He is the strategist behind the success of the Swedish brand Picadeli in France. Today CEO of Picadeli France and Benelux, David Bicheron is leading the development of a concept that has become a benchmark for healthy snacking, with more than 400 salad bars in France and more than 2,000 in Europe and the United States. The brand serves more than 50 million salads per year and exceeds 130 million euros in international sales.
Born near Lyon, David Bicheron grew up in a family where work took a central place. Very professionally committed, often traveling internationally, his father passed on a model to him : success requires personal investment. Very early, David Bicheron also develops another skill : l’adaptation. Between moves and changes of establishment, he learns to integrate quickly, to recreate landmarks, to move forward without being anchored in a single framework. This ability will become one of its greatest assets. From college, he adopts an already very structured approach to his choices, observant, anticipating, adjusting. Even if it means leaving your comfort zone, he changes establishment to maximize his chances of integrating the best courses. It follows the same logic later : at every step, he favors environments that give him the greatest chance of success.
The double reading of business
This logic is found from its beginnings at Danone. Aware of the barriers to entry into marketing positions, he circumvents the system by aiming for an internship in international business development. A more accessible entry point which then allows him to switch to marketing. A first example of what he claims today as a constant : move forward methodically. After Danone, he spent more than ten years at Coca-Cola. First to marketing, then on the ground, in commercial. This passage through operations gives him an understanding of the business that is both strategic and concrete.. A double reading that he keeps today. Added to this is a culture of high standards inherited from large groups : rigueur, excellence of execution, attention to detail.
A first failure
In 2013, he launched into entrepreneurship by joining a family business in the agri-food industry, one of whose historic clients is none other than Géant Vert. The experience is educational but the economic model does not hold up. David Bicheron then pivots towards consulting and commercial support to maintain the activity. It was in this context that he met Grégoire Baudin, fruit and vegetable wholesaler. A relationship of trust is established. And an idea emerges : launch in France a salad bar concept inspired by the Swedish brand Picadeli.
Picadeli, an adventure born from an encounter
The project is born from a shared intuition, not a fixed plan. With Grégoire Baudin, then Florentin Ducôté, a team is built gradually. The profiles are complementary. David Bicheron structures the project. A company already exists with resources and an operational base : a key asset to convince the Swedish parent company. In 2017, Picadeli France is launched. The beginnings are dazzling. In two and a half years, the activity exceeds 20 million euros in turnover. From the first full year, the business is profitable. But this intense period has a cost. Accumulating responsibilities, David Bicheron runs out : he burned out at the end of 2017. A turning point for him. What followed was the choice to stop his activity linked to the family business and to devote himself fully to Picadeli.
Learn to last
The Covid will suddenly break the dynamic. The market is changing, uses are evolving. Some bets, like opening a restaurant in La Défense, don't work. But it is precisely in these phases that his profile takes on its full meaning.. Trained in demanding environments, comfortable with constraints, it is long-term. Where others seek absolute autonomy, he advances within a structured framework. Today, David Bicheron defines himself as a “super generalist ». Marketing, commerce, logistics, finance, product : he navigates between subjects with an ability to connect issues. A skill directly inherited from his hybrid career. At Picadeli, it evolves in a model at the crossroads of food, retail and technology. A terrain that he continues to successfully explore on a daily basis.
