A century-old French appliance manufacturer, Brandt, has been placed into judicial liquidation by a commercial court in Nanterre, outside Paris, effectively ending Algerian conglomerate Cevital’s decade-long attempt to establish a foothold in Europe and resulting in the loss of approximately 700 jobs.
The court decision on December 11 comes after nearly two months in receivership and a final effort to salvage the company through a worker-led cooperative plan. François Bonneau, president of the Centre-Val de Loire region, described the ruling as “terrible news” and a significant blow to French industry.
The only remaining rescue proposal, a worker cooperative or SCOP backed by turnaround specialist Revive and public funds was rejected by the court. The plan would have preserved around 300 jobs and maintained operations at Brandt’s two French manufacturing sites in Saint-Jean-de-la-Ruelle, near Orléans, and Vendôme. Officials said the proposal was deemed too fragile to revive the company’s operations.
Brandt’s collapse highlights challenges for European industrial revival
Founded over a century ago, Brandt had been a symbol of French manufacturing and one of the last major producers of large household appliances in the country. The company generated approximately 260 million euros in annual revenue, with about 70% coming from the French market, and owned well-known labels such as De Dietrich, Sauter, and Vedette.
Cevital, led by Algeria’s richest man Issad Rebrab, acquired Brandt in 2014 following the collapse of Spain’s Fagor. The acquisition was marketed as a bridge between France and Algeria and a springboard for European expansion. However, a sharp slowdown in European housing and renovation markets, combined with fierce competition from Asian manufacturers in China, Turkey, and South Korea, squeezed margins and intensified financial pressures.
While Brandt France faces closure, Cevital has expanded production under the Brandt name in Algeria, constructing a major facility in Sétif that employs roughly 4,000 people and produces millions of appliances annually for domestic and export markets.
Although Brandt France was never the largest earner for Cevital, it was its most visible European investment. Its closure marks a symbolic setback for Rebrab’s European ambitions and serves as a cautionary tale about the difficulties of sustaining manufacturing operations amid changing markets and global competition. The shutdown takes effect immediately.
