This trade magazine appeared for the first time on 5 December 1891 in
Charleville in the
Ardennes department in northeastern France with the title ''l'Usine'', subtitled "Organe de l'industrie des Ardennes et du Nord-Est" ("Organ of Industry of the Ardennes and the North-East"). It was published with the encouragement of a regional trade association, the
Syndicat des industriels métallurgiques ardennais. And an editorial was specific: "L'Usine hopes to become the organ for everyone who has at heart the prosperity of the industries of the Ardennes and their expansion." It was a newspaper conceived entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. It was an information tool to help them act and make decisions, and a communications tool and source of advertising for managers. At that time, the Ardennes and the northeast of France were considered a favoured area for industrial development. In 1905, it was bought by Camille Didier, who had become its publisher in 1901 at the age of 26 and who had opened an office in Paris. Camille Didier sought to turn ''l'Usine'' into a nationally distributed magazine. In 1914, the magazine had 3,000 subscribers. The magazine grew during the
Trente Glorieuses, the period of economic growth in France from 1945 until 1975. It became a jewel of the general trade press, with a strong position. Camille Didier died in 1962, and his son, Édouard Didier, took over. In 1968, its publication was interrupted by a strike by the
C.G.T. trade union confederation at the printing plant in
Montrouge. In 1970, the Didier family sold the magazine to
Havas. The editorial process was computerized in 1992 and a website was launched in 1998. Havas was acquired by
Vivendi Universal. Vivendi Universal sold its trade and medical publishing businesses to a group led by
Cinven in 2001, who created Approvia. Approvia sold Groupe Moniteur, of which ''L'Usine nouvelle'' was a part, to
Sagard in 2004. In 2006, Groupe Moniteur was sold to
Bridgepoint Capital. In 2013, Bridgepoint sold Groupe Moniteur to Infopro Digital, then owned by Apax Partners France, today known as Seven2.
TowerBrook Capital Partners acquired Infopro Digital.
TowerBrook Capital Partners acquired Infopro Digital from Apax Partners France in 2016. ==Key people==