When table football becomes more feminine: interview with the manufacturer René Pierre | RAJA
3min read
27/11/2019
France
René Pierre, a French manufacturer of table football and billiards since the post-war period, also started his entrepreneurial adventure in a garage transformed into a workbench. A look at a Made in France success story.
On the occasion of the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, RAJA has done something special by offering thousands of gifts and women’s table footballs to a few lucky companies! These rare pieces of equipment will be women’s table footballs, Made in France, designed by the manufacturer René Pierre. It seemed natural to give the floor to its representative, Sébastien Menneveaux*
Could you briefly introduce the company?
René Pierre has been manufacturing billiards and table football for almost 70 years. Today, the company is the French leader and is present on all continents, with a staff of around 50.
Every year, more than 8,000 table footballs and 2,500 billiards tables are shipped from the factory.
It all began in 1952, so what prompted the founder René Pierre to become a foosball table designer?
The first René Pierre foosball tables were designed…in Mr. PIERRE’s garage! As the son of a carpenter, he used his knowledge of wood and, given the potential, built a small factory in 1953 in the Jura region, which continued to grow over the years due to increasing demand.
In the 1970s, a new 8000 m² factory was built in Chalon Sur Saône, where we still manufacture all René Pierre billiards and foosball tables today, under the watchful eye of Claude PIERRE, current CEO and son of René PIERRE.
Can we say that the productions of the first years have become collectors?
Yes, many customers contact us to restore old babies from the 70’s that they have found or that have been handed down from generation to generation.
With the current vintage trend, we receive a lot of photos of babies from enthusiasts that are still usable!
Has the way a table football is made changed much since 1952?
Yes and no. Even though we have invested in CNC machines for cutting the wood, the majority of foosball table manufacture is still done by hand.
Who buys foosball tables from you today?
Almost all of our production is destined for private individuals and communities (campsites, schools, etc.).
As a recent phenomenon, we are supplying more and more start-ups and companies for break rooms or waiting rooms.
Are major sporting events a source of orders for you?
It’s mainly a source of communication for us, and an opportunity to show the innovation and dynamism of the company.
Do you have specific designs for certain major events?
For every major football event, we launch a limited edition or special pack.
We can also manufacture football tables with customised designs for special requests.
Let’s talk about the Women’s World Cup, and what made you decide to make a women’s football table?
Apart from all the international football tournaments for which we always create a table football, this World Cup is special for us: it represents a showcase for the world of women’s sport, and more generally for the promotion of gender equality.
It is therefore quite natural and with great enthusiasm that we launched the “Elles” table football.
What can we wish for the future?
Our leitmotiv: to continue to provide our customers with moments of pleasure, while preserving the quality of French manufacturing and the values of a family business!
* Sébastien Menneveaux is Key Account Manager for the manufacturer René Pierre.
