Beauty

[Pipsqueak]

Too funny...wow, what a blast from the past. I remember getting catalogs for this brand way back when.

Thanks cassiem for posting their web site. Oh no!!! another temptation; their fragrances sound so lovely.

Also found this interesting article in Forbes from 1/24/2013:

France's Cosmetics King, Age 34, Leads Family Behind Yves Rocher To Billion Dollar Fortune

Bris Rocher wasn’t meant to become the head of a multi-billion dollar French cosmetics empire at age 31. His father’s death in a mysterious shooting accident saw him skip a generation, taking over his grandfather’s eponymous beauty company Yves Rocher in 2009.

Since then, Bris has consolidated the business: he bought back 19.3% of Yves Rocher from French pharmaceuticals company Sanofi in 2012. The transaction values the company in excess of $1.8 billion, based on Sanofi’s financial disclosures.

Bris and his family now own 96% of the Yves Rocher group, which includes classic Breton-style clothing label Petit Bateau and various perfume and beauty brands. That stake alone gives the Rocher clan, which includes an uncle and cousins, an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion.

Yves Rocher might not be a household name in the U.S., but in France its market share is second only to L’Oreal according to data from Euromonitor. A company year-end report from 2011 counts one out of every three French women as Yves Rocher customers.

In 2012, sales topped $3 billion, up from $2.8 billion the previous year. Of that, 63% came from outside France, with Russia and Germany the top importers according to the 2012 Women’s Wear Daily Beauty Report. Next on the list of countries to conquer is China.

As for Bris, his task — at least in terms of sales strategy — is to see if Yves Rocher can replicate its famously successful mail order business online. At 34, he’s both a digital native and a company veteran: he joined the family business at 18, two years after his father, Didier Rocher, died in an accident that still remains unexplained.

As the Daily Telegraph noted, Didier was found just before Christmas 1994 “at a private shooting gallery with a bullet between the eyes and his Israeli-built 50 caliber Desert Eagle pistol lying nearby.” Said the newspaper: “An investigation seemed to rule out suicide.” He was 41.

Yves Rocher had by then retired, but resumed control of the company after his son’s death, all the while grooming Bris for an eventual takeover. At age 25, after a stint in the US at Arthur Andersen (now Accenture), he became vice president. In 2009, when Yves Rocher died, he took over.

Bris and his family are still based in Yves’ hometown, the village of La Gacilly in Brittany, now so synonymous with the company that Bris’ uncle and head of sustainability Jacques Rocher is the mayor (Yves himself served in that capacity for 46 years). Yves Rocher’s organic, plant-based beauty products are still manufactured in La Gacilly, where members of the public can visit the company's botanical gardens.

[Harpa]

On 2/4/2014 Pipsqueak said:

another temptation; their fragrances sound so lovely.

I still have some of their fragrances that I got either from the real YR store or from Q. They were not made with synthetics, and they still smell beautiful to this day!

I had gotten my Mom Orchidee....she never used it, and gave it back to me! That is so nice!

[Hibi]

LOL. I could never stand Jane. Then or now. I remember those Yves Rocher shows. They were on in the Q's early days. They've been gone at least 20 years now, probably. I actually used Rocher back then. But I got better prices (and no tax) by buying directly from them. Always had great deals. Probably still do.

[Pipsqueak]

Thanks for a review of their fragrance Harpa. They have this eau de parfum called "Comme une Evidence" that has an intriguing description:

Top notes: bergamot, violet leaves
Heart notes: rose, jasmine, wild lily of the valley
Base note: patchouli

And they have up to 50% off right now for Valentine's Day, I so not need anymore fragrances but are you familiar with the one I mentioned above.

[cassiem]

On 2/4/2014 VCamp2748 said:

On 2/4/2014 cassiem said:

On 2/4/2014 VCamp2748 said:

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Yves Rocher didn't go under, the business is alive and well.

http://www.yvesrocherusa.com/control/main/

They may have reorganized after having gone bankrupt back then.

I haven't been able to find any info on bankruptcy. And in fact, YR was expanding and purchasing new companies in the late 80's and early 90s.