Heller SA

Background

Heller was established in Paris in 1957 by Léo Jahiel, who had previously worked at SOMAP, a plastics company. The company's first model kit, a 1/100 scale Sud Aviation Caravelle, was produced the following year. In 1972, Heller joined with Solido, Jouef, and Delacoste to form 'Le Jouet Français,' but the group went into liquidation in 1980 and was placed under court-directed administration in May 1981. The company was broken up, with Majorette buying Solido, Vullierme acquiring Delacoste, and Jouef bought back by a subsidiary of the CEJI group.

In 1981, Heller was acquired by the Hobby Products Group of Borden, Inc., owners of British model company Humbrol. Airfix joined the group in 1986, and production of Airfix kits moved to the Heller factory in Trun. The group was acquired by Irish investment company Allen, McGuire & Partners in 1994, receiving 31 million francs of investment. Heller re-branded as Heller SA in 1999 and acquired French toy manufacturer Joustra alongside the Thirion group.

The company went into administration again in 2006, and in July 2006 it was put into receivership. Hornby PLC bought Airfix and Humbrol in November 2006 but not Heller or its factory. By January 2007, Heller SA was transferred to MANOP under Benjamin Leneman and slowly returned to profitability over the next seven years.

In 2016, Heller SA again faced financial trouble due to cash flow problems and a decline in consumption related to the November attacks. The Commercial Court of Argentan approved its acquisition by Maped in March 2016, with Maped and entrepreneur Alain Bernard investing 3.5 million euros. In March 2019, Heller was acquired by German company Glow2B, which had been the distributor of Joustra and Heller products in Germany, with production continuing in both France and Germany.

Did You Know?

• Founder Léo Jahiel was made a member of the Légion d'honneur by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in 1977.