Logistics: Essential for Motoblouz

“We would like to have between 50 and 100 physical contact points by 2030,” Jérôme Dalidet, CEO of Motoblouz, an online retailer specializing in two-wheel equipment, accessories and parts, told Auto Infos in an interview. Founded in 2004, this pure player in the motorcycle sector has operated a 6,000 m² warehouse in Carvin, Hauts-de-France, since 2017, with three mezzanine levels over half the floor area (providing 15,000 m² of storage space). The site holds 80,000 of the 187,000 SKUs in its catalog. Around 2,500 parcels are shipped from this site each day to its French (85%) and European customers, sometimes through cross-docking with certain suppliers. More than 600,000 orders are therefore recorded every year. Until 2017, the only way for these customers to buy from Motoblouz was through the digital platform.

But in 2017, Motoblouz opened a store directly adjoining its warehouse, offering customers a genuine omnichannel journey, with electronic labels ensuring identical prices regardless of the sales channel. It allowed the brand to establish a presence in physical retail. “Customers have access to our 80,000 stocked SKUs there, can try products before buying, and can order on site...” says Arnaud Deneuville, transport manager. “It is the smallest motorcycle equipment store by size, but it has the largest inventory in France! For this contact point, logistics are not really an issue, since the warehouse is directly accessible.” The following year, following an acquisition opportunity, a second contact point opened in Seclin, also in Hauts-de-France. This 2,000 m² store is located a few kilometers from its headquarters and warehouse. “For now, a single 20 m³ van on a long-term lease is enough to supply this store,” Arnaud Deneuville explains. In 2024, a third 550 m² contact point opened in Tours, in partnership with a motorcycle dealership. It currently carries 1,000 SKUs, and deliveries are handled by a transport partner specializing in palletized less-than-truckload freight.

Moving into phygital retail and opening numerous stores in France are not the only growth initiatives likely to affect Motoblouz’s logistics operations. The company aims to reach €100 million in revenue by 2026 (compared with €70 million today). “We are going to expand our catalog, from 187,000 SKUs across 700 brands to 250,000 over the coming year,” Arnaud Deneuville explains. “The goal is to be present across every motorcycle segment—road trips, urban riding, track riding, off-road riding, and more—and thus offer a committed range covering all brands and the equipment expected by two-wheel users.” Its own brands, DXR and Motoblouz, are also expected to evolve to offer an even broader catalog. Already present in Spain, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, Motoblouz also plans to expand more strongly internationally and double its foreign sales within two years.

Between opening stores, which changes order-picking methods at the Carvin warehouse, and its growth and international expansion ambitions, Motoblouz intends to maintain a high level of customer satisfaction, with delivery times that remain just as fast (between 24 and 48 hours depending on the selected delivery method), as well as precise order tracking. “Every day, we track orders with a tool called Welcome Track, which enables us to identify those that may have an on-time delivery issue,” Arnaud Deneuville explains. “We can then alert customers before they even notice the issue. We proactively defuse potential problems.” With the same objective in mind, Motoblouz has decided to integrate a dedicated CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system for each country in which its customers are located. “The offering may differ from one country to another. For example, in Spain, the summer season is longer than in France, so we see stronger demand for certain products, such as summer gloves or ventilated jackets. We need to anticipate this to avoid stockouts.”

If all these challenges are met, Motoblouz, which already uses an outsourced overflow warehouse, will also be able to draw on its land reserve in Carvin to expand its warehouse.