Major French footwear business Royer Group goes into court-supervised reorganisation

The Royer Group’s attempt in 2024 to refocus on profitable activities proved insufficient. The Brittany-based footwear distributor, headquartered in Fougères, has sought the protection of the Rennes Commercial Court, the company told FashionNetwork.com.

“Since 2022, the Royer Group has had to contend with successive crises and intensifying international competition in its market. These difficulties have weakened its operations, generating debt that the group must now address under the protection of the commercial court, and with the support of its advisers and the court-appointed administrator, as part of court-supervised reorganisation proceedings,” said the business, which employs 260 people across around twenty companies worldwide, including seven in France.

In 2019, the family-owned group, founded in 1945, reported 500 employees in France, turnover of €300 million, 45% of which came from exports, and more than 20 million pairs sold. However, the group, which owns Kickers, was forced to make major adjustments to its business, launching in 2020 a plan to cut some 150 jobs in France out of a total of 500.

In particular, the company had to adapt to the loss of its distribution licence for the US brand New Balance. Management also decided to close its Maleville site in Aveyron. The group, which had already restructured its debt in 2022, disposed of part of its Cholet premises, divested the Von Dutch brand, mothballed several high-end labels, and halted private-label activity in Germany. It thereby refocused on Kickers, whose international presence Jacques Royer aimed to develop.

According to the group, this ambition was blocked by “a level of indebtedness that is becoming too high in the face of a persistently unfavourable market context”. In 2024, the group expected turnover to be well below the €132 million achieved in 2023, 50% of which came from exports. The trend appears not to have improved in 2025.

The group, which still holds the licences for Umbro, Freegun, and Dim, as well as children’s brands Aster and Mod8, will now rely on court protection to restructure its debt. It says it aims to “find new momentum (…) to ease its cash position, while it works on a new strategic plan for four of its French companies”.

A reshaping of its scope therefore appears to be under consideration, but the group is not ruling out any option, whether validating a strategic plan, pursuing asset disposals, or seeking backing from new investors or strategic partners.

These projects will not be led by Marc Le Roux, who was recruited last year to revitalise the group as managing director. He is now Reebok‘s managing director for Europe.