LVMH’s Arnault Family in Talks to Buy Majority Stake in Storied Parisian Soccer Club

Agache, the holding company of LVMH founder and Chief Executive Bernard Arnault ’s family, is in exclusive talks to buy a majority stake in storied soccer club Paris FC, extending one of Europe’s richest families’ foray into sports.

Agache said in a statement Thursday that the Arnault family is teaming up with Austrian energy-drink maker Red Bull, which is currently negotiating a minority stake in the second-tier Parisian club.

While Red Bull will be involved with the sporting element in an advisory function, the Arnault family intends to provide the club with the resources its needs for its economic and sporting development.

Though the move would be the family’s first step into soccer, Red Bull is already heavily invested in the sport with stakes in top-level clubs in Germany, Austria and the U.S.

Through LVMH, however, the family has ramped up its sports involvement and sponsorships recently.

Earlier this month, the company struck a 10-year partnership deal with Formula One, capitalising on the sport’s global ascendance. And this summer, LVMH brands were hard to miss at the Paris Olympics after the luxury-goods maker paid roughly 150 million euros to be a sponsor of the global event.

With the controlling stake in Paris FC, the family aims to establish both the men’s and women’s side among the elite of French football, Agache said.

“With the arrival of Agache as the club’s majority shareholder, the club will take on a new dimension with new goals and criteria for success,” it said.

The current owner of Paris FC, Pierre Ferracci, will remain president, Agache said. Antoine Arnault will be Agache’s representative on the club’s board of directors.

Paris FC, founded in 1969, returned to professional ranks in 2015 after spending four decades in the amateur leagues. It hasn’t been a part of France’s top flight league since the late 1970s, but currently sits at the top of the second-best division in the French leagues.

Australian social circles are shrinking as more people look for ways to keep a lid on spending, a new survey has found.

New research from Finder found more than one fifth of respondents had dropped a friend or reduced their social circle because they were unable to afford the same levels of social activity. The survey questioned 1,041 people about how increasing concerns about affordability were affecting their social lives. The results showed 6 percent had cut ties with a friend, 16 percent were going out with fewer people and 26 percent were going to fewer events.

Expensive events such as hens’ parties and weddings were among the activities people were looking to avoid, indicating younger people were those most feeling the brunt of cost of living pressures. According to Canstar, the average cost of a wedding in NSW was between $37,108 to $41,245 and marginally lower in Victoria at $36, 358 to $37,430.

But not all age groups are curbing their social circle. While the survey found that 10 percent of Gen Z respondents had cut off a friend, only 2 percent of Baby Boomers had done similar.

Money expert at Finder, Rebecca Pike, said many had no choice but to prioritise necessities like bills over discretionary activities.

“Unfortunately, for some, social activities have become a luxury they can no longer afford,” she said.

LVMH’s Arnault Family in Talks to Buy Majority Stake in Storied Parisian Soccer Club

Agache intends to provide the second-tier Parisian club with the resources it needs for its economic and sporting development

More than one fifth of Australians are cutting back on the number of people they socialise with