Paris Society: Laurent de Gourcuff and Pernod Ricard take the party back in hand
Accor sells its nightlife establishments to Laurent de Gourcuff, founder of Paris Society, in association with Pernod Ricard. A strategic transaction that will reshape the Paris nightlife scene.
Three years after acquiring a stake in Paris Society, the Accor hotel group is turning the page on the Paris nightlife scene. In July 2025, it sold its stake in the group’s “nightlife” branch to Laurent de Gourcuff, its emblematic founder, backed by Pernod Ricard. The transaction, valued at €80 million (€43 million in cash and €37 million in debt), includes some 20 prestigious addresses that have defined Parisian festive chic for many years.
A galaxy of popular locations
These include Castel, Rasputin, Les Planches, Le Piaf, Perruche and Les Jardins de Bagatelle. These venues embody high-end hospitality, where design, music and gastronomy form an immersive and resolutely trendy experience. In Paris, they attract a cosmopolitan clientele every evening, including celebrities, entrepreneurs and tourists curious to experience the capital in a different way.
The sale marks the creation of a new independent group (name to be announced), 70% owned by Laurent de Gourcuff and 30% by Pernod Ricard. A return to his roots for the entrepreneur, who regains the reins of his festive empire while joining forces with a spirits giant looking to diversify.
A win-win strategy
For Accor, this withdrawal is part of a strategic repositioning. The group is refocusing on its core business: hotels. With 293 hotels open by 2024 and a target of 1,200 openings by 2027, the multinational is banking on its strong brands such as Raffles, Orient Express and Fairmont, while continuing to operate a number of lifestyle venues (such as Gigi and Beaucoco) on a more selective basis.
For its part, Pernod Ricard is seizing a golden opportunity to integrate the consumption chain for its own products: Mumm champagne, Absolut vodka, Ricard, etc. The alliance with Paris Society gives Pernod Ricard direct access to the places where consumer trends are decided, at a time when spirits sales are experiencing a slight overall decline (-2% in volume by 2024).
A new lease of life for the Parisian party scene
With this takeover, Laurent de Gourcuff aims to become the leading nightclub in France, and indeed in Europe. Paris Society’s strength lies in its ability to create unique places, where the atmosphere counts as much as the menu. As he himself reminds us: “Above all, our customers are looking for a place, an atmosphere, an emotion.”
This dynamism is part of a Paris in perpetual renewal. Between rooftops, festive restaurants and lifestyle hotels, the capital confirms its status as a leading destination for lovers of refined nightlife.
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