Lyon-based Medicos Group, chaired by Cédric Marmonier, takes control of Bullier in Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-d'Armor). Stéphanie Bullier, who has held a 100% stake in % since 2012, is selling the company while remaining a minority shareholder.
A family business for seven generations, after the 1840 takeover of the Maison Chérion et Samuel dating back to 1779, the Bullier company designs and produces high-quality brushes for professionals and the general public, mainly for make-up and Fine Arts. An Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant (EPV) since 2011, Bullier achieved sales of €3.4 million in 2016, employs 30 people, and markets a catalog of over 3,000 brush references, fan-shaped, with pointed, square or round tips, in natural bristles (petit-gris, sable, goat, badger, etc.) or synthetic fibers. These brushes are supplied in particular to the big names in make-up and the main distributors of Fine Arts, under their own brand or the world-famous "Léonard" brand. The company also offers a range of complementary products such as kits, packs and merchandising displays.
Specific series and top-of-the-range items are produced in the workshops, located in the heart of Saint-Brieuc, which handle wick manufacture, ferrule setting, assembly, gluing, marking and inspection with over two hundred years of know-how. In addition, the company has some of its products custom-made in Asia, with the support of its purchasing office in China.
Since 2012, Stéphanie Bullier has been particularly committed to developing and streamlining production processes to reduce delivery times as much as possible. In this way, the company benefits from great flexibility and responsiveness. In recent years, it has increased its export sales to over 40 % of sales. Against this backdrop, it is handing over control of a fast-growing company with the aim of taking it a further step forward in its development.
With the acquisition of Bullier, the Medicos Group aims to further expand its range of "Made in France" services. It also wishes to provide Bullier with its industrial expertise and increased financial resources. The merger will also enable the development of new products for the distribution and application of skincare and make-up products, as well as for the fine arts.
In the short term, new industrial resources will be implemented to rapidly increase Bullier's production in France. In addition, the development of complementary products and the cross-fertilization of customer portfolios will ensure future growth. With this new operation, Medicos Group sales are set to rise sharply in 2017 to well over the €30 million mark.
