Beaumanoir and Celio win joint bid for Jennyfer stores

Women’s fashion retailer Jennyfer has reached the final chapter in its restructuring process. Under court-ordered liquidation since April 30, the brand permanently closed its 130 company-owned stores and 53 franchises on Thursday, June 12. On the same day, the Bobigny Commercial Court ruled on the takeover bids, jointly selecting offers from the Beaumanoir Group and Celio, FashionNetwork.com has learned. Nearly 600 employees will be laid off despite the outcome, representing two-thirds of the workforce.

The Brittany-based Beaumanoir Group (Cache Cache, Bonobo, Morgan, La Halle…) continues to expand in the European fashion market. Following last year’s acquisition of the European operations of Boardriders brands, the group will now take over 26 Jennyfer stores and convert them to its own banners. Beaumanoir plans to retain 210 positions and offer nearly 150 redeployment opportunities, helping to preserve around 350 jobs in total.

“Over the past decade, the brand’s attempts to reposition itself in a fast-changing textile market have unfortunately failed, resulting in losses. I am convinced that only strong groups like the Beaumanoir Group— which provide a coherent ecosystem and sufficient resources— can successfully drive such turnarounds. We have already proven this with La Halle, Caroll, Sarenza.com and, more recently, the Boardriders Group,” said chairman Roland Beaumanoir in a press release.

Beaumanoir will also acquire the Jennyfer brand name, which it plans to revive. The gradual relaunch, “aimed at attracting a younger clientele,” will begin via its Sarenza marketplace, followed by the introduction of dedicated product lines in the group’s retail network.

This offer complements the bid from menswear retailer Celio, which will take over seven Jennyfer stores and retain the 47 employees at those locations. Celio plans to operate the stores as dual-concept spaces alongside its women’s brand Be Camaïeu, relaunched in summer 2024.

According to AFP, Beaumanoir Group and Celio jointly invested more than 2 million euros in this takeover. One of the dozen competing bids was from fashion chain Pimkie, which was ultimately not selected.

Jennyfer had faced difficulties for several seasons as it remained focused on a teenage customer base. The brand entered court-ordered restructuring in 2023 and was sold in summer 2024 to two of its executives, Yann Pasco and Jean-Charles Gaume, with support from Chinese supplier Shanghai Pure Fashion Garments Co Ltd. The new team launched a strategy to modernize the brand’s image and broaden its appeal. However, the effort failed to gain momentum amid a highly competitive and challenging retail environment.