History has a future

"Forging everywhere in the world direct and priviledged relationships with every woman to fulfil her desire for beauty and well-being".

This strategic aim was set out by Didier Rocher in 1994. This is much more than a strategic aim, it is our raison d'être.
But this tremendous success started off very modestly, more than 40 years ago, in an attic at la Gacilly

Key events

To go back to the very beginning, this was the establishment of the Yves Rocher Plant Biology Laboratories at la Gacilly in 1959. The concept of beauty through plants, twenty years ahead of its time, and the choice of Mail Order Sales are the reasons underlying our unprecedented success.

In 1965, Yves Rocher launched the Green Book of Beauty, now translated worldwide.

In 1969, the La Croix des Archers factory opened at la Gacilly.
In the same year, the brand added a new dimension with the opening of a store in Paris, the first in a chain that has now reached 1,500.

The following year, the brand created a subsidiary in Belgium. The Group now has a substantial presence in 20 countries worldwide.

The Yves Rocher Group went on to step up its expansion with the aid of strong brands. Daniel Jouvance the leader in marine cosmetology in Europe, was created in 1980 on the initiative of Daniel Rocher, and the Dr. Pierre Ricaud brand, specialising in anti-ageing skin care, was established in 1985.

In the late eighties, the Yves Rocher Group was a prosperous company active on an international scale. It then bought out Petit Bateau, a prestigious children’s clothing brand. Despite its strong reputation, this company was on the brink of the abyss, and was losing more than 150 million francs. It took 8 years to rectify the situation. Today, Petit Bateau is a century-old company that is one of the stars in the French textile firmament, and has quadrupled its turnover.

The Fondation Yves Rocher–Institut de France, placed under the aegis of the Institut de France, one of the State’s highest bodies, was established in the early nineties. Its aim is to strengthen the relationship between nature and humankind through concrete action.

In 1995, the concept of selling fragrances by mail order took shape under the Le Monde en Parfum brand name. This brand was later renamed Isabel Derroisné, after its creator.

Two years later, the Group acquired Stanhome. In the 1930s, the brand had invented door-to-door selling, to sell domestic cleaning and home improvement products.

The following year, in partnership with the Natural History Museum, the Group created a museum dedicated to nature at la Gacilly, christened the “Végétarium”.
2001 saw the creation of Galerie Noémie a new cosmetics brand founded and worn by Noémie Rocher. Then the Stanhome network, spurred on by Jacques Rocher, launched the Kiotis, and aromatherapy brand, exclusively distributed by Direct Sales.

Today, the Yves Rocher Group has a turnover of 2 billion euros. It is ranked 18th in terms of value in the cosmetics market (all cosmetics markets worldwide combined), not taking into account the Stanhome and Petit Bateau brands.

With a healthy financial status, profitable and with a low debt ratio, the Group is in a position to invest in order to finance its further development. Furthermore, its financial independence allows it to look to the future with confidence.