From Pledging Family Jewelry to Building a Five-Company Group
For nine years, Youssef Ouarradi and his wife ran an alarm service around the clock on their own. He solicited customers, installed equipment and responded when alarms were triggered. The couple even lived for a time on the company’s premises.
In 1982, Youssef Ouarradi arrived in France from Morocco. Born in 1966, he left school in CM2 and has no qualifications. After starting out with odd jobs, he joined his brother, who ran Alarmes Charentaises, a company specializing in security systems.
In 1991, the company filed for bankruptcy. Youssef decided to take it over. To secure the necessary guarantees, he pawned family jewelry and found a creditor willing to back him.
“I paid everyone back,” he said in a profile published in June 2024 by the Medef of Charente-Maritime.
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The years that followed gave him little respite. In the morning, he looked for customers. In the afternoon, he installed alarms. At night, he would head out again when a system was triggered. His wife shared this routine until 2000.
The company eventually grew. When he spoke in 2024, Alarmes Charentaises had a turnover of two million euros and employed 25 full-time equivalent staff.
Five companies and a new venture in Royan
Youssef Ouarradi gradually diversified his activities into security, remote monitoring, telecare and medical equipment. In June 2024, his group comprised five companies, with a combined turnover of eight million euros and between 80 and 130 full-time equivalent jobs, depending on the season.
He also ventured into the restaurant business. In Royan, he took over Le Mogador, whose owner he already knew. The two men had become friends after a difficult start. Under his management, the establishment grew from three to ten employees and came close to one million euros in annual turnover.
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In June 2025, another project extended his journey. The city of Royan selected his bid, submitted with entrepreneur Frédéric de Guitarre, to redevelop the former Le Tiki restaurant near Grande Conche beach.
The proposal reviewed by the municipal council calls for a joint investment of up to 3.8 million euros excluding tax, including the construction of an upper floor, compared with 3.21 million euros for a renovation limited to the ground floor.
The project includes three dining areas: a fine-dining restaurant, a bistro-style restaurant and a shared food court. The schedule presented in 2025 envisaged an opening between June 2028 and April 2029.
