On the evening of Tuesday 9 June, in the hall of the Trophées du Négoce, a name appeared on the big screen, a client stepped onto the stage, and three years of work suddenly took shape.
France Matériaux received the Trophée Stratégie d'Enseigne (Banner Strategy Trophy) at the 2026 Trophées du Négoce, tied with Gedimat. For a construction-specialist communication agency like ours, seeing a client rewarded for its banner strategy is not quite a trophy like any other. It is the recognition of something built over time, halfway between expertise and commitment.
A look back at three years of transformation.
2022: the question that changes everything
At the time, the economic climate was starting to tighten. The construction crisis was setting in, builders' merchants were going through a period of reshuffling, and the big integrated networks were gaining strength. In this context, independent merchants could choose between two paths: protecting what they had, or reinventing themselves.
France Matériaux and its managing director Eric Petitdemange chose the second. The structuring question posed by the teams was simple, but it changed everything: how do you turn independence from a defensive posture into a genuine competitive advantage?
From that question was born a complete transformation programme, rolled out between 2022 and 2025, which touched just about everything: the brand, the point of sale, the offering, member services, sales activation, and the head office teams.
Four projects, one coherent whole
The brand, first. A new brand platform, a refreshed visual identity, a clearer expression of the France Matériaux promise. Not a cosmetic facelift. A refounding of the narrative to carry one conviction: independence is a strength, provided it is structured like a retail banner.
The point of sale, next. New concepts were rolled out, including Sélection Menuiserie, which gives members a distinctive approach to layout, merchandising and customer experience. The roll-out has accelerated across the network over the past two years.
The offering, above all. The launch of Élémentaires, the group's own distributor brand, gave members a product differentiation lever at a time when the balance of power with manufacturers is hardening. Purchasing marketing has been professionalised, and the Carrefour des Partenaires has become a highlight for the industry.
Member services, finally. A shared logistics base, the Financière to support business transfers and external growth, the Energy Performance Office, legal and management assistance, and a Qualiopi-certified in-house training organisation. So many services which, added together, transform the banner into a support platform and give the independent merchant the weapons of the big networks without taking away its agility.
Convergence's part
Since 2022, Convergence has supported France Matériaux on brand strategy and the sales activation of the network, which counts more than 250 points of sale. Platform, identity, member materials, sales operations, network highlights: we have had the privilege of standing alongside them at every stage of this transformation.
The strategic credit belongs to France Matériaux. The vision is that of Eric Petitdemange and his teams. Our role was to translate that vision into a living brand, a coherent expression, and activation tools useful to the members. The role of a partner agency - demanding and discreet. The only role worth playing when supporting a banner transformation.
What the trophy confirms
At the 2026 Trophées du Négoce, France Matériaux was recognised for having proved that a network of independents can be both collectively powerful and locally agile. That independence - structured, organised and activated like a brand - can be a model for the future.
"This prize, we have the pleasure of sharing"
"This prize, we have the pleasure of sharing with our partners, and quite particularly with the Convergence agency. Thank you and well done."
— Eric Petitdemange, Managing Director, France Matériaux
A few words that mean a great deal. Thank you to Eric and to all the France Matériaux teams for their trust and the quality of our dialogue since 2022. Congratulations also to Gedimat, joint winner on the night: a fine double for the industry.
Photo credits : Négoce Magazine, Le Moniteur