What Lagardere Group does

Lagardère SA is a publicly traded French media, publishing, and travel retail conglomerate headquartered in Levallois-Perret, listed on Euronext Paris under ticker MMB, with operations in more than 50 countries and approximately 33,000 employees as of December 31, 2025. The group is structured around two core operating divisions: Lagardère Publishing (Hachette Livre and its subsidiaries including Hachette Book Group, the third-largest US publisher, and Hachette UK) and Lagardère Travel Retail (Relay stores, duty-free, travel essentials, and F&B operations across major global airports), with a third Lagardère Live segment covering radio (Europe 1, Europe 2, RFM), entertainment (Casino de Paris), and sports (Lagardère Paris Racing).

The company monetizes through three primary revenue streams: book sales (one-time licensing/retail) via Hachette's global publishing catalogue; travel retail via concession fees and direct consumer sales across airport duty-free, newsstand, and F&B concepts; and advertising revenue from Lagardère Publicité News across owned radio and editorial properties. In FY2025, the group reported €9,353M in revenue (with Louis Hachette Group reporting €9.6 billion) and €551M adjusted EBIT, up 8% year-on-year, with net debt of €1.6 billion implying leverage below 2x. H1 2026 revenue reached €4.5 billion with 2.7% growth.

Strategic activity centers on three vectors: book-to-screen content monetization (the July 2026 ON SCREEN joint venture with StudioCanal), travel retail airport concession wins (Western Sydney International, Sunshine Coast expansion, renewed Genève Aéroport concessions), and brand licensing extension of ELLE into hospitality and branded residential real estate (ELLE Residences Dubai Islands, Maison Elle, Elle Hotel, ELLE Resort & Beach Club Bali). The group also divested Paris Match to LVMH in October 2024 and is subject to an ongoing Vivendi SE takeover bid.

Name

Lagardere Group

Legal name

Lagardère SA

Website

https://lagardere.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Lagardère SA is a French-listed global media and travel retail group operating Hachette publishing, Relay and duty-free airport concessions, and ELLE, Europe 1, and RFM media brands across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Publishing and Travel Retail Media

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Golf Courses and Country Clubs (71391), Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifestyle, Travel & Leisure Books Publishing (MPAJAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

White-Label Travel Supply Providers (B2B2C Inventory & Packaging) (THAKAJAJ)

Keywords

• Book publishing
• Travel retail
• Radio broadcasting
• Live entertainment
• Brand licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Publishing: Hachette Livre publishes books across multiple languages and formats, including General Literature, Education, Illustrated Books, and Partworks. Includes Hachette Book Group in the US (third-largest US publisher), Hachette UK, and operations in France, Spain, and other markets. Revenue generated from book sales through retail channels.
2. Travel Retail: Duty-free and travel essentials retail operations in airports through Relay stores and other brands. Revenue from concession fees and direct retail sales to travelers. Includes operations at major airports including Heathrow, Dubai, Geneva, Düsseldorf, Western Sydney, and Sunshine Coast Airport.
3. Radio Broadcasting: Radio stations including Europe 1, Europe 2, and RFM reaching 4,945,000 listeners. Revenue from advertising sales through Lagardère Publicité News.
4. Live Entertainment: Entertainment venues including Casino de Paris, sporting activities through Lagardère Paris Racing, and live entertainment productions.
5. News Publishing: Magazine and news publishing including Front populaire (90% acquired by Lagardère News), radio news operations, and media content distribution.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lagardère Group operates as a diversified content, media, and travel retail company through three main divisions. Lagardère Publishing (Hachette Livre) publishes books globally across general literature, education, illustrated books, and partworks. Lagardère Travel Retail runs duty-free, convenience, and food & beverage operations in airports worldwide through Relay and partner brands. Lagardère Live encompasses radio broadcasting (Europe 1, Europe 2, RFM), entertainment venues (Casino de Paris), and sports activities (Lagardère Paris Racing), along with ELLE brand licensing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Maison ELLE: Boutique hotel brand launched by ELLE magazine
• ELLE Hotel
• ELLE Resort & Beach Club
• ELLE Residences Dubai Islands
• RELAY
• STORY Kitchen & Bar

