With its powerful international network, the LVMH Group continues to step up mobilization around the world to help battle propagation of the Covid-19 virus

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, LVMH has shown solidarity with efforts in all the Group’s host countries to battle the spread of the virus. The Group very early provided concrete support for actions by public authorities in this race against the clock while also pursuing its own initiatives. Close-up on contributions by the LVMH Group in France, the United States, China and Europe.

To alleviate the risk of shortages of hand sanitizer gel, on March 15 the LVMH Group mobilized production facilities at several of its renowned Perfumes & Cosmetics houses – Guerlain, Parfums Christian Dior and Parfums Givenchy –which retooled their production lines to make hydroalcoholic gel. Large quantities have been distributed free to Paris hospitals and numerous other healthcare establishments, municipalities, NGOs and other key entities such as the Paris police prefecture, Air France and supermarket chains. Some 50 to 60 tons of gel are now being produced each week and production will continue as long as needed. Similar initiatives have been taken by Bvlgari at its Lodi plant – in the heart of Lombardy’s ‘red zone’ – as well as by LVMH Maisons in Poland and the United States.

LVMH also organized and funded a major operation to import over 40 million face masks – surgical and FFP2 – and turn them over directly to French health authorities. In a challenging environment, the Group sourced the masks and then placed an order in China on behalf of the French state before setting up an airlift operation with a chartered cargo plane to fly the masks to Charles-de-Gaulle/Roissy airport in France.

LVMH has purchased 261 respirators to be delivered to French hospitals by the end of April. Twenty-one are already operational in the Paris hospital system. Forty more will come on stream this week.

LVMH has shipped more than 400,000 serology tests for BioGroup labs, a portion of which have been used to test residents in nursing homes, as well as eight machines for automated processing of hundreds of thousands of diagnostic tests, and will continue this partnership. The Group also played a decisive role in recommending and facilitating the signature of a major contract by the French state with Korean test manufacturer Suggentech. Four hundred tests are currently being trialed at the La Pitié-Salpêtrière and Bichat hospitals in Paris.

In addition, LVMH has delivered 50,000 disposable or washable gowns to the Paris hospital system, 30,000 to other hospitals, and 25,000 plus 40,000 pairs of gloves to the Institut Hospitalo-Universitaire Méditerranée Infections in Marseille. LVMH set up sourcing for two million disposable gowns for Paris hospitals as well.

Numerous LVMH Maisons in France, Europe and the United States have deployed aid initiatives from their historic sites and workshops to help local communities and healthcare establishments battle the disease.

What’s more, LVMH is supporting the fight against Covid-19 with significant donations, including to the Chinese Red Cross – accompanied by shipments of medical supplies to the Wuhan epidemic treatment center – and in particular to the Fondation Hôpitaux de Paris-Hôpitaux de France.

A host of other educational, financial and social initiatives have been led by regional LVMH subsidiaries. LVMH North America will shortly launch a pilot program to provide remote coaching for New York students in underserved neighborhoods in partnership with the charity United Way of New York City. This initiative helps nurture the future generation of talents and help them maintain links with the working world. These programs enable talents from across the LVMH Group to bring collective benefits to communities at every level, strengthening the Group’s solidarity with populations in countries that are suffering from the epidemic.

The LVMH Group salutes the efforts made by all its teams and thanks them for their sustained engagement, their efforts and the spirit of solidarity they are showing during this crisis.