Lagardère Group

Lagardère SCA
Publicly traded société en commandite par actions
Traded as Euronext: MMB
Industry Mass media
Founded 1992 (1992)
Headquarters Paris, France
Key people
 Arnaud Lagardère (General and managing partner), Xavier de Sarrau (Chairman of the supervisory board)
Products Publishing (books, magazines, e-publishing), radio stations, audiovisual production, online content, sports and entertainment, broadcast rights, retail outlets, advertising sales brokerage
Revenue €7,193 million (2015)[1]
€378 million (2015)[1]
Profit €240 million (2015)[1]
Total assets €8.307 billion (end 2015)[1]
Total equity €2.135 billion (end 2015)[1]
Number of employees
 25,784 (2015)[1]
Subsidiaries Lagardère Publishing, Lagardère Travel Retail, Lagardère Active, Lagardère Sports and Entertainment
Website lagardere.com
The head office, rue de Presbourg in Paris

Lagardère [laɡaʁdɛʁ] is a multinational media conglomerate headquartered in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.[2] The group was created in 1992 as Matra, Hachette & Lagardère and once covered a broad range of industries. It is now largely focused on the media sector, in which it is one of the world’s leading companies. Headed by Arnaud Lagardère, the firm does business in almost 40 countries and is structured around four main business lines: its book and electronic publishing division (Lagardère Publishing) includes the major imprint Hachette Livre. The Lagardère Travel Retail unit includes store retail, largely in airports[3] and railway stations while the Lagardère Active unit encompasses newspaper, digital media and magazine publishing (including Hachette Filipacchi Médias), radio and television broadcasting and production and advertising sales. Lagardère Sports and Entertainment engages in sports and talent management, sports academies, event management, marketing of sports broadcast rights and management of sports venues.

History

Hachette and Matra, the foundation of Lagardère

Louis Hachette’s 1826 acquisition of Parisian bookstore Brédif was the starting point for what would one day be the Lagardère Group. Hachette published magazines dedicated to public entertainment (Le Journal pour Tous ["Everyone’s Newspaper"], 1855), and also took part in publishing the Dictionnaire de la Langue française ("Dictionary of the French Language") with his friend Littré beginning in 1863. In 1953, Hachette launched Le Livre de poche with Henri Filipacchi.

Created in 1945, Matra (Mechanics/Aviation/Traction) was the company behind several technological projects: creating a twin-engine airplane prototype able to travel at 800 km/h, breaking the sound barrier at Mach 1.4 in vertical flight for the first time in Europe. In 1990, Matra Espace and the aerospace division of Gec Marconi came together to create Matra Marconi Space. Matra Hautes Technologies joined the aerospace industry, and officially became Aerospatiale Matra on June 11, 1999. EADS, or the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, was founded on July 10, 2000, from the merger of Aérospatiale Matra SA, Aeronauticas SA, and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG. It officially launched the A380 program that same year. The aircraft would make its first flight in 2005.

Jean-Luc Lagardère and the birth of the group

In 1963, Jean-Luc Lagardère was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Matra, with 1,450 employees. In 1981, he became head of Hachette. In 1988, the group’s first overseas acquisition was of Grolier Encyclopedias in the United States. In 1992, after a major year-long restructuring, Matra Hachette and Lagardère group were created. In the early 1990s, Jean-Luc Lagardère turned to television, and became head of La Cinq.

Arnaud Lagardère and the group’s refocus on media

In 1994, Hachette Livre launched the first multimedia encyclopedia, Axis. Also in 1994, Matra Hachette Multimedia presented EPSIS, the first image-substitution process for advertising. In 1998, Hachette Multimedia was born of the consolidation of the multimedia division of Hachette Livre and Grolier Interactive (online educational services). A strategic agreement signed in 2000 by Lagardère and Deutsche Telekom to provide Internet service led to the merger of T-Online and Club-Internet.

In 1995 Hachette acquired UCS, Canada's leading newsstand chain,[4] and became the third largest operator in the international retail press trade. In 1996, Hachette Livre acquired the Hatier Group. In 1997, Hachette Livre won a string of literary prizes, including the Prix Goncourt and the Prix de l'Académie française with La Bataille (The Battle) by Patrick Rambaud (Grasset). That same year, Europe 1 and Club-Internet launched Europe Info. In 2000, Hachette Distribution Services created Relay, an international brand specializing in selling media products at public points of sale. That same year, Lagardère and Canal+ got into digital television. In 2001, Lagardère acquired the Virgin Stores brand and Virgin Megastore in France. Hachette Filipacchi Médias has continued its growth by taking a 42% stake in the Marie-Claire Group.

