On December 30, 2025, LVMH solidified its grip on the French media landscape by acquiring 100% of Les Éditions Croque Futur. This strategic move folds three heavyweights—the business weekly Challenges and the scientific journals Sciences & Avenir and La Recherche—into LVMH’s investment arm, UFIPAR.
While the group frames this as a mission to “secure the long-term future of high-quality information” and “modernize digital distribution,” the acquisition effectively transforms LVMH from a luxury purveyor into a dominant cultural and intellectual gatekeeper. By controlling these titles, Bernard Arnault’s empire now owns the very publications that rank global wealth, analyze economic policy, and validate the scientific innovations that the luxury industry increasingly relies on.
The acquisition of Les Editions Croque Futur by Bernard Arnault’s LVMH on December 30, 2025, is a move that has sent ripples far beyond the world of magazines. While the official press release speaks of “digital acceleration” and “scientific culture,” the “subversive” or underlying causes are deeply tied to power, narrative control, and the protection of the luxury ecosystem.
Here is a dive into why the world’s most powerful luxury group just bought a business weekly (Challenges) and two science journals (Sciences & Avenir, La Recherche).
photo @LVMH
1. Controlling the Yardstick of Wealth
Perhaps the most “subversive” reason for this acquisition lies in a single annual feature: The Challenges “500 Wealthiest People in France” list.
The Cause: For years, Challenges has been the definitive authority that ranks Bernard Arnault’s fortune. By owning the publication, LVMH now owns the “thermometer” that measures its own chairman’s wealth.
The Power Play: In a climate where “Billionaire Taxes” are a hot political topic in France (with Arnault actively fighting proposed 2026 levies), controlling the publication that defines and publicizes those wealth figures is a massive strategic advantage in shaping public and political perception.
2. Intellectual Laundering: “Information Luxury”
LVMH isn’t just selling bags; it’s selling a “dream” of French excellence. By acquiring science and research titles, they are practicing what analysts call Information Luxury.
The Cause: Integrating Sciences & Avenir and La Recherche allows LVMH to align its brand with “truth,” “innovation,” and “intellectual authority.”
The Logic: In an era of AI-generated noise and fake news, high-quality, peer-reviewed scientific content is a scarce luxury. Owning the channels of “hard truth” elevates the group from a fashion conglomerate to a guardian of French intellectual heritage.
3. The “Shield” Against Critical Journalism
The acquisition has been met with significant “mistrust” from the editorial staff, who described the sale as a “leap into the void.”
The Subversive Angle: Challenges is known for its investigative business journalism. By folding it into UFIPAR (Arnault’s investment arm), LVMH creates an environment where aggressive investigative reporting on LVMH’s own competitors—or its own internal dealings—could be subtly “harmonized” with the group’s broader interests.
The Appointment: Appointing Maurice Szafran, a long-time advisor to the previous owner, ensures a smooth transition that looks like continuity but serves the new master’s stability. What can LVMH do with this publishing house ? The potential for LVMH to leverage these titles goes far beyond just selling subscriptions.
A “Scientific” Edge for Luxury Products: Imagine Sciences & Avenir featuring deep-dives into the regenerative agriculture used by Guerlain (like the Jardin des Partages) or the physics behind LVMH’s new watch movements. It allows the group to provide “objective” scientific backing for their luxury claims.
The Luxury Data Engine: La Recherche and Challenges possess decades of data on consumer trends, economic shifts, and technological breakthroughs. LVMH can use this “think tank” to anticipate market moves years before their competitors.
A Defense Against Political Attacks: As seen in Arnault’s recent public statements against wealth taxes, having a media megaphone like Challenges provides a direct line to the French business elite to argue for “liberal economic systems.”
Digital Ecosystem Expansion: LVMH plans to modernize these titles for a “wider audience.” We could see these publications integrated into the LVMH “lifestyle” app, where a customer might read a scientific article about biodiversity while browsing for a new Louis Vuitton travel bag made of sustainable materials.
