Lagardère Group
Lagardère S.A. (French pronunciation: [laɡaʁdɛʁ]) is an international group with operations in over 40 countries. Based in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the group was created in 1992 as Matra, Hachette & Lagardère.
Company type
Publishing, Travel Retail, Live Entertainment, Media, sports club
1992
Paris, France
- Arnaud Lagardère
(Chairman & CEO) - Pierre Leroy (Deputy CEO)
Publishing (books, magazines, e-publishing, mobile games and board games), retail outlets, live entertainment, radio stations, sports club
27,383 (2022)[1]
Lagardère Publishing, Lagardère Travel Retail, Lagardère News, Lagardère Live Entertainment, Lagardère Paris Racing
Headed by Arnaud Lagardère, it is focused around two priority divisions: Lagardère Publishing and Lagardère Travel Retail. While its book and e-publishing division (Lagardère Publishing) includes the major imprint Hachette Livre, its Travel Retail unit includes store retail, largely in airports[2] and railway stations.
The group's business scope also comprises other activities, mainly including Lagardère News (Paris Match, Le Journal du Dimanche, Europe 1, Europe 2, RFM and the Elle brand licence), Lagardère Live Entertainment (production of concerts and shows and venue management) and Lagardère Paris Racing (sports club).
On November 21, 2023, Vivendi completed the purchase of a majority stake (60%) in Lagardère.[3][4][5]
Management[edit]
Until 30 June 2021, the management structure of Lagardère reflects its status as a société en commandite par actions (partnership limited by shares): the firm is led by general and managing partner Arnaud Lagardère,[39][40] who heads an executive committee comprising two co-managing partners (Pierre Leroy and Thierry Funck-Brentano), spokesperson and chief of external relations Ramzi Khiroun and chief financial officer Sophie Stabile.
Since the conversion of the company into a joint-stock company with a board of directors on 30 June 2021, Arnaud Lagardère was appointed as chairman and chief executive officer and Pierre Leroy as deputy chief executive officer.[41]
Each of the company's two main divisions has its own chairman and CEO, with Lagardère Publishing led by Pierre Leroy and Lagardère Travel Retail by Dag Rasmussen.[42]
The company is overseen by a board of directors, which has been chaired by Arnaud Lagardère since July 2021. Its other members are Virginie Banet, Valérie Bernis, Laura Carrere, Fatima Fikree, Marie Flavion (director representing employees), Pascal Jouen (director representing employees), Arnaud Lagardère, Véronique Morali, Arnaud de Puyfontaine, René Ricol,[43] Nicolas Sarkozy and Pierre Leroy (board advisor).[44]
Business lines[edit]
Lagardère Publishing[edit]
Lagardère Publishing is the world's third-largest trade book publisher for the general public and educational markets, operating under the Hachette Livre imprint.[45] The division is a federation of publishing houses which specialise in education, general literature, illustrated books, part works, dictionaries, youth works, book distribution, etc.
Lagardère Publishing creates 17,000 original publications each year and operates predominantly in the three main language groups: English, French and Spanish.
The division also invested in leisure activities adjacent to the world of publishing with the acquisition of companies specialised in mobile games (Neon Play[46] and Brainbow[47] in 2016), board games (Gigamic[48] and Blackrock Games[49] in 2019, La Boîte de Jeu[50] in 2022) and premium stationery (Paperblanks[51] in 2022).
Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation[edit]
Since 1989,[57] the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation has encouraged and supported creativity and diversity through partnerships in the spheres of culture, solidarity and sport. Each year, the Foundation awards grants to gifted young people with bold, creative projects in the culture and media world.
It has rewarded young film producers like Carole Scotta (founder of Haut et Court movie company), scriptwriters like Phil Ox (who became a producer in France and England), novel writers like Agnes Desarthe, photographers like Emily Buzin and Tiane Doan Na Champassak and journalists like Stephane Edelson (who wrote in 1993 about the economist and banker Muhammad Yunus and the influence of his work on the empowerment of women).
