In Mayenne, MPO, French specialist in vinyl records, is once again digging its (micro) furrow

Thirty-three little turns and then come back. Less than two years after being placed in receivership, the Mayenne-based company Moulages plastics de l’Ouest (MPO), a family business created in 1957 and which has become one of the world leaders in vinyl record pressing, is smiling again. Its recovery plan was validated by the courts in April and, a few weeks later, management announced that annual production would be tripled in 2026 to reach 1.5 million copies.

“Confidence is back,” says Stanislas Renard, 54, CEO of MPO France for a year. That of our customers in all our know-how and that of the teams in the company’s strategy. » Without taking into account the effects of hype. Vinyl is trendy. The 2025 figures from the National Phonographic Publishing Union (SNEP) speak for themselves: the vinyl market grew by 15% and reached 113 million euros. In value, it now exceeds that of CD, in which MPO is also a specialist.

The final effect of this alignment of the planets was the visit, on Wednesday May 6, to Villaines-la-Juhel (Mayenne), the vinyl pressing site, of Tayc, who came here to sign collector’s copies of his next album, presented in Paris on May 15 and 16. If Play Two, the independent label which produces it, has copies of this future success manufactured here, it is because the company has decided to broaden its customer portfolio to guarantee its future. In 2025, the turnover was 43 million euros. In 2026, it is expected to reach 60 million.

“Around thirty positions are open”

“One of the reasons for MPO’s difficulties was the dependence on a partner, Universal, which entrusted us with Taylor Swift’s albums, for which 100% of the production tools were sometimes mobilized,” reveals Stanislas Renard, who has built his experience in large companies, in France and abroad, including management control and marketing. “Today,” he adds, “we work with all the majors and many independents. We had to reinvent ourselves. »

To clear its debt in ten years, as provided for in the recovery plan, and to catch up with the American-German-Czech pack which dominates the sector, MPO is thinking big. After the French and Anglo-Saxon markets, we are heading towards South America, China and Japan. “To strengthen our sales force, we are going to speak the language of our customers,” says Stanislas Renard. Its prospectors will be multilingual. As for the workshops, they will continue to improve their skills. Objective: to constantly innovate, from pressing to distribution.

MPO employs 500 people on three sites – Villaines-la-Juhel, Le Mans (Sarthe), Madrid (Spain). Parity is real, the average age is high. “Around thirty positions are open,” announces Stanislas Renard. We must find the arguments to convince new generations to join us and maintain internal dialogue to better meet expectations. » The CEO is convinced: “The way we achieve results is as important as the results themselves. »