Bolloré SE () is a French conglomerate headquartered in
Puteaux, on the western outskirts of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Founded in 1822, the company has interests in
Vivendi
Vivendi SE is a French mass media holding company headquartered in Paris. Widely known as the owner of Gameloft, Groupe Canal+, Havas, Editis, Prisma Media, Vivendi Village and Dailymotion, the company has activities in television, film, video ...
, international freight forwarding, oil storage and pipelines in France, solid state batteries, access control systems for buildings, palm oil and rubber in Asia and Africa, olive groves in the US and wine production in France.
In 2004, the group ranked amongst the top 200 European companies. The company is listed on the
Euronext
Euronext N.V. (short for European New Exchange Technology) is a pan-European bourse that offers various trading and post-trade services.
Traded assets include regulated equities, exchange-traded funds (ETF), warrants and certificates, bonds, ...
exchange in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, but the Bolloré family retains majority control of the company through a complex and indirect holding structure.
The company is led by Cyrille Bolloré, the son of
Vincent Bolloré
Vincent Bolloré (born 1 April 1952) is a French billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and CEO of the investment group Bolloré. As of September 2021, his net worth is estimated at US$9 billion.
Early life
Bolloré was born in Boulogne-B ...
.
History
The firm was founded in 1822, in
Ergué-Gabéric
Ergué-Gabéric (; ''An Erge Vras'' in Breton) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. It lies on the Odet river. The businessman and publisher Gwenn-Aël Bolloré was born in the commune.
Population
Int ...
, near
Quimper
Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France.
Administration
Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department.
Geography
Th ...
,
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
by Nicolas Le Marié (1797-1870), as a paper manufacturer named ''papeteries d'Odet''. Beginning in 1863, it was directed by Jean-René Bolloré (1818–1881), a nephew by marriage who had obtained a medical doctorate in 1863.
The firm remained owned by the Bolloré family.
Gwenn-Aël Bolloré Gwenn-Aël Bolloré (5 September 1925, Ergué-Gabéric – 12 July 2001) was a French soldier, businessman, author, and publisher.
Biography
At the age of 17, Bolloré decided to join in the Free French Forces in England. He sailed across the En ...
was Vice-President of the
Papeteries Bolloré from 1952 to 1974. In late 2004, the Bolloré group began taking an interest in the advertising sector, and started building a stake in
Havas
Havas SA is a French multinational advertising and public relations company, headquartered in Paris, France. It operates in more than 100 countries and is one of the largest advertising and communications groups in the world. Havas consists of ...
, becoming its single largest shareholder. In a
boardroom coup, Alain de Pouzilhac was deposed as President and
CEO on July 12, 2005. The Bolloré stake in Havas stood at 26%, and the group had 3 seats on the Havas board as of June 2006. Vincent Bolloré's son,
Yannick Bolloré
Yannick Bolloré (born 1 February 1980) is a French businessman, currently the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Havas, the fifth largest global communications company, and chairman of the supervisory board of Vivendi, a global entert ...
, became Havas' Chairman and CEO after its previous CEO stepped down in January 2014.
In 2005, Bolloré expanded its media interests by launching the television station
Direct 8
Direct 8 was a national French TV channel, owned by Vincent Bolloré. It was available through digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television (DTTV or DTT, or DTTB with "broadcasting") is a technology for terrestrial televisi ...
. The firm also began buying shares of the British
media planning and buying group
Aegis
The aegis ( ; grc, αἰγίς ''aigís''), as stated in the ''Iliad'', is a device carried by Athena and Zeus, variously interpreted as an animal skin or a shield and sometimes featuring the head of a Gorgon. There may be a connection with a d ...
. Bolloré sold its 26% stake to
Dentsu
Dentsu Inc. ( ja, 株式会社電通 ''Kabushiki-gaisha Dentsū'' or 電通 ''Dentsū'' for short) is a Japanese international advertising and public relations joint stock company headquartered in Tokyo. Dentsu is currently the largest advertis ...
in 2012.
From 6 June 2006 to 22 December 2010, Bolloré launched a free evening newspaper Direct Soir. Lack of readers and advertising revenues made the group focus on its other free newspaper, "
Direct Matin", launched in February 2007.
Bolloré manufactures the
Bolloré Bluecar
The Bolloré Bluecar is a small four-seat, three-door electric car supplied by Bolloré, designed by Pininfarina and manufactured by Cecomp in Bairo, Italy, under a joint venture owned by Bolloré and Pininfarina called Véhicule Électriques Pini ...
