Payot et cie

active Paris, 1900 - 1986

BiographyThe name of Payot first came on the scene in 1875 when the Imer bookshop in Lausanne recruited a young colleague Fritz Payot. Aged twenty-five, he had trained as a primary school teacher and spent four years in Germany and one year in England as a student, private tutor and teacher. On his return to Switzerland, Fritz Payot was recruited by the Imer bookshop. Two years later, he became a partner in the business which was then renamed «Librairie A. Imer et Fritz Payot». The partnership lasted until 1886 when the business became «Librairie F. Payot & Cie». In the course of the twenty-five years which he spent with the firm, Fritz Payot brought about substantial development in the fields of publishing and bookselling.

Shortly after his death in 1900, his sons took over responsibility and adopted a new name: «Payot et Cie». Making the best possible use of their own personal aptitudes, Samuel and Gustave took charge of the bookselling and publishing activities respectively. Samuel Payot helped Librairie Payot to expand greatly by purchasing the property in Rue de Bourg where the bookshop was located and building the present property (architect: Laverrière) which was inaugurated in 1913. He also opened branches in a number of Swiss cities: Montreux (1918), Vevey (1918), Geneva (1919), Berne (1921) and Neuchâtel (1923); these were the company’s first establishments outside Lausanne. Gustave Payot, for his part, developed the Payot publishing house, notably by opening a publishing branch in Paris in 1912. A highly erudite man, Gustave Payot created two encyclopaedic collections, the «Historical Library» and the «Scientific Library» which became world-famous. In 1923, the Payot publishing house in Paris became independent, headed by Gustave Payot. In 1923, «Payot et Cie» was converted into a joint-stock company whose capital was wholly owned by the Payot family.

In 1938, the third generation of the Payot family joined the company. After periods of professional training in Germany, England and France, Samuel Payot’s two sons took over responsibility: Jean-Pierre Payot, gradually took charge of the management of the bookshops, while his brother Marc, who had followed Scientific Police Studies at Lausanne University, was responsible for the Payot publishing house in Switzerland. During this entire period the company was strengthened and continued to develop, notably by opening new branches.

In 1965, with the arrival of Jean-Marc Payot, the holder of a law degree from Lausanne University, it was the turn of the fourth generation. The business now had to be equipped with structures that were better adapted to the evolution of the company. The «closed family business» concept gave way to an open formula drawing on persons outside the Payot family who took over responsibilities previously reserved for family members. In 1977, the year which marked the company’s official centenary, external sales passed the 25 million mark for the first time. [https://www.payot.ch/en/payot-libraire/history DJackson 2/2/2021]

Person TypeInstitution

Last Updated8/7/24

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