Originally military surplus, now a specialized equipment supplier
The beginnings
The adventure begins in October 1989 when Franck Douville, a 24-year-old conscript just finishing his military service, decides to venture into a then-unpopular field: specialized mail-order sales.
Franck starts his business in his parents' garage and, with their help, publishes the first mail-order catalog specializing in military equipment.
Originally, the company is named USMC for Uncle Sam's Military Catalog, but also because of the famous United States Marine Corps, through which Franck sees a goal to achieve: to provide the armed forces with the best equipment, as quickly as possible, anywhere in the world.
USMCPRO
In 1996, following the announcement by President Jacques Chirac on the major Defense reform (including the transition to a professional army), Franck decided to abandon the sale of military surplus to focus exclusively on the commercialization of new and latest-generation professional equipment for members of the armed forces and law enforcement.
In 2000, the company launched its first Ecommerce site usmcpro.com, allowing Defense and Security professionals to order their equipment online for the first time in France. A few years later, USMC became USMC PRO and began offering its services to public sector administrations.
Preferred partner of our Armed Forces
Administrative sales are progressing in such a way that Franck decides to set up a new full-time team to meet the needs of public sector stakeholders, both for operational purchases and emergency operational purchases, Adapted Procedure Markets, or National Tenders.
The company wins numerous tenders for various administrations, thus providing numerous equipment allocations, such as combat uniforms for Special Forces, hydration packs for troops in Afghanistan, flashlights for the National Police, telescopic batons for Operation Sentinel...
A family story
In 2012, Charlotte and Antoine, daughter and son of the founder, joined the family adventure with a new vision for the company: to become the first specialized "pure player" in the field of Defense.
Thanks to their innovative ideas, the company abandoned paper catalog sales to accelerate its development in Ecommerce and strengthen its logistics expertise, while placing particular emphasis on meeting the administrative needs of the public sector and local communities.
USMCPRO becomes Welkit
In 2015, the company changed its name to put an end to the confusion some customers had with the US Marines Corps. USMC PRO then became Welkit.
Welkit is a contraction of two English words: Well (very good) + Kit (military equipment).
Today
For its 35th anniversary, Welkit is getting a new look and continues its development by perfecting its expertise.
Still focused on e-commerce and the sale of equipment to defense and security professionals, the company positions itself as a specialist and emphasizes customer service and offerings.