French companies have a strong presence not only in Europe but across the world. The largest companies in France are spread across sectors like banking, automobile, pharmaceutical, energy etc. The top companies in France include names like Sanofi, AXA, Total, BNP, EDF, Renault along with Saint-Gobain, VINCI, Renault etc. Here is the list of the top 10 companies in France 2017.
Quick Glance
1st place: AXA Group
2nd place: Total
3rd place: BNP Paribas
4th place: EDF
5th place: Peugeot
6th place: Renault
7th place: Christian Dior
8th place: VINCI
9th place: Saint-Gobain
10th place: Sanofi
For more details about rankings and parameters, read on.
10. Sanofi
Sanofi is a world leader life sciences company with a strong workforce of 100,000 employees in approximately 100 countries.
Image: Wikimedia
The company has also 87 manufacturing facilities in some 38 countries and provide services in over 170 countries. The company has five major business verticals namely diabetes & cardiovascular, vaccines, general medicines & emerging markets, consumer healthcare and specialty care. Sanofi has always been an innovation driven firm with the company spending €5.2 billion in research and development in 2016. The group has close to four R&D hubs spread across Europe, Asia and North America. The company reaps 36.6% of its revenue from USA followed by 28.4%(emerging markets), 25.7%(Europe) and 9.3%(rest). In 2016, General medicines contributes 42.8% of revenue to the firm followed by cardiovascular & diabetes (18.9%)
Being a responsible pharmaceutical company, Sanofi has stringent internal quality processes and structures with compliance systems in place to align themselves with the regulatory framework. The company has partnerships with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WHO amongst others thus strengthening the commitment of the organisation to tackle the menace of health inequality by providing affordable healthcare to a third of world’s population. The company has committed to address the climate change by reducing their energy and carbon footprint and optimization the production, wastage & disposal, filling and packaging of their products.
As of FY 2016-’17, Sanofi has total sales of $37.4 billion and net profit of $5.2 billion and they are ranked as tenth best company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 37.4
Profits ($Bn): 5.2
9. Saint-Gobain
Saint-Gobain was established in 1665 headquartered in Paris and today the group employs more than 170,000 people with operation in more than 68 countries with 8 research centres.
Image: company website
The company has immense experience and ability to transform their offerings by upholding high quality and innovative products. The company has consistently performed well among challenging global environment and the emphasis laid on energy efficiency to cut down electricity consumption and contribute to green and responsible corporate influence to address global warming and climate change. They have products ranging from photovoltaic glass, window glass, insulation and water supply systems to meet the growing challenges in the design and construction industry. The company has high performance materials like abrasives, performance plastics, fabrics, ceramics and flat glasses and they have a R&D budget of close to €430m.
Saint-Gobain serves automobile industry, residential construction, commercial structures and industrial applications. In India, the company has two business Saint Gobain India private Limited and Grindwell Norton Limited. The construction products of saint gobain are CertainTeed(external building solutions), Gyproc(gypsum products), Weber(tiles,grouts,sealers) and pipes. The company has core values which guides their vision and mission such as commitment, loyalty, integrity, respect and solidarity.
As of FY 2016-’17, Saint Gobain has total sales of $43.2 billion and net profit of $1.5 billion and they are ranked as ninth best company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 43.2
Profits ($Bn): 1.5
8. VINCI
VINCI is a concessions and contracting company headquartered in France which was established in 1899 by Mr. Alexandre Giros and Louis Loucheur.
Image: company website
It is one of the largest infrastructure company in the world with 183,487 employees worldwide and a total of 270,000 projects. About close to 59% of revenue of the company was from France and 83% of total revenue was from their contracting business. The company employs close to 169,192 employees in contracting which is approximately 92% of their total workforce. VINCI pursues a strategy of finding a right mix of long term value creation for shareholders, builders, suppliers, employees and customers.
Contracting business requires relatively less capital and strong technical expertise whereas in concession business usually the business cycle is long and requires large amount of capital to sustain. Major business lines under concessions are VINCI airports and VINCI autoroutes and businesses under contracting is divided under VINCI energies, VINCI construction and Eurovia. The company has committed to build smart cities and eco- friendly designs to deal with the problems of urbanisation and better biodiversity planning by creating some benchmarks like ParkCap, Biodi(v)strict in association with ParisTech. The company wants to promote gender diversity and has set a target of having close to 25% of workforce by 2020. The group commits to build long term relationships with its stakeholders and also supports SMEs at local level.
As of FY 2016-’17, VINCI has total sales of $42.6 billion and net profit of $2.8 billion and they are ranked as eighth best company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 42.6
Profits ($Bn): 2.8
7. Christian Dior
Dior was founded by Christian Dior in 1946. The company started with mannequins then launched parfums in the same year.
