About Lagardere

History

1945-1980

1945
  • Creation of Matra (Mécanique Aviation TRAction). The company starts work on researching and developing a twin-engine plane designed to have a maximum speed of 800 km/h (the fastest propeller plane in the world).

1945
  • Hachette launches Elle and the earliest titles in its current group of publications.

1951
  • The sound barrier is broken in horizontal flight for the first time in Europe by a special Matra engine (Mach 1.4).

1953
  • In partnership with Henri Filipacchi, Hachette launches the Livre de Poche imprint, which remains a market leader today.

1961
  • The European space programme begins. Matra becomes the first prime contractor for satellites.

1963
  • Jean-Luc Lagardère is appointed CEO of Matra, which at the time has a workforce of 1,450.

1967
  • The Matra 530 is presented at the Geneva Motor Show.

1972
  • Matra is appointed prime contractor for its first automated urban transport system, the VAL.

1974
  • Third consecutive victory in the Le Mans 24-hour rally and second manufacturers' World Championship title for Matra-Simca.

1975
  • Matra wins a contract from the CNES and the ESA to build the loading bay for the new European launcher Ariane.
 
 

 

Press releases

2012/02/07

Objective for 2011 recurring media EBIT(1) maintained thanks to the firm resilience of fourth-quarter activity trends, despite a difficult economic environment

2012/02/03

Declaration of the total number of voting rights and capital stock shares

Arnaud Lagardère Editorial

"In 2010, Lagardère achieved a recurring EBIT before associates exceeding the target announced in March 2010 and growth of 19.3% in Group net income. I would like to thank all the teams warmly for their valuable efforts. Indeed, these results have been achieved through rigorous cash management, improved competitiveness and the protection of our traditional sources of revenue, while leveraging the opportunities offered by the digital sector..."
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The group's activities

Lagardère, a world-class pure-play media group led by Arnaud Lagardère, operates in nearly 40 countries and is structured around four distinct, complementary divisions.

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The group's values

The Group has clear values that determine its personality. Lagardère's creativity, boldness and independence have helped to create a modern, innovative media group that's in touch with its times.