Lagardère Active

What Lagardère Active does

Lagardère is a France-headquartered multinational media and travel retail group, publicly listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: MMB) and operating in over 50 countries with more than 33,000 employees. The group is organized around three core divisions: Lagardère Publishing (Hachette Livre), which produces books, digital content, board games, and mobile games through imprints including Hachette Book Group (#3 US publisher), Hachette UK, Larousse, Fayard, Didier Jeunesse, and Hachette Collections; Lagardère Travel Retail, which operates 4,970 points of sale across 51 countries under brands including RELAY, Aelia Duty Free, Extime (joint venture with ADP Group for 150 Paris airport boutiques), Bread&Co, and RELAIS H; and Lagardère Live, encompassing news and radio (Europe 1, RFM, Europe 2, Le Journal du Dimanche, ELLE brand licensing) plus live entertainment (Casino de Paris venue, Lagardère Paris Racing sports club).

The business model mixes B2C revenue streams (book sales, magazine circulation, concert ticketing, duty-free retail purchases) with B2B revenue streams (advertising sales on radio stations, brand licensing of the ELLE brand to hospitality developers such as Meira Mattos in Brazil, and travel retail concession contracts with airport authorities including ADP Group, Geneva Aéroport, Heathrow, and Western Sydney International). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by division — travel retail runs on transaction-based concession economics, publishing on unit sales (physical and digital), and Live on advertising plus ticketing. Distribution is multi-channel: global physical book distribution, 4,970+ airport/railway storefronts, ~80 Extime Travel Essentials points of sale in Paris airports, brand licensing for ELLE Residences and ELLE Resort & Beach Club Bali, and the newly announced ON SCREEN joint venture with StudioCanal for book-to-screen adaptations.

FY2025 revenue was €9,353 million (+4.6% reported, +3.8% like-for-like), with Adjusted EBIT of €551 million (+8%) and net profit of €112 million (+€50M year-over-year). Net debt stood at €1.6 billion with leverage below 2x. The group is currently subject to a takeover bid initiated by Vivendi SE in 2025–2026, representing a material change-of-control event. Recent strategic activity includes the Kogan Page acquisition (May 2026), the ON SCREEN JV (May 2026), and new airport concessions in Western Sydney and Cambodia.

Name

Lagardère Active

Legal name

Lagardère Ressources SAS

Website

https://lagardere.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Lagardère is a France-headquartered multinational group operating across publishing (Hachette Livre), travel retail (RELAY, Aelia, Extime), and media/entertainment (Europe 1, ELLE, Casino de Paris), serving consumers, airport authorities, and brand licensees across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media and Publishing

NAICS

Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Newspaper Publishers (51311)

SIC

Radio Broadcasting Stations (4832)

akta.pro primary industry

News Talk Radio & Current Affairs Stations (MPABAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Radio Station Groups (Owned & Operated/Station Chains) (MPABACAC), Alternative/Independent Newsweeklies & Opinion Press (MPAJADAH)

Keywords

• Book publishing services
• Travel retail operations
• Magazine media brands
• Radio broadcasting
• Brand licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Levallois-perret

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Lagardère Publishing: Publishing revenue from book sales (physical and digital), educational materials, and mobile/board games through Hachette Livre entities globally
2. Lagardère Travel Retail: Travel retail revenue from duty-free shops, travel essentials stores (RELAY brand), and food service operations at airports, railways, and other travel concessions
3. Lagardère Live (News & Radio): Media revenue including advertising, radio broadcasting, and brand licensing (ELLE brand)
4. Lagardère Live Entertainment: Entertainment revenue from live events, concerts, and venue operations (Casino de Paris)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lagardère Active historically owns and operates TV channels, radio stations, and publishes magazines as part of the Lagardère Group. Following the 2018 reorganization, the media operations now sit within Lagardère Live (Lagardère News, Lagardère Radio, and Lagardère Live Entertainment), alongside the group's publishing (Hachette Livre) and travel retail operations across 51 countries.

Product overview

Lagardère Active operates as a portfolio of media, publishing, and travel retail businesses under the Lagardère Group umbrella. The company is structured around three core divisions: Lagardère Publishing (encompassing Hachette Livre's global book publishing, digital content, and gaming operations across autonomous imprints like Larousse, Fayard, Didier Jeunesse, and Marabout), Lagardère Travel Retail (operating Travel Essentials, Duty Free, Fashion, and Foodservice through brands like RELAY, Aelia, Extime, and Bread&Co across airports and stations globally), and Lagardère Live (comprising news and radio operations including Europe 1, Le Journal du Dimanche, and the ELLE brand, as well as entertainment venues like the Casino de Paris and Lagardère Paris Racing). The company generates €9,353 million in revenue (2025) with operations in over 50 countries and more than 33,000 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hachette Livre: Lagardère's publishing division - literature, education, youth books, practical guides, encyclopedias, dictionaries, pocket books, fascicles, board games, and mobile games
• RELAY
• Aelia Duty Free
• Extime
• ELLE
• Europe 1
• RFM
• Europe 2
• Le Journal du Dimanche
• Casino de Paris
• Lagardère Paris Racing