Image: Wikimedia
Today, the company is a major luxury goods manufacturer with 210 retail stores, starting from fashion accessories, perfumes, clothing, jewellery, footwear and skincare products. The company’s primary source of distribution is through their retail stores but they also have an online presence. Mr Bernard Arnault is the current chairman of Dior and the company has made massive strides under his leadership. Even though most of the products in their portfolio were considered to be functional products traditionally, the designer series of their products and the quality made them to stand out from the rest of the products in that category. There was a shift from functional to innovative product and they were able to successfully position themselves as the luxury goods manufacturer among their target group.
After the arrival of Mr. Bernard Arnault in 1984 who also leads LVMH which is the world’s largest luxury group, the group expanded its global footprint by consolidating their product lines and merging complementing businesses. There were leadership change among their business lines as well during this period which re-ignited the brand Dior. The company has approximately 85,000 employees.
As of FY 2016-’17, Christian Dior has total sales of $43.7 billion and net profit of $2 billion and they are ranked as seventh best company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 43.7
Profits ($Bn): 2
6. Renault
Renault was established in 1898. The company has a long and illustrious history with company designing the first two cylinder engine in 1902 which eventually led to the development of modern engines.
Image: Wikimedia
In 1945, the company was taken over by the French government and was privatized again in 1998. The company has sold approx 2 million cars in Europe with 6 lakh cars in France alone with the market share of 26.4%. They operate in 36 countries with a strong workforce of 120,136 employees. Renault, Dacia and Renault Samsung motors are the three brands of Renault and each have their own set of loyal customers. RSM is local brand and Dacia is one of the successful regional brands of the group and they have positioned themselves as reliable and sturdy player. The company thrives on innovation of its products and services and constantly revamping their design strategy which focuses on simplicity, warmth and sensuality. The overall emphasis is in improving the driving experience and comfort of the passengers which takes the centre stage when it comes to defining the brand identity of Renault.
Renault is also known for its engines, the company is major supplier for many top brands and has performed consistently well in terms of power, reliability and handling. Since, electric vehicles are forecasted to significantly drive revenues in automobile industry, the company has completely digitalized its production system and has adopted a more customer centric approach.
As of FY 2016-’17, Renault has total sales of $56.7 billion and net profit of $3.8 billion and they are ranked as sixth best company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 56.7
Profits ($Bn): 3.8
5. Peugeot
Peugeot was established in the year 1810 and have the long history of designing innovative and creative automobile solutions with the right mix of technology and style.
Image: Wikimedia
Over the years, the company has pushed boundaries on many fronts and has established itself as the leading car manufacturer in Europe. The company is known for many firsts like i-cockpit which offers excellent conditions for drivers by displaying all the required parameters required for safe driving. The company has concentrated on driving enhancements by designing compact steering and providing access to innovative features. They have developed the most efficient engine to reduce harmful emissions in BlueHDi diesel engine technology with unmatched performance and reliability. The major points of differentiation for Peugeot is the reliability of the performance, efficiency and innovation.
The company has also developed a raft of concept cars like L500R Hybrid, Traveller i-LAB, Fractal, 308R Hybrid, Quartz, etc.
As of FY 2016-’17, Peugeot has total sales of $59.8 billion and net profit of $1.9 billion and they are ranked as fifth best company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 59.8
Profits ($Bn): 1.9
4. EDF
EDF was first established in 1946 by the French government is the one of the most responsible and efficient producer of electricity.
Image: geograph
EDF generate about 584 TWh of electricity out of which 78% is nuclear energy, 8% hydropower, 8% gas powered and just 3% of coal based power generation. The company is world leader in generating low carbon energy with 88% of electricity they generate declared free of CO2. They have close to 37 million clients worldwide and a strong workforce of 154,845 employees worldwide. They have expertise from electricity generation to marketing and transmission to consumers with high efficiency and low leakages. Sustainability and environmental consciousness lie at the heart of this firm with the company developing a framework for energy conservation and environmental preservation centred around three main issues. First: Providing customized energy solutions to their growing base of clients, second: Developing renewable energy capacity to 50GW by 2030, third: to expand their footprint to other developing countries to provide high quality energy solutions and also to cut down on emissions by leveraging their expertise.
The strategic vision 2030 of the company aims to provide better lives, better experiences and better energy for the world. In India, the company has solar energy facility which generates 47MWe and capacity addition project to generate 132MWe is under progress. Being an energy major, the company has adopted six major corporate social responsibility goals namely to cut down emissions and thereby to check climate change, professional and personal development of employees, affordable energy solution, innovation to boost efficiency in both production and transmission, consultation on projects and preserving biodiversity.
