The restructuring of the Israeli-born brand, acquired by the French group in 2016, has been completed through an agreement with Golf Group for the acquisition of the brand’s retail network in Israel. Production will be fully relocated to France.
France’s Groupe Rocher has reached a franchise deal agreement with the Israeli fashion and home design retail chain Golf Group. Under the terms of the agreement, Gold takes over the operational control of the Sabon store chain in Israel.
Under the five-year agreement, Golf Group will acquire exclusive franchise rights to Sabon’s online and retail network in Israel — comprising 22 stores nationwide — for NIS 6.5 million (USD 1.9 million). The deal also transfers the assets and properties supporting Sabon’s local retail operations.
The agreement provides that all 92 from Sabon’s stores will join Golf’s team.
Production relocated
Meanwhile, the French cosmetics giant plans to close Sabon’s manufacturing plant in Kiryat Gat along with its logistics and distribution center. The shutdown, expected to be completed by 2026, could result in the layoff of about 180 employees. All manufacturing activities will be relocated to France.
Sabon was founded in 1997 by Sigal Kotler-Levy and Avi Piatok, two childhood friends, who started selling handmade soap by weight in a shop in Tel Aviv.
Over the next decades Sabon has expanded gradually into an international skincare brand, operating 180 stores in 14 countries with a global workforce of 1,000 employees. In 2016, founders sold 70 percent of Sabon to French cosmetics giant Groupe Rocher and the remainder two years later.
This restructuring is part of the strategic realignment launched by the Rocher Group in 2023. As part of this plan, the group has begun the divestment of the Petit Bateau and Stanhome brands to sharpen its focus on its core business: beauty and well-being.
Last year, the French group had agreed to sell its Flormar brand, the leading make-up brand in Turkey, to a company composed by a consortium of three Turkish investors – Esas Private Equity, Tacirler Asset Management PE Fund I, and Credia Partners.
In 2024, the Rocher Group reported revenues of EUR 2.2 billion (USD 2.6 billion), up 2.4% from 2023. The Yves Rocher brand accounted for half of this total (EUR 1.1 billion), reaffirming its role as the group’s cornerstone.
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