Paradies Lagardère

Paradies Lagardère

The Paradies family office in Atlanta oversees wealth originating from James H. Paradies, who founded Paradies Shops in 1960. The company became a dominant operator of airport retail and food & beverage concessions across North America. Gregg Paradies subsequently led the firm through a 2017 merger with Lagardère Travel Retail, creating Paradies Lagardère, a joint venture that remains the core operating asset. The family office's investment strategy centers on real estate and travel-related assets, consistent with its operating heritage. Portfolio holdings include direct ownership of airport retail properties and concessions contracts. The office also deploys capital into private equity opportunities, often in retail and hospitality. Geographic focus is primarily North America, with select exposure to international travel markets through the Lagardère partnership. Total deployment is undisclosed, but the underlying operating business — Paradies Lagardère — manages over 800 retail and dining locations across 100+ airports in the US and Canada (per company filings, 2024). The family office does not publicly report team size or additional offices. It maintains a philanthropic arm through the Paradies Family Foundation, which supports community and education initiatives in Atlanta. Recent activity includes ongoing operational management of the joint venture with Lagardère, with no major external capital raise or spinout reported in the last 24 months. A structural differentiator is the family office's embedded operating company model — the office exists not as a separate investment vehicle but as an extension of the Paradies Lagardère joint venture. This architecture aligns capital deployment with the operational needs of the travel retail business, limiting external dealmaking but providing deep sector expertise and direct asset control.