, a small electric car, initially produced to showcase the company's range of electric power cells. The Bluecar was introduced in December 2011 as part of the
Autolib'
Autolib' was an electric car sharing service which was inaugurated in Paris, France, in December 2011. It closed on 31 July 2018. It was operated by the Bolloré industry and complemented the city's bike sharing system, Velib', which was set u ...
carsharing service in Paris.
Bluecar deliveries to retail customers began in March 2012.
In 2014, Bollore increased its stake in Havas from 36% to around 83% through a public exchange offer of new Bollore shares for Havas stock. The company said at the time it would like to hold onto a stake well in excess of 50%. In March 2015, Bollore sold a 22.5% stake in the media group for a price of around €600 million.
The next month, in April 2015, Bolloré raised its stake in media company
Vivendi
Vivendi SE is a French mass media holding company headquartered in Paris. Widely known as the owner of Gameloft, Groupe Canal+, Havas, Editis, Prisma Media, Vivendi Village and Dailymotion, the company has activities in television, film, video ...
from 10.2% to 12.01% at a total cost of €568 million. As of 2016, it owns 20% of Vivendi (30% voting power), 60% of Havas and 9% of
Gaumont.
In December 2021, After refusing to comment on market “rumors” announcing its intention to sell its transport and logistics subsidiary in Africa, Bolloré Africa Logistics (BAL), the Bolloré group announced that it had received an offer from the giant Swiss MSC for this subsidiary in Africa.
Operations
![Bolloré ports in West Africa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Bollor%C3%A9_ports_in_West_Africa.jpg)
The Group's principal activities are as follows:
*
Bolloré Transport & Logistics and its subsidiary
Bolloré Logistics: freight forwarding by sea, land and air, ports, handling and shipping services, operation of shipping lines. This business divisions was valued at €8 billion in 2019, making up half of the companies total value.
* Plastic Film & Special Papers: polypropylene film for capacitors and packaging, special papers and cigarette paper packs;
* Energy Distribution: distribution of petroleum and coal products;
* Special Terminals: design, production, integration and distribution of intelligent systems and terminals for access control;
* Plantations: rubber and
palm oil production in Africa and Asia
* Other Interests: real estate and banking sectors,
* Media & Advertising: owns 60% of the media and communications company
Havas
Havas SA is a French multinational advertising and public relations company, headquartered in Paris, France. It operates in more than 100 countries and is one of the largest advertising and communications groups in the world. Havas consists of ...
, whose CEO—
Yannick Bolloré
Yannick Bolloré (born 1 February 1980) is a French businessman, currently the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Havas, the fifth largest global communications company, and chairman of the supervisory board of Vivendi, a global entert ...
—is also the chairman of
Vivendi SA in which Bolloré SA holds a circa 25% stake.
* Telecommunication: owns 90% of
Bolloré Telecom, a French
WiMAX
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) is a family of wireless broadband communication standards based on the IEEE 802.16 set of standards, which provide physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) options.
The WiMAX ...
operator
Bolloré is 63% owned by Financière de l'Odet, the holding company controlled by the Bolloré family. Vincent Bolloré announced that his son,
Cyrille Bolloré, would take over the CEO position of Bolloré after the April 15, 2019 shareholders meeting. This was done days before Vincent Bolloré himself "was charged by French police in a bribery case relating to operations in Africa."
Electric vehicles
AutoLib
There are plans to integrate payment for the bike and car hire schemes with the ticketing systems for traditional modes of public transport. Two
electric vehicle manufacturers are said to be in the frame to supply the cars: the
Dassault Group
Dassault Group (; also GIM Dassault or Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault SAS) is a French corporate group, group of companies established in 1929 with the creation of Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (now Dassault Aviation) by Marcel Dassault, a ...
and Bolloré. The former has a vehicle called the
Cleanova
Cleanova are a set of plug-in hybrid vehicles by the Société de Véhicules Electriques (SVE), a joint venture between Dassault, Heuliez and Hydro-Québec. Cleanova II is based on Renault Kangoo. In January 2010, SVE has been taken over by Dow Ko ...
, which employs the body of the Renault Kangoo van, while Bolloré’s Bluecar has been developed with Italian styling house
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
and is due to go on sale commercially in 2009.
Pininfarina B0
Pininfarina
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
introduced its own electric vehicle concept, the
Pininfarina B0
Pininfarina S.p.A. (short for Carrozzeria Pininfarina) is an Italian car design firm and coachbuilder, with headquarters in Cambiano, Turin, Italy. The company was founded by Battista "Pinin" Farina in 1930.
