Investing in France and in Provence: the point of view of maison.fr

Jean-David Habib, CEO of maison.fr, evoked the advantages of Provence at MIPIM 2023

Speaking at the recent Choose France conference “BEING THE #1: France’s Secret to FDI Success”, Jean-David Habib, the CEO of the home services platform maison.fr, told an international audience that the talent and loyalty of the workforce in Provence were an important advantage for companies like his. The Choose France conference was co-organized by Provence Promotion along with four other economic development agencies representing some of the main French metro areas — Hello Lille, Choose Paris Region, Aderly (Lyon area), and Invest in Grenoble Alpes — as part of the renowned MIPIM international real estate exhibition in Cannes. The conference celebrated foreign investment success stories across France, including the rapid growth of Aix-en-Provence’s maison.fr, which is supported by the British company HomeServe.

After years of working internationally, the French businessman Jean-David Habib is delighted to be running the maison.fr home services platform from headquarters in Aix-en-Provence where his company can benefit from an extraordinary quality of life, a dynamic connected economy, and above all, a pool of talented workers.

“There’s great connectivity in the Aix-Marseille metro area, it’s easy to travel to Lyon, Nice, or Paris. There’s a dynamism with super big companies like CMA CGM, lots of start-ups, and lots of people moving to the South of France from other countries or other cities,” said Jean-David Habib. "We also have a lot of skilled workers, and the area is very attractive, so even if you don’t find the people you need, they are very keen to move to Aix-en-Provence.”

Jean-David Habib made his comments as a featured speaker at the Choose France conference “BEING THE #1: France’s Secret to FDI Success” at the MIPIM international real estate exhibition in Cannes. Invited to discuss the success of maison.fr, which is backed by the British home services giant HomeServe, Jean-David Habib spoke about his entrepreneurial experience in Provence and how his company offers people in France a simple way to find trusted artisans for home repairs or renovations.

The maison.fr platform makes home repairs and renovations easier and wants to become #1

“Our goal is to build the #1 platform for booking a tradesperson or a contractor,” explained Jean-David Habib. “We want it to be as easy to book a repair for your home as it is to book a car with Uber or a hotel room with booking.com.”

Founded in 2019 in Aix-en-Provence by Jean-David Habib and Francisco Ortiz, who is the company’s CIO, maison.fr has a searchable database of 1.2 million professionals in France, including painters, electricians, plumbers, masons, and gardeners. The platform allows people to check performance reviews, see photos of contractors’ previous work, and verify professional qualifications, including environmental practices.

At the Choose France conference, Jean-David Habib told the audience that even though there are still misconceptions about the constraints of French labour laws, his international experience has shown him that Provence offers a unique advantage when it comes to attracting and retaining talent.

“I’ve worked in many cities and countries, and it’s true that sometimes France’s social regulations seem a bit too strict, but on the other hand, when you have employees in other countries, they are much less loyal,” said Jean-David Habib. “In Aix-en-Provence, you can find the talent you need, they are very loyal, and you can retain them much more easily than in other countries or other big cities.”

With the success of maison.fr, the company is hiring more reservation managers, sales representatives, and customer service agents. The rapid growth also means that the company will be seeking new, larger offices in the Aix-Marseille metro area.