A crow in a china shop. For several months, the famous Bernardaud house has been holding its breath. Targeted by an investigation by the DGCCRF, the first Limoges porcelain manufacturer is suspected of “violations of the consumer code”. The reason? Last September, an anonymous whistleblower sent the Fraud Squad a letter accusing Bernardaud – and others – of importing porcelain from Asia. A blame all the more serious as the boss Michel Bernardaud chairs the association of the IGP (protected geographical indication) Porcelaine de Limoges.
In response, on March 28, nearly 70 DGCCRF agents simultaneously checked the factory in Oradour-sur-Glane, the headquarters in Limoges, and two shops in Bordeaux and Paris. An operation that remained secret, if a motorist had not alerted France 3 Limousin. The information then leaked out in the local press. To the chagrin of Michel Bernardaud, “mad with rage” according to his lawyer quoted by Challenges, who resolved in June to file a complaint for “slanderous denunciation”. Immediately followed by the IGP.
Such accusations permanently threaten the irreproachable reputation of the famous house, and of all Limoges porcelain makers. The lawyer for the IGP declared in La Montagne, July 12, to see it as a “personal vendetta”. Under the mask of the crow could indeed hide a competitor, unhappy with the domination of Bernardaud. Contacted, the DGCCRF remains silent on this subject.