Products and services

• Lagardère Publishing (Hachette Livre)
• Lagardère Travel Retail
• Lagardère Live (News, Radio, Entertainment)
• Europe 1
• Le Journal du Dimanche
• ELLE Brand Licensing
• Casino de Paris
• Hachette Book Group
• Hachette UK
• Extime Duty Free Paris
• RELAY
• Aelia Duty Free
• STORY Kitchen & Bar
• Hachette Collections
• Lagardère Paris Racing

Quantifiable outcome

• Revenue growth of 4.6% in 2025 to €9.4 billion
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major and minor.

• STUDIOCANALflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Joint venture named 'ON SCREEN' to develop and scale premium film and television adaptations from Hachette Livre's extensive catalogue, combining IP depth with STUDIOCANAL's end-to-end production and distribution capabilities. Announced at 2026 Annual General Meeting.
• Kogan PagemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Hachette UK acquisition of Kogan Page, leading professional books publisher founded in 1967. Makes Hachette the #2 UK professional books publisher.
• ADP Group (Aéroports de Paris)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Joint venture Extime Duty Free Paris operates 150 boutiques at Paris CDG and Orly airports. Extime Travel Essentials Paris joint venture manages ~80 points of sale in Paris airports.
• Genève AéroportmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Landmark renewal of Duty Free and Mode concessions dating back to 2011. Covers fashion retail and duty-free operations, with new RELAY Travel Essentials stores being added.
• Western Sydney International AirportmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Lagardère AWPL selected to operate 11 stores at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport for duty-free and travel essentials.
• FNACminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Partnership with Fnac for retail presence in France within Lagardère Travel Retail locations.
• HermèsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Luxury brand partnership for retail presence in Lagardère Travel Retail stores.
• ChanelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2026Luxury beauty and fashion brand partnership for duty-free retail.
• Meira MattosminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 July 2025Real estate developer partner for ELLE Residences project Casa ELLE in Brooklin, São Paulo, Brazil.
• The One Atelier / ARQUINAUTminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 8 July 2025Architecture firms designing ELLE Residences projects in Brazil - Casa ELLE in Brooklin and ELLE Collection in Boa Vista.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Avolta (formerly Dufry): World's largest travel retail operator with duty-free and convenience stores across airports worldwide. Direct competitor to Lagardère Travel Retail in concession tenders and duty-free operations at major international hubs.
• TF1 Group: France's leading commercial free-to-air TV broadcaster, with associated digital and production operations. Direct French-market peer to Lagardère's media assets, particularly relevant in the context of French media plurality regulation surrounding the Vivendi bid.
• Springer Nature: Global academic and professional book publisher. Comparable to Hachette's professional and educational publishing operations, including relevance to the Kogan Page acquisition building Hachette UK as a UK professional books leader.
• Pearson plc: UK-based educational publisher and assessment provider with consumer-facing titles. Comparable to Lagardère Publishing's education, professional, and consumer book segments across English-language markets.
• M6 Group (RTL France): French broadcaster operating M6 TV channel and RTL radio in France. Direct peer across French radio broadcasting (comparable to Europe 1, RFM, Europe 2) and TV advertising sales.
• Penguin Random House: World's largest trade book publisher and Bertelsmann subsidiary. Direct competitor to Hachette Livre in English-language and global trade publishing, with comparable author-roster scale, distribution reach, and bestseller-driven economics.
• Mondadori Group: Italian media group operating Mondadori Libri (trade publishing), Rizzoli (illustrated books), and a portfolio of magazines. Closely comparable to Lagardère Publishing and Lagardère News across book publishing and consumer magazine brands in a European market.
• Vivendi SE: French media conglomerate that initiated a hostile takeover bid for Lagardère SA in 2026. Owns Canal+ (TV), Havas (advertising), Dailymotion (digital video), and Editis (publishing), making it directly comparable across French broadcasting, publishing, and digital media.
• HarperCollins Publishers: Major global trade book publisher owned by News Corp. Direct competitor to Hachette Livre and Lagardère Publishing for author signings, rights acquisitions, and English-language market share.

Broad incumbents

• Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA: German global media conglomerate operating Penguin Random House (publishing), RTL Group (broadcasting), BMG (music), and Arvato (services). The most direct global peer to Lagardère's integrated publishing-broadcasting-services portfolio, though at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/lagardere

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A8 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lagardère Active