Brands such as Christian Dior, Guerlain and Givenchy will be pushed aside as LVHM, the group behind Louis Vuitton, manufactures sanitising hand gel at three of its production sites normally dedicated to making perfumes and cosmetics.
"These gels will be delivered free of charge to the French health authorities, as a priority, as of this Monday at the Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP),” the company said in a statement.
Thirty-nine priority hospitals will receive 12 tonnes of gel to be produced in the first week, with more to follow.
"I wish to thank LVMH for acting so quickly: They made us this offer on Saturday night at 9:00 pm (2000 GMT), and confirmed it on Sunday," Paris hospitals chief Martine Hirsch told AFP.
Sinon, il y a le gel hydroalcoolique LVMH.https://t.co/y0nealB4z7
— Chtixof (@chtixof) March 16, 2020
Hydroalcoholic gel supplies are strained in Paris hospitals, with coronavirus fears sparking a run on hand sanitisers across the country.
Last Friday the pharmaceutical group Sanofi announced the creation of a seed fund to "support the research effort of the AP-HP teams" facing the pandemic. The investment company Tikehau Capital says it will donate an undisclosed amount.
Elsewhere the Benetton family in Italy, Europe’s worst-hit country, last week said it would give 3 million euros to support the urgent needs of four large Italian hospitals in Trevise, the family’s home city, Rome and Milan.
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