At 72, Michel-Edouard Leclerc is at the head of the Empire which bears his name. Much appreciated by consumers, he was even elected preferred boss of the French in 2021. But did you know that he was intended for a completely other rather astonishing career?
If Michel-Edouard Leclerc is today at the head of an empire estimated at several million euros, the 72-year-old businessman has not always been intended to take over the family business. On the contrary!
Michel-Edouard Leclerc: the amazing career he intended
At eleven, the young Michel-Edouard Leclerc left his native Brittany for the little seminar of Viry-Châtillon in Essonne. Passionate about theology, but especially of travel, he even projected for a moment to become a missionary in order to transmit his religion to the four corners of the globe. Finally, he gave up his childhood dream fairly quickly, little inclined to lead a life made of sacrifices.
However, Breton did not immediately get closer to his father’s flourishing company. He then headed for studies of letters at the prestigious Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University where he discovered political science and philosophy. And he intended for a journalist career.
Michel-Edouard Leclerc “rich”: “I earn a few hundred thousand euros per year”
It was not until 1978 that Breton joined the ranks of Leclerc. And he did well to do it! Elected preferred boss of the French in 2021 by the magazine ForbesMichel-Edouard Leclerc has long been the head of a network of some 700 stores. Today in retirement, its role in the firm is only symbolic. But she continues to bring him big.
Mel, as he calls himself in the sector, has a strategy, development and communication company which declared in 2015 a turnover of around 5.4 million euros. This father of four, all born from a first marriage, also has Mel Facts who, in 2023, had a reserve of 13.66 million euros.
“I am no longer an employee, so it is no more dividends of my companies that I touch. I remind you that the Leclerc centers do not belong to me. Over the past five years, I paid an average of 39,000 euros in property wealth tax and 270,000 euros in income tax”had also declared the husband of Natalia Olzoeva to Franceinfo in April 2024.
And him to add: “I am rich, but I am not one of the 1000 French (the richest, note). I earn a few hundred thousand euros per year, which is a lot compared to the ordinary people and what allows me to do interesting things on the cultural level”.
