A former star from the 1990s will be decided on his fate this Thursday. Like other flagship ready-to-wear brands of recent decades, Kookaï has encountered difficulties in recent years, jeopardizing its survival. In receivership, just six years after passing under the Australian flag, the brand is awaiting the court’s verdict, expected today.
Kookaï has suffered from an explosive cocktail: pandemic, inflation, rising production costs, rents, wages, competition from second-hand goods and fast fashion. In September, the Paris commercial court ruled that the company’s cash flow was insufficient to finance the proposed continuation plan and cleared the way for its takeover. The brand has around a hundred stores in France and is notably present in Spain, Switzerland, the United States and Australia. In 2022, the group had a turnover of 45 million euros.
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As of November 15, seven candidates had made offers, scrutinized with anxiety by the approximately 170 employees (union figure). “None (offer) is exciting,” said in despair a representative of the employees who requested anonymity.
GD Distribution (Gérard Darel
The Beaumanoir Group (Caroll, Morgan, Cache Cache, Bréal, Bonobo, etc.) has confirmed “its interest in taking over the Kookaï brand”. In the improved offer of November 15, the group proposed to take over 26 jobs and 8 stores (Annecy, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nancy, Reims, Tours, Neuilly and Paris) for an amount of around 600,000 euros. The Antonelle-Un jour elsewhere group, for its part, wishes to take over 67 employees, 16 stores and numerous corners, and is offering a sale price of 300,000 euros.
