Maisons du Monde has reported its Q1 2025 results, revealing a 10.9% decline in total sales compared to the same period last year, as the company continues to operate within a persistently challenging European market. Group sales reached €221.4 million, down 9.9% on a like-for-like basis.
Despite the downturn, the company highlighted green shoots in its transformation efforts, particularly in Southern Europe. Spain and Italy edged close to break-even like-for-like, even turning positive in March. Stores delivered their best performance in the past two years, down only 5.7% like-for-like, while revamped shopping centre locations outperformed the broader network by almost 15 percentage points. Renovated store performance improved significantly in March, posting a 7% increase versus peers.
Conversely, the French market remained under pressure, with sales falling 11.8% amid economic stagnation and cautious consumer sentiment. Online activity dropped 17.6%, largely due to a strategic shift away from paid traffic (SEA) in favour of brand-building investments. This reallocation contributed to reduced site traffic, although conversion rates and organic traffic saw some improvement thanks to billboard campaigns and the loyalty programme.
Maisons du Monde is now adjusting its cash flow expectations, targeting a cumulative free cash flow (FCF) of €100 million over four years (2024–2027), rather than the previously forecast three years. This revision reflects ongoing economic uncertainty and consumer hesitancy, especially regarding discretionary spending in categories such as home furnishings.
CEO François-Melchior de Polignac remarked: 'Despite a market environment that remained difficult in the first quarter of 2025, we are starting to see encouraging results, particularly in Southern Europe, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Inspire Everyday Transformation Plan. However, the rebound in demand is slow to materialise due to the ongoing uncertainty affecting consumers and leading to delayed discretionary spend, notably in France. As a result, we are stepping up our transformation plan, with a continued holistic approach building on our strengths and encompassing customer expectations, our product positioning and the Brand, as well as our cost structure and operational model. We are improving the customer experience daily while transforming our model and readying the business for the future.'
Key initiatives under the "Inspire Everyday" plan include:
- A comprehensive overhaul of the online experience to align it with physical store renovations.
- Expansion into new product categories (e.g. bathroom) and extensions in areas like pets and culinary.
- Optimisation of the supply chain using AI to reduce delivery times and improve stock availability.
- Broad distribution of a record 1.2 million catalogues to enhance brand reach.
A new €10 million cost-saving target. - Sales across product lines declined, with decoration down 10.1% and furniture down 11.8%. The store network stood at 333 locations at the end of March 2025.
Maisons du Monde continues to prioritise transformation and customer experience enhancement as it responds to evolving market dynamics, underlining its commitment to long-term sustainability and growth.
Disclaimer: This release contains forward-looking statements subject to risk and uncertainty. No guarantees are made regarding future performance. For further details, refer to Maisons du Monde's filings with the French Autorité des marchés financiers.
More information:
Maisons du Monde
[email protected]
www.maisonsdumonde.com