Claire’s France: Who are the three bidders for the takeover?

The French division of the U.S. chain Claire’s was placed under receivership last July. Since then, three bidders with different plans have come forward to take over part of the network and a portion of the jobs. FashionNetwork.com has reviewed all three proposals.

After being placed under receivership, effective from July 14, bidders had until September 19 to submit their offers. These bids addressed the fate of Claire’s 987 salaried employees in France. The employees, together with the trade unions, have referred the matter to the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office on suspicion of artificial insolvency.

One of the bids was submitted by Spanish phone accessories chain La Casa de las Carcasas, which operates across 13 countries through 1,000 points of sale, including 113 stores in France. With 2024 revenue of €287 million, the company plans to take over 31 Claire’s stores in the largest cities, along with 183 associated roles.

Under this €124,000 bid, the group, founded in 2012 by Ismaël Villalobos, intends to acquire only the equipment necessary to operate the stores, and does not plan to take on the stock or continue Claire’s operations.

That, by contrast, is what the Swiss company June intends to do. The specialist importer and trader of costume jewellery, accessories and clothing plans to take over the brand and its trading name. The offer also covers the takeover of 75 stores, and an equal number of employees, as well as all assets and stock. The proposed purchase price for this takeover is €10,000.

The third offer comes from Nébuleuse, a French distance-selling specialist in ear and piercing jewellery founded in 2019. With 2024 revenue of €13 million, the company has recently opened its first points of sale and plans to integrate ten former Claire’s stores into its network. The bid covers 52 positions, with a total consideration of €50,000 for all the stores, and excludes stock.

In its main market, North America, Claire’s now awaits word on the plans of its new owner, Lawrence Berger, co-founder of the Ames Watson fund. When it filed for bankruptcy at the beginning of August, the group totalled 2,300 stores in 17 countries and, above all, $690 million of debt.