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“Our objective at Groupe JOA is to change the way people in France view casinos. We have 13% visitation from French consumers, and to grow we want to attract new customers,” commented Laurent Lassiaz, CEO of Groupe JOA.
Groupe JOA is definitely making changes to try and achieve growth. When I visited, I toured both its head office and its latest property, Casino de Montrond – you can read about that in the March issue of Casino Life. Montrond has some amazing features for a casino; it’s well worth visiting. And its décor is very bright and colourful…a design I found very pleasing and uplifting to experience.
Calculated Risks
“I go skiing every year in Canada. We go off-piste and ski challenging routes.” To me, this sums up Laurent Lassiaz: a calculated risk-taker who is moving Groupe JOA – with the support of a dedicated team of professionals – forward in surprisingly dynamic ways, given the economic conditions we are all facing.
The link with Canada is appropriate given JOA is part-owned by Loto-Québec, which operates Casino de Montréal. This was, in part, how Mr. Lassiaz joined Groupe JOA in 2006.
Why Not?
“As part of my university studies, we had to find five internships with companies; the business school did not give us these internships – we had to go out and find them. I worked in four positions in Europe – one in the UK, one in The Netherlands, one in Belgium, and one in France. I also found a position in America working with a take-away pizza company.
“When I returned to France to continue my studies, I thought: “Why not? Why are there no pizza delivery companies in France?” At that time (the late ’80s), this concept had not transferred to France. So I started my own pizza delivery company in Mulhouse, in the east of France.
“It was successful, and I expanded it. Soon after, Pizza Hut entered the French market and opened pizza delivery restaurants in Paris. They knew about my company, and I eventually sold it to Pizza Hut, joining Pizza Hut in the process – which was owned by Pepsico back then. This was the start of my business education with Pepsico Restaurants International.
“What I am today, I owe it to Pepsico and the people there. They taught me so much. They invested in their staff. I was fortunate to continue to be successful, and Pepsico invested in me, trained me, and promoted me. I eventually became the Director of Operations for all of France, responsible for about 140 properties. During this time, I also helped launch KFC in France.”
Entertainment Move
At this point in his career, in 1998/9, Mr. Lassiaz moved into the entertainment world. He joined Club Med as its Director of Operations. “As much as Club Med was a different business, there were a lot of similarities to the food business. A lot of what I learned from my 10 years with Pepsico could be applied to help Club Med improve its performance; especially the constant focus on improving operational efficiency. The margins in take-away food are not very high. That forces you to focus on making everything count towards your bottom line. You don’t throw anything away if it can be used to do or make something else.
“Club Med was already a great company with a quality product offering, but there were areas for improvement – there’s always room for improvement! It was a great experience opening Club Med resorts around Europe, Africa and the Middle East. I learned a lot from that, especially how to link all the different facilities in a property together so customers experience something whole…a single experience…so when they left, they were looking forward to coming back again and again.
“We wanted them to think of the resort as a total package, and not to think of it as a place to just go windsurfing, or sailing, or whatever. Our aim was for customers to leave with a complete experience.
“We had a great team at Club Med. On my team, there were 17 different nationalities from different backgrounds – some had started as instructors, some had started as bar staff just passing through a country and looking for a temporary job…who then stayed with Club Med and moved up within the company. That brought a lot of different views and opinions to our discussions. I really enjoyed that aspect of my career with Club Med. I have tried to bring that to JOA…By 2006, I had been promoted to Executive Director for EAME (Europe, Africa, Middle East). That was when I was approached to see if I would be interested in moving into the casino industry.”
Casino? Emmm
It was in late 2006 that Mr. Lassiaz was approached to become the new CEO of Groupe JOA – then known as Moliflor, after its two founders, Adrien Moliner and Claude Florensa. It has a long history for our industry, having been started in 1948.
“When I was first approached, I did not have a high estimation of casinos. I had to be convinced that my background and experience were a good fit with the business, and that the casino industry was a good fit for me. I had visited casinos now and again, but I was not a regular customer of them. My perception of casinos was quite low.
“Loto-Québec invited me to visit Casino de Montréal. That was a real eye-opener for me. That was when I saw for the first time – really saw – what a casino can offer as an entertainment and leisure package; restaurants, bars, nightclubs, family leisure, live entertainment, and of course gambling. After I thought about it, there were a lot of similarities between casinos and how businesses like Pizza Hut and Club Med operate. When I returned from my visit to Canada, my perception of casinos had totally changed.”
Why Not? Part Deux!
“When I joined JOA at the end of 2006, the French casino industry was still performing strongly, though not as strongly as it had been. Slots were introduced into French casinos in 1990 and they delivered an amazing level of growth for many years; casinos experienced double-digit growth in slot revenues for almost 15 years. When I joined, we were still growing, although it was now single-digit.
“We started to make changes. I could see that our employees had lost some of their enthusiasm and needed to get back the feeling of how dynamic and exciting a casino should be for our customers. What I’d learned at Club Med, and at Pizza Hut, I brought with me to JOA. Then the smoking ban in casinos hit in January 2008, quickly followed by the economic crisis, and our plans for change had to be slowed down to take account of the different business conditions.
