Yves Rocher Parent Company Under French Legal Scrutiny for Turkey Unit Misconduct
Rocher Group stands before a crucial Paris court as 81 ex-employees from Turkey challenge the company’s union policies and labor conditions, coinciding with the holding’s ongoing repositioning and divestment of Petit Bateau.
The Rocher Group faces a high reputational impact judicial review this Thursday. The Paris court is holding a decisive hearing in the trial for the alleged breach of the company’s duty of care in Turkey, where 81 former female employees accuse its subsidiary of violating fundamental rights in the workplace.
The legal action, filed in March 2022, is being promoted by three organizations: the Turkish trade union Petrolish, the NGO Sherpa and the international association ActionAid France. Three of the former workers have traveled to the French capital to give direct testimony and demand that justice recognize the group’s responsibility. The plaintiffs claim that, after joining Petrolish in 2018 and 2019, they were dismissed for union reasons. They also allege discrimination against women, excessive pressure and continued exposure to chemicals without adequate safety measures.
According to testimonies collected by the organizations, the female employees were subjected to intense production rhythms and received insufficient wages in relation to the tasks performed. The lawsuit also states that the group did not publish its monitoring plan on time, which is required by French law for large groups with international activities.
The hearing comes at a time of transformation for the Rocher Group. At the end of October, the company completed the sale of Petit Bateau to the U.S. fund Regent L.P., after receiving unconditional approval from the French Autorité de la Concurrence.
The Rocher Group faces the process in the midst of a reorganization of its holding company
The divestment, announced in September and part of the restructuring plan launched at the beginning of 2025, involves the exit of one of the group’s historic brands. With this operation, Rocher is concentrating its strategy on its core beauty and personal care business. Petit Bateau closed 2024 with sales of €250 million and employs 2,400 people. Regent, which controls brands such as Dim, Playtex and Wonderbra, has stated its intention to preserve the brand’s artisanal heritage and accelerate its digital modernization.
The French regulator stressed that the deal does not disrupt competition due to the fund’s limited shares in the children’s market and the low proximity between its lingerie brands and Petit Bateau’s proposition.
The court case contrasts with the international acceleration of Yves Rocher, the group’s flagship chain, which continues to strengthen its presence in Latin America. The company has returned to the Colombian market this year with three openings in Medellin and Bogota, and a plan to reach 35 stores in five years.
The project includes an alliance with Mercado Libre to manage the online channel and the launch of its own ecommerce in 2026. By that year, the company expects digital to represent 10% of sales. Yves Rocher expects to generate 56 billion Colombian pesos (over $15 million) in the next five years and 600 million Colombian pesos (more than $170,000) in its first year of re-entry into the country.
The expansion in Colombia is in addition to operations in Mexico, one of the group’s five largest international markets, and Costa Rica, where it landed in 2022. The holding company has a turnover of more than €2 billion, operates more than 6,000 stores and employs 17,000 people on a global scale.