On 14 December 2015, the Indian ...
("B Zero"). The four-seat hatchback features a solid-state lithium-polymer battery, supercapacitors, and a roof- integrated solar panel to achieve a range of 153 miles. Developed in partnership with the Bolloré Group, the vehicle was slated for limited production in 2009.
Bluecar
![Autolib' Station, Paris, Boulevard Diderot 02](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Autolib%27_Station%2C_Paris%2C_Boulevard_Diderot_02.jpg)
Bolloré manufactures the
Bolloré Bluecar
The Bolloré Bluecar is a small four-seat, three-door electric car supplied by Bolloré, designed by Pininfarina and manufactured by Cecomp in Bairo, Italy, under a joint venture owned by Bolloré and Pininfarina called Véhicule Électriques Pini ...
, a small electric car, initially produce to showcase the company's range of electric power cells. The Bluecar was introduced in December 2011, as part of the
Autolib'
Autolib' was an electric car sharing service which was inaugurated in Paris, France, in December 2011. It closed on 31 July 2018. It was operated by the Bolloré industry and complemented the city's bike sharing system, Velib', which was set u ...
carsharing service in Paris.
Bluecar deliveries to retail customers began in March 2012.
Bolloré's Bluecar is also used in the Bluecity London car sharing scheme.
Bluebus
![Mivb Bolloré Bluebus SE, Simonis, lijn 13 naar UZ-VUB](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Mivb_Bollor%C3%A9_Bluebus_SE%2C_Simonis%2C_lijn_13_naar_UZ-VUB.jpg)
Bolloré
Bluebus 22 is a 6-metre-long electric microbus with a capacity of 22 passengers. Two copies of this electric vehicle transportation arrived mid-April 2015 to
Mulhouse
Mulhouse (; Alsatian language, Alsatian: or , ; ; meaning ''Mill (grinding), mill house'') is a city of the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department, in the Grand Est Regions of France, region, eastern France, close to the France–Switzerl ...
,
Haut-Rhin
Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand Est region of France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine. Its name means ''Upper Rhine''. Haut-Rhin is th ...
.
Bolloré
Bluebus SE is a full-sized (12-metre) low-floor electric citybus that has been produced since 2015. Several ''Bluebus SE'' are in commercial use in Paris and in Brussels. In early 2022
RATP, the public traffic provider of Paris, suspended all 149 Bluebus 5SE after a series of busses catching fire.
Solar vehicles
Hanergy has teamed with Bollore Group to build
solar electric vehicle
A solar vehicle or solar electric vehicle is an electric vehicle powered completely or significantly by direct solar energy. Usually, photovoltaic (PV) cells contained in solar panels convert the sun's energy directly into electric energy. ...
s.
Controversies
According to a 2018
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
report, the company's air, sea, and land transportation network constitutes a "virtual stranglehold" on West African transport.
Bolloré controls 18 ports along the western coast of the continent.
There are ongoing investigations into the role of drastically discounted Havas communications services accorded to Guinean candidate
Alpha Condé
Alpha Condé (N'Ko: ; born 4 March 1938) is a Guinean politician who served as the fourth president of Guinea from 2010 to 2021.
Condé spent decades in opposition to a succession of regimes in Guinea, unsuccessfully running against President L ...
and
Togan president
during their presidential campaigns in the awarding of key port concessions in
Conakry
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...
,
Guinea
Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...
and
Lomé
Lomé is the capital and largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437 , Togo to Bolloré SA.
After winning the election, Condé awarded a port-contract to Bolloré, terminating that of the competing Necotrans company. In a settlement, Bolloré paid €2 million to Necotrans without admitting guilt.
In January 2021 Vincent Bolloré and two other Bolloré executives pleaded guilty at a Paris court for supplying €370,000 worth of communication services to Gnassingbé. A 2021 Ghanaian ministerial committee investigation concluded that Bolloré secured an under the table deal with the
John Mahama administration for building a new container terminal at
Tema
Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most populo ...
with terms strongly favouring the company at the expense of the Ghanaian government.
References
External links
Bolloré GroupBolloré LogisticsBolloré Africa Logistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bollore
Conglomerate companies of France
Motor vehicle manufacturers of France
French business families
Transport companies established in 1822
Multinational companies headquartered in France
Companies listed on Euronext Paris
French brands
French companies established in 1822
Transport companies of France
Electric vehicle manufacturers of France
Manufacturing companies established in 1822