A little too rigid Bernard Arnault? While a behind-the-scenes investigation at LVMH was carried out for “Le Monde”, the journalist who worked on it made some funny revelations about the billionaire CEO.
Bernard Arnault, admired by some and hated by others, is the source of many curiosities. It must be said that the boss of LVMH, whose fortune is estimated by Forbes at 147 billion dollars, cultivates discretion. Raphaëlle Bacqué and Vanessa Schneider recently conducted the investigation to The World to discover a little more about the businessman and his industrial empire…
Bernard Arnault: what do the LVMH offices look like?
Guest of C in the airRaphaëlle Bacqué looked back on her few visits carried out over the months to the LVMH offices, whose headquarters are located on the legendary avenue Montaigne, in the very chic 8th arrondissement of Paris. Here: noopen spaceemployees dressed to the nines and none overweightbutlers in white gloves and the fear of the big boss; which has also established itself as a ritual of visiting its stores on Saturdays.
An atmosphere and a style that arise directly from the way Bernard Arnault likes to conduct his business. “It is truly a company where discipline, which is that of Bernard Arnault himself, is applied at all levels (…) everyone is trained for this, everyone is really like in a race (…) this is what struck us“, confided the journalist.
Bernard Arnault does not tolerate this difference in clothing: employed as a visitor!
The powerful businessman, who recently revealed that he had sold his private jet after months of controversy, is keen to have his wishes respected within his offices. The journalist thus mentions “codes to be respected under penalty of being disgraced“but, even more original, LVMH employees must also pay close attention to a clothing detail that could arouse the wrath of Bernard Arnault.
Indeed, in the investigation of World we discover that employees never have the right to “loose clothing in offices“and that a tie is obligatory. And not just any tie!”There is no question for occasional visitors of going to the gentleman’s office with an Hermès tie. An advisor will provide you with another before you even take the elevator“, relates the journalist.
“His rivals are his obsession. And its big rivals are Kering which belongs to François Pinault and Hermès which Bernard Arnault tried on several occasions to buy and in whose capital he entered. So indeed, arriving with an ostensible brand that belongs to your rival, in particular an Hermès tie, is unbearable. So this is one of the codes that must not be deviated from..“
