The Body Shop France is said to be on the verge of compulsory liquidation

Placed in receivership by the Paris Commercial Court on April 4, the French entity of British cosmetics retailer The Body Shop will know its fate on July 17, but the proceedings appear to be heading towards compulsory liquidation.

At the beginning of June, two partial takeover bids were submitted. One came from Horizon Pharma, a specialist in the distribution of pharmaceutical and parapharmaceutical products, and the other from Berger International, a specialist in candles and home fragrances, and owner of the My Jolie Candle brand.

On Thursday July 4, a hearing was held in Paris to decide on the future of the brand. According to LSA magazine, the receiver of The Body Shop France rejected Berger International’s offer, while Horizon Pharma withdrew its bid.

As a reminder, Horizon Pharma, which also took over the Parashop network in 2020 at the bar of the Marseilles court, initially proposed to take over 28 stores and 105 of the 238 existing employees on May 27. Berger International, for its part, planned to take over 17 commercial leases and maintain around thirty jobs. However, this offer has since been revised downwards.

In turmoil since the takeover by German investment fund Aurelius at the end of 2023, the British cosmetics chain, which declared itself insolvent in France on March 19, now has 51 shops in France, including 13 in the Paris region, 38 in other regions and 6 franchises, according to the announcement published by the receivers.

In the UK, the parent company of The Body Shop is also looking for a buyer.