View from the Back
Ramblings of a retiree in France
French fancies: Chabé
Of course a lot of France’s companies are involved in food, clothing, perfumes, jewellery, cosmetics ……but not all! Here’s a family-led group founded in Paris in 1921, which today is established throughout France and operates globally.
Chabé’s ten subsidiary companies are experts in bespoke transport. Historically its expertise served clients of luxury hotels but it has greatly diversified in the last thirty years. Now, many companies trust Chabé with the daily travel arrangements of their executives. Chabé also works with a growing number of public and private organisations and luxury businesses, managing the customised travel arrangements for their different events and needs.
How it all began
Maurice Chabé, a visionary with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, returned from WWI and, during the roaring twenties, decided to serve clients staying in luxury Parisian hotels. Backed by the experience of his father, who had owned a handful of hansom cabs, Maurice bought his first car in 1921 and drove it himself.
In 1929, Maurice Chabé witnessed the creation of the Clefs d’Or, the professional association of hotel concierges which proved to be a strong point of contact for the business then and now.
In 1947, Chabé signed its first contract with a prestigious client, the Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris, which has remained one of its most loyal clients.
Our mission is not to transport a client from point A to point B, but rather to ensure that the hotel’s clients feel as if they have arrived at their destination the moment they get into our vehicle.
A guest’s first and last impression of a hotel begins and ends with the transport
which is why Chabé works tirelessly to offer its hotel guests an outstanding transport experience.
In 1959, when Maurice Chabé died, his daughter, Eliane Lo Jacomo, took over the reins of the company. From an early age, Eliane Lo Jacomo was involved in managing the company, which became Etablissements Maurice Chabé in 1953.
In 1991, two years after the arrival of Agnès Lo Jacomo (pictured above) , the founder’s grand-daughter, the company bought the Verjat company and was renamed Chabé Ver-jat, leading to the Group creating its first logo in 1995 and starting on its expansionary path.
It opened its first agency in Cannes in 1997, followed by Lyon the following year and then its third branch in Toulouse in 2005. From 2011 onwards, Chabé’s geographical development accelerated with the opening of 6 new offices in France: Biarritz, Bordeaux and Marseille (2011), Courchevel (2012), Megève (2017) and Saint-Tropez (2020). At the same time, the acquisition of a Swiss company in 2012 and the opening of an office in Monaco in 2019 marked the group’s international debut.
In 2020, the opening of a new office in London boosted Chabé’s presence in Europe and marked a new stage in its international development. Chabé is now present in 13 cities in Europe and offers its services in 100 countries.
The fourth generation is represented by Guillaume Connan, Maurice Chabé’s great-grandson. He began as Managing Director of the Group in 2014, and in 2020 was named President of Chabé, bringing innovation and modernity alongside his mother who is President of the Strategic Committee.
Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR)
In 2019, Chabé launched an ambitious and voluntary CSR initiative which prioritises environmental protection and job sustainability.
Chabé is offsetting all the carbon emissions generated by its services through the Good Planet Foundation. Chabé will replace all of its fleet with the lowest emission vehicles possible – as soon as they are available on the market.
All its chauffeurs are trained in eco-driving techniques in its in-house training school. All our teams recycle consumables wherever possible (ink cartridges, wastewater, water bottles, etc.).
The group seeks to digitise its business wherever it can replacing the need for paper. Today the order process is digitalised (from the creation of an order to the transmission of data to the chauffeurs). The same is true for all of training materials that are delivered on line and accessed through mobile devices.
Chabé prioritises permanent positions for professional chauffeurs. Over 75% of full-time Chabé chauffeurs have permanent contracts. All its chauffeurs are paid fairly, and significantly above the legal minimum.
The modest “Établissements Maurice Chabé” company has grown throughout 20th and 21st centuries, going on to become the Chabé Group. Over 100 years later, Chabé is now the expert in bespoke journeys, working in a range of different sectors globally. But even better, it’s still managed by a member of the founder’s family with the same aim of providing a high-quality service for influential clients.
All images courtesy of Chabé
View from the Back 
Love this company’s philosophy of taking care of their workers and making it priority for their guests to have a great experience when they enter the transport to the hotel.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Exactly
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sounds like a great company!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is very reliable and professional
LikeLike
Excellent. I like to hear of companies doing quality work with employees and the future in mind.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed, it’s generally one advantage of working for a family firm
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am going to keep them in mind the next time we are in France and need transport. Not only because they are family owned, but I really like their ethos. I am not sure if the hotel we stay in uses Chabé but they should from what you have described here. As an aside, we have used a private taxi service in Paris and I even kept the man’s name for future reference.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s great to hear Tandy
LikeLiked by 1 person
A worthy success story
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed Derrick
LikeLiked by 1 person