Fermob
Metal outdoor furniture, colorful design, French manufacturing
Quality furniture, impeccable French manufacturing. But after-sales is catastrophic: Trustpilot 1.5/5 in 2025, delivery delays, missing parts, slow responses. The product deserves better than the company selling it.
Philosophy
Design and color, made in France. Fermob transformed garden furniture into objects of desire, 24 colors, renowned designers, impeccable manufacturing in Thoissey. If only the after-sales service matched the product.
History
The company has existed since the 1950s in Thoissey, a small town in the Ain department between Lyon and Mâcon. Metal furniture manufacturing, nothing remarkable. Then Bernard Reybier arrives.
An EM Lyon graduate, Reybier buys Fermob in 1989 on the brink of bankruptcy. His strategy in two words: design and color. At a time when garden furniture is white or dark green, Fermob launches 24 colors. From grapefruit pink to lagoon blue, lime green to poppy red. Garden metal had never been so joyful.
The Bistro chair becomes the iconic product. Folding, lightweight, indestructible, colorful. Fermob lands the Luxembourg Gardens contract, the emblematic green chairs of Paris, that's them. 150,000 Bistro chairs sold per year. The kind of number that makes a product a classic.
The range expands with recognized designers, Pascal Mourgue, Frédéric Sofia, Studio Bouroullec. The Luxembourg, Bellevie, and Surprising collections become references. All manufactured in Thoissey, C4 powder anti-corrosion treatment, weather guarantee.
Fermob furnishes terraces worldwide. Hotels, restaurants, public gardens. The brand has become synonymous with French outdoor furniture like Bistrot is synonymous with Parisian café.
But there's a problem. And it's serious.
Trustpilot, 2025: 1.5 stars out of 5. Reviews are damning. Abysmal delivery times, missing parts, customer service that doesn't respond or responds off-topic, complicated returns. The contrast is brutal between product quality and post-purchase customer experience.
That's the Fermob paradox: magnificent furniture, impeccable French manufacturing, design that deserves 'top', and customer service that single-handedly justifies the 'reservations' rating. The product is excellent. The company behind it, much less so.
Iconic Products
Bistro
THE chair. Folding, lightweight, indestructible, available in 24 colors. The green chairs of the Luxembourg Gardens, that's her. 150,000 sold per year. The kind of product that defines a brand, and a place. Design unchanged for decades. A classic that doesn't need redesigning because it's already perfect.
Luxembourg
The collection designed by Frédéric Sofia. Contemporary lines, lightweight aluminum, stackable. Outdoor furniture that looks like indoor furniture, the boundary dissolves. Table, chairs, armchairs, benches, a complete system to dress an entire terrace. The Fermob for those who want design, not just color.
Bellevie
The garden lounge range, sofa, low armchair, coffee table. Terrace furniture that mimics living room comfort. Integrated cushions, aluminum frame, the same 24 colors. Fermob moving from bistro to lounging. For terraces where you linger for hours, not those where you eat quickly.