Argolf, manufacturer of premium golf clubs, relocates to Côte d'Armor - Enterprise Magazine

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President Emmanuel Macron will no doubt welcome this example of relocation. Argolf (€1.5 million turnover in 2022, 5 employees), manufacturer of golf clubs and distributor of accessories for the sport, returned to France in July this year, namely to Plesselin-Trigavou (Côte d'Armor department). She previously moved to Florida, USA in 2016, six years after its inception. Now it is returning to its homeland.

One of the main reasons for this decision was the advantage of French production. "We realize 65% of our turnover in Asia, especially in Japan and South Korea, where our customers value French production," says Olivier Cola, president of the company. Argolf golf club heads are indeed manufactured by Armor Meca Développement. Olivier Cola was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of this family-owned company founded by his father before founding Argolf. Argolf clubs in the premium segment of the market are supported by this company from the Côte d'Armor department, where Argolf locates its production facilities. They specialize in using materials such as aviation stainless steel, aviation titanium and aviation aluminum that are used in the construction of club heads.

Although Armor Meca and Armor Meca Développement have always produced these parts, the assembly of the clubs and their customization, both visually and technically according to the player's statistics (this service is performed by Olivier's son, Enzo Cola), is now once again carried out in Côte d'Armor.

The region is also home to a design office that develops new products.

But French production is not the only reason for Argolf's relocation. "France has reduced costs compared to Florida, whether it's salaries or real estate," says Olivier Cola. "Also lower export duties between France and Asia." In this region, distribution is handled by Argolf Japan, a company set up by Olivier Cola together with a local distributor where Cola is a minority shareholder. The remainder of the distribution is 20% through the company's two online stores, one for Europe and one for the US. Argolf also has distributors in Canada and Australia.

The future of the company, which also sells accessories under its brand (golf bags, paternoster covers, umbrellas, caps), mainly through a marketing strategy to promote its brand, will involve the launch of an apparel line. This will happen primarily in Asia, in conjunction with Argolf Japan. "In Japan, 70% of the golf market is taken up by jerseys, shorts, pants..... We plan to launch our line there in the winter of 2024 and then expand into Europe and the US if successful," declares Olivier Cola. Contacts have already been made with Asian and European manufacturers for the production of clothing.

The lancing of the clothing line has a dual purpose: in addition to making clothing sales a new source of income, they should also "boomerang" to increase sales of equipment, which currently accounts for 90% of the company's turnover. Olivier Cola expects activity to grow by 10-15% per year over the next few years.