At only 28 years old, she has to take the helm of one of the most famous DIY brands in the country. Agathe Monpays, former managing director of the Cypriot and Greek branches of Leroy Merlin will become, next September, the next boss of Leroy Merlin in France, the group announced this week.
Graduated in 2016 with a master's degree in management, marketing and distribution from IESEG Lille, a business school, Agathe Monpays has spent her entire career in brands owned by the Mulliez, a powerful family owning many well-known brands in France, such as Auchan, Boulanger, or Kiabi.
First alternating for two years as a marketing project manager within the textile group Happychic (Bizzbee, Brice, Jules), Agathe Monpays then cut her teeth at Leroy Merlin in 2016 as sector manager in Valenciennes (Nord), then store manager in Tourcoing.
From Greece to France
In 2022, the young woman benefited from a great promotion by becoming the general manager of the Leroy Merlin brand in Greece and Cyprus. In Athens, she was responsible for eight of the company's stores, she told the magazine Planète Grandes Écoles at the end of 2022.
In Greece, the young woman had to learn to live with the realities of her "long-term impact job", to train in Greek but also to manage "the nights of her seven-month-old baby", she says. She was also able to closely observe the differences in habits between customers in France and Greeks. "I would say that the first difference is the level of tinkering of the inhabitants: the culture of do-it-yourself is probably more established in France, where Greeks more easily use professionals to carry out their work," she explained.
After a year in the Mediterranean, Agathe Monpays will return to the fold next September by taking the helm of Leroy Merlin France. A surprising arrival for such a young candidate, who has been chatting on social networks.
No link with the Mulliez family
Many commentators suspected the new 28-year-old boss of belonging to the Mulliez family, owners of the Adeo group and the Leroy Merlin brand. Suspicions of nepotism quickly denied by La Voix du Nord and Libération, which ensure that she is not from or married to a member of the Mulliez family.
At the head of the DIY and decoration brand, Agathe Monpays "will have the mission to continue the dynamic committed to a platform company for a positive habitat" and will have to work on "new solutions for housing including energy renovation," says Leroy Merlin in a press release.
"She will also be in charge of strengthening the attractiveness of the brand, which has been part of the top 3 favorite brands of the French for several years," writes the company. His predecessor, Thomas Bouret, 51, will also rise in rank. This fall, he will become the director of international development for the Adeo group, which oversees the Leroy Merlin, Bricoman and Weldom stores.
