Dior is reassessing its pricing strategy to win back customers who have been deterred by luxury price increases over recent years. CEO Delphine Arnault confirmed the brand is working on leather goods and maintaining price caution, having frozen Lady Dior prices since 2023. Creative director Jonathan Anderson is driving brand renewal with lower-priced product offerings.
Sweden has ordered four FDI-class frigates from French defense company Naval Group for over 3.5 billion euros, marking the country’s largest military investment since the 1980s. The first frigate is expected to be delivered in 2030. This order comes as Sweden, which joined NATO in 2024, seeks to strengthen its armed forces to secure the Baltic Sea amid Russian threats following the invasion of Ukraine. Naval Group is also competing to supply frigates to the Portuguese Navy.
Lauxera has oversubscribed a 520 million euro fund aimed at accelerating European medtech companies’ expansion into the United States market.
Paris-based Mistral has acquired Austrian startup Emmi AI, which develops foundational AI models trained with physics laws to simulate complex engineering processes. This is Mistral’s second acquisition in three months, following the February acquisition of French startup Koyeb. Emmi, created a year ago, raised a €15m seed round and has over 30 employees who will join Mistral. The acquisition demonstrates Mistral’s shift toward vertical specialization in industrial AI.
LEADBAY raised €3.8 million to revolutionize sales intelligence by moving beyond traditional data sources like LinkedIn profiles, job postings, web traffic, technology stacks, marketing campaigns, and social media activity to capture a larger portion of the real economy.
The European Space Agency launched the SMILE satellite from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana aboard the Vega-C rocket. This mission, developed in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will observe for the first time how solar winds interact with Earth’s magnetic field. The satellite will detect X-ray radiation to study Earth’s protective magnetic shield at the magnetopause and polar cusps, improving space weather models crucial for satellite and telecommunications infrastructure protection.
Belgian software company Odoo is accelerating hiring in Lyon, France to strengthen its French presence. The company, known for its open-source suite of management applications covering accounting, CRM, e-commerce, HR, and ERP, is opening multiple permanent positions to support its growth in France.
LVMH agreed to sell Marc Jacobs to a 50/50 joint venture between WHP Global and G III Apparel Group for 850 million dollars. The transaction will be completed before the end of 2026. Marc Jacobs will continue as Creative Director. This marks the end of nearly three decades of LVMH ownership, which began in 1997.
Mantle8, a French natural hydrogen exploration company based in Grenoble, raised €31 million in Series A funding led by Sandwater. The round brings total funding to €37 million (US$44 million) and includes participation from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Bpifrance, IP Group, and Wind Capital.