Yves Rocher is a great business story of which the Bretons are proud. Those who start small but already saw big. Yves Rocher is one of them. It was at the end of the 1950s that the founder, passionate about the world of plants and convinced of their benefits for women, transformed the family attic into a laboratory where he experimented with the development of natural cosmetics.

Visionary too. In 1959, he launched an innovative concept: mail-order selling (VPC). Seventy years later, the Rocher group weighs heavily: 2.4 billion euros in turnover in 2022; 650 shops in France; 2,800 worldwide; 16,000 employees, a presence in 110 countries and more than 450 million products manufactured mainly in Brittany. The group also has 8 other brands, including Dr Pierre Ricaud, Petit Bateau and Arbonne.

But for several years, the group has been suffering. Losing momentum, it loses 335 million euros between 2020 and 2022, i.e. a 14% drop in turnover. In question, the Covid-19 – the group had to close its stores seven months -, but also changes in consumer habits – fewer products, less often.

Also penalized by the fall in sales of mail-order products and inflation, the Breton group must restructure and consider painful organizational changes: 300 job cuts are planned over 3 years, mainly in Brittany. The Ploërmel factory (Morbihan), which packages perfumes, could close its doors in 2025.

But the employees hardly believe it: “The management announced to us, in January, that it would be the closure”, says Nadine Doudard, FO delegate who will not stop there. The union filed an appeal with the court to have this agreement annulled on the grounds of a formal defect.

“One of the unions did not have the legal capacity to sign it. In our opinion, it is obsolete. This would allow us to renegotiate the agreement to increase the amounts of the departure bonuses. They reach 2,200 euros per year of seniority, barely, it is well below the national average ”, underline the two trade unionists. The hearing is scheduled for September 19.

So how does the group intend to return to growth? To bounce back, it has drawn up a 2030 plan. The first part of this reconquest concerns the acceleration of its internationalization, particularly in Asia: “The Asian market represents 10% of our turnover. Our objective is to double it to reach 20% in 2030, in particular by opening new stores,” explains Jean-David Schwartz.

Second part of the 2030 plan, innovation with the manufacture of solid cosmetics: “We intend to invest several million euros in the industrial part of our activities. We are thinking about internalizing the manufacture of solid cosmetics, which is currently outsourced, continues the CEO. This implies the creation of a production line, therefore jobs. We will invest in this production in Brittany, in Morbihan. We are also in the process of evaluating investment projects so that our Breton factories are self-sufficient in water. Several million euros of investment are key for these dry factories. »