Irene De Muur

19th September 2024

Business transfer: From visionary entrepreneur to CEO of Dessange Luxembourg

Ferdinand-Marc Gallinelli's takeover of the Dessange group in Luxembourg, after devoting virtually his entire career to this internationally renowned French brand, marks the culmination of a successful career. During our interview, we wanted to find out about what motivates him and the various steps that had made him a major entrepreneur in the Luxembourg hairdressing market, as well as the details of this business takeover, which has been supported by our experts Johny Basher and Franck Alter from the Transfer team at Spuerkeess. Happy reading!

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Dessange, an international group with a strong reputation

Jacques Dessange, considered to be the hairdresser of movie stars, has built an empire on his reputation. Today, the group is one of the largest with franchises all over the world.

1,400 salons

worldwide (50 countries), including 350 in France

230,000 clients

daily

5 brands

Dessange Paris, Fantastic Sams cut & color, Phytodess Paris, Coiffidis, Camille Albane

20,000

employees

89 million

euros in sales

The presence of the Dessange brand in Luxembourg

Founded in Paris in 1954, the Dessange brand first appeared on the Luxembourg market 40 years ago. The success of the first salon in Rue du Curé led to the opening of more outlets. Today, it offers its services in five salons across the country. Its upmarket positioning has made it a success in Luxembourg, in line with the demands of local clients.

Dessange is one of the suppliers to the Grand-Ducal Court, and is also the number 1 choice for large-scale events such as Eurovision 2024, in which the artist Tali represented Luxembourg.

In our studio, we spoke to Ferdinand-Marc Gallinelli, CEO of the Dessange Group in Luxembourg. Interview by Irène De Muur

Who is Ferdinand-Marc Gallinelli?

Ferdinand-Marc Gallinelli's career in the cosmetics industry began in Paris, where, after obtaining his “brevet de maîtrise” in France, he started to work at Dessange.

Trained as a hairdresser, he demonstrated exceptional talent in everything he undertook. His remarkable technique earned him a position as a trainer for salons in Switzerland, where he spent a few years training the teams. However, his overseas experience did not end there.

He moved to the US for a period with QVC, where he won the “Customer beauty” award for technology in cosmetics for four years in a row. He eventually returned to Europe to open a hairdressing salon in Paris, then a second one, and just as he was considering returning to live the American dream, his expertise in the world of hairdressing and his solid reputation with the Dessange group led them to offer him the chance to take over the management of their salons on the Luxembourg market.

In just a few years, Ferdinand-Marc, an Italian who embodies the DNA and elegance of Dessange, became CEO of the group in Luxembourg.

Tell us about your early days at Dessange. Why did you choose this group rather than another?

Dessange wants people with Dessange DNA. We need to be able to pass on the Company’s values and codes so that the brand can continue to shine.
F-M. Gallinelli

It wasn't by chance that I ended up working for Dessange. I've always loved refined, elegant, quality products, and Dessange has always been the best in the world of beauty and hairdressing. Even back then, the company was reputed to be the reference, even the elite, in the hairdressing industry, where employees could rise up through the ranks thanks to a high level of commitment and rigour, and that's what attracted me.

I had a strict, high-level education. In fact, to be admitted to where I trained, you had to have been educated to baccalaureate level, as the school wanted to maintain a 100% success rate. And if you look at the employees trained by Dessange today, the vast majority have had dazzling successes: company directors, creators of chains of hairdressing salons, etc.

At Dessange, once you have demonstrated your commitment and desire to progress, and after years of experience, you will be given support you need to reach high-level positions, such as manager.

The opportunity to take over a company. What led you to take over the Dessange salons in Luxembourg?

Seeing the positive results of my salons in France and my day-to-day management of them, the Dessange group contacted me and asked me to take over the Group's subsidiaries in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In fact, my predecessor was looking for a buyer, and it was the Group that appointed one from among its employees. That's how it all started for me on the Luxembourg market.

Changing country, culture and scale (100 employees in the Grand Duchy) scared me a little at first, I admit, but I could never have turned down such an opportunity.

Your personal touch. What changes did you make when you took over?

When I became the owner of the Dessange brand in Luxembourg, and given my background, it was obvious that I was going to bring something new to the table. A hair spa has been launched at the head office (Rue du Curé) and in Bertrange (City Concorde), along with a range of organic and vegan cosmetics and Italian leather bags. This additional range of beauty products has been very well received by Luxembourg customers.

The acquisition of the Luxembourg subsidiaries. What steps did you have to take to ensure that the business transfer went as smoothly as possible?

As I was entering a new market, with a clientele whose needs were still unknown to me, I first chose to observe how the subsidiaries worked by visiting various salons incognito. This enabled me to assess the opportunity more closely, and to get an idea of the current situation. That's when I felt I could take over the business.

The local teams were so firmly rooted in the brand, extremely well trained, on the cutting edge, and had such excellent knowledge of the Luxembourg market and customer needs, that there was no need to conduct any market research. We have some incredibly skilled employees in Luxembourg, which impressed us and was one of the reasons we agreed to the takeover.

My career path within the Group and the fact that I was introduced by the Dessange Group's international management board meant that my new role and my hierarchical position were very well accepted by the local employees.

Spuerkeess responded absolutely brilliantly to all our requests before, during and after the acquisition of the business.
F-M. Gallinelli

The banking relationship. What were the key criteria in your choice of bank?

Prior to the transfer, the Dessange Group had its own long-standing banking partner in the Grand Duchy. However, as a newcomer to the country, I had heard very positive things about Spuerkeess, so I went there myself to get a feel for the country's banking options.

Spuerkeess’ approach and excellent terms and conditions, as well as the positive feeling we got from the various discussions with the advisors, Spuerkeess positioned itself as a potential new banking partner and won unanimous approval. We transferred all our accounts to the Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État (Spuerkeess) at the time of the takeover.

I felt vindicated in my choice by the speed and relevance of the answers I received from my advisers.

Spuerkeess responded absolutely brilliantly to all our requests before, during and after the acquisition of the business.
F-M. Gallinelli

Business transfer and takeover - How to best prepare yourself

Passing on your business to a third party or within your family is a crucial stage in the life of your company, just as taking over a business marks the start of a new life for a business owner. At Spuerkeess, these two important steps are taken with the advice and support of dedicated experts. Whether you are the assigner or assignee, our experts Johny Basher and Franck Alter, both business transfer advisers at Spuerkeess, reveal the keys to a successful transfer in this article. Happy reading!

Read article

Ferdinand-Marc's advice to future business owners

A very simple piece of advice is to really feel things personally. If you have good advice and support from a banking partner, if the project is viable, if the calculations are right and if the entrepreneur feels like going for it, then go for it!

Do you have a takeover or transfer project in mind? Tell us all about it! For more information, please contact our dedicated team today to discuss your project and find out how we can help you achieve your aims.

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