Maus Frères

Maus Frères is a Swiss holding company with roots in retail and consumer businesses. It was established in 1892 when brothers Ernest and Henri Maus opened a mercantile and hosiery wholesale operation in Bienne, Switzerland. The company relocated to Geneva in 1901, a move that helped place it closer to the commercial and financial center that became associated with the group. In 1902, the business entered into a partnership with Léon Nordmann, associated with the Kaufhaus Normann department store. The connection between the Maus and Nordmann families later gave rise to the name Manor, formed from parts of the two family names. Retail has remained the most visible part of the group’s history. Manor developed into a Swiss department-store chain and is described as Maus Frères’ oldest continuing business. Through the decades, the group also expanded beyond Switzerland and accumulated interests in major department-store operations abroad. Its historical holdings included Printemps in France and the American department-store chains Bergner’s, Carson Pirie Scott, and Boston Store, all of which were associated with the group until the early 1990s. These activities illustrate a period in which Maus Frères operated as a diversified retail holding company rather than as a single-format store operator. The group is also notably associated with Lacoste, the French clothing and lifestyle brand. Ownership of Lacoste broadened Maus Frères’ portfolio beyond department stores into branded apparel, footwear, accessories, and related consumer products. In this structure, Maus Frères functions primarily as an owner and holding company rather than as a consumer-facing product brand with one unified range. Its portfolio businesses retain their own identities, retail concepts, and operating strategies. A later portfolio change came in April 2021, when Maus Frères announced the sale of the Swiss do-it-yourself retailer Jumbo to Coop. The transaction reduced the group’s exposure to home-improvement retail and transferred Jumbo to another major Swiss retail group. The sale is an example of the holding company’s role in reshaping its portfolio through divestment as well as ownership. Maus Frères is therefore best understood as a Swiss family-origin corporate holding company with a long history in department stores, retail, and branded consumer goods. Its historical development connects nineteenth-century wholesale commerce in Bienne with Geneva-based group management, the creation and growth of Manor, international department-store investments, and the ownership of a globally recognized apparel brand through Lacoste. Publicly available reference material identifies these major businesses and transactions but provides limited detail on the group’s current executive structure, financial results, legal ownership arrangements, and corporate website.

Maus Frères began in 1892 in Bienne, Switzerland, where Ernest and Henri Maus established a mercantile and hosiery wholesale business. The enterprise’s early activity was connected to general commerce and textile distribution rather than to the department-store and branded-apparel holdings for which the group later became known. In 1901, the business moved to Geneva. The relocation established Geneva as the group’s principal historical base and placed the company within a larger commercial environment. In 1902, Léon Nordmann of the Kaufhaus Normann department store entered into a partnership with Ernest and Henri Maus. This relationship became important to the later development of the group’s department-store interests. The name Manor is derived from the names Maus and Nordmann, reflecting the partnership between the two families. Manor became Maus Frères’ oldest continuing business and developed into a major Swiss department-store chain. The department-store model gave the group a broad retail presence, allowing it to sell fashion, home goods, beauty products, food, and other consumer merchandise through a unified store network, although the available reference material does not provide a full historical store-by-store account. During the twentieth century, Maus Frères also built an international retail portfolio. Until the early 1990s, the group owned or controlled interests connected with Printemps in France and with the American department-store chains Bergner’s, Carson Pirie Scott, and Boston Store in the Midwestern United States. These holdings placed the Swiss group within a wider international department-store landscape. The reference material does not specify the precise dates or terms under which each of those interests was acquired or later disposed of. The group’s portfolio also came to include Lacoste, the French apparel and lifestyle company. Through Lacoste, Maus Frères became associated with an international brand operating across clothing and related consumer categories. Lacoste is distinct from Manor in its brand identity and business model: Manor is a department-store retailer, while Lacoste is a branded consumer-goods and fashion business distributed through retail and other channels. In April 2021, Maus Frères announced the sale of Jumbo, a do-it-yourself retail brand, to Coop. The transaction represented a significant portfolio decision because it moved a home-improvement business from Maus Frères to another major Swiss retail group. It also demonstrated that the company continued to manage its interests through acquisitions and divestments rather than maintaining every historical retail category permanently. Maus Frères’ history consequently combines wholesale commerce, Swiss department stores, international retail expansion, branded apparel, and portfolio restructuring. Its long-term identity is that of a diversified holding company rather than a single operating brand. Public reference material confirms the company’s foundation, Geneva relocation, Maus–Nordmann partnership, principal historical retail holdings, Lacoste association, and Jumbo sale, but does not establish a complete chronology of ownership changes, current governance, financial performance, or all operating subsidiaries.

• 2021

  Jumbo sale announced

  [1]Maus Frèresen.wikipedia.org

  Maus Frères announces the sale of the do-it-yourself retail brand Jumbo to Coop.

• 1990

  End of an earlier international department-store era

  [1]Maus Frèresen.wikipedia.org

  By the early 1990s, Maus Frères no longer held the historical department-store interests associated with Printemps, Bergner’s, Carson Pirie Scott, and Boston Store.

• 1902

  Léon Nordmann joins the business

  [1]Maus Frèresen.wikipedia.org

  Léon Nordmann of Kaufhaus Normann enters into a partnership with Ernest and Henri Maus, laying the family and commercial foundations associated with the later Manor name.

• 1901

  Business relocates to Geneva

  [1]Maus Frèresen.wikipedia.org

  The company moves its operations from Bienne to Geneva, which becomes its principal historical base.

• 1892

  Maus brothers establish the original business

  [1]Maus Frèresen.wikipedia.org

  Ernest and Henri Maus open a mercantile and hosiery wholesale business in Bienne, Switzerland, establishing the company’s commercial foundation.

A Swiss, family-origin holding company focused historically on retail and consumer businesses, with a portfolio spanning department stores and internationally recognized branded apparel.

• Department-store retail

  Manor

  Manor is the Swiss department-store business associated with Maus Frères and is identified as the group’s oldest continuing business. Its name combines elements of Maus and Nordmann, reflecting the partnership formed in the early twentieth century between the Maus family and Léon Nordmann. As a department-store operation, Manor represents the group’s historic retail foundation and offers a broad multi-category shopping format rather than a single specialized product line.

• Apparel and lifestyle brand

  Lacoste

  Lacoste is the internationally recognized French apparel and lifestyle brand associated with Maus Frères’ consumer-brand portfolio. Its business spans branded clothing and related lifestyle categories. Unlike Manor’s department-store model, Lacoste is organized around a distinct brand identity and product universe, making it the group’s principal connection to global fashion and branded consumer goods.

• Do-it-yourself and home-improvement retail

  Jumbo

  Jumbo was a do-it-yourself retail brand held by Maus Frères before its sale to Coop was announced in April 2021. The business represented the group’s exposure to home-improvement and hardware retail, a category distinct from its department-store and apparel interests.

• 2021

  Sale of Jumbo to CoopM&A

  Background

  Jumbo was part of Maus Frères’ retail portfolio as a do-it-yourself and home-improvement business. The available reference identifies the transaction as a portfolio change but does not provide its financial terms.

  Action taken

  Maus Frères announced the sale of Jumbo to the Coop group in April 2021.

  Aftermath

  The sale transferred Jumbo to Coop and reduced Maus Frères’ exposure to the do-it-yourself retail category. No further transaction details are established by the supplied reference material.

  Source

1. 1Maus Frèresen.wikipedia.org