As of FY 2016-’17, Total SA has total sales of $78.8 billion and net profit of $2.5 billion and they are ranked as fourth best company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 78.8
Profits ($Bn): 2.5
3. Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP)
BNP was founded after the merger of CNEP which was established in 1848 during severe financial crisis and the BNCI which was formed by entrepreneurs in the year 1930.
Image: Wikimedia
Both the institutions were nationalised in the year 1945 and they are merged in 1966 to form the Banque Nationale de Paris. It was the first French nationalised bank and was later privatised in the year 1993 and the company was completely transformed. In 1999, they took over Paribas which was established in 1872 as first investment bank in France. The company’s business lines range from Corporate & Institutional banking under which they provide investment banking, global markets, Corporate banking and securities services. They also provide international financial services like Insurance, retail banking, wealth & asset management. In Asia Pacific alone they have close to 15,000 employees and have partnerships with giants like State Bank of India, Bank of Beijing and Shinhan financial group.
The company has a very strong corporate philosophy of fighting social maladies and working with people to promote education, sustainability and culture. Their subsidiaries and joint ventures in India include SBI Life, Arval and Sundaram BNP Paribas mutual funds. The company had always worked on creating new and innovative solutions to customers and their stakeholders while having solid fundamentals amid a highly volatile global market. They have strong understanding of local markets in the countries they operate to provide best solutions and services to their corporate and institutional clients. Corporate Social responsibility of the group is maintaining their commitments to their economic responsibilities and working with governments and NGOs for social, civic and environmental commitments for sustainable development.
As of FY 2016-’17, BNP Paribas has total revenue of $ 74.7 billion and net profit of $ 8.4 billion and ranked as third best company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 74.7
Profits ($Bn): 8.4
2. Total S.A
Total S.A first came into existence in the year 1924 and has become a leading company in Europe.
Image: Wikimedia
The company is focused on fulfilling the energy needs of the customers and they have a long history of not only discovering the untapped energy and taking it to customers in different forms. They also have developed a very strong technical expertise in oil discovery, exploration, transformation and finally distributing to customers with high efficiency and reduced losses. Being an energy major, the company has the responsibility of delivering clean and safer energy options to contribute positively to the threat of climate change and global warming. At present, they operate in over 130 countries and have close to 98,000 employees working on the entire supply chain of energy business. Going forward the major challenges for the company would be to address the threat of climate change and sustaining good relationship with their customers. It is also worth noting that they are the fourth largest oil and gas major in the world. They have made rapid progress in green energy solutions especially the LNG and tapping the solar energy.
At every facet of their operations, the company adds value by developing an innovative solution to their customers’ needs. The business model of Total is an integrated one starting with exploration and production energy from sources namely the oil & gas, solar and the biomass. Then, they process them to develop required products like petrochemicals, polymers, etc. Finally, they market their products and customers by delivering to the end users which includes shipping.
As of FY 2016-’17, Total SA has total sales of $128.1 billion and net profit of $6.2 billion and they are ranked as second best company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 128.1
Profits ($Bn): 6.2
1. AXA
AXA is the multinational insurance firm offering wide range of services from investment banking to wealth management.
Image: Wikimedia
They are established in 1817 and pioneers in the field of life insurance services, employee benefits, corporate insurance and retirement services. Their mission is to help people by managing their savings and assets to protect against any unfortunate events and to provide financial security. The company has built its expertise in risk management and insurance services to build a strong and safer world. The company’s core values are Innovation, Professionalism, Pragmatism, Integrity and Team spirit and they have close to 110 million clients both individual & group in over 64 countries. They are also consistently ranked as world’s best insurance company for eight consecutive years.
Being in this line of business, their incredible business acumen coupled with ethics and commitments to their customers have propelled this company as an household name in many countries. They have setup a corpus of 100 million euros for research in the areas of risk analysis and financial wealth management. They have approximately 165,000 employees worldwide working in the verticals of life insurance, asset management and property casualty business. The company contributes to reducing the emissions and waste by promoting awareness among its stakeholders and also pledged to address the issue of climate change. The company is also actively working on the fields of promoting low carbon economy through insurance and investment strategies.
As of FY 2016-’17, AXA has total revenue of $ 132.2 billion and net profit of $ 6.2 billion and are ranked as number one company in France.
Sales ($Bn): 132.2
Profits ($Bn): 6.2
Rank Methodology:
1. The leading companies of France are taken
2. Parameters like sales and profits are taken and weightages of 0.5 are given to each
3. Based on that a final score is calculated and the final ranks are evaluated