Groupe Bigard is a French meat processing company. It owns half of all slaughterhouses in France. It processes beef, mutton, and pork. Its best-known brandname is Charal.
Overview The company was founded as Société commerciale des viandes by Jean-Paul Bigard in 1968.Company Overview of Groupe Bigard SA, Bloomberg Business It became known as Groupe Bigard six years later, in 1974.
The company's headquarters are in Quimperlé, France. It owns half of all slaughterhouses in France.Marie-Josee Cougard, Les abattoirs, un secteur concentré et dominé par le groupe Bigard, Les Echos, July 24, 2015 It sells meat under the brandnames of Charal, D'Anvial, Tendre et Plus, and Shems. Its best-known brandname is Charal.
As of 2015, Jean-Paul Bigard owns 90% of the company,Jean-Paul Bigard (Groupe Bigard) , Capital, June 23, 2014 with an estimated wealth of 350 million Euros. He serves as the President of the Syndicat National de l'Industrie des Viandes (SNIV) and the Syndicat National du Commerce du Porc (SNCP).
In 2016, the company acquired Copvial SA for a symbolic one euro. The company had been placed in judicial liquidation on June 28, 2016.
Facilities The company's headquarters and main processing facility are located in Quimperlé, the group's historic factory.
As of 2010, the company operated 55 sites across France, including 23 slaughterhouses, accounting for nearly half of the country's private slaughterhouses. By 2023, the group had expanded to 60 industrial sites and 28 slaughterhouses in France.
2015 French pork production crisis In August 2015, both Groupe Bigard and its competitor, Cooperl Arc Atlantique, refused to accept the price set at the Marché du Porc Breton in Plérin, which is used as the norm across France, on the basis that it was too high in comparison with the price set by other European countries like Germany, where both companies also sell pork.Victoria Masson, Deux importants industriels de la viande boycottent le porc français, Le Figaro, August 11, 2015
Sponsorship In January 2022, Bigard signed a partnership agreement with the Racing 92 rugby club until 2025.
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