A little historyâeuros¦
Des Poissons Si Grands was founded in 1987 by Vincent Debris who started the adventure with a first store located at 45 boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg in the 7th district of Paris. This name is a nod to the title of the book by Pierre Clostermann, French aviator and specialist in big game fishing, who himself gave this title to his book in reference to the Fisherman's Prayer to Saint Peter: " Saint Peter, grant that I may at last catch such great fish, That the temptation to lie in describing them may be spared me forever, For I am but a poor fisherman. "
This first store was dedicated to fishing practiced in France (fly fishing, freshwater carnivorous fishing and coastal fishing). We are talking about a time when bass fishing with lures was very confidential, a time when fishing stores did not buy ready-made rigs from firms but assembled them themselves (you can still find rigs made by DPSG). After a few years, a shift was made towards Exotic fishing, the "Great fishing", the one that makes people dream. At the same time, in 1990, DPSG published its famous catalog, a book of several hundred pages that made the reputation of the company and became over the years a real Bible for many fishermen around the world. Each product offered was accompanied by the "DPSG opinion". Thanks to his success, Vincent Debris decided to move his store to a larger location at 160 rue de Grenelle, not far from the first store.
Then came the Internet era and the paper Bible was gradually replaced by an online sales site that kept the famous personalized "DPSG Notices".
During its 33 years of existence, DPSG has brought a lot to fishing and has managed to create strong partnerships with major brands such as Daiwa (DPSG is the only store in the world to develop rods in collaboration with Daiwa) or Tenryu (the first Tenryu imported in Europe was by DPSG) and to develop its own brands (DPSG Mer, Marlin For Ever, Jackson Family Popper, etc). On April 1, 2020, Vincent Debris handed over to Jean-Baptiste Grillon. One book is closing, another is opening.
DPSG 2.0
One of Mr. Grillon's first wishes was to remove the name "DPSG Paris" in favor of "DPSG" because for him, DPSG is for all fishermen, regardless of their budgets. The product lines have also been expanded since DPSG now offers a mid-range. " Some will say that the entry level at DPSG is the mid-range at others. This is certainly true, but since the equipment is rigorously selected by specialists, we can assume that any product offered by DPSG is a safe bet at a very competitive price, almost always the best on the market. There are no false promotions. "says Jean-Baptiste Grillon.
Identified universes and dedicated spaces
Another notable change is the reopening, in addition to the current store at 160 rue de Grenelle, now reserved for sea fishing and Exo fishing, of the first store located at 45 boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg dedicated to freshwater lure fishing. " The need to open a second dedicated space was mandatory for me. It gives more space and allows to have dedicated teams. It is difficult to sell a trout foil and a 150 lbs rod for bluefin tuna in Brittany in the same space. "says Jean-Baptiste Grillon. In addition, while maintaining its role as a specialist in exotic fishing, certain types of fishing have been given pride of place, such as fly fishing, for which the market is growing.
A team of specialists
Jean-Baptiste Grillon was keen to surround himself with a solid team because, in his own words " a sale of streetfishing equipment can sometimes be more complex than an advice for exotic fishing. The new generation of fishermen has a great knowledge thanks to the web, the young people are really technical! ". For fresh water, we find Geoffrey, Jean-Baptiste's assistant, whose technical expertise is matched only by his experience in store sales, as well as Loïc, a certified fishing guide and Alexandre, a fly fishing specialist. On the exotic side, we find a pair composed of Eric, with 25 years of experience in the world's seas as a fishing guide, and Raphaël, or when talent doesn't wait for the number of years!
And all these experts are not just selling, " They are people who live fishing, know the trends, advise customers on a daily basis whether in the store or by phone, are in contact with suppliers and are responsible for the choice of material to be selected for the stores. "explains Jean-Baptiste Grillon, who loves all kinds of fishing and considers himself a generalist.
A new website
The website has benefited from a beautiful rejuvenation. The image and the ergonomics have been reworked. As for the famous "DPSG Opinions", they are still there. In the same way as a visit to a store, the aim is to make buying on the website a real experience with personalized advice. " The web is not something impersonal where customers are alone. They can call and be advised by phone, join us on Facebook. We try to serve as well as possible the customers who are geographically distant from the Parisian stores. "continues Mr. Grillon.
DPSG offers many references by brand while guaranteeing fast shipping. " Today, when an order is placed on the website, it is shipped between 1 and 4 working days maximum. Even if it happens that there is a need to order some products, more than 90% of the products offered on the site are in stock in the store. Whatever happens, the customer is informed directly on the site of the availability of products. "clarifies Mr. Grillon.
And then, cherry on the cake, each order comes with some stickers to collect and made in collaboration with a South African artist. Quite classy!
A lot of changes and a future that looks very promising. If "Fluctuat nec mergitur" is the motto of the city of Paris, we would gladly associate it with DPSG which, against all odds, is still here in 2020.
Read more: Interview with Jean-Baptiste Grillon, the new owner of DPSG
