Alfaparf Milano, Naturopera and Superga Beauty have joined forces to bid for the Eugène Perma group, which has gone into receivership.
The Eugène Perma group (sales €80 million), a specialist in hair coloring and care in supermarkets with its iconic brands (Pétrole Hahn, Eugène Color, Keranove, Nat&Nove Bio, Biorène, Laurence Dumont, Loua), had been experiencing difficulties for several years in the face of the health crisis, inflation and competition from international giants. The group has been in receivership since August 1, 2023.
Alfaparf Milano, an Italian group which distributes hairdressing and beauty products in over 120 countries via some twenty subsidiaries, is adding brands from the hairdressing circuit (Carmen, Solaris, etc.) to its portfolio.
A French SME with 100 employees and estimated sales of €40 million in 2023, Naturopera is taking over Eugène Perma's GMS activities, with brands such as Pétrole Hahn, Eugène Color, Keranove, Nat&Nove Bio and Biorène. Known for its baby and feminine hygiene brands, "Naturopera is writing an exciting new chapter in its history. We are extremely proud to welcome Eugène Perma's emblematic brands. This acquisition marks a major strategic step in our commitment to innovation and quality, reinforcing our position as the leader in "made in France" fragrance hygiene. We are proud to carry on this heritage, combining sustainability and excellence to offer our consumers an unrivalled experience in the world of hygiene, beauty and hair care", say Geoffroy Blondel de Joigny and Kilian O'Neill, founders of Naturopera.
After opening its ecological baby diaper factory in Hauts-de-France just over a year ago, Naturopera, founded in 2013, was able to count on the support of financial partners (BPIFrance, Caisse d'Epargne, Société Générale) who saw the growth potential of such a takeover. With "PME+" and "BioEd" (Bio Entreprise durable) CSR certification, the young company intends to give priority to natural, eco-designed ingredients. It specifies that transparency towards consumers will be ensured by reworked product compositions. The company will also be supporting local development by promoting "Made in France", working with over 80 % French suppliers and service providers.
Superga Beauty is taking over Eugène Perma's Parchimy plant near Reims. This site includes 12 manufacturing tanks, 10 packaging lines and an in-house laboratory to carry out all process controls, and benefits from an Atex-secured platform. The French "beauty supplier" thus acquires a new tool and integrates expertise in hair care and coloring products to its perfumery and skincare know-how.
In total, the consortium will maintain the jobs of 213 employees, i.e. 90 % of the current workforce. In this respect, it was the best bidder compared with the other bidders.
"We are three experts in our circuits, three family-run businesses that guarantee continuity and are aligned with the values of the Eugène Perùma Group. We are aware that a great deal of work needs to be done in all three businesses to restore the group's impetus and dynamism. For us, the fact that we are working as a trio is a guarantee of resources and success: each business line is entrusted to dedicated experts who are committed to investing fully in the continuation and maintenance of each business line.explains Leslie Bréau Meniger, President of Superga Beauty.
As part of this takeover, Superga Beauty has signed a five-year exclusive production agreement with Naturopera and Alfaparf Milano. Products for the various Eugène Perma brands will continue to be manufactured in France at the Parchimy site, which will become Beauty Champagne Ardenne (BCA).
In addition to the hair care products traditionally manufactured and packaged in Reims, the group plans to open up the business to subcontracting, particularly in the care sector. The site has the capacity to produce large batches, in excess of ten tons. The stated objective is to add 10 million parts to the plant within the next two years.
"The Superga Beauty group has an ambitious project, and we are going to demonstrate, as with our previous projects, our strength as well as our willingness to transform a brand factory into a subcontracting plant, while preserving French know-how in cosmetics. This takeover will enable us to immediately increase our production capacity for skincare and hygiene products, and to develop our expertise in hair coloring and hair care.stresses Leslie Bréau Meniger. I have every confidence in the success of this project. We demonstrated our commercial strength with the Cosmeurop takeover project. I believe in subcontracting and its development, and in our customers' desire to develop French manufacturing."
