France's richest billionaire finally breaks his silence on documentary which says he 'ruined the lives' of his workers – and he claims he hasn't watched it

  • French film 'Merci Patron!' criticises Louis Vuitton boss Bernard Arnault
  • Documentary follows unemployed couple out for revenge on former boss
  • Arnault, said to be worth around £27billion, revealed he had yet to see film
  • The businessman, 67, said he was 'used to' criticism from the extreme left

By Alexander Robertson For Mailonline

Published: 14:11 EST, 14 April 2016 | Updated: 15:47 EST, 14 April 2016

France's richest man Bernard Arnault, who is said to be worth about £27billion

France's richest man Bernard Arnault, who is said to be worth about £27billion

France's richest man Bernard Arnault has condemned the hit documentary in which two of his former workers claim he ruined their lives - adding he is yet to watch it.

The Louis Vuitton and Dior boss is the main target of 'Merci Patron!' (Thanks Boss!), a documentary which features an unemployed middle-aged couple who are now in debt having worked for Arnault.

In the film, former textile workers Jocelyne and Serge Klur blame LVMH chief Arnault for 'ruining their lives' by moving their jobs to Poland. 

Asked by a shareholder to give his opinion on the film, Arnault said he had yet to see it.

He added: 'For many years now, for 20 years, we have been the object of criticism by groups from the extreme left. We are used to this kind of criticism.

'LVMH is the illustration, the incarnation of the worst, according to these extreme-leftist observers, of what the market economy produces.'

Switching to irony, he said: 'We have it all wrong. First of all we are a big company in the CAC 40 (stock market index), we have strong results and we're making things worse for ourselves by hiring people.'

The documentary has become a hit in its country of origin and its theme song a rallying cry for people protesting against French labour reforms. 

It was produced against the odds, after having half of its £32,000 budget slashed when state funding was withdrawn at the last minute 'without explanation'.

It has since been watched by more than 300,000 people in France since coming out in February and it is expected by some to be the most profitable French film of the year.  

LVMH's annual AGM features in the film when the jobless couple warn that it will be disrupted by a 'crack squad' of trade union militants if Arnault didn't pay off the couple's debts and give Serge a minimum wage job in a supermarket.

The film's director Francois Ruffin attempted to disrupt the AGM in 2014 to bring attention to the couple's plight when there were on the point of losing their home.

Shareholders complained to Arnault at last year's meeting of the heavy police presence at the meeting, with riot police searching them at the entrance.

Protestors who have taken to the streets against reforms of France's labour laws have taken up the film's title as a slogan on marches, and sung its 'Merci Patron!' theme song - a 1970s comic skit urging bosses and workers to swap places.

The billionaire has until now remained tightlipped about the affair, with nobody at LVMH - which owns such fabled brands as Dior, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton - willing to comment.

The billionaire has until now remained tightlipped about the affair, with nobody at LVMH - which owns such fabled brands as Dior, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton - willing to comment

The billionaire has until now remained tightlipped about the affair, with nobody at LVMH - which owns such fabled brands as Dior, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton - willing to comment

Arnault sparked the wrath of the French left in 2012 when he applied for Belgian nationality after the government proposed higher taxes on the rich, prompting the Liberation newspaper to run the front page headline, 'Clear off, rich loser!'

Like its protagonists, the film faced an against-the-odds battle to get made, losing half of its tiny budget when state funding was withdrawn 'without explanation' at the last minute.

Journalists working at France's highest-selling national newspaper, Le Parisien - which is owned by Arnault - claimed they were banned from writing about it.

Some 230,000 people have seen the film, which cost 40,000 euros ($45,000) to make, since it hit cinemas in February. French culture magazine Telerama said this put it on course to become the most profitable French film of the year.

Some cinema goers felt that Arnault, said to be worth around £27billion, did not actually come over too badly in the film.

'Arnault is the bad guy of course - and the sting is at his expense - but he doesn't come out of it all bad. He clearly has some kind of a conscience,' said John Baxter, an American who saw the film in Paris.

'Most American business leaders would not give these people the time of day.' 

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