Europe’s leading designer of illuminations, the French family-owned group Blachere Illumination, manufactures its structures by hand and in an environmentally responsible manner!
‘Illuminating places and cities’ is the mission Jean-Paul Blachère set himself when he founded the company Blachere Illumination in 1973 in Apt, Provence. By inventing a new profession, the entrepreneur has developed expertise: the creation of luminous structures. Although few know the family business by name, citizens and tourists enjoy its work during the holiday season or are familiar with its main creations. These include the glittering Eiffel Tower inaugurated on the occasion of the new millennium and the illumination of two of the world’s most famous avenues: the Champs Élysées and Fifth Avenue. Although since its foundation, the family business has illuminated more than 1000 cities in 150 countries and has opened more than 28 subsidiaries throughout the world, the workshops and craftsmen of Blachère Illumination are still located in the shadows in Provence. A team of 120 blacksmiths, locksmiths and cable workers produce 6,000 unique custom-made pieces and 50,000 mass-produced decorations each year. Today, the European leader in eco-responsible, creative and interactive light shows exports 50% of its annual production and also employs around 400 people in its 28 subsidiaries. Faced with the ever-increasing energy challenges, the family business devotes half of its annual R&D budget to eco-responsible innovations. In 2008, it became the first company to use LED lights for all its decorations. It also invented Bioprint, a biosourced material used to produce fully recyclable and biodegradable structures. Most recently, in 2021, the family-owned company introduced Recyprint, a line of decorations made from plastic bottles. Today, Blachere Illumination is run by the second generation, including Christine Blachère, daughter of the founder and brand manager, Romain Allain-Launay, son-in-law of the founder and general manager, and Johan Hugues, nephew of the founder and CEO. The trio is shareholders of Blachere Illumination alongside its founder Jean-Paul Blachère.
