Top 20 Most Famous French Companies

By Kokky92 – Wikimedia

Top 20 Most Famous French Companies

*Originally published by Lilian in July 2020 and updated by Vanessa in August 2022 and Updated by Vanessa R in July 2023

France is one of the leading economies in the European Union. It comes a shy second after Germany.

French economic growth is largely dependent on companies. These companies not only contribute to the economy but also actively take part in corporate responsibility.

Majority of them focus on environment, governance or citizen engagement.

The core values of French companies are quality products and services followed by citizen engagement. Such activities have improved the reputation of the companies.

Here are some of the most famous French companies that have excelled both at home and across its borders.

1. AXA – Insurance

By Kokky92 – Wikimedia

AXA is a French multinational company that has built a global presence in Western Europe, North America, Africa, the Indian Pacific region, and the Middle East.

It is one of the leading companies in insurance, investment management, and other financial services.

This company is made up of other multinational businesses in the countries that it is set in.  they operate according to the laws and regulations set in different countries.

Its unique name was intentionally picked through computer-assisted research, it is there easy to pronounce and not an acronym.

AXA was ranked 2^nd top company in France in 2019 and had a revenue of $126 billion that same year. It is also a member of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

2. MICHELIN – Tyre Manufacturing

Michelin is another French multinational tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France.

It is the second-largest tyre manufacturer in the world right after Bridgestone. Michelin’s production is larger than both Goodyear and Continental.

This company also owns the Kléber tyres company, Michelin Man, Uniroyal-Goodrich Tire, SASCAR, Book-a-table and Camso brands.

Michelin is also famous for its Red and Green travel guides, its roadmaps, the Michelin stars; the Red Guide awards restaurants for their fine cuisine.

It not only manufactures car tyres but for space shuttles, aircraft, heavy equipment, motorcycles, and bicycles.

This company is actively involved in fortitude races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series.

They have collaborated with other automobile companies like Audi, Porsche and Toyota LMP1 teams, AF Corse, BMW, Corvette, Ford Ganassi, Porsche and Risi teams in GTE-Pro / GTLM. The company is an exclusive supplier of LMP3 since 2015.

3. Carrefour – Retailing

By Kokky92 – Wikimedia

Next on the list is a hypermarket retailing store, Carrefour. This French multinational company has its headquarters in Paris and is one of the world’s largest retailers.

The company was founded in 1960 as a small residential store at a busy junction. It soon opened the first megastore in Europe, the building had a hypermarket, a large supermarket, and department store. This hypermarket was opened in 1963 in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, near Paris.

Carrefour runs a franchise in countries across Europe, Latin and South Americas, Africa and Asia under a variety of setups.

In 1999, it merged with Promodès, also known as Continent, which was one of its major competitors in the French market. The supermarket has more than 12,225 worldwide.

4. Total – Oil and Gas

Total is one of the largest companies in France by revenue and among the seven Big Oil companies worldwide. It was founded in 1924 and continues to be the leading in Oil and Gas.

The company had revenue of $184 billion at the of 2019 and has over 100,000 employees globally.

Total operates in more than 130 countries while providing energy that is safer, more affordable, cleaner and accessible to as many people as possible.

Its factories have created progressive and sophisticated products as well as having an extensive distribution network. This has enabled the company to roll out an ever-expanding range of services.

5. Peugeot – Automotive

By Thesupermat – Wikimedia

Peugeot is a famous and loved French automobile manufacturer that has a history dating back to 1800s. It started off by manufacturing coffee mills and bicycles. During its initial years, the company was family-run. Its first car and a steam tricycle were built-in 1889. A year later they built an internal combustion car with a Panhard-Daimler engine.

The company has had many achievements in the World Rally Championships. It also has won the emissions awards and many European Car of the year awards.

Peugeot had revenue of $89.4 billion in 2019 and was among the 5 biggest companies in France by revenue.

6. Electricité de France – Nuclear electric power generation company

Electricité de France is principally involved in electricity generation, transmission, distribution, power plant design, construction and dismantling, transport and trading.

It is a state-owned company with an impressive power generation portfolio in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa.

The power generated is from nuclear plants that are environmentally friendly. They generate the power using technologies like nuclear power, hydropower, marine energies, wind power, solar energy, biomass, geothermal energy and fossil-fired energy

It had a revenue of 81.4 billion in 2019 with power generation of more than 120 gigawatts.

7. Renault – Automobile

By Ben – Wikimedia

Groupe Renault is a multinational automobile manufacturer that was founded in 1899. It manufactures a range of cars and vans. It initially used to manufacture trucks, tractors, tanks, buses, aircraft and aircraft engines, and auto rail vehicles.

Renault was the 9^th biggest automobile manufacturer in the world by volume in 2016. It formed an alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi in 2017 and together they were the biggest sellers of light vehicles.

This company is present in 134 countries and has sold 3.8 million vehicles by the end of 2019.

To meet the major technological challenges of the future while continuing to pursue a profitable growth strategy; Renault is focusing on international expansion and drawing on the synergies of its five brands: Renault, Dacia, Renault Samsung Motors, Alpine and LADA.

8. Auchan Holding – Retailing

Auchan Holding is a multinational retail group headquartered in Croix. It was founded in 1961 by Gerard Mulliez, he settled for the name Auchan because of letter A that appears first in directories.

The company operates in 12 countries with different versions of the name to sound more local. In 2019, its revenue was $61 billion consequently being among the top 10 companies in France.

