RIOU Glass contributes more than half a million euros to bring its 1,000 employees into the capital

As part of an employee shareholding campaign, the Normandy ETI RIOU Glass - specializing in the transformation of insulating glazing with high energy and environmental performance - made a contribution of more than half a million euros to make bring its 1,000 employees working in France into the company's share capital. The operation, carried out under the leadership of its president Christine Riou Feron, aims to restore meaning to work and share the creation of value.

RIOU Glass shares the fruit of the work. The Norman industrialist based in Honfleur (Calvados) has just completed its first employee shareholding campaign. As part of this, the family business offered the possibility to all of its employees working in France, in total nearly 1,000 people, to enter the capital. To make each shareholder, RIOU Glass made a total payment of more than 585,000 euros. A strong, reciprocal commitment based on mutual trust, since 54% of employees have given back to the company by making voluntary payments. For the latter, the ETI supported the savings effort by making an additional payment. “I extend my sincere thanks to all my colleagues for their involvement, trust and daily work. By opening our capital, I wanted them to become owners of their work tools, to be able to take care of them, to perpetuate them and pass them on to future generations. Everyone will thus be able to benefit from the fruits of their work and be directly associated with the company’s value creation” says Christine Riou Feron, President of RIOU Glass.

The creation of a specific Company Common Investment Fund

The opening of capital to employees is part of a broader action plan integrating the establishment of profit-sharing agreements and the harmonization of employee savings schemes. The sums contributed by RIOU Glass, supplemented by those paid by its employees, are placed in a Company Common Investment Fund (FCPE) “RIOU Glass Group Shares” via the Group Savings Plan (PEG). The value of the share will be recalculated once a year, after closing of the consolidated accounts.

Supporting the growth of RIOU Glass

Employees are joining in the growth of RIOU Glass as part of its strategic development plan “RIOU GLASS VERRE 2025” meeting three objectives: consolidating the company's know-how and assets, modernizing and automating its factories, and carry out external growth operations to broaden its range of products and perfect its European network. In this dynamic, since May 2022, RIOU Glass has acquired a stake in the Italian glassmaker Cappelleti & Roleri, the Belgian Euroglas and signed the takeover of the flat glass processor Diffuver, domiciled in Marclopt, in the Loire. RIOU Glass also acquired Vidresif in Spain at the end of 2023.

Strengthen corporate culture and the attractiveness of your employer brand

Finally, the opening of capital aims to strengthen the corporate culture by making each employee fully involved in the success of the company. Advantages for the benefit of ETI employees that RIOU Glass intends to promote to recruit future employees and make its employer brand attractive. “The opening of capital is a positive and participatory way of getting our employees but also our future talents to adhere to a common project. I hope that everyone finds meaning in their work and that they understand the impact of the company on the world” concludes Christine Riou Feron.

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