Why it belongs in ORBIS
French women's ready-to-wear chain founded in 1975 by Francis-Charles Pollet, a La Redoute heir, in Marcq-en-Baroeul near Lille; expanded beyond France and Belgium from 1990 and is now run by his son, Julien Pollet.
Promod was founded in 1975 in Marcq-en-Baroeul, in France's Nord department, by Francis-Charles Pollet, then 30 years old and one of the heirs to the founder of mail-order retailer La Redoute, where he had spent the early part of his career. He launched Promod as a family boutique built on affordable, trend-driven women's fashion. The brand remained exclusive to France and Belgium until 1990, when it began expanding internationally, opening a subsidiary in Spain followed by others across Europe. Julien Pollet, Francis-Charles's son, took over as company president in 2018, continuing family ownership into a second generation. Promod remains headquartered in Marcq-en-Baroeul and sells through its own retail network as well as promod.com.