Upmarket rug, fabric and wallcoverings manufacturer Maison Lelièvre has become the first interiors investment by the C4 group.
The group, founded by Pascal Cagni, former Apple executive, has become an anchor investment in the fourth-generation family company.
Emmanuel Lelièvre will continue to lead the company’s development as general manager, with the support of Cagni, who will become president.
Maison Lelièvre’s management team will be strengthened with the appointment of two deputy general managers: Maison Lelièvre vetran Frédéric Capelli and Laura Thivolet, C4 Industries principal.
C4 Industries will support Maison Lelièvre in the development of its three brands: Lelièvre Paris (1914), Quenin (1865), and Tassinari & Chatel (1680), and in the expansion of new export markets, where it generates 60% of its revenue.
Particular focus will be placed on the company’s manufacturing facility near Lyon, where it produces most of its fabrics and all of its silks. The hand-weaving workshop will be relocated there.
‘With C4 Industries as our anchor investor, we will not only secure our activities but also accelerate them, while maintaining our family DNA. Our goal with C4 and Pascal Cagni is to preserve our ancestral industrial know-how, relying on our manufacture in France to reproduce historical fabrics for the Château de Versailles as well as undertake complex projects for major architects and decorators,’ says Lelièvre.
‘It is with great joy and humility that we announce the first investment of C4 Industries in the French “art de vivre” (art of living). Words of our commitment to promote France and its industry, are put into action by becoming the anchor investor of Maison Lelièvre, a symbol of French excellence for more than 300 years thanks to its legendary patrimonial heritage and unique ability to combine tradition and modernity,’ says Cagni.
‘With a Buy & Build approach, we look for small and medium companies with strong immaterial assets – embodied by a strong brand, exceptional savoir-faire or intellectual property -, which often have under-invested manufacturing facilities, and need for Go to Market optimisation. Being an anchor investor, we strive to provide these companies with the right kind of support and resources to achieve a sustainable and lasting transformation. This means that we can be opportunistic and include companies that have interesting value-propositions to speed up the ecological transition, re-shore industrial production or foster digital sovereignty. We are deeply rooted in the Heritage sector: since 2015, we have led discussions with more than 20 companies that preserve national heritage, highlight the “intelligence of the hand” or contribute to the success and influence of France, among them: Lalique, Saint-Louis, Taillardat, Craman Lagarde, Emaux de Longwy, Zuber, and we audited Baccarat, says C4.
