Interview | Laurent Lamoureux, Chairman of SIRRMIET

After spending fifteen years in leasing and distribution within the IT industry, where he held sales, procurement and marketing positions at ECS then Allium, Laurent Lamoureux turned to the brokerage and refurbishment sector in the late 2000s. Laurent notably designed and launched ‘Ecotwice’, the Econocom service enabling our colleagues to sell their own products via a digital platform. An expert in refurbishment — the market’s players, products and regulatory environment, Laurent Lamoureux has just been made Chairman of SIRRMIET, the association of French refurbishers, and the stakes are high. Interview.

Hello Laurent, can you tell us how you got here?

You could say that I saw the birth of device refurbishment (laughs)! My career is closely linked to the expansion of Econocom. I first joined ECS in 1989 then Econocom in 1998 before going back to ECS in 2006. As the company was ultimately bought out by Econocom in 2010, I saw my remit increase to cover brokerage, first on medium and large IT systems, then on the new types of individual devices. I witnessed a radical transformation in the sector in real time. The acquisition of SOFIGROUP (which would become Econocom Factory) in 2022 was the logical consequence of the last ten years of developments in the sector and its scope.

Looking back, how do you see the development of the refurbishment sector?

We can take away two major lessons so far: it’s a relatively structured market, particularly in the mobility sector, much less in IT… Plus it’s a market that’s still emerging. The future possibilities are huge! If we look at the market in terms of future regulatory solutions, there’s something we need to remember: today, public companies are required to buy 20% of refurbished devices. That figure will rise to 25% in 2027 and 30% in 2030. To be even more concrete: let’s take the example of a leading public transport company. Its IT budget is now over a billion euros… I’ll let you imagine the opportunities! That’s why refurbishment is a core part of Econocom’s new strategic plan.

Tell us about your role as Chairman of SIRRMIET. What are your priorities?

I first want to say that the association is, naturally, at the cutting edge and in constant contact with the government (the Ministry of Finance obviously, but also the Ministry of Ecological Transition) on the draft bills. In concrete terms, there are 35 refurbishers within the association, which was founded a decade ago to make up for the lack of people who could liaise with the authorities. Operationally, we meet every fortnight and have set up four committees within the new governance: Public Affairs, Quality, Distribution and Communication.

As for future areas, I can identify three priorities. First, an imbalance in the competitive environment. French and foreign companies aren’t on the same playing field (whether it comes to taxes or legal requirements). That’s an essential problem to be addressed. The second area is the private copying levy. At a time of endless streaming, we think that regulation is totally obsolete! Finally, the end of 2023 will see the application of standardized accreditation. The idea is that the accreditation will reassure consumers on the quality of devices: at the moment, we don’t see refurbished smartphones in the same way as refurbished laptops… Although marketplaces like Back Market have contributed to education on smartphone refurbishment, there hasn’t been the same for laptops. As you can tell, there’s plenty to go at and we’ve got lots on our plate!