Le Point

History and profile[edit]

Le Point was founded in September 1972^[3][4] by a group of journalists who had, one year earlier, left the editorial team of L'Express,^[5][6] which was then owned by Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, a député (member of parliament) of the Parti Radical, a centrist party.


The company operating Le Point, Société d'exploitation de l'hebdomadaire Le Point (SEBDO Le Point) has its head office in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.^[7][8] The founders focused on readers' needs, which became Le Point's ideal,^[5] published by Le Point Communication on Thursdays.^[9][10]


After a fairly difficult start in September 1972, the magazine quickly challenged L'Express. The editorial team of spring 1972 found financial backing with Hachette and was then directed by Claude Imbert. Other journalists making up the team were: Jacques Duquesne, Henri Trinchet, Pierre Billard, Robert Franc, and Georges Suffert. The management included Olivier Chevrillon and Philippe Ramond. It has changed ownership several times. Gaumont Film Company bought the magazine in 1981.^[11] In 1993, Generale Occidentale purchased 82.5% of publisher Sebdo, the owner of magazine Le Point from Gaumont.^[12]


In 1997 the magazine was acquired by its current owner Artémis, a French investment group founded and owned by the billionaire businessman François Pinault.^[11][13] In 2001, the logo and layout of Le Point was changed.^[11] The weekly recruited journalists from the Parisian press and relied on its ability to redefine the genre. It modeled itself closely on Time Magazine and Newsweek.


Franz-Olivier Giesbert was chief executive officer of Le Point from 2000 until 18 January 2014, when Etienne Gernelle replaced him. Giesbert, however, remained an adviser to the magazine and continued to write editorials and articles.^[14][15] It publishes a list regarding the reputation of companies, Baromètre d’Image des Grandes Entreprises.^[16]