Paris (AFP)
What future for Bio C'Bon?
Its competitor Biocoop, the distribution giant Carrefour and the family group Zouari, shareholder of Picard, have promised to take back a large part of its thousand employees and defend their project Friday before the Paris commercial court.
When the specialist distributor had formalized its placement in receivership at the beginning of September, its president Thierry Chouraqui declared himself "positive" about the future because of the number of marks of interest.
In fact, the candidates who have an appointment at the commercial court on Friday are numerous and compete with large takeover offers.
Biocoop, associated with another organic specialist, Marcel & Fils, plans to take over 104 stores out of the 120 that Bio C'Bon has, but "100% of employees, in stores, logistics or headquarters", according to its president Pierrick De Ronne, i.e. 1,021 people (workforce as of September 30, 2020).
Wishing to preserve a "specialized organic network" from the appetites of "large-scale distribution", it also "substantially" increased the amount of its offer, to 17.5 million euros.
This data, the "sale price", is important because it allows in particular to clear the liabilities of Bio C'Bon, that one of the potential buyers surveyed by AFP estimates at nothing less than 240 million euros.
Because the distributor suffered as a result of social movements that affected city centers between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, then of the coronavirus epidemic.
The specialized sign of the Casino group, Naturalia, for a time interested in the recovery before retreating by citing "gray areas", had also diagnosed "too rapid and uncontrolled expansion".
Carrefour proposes for its part a global sale price of 60 million euros, to which are added, according to this same source, more than 40 million euros of investments, all "financed on own funds".
The listed company also relies on the expertise of its "Mr. Bio" Benoît Soury, former director of La Vie claire, to defend a large takeover project: 107 points of sale as well as the group's headquarters taken over. , reclassification solutions "offered to 100% of employees working on the Aix-en-Provence and Athis-Mons sites", ie a total of 1,009 employees taken on or reclassified.
- Three main criteria -
Finally, the Zouari group, franchisee of the Casino group and shareholder of Picard frozen foods, figures the overall sale price at 10 million euros and plans to take over 120 stores, i.e. 100% of the fleet, "100% of the store staff" and "100% of logistics staff and all administrative staff", according to a letter to employees consulted by AFP.
This family group also relies on a good connoisseur of the organic ecosystem, the former CEO of Biocoop Gilles Piquet-Pellorce, and promises "70 million euros" of investments, "on equity", in particular for the renovation of stores.
It also has the "total and unreserved support" of the Adibio association, which defends the interests of 2,850 individuals who had invested in the development of Bio C'Bon, and fear losing their stake, which they estimate in total at 114 million euros.
Last notable candidate, the food distributor of the galaxy Mulliez Auchan has submitted an offer for 57 stores and 318 jobs, particularly in Ile-de-France (38 stores, 220 jobs).
How to decide between these offers?
The commercial court will decide according to several main criteria: who will be best able to ensure the sustainability of the company taken over?
How many jobs will be preserved and for how long?
Which offer will allow the best discharge of the liabilities, that is to say the reimbursement of the various creditors of the company?
During the hearing on Friday, which will be held behind closed doors, the employees' representatives will be asked to give their views, as will the public prosecutor.
The commercial court should not render a decision on Friday, but in the days or weeks that follow.
© 2020 AFP