Keymusic opens first French store

Belgian music store chain Keymusic will go to France, with a first store in Valenciennes across the French border. Previously, the chain also entered the Dutch market.

Successful web shop

Keymusic opened its first store in Sint-Niklaas 26 years ago and has always focused on physical stores, as opposed to the competition that has turned its gaze to online. The retailer currently has about twenty stores in Belgium and the Netherlands and it will now open a first store in Valenciennes in France.

CEO Francky Dedeyne believes there is still room for growth, but does not want to do it at all costs. “Growth is the most important, but it does not make sense to buy growth. As a renowned brand, we will make sure we will not disappear from sight just yet”, he told Ecommerce News.

Despite their physical store network’s success, Keymusic’s web shop is making strides. It represented 13 % of turnover last year and it will most likely become the group’s largest “store” this year. Up until now, its Rotterdam-based store ranked first, just ahead of the store in Brussels.

Dedeyne sees how online and offline reinforce each other. “Many customers use the internet to orient themselves and then come to stores to actually buy something.”