1952–1960
The building blocks
France was in great need of housing and infrastructure when Francis Bouygues, aged 29, founded his construction company, Entreprise Francis Bouygues. The first contracts were for the construction of a distillery in Corbeil-Essonnes, followed by a plant for IBM in Plessis-Chenêt near Paris.
In 1956, he went on to set up the property development subsidiary Stim.
1960-1970
The beginnings of strategic diversification
Entreprise Francis Bouygues (EFB) established its fundamental values: a credo of “quality, lead time and price” and a forward-thinking take on how a company’s people should be treated, with safety as a priority.
The Minorange Guild was created in 1963 by Francis Bouygues.
Inspired by industrial methods from further afield, EFB set about modernising the whole of France, building offices and social housing.
1970-1980
Further expansion
In 1972, the brand-new Parc des Princes soccer stadium hosted the French Cup final. The immense structure was built without support pillars in the stands so as not to block the spectators’ view.
The spectacular edifice enabled Bouygues to get a firm foothold in the market for major civil works structures and win its first international project: the construction of the Olympic stadium in Iran.
1980-1990
Rising to the challenge of new business segments
Bouygues won two major international contracts: Riyadh University in Saudi Arabia and the Bubiyan bridge in Kuwait.
At the same time, the Group diversified: in 1986, it acquired the Screg group, which included Colas, and in 1987, it joined a group of buyers to become a 50% owner of the TV channel TF1.
The 1980s ended with the construction project of the century, the Channel Tunnel, and the appointment of Martin Bouygues at the helm of the Group.
1990-2000
The dawn of digital
Despite the recession, Bouygues built major structures across France and saw particularly strong growth in Hong Kong, where Bouygues Construction has built some of the territory’s most awe-inspiring structures.
These years also marked the advent of digital technology. Rolling news channel LCI was founded in 1994 and 1996 saw the launch of Bouygues Telecom, which resulted in major upheaval in the telecoms market.
2000-2010
A taste for challenge and innovation
Bouygues has made building and civil works one of its core businesses with Bouygues Construction. The company demonstrated its excellence in the field through the construction of tunnels and ports, including, in 2001, Groene Hart in the Netherlands using the world’s largest tunnel boring machine.
Bouygues Telecom and TF1 entered new markets thanks to the use of digital technology and the arrival of new broadcasting media and platforms.
2010-2020
Responsibility and sustainability
The Group doubled down on its commitment to the environmental transition. The first positive-energy building in France was launched by Bouygues Immobilier in 2011, as Colas was developing Wattway solar road surfacing, a world first.
