integral part of this approach in which we believe. It is on the complexity of plants that we rely in our holistic approach to sa- tisfying consumers. This vision has led us to developing a ve- notonic formulation that I would qualify as “global”. It acts on blood thinning, on the venous tissue, lymphatic drainage and Hence, we have imagined a client experience that relies on on the liver, simplifying counselling for our resellers and gua- counselling in pharmacies. I deeply value and firmly believe in ranteeing consumer well-being. the counselling offered by pharmacists, which is of the utmost We rely on two R&D structures that function with six em- importance. It is up to us to provide solutions and formulations ployees: on the one hand, the innovation unit, on the other that can benefit from this pharmaceutical advice. All in all, this hand, the mixed unit dedicated to marketing and innovation. is nothing but one more reason to innovate. At its head, Pierre Lafitte who joined us in September 2020 after a fine career of about ten years with various food supplement Actif’s Mag: What is the importance of communication for laboratories. you? The innovation trend has made us consider building stronger Jean-Noël Negroni: This year, the laboratory is once again in relationships with our ingredient suppliers and developing ex- the spotlight through TV adds around Myocalm®, ourmuscle clusive ingredients in partnership with them. Les Trois Chênes contractions product under our 3C Pharma brand. These ad- is also open to entering partnerships with research laborato- vertisements were broadcast on TF1 in March. The advertise- ries. This is a step to take for our business as I am persuaded ment makes reference to a consumer study with a satisfaction that only the brands that are focused on the effectiveness of rate of 98%. But beyond the classic means of communication their products will endure. In fact, our innovation policy will go (press releases, TV adds etc.), it is important for us to go even as far as objectification, this latter being necessary in order to further and get involved in educating consumers about their strengthen consumer perceived effectiveness. health. We have some original projects in our mind, but they are still to be completed. Actif’s Mag: What other examples of recent developments can you give us? Actif’s Mag: Doyour ranges cover allthe segments of the Jean-Noël Negroni: In 2020 we launched Neurogenius®, our food supplements sector? Do you also offer other dosage cross-functional range of nootropics (Editor’s note: three refe- forms, such as gummies? rences for now). We will keep expanding it depending on the Jean-Noël Negroni: We have a very wide range with over 150 consumer needs we identify, in particular those related to brain references in total. Alongside our long date products that we “health”, with which it resonates since the beginning of this have reformulated or made available in several versions, we year. We are convinced that the universe of memory and cogni- have also added many new products. We are currently streamli- tion is set to become one of the leaders in the food supplement ning our portfolio, but I have noticed that we are under-repre- market. We are also innovating in the organic sector. We were sented or even absent in certain segments. And not the least among the first brands to place on the market plant-origin, or- important ones, such as stress, digestion, but also beauty or uri- ganic-certified vitamin D3. The same goes for our emblematic nary health. There are still many concepts to develop and im- slimming range 804® that we launched nearly twenty years ago, plement in order to sustain our growth. And we are working on and which has been fully reformulated to be certified organic. that. As for gummies, I am not a huge admirer, but I am aware We also brought eco-responsible packaging solutions into fo- that this dosage form matches consumer needs that certain cus. With 804® Minceur Booster Detox formulated with organic brands may meet. Nevertheless, I have a different opinion: this plants, we are riding the wave of naturalness in the slimming form of consumption alters the very concept of dietary supple- sector. ment. Beyond that, it is our duty to educate and explain again and again to consumers what supplements are and prove their Actif’s Mag: What is your approach to distribution in effectiveness. pharmacies as asales channel? Jean-Noël Negroni: Our brands are present in 12,000 phar- Actif’s Mag: What are your ambitions for the next five macies of small and medium size, mostly located outside the years? capital in France. This has been our choice for long. We have Jean-Noël Negroni: We wish to double our turnover. In this always sought to stay independent from other market players. sense, our innovation and commercial deployment strate- We believe in the power of counselling and proximity. We do gy will be critical. I also want to resort to external growth via not focus on size but value our close relationship with the phar- companies that share our vision. In other words, independent macy staff. Thus, our products are put forward and benefit from structures, that value the spirit of entrepreneurship, with strong counselling on a daily basis. internal accountability. We have the necessary resources to Pharmacists are fundamentally loyal to our brands which even know how to take risks and have the capacity to finance our ob- arouse their enthusiasm as, even if there is an increasing num- jectives. • ber of organic supplements, few market players are present in the pharmacy channel. Over the past two years we have multi- Comments collected by Philippe Millet plied our outlets in order to have the widest possible coverage. #76 - 54 -GAM s’fitcA