In a press release dated January 15, French group Rocher announced its intention to initiate a process of divestiture for its children’s fashion and home care business units, featuring the Petit Bateau and Stanhome brands. The group’s goal is to refocus on its core expertise and its cosmetics brands Yves Rocher, Arbonne, Sabon and Dr. Pierre Ricaud, for which the group indicated it will increase investment by 50%.

“Over the past 18 months, we have successfully taken a first decisive step in our financial turnaround, as we transform our business models to improve performance. Now, we have the financial means to inject new impetus, concentrating our investments in developing the potential of our skincare, beauty and wellness brands,” said Jean-David Schwartz, managing director of the Rocher group.

Petit Bateau was founded in Troyes in 1893 and is one of the leading players in French children’s fashion, certified as a ‘living heritage company’. It operates a factory and a logistics hub in Troyes, and a factory in Morocco. It sells its products in 55 countries, through various specialist e-tailers, 370 monobrand stores, and 750 multibrand retailers.

Petit Bateau employs 2,300 people, and in 2024 it recorded revenue of €250 million, posting 7% growth in France and 3% internationally, as Bris Rocher, the Rocher group’s CEO, told the Ouest-France newspaper. He underlined that it is not a question of selling off unprofitable brands, but of focusing on the cosmetics business.

“As of now, we have zero buyers. We are just kicking off the process, and it will take some time. In the meantime, Petit Bateau and Stanhome remain part of the Rocher group. And we will treat them as we have treated them until now. I don’t have a timeline. The whole thing could happen quickly, or it might take a long time,” Bris Rocher told Ouest-France.

In recent years, Petit Bateau has boosted its resale business and entered the family cosmetics segment. On September 1 2023, Alexandre Rubin took charge of the brand.

Home care specialist Stanhome, originally founded in the USA, was acquired by the Rocher group in 1997. It has 580 employees, and sells its products via a network of direct sales consultants.

In the last 18 months, the Rocher group has deployed a transformation plan aimed at improving its profitability, while also splitting up the president and managing director functions. The group said its performance has improved. “In financial terms, our roadmap’s second phase will enable the group to pursue its value-creation path, with the objective of doubling EBITDA in five years, having increased it by 25% over the last eighteen months,” the group stated in the press release.

Rocher has recently sold its fragrance factory in Ploërmel, France, and make-up brand Flormar. In 2024, the group generated a revenue of €2.2 billion, up 2.4%, and will continue to tap its beauty market expertise, concentrating on the Yves Rocher brand, which accounts for 53% of its revenue. Arbonne, Sabon and Dr Pierre Ricaud respectively account for 13%, 6% and 2.5% of the group’s revenue.