Linklaters advises Timothée Durand on the takeover of the Arc International group

Linklaters advised Timothée Durand on the takeover of the Arc International group, France’s leading glassmaker and a major international player in tableware. Based in Arques, the group employs more than 5,700 people worldwide and generated revenue of EUR 628 million in 2025.

Having faced cyclical challenges for several years – including declining demand in the tableware market, rising production costs and intensifying international competition – as well as financial pressures, the group has undergone several court-supervised restructuring proceedings.

A descendant of the group’s founder, who created the business in 1825, Timothée Durand has put forward a long-term project aimed at preserving and sustaining the unique know-how of Arc’s glassmakers, built up over generations, and at ensuring the continuity of this leading French industrial and family-owned company.

In a judgment dated 20 March 2026, handed down as part of the safeguard proceedings opened for the benefit of Arc France on 7 January 2026, the Lille Métropole Commercial Court approved the sale of Arc France’s assets to Timothée Durand, who will also regain control of the group’s holding company, Arc Holdings. The plan notably provides for:

• the continuation of industrial operations, supported by EUR 50 million in financing;
• the preservation of the group as a whole and of more than 2,700 jobs at the historic site in Arques, France;
• the restructuring of Arc Holdings’ residual liabilities. This transaction marks a decisive milestone in the history of the group and opens a new phase of recovery and development.

The Linklaters team was led by partner François Kopf and included counsel Inès de Matharel and associates Charlotte Fraysse and Manon Fradin in the Restructuring and Insolvency team.

Partner Cyril Boussion and associate Andréa Midy advised on tax aspects, and partner Lionel Vuidard and associate Netanel Taid Kashani advised on employment law aspects.

The firm’s teams assisted Timothée Durand throughout the takeover process, working in close collaboration with a Cornet Vincent Ségurel team led by Thomas Deschryver and Stéphanie Forest.