Each of the thousands of sites that will be open to the public during the European Heritage Days on September 19 and 20 must comply with strict health and safety standards. This is not an easy task for all sites, especially those that are private or modest in size, and rarely open their doors to the public. To support them, the Fédération des Entreprises de la Beauté (FEBEA) has decided to join forces with the French Ministry of Culture, providing over 5,000 liters of free hydro-alcoholic gel for distribution throughout France.
During the European Heritage Days on September 19 and 20, 2020, over 10,000 public and private sites will be open to the public, based on the theme chosen for this year's event: "Heritage and education: learning for life!".
But this year also poses a special challenge: how to meet the health standards set by the government, and welcome visitors in complete safety? This is a particular issue for sites which rarely receive visitors, and which do not always have the resources to do so.
To enable these sites to take part in the 2020 European Heritage Days, the Fédération des Entreprises de la Beauté (FEBEA) has decided to join forces with the Ministry of Culture, providing them with free hydroalcoholic gel. In all, over 5,000 liters of hydroalcoholic gel are currently being dispatched to the heart of every region of France, to enable thousands of heritage sites to welcome visitors in complete safety. In practice, those in charge of these sites will be able to pick up their hydroalcoholic gel at the departmental relay points provided by the DRAC (Regional Cultural Affairs Directorate) and the Ministry's institutional partners.
Many FEBEA members have decided to take part in this operation. They include major cosmetics groups (L'Oréal France, LVMH, the Rocher group and the Pierre Fabre group with Ducray) as well as many smaller companies in the sector: Eugène Perma, Sisley, Sublimo, KISBY laboratories, Bretagne Cosmétiques and the Fauvert group.

This mobilization of cosmetics companies, many of them SMEs, illustrates the social commitment of our sector," comments Patrick O'Quin, FEBEA Chairman. Right from the start of the health crisis, our companies didn't hesitate to reorganize their production to take up the production of hydroalcoholic gel and combat the shortage. This commitment continues today, and we are happy to support, at our level, these European Heritage Days. Our involvement is all the more natural given that the cosmetics industry is part of France's cultural heritage!

The Pierre Fabre Group has just signed an agreement with the Argentine laboratory Sidus for the sale of its Argentine site specializing in the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Located in Virrey del Pino (Buenos Aires province), this site specializes in the production of an active ingredient of animal origin used in the composition of anti-arthrosic specialties. All 75 employees will join the Sidus workforce when the site is taken over, expected by the end of the summer.

This sale follows that of a drug packaging site owned by Pierre Fabre in Vietnam, for which a takeover agreement has just been signed with the Vietnamese group Asan Chemical Corporation (ACC), which specializes in the manufacture of active cosmetic and pharmaceutical ingredients. Located in the province of Ho Chi Minh, this site employs 20 people, some of whom will join the workforce of the buyer.

"We are delighted to have found such valuable buyers for our production sites in Argentina and Vietnam. These two countries remain important markets for Pierre Fabre, particularly Argentina, where we are the leader in the dermo-cosmetics market" declares Eric Ducournau, Chief Executive Officer of the Pierre Fabre Group. "The growth strategy we have been pursuing for the past 2 years requires substantial investment in the acquisition and marketing of new products in oncology and dermatology. We would not have had the resources to support the development of these sites as well as the local players who are preparing to take them over.

These divestments confirm Pierre Fabre's strategy of prioritizing the establishment of its industrial activities in France, where the Group has 7 plants, 5 of which are located in the South-West (Castres-Soual, Avène, Gaillac, Aignan, Cahors) and 2 in the Loiret department (Gien, Chateaurenard). Around 95% of the Group's production is thus carried out in France, in areas that are often landlocked and poorly industrialized.

Pierre Fabre also has industrial sites in Brazil (production of dermo-cosmetics for the Brazilian market), Tunisia (packaging of medicines for African markets) and Switzerland (manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients). These sites are linked to brands or partnerships that are intended to remain in the company's portfolio.