Who Will Save Duralex in 2026? Cédric Meston and Tupperware France in the Running

The French glassmaker, founded in 1945, has entered judicial reorganisation proceedings for the fifth time in its history. Among the three bidders is a well-known French entrepreneur specialising in rescuing struggling French businesses. His most recent acquisition is Tupperware France, and the two companies could potentially create synergies.

Who will save Duralex in 2026? Two years after its fourth period of judicial reorganisation led to the glassmaker becoming a SCOP (a worker-owned co-operative) through a buyout by its own employees, the French brand behind the glasses used in school canteens is once again fighting for survival.

Three candidates submitted takeover bids to the Orléans judicial court before the 6 August deadline. However, the deadline has since been extended to 11 September, meaning further prospective buyers may yet come forward and the existing bidders could amend their proposals.

Cédric Meston: 4 French companies rescued in 2 years

One of the most recent bidders is Cédric Meston. Speaking on France Inter, the 32-year-old serial entrepreneur, who made his fortune by founding plant-based food company HappyVore, said he was interested in acquiring Duralex, just as he had been when taking over Tupperware's French business in March 2025.

Born in Paris in 1993, Cédric Meston began his professional career at McKinsey. HappyVore, the plant-based meat company, was initially called Les Nouveaux Fermiers until 2021. Three years later, he left the business to focus exclusively on turning around troubled companies. He started with vegan cheese maker Jay&Joy, followed by its competitor Les Nouveaux Affineurs, then sustainable refurbished office furniture business Bluedigo, and finally organic superfood company Sol Semilla.

Tupperware made with Duralex glass?

Although he has not disclosed details of his Duralex takeover proposal, Cédric Meston had already offered some clues in April 2026 while discussing his acquisition of Tupperware. In an interview with Challenges, he said he wanted to “depend less on plastic” and “place greater emphasis on glass and stainless steel”. This could open up a potential partnership with Duralex, the glassmaker.

What lies behind this strategic decision? The serial entrepreneur's environmental concerns would clearly fit with the businesses he has previously helped. Yet he also referred to soaring plastic prices and supply difficulties in Asia. These factors could explain his interest in producing Tupperware products using French glass, for instance.

Duralex has two other major bidders: another entrepreneur and industrial group Carlesimo

According to Franceinfo, another entrepreneur is also in the running and has stated that they are willing to invest €5 million to relaunch Duralex. Cédric Meston, meanwhile, gave no further details in his public announcement. He may also have to contend with French group Carlesimo, which had expressed interest in the glassmaker in 2024, before it became a SCOP.

Duralex's sole production site, in the Loiret department, employs 243 people. In June, a source close to the case gave a highly disappointing assessment of the glassmaker's operations. Despite 7% growth being announced at the end of last year, employees had received only 50% of their most recent wages by late spring, confirming the “cash-flow pressures” that resulted in judicial reorganisation proceedings on 1 June 2026.

During its third takeover in 2021, Duralex was owned by Pyrex. A year later, the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and rising energy costs left the company vulnerable once more. As a SCOP, Duralex aimed to revive the brand by appealing to French patriotism and making glass more fashionable through special collections.

While 60% of employees had invested in the co-operative, François Marciano was the central figure in Duralex's takeover. However, last April, the chief executive was suspended, along with his son Antoine, the finance director. The pair, whose “skills had not been demonstrated”, had set ambitious, even extremely ambitious targets: turnover of €35 million in 2026 or 2027, followed by €39 million in 2030.