ThinkSmart opens in France

Office equipment financing firm ThinkSmart has opened its doors in France, starting trade with electrical retailer Media-Saturn Group through an initial four store trial in Paris.

The Perth-based company said should the trial be successful, it will offer its B2B rental finance across all 29 stores in France.

Media-Saturn is Europe's largest electrical retailer, operating 750 stores across 16 countries.

"In the current economic environment, our business is focused on organic growth financed through cash flow rather than debt and taking the opportunity to grow market share within targeted territories," ThinkSmart chief executive officer Ned Montarello said.

"Media-Saturn presents not only as an important beachhead retailer for us to establish nationally in France, but also clearly provides significant opportunity for growth into the wider European market should we achieve the desired synergies together.

"In mainland Europe we are now pursuing a multi-channel retailer model akin to that of our Australian business, so the prospect of being able to work with Media-Saturn as well as DSG International, with whom we currently operate, would position us with the two dominant forces in European electrical retailing."

Mr Montarello said ThinkSmart had been able to roll out a very low-cost operating model for the French market because it was utilising a new online application system with existing infrastructure in the UK, and an established product the business had developed for France.