Founded in 1970 by Michel Renard, the group had established itself as a recognized player in printing in Normandy. However, in September 2024, the Alençon Commercial Court placed the company into compulsory liquidation, in the absence of a buyer and against a backdrop of structural decline in the printing market. The three sites located in Courseulles-sur-Mer (Calvados), Bellême (Orne) and Arçonnay (Sarthe) closed down, leaving some fifty employees without jobs.
Read : Groupe Renard: no buyer and an uncertain future and Renard group liquidated
The auctioneers orchestrated three days of sales at the former production sites. In Bellême, for example, an offset press acquired in 2019 saw its starting price set at 500,000 euros, before reaching 785,000 euros, thanks in particular to online bidders. This type of machine illustrates the evolution of printing tools for highly specialized production formats.
At the same time, more modest equipment such as pallet trucks and office chairs also found takers, attracting industry professionals, collectors and sometimes even the curious.
The equipment sold reflects the diversity of equipment needed in a modern printing plant. At Arçonnay, the auction included web presses, a 2004 Heidelberg SM-52-5 press sold for 44,000 euros, and computer workstations. The latter site generated total sales of over 200,000 euros.
The auction not only enabled the company to liquidate its assets. They also provided an opportunity for printers or companies looking for attractively priced equipment. However, the acquisition of second-hand machines poses a number of challenges: transport, maintenance and adaptation to new production lines.
