Quick was established as a fast-food restaurant in Belgium in
1971 and moved into France in 1981. In 2007, the company was
bought by French-owned, Qualium Investissement, a subsidiary of
the Caisse des Dépôts et des Consignations. Caisse des Dépôts et des
Consignations is a fully state-owned financial institution created in
1816 to rebuild the French economy on the heels of economic mismanagement during the Napoleonic Empire. Its mission is to
oversee the public largess by managing pension programs, social
housing, social security, regional and infrastructure development,
and related interests that serve the common good. The institution
describes itself and its subsidiaries as “a State-owned group at the
service of the public interest and of the country’s economic
development. The said group fulfills public interest functions in
support of the policies pursued by the State and local authorities
and may engage in competitive activities” (Caisse des Dépôts et des
Consignations, 2012).3 Qualium is the private equity arm of Caisse
des Dépôts et des Consignations owning majority control of Quick.
Ownership is central because shareholding by Qualium becomes a
point of claims-making in media discourse.