What Charlemagne does

Librairies Charlemagne is a multi-branch independent French bookstore chain operating under the legal entity SA à conseil d'administration Société Nouvelle Charlemagne, headquartered at 50 Boulevard de Strasbourg in Toulon and serving the Var department of southeastern France. Founded in 1965 and family-held across generations, the company operates physical retail stores in Toulon, Hyères, and La Seyne-sur-Mer, complemented by an e-commerce storefront at librairiecharlemagne.com. It sells physical books across 17+ genres, digital ebooks, games and toys across 14+ categories, stationery, fine arts supplies via Dalbe, and collectible autographs via Charlemagne Autographe. The company also operates a school supply list service (Ma Liste Scolaire Express), a digital library lending stream (Prêt Numérique Bibliothèque), a B2B professional tier (Charlemagne Pro), and three reading/community clubs (Club J, Ludo Club, BD/Manga Club).

The core technology stack is a third-party e-commerce platform built by Kamael and shared across the leslibraires.fr network of independent French bookstores, hosted on OVH cloud infrastructure. The site integrates standard French and international payment methods (CB, Visa, Mastercard, 3D Secure), is RGPD/GDPR-compliant with CNIL declaration, and partially conforms to RGAA and WCAG accessibility standards. The leslibraires.fr integration provides unified inventory and customer accounts across the independent bookstore network. The company holds the LiR - Label de Référence quality recognition from Union Nationale des Libraires.

The business model is direct-to-consumer retail with one-time purchase transactions across multiple product categories. Primary customer segments are general public readers (mainstream), schools and families (secondary, served via the school list service), and collectors and enthusiasts (secondary, served via the autographs sub-brand). Cultural programming — author signings, reading clubs, and partnerships with cultural institutions such as Théâtre Liberté — supports foot traffic and brand engagement. Supportive partnerships include government cultural bodies (Centre National du Livre, Région Sud) and industry collectives (Libraires Ensemble, Fédération EBEN). Revenue concentration is low, distributed across long-tail retail and modest B2B activity.

Name

Charlemagne

Legal name

SA à conseil d'administration Société Nouvelle Charlemagne

Website

https://librairiecharlemagne.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Librairies Charlemagne is a multi-branch independent French bookstore chain founded in 1965, operating three retail locations in the Var region plus an e-commerce platform, selling books, games, toys, stationery, fine arts, and collectibles to general readers, schools, and collectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Core revenue from selling physical and digital books across multiple categories including literature, youth, comics, humanities, and more
2. Games and Toys: Sales of educational games, board games, card games, role-playing games, puzzles, and construction toys
3. Stationery and Fine Arts: Sales of stationery products and fine art supplies through papeterie section and dalbe.fr partner site
4. Author Events and Signings: Revenue from organizing public events, author meet-and-greets, and book signings

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Librairies Charlemagne is a multi-branch independent bookstore and entertainment retail chain operating physical stores in Toulon, Hy\u00e8res, and La Seyne-sur-Mer with a complementary e-commerce site. The company sells physical books (17+ genre categories), e-books, games and toys (14+ categories), and stationery, supported by author events, reading clubs (Club J, Ludo Club, BD/Manga), a Carte avantage loyalty program, a school supply list service (Ma Liste Scolaire Express), and a professional trade tier (Charlemagne Pro).

Product overview

Librairies Charlemagne operates as a multi-branch independent bookstore and entertainment retail chain based in the Var region of France. The company offers a unified retail platform combining physical books, e-books, games, toys, and stationery. Its product portfolio is organized around core retail categories (physical books across 17+ genres, digital ebooks, games and toys across 14+ categories, and stationery), supplemented by loyalty clubs (Club J for youth, Ludo Club for games, BD/Manga Club) and specialized sub-brands (Beaux-Arts via dalbe.fr for fine arts supplies, Autographes for collectible signatures). The Charlemagne Pro tier extends the offering to professional trade customers. The company also provides a school supply list service (Ma Liste Scolaire Express) and digital library lending (Prêt Numérique Bibliothèque).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Charlemagne Pro: Professional services platform for business customers including papeterie and office equipment
• Dalbe
• Club J
• Ludo Club
• Club BD/manga
• Charlemagne Autographe
• Ma Liste Scolaire Express

