L'Occitane International is being acquired by its controlling shareholder group.
The beauty brand, which operates more than 1,300 namesake stores worldwide and is also available in over 3,000 retail doors, said controlling shareholder L'Occitane Groupe S.A. has offered to acquire all shares in the company that is does not already own. The group, which owns 72.64% of the shares, is led by Reinold Geiger, chairman and director of the company.
The group, which plans to plans to take L'Occitane private and delist it from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, has offered 34 Hong Kong dollars, or $4.34, per share in cash. The bid values the company at about $6.42 billion.
“The cosmetics sector is undergoing profound changes, and our company has significantly transformed into a geographically balanced multi-brand group,” said Geiger. “The transaction we are launching today will enable us to focus on rebuilding the foundation for the long-term sustainable growth of our company."
In a release announcing the news, L'Occitane said, as a privately owned company, it would be free from the pressures of the capital markets' expectations, regulatory costs and disclosure obligations, share price fluctuations, and sensitivity to short-term market and investor sentiment. Plans include significant furthers investment in marketing, store refurbishment, IT infrastructure and attracting talent are of vital importance.
L’Occitane noted that the group has stated its intention to continue operating the company's business and retain employees across all geographies, “other than the changes that would occur in the ordinary course of business.” Also, the current management team would remain in place.