Armement La Houle, based at St Guénolé in Brittany, is about to be sold to an Irish group, according to reports from France.
The company’s eleven trawlers represent a large portion of the groundfish fleet in Brittany, and the 137 staff, 80 of them crew, make it a significant employer in the region. The new owner of La Houle is reported to be the Cork-based Celtic Consortium.
The company’s current managing director Jo Loussouarn is reported to be about to retire, and Jacques Pichon, currently director of France’s largest PO, Pêcheurs de Bretagne, is set to join the company as La Houle’s new CEO.