Products and services

• Physical Books (Livres papier) Physical books sold across 17+ genre categories in Charlemagne bookstores (Toulon, Hy\u00e8res, La Seyne-sur-Mer) and via the e-commerce site at retail prices (e.g., from 10\u20ac). Targeted at individual readers, families, and gift purchasers.
• E-books (Livres num\u00e9riques) Digital ebooks available for purchase on the Charlemagne platform, extending the physical-book catalog to online readers.
• Games and Toys (Jeux et jouets) Wide range of games and toys sold in-store and online, targeted at families, children, and hobbyists, alongside the Ludo Club community engagement program.
• Stationery (Papeterie) Stationery and papeterie products sold via the Charlemagne stores and e-commerce site for personal, school, and office use.
• Pr\u00eat Num\u00e9rique Biblioth\u00e8que (Digital Library Lending) Digital lending service that lets library patrons borrow digital content through the Charlemagne platform via the PNB integration.
• Ma Liste Scolaire Express (School Supply List Service) A dedicated back-to-school service that lets parents and students prepare and order school materials lists through Charlemagne, addressing the school-supply pain point for families.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered supportive, core and minor.

• Centre National du Livre (CNL)supportiveOthersGovernmental cultural body supporting the book industry in France. Listed as supporter on the Librairies Charlemagne website with logo displayed.
• Région SudsupportiveOthersRegional council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur providing financial support to the bookstore. Logo displayed as supporter.
• Libraires EnsemblecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollective of independent French booksellers promoting curated book selections. Charlemagne participates in their summer catalog (Catalogue d'été Libraires Ensemble 2026).
• Kamael - leslibraires.frcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner and website developer providing the e-commerce platform and hosting services for Librairies Charlemagne and the broader leslibraires.fr network of independent bookstores.
• OVH SASsupportiveTechnology or IntegrationCloud hosting provider for the Librairies Charlemagne website, located at 2 rue Kellermann, 59100 Roubaix.
• Fédération EBENsupportiveStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharlemagne has signed the RSE (Corporate Social Responsibility) charter of EBEN, representing companies distributing products and services for the work environment.
• Théâtre LibertéminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partnership offering Charlemagne loyalty card holders reduced rates on theater programming at Théâtre Liberté in Toulon.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cultura: Cultura is a French specialty retail chain selling books, music, games, stationery, and creative/leisure products across physical stores and e-commerce. Highly comparable to Charlemagne's multi-category offering of books, games/toys, and stationery, though at materially larger scale and broader national footprint.
• Decitre: Decitre is a French independent bookstore chain with multiple physical locations and e-commerce, carrying books, comics, games, and stationery. Closely comparable to Charlemagne in business model: multi-store independent French bookseller with omnichannel operations and similar category breadth.
• Le Furet du Nord: Le Furet du Nord is one of the largest independent bookstores in France, headquartered in Lille, with a broad assortment including books, games, and stationery. Comparable as a large multi-generational independent French bookseller expanding into games, stationery, and cultural events.
• Gibert Joseph: Gibert Joseph is a long-standing Parisian bookstore chain with multiple branches, offering books, stationery, and related cultural goods. Comparable as an established multi-branch French independent bookseller with a diversified retail assortment.
• Sauramps: Sauramps is a regional French independent bookstore chain based in Montpellier with multiple locations and an online store, specializing in books, music, and cultural products. Comparable as a multi-branch French regional bookseller with similar category breadth and cultural positioning.
• Momie: Momie is a French specialty retail chain dedicated to comics, manga, and graphic novels, with physical stores and an online presence. Comparable as a French specialty cultural-products retailer with multiple physical locations; overlaps directly with Charlemagne's BD/Manga Club and comics assortment.

Broad incumbents

• Fnac: Fnac is France's largest omnichannel retailer of books, music, games, and consumer electronics with a national store footprint and major e-commerce platform. Comparable as a much larger incumbent selling overlapping categories (books, games, stationery), but operating as a broad multi-category retailer rather than an independent bookshop.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/librairiecharl
• Facebookfacebook.com/librairie.charlemagne

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Charlemagne