Meet our passionate property devotees

About

France Group is a family business built on an understanding of what it takes to elevate a building into a home.

As a family, we value design, quality, comfort, passion, integrity, and trust in the homes we live in. That’s why we promise to deliver on those values in the home we build for you.

The fact that we’re not part of an established property development driven process gives us the flexibility to think differently and creatively about how people want to live.

With creative thinking and a flexible approach, we believe anything is possible.

Georges France

Founder

After more than 50 years in business, Georges France still remembers his first property experience with fondness and pride. It was quite an extraordinary achievement for an 18-year-old.

“I bought a single fronted terrace in Lennox Street in Richmond for $10,000 – renovated it and sold it 90 days later for $20,000. And then I bought another one across the road, renovated that and that’s how it all started.”

Georges used the proceeds of those transactions to establish his photography business Georges France Photography, which grew into GFP Events. If you’ve graduated from university in Australia in the last 50 years, there’s a good chance that Georges’ team took your photo.

While GFP Studios continues to celebrate with thousands of graduands, Georges has handed over day-to-day management of that business and now sits on the board. This shift was one of many major life changes that inspired Georges to return to his early love of property development.

With fewer demands on the space in his family home, Georges thought about downsizing, but found the existing options in the market to be less than desirable. So once again, the entrepreneur decided to create his own opportunity.

Using the site of the family home in East Hawthorn, Georges connected with an architect and builder who shared his vision. Together they developed 29 high-quality apartments that would satisfy downsizers.

The Averi apartments and France Group both emerged from that project with a mission to elevate apartments into homes where lives are lived well.

We leave a little history of ourselves. All the positive emotions and hard work that goes into a build lingers within the quality finishes of the homes we create.

Michael France

Managing Director
CB-L 100004
DBU 75999

At the age of 18, Michael France knew he had big shoes to fill. However, the price of a single fronted terrace in Lennox Street in Richmond was even further out-of-reach than it was for his dad several decades earlier.

Michael took a more traditional path to property development, starting out in the building industry with Australia’s largest family-owned building group – Hutchinson Builders. At the same time, he commenced and completed a four-year Honours degree in Bachelor of Applied Science (Construction Management) with RMIT.

The early years of Michael’s building career coincided with the high-rise apartment boom in Melbourne’s CBD. After seeing so many small generic apartments that relied on artificial lighting and air conditioning, Michael swore he’d never live in one.

“Now, a decade later I’ve bought one of our apartments because we’ve proven that you can actually build nice apartments. They’re liveable and spacious, with high ceilings and lots of natural light.”

After years of managing a broad range of constructions around Melbourne, Michael is excited to be building a family business with the principal purpose of creating comfortable homes. In contrast to other developers that shop around for the best price, he’s proud of France Group’s commitment to long-term relationships with builders and architects.

“I really enjoy the collaboration that’s required for a building to be completed. It’s a big thrill. And to have a tangible item that’s left behind, which you’ve worked hard to build – that’s an achievement.”

We think creatively about how people want to live.

Our values
  • Integrity
  • Authenticity
  • Relationships
  • Excellence
  • Trust
  • Freedom
Our mission

To deliver exceptionally designed and attainable homes built for
real people, for life.

Our vision

To redefine apartment living for the prosperity of all.

Say hello.

Ready to live your best life? Tell us what’s on your mind, and we’ll help you unlock the key to your dream home.

Sent!

Thank you for getting in touch.

Keep an eye on your inbox for our reply.

Close

© Copyright 2025 France group