Internationally renowned for its macaroons, the historic brand was already suffering from competition before the crisis. Discussions would be in progress with an investor who could take the majority of the capital. This is in any case what Challenges magazine says.
Will Ladurée change hands? According to information from Challenges, the Holder group (which also owns the Paul bakeries) could sell this French brand to an undisclosed investor.
It should be noted that the company created in Paris in 1862 is today managed by David Holder, the son of the Holder group’s co-shareholders who own the capital. Holder acquired the company in 1993, which had remained in the family until that time, in order to expand it abroad. Still according to Challenges, this quinquagenarian wishes to sell the majority of Ladurée’s capital to this investor while retaining the management of the company. The operation, if successful, could be finalized in the spring.
However, it should be noted that Ladurée, which has acquired an international reputation with its famous macaroons, has lost some of its splendor in recent years. The health crisis has only made it even more fragile.
The crisis has hit a company that was already weakened.
Holder, a specialist in industrial bakery products, had significantly increased production rates to make Ladurée a brand established in 22 countries. The idea? To vary the pleasures, by extending the field of action of the pastry chef to savoury and even merchandising products.
But in the early 2010’s, competition from young pastry chefs weakened the major French luxury pastry brands, from Ladurée to Fauchon. The arrival of the virus and the absence of tourists weighed on the accounts of the brand, which is very present in Paris and in the capital’s airports.
Ladurée recently welcomed a new pastry chef, Nicolas Haelewyn, to breathe new life into the brand. However, the sale of the capital remains hypothetical. Family tensions between Francis Holder, 80, and his notorious son. In 2017, Ladurée was keen to dissociate itself from the announcements of the father who had supported François Fillon in the presidential election, while his mother had sided with Emmanuel Macron.
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Featured Photo : © Ladurée