This family-run company has employed more than 300 thousand employees making it the 35^th largest employer in the world.

Its branches are found in Spain, Portugal, China, Taiwan, Russia, Ukraine, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, and Hungary.

9. Christian Dior – Luxury goods

By Frédéric BISSON – Wikimedia

Christian Dior is a French luxury goods company under the leadership of Bernard Arnoult, the chief executive of LVMH.

It was founded in 1946 by the fashion artisan Christian Dior and has been producing luxurious items for both women and men.

Over time, the company has increased the variety of products it has been producing. It shifted from exclusively producing fragrances and makeup and included custom-fitted clothing.

They also included a children’s line. Its 2019 revenue was $55.3 billion, therefore, becoming the 12^th in the list of largest French companies.

The company currently designs and retails leather goods, fashion accessories, footwear, jewellery, timepieces, fragrance, makeup, and skincare products.

It has also maintained its tradition as a creator of haute-couture under its Christian Dior Couture division.

10. Vinci – Construction

Last on the list is Vinci, a concession and construction company headquartered in Rueil-Malmaison, suburbs of Paris, founded in 1899.

Vinci has been involved in several major projects that are prominent for more than a century. The company has more than 210,000 employees and a revenue of $52.5B.

This company operates as an investor, builder and operator of buildings and infrastructure in more than 100 countries. It has significantly contributed to transforming cities in the regions they have worked at.

Overtime, Vinci has acquired several construction companies in France and in the UK.

11. Crédit Agricole- Finance 

The most renowned cooperative financial organization in the world with a strong ag-related focus and a head office in France is Crédit Agricole Group (later Crédit Agricole).

The holding’s 73,707 employees served multiple local (28%) and worldwide clients in 10,000+ locations, including 2,509 neighbourhood banks, and generated $84.2B in revenue in 2018. The home country’s Tour de France cycle team, the France national football team, and the Italian rugby team are all sponsored by Crédit Agricole, a well-known sports sponsor.

12. Engie- electric utility giant

The first electricity provider to construct a nuclear energy production facility in the area was ENGIE, a major European electric company with its headquarters in France.

ENGIE currently owns three nuclear reactors, each with a 1,208 MW capacity, located in France, Belgium, and Germany. It also works in the markets for renewable energy and natural gas. As of the end of 2018, the corporation has 151,677 employees who contributed to its achievement of $75.6 billion in sales and $180.5 billion in assets.

13. Société Générale- French Banking Group

Generale HQ by Tangopaso from Wikimedia Commons

The most well-known French banking organization, Société Générale S.A. (later Société Générale), is based in Paris and operates in Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia. This investment bank and financial services company have a number of accolades that attest to its success, including “the 3rd largest bank by total assets in France” and “the TOP-6 European largest banks’ member,” which is not surprising given its $1,531B in assets (as of 2018) and the impressive workforce of 153,168 individuals that produced $69.9B in annual revenue in 2018.

14. CNP Assurances- Insurance Corporation

An insurance company with its global headquarters in France, CNP Assurances S.A. (later CNP), and its second-largest market in Brazil. The state owns 40% of CNP. There are 27 million insurance policyholders and over 14 million pension and savings policyholders served by its 5,171 workers.

CPN reported a $50.7 billion yearly income in 2018, and given the year-over-year increase in sales (6.1%), it stands a good chance of continuing this trend in 2019.

15. Vinci-Channel Tunnel

The Channel Tunnel and the Atlantic Bridge in Panama are only two of the significant projects undertaken by the French concession and construction company Vinci S. A. (later VINCI). With $46.3 billion in revenue as of 2018, VINCI is the largest firm in the world in its sector.

The business has operations in Africa, Europe, and North America, although France accounts for the majority of its net sales (58.9%). In more than 100 countries, the company’s 194,428 people provide design, construction, restoration, and maintenance services for building, transportation, energy, and telecom infrastructures.

16. BNP Paribas-Financial Services

BNP Paribas Groupe SA, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Almost 190,000 employees from 68 different countries and regions work for this global financial organisation, which has its headquarters in Paris. BNP Paribas has taken part in a number of initiatives and mobilised widely to serve the requirements of its clients. Notwithstanding all the tragic occurrences, BNP Paribas was still able to generate billions in sales, which is why it’s one of the most famous companies in France.

17. Électricité de France-Electric Utility Company

One of the major global electric utility businesses in the world is Électricité de France (often known as EDF). EDF, which has its headquarters in Paris, takes pride in producing products that emit no more than 90% CO2 into the atmosphere. EDF employs about 165 thousand people and provides services to nearly 38 million client sites globally while being present in Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

18.Société Générale-Financial Services

Arthur Weidmann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Société Générale) is an international organisation with offices that are a short distance from Paris. With a focus on regional, global, and local banking, financial services, and investor solutions, it is now home to approximately 130,000 professionals. Société Générale has seen both good and bad days as a company but they still manage to emerge as one of the most famous companies in France.

19. VINCI-Construction

VINCI is a construction business and operator of licenses for transport infrastructure with its main office in Rueil-Malmaison, a little town just west of Paris. VINCI has successfully completed a wide range of significant construction and concession projects in Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East over the course of its more than 120-year history.

20.CNP Assurances-Insurance

CNP Assurances is a significant life insurance, pension, personal risk, health insurance, and service provider. CNP Assurances are actually the originators of life insurance in France; their history dates back to the 19th century. Today, however, their worldwide partnerships enable them to provide their services not just in France but also in Brazil and the rest of Europe.