In 1982, there were 140 BUT stores, and in 2015, 280.
In 1987, Carrefour became a major shareholder of BUT; it sold its shares in 1993. In 1997, BUT was bought by the English company Kingfisher, [2] owners of B&Q and Comet, which made it part of Kingfisher Electricals.
Since 31 March 2008, BUT has been owned to Decomeubles Partners, a company held by a consortium of Colony Capital, Goldman Sachs, and OpCapita. [3]
In November 2016, a 50/50 partnership between Austrian furniture retailer XXXLutz Group and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice acquired BUT. [4]
In July 2020, BUT acquired the French branches of Conforama. [5]
BUT stores offer three types of goods:
Fidem is the company that manages the BUT card.
From 1989 to 2001, BUT was the official partner of the TV game Le Juste Prix (the French version of The Price Is Right ), whence its slogan 'Le juste prix'.
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and then sells in smaller quantities to consumers for a profit. Retailers are the final link in the supply chain from producers to consumers.
Dixons Retail plc was one of the largest consumer electronics retailers in Europe. In the United Kingdom, the company operated Currys, Currys Digital, PC World, Dixons Travel and its service brand Knowhow.
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Groupe Fnac Darty, formerly Kesa Electricals plc, Darty plc and Darty Limited, is a multinational retail company headquartered in Ivry-sur-Seine, France. It was formerly a public limited company (PLC) listed on the London Stock Exchange, until it was merged with Fnac in 2016 and subsequently moved the listing to Euronext Paris.
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Steinhoff International was a multinational holding company that was dual listed in Germany and South Africa. It was officially liquidated on 13 October 2023. Its holdings were in the retail sector, primarily in furniture and household goods, and included a 43,8% stake in South Africa's Pepkor group. The company operated in Europe, Africa, Asia, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. It was well known for an accounting scandal which led to criminal charges against its former chief executive, Markus Jooste.
Conforama is Europe's second-largest home furnishings retail chain with over 200 stores in France, Spain, Switzerland, Portugal, Luxembourg, Italy, and Croatia.
Régis Schultz, is a French businessman, currently the CEO of JD Sports. During his career, Régis Schultz held the positions of President of Retail at Al-Futtaim Group, CEO of French retail chain Monoprix and member of the executive committee of Groupe Casino, CEO of Darty, CEO of French retailer BUT and top executive of Kingfisher PLC.
The retail format influences the consumer's store choice and addresses the consumer's expectations. At its most basic level, a retail format is a simple marketplace, that is; a location where goods and services are exchanged. In some parts of the world, the retail sector is still dominated by small family-run stores, but large retail chains are increasingly dominating the sector, because they can exert considerable buying power and pass on the savings in the form of lower prices. Many of these large retail chains also produce their own private labels which compete alongside manufacturer brands. Considerable consolidation of retail stores has changed the retail landscape, transferring power away from wholesalers and into the hands of the large retail chains.
A furniture retailer, furniture store or furniture shop is a retail businesses that sells furniture and related accessories. Furniture retailers usually sell general furniture, seats and upholstered suites, and specialized items produced for a commission. They may sell a range of styles to suit different homes and personal tastes, or specialize in particular styles like retro style furniture.