Products and services

• Hachette Livre Book Publishing
• Lagardère Travel Retail (Relay, Duty Free, F&B)
• Lagardère Radio (Europe 1, Europe 2, RFM)
• Casino de Paris Live Entertainment Venue
• Lagardère Paris Racing Sports Club
• ELLE Hospitality (Maison Elle and Elle Hotel) Boutique hotel brands licensed from ELLE magazine with Maison Elle debuting in Paris in fall 2026 and Elle Hotel debuting in summer 2023 in Jalisco, Mexico.
• ELLE Residences Dubai Islands Branded residential project featuring one- to four-bedroom apartments and seven exclusive townhouses on Dubai Islands, developed in partnership with ANAX Developments as ELLE's first branded residential entry in the Middle East.
• ELLE Resort & Beach Club Bali ELLE's first beach resort scheduled to open in Bali in 2028, extending the ELLE brand into resort and beach club operations.
• STORY Kitchen & Bar at DXB Airport dining concept opened at Dubai International Airport (DXB) representing new chapter in airport F&B operations.
• ON SCREEN Book-to-Screen Joint Venture Joint venture between Hachette Livre and StudioCanal announced in 2026 to develop and scale premium film and television adaptations from Hachette Livre's extensive intellectual property catalogue.
• RELAY Heathrow Terminal 2 Flagship Stores New flagship Relay stores opened at Heathrow Terminal 2 as part of travel essentials operations at major UK hub airport.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hachette Book Group became third-largest US publisher
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• STUDIOCANALcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Hachette Livre and StudioCanal announced a strategic partnership to unlock the full potential of book-to-screen adaptations. A joint venture named 'ON SCREEN' will develop and scale premium film and television adaptations from Hachette Livre's extensive catalogue, combining intellectual property with StudioCanal's end-to-end production and distribution capabilities.
• ANAX DevelopmentscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2026ANAX Developments partnered with Lagardère Group to launch ELLE Residences Dubai Islands, marking the iconic fashion brand's first entry into the Middle East branded residential market. The project features one- to four-bedroom apartments and seven exclusive townhouses on Dubai Islands.
• GoogleminorOthersLagardère expects to receive EUR 66 million from a Google ruling by year-end 2026, which will positively impact second-half cash flow.
• Genève AéroportmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLandmark renewal of duty-free and mode concessions with Genève Aéroport, extending partnership since 2011. Lagardère Travel Retail operates boutiques since 2011 and duty-free since 2017. New agreement covers multiple retail formats.
• Western Sydney International AirportmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLagardère AWPL selected to operate 11 stores at Western Sydney International (Nancy-Bird Walton) Airport, Sydney's soon-to-open 24-hour gateway.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• HarperCollins: News Corp's book publishing division and the second-largest US trade publisher. Direct competitor to Hachette Book Group in general literature, children's, and religious publishing with similar global distribution and digital capabilities.
• Penguin Random House: The world's largest trade book publisher and Lagardère/Hachette's most direct global competitor. Owned by Bertelsmann, Penguin Random House competes head-to-head with Hachette in general literature, education, and audiobooks across multiple languages and formats.
• Avolta (formerly Dufry): World's largest travel retailer operating duty-free and convenience stores at airports globally. Most direct competitor to Lagardère Travel Retail across duty-free, travel essentials, and food & beverage concessions at major international airports.
• Simon & Schuster: Major US trade book publisher with comparable general literature, nonfiction, and children's titles. Direct competitor to Hachette Book Group across author recruitment, audiobook, and backlist distribution.
• Gebr. Heinemann: Privately-held German duty-free and travel retail operator with strong European airport presence. Direct competitor to Lagardère Travel Retail in duty-free concessions, particularly across European hubs.
• Autogrill: Airport and highway food & beverage operator (now part of Dufry/Avolta). Competes with Lagardère Travel Retail's F&B concepts including STORY Kitchen & Bar and Düsseldorf Airport food offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Bertelsmann: Global media conglomerate that owns Penguin Random House, RTL Group, and BMG. Largest competitor to Lagardère Publishing and a broader incumbent across the same content/media value chain.
• LVMH: French luxury conglomerate that recently acquired Paris Match from Lagardère. Operates DFS (duty-free) as a direct competitor to Lagardère Travel Retail and now overlaps in magazine publishing after the Paris Match acquisition.
• Vivendi SE: French media conglomerate that controls Canal+, Havas, and other media assets. Bidder for Lagardère SA and a significant strategic player in French media and publishing with overlapping radio, publishing, and entertainment interests.

Others

• RELX: Global information and analytics company with Elsevier scientific publishing. Adjacent to Lagardère Publishing's education and information business, particularly in academic and professional publishing segments where Hachette competes for institutional contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lagardere

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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

M&A8 records

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Lagardere Group