The Bernard Hayot Group reacts following an article published on January 9, in the newspaper Libération, pointing out “the suspicious profits of the Group in Overseas France”. For its part, the company asserts in a press release published the next day that the media relied on the statements of its “usual detractors and a former employee who denigrates and defames us in a spirit of revenge.” GBH then delivers its truth on margin levels and competition in Overseas France.
The reaction of the Bernard Hayot Group was quick, following the publication of an article in Libération on “the suspicious profits of the Group in Overseas” according to the newspaper of January 9, 2025.
The next day, the press release issued by the Group, particularly targeted as part of the social movement against the high cost of living since 1is last September, considers that the writings of the newspaper have for “objective of destabilizing the company.
These attacks exploit our group. They are unfounded and approximate, without consideration for our employees, our customers and our suppliers (…). We can only deplore that the journalist did not take into account the precise, quantified and sourced responses that we sent him, following up on the questions he sent us before the article was published.
Regarding large-scale food distribution, “our margins are very comparable to those practiced in France” GBH rhetorque.
Regarding the automotive business, “this profession requires very significant financial assets”.
The company finances between 3 and 5 months of stock for new cars and between 3 and 6 months of stock for spare parts, this does not exist in France (…). The margins practiced in the Overseas Territories are the same as those observed internationally for operators who are both importers and distributors.
Regarding competition, GBH believes that it is not “in no way in a dominant position”.
The strong constraint on margins has caused major financial difficulties in recent years for many players in this market. If we add the arrival of new Chinese manufacturers, and the numerous cases of redistribution of brand portfolios decided by manufacturers, we can only see that the market is absolutely not fixed but on the contrary extremely dynamic and competitive.
The Group’s press release emphasizes in its conclusion that “the problem of the cost of living goes back well before the existence of GBH and finds its origin in a structural problem: distance”.
In 1952, eight years before the creation of our group, the State already granted a cost of living bonus to its civil servants.
France
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