In front of the La Halle warehouse in Issoudun, June 2, 2020. - GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP

The intersyndicale of the shoe and clothing brand La Halle, in receivership, organized Saturday morning a "citizens' march" in Issoudun (Indre) where one of the warehouses is located, FO told AFP on Friday.

A Social and Economic Committee examined the offers of 25 potential buyers on Thursday, the largest of which in terms of store takeovers coming from the Breton group Beaumanoir (owner of Morgan).

A judgment of the Paris Commercial Court expected between July 6 and 15

According to the Vivarte group, owner of La Halle, the combination of the different offers would make it possible to take over 607 stores out of 830, and "to preserve nearly 4,036 jobs (out of a total of 5,806, editor's note), including 3,836 in stores and 150 at headquarters" . While no offer had been registered for the logistics warehouses located in Indre during the "first round", two proposals were made, "which would include the takeover of around fifty employees" (out of 500 for the two warehouses of Issoudun and Châteauroux), added Vivarte in its press release.

According to Claire Vigouroux, central union delegate of FO, "the judicial administrators are much more careful" on these offers which need to be specified.

Funding for the main one, that of Beaumanoir, is not complete, she notes. "I rather believe in 3,000 to 3,500 jobs preserved at the most," she said. The unions are worried about the conditions of dismissal of staff who are not taken over. "Beaumanoir asks La Halle to buy the stock for the start of the school year, which would dry up the cash flow and lead to a layoff plan at the legal minimum", she fears.

The offers can be improved until June 24, before a judgment of the Paris Commercial Court expected between July 6 and 15, and a job protection plan (PSE) between mid-July and mid- August.

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