From a conglomerate to a media-diversified group

With the death of Jean-Luc Lagardère on March 14, 2003, Arnaud Lagardère was appointed General Partner of Lagardère SCA. That same year, Lagardère sold off its interest in Renault as well as its automotive engineering business. In 2004, the Group acquired 40% of Editis (formerly Vivendi Universal Publishing). Lagardère took advantage of the growth of TNT to launch the youth channel Gulli in partnership with France Télévisions.

In 2006, Arnaud Lagardère created Lagardère Sports, a new subsidiary of the Group specializing in sports economics and sporting rights. Lagardère also became the new franchisee of the Croix-Catelan (Bois de Boulogne, Paris) and the Rue Eblé sports and recreation sites, for a twenty-year period. On May 31, 2010, Lagardère Sports changed its name and became Lagardère Unlimited, a new branch of the group specializing in sport industry and entertainment.[5]

On July 8, 2015, Lagardère Services was renamed Lagardère Travel Retail. On September 15, 2015, agencies of the Lagardère Group announced that they are being renamed under a common corporate brand: Lagardère Sports and Entertainment. This new brand will replace the brand of Lagardère Unlimited as one of the four divisions of the Lagardère Group. In addition, all sports marketing agencies within this division, including Sportfive, World Sport Group, IEC in Sports, Sports Marketing and Management and Lagardère Unlimited Inc., will now be unified under a single commercial brand, being Lagardère Sports with all entertainment businesses under the brand Lagardère Live Entertainment.[6]

2010 shareholders meeting

Seventeen years after the creation of the limited partnership disputed by an American activist, the SCA (the French limited partnership with shares) was confirmed by nearly 80% of shareholders at the Shareholders Meeting on April 27, 2010.[7]

Agreement between Lagardère SCA and Hearst Corporation

On March 28, 2011, Lagardère SCA signed a contract for the sale of its international magazine business totaling 102 titles to Hearst Corporation for €651 million.[8] The transaction includes a Master License Agreement (MLA) relating to the ELLE trademark in the 15 countries affected by the transfer, in return for which the Group will receive an annual recurring royalty payment. Lagardère will retain complete ownership of its magazine business operations in France and of its ELLE trademark throughout the world. The closing of the transaction remains subject to approval by local partners in certain countries as well as to certain customary governmental approvals and antitrust clearances in certain jurisdictions.

Management

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[9][1] 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 Gérard Adsuar.

Each of the four main divisions of the company has its own chairman and CEO, with Lagardère Publishing led by Arnaud Nourry, Lagardère Active by Denis Olivennes,[10] Lagardère Travel Retail by Dag Rasmussen and Lagardère Sports and Entertainment by Arnaud Lagardère.

The company is overseen by a largely independent supervisory board, which has been chaired by Xavier de Sarrau since April 2010. Its other members are Nathalie Andrieux, Soumia Belaidi Malinbaum, Martine Chêne, Georges Chodron de Courcel, François David, Yves Guillemot, Pierre Lescure, Jean-Claude Magendie, Hélène Molinari, Javier Monzón, Aline Sylla-Walbaum, François Roussely, Susan M. Tolson and Patrick Valroff.

Business lines

Lagardère Publishing is a federation of publishing houses.

Lagardère Services is involved in Press Distribution and Travel Retail. Aelia is a subsidiary of Lagardère that manages 270 duty-free shops in France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Ireland, and Spain.[3] In 2013, Aelia had sales of over €1,100 million.[3]

End of 2013 Lagardère acquired the Dutch company: Gerzon Schiphol, Gerzon Duty Free and Gerzon Import. Gerzon has a long term concession for Fashion, Leather & Travel and holds stores at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, among them Hermes, Burberry, Victoria Secret, Ralph Lauren and 9 multi brands in Fashion and Leather & Travel. With this step Lagardère is the first major travel retail company to set foot on Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. With the renovation of terminal 2 completing in Q1 2015 extra stores will be added like: Botega Veneta, Hermes, Burberry and Gucci. Gerzon has opened the 3rd location of Victoria's Secret in the Netherlands at Amsterdam Central Railway station. From the 1st of December 2015 Gerzon will become Lagardère Travel Retail the Netherlands.