“We started to recruit people from outside the industry who had different views on how to run a bar or a restaurant or a bowling alley. This more diverse team allowed us to bring new thinking to how to operate a casino entertainment complex. We also used some key learnings and suggestions of the Institut Paul Bocuse to add more dynamism and professionalism in our bars and restaurants, as well as retail designers, to bring light and colour to our properties…we recruited people from retail who understood the importance of merchandising – of making something look good. That is very important in changing people’s views of casinos as they are usually dark environments with quite confusing layouts that are quite difficult for customers to use.”
On my tour of Casino de Montrond, the use of light and colour, and the focus on detail, were very apparent. One point of detail that really struck me was the use of curtains in the restaurant area to allow staff to easily and quickly make a big space small (when there are not so many customers eating), or open the space up once it gets busy – such a simple procedure that adds operational flexibility, without adding significant cost. These are the kind of business lessons Mr. Lassiaz has learned from Pepsico and Club Med that he is transferring to Groupe JOA.
The ability to successfully bring in new, innovative concepts – in a balanced manner, as one does not want to go too far, too fast – is part of the calculated risk-taking approach to business which, I believe, makes Mr. Lassiaz one of the most dynamic CEOs of any casino operator in Europe. This can be seen when you look at the two casinos being developed by JOA.
Changing Views
“Our objective at Groupe JOA is to change the way people in France view casinos.” The two entertainment casino properties planned by JOA should certainly help make these changes.
The designs for La Seyne-sur-Mer look outstanding – significantly helped by its location, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and Toulon harbour. “We are already operating a temporary casino, built in just four months last summer; which is a first for JOA. The permanent property should open at the end of 2014, or early 2015. It will be our most ambitious project so far. It will be a totally new building, built to our exact designs so we can better meet the needs of our customers.”
As will the new JOA casino at Giffaumont-Champaubert, that should also open end 2014/early 2015. These changes are underlined not just by the physical buildings, but most importantly in the approach and enthusiasm of the employees of Groupe JOA.
While I toured the Montrond casino, I was impressed by the friendliness and openness of every employee there. Their behaviour was subtly, yet totally different from my usual experience when I visit European casinos – they showed a real understanding of placing the customer at the heart of their thinking and behaviour. Only one other casino I have come across in Europe has shown me that kind of thinking and business approach.
Will Groupe JOA and Laurent Lassiaz succeed in changing people’s views of casinos? I hope so. If they do, it will benefit all our industry. I wish Laurent and JOA good fortune in their endeavours.
“Our objective at Groupe JOA is to change the way people in France view casinos. We have 13% visitation from French consumers, and to grow we want to attract new customers,” commented Laurent Lassiaz, CEO of Groupe JOA.
Groupe JOA is definitely making changes to try and achieve growth. When I visited, I toured both its head office and its latest property, Casino de Montrond – you can read about that in the March issue of Casino Life. Montrond has some amazing features for a casino; it’s well worth visiting. And its décor is very bright and colourful…a design I found very pleasing and uplifting to experience.
Calculated Risks
“I go skiing every year in Canada. We go off-piste and ski challenging routes.” To me, this sums up Laurent Lassiaz: a calculated risk-taker who is moving Groupe JOA – with the support of a dedicated team of professionals – forward in surprisingly dynamic ways, given the economic conditions we are all facing.
The link with Canada is appropriate given JOA is part-owned by Loto-Québec, which operates Casino de Montréal. This was, in part, how Mr. Lassiaz joined Groupe JOA in 2006.
Why Not?
“As part of my university studies, we had to find five internships with companies; the business school did not give us these internships – we had to go out and find them. I worked in four positions in Europe – one in the UK, one in The Netherlands, one in Belgium, and one in France. I also found a position in America working with a take-away pizza company.
“When I returned to France to continue my studies, I thought: “Why not? Why are there no pizza delivery companies in France?” At that time (the late ’80s), this concept had not transferred to France. So I started my own pizza delivery company in Mulhouse, in the east of France.
“It was successful, and I expanded it. Soon after, Pizza Hut entered the French market and opened pizza delivery restaurants in Paris. They knew about my company, and I eventually sold it to Pizza Hut, joining Pizza Hut in the process – which was owned by Pepsico back then. This was the start of my business education with Pepsico Restaurants International.
“What I am today, I owe it to Pepsico and the people there. They taught me so much. They invested in their staff. I was fortunate to continue to be successful, and Pepsico invested in me, trained me, and promoted me. I eventually became the Director of Operations for all of France, responsible for about 140 properties. During this time, I also helped launch KFC in France.”
Entertainment Move
At this point in his career, in 1998/9, Mr. Lassiaz moved into the entertainment world. He joined Club Med as its Director of Operations. “As much as Club Med was a different business, there were a lot of similarities to the food business. A lot of what I learned from my 10 years with Pepsico could be applied to help Club Med improve its performance; especially the constant focus on improving operational efficiency. The margins in take-away food are not very high. That forces you to focus on making everything count towards your bottom line. You don’t throw anything away if it can be used to do or make something else.
