Jean-Claude Decaux | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 September 1937 Beauvais, France |
| Died | 27 May 2016 (aged 78) |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Founder and CEO, JCDecaux |
| Net worth | $6.2 billion |
| Children | 3 |
Jean-Claude Decaux (15 September 1937 – 27 May 2016)[1] was a French entrepreneur who earned his fortune in advertising.[2][3] He was the founder and honorary chair of the advertising firm JCDecaux, which is now run by his sons, Jean-François Decaux and Jean-Charles Decaux.[2][3]
Personal life
Jean-Claude Decaux was the son of a shoe salesman in Beauvais, France.[4]
He was married with three children and lived in Paris.[5]
His death was announced on 27 May 2016.[6][7]
Career
At the age of 18, inspired by an argument with his father over the family shoe store's window display, Jean-Claude started a business creating billboards along French roadways.[4] In 1963, legislation in France placed restrictions on billboard use which forced Decaux out of business.[8] He founded JCDecaux in 1964.[9] He made a deal with the city of Lyon, proposing that he would build bus shelters and keep them clean in exchange for advertising space there. The company quickly expanded to other cities.[10]
In 1980, Decaux personally designed the Sanisette public toilet, a self-cleaning public toilet, as a replacement for the pissoirs of Paris.[4][11]
In January 2015, according to Forbes, he had a net worth of $6.2 billion.[5]
See also
- French Rich List
- List of billionaires
- Sanisette
References
- ^ Jean-Claude Decaux, père de l'Abribus et roi de l'affichage publicitaire, est mort (in French)
- ^ a b Forbes profile
- ^ a b BusinessWeek
- ^ a b c Peter Hellman (3 May 1993). "The Toilet Wars". New York Magazine: 42.
- ^ a b "Jean-Claude Decaux". Forbes. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ https://money.cnn.com/2016/05/27/news/companies/jean-claude-decaux-dies/
- ^ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-05-27/outdoor-advertising-pioneer-jean-claude-decaux-dies-at-78
- ^ "History of JCDecaux S.A."
- ^ Tina Grant (ed.). International Directory of Company Histories. 76. p. 213.
- ^ Roger Parry. The Ascent of Media: From Gilgamesh to Google via Gutenberg.
- ^ Clara Greed. Inclusive Urban Design: Public Toilets. p. 80.