The economic court in Nanterre (a suburb of Paris) has ordered the liquidation of the French manufacturer of household appliances Brandt, Agence France-Presse reported, citing François Bonnot, head of the regional council of Centre-Val de Loire, where the company's production facilities are located.
“This is a very serious blow to French industry“, the agency quoted him as saying. Bonnot added that the decision would lead to the loss of approximately 700 jobs.
Brandt, founded in 1924, had belonged to the Algerian group Cevital since 2014 and had a turnover of 260 million EUR. The company has recently been hit hard by the difficulties experienced by the large appliance sector due to the real estate crisis. The purchase of such products, especially kitchen appliances, often involves relocation. The manufacturer recorded another drop in sales in 2024 (-3.9%), following a decline in 2023. In October 2025, the court placed the company under receivership.
The group's two factories are located in central France: near Orléans in the Loire department and in Vendôme in the Loire-et-Cher department. It also operates a service center in the Paris region. The company also owns the De Dietrich, Sauter and Vedette brands.
To avoid the bankruptcy of the brand, the government and local authorities have repeatedly advocated the transfer of the company to an employee cooperative in order to preserve the French production facilities and at least 370 jobs. The court rejected this proposal, despite its support from Revive, a group dedicated to the recovery and transformation of troubled French companies.
The Ministry of Economy, Finance, Industry and Digital Sovereignty expressed disappointment with the court's decision. It recalled that the state had announced support of 5 million euros for “the French flagship of household appliances, but other stakeholders important to the company's success were unwilling to take a position to save Brandt“. AFP believes that the ministry was referring to French banks. The cabinet has called on them to support the sale of the company to a workers' cooperative in order to convince the court of the viability of the project.