(Reuters) – Korian announced on Wednesday its intention to adopt the statute of a European company, amid criticism leveled at the methods of operators of retirement homes in France after the publication in January of a book about its competitor. Orpea.
This legal framework obliges companies to align their social and environmental objectives with their economic model.
The publication in January of the book “Les Fossoyeurs” by journalist Victor Castanet, reporting on the mistreatment of Ehpad residents at Orpea, led the French government to launch investigations into this group, whose general manager was dismissed. .
It also brought down the stock market price of Orpea, which dragged Korian into the storm.
“For the moment, we cannot say that there is a clearly identified impact on the evolution of the French activity in terms of the group’s retirement homes”, declared Wednesday Philippe Garin, financial director of Korian, journalists.
Korian’s revenue amounted to 4.31 billion euros in 2021, up 11.3%, a result in line with its objectives.
The Mirova fund, a shareholder in Orpea, also asked the group in early February to become a “mission company” and to appoint more independent directors.
(Report Federica Mileo, Diana Mandia, French version Lou Phily, told by Bertrand Boucey)