60 years of history, the Manutan Group podcast

business, entrepreneurship · FR

Manutan group, Europe’s leading distributor of equipment for businesses and public-sector organisations, is celebrating its anniversary. Sixty years already. Sixty years, and more than €1 billion in turnover. Sixty years of challenges and risks – but above all, 60 years of joy. Do you love a good story? Sit back – you’re going to love this one. Jean-Pierre Guichard: “My father dreamed of being his own boss.” One Sunday in 1964, the family were sitting down to roast beef when André Guichard asked his son Jean-Pierre what he wanted to do with his life. Jean-Pierre dreamed of selling helicopters, but André had other ideas. He was managing director of Saxby, a forklift truck company. Jean-Pierre Guichard: “He said to me, ‘Listen, last week I met a businessman who wants to sell our trucks and has just launched a small catalogue advertising material-handling equipment.’ When he told me that, I jumped at the chance and told him I really liked the idea.” The next day, Jean-Pierre brou