Cafés Legal, which employs 120 employees mainly in its factory in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime), has announced its liquidation.
In Le Havre, where the company opened in 1851, the residents met by TF1 were stunned.
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In Le Havre, the liquidation of Legal cafés marks the end of an era. The factory is completely at a standstill and, one week before Christmas, the 110 employees are preparing to be made redundant. A tragedy both for the economy and for the industrial heritage of Seine-Maritime, as shown in the TF1 news report at the top of this article.
In the neighborhood where the factory was located, this news came as a shock. Pascal lives only a few meters from the establishment: “When it works, we have all the smells that come in. Learning to close it hurts”he confides, on the verge of tears. All local residents have a loved one linked to Legal cafés: “It touches me because it will mean less work and more unemployment for local people”testifies a man. “We all knew someone who worked there, and people liked their company”adds his wife.
“It was an institution”
Despite its 170 years of history, the company, presented as the first 100% French coffee brand, had been in suspension of payments since last September and in receivership since October. The people of Le Havre therefore also lose a symbol of their city: “It had been an institution for 170 years so it was still an important factory from a local point of view”assures a passerby at the microphone of TF1. “Le Havre has always been about coffee, cotton, the port… A large employment area. It’s disastrous”confirms another, just sipping his coffee.
No buyer could be found in time. Despite strong activity in recent months, the company, majority owned by the FNB investment fund specializing in the agri-food industry, has suffered from the rise in coffee prices which have reached a record level for 50 years. According to this retiree from Le Havre, this failure can also be explained by competition: “Now we only consume coffee made abroad. I think it’s not a question of quality, it’s really a question of the economic environment.” Brazil, Vietnam and Indonesia are in fact the world’s leading producers.
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The Normandy region had, however, acted as guarantor to seek a new investor. An insufficient promise for the Paris court. In a press release this Wednesday, management said “regret this decision”. The brand was notably made famous in 1992 by Johnny Hallyday, in an advertisement where he was drinking coffee before a concert.
