Thomas DELANNÉE

“Codata is a very comprehensive tool that I use on a daily basis. Its ease of use and regular upgrades make it indispensable. Definitely the best tool on the market.”

Can you tell us about your company?

Founded in 2013, Cigusto is positioned as the leading quality network in the e-cigarette sector in France.

Based on the number of locations, Cigusto is the market leader. We are currently operating 216 shops in France (65% branches / 35% partners), mainly implanted in shopping centres. We open about thirty new shops per year. These openings are guided by a triple objective: performance, profitability and long-term viability.

In 2024, we completed our first acquisition by absorbing the following shop networks: Point Smoke and Nicotech (45 shops). Our goal is to reach 300 shops by 2027, notably by maintaining our drive to create new shops. At the same time, we are continuing to study external growth opportunities.

Cigusto a highly structured company with the resources to match its ambitions. In particular, the network benefits from centralised logistics and a proprietary ERP system. We have a number of assets that enable us to look to the future with confidence.

What does your role as Director of Development and Real Estate consist of?

I have a range of responsibilities, based around two main areas: development of the store network and real estate management of the store portfolio.

My first task, which is key to our growth dynamic, is to open new shops. This involves identifying our future locations, then negotiating the legal and financial terms. Currently, few networks are expanding as much on the French market.

At the same time as this expansion phase, we need to monitor the operational life of our shops and keep a close eye on our stores network.

To sum up, my remit covers everything to do with the life of our shops, from identifying future stores to managing our ever-growing property portfolio. Although our property portfolio is relatively young, we have a number of shops whose leases are up for renewal. Generally speaking, legal deadlines are an opportunity to think about repositioning/resizing, for example. We are constantly focused on optimising performance.

Why did you choose Codata?

I started using Codata because it is an indispensable tool in order to conduct my missions. And personally, I’m very data-oriented.

I discovered Codata in 2010 and I continued to use the solution throughout my career when I was in charge of other retailers’ expansion. The platform has greatly evolved since then, and many new features have been added to the solution. All of which adds considerably to its value.

I use Codata, leader on its market, with other tools. In order to conduct studies and support our decision-making process. We systematically cross-reference Codata’s data with other data sources.

To be more specific, Codata enables me to quickly view locations in their environment and to get reliable and relevant data by type of studied assets (footfall in city centres, visuals, lessors’ identity). You might think that online mapping services are sufficient to analyse city centres, but unlike Codata, data is not regularly updated.

How do you use the solution?

Codata is multi-purpose, making it particularly efficient and time-saving.

With the commercial sites search feature, I am able to identify all the sites where our activity is not yet established. By cross-referencing these results with our other tools, I can integrate the relevant sites into our expansion plan and complete the mapping.

Codata is a decision support tool I use before I visit the commercial site. I never validate a project without visiting the site. The solution gives me a quick overview of the proposed locations, the ecosystem in which they are located and socio-demographic data.  If interest is confirmed, I schedule a visit and, at the same time, I begin the first phase of the application process.

Codata recently started to map smaller catchment areas. This provides me with a more global view and precise data on “isolated” assets for which there were no previous references. But we may be interested in them.

In terms of competitive analysis, Codata allows me to monitor the expansion of our competitors’ networks and to view which type of sites they target.

In your opinion, what are Codata’s strong points?

Codata’s strong point is its “human data-collection” in the field that guarantees the quality of the tool. The “machine” presents many advantages but it may also be subject to errors and approximations. Data collected in the field by a team of data-collectors provides us with an essential quality of information.

Over the years, I have seen a great amount of new data being integrated. The tool is now much more elaborated and keeps getting better. There is a strong sense of determination to develop the features.

Codata is a very comprehensive tool that I use on a daily basis. Its ease of use and regular upgrades make it indispensable. Definitely the best tool on the market.