The Lagardère empire is the subject of a new issue of

Complément d'Enquête

broadcast this Thursday evening on France 2. On this occasion, Arnaud Lagardère indicated that he would not suffer from seeing his name disappear from the group to which he belongs. CEO in favor of that of Vincent Bolloré who has just taken control.

“Legal persons outlive natural persons,” he repeated several times in an interview with the show.

A finality that he would "regret" all the same

But if the name of the company bequeathed by his father Jean-Luc "must disappear in favor of a name like that of Vincent Bolloré, I would be rather happy", he declared, questioned by the journalist Tristan Waleckx.

"I wouldn't mind, and neither would my dad," he continued.

However, he would "regret" to come to this.

Personally in debt and confronted at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic with the difficulties of his distribution branch present in stations and airports, Arnaud Lagardère had been forced in the spring of 2020 to call Vincent Bolloré to help him deal with a shareholder revolt.

Via the French media giant Vivendi, it had gradually eroded the capital of Lagardère, then obtained a modification of the group's statutes, before launching a takeover bid to take control.

"Many similarities" between Jean-Luc Lagardère and Vincent Bolloré

Vivendi has held 55.4% of Lagardère's capital since the end of May and has granted Arnaud Lagardère a 6-year term as CEO, promising to respect the integrity of his group.

“I find that there are a lot of similarities between Jean-Luc Lagardère and Vincent Bolloré.

(…) They are extremely hard-working people, very demanding (…).

And then they are free people, they only kneel before God, ”said Arnaud Lagardère in the same interview, denying any tension with the Breton entrepreneur.

The takeover of Lagardère by Vivendi should lead to the rapprochement of Europe 1 with the channels of the Canal+ group, including the very conservative CNews, and to the merger between the two leading players in publishing in France, Hachette and Editis.

These operations will respect plurality "because it is the law that protects it" and could lead to the sale of several publishing houses to be authorized by the competition authorities, said Arnaud Lagardère.

Paris

Paris: The Bolloré group has "very likely" found why its electric buses are on fire

Media

"Stop Bolloré": On the eve of his (possible) retirement, a collective denounces the billionaire's "empire" and "ideology"

  • Lagardere

  • Arnaud lagardere

  • Vincent Bollore

  • France 2

  • Media