Few Romanian brands in the fashion sector have managed to remain in the public’s attention for as long as Meli Melo. Today, the name is associated with jewelry and accessory stores in the country’s major shopping centers and cities, but the company’s story began much more modestly, in Bucharest in the 1990s, at a time when the Romanian retail market was still taking shape. Behind the business were two French entrepreneurs, Stephane Dumas and Hubert Larmaraud, who saw in a Romania at the beginning of its economic transition an opportunity that few foreign investors had noticed. The first Meli Melo store appeared in Bucharest in 1998, and the success of its jewelry and women’s accessory collections gradually transformed a small-scale project into a nationwide retail network. The brand is presented by the company as a 100% Romanian business, even though it was founded by two French entrepreneurs who settled in Romania. Over time, Meli Melo built its own identity, inspired by French fashion but constantly adapted to the tastes and behavior of Romanian consumers.

How the Meli Melo story began in Bucharest

For Stephane Dumas, Romania was not initially the destination of a highly developed entrepreneurial plan. He has said that he came to the country in 1994, at the age of 22, motivated by the desire to discover a new place and experience something different. An important role in choosing Romania was played by the fact that his best friend had moved there approximately six months earlier.

Dumas recalls that he left for Romania with a backpack and approximately 2,000 dollars, but also with plenty of energy and the ambition to succeed. In an interview with Wall-Street, the entrepreneur explained that he did not have very much to lose and was willing to try. A few years later, the experience he gained in his new country would turn into one of the longest-running businesses in Romanian retail.

Before the first Meli Melo store appeared, the two entrepreneurs tested the local market. In 1997, the company Gamabell Exim began operating, and one of its first initiatives was to set up a French cosmetics department at the exit of Mega Image stores. The initial investment mentioned in the press at the time was approximately 100,000 dollars.

This stage is important for understanding how Meli Melo came into existence. The entrepreneurs did not enter a mature market, but experimented in a sector where the supply of international brands was still limited. Dumas would later explain that Romania at the end of the 1990s was a market largely untouched by major international brands, and this created a favorable environment for a new concept.

The first Meli Melo store and the French inspiration

The year 1998 represents the official starting point of the Meli Melo story. That year, the first store dedicated to women’s jewelry and accessories was opened in Bucharest. Some sources state that the first store was opened on Lipscani Street, in the center of the capital, in an area that would later become one of the city’s best-known commercial and tourist destinations.

The concept was not invented from scratch. Stephane Dumas acknowledged that he was inspired by a chain of stores in France and adapted the idea to the realities of the Romanian market. The concept was simple but, at the time, very attractive: a place where women could find fashion jewelry and accessories in one location, allowing them to change and personalize their style.

The first collections included earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other fashion jewelry, and the range was gradually expanded. The brand addressed broad categories of consumers, from teenagers to adult women, attempting to offer different designs according to the trends of each season.

One of Meli Melo’s advantages was precisely its ability to constantly introduce new products. Instead of relying on a few static collections, the company followed trends and changed its offering according to customer reactions. In an interview, Stephane Dumas explained that the team tried to follow fashion trends, listen to employees working in the stores and, above all, take consumers’ opinions into account.

From one store to a nationwide network

The success of the first store made it possible for the company to expand rapidly. In the following years, Meli Melo began appearing in Romania’s major cities, while the business model was developed through both directly operated stores and franchising.

The product range was constantly diversified. In addition to earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other jewelry, the stores began offering scarves, belts, bags, sunglasses, watches, hair accessories and seasonal items such as swimwear, pareos and fans. Later, the range also included footwear and clothing.

An important moment in the company’s international development came in 2008, when Meli Melo opened its first store in Sofia. At that time, the network had already reached 53 stores and an online shop, while the company was announcing plans to expand into the Republic of Moldova and Serbia. The economic press reported at the time that the business had begun in 1997, while the first Meli Melo store had been opened a year later in Bucharest.

International expansion continued in the following years, and Meli Melo became present in the Republic of Moldova and Serbia, in addition to Bulgaria. In 2019, for example, the company reported a network of 68 stores, with locations in Romania, Chișinău, Belgrade and Sofia, as well as department stores and stores dedicated to the home décor segment.

Meli Melo Deco, the step into the world of home décor

One of the most important changes in the company’s history came in 2016–2017, when Meli Melo entered the home décor market. The company took over the Bonsai retail network, which specialized in home goods, and the stores went through a rebranding process, becoming Meli Melo Deco.

The new division considerably expanded the brand’s universe. While Meli Melo – Paris was primarily associated with personal accessories, Meli Melo Deco brought the same idea of style and variety into the home environment. Stores began selling decorative objects, ceramics, tableware, textiles, bathroom products and aromatherapy items, paintings, lamps, photo frames and other home accessories.

In October 2017, the company took another step by opening its first Meli Melo Deco department store at București Mall. The store covered 352 square meters and brought together both fashion accessories and home products, offering a shopping experience closer to the concept of a department store.

The expansion into home and décor demonstrated that Meli Melo was no longer simply a jewelry and accessories retailer. The company was attempting to build a lifestyle universe in which the concern for beauty and style would be present both in clothing and in home decoration.

How Meli Melo managed to remain relevant

The brand’s longevity can also be explained by its ability to adapt. Meli Melo did not try to permanently impose the same products and trends, but instead followed changes in consumer behavior. Stephane Dumas repeatedly emphasized the importance of flexibility and dialogue between stores, employees and customers.

This strategy allowed the company to maintain a broad customer base. Meli Melo stores became places where customers could find both accessories for everyday outfits and products suitable for special occasions. Variety remained one of the brand’s main characteristics, while collections were constantly updated.

At the same time, the company gradually developed its online component. In contemporary retail, physical stores and e-commerce platforms no longer operate separately, and Meli Melo followed this change. In 2024, company representatives spoke about the tendency of customers to search for information online and complete their purchases in physical stores, while the share of the home and décor segment continued to grow.

Meli Melo after more than two decades

In 2023, 25 years had passed since the opening of the first store in 1998, although the anniversary campaign celebrating 25 years was communicated and carried out in 2024. The brand marked the occasion with the “L’anniversaire 25” campaign, launched for the Fall-Winter 2024 season and carried out both in stores and online.

The company continues to present itself as the largest network of jewelry and fashion accessory stores in Romania. According to official information, Meli Melo is present in the country’s major cities and also operates in the Republic of Moldova, while the Meli Melo Deco division is active in the home décor segment.

The current scale of the business becomes even more significant when compared with its beginnings. From a project launched in a Romania where major international fashion brands had not yet reached the scale they have today, Meli Melo has become a familiar name for generations of consumers.

The story of a brand born from an opportunity

The history of Meli Melo is, essentially, the story of an opportunity recognized at the right moment. Stephane Dumas and Hubert Larmaraud came to a market undergoing transformation and understood that there was room for a concept inspired by French retail but adapted to Romanian consumers. The first store opened in 1998 was only the beginning.

Over the following decades, Meli Melo went through several stages: national expansion, franchise development, entry into regional markets, the growth of e-commerce and, above all, diversification into the home and décor segment. The brand nevertheless remained faithful to its basic idea: accessories and beautiful objects can become an accessible form of personal expression.

That is why the story of Meli Melo is more than the history of a chain of stores. It is also a story about the transformation of Romanian retail, about entrepreneurship during a period of rapid change and about a brand’s ability to evolve alongside its customers. From a small Bucharest project that emerged at the end of the 1990s, Meli Melo became one of the best-known Romanian names in fashion accessories, gradually building its own place in the country’s commercial landscape.

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