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Villeroy & Boch (German:[ˌvɪlərɔɪ.ʔʊntˈbɔx], French pronunciation:[vilʁwaebɔk]) is a German luxury manufacturer of ceramics,[1] with the company headquarters located in Mettlach, Saarland.
The company began in the tiny Lorraine village of Audun le Tiche, where the iron master François Boch set up a pottery company with his three sons in 1748.[2] In 1766 Boch was licensed to build a ceramics kilnworks nearby at Septfontaines, Luxembourg, where it operated a porcelain factory. In 1785 Nicolas Villeroy became sole owner of the faience manufactory at Wallerfangen. In 1812 Jean-François Boch began construction of kilns at the nearby town of Mettlach, Saarland. In 1824 Boch commenced transfer printing on porcelain from engraved copper plates. On 14 April 1836, the Jean François Boch company merged with that of the competitor, Nicolas Villeroy, and became Villeroy & Boch, (V&B, also simply 'VB'). In 1869, Villeroy & Boch opened the first manufactory specializing in architectural tiles.
The company operates in two divisions: Dining & Lifestyle (formerly: Tableware), Bathroom and Wellness. The Tiles division became a separate company (V&B Fliesen GmbH) in 2006. In 2007 the Villeroy & Boch AG sold 51% of the V&B Fliesen GmbH to the (Eczacıbaşı Holding). Today there is only a 2.29% holding in the share capital of V&B Fliesen GmbH.
Among its innovations in Mettlach at the end of the nineteenth century was Phanolith, a kind of semi-transparent porcelain that combines the characteristics and benefits of jasperware and pâte-sur-pâte.[3] The creator of the Phanolith was the ceramics artist Jean-Baptiste Stahl, who headed the modelling section of Villeroy & Boch. Phanolith gained first wide public attention at the Paris Exposition Universelle (1900).
Villeroy & Boch has continued to base its broadest market in Germany. The company's Luxembourg factory was closed down in 2010.
In September 2023, it was announced Villeroy & Boch had acquired the Brussels-headquartered plumbing fixture company, Ideal Standard Group for €600 million.[4] In March 2024, Villeroy & Boch announced the acquisition had been completed.[5]
Villeroy & Boch is now overseen by Group Chairman Frank Göring and is no longer run by family descendants. Members of the family continue to be employed by the company. Since 1990 the company has been listed on the German stock market, ticker symbol VIB3 although the voting capital is still in the hands of the family.
The Villeroy & Boch Group increased its consolidated revenue by 2% to €853.1 million in the 2018 financial year. The Bathroom and Wellness Division of the company increased its revenue by 4.7% to €584.3 million. The Tableware Division generated a revenue volume of €266.2 million, down 4.4% on the previous year.[6]
The company marked its 275th anniversary in 2023.[7]
In February 2024, Villeroy & Boch successfully completed the acquisition of all operating companies of the Ideal Standard Group.[8]
