The Foire de Paris is held from April 28 to May 9. Le Figaro went there to give you a portrait of the most original articles.
As the Paris Fair ends in a few days, Le Figaro walked the aisles to discover all the kinds of products and inventions on offer. Five in particular caught our attention.
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#1. Teebike, the wheel that makes your bike electric
While the use of the electric bike is booming, the Nice company Teebike offers an electric front wheel to replace yours and transform a classic bike into an electric bike. “ We’ve miniaturized a battery, motor and electronic tools to fit on just one front wheel so customers can keep their own bike while making it electric. », explains Laurent Durrieu, founder of the company. This wheel is sold at 795 euros but the aid offered by the government for the purchase of electric bicycles also applies to it.
The bike has a range of up to 60 kilometers. An application that can be downloaded to the phone, but does not require internet access, can be used to control the electric assistance. The components of this wheel come from China but the assembly is carried out in France.
The Teebike company was founded in 2012 but began by marketing its product in Latin America and Asia. “ The electric bike market there was more mature. We launched in France in 2019. Since then, we have sold 5,000 and we hope to exceed the 10,000 mark by 2023 “says Laurent Durrieu. Recently, the founder of the company has felt a particular demand linked to people who are looking for an alternative to their car to get around while the price of fuel is rising sharply.
Read alsoThe French bicycle market is accelerating, thanks to the electric
#2 Williwaw, the connected and silent fan
In 2021, this connected and silent fan won the Prime Minister’s Prize at the Lépine competition. Beyond its silent nature, this fan starts or stops automatically when the temperature exceeds a certain threshold, chosen on the application connected by the consumer.
In winter, this fan can also be used to harmonize the temperature of a room. “ An option that allows up to 30% heating savings in the room where it is located », Claims its creator Stéphane Thirouin. A strong selling point as energy prices soar. “ Of the 30 fans that I have sold since the start of the Paris Fair, 75% of customers have bought it for this reason “, he claims. This fan is still the most expensive product on the market, at 849 euros. “ Everything is made in China otherwise it would cost even more. At the moment, we have sold 2400 in total », explains the founder.
Its product is now available in Fnac-Darty stores. The launch of this company was a big challenge for Stéphanie Thirouin, since he invested all of his savings, namely 500,000 euros, since 2016.
#3 Jobstable, the coffee table that turns into a computer station
Jobstable, this coffee table that has the ability to become a workspace won the 1er prize of the 2021 Lépine competition. Created by computer scientist Omar Seck, this multifunction table has a large screen that can fold up, an integrated touch keyboard, four speakers and integrated hard drives. It transforms in 30 seconds and its height is fully adjustable.
The founder has been working on this invention since 2012 and filed the patent for it in 2016. “ The objective is to open pre-orders in 2023, once we have found all the component suppliers who will most likely be in Asia so as not to blow up the price and assembly should take place in France. The sale price should be around 5000 euros “, explains Omar Seck, who already claims 1000 future customers.
#4 Transfarmers, the flowerpot that composts indoors
This terracotta pot looks like an imposing flowerpot, but it’s made up of so much more. Inside, you can put organic waste (peelings, eggshells, etc.). By decomposing thanks to earthworms, provided with, they bring nutrients and water to the plant which, thanks to this, needs less watering and fertilizer. With this process, the smell of the compost is greatly reduced, which allows it to be kept indoors. The pot, with the exception of the soil and the plant itself, is sold for a value of 210 euros.
All the components and the manufacturing are made in France with the exception of the cork stoppers, which allow the compost to be closed, and which come from Portugal.
The four co-founders (Aliette and Henri Thomazo, Louis Jamin and Thomas Colin) worked on this product for four years before marketing it in 2020. Since then, more than 2000 have been sold. “ Our clientele is mainly French and lives in major cities such as Lyon, Montpellier or Paris “says Henri Thomazo.
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#5. Ecellar 185, the connected wine cellar
This wine cellar, named Ecellar 185 (for 185 bottles), received gold at the Grand Prix de l’Innovation Électroménager 2022 at the Foire de Paris. Beyond a control application that helps the consumer to use it, the 14 shelves of the wine cellar are connected. Each location is equipped with a sensor to signal the presence or not of a bottle on it. This product allows you to program stock and peak date alerts on wines to remember when to taste them. It also helps to determine according to the type of wine and the time of keeping, the ideal place to age the wines.
This wine cellar is sold for a value of 3990 euros and is offered by La Sommelière, one of the main players on the market. This French company was founded in 1993.