Copyright © BusinessAMBE 2023

The iconic French magazine Paris Match is almost owned by LVMH, Bernard Arnault's luxury group. He is in exclusive negotiations with other tycoon, Vincent Bolloré of publisher Lagardère and parent group Vivendi.

In the news: It seems that Paris Match magazine will soon become part of the LVMH (Louis Vuitton, among others) luxury empire. Its current owner, Lagardère, says "exclusive negotiations" are being initiated with Arnault's group. Lagardère's board of directors gave the green light to do so on Tuesday.

More background: Arnault has long been ogling the magazine, which first appeared in 1949. That is also the birth year of the wealthy Frenchman, who sees an omen in it.

  • According to the French press, LVMH has reportedly made a 100 million euro bid for the title, which is currently part of Lagardère's media arm, including channels Europe 1 and 2.
  • Lagardère as a media group is in flux after it was acquired by Vivendi.
  • Arnault also made a bid once before in 2021, but it fell through at the time. He already owns the business newspaper Les Echos and the newspaper Le Parisien.
  • However, there would be no intention of adding Paris Match to those two media titles. Arnault sees more opportunity with the society magazine - one of the French premium brands in his eyes - in LVMH's ecosystem.
  • According to Le Point, the Arnault and Bolloré business families laid the groundwork for the agreement during their last summer vacation in Saint-Tropez, where informal discussions on the future of Match took place. This reportedly included the children of Bernard Arnault and Vincent Bolloré.
  • Arnaud Lagardère, the CEO of the eponymous company, was also part of the discussions. Or how French haute finance is very committed to one of the most primal French media titles.

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