The rather discreet great fortunes of Loire-Atlantique | ocean press
Gilles Martin has long since left Nantes. But the CEO of Eurofins returns from time to time to the city where it all began 35 years ago and where his global group still has its historic location and employs 1,100 people.
With 5.4 billion euros, the Martin brothers refer to 22e position
Based in Brussels, he and his brother Yves-Loïc own 33% of the capital of the company, which weighs more than 20 billion euros on the stock exchange. Which earned them a place on the magazine’s list of France’s 500 Greatest Fortunes for several years challenges.
With professional wealth estimated at 5.4 billion euros, the Martin brothers are celebrating their 22nd birthday this yeare 1st place, two more than 2021. Meanwhile, the world leader in agricultural, food, pharmaceutical and environmental analytics weathered the Covid-19 crisis by shipping millions of tests and reagents.
Founded in 1987 in Nantes with three employees, Eurofins was originally a small laboratory specializing in detecting the addition of sugar to wine, using a method developed by parents Martin, Gérard and Maryvonne, both teachers and researchers at the university.
Led by her son Gilles, Eurofins has grown into a true empire in 35 years and today employs more than 61,000 people in more than 940 laboratories in 59 countries. Last year, the group, listed on the Cac 40, had sales of 6.7 billion euros and generated net profit of 783 million, an increase of 45%.
If the pace has slowed somewhat for some time, Eurofins has grown through acquisitions of labs (several dozens a year) around the world. Most recent acquisition so far, last June: a testing laboratory for food, tobacco and pharmaceuticals based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Based in Luxembourg
Eurofins has had its headquarters in Luxembourg since 2012. The CEO denies this for tax reasons and prefers to emphasize the “geographical” importance of a location in the middle of Europe
wrote The world in November 2021.
Gilles Martin is now 58 years old and remains as discreet as ever. Since the inauguration of the group’s new laboratory on the Géraudière site in 2011, only its employees have been able to see it occasionally during his rare visits to Nantes.