In 2015, Lagardère Travel Retail acquired Paradies in North America, signing the agreement in August,[11] and completing the acquisition in October.[12] Paradies and Lagardère Travel Retail in North America were combined as Paradies Lagardère Travel Retail.

Lagardère Active is a French media company structured around 6 business segments: magazine publishing (Elle, Paris Match, Le Journal du Dimanche, etc.), radio (Europe 1, Virgin Radio, Radio ZET, Jacaranda 94.2 etc.), TV channels (Gulli, MCM, Mezzo, etc.), audiovisual production, digital activities (Doctissimo, Elle.fr, etc.) and advertising sales.

Lagardère Sports and Entertainment is a sports and entertainment company active in six business activities: content production and broadcast rights management, marketing rights and associated products, event production and management, talent representation, venue management and consulting, and management of sports academies and front-ranking sports clubs.

The division promotes the WTA Finals and operates the Casino de Paris. Among notable clients are the International Olympic Committee, Asian Football Confederation, Confédération Africaine de Football, Commonwealth Games, over 70 European football clubs, over 50 golf players (including Phil Mickelson and Jordan Spieth) and over 50 tennis players (including Caroline Wozniacki, Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwańska and Andy Murray).

Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation

Since 1989,[13] 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 filmproducers like Carole Scotta founder of Haut et Court movie company, scriptwriters like Phil Ox who became producer in France and England, novelwriters including Agnes Desarthe, photographers like Emily Buzin and Tiane Doan Na Champassak and also journalists like Stephane Edelson that wrote in 1993 about the economist and banker Muhammad Yunus and the influence of his work on the empowerment of women.

Financial data

Key Figures (in millions of euros)
Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 ∆ 2015/2014
Net sales 7,657 7,370 7,216 7,170 7,193 +0.3%
Recurring operating profit 402 339 327 342 378 +10.5%
Finance costs, net (95) (82) (91) (73) (66) -9.5%
Income tax expense (105) (40) (117) (87) (37) -57.4%
Profit (loss) attributable to owners of the parent (707) 89 1,307 41 74 +€33m
Adjusted profit attributable to owners of the parent* 226 207 172 185 240 +30%

(*Excluding the contribution of EADS and non-recurring/non-operating items )

Distribution of Net Sales by Geographic Area in 2015
Year 2015
France 32%
Western Europe 34%
Eastern Europe 10%
United States and Canada 13%
Asia-Pacific 8%
Others countries 3%

Lagardère shares are listed at Euronext Paris.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Annual Report 2015" (PDF). Lagardère. Retrieved 3 May 2016.
  2. ↑ "2013 Reference Document. "Address: Lagardère Head office - 4 rue de Presbourg - 75116 Paris, France"
  3. 1 2 3 Chevalier, Michel (2012). Luxury Brand Management. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-17176-9.
  4. ↑ "About Lagardere: History". Lagardere. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  5. ↑ "Lagardère - Press releases". Lagardere.com. 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  6. ↑ Lagardère agencies set rebrand sportindustry.biz, 15/09/15. On September 17, 2015, Lagardère Entertainment (subsidiary of Lagardère Active), was renamed Lagardère Studios.
  7. ↑ Colchester, Max (April 28, 2010). "Shareholders Support Lagardère Management". The Wall Street Journal.
  8. ↑ "Press release", Hearst Corporation
  9. ↑ "Lagardère - Lagardere.com - Group - Corporate Governance". Lagardere.com. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
  10. ↑ "Lagardère nomme Denis Olivennes à la tête de sa division médias". Reuters. November 7, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Lagardère Travel Retail signs an agreement for the acquisition of Paradies, an airport travel retail leader in North America," Press Release, Lagarère.com, 11 August 2015
  12. ↑ "Completion of the acquisition of Paradies," Press Release, ParadiesLagardere.com, 22 October 2015
  13. ↑ "Lagardère - Press releases". Lagardere.com. 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2015-07-18.
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