INTERVIEW - NICOLAS LE COMTE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, V-ZUG FRANCE: "OUR MAIN AMBITION IS TO GENERATE EVERYDAY ENTHUSIASM BY OFFERING SIMPLE SOLUTIONS"
Founded in Switzerland in 1913, V-ZUG is a Swiss brand that originally specialised in steam technology, and has become the reference for Swiss excellence in household appliances. |
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INTERVIEW - NICOLAS LE COMTE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, V-ZUG FRANCE: "OUR MAIN AMBITION IS TO GENERATE EVERYDAY ENTHUSIASM BY OFFERING SIMPLE SOLUTIONS"
Founded in Switzerland in 1913, V-ZUG is a Swiss brand that originally specialised in steam technology, and has become the reference for Swiss excellence in household appliances. |
Category: Worldwide - Interviews and portraits
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Interview made by Sonia Taourghi on 2024-01-11
Ovens, hobs, refrigerators, coffee machines, steam cabinets... The brand boasts 12 product ranges to satisfy customers in search of beauty, performance and durability.
Born in Switzerland, the business is still linked to the city of Zug, where the name of the brand comes from. In addition to the factory, the company has created an entire "campus" to accommodate its industrial needs, as well as housing and living spaces for its employees.
With subsidiaries in Europe, Australia, China, Hong Kong and Singapore, the brand has experienced strong growth in recent years, particularly in France.
V-ZUG has chosen an ultra-premium positioning for a demanding clientele, and is expanding into the luxury residential market and, more recently, the hotel business.
Nicolas Le Comte, Managing Director for V-ZUG France, answers questions from Le Journal des Palaces, and tells us more about the brand's future ambitions.Journal des Palaces: V-ZUG is a brand synonymous with Swiss excellence. Where did this quest for excellence originate?Nicolas Le Comte: For over a century, V-ZUG has been committed to simplifying the daily lives of its customers by offering innovative appliances of unrivalled quality. As the Swiss market leader, we not only embody Swiss values, we make them accessible to everyone through simple, personalized solutions.How do you maintain this excellence, both in your day-to-day work and in your new products?Our main ambition is to generate everyday enthusiasm by offering simple solutions that go beyond the design of high-end household appliances. That's why we take a holistic approach, placing our employees, the environment and society at the heart of our constant concerns.Who are your target customers?Our products are aimed at a demanding clientele looking for superior quality, innovative technology and elegant design. Thanks to our innovative spirit and specific patents, the possible uses for our appliances are vast. That's why we created the "Gourmet Academy". Thanks to a network of professional chefs in all our subsidiaries, it's possible to benefit from culinary demonstrations in our culinary workshops, at our distributors' premises, but also at home, in order to master the use of V-ZUG appliances, while exploring new recipes and culinary techniques.Anne-Sophie Pic, Cédric Grolet and Andreas Caminada have all worked with V-ZUG. How do you choose which ones to work with?Over and above our shared values, it's the human values we share that enrich our relationships with our partner chefs. As far as V-ZUG France is concerned, most of the chefs we work with today came to us spontaneously after hearing about the quality of our products.How did the RefreshButler come about? Do you have any hotel ambitions for this product?The most revolutionary technologies are sometimes born from the simplicity of elements like water. And more specifically, steam. Our researchers, developers and designers have been working on steam energy and its properties for over 20 years. They first innovated in the world of cooking with our first steam oven, then transferred this technology to dishwashers with the SteamFinish program, and more recently, to clothes care.
The RefreshButler from V-ZUG is a garment freshening and deodorizing appliance that uses gentle steam and photocatalysis to guarantee impeccable freshness, reviving clothes between washes. It neutralises odors, eliminates 99.9% of germs, smoothes and revives textiles, while preserving their integrity. Although originally designed for domestic use, the appliance has many potential applications, particularly in the luxury hotel sector.What are V-ZUG's objectives for the new year?Sustainability is central to the development of our products, our services, our production methods and our contribution to a forward-looking society. Since 2020, we've been carbon-neutral thanks to an internal tax of 120 Swiss francs per tonne of CO2 produced, which enables us to reforest a forest in Scotland and implement concrete actions.
In 2022, we inaugurated an energy-efficient cold production plant, including refrigerators, freezers and wine cellars, at our new Sulgen site. In 2023, we installed a new energy system, called the Multi Energy Hub, to supply our Zug headquarters, gradually replacing natural gas heating with a district heating system that includes waste heat from our production processes.
After starting to decarbonize our fleet of service vans in Switzerland, we are continuing this year with our delivery trucks. We are also investing in the systematic installation of solar panels on all our new buildings and the purchase of locally-produced hydroelectric power.
We are committed to continuing to simplify our customers' lives, innovate and preserve the planet, while embodying the Swiss values for which we are renowned.
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