“Club Med was already a great company with a quality product offering, but there were areas for improvement – there’s always room for improvement! It was a great experience opening Club Med resorts around Europe, Africa and the Middle East. I learned a lot from that, especially how to link all the different facilities in a property together so customers experience something whole…a single experience…so when they left, they were looking forward to coming back again and again.
“We wanted them to think of the resort as a total package, and not to think of it as a place to just go windsurfing, or sailing, or whatever. Our aim was for customers to leave with a complete experience.
“We had a great team at Club Med. On my team, there were 17 different nationalities from different backgrounds – some had started as instructors, some had started as bar staff just passing through a country and looking for a temporary job…who then stayed with Club Med and moved up within the company. That brought a lot of different views and opinions to our discussions. I really enjoyed that aspect of my career with Club Med. I have tried to bring that to JOA…By 2006, I had been promoted to Executive Director for EAME (Europe, Africa, Middle East). That was when I was approached to see if I would be interested in moving into the casino industry.”
Casino? Emmm
It was in late 2006 that Mr. Lassiaz was approached to become the new CEO of Groupe JOA – then known as Moliflor, after its two founders, Adrien Moliner and Claude Florensa. It has a long history for our industry, having been started in 1948.
“When I was first approached, I did not have a high estimation of casinos. I had to be convinced that my background and experience were a good fit with the business, and that the casino industry was a good fit for me. I had visited casinos now and again, but I was not a regular customer of them. My perception of casinos was quite low.
“Loto-Québec invited me to visit Casino de Montréal. That was a real eye-opener for me. That was when I saw for the first time – really saw – what a casino can offer as an entertainment and leisure package; restaurants, bars, nightclubs, family leisure, live entertainment, and of course gambling. After I thought about it, there were a lot of similarities between casinos and how businesses like Pizza Hut and Club Med operate. When I returned from my visit to Canada, my perception of casinos had totally changed.”
Why Not? Part Deux!
“When I joined JOA at the end of 2006, the French casino industry was still performing strongly, though not as strongly as it had been. Slots were introduced into French casinos in 1990 and they delivered an amazing level of growth for many years; casinos experienced double-digit growth in slot revenues for almost 15 years. When I joined, we were still growing, although it was now single-digit.
“We started to make changes. I could see that our employees had lost some of their enthusiasm and needed to get back the feeling of how dynamic and exciting a casino should be for our customers. What I’d learned at Club Med, and at Pizza Hut, I brought with me to JOA. Then the smoking ban in casinos hit in January 2008, quickly followed by the economic crisis, and our plans for change had to be slowed down to take account of the different business conditions.
“We started to recruit people from outside the industry who had different views on how to run a bar or a restaurant or a bowling alley. This more diverse team allowed us to bring new thinking to how to operate a casino entertainment complex. We also used some key learnings and suggestions of the Institut Paul Bocuse to add more dynamism and professionalism in our bars and restaurants, as well as retail designers, to bring light and colour to our properties…we recruited people from retail who understood the importance of merchandising – of making something look good. That is very important in changing people’s views of casinos as they are usually dark environments with quite confusing layouts that are quite difficult for customers to use.”
On my tour of Casino de Montrond, the use of light and colour, and the focus on detail, were very apparent. One point of detail that really struck me was the use of curtains in the restaurant area to allow staff to easily and quickly make a big space small (when there are not so many customers eating), or open the space up once it gets busy – such a simple procedure that adds operational flexibility, without adding significant cost. These are the kind of business lessons Mr. Lassiaz has learned from Pepsico and Club Med that he is transferring to Groupe JOA.
The ability to successfully bring in new, innovative concepts – in a balanced manner, as one does not want to go too far, too fast – is part of the calculated risk-taking approach to business which, I believe, makes Mr. Lassiaz one of the most dynamic CEOs of any casino operator in Europe. This can be seen when you look at the two casinos being developed by JOA.
Changing Views
“Our objective at Groupe JOA is to change the way people in France view casinos.” The two entertainment casino properties planned by JOA should certainly help make these changes.
The designs for La Seyne-sur-Mer look outstanding – significantly helped by its location, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and Toulon harbour. “We are already operating a temporary casino, built in just four months last summer; which is a first for JOA. The permanent property should open at the end of 2014, or early 2015. It will be our most ambitious project so far. It will be a totally new building, built to our exact designs so we can better meet the needs of our customers.”
As will the new JOA casino at Giffaumont-Champaubert, that should also open end 2014/early 2015. These changes are underlined not just by the physical buildings, but most importantly in the approach and enthusiasm of the employees of Groupe JOA.
While I toured the Montrond casino, I was impressed by the friendliness and openness of every employee there. Their behaviour was subtly, yet totally different from my usual experience when I visit European casinos – they showed a real understanding of placing the customer at the heart of their thinking and behaviour. Only one other casino I have come across in Europe has shown me that kind of thinking and business approach.
Will Groupe JOA and Laurent Lassiaz succeed in changing people’s views of casinos? I hope so. If they do, it will benefit all our industry. I wish Laurent and JOA good fortune in their endeavours.
