The polka dot jersey still has a bright future ahead of it.
Despite a smaller number of roadside spectators on this particular Tour postponed at the end of the summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic, its sponsor has not reduced the sails or its investment.
Passing through Nice during the 2nd stage, Michel-Edouard Leclerc, president of the strategic committee of the Leclerc centers, who joined the caravan last year for a period of five seasons, returned to his attachment to the event and the benefits for his brand.
How did you approach this Tour de France?
MICHEL-EDOUARD LECLERC.
The Tour this year brings its organizers to be on the alert.
They don't have the right to make mistakes.
I admire their work, in combat mode.
I find that the relationship with the public remains, despite the barrier gestures and the masks, dense and warm.
Have you lightened your device?
No.
We believe that we are partners for a minimum of five years.
It is a financial and also a human investment.
We did not downsize.
Some partners are more discreet this year but we think that the public wants this Tour to take place and that we have to be there.
Did you fear a lack of visibility for your sign?
It may seem pretentious but we are lucky to be one of the French brands with the strongest notoriety, so we are looking less for the visibility of a logo than the attachment to a friendly sport with a strong variation in families. .
The bicycle, beyond its market value, has great social value.
It is a very strong social bond.
I am Breton and I am very attached to this investment.
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What made you decide to be a sponsor?
Leclerc claims the need for rooting in French territories and the most beautiful showcase is the Tour de France.
It creates a lot of emulation.
When a team from Leclerc, bike-loving store owners, came to ask for my support so that the brand invests in the 2019 edition and the next five years, I was immediately enthusiastic.
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Have you ever seen fallout since you became a partner?
Yes.
Cycling is in all families.
I am every week of the year in a Leclerc store and the public talks to me all the time about the Tour de France.
It's not just the visual effect of the logos or jerseys, it's the attachment to this event.
Cycling reinforces the popular value of Leclerc.
It is important and it is even a pressure for us.
That's why we didn't approach this Tour by saying that we had to reduce the sails.
We are not here to make a splash and move on, we are in a perspective of long term commitment.
Has your brand experienced financial difficulties with containment?
It was complicated.
Our non-food stores, which represent 35% of the turnover of the Leclerc centers, had to close.
The hypermarkets which were on the outskirts of cities also suffered from the proximity rule, some having sometimes lost 70% of their turnover.
We are recovering well today but we remain on the alert.
What are your strongest memories of Tour de France?
In Brittany, it is always a great moment of summer.
All my childhood years, I made sand blocks with maps of France and little lead cyclists.
I played Le Tour on the beaches of Concarneau.
I also rode a lot when I was a teenager and would go see the riders go by.
As a sponsor, I met Raymond Poulidor.
He was a delicious, kind being.
I love when great leaders give of their benevolence.
