Groupe LE DUFF is a major industrial player in the food industry and catering sector. Founded in 1976 by Louis LE DUFF, the Group operates in over 100 countries, achieves an annual turnover of 3.5 billion euros by 2025, owns 20 production sites, and employs over 19,000 people worldwide. The Group owes its success to its industrial food division (bakery and viennoiserie with Bridor, and vegetables and ready meals with Frial – Cité Gourmande) as well as its restaurant chains (Brioche Dorée, Del Arte, Fournil de Pierre, La Madeleine in the USA…).
At the end of 2024, Groupe Le Duff’s IT Department decided to launch a project to transform and structure its HRIS scope, which Althéa supported.
Discover the feedback from Thierry Chauvin, CIO of Groupe Le Duff, on this collaboration.
HRIS: An essential transformation dynamic for a rapidly growing group
With a significant presence in catering and industry, and a strong acquisition dynamic, Groupe Le Duff had to meet an imperative need: to ensure the continuity and structuring of HRIS services for the group and its subsidiaries, in a context of high internal mobility.
“I looked for a transitional solution to deliver the HRIS scope, both for run and projects. The objective was to find a partner capable of managing all activities, so that I wouldn’t have to intervene in the transition myself.” – Thierry Chauvin, CIO Groupe Le Duff
After market exploration, Althéa was selected for its in-depth HRIS expertise, its ability to organize and prioritize activities, and its detailed knowledge of IT solutions and HR professions.
Structured and expert support
Althéa first helped formalize the HRIS portfolio and roadmap, enabling all stakeholders to gain clarity on the scope of activities and prioritize topics for 2025.
“Althéa’s intervention, particularly Laurent Le Gall’s, was decisive. The structured approach to define the scope and prioritize activities fostered clear dialogue with the business units and secured staffing with the right people at the right level.” – Thierry Chauvin, CIO Groupe Le Duff
Among the concrete actions:
- Organization and structuring of the HRIS scope, with project prioritization and run monitoring.
- Dialogue with business units to adapt HR solutions (payroll, time management) to operational needs.
- Implementation of a tailor-made system, ensuring a secure transition while preparing for the integration of new internal resources.
Concrete and operational results
- The IT Department can gradually regain control over the HRIS scope, with Althéa intervening occasionally as an expert.
- The structuring now allows for clear and transparent dialogue with business units, while securing recurring activities and projects.
- The recruited HRIS Manager integrates perfectly into a defined and structured ecosystem.
“Althéa enabled a turnkey transition, while ensuring that our internal team could gradually take over the HRIS scope. It’s a real operational success.” – Thierry Chauvin, CIO Groupe Le Duff
Althéa’s insight into the Groupe Le Duff project
Groupe Le Duff’s HRIS project is an example of a well-executed transformation in a specific and complex context. The ability to structure the scope, prioritize activities, and provide expert resources was essential to ensure continuity and prepare for the future of the HR function.
“A big thank you to the Groupe Le Duff teams for their trust and involvement.
It is a real pleasure to support them in this structuring HRIS transformation.” – Laurent Le Gall, Althéa Director and Head of the Grand-Ouest region
The first 3 months were decisive in laying the groundwork for a successful collaboration with Groupe Le Duff. This success is due to several key factors:
- A high-quality welcome and constant transparency from the IT and HR teams.
- The intensity and commitment of Althéa consultants, present daily, particularly thanks to our establishment in Nantes.
- An ability to quickly adapt to the context, needs, uses… and the client’s pace.
A lasting partnership
Groupe Le Duff continues its collaboration with Althéa on the HRIS scope, with the objective of:
- Strengthening the internal team, for a gradual takeover of HRIS mastery.
- Maintaining Althéa’s support as an occasional expert, to guarantee the continuity and quality of services.
“Althéa’s value lies in its in-depth business expertise and its ability to structure and support our teams on a complex scope. We will continue to rely on this strategic partnership in the coming months.” – Thierry Chauvin, CIO Groupe Le Duff
Conclusion
Althéa is proud to support major groups like Groupe Le Duff in their HRIS transformation. This project illustrates our ability to combine operational expertise, strategic support, and sustainable structuring, while building trusting and solid relationships with our clients.
