Payot SA (Lagardère Services): Opening of the first Nature & Découvertes store

The arrival of the Nature & Découvertes chain in Switzerland became a reality in Lausanne on Tuesday September 15, 2009.
Ideally located in the heart of the city at Place Pépinet, right opposite the Payot bookshop, the new store has a 330m² selling space that mirrors the original concept both in terms of the outlet’s design (using environmentally friendly materials) and the product offering.
The 10-person team, including manager Damien Testud and assistant manager Alexandre Mazas, is responsible to Philippe Ciamporcero, director of the Nature & Découvertes chain within Payot SA.
A second outlet is due to open in August 2010 in the extension of the Balexert Shopping Centre (Geneva) which is currently under construction.
This expansion into Switzerland will continue throughout 2011 and 2012 with the opening of four new stores (two in the Leman region, one in Neuchâtel and one in Fribourg).
By the time this first stage of the roll-out is completed more than 60 jobs will have been created.
Nature & Découvertes stores also showcase educational activities and act as forums that give a voice to associations. Moreover, the Fondation Nature & Découvertes is planning to extend its project funding activities to include Switzerland. Accordingly, as of 2010 the foundation will help fund three projects for a total investment of CHF 63,000.

• Nature & Découvertes and Payot bookshops: sharing common values

Building on its ethical and environmentally friendly approach, in place for almost 20 years, and with two successful stores already open in Belgium, Nature & Découvertes is now taking its concept to Switzerland: “bringing city dwellers back to nature”. The concept of the French chain should have no trouble winning over the Swiss, who already uphold the values promoted by Nature & Découvertes.

Nature & Découvertes and Payot also share these values, in which business, human development and nature co-exist in harmony. This means developing the company in a sustainable and profitable way while balancing the wishes of customers, staff and suppliers in order to help create a fairer world.

• Nature & Découvertes: the French model for eco-designed shops

Nature & Découvertes’ stores will be developed in Switzerland using the same principles applied in France: High Environmental Quality-certified conception of space, store layout, merchandising, etc.
The Lausanne store has a 330m² selling space. The building materials used are environmentally friendly, clean and consume little energy:
– Recycled ceramic flooring.
– Oak fixtures made using wood from sustainably managed forests in Burgundy.
– Veneer panels certified by the PEFC (Pan-European Forest Certification Council).
A non-solvent water-based dye and traditional varnish were used for the finishing.
Raw materials for the chipboard panels, used in the construction of certain pieces of furniture, were sourced with a view to recycling and recovery of by-products from the lumber industry in Brittany: edging chips, sawdust, shavings, etc.
– Silicate mineral paint, which is free from toxic substances and absorbs pollutants from the air.
What is so special about the Lausanne store? The tavillon: a roofing technique using wooden shingles, a typical sight in Switzerland, which will be used to cover part of the store’s interior walls. Highlighting this traditional local craftsmanship in the Lausanne outlet reflects Nature & Découvertes’ philosophy of promoting sustainable development.

And just as in all Nature & Découvertes’ sites, the Lausanne store will be entirely run using electricity produced from renewable energy sources such as water, solar and wind power.
Following the example of the French stores, the Lausanne outlet aims to obtain ISO 14001 certification.