Everyone knows the smiling face of this TV regular: Michel-Edouard Leclerc poses throughout the interview as a defender of the purchasing power of the French. In this extract from Complément d’investigation, you will discover that “the French’s favorite boss” is not really that of the chain that bears his name.
Is the brand that bears its name really the cheapest, as its slogan proclaims? In any case, the most publicized figure in mass distribution is Michel-Edouard Leclerc. According to measurements carried out for “Additional investigation” by the specialist firm Cision, between September 2022 and May 2023, he was present (or cited) in the media 3,229 times. This is two and a half times more than Alexandre Bompard, the CEO of Carrefour. This notoriety gives him access to the highest echelons of power to defend his interests. For forty-five years, the French have seen it on their television sets and heard it on the radio. But do they know that he is not the owner of the Leclerc centers, nor even a shareholder?
An heir without a kingdom, owner or shareholder
The Leclerc brand belongs to 544 store owners, all independent. Michel-Edouard Leclerc, the son of the founder of the small Breton grocery store where it all started, never owned one. He is no longer even an employee of the group. In 2013, he set up his consulting company, MEL SDC, which releases just over 5 million euros in annual turnover, including 2 million euros in dividends.
A super-consultant to sell Leclerc’s image
In addition to being a super-consultant who travels across France to promote the brand’s image, Michel-Edouard Leclerc remains chairman of the strategic committee. In March 2023, during a job dating, he stated that “working at Leclerc makes a lot of sense, because it’s a brand that is very committed, committed to its territories, socially committed…”, or : “I think that the brand, today, is a very good employer brand. It’s the brand where you should be!” For Magali Picard, journalist at the magazine LSA and author of a Investigation into Michel-Edouard Leclerc (ed. Plon), “it’s as if he were an external consultant who invoiced his services, the store and warehouse inaugurations, the media services, at the Leclerc centers.”
Extract from “Broken prices, pressure shots: revelations about the Leclerc system”, a document to be seen in “Additional investigation” on September 14, 2023.
> Replays of France Télévisions news magazines are available on the Franceinfo website and its mobile application (iOS & Android), section “Magazines“.