The FINANCIAL — Yves Rocher, founder of a world-wide cosmetics empire, died in Paris on December 26, 2009 at the age of 79. The cause of his death was not released.
Rocher, originally from Brittany, founded the company in 1959 and nurtured it into a firm with annual sales of over 2 billion euros ($2.9 billion), nearly three times that of L'Oreal's Body Shop, and a presence in over 80 countries, according to Reuters.
"I confirm that he passed away this morning," said a spokesman for the authority without giving a cause of death. Besides his company role, Rocher was also mayor of Gacilly in Brittany and holds the rare distinction of the Legion d'Honneur, the same source reports.
The Yves Rocher Group now operates in around 30 countries, with a turnover of two billion euros (2.8 billion dollars) a year, around 15,000 employees and nearly 2,000 retail outlets, AFP informs. On its website it bills itself "the world leader in botanical beauty care".
In a statement, French President Nicolas Sarkozy called Rocher "a great French industrialist, inventor of plant-based cosmetics and pioneer of mail order retail." Rocher "built a company dedicated to female beauty, invested in the growth of sustainable jobs and worked to protect the environment," he said, according to the same source. Rocher turned over control of the business to his son Didier in 1992, but took it back three years later when the son died in an accident.
The 31-year-old grandson of Yves Rocher Bris Rocher will take the helm of the global cosmetics empire as Channelnewsasia com reports. Currently serving as vice president of the group, Bris Rocher was appointed president of the company, a decision that had been "anticipated and addressed more than four years ago," said the company statement.
According to Examiner, the company is renowned for cultivating its own plants and running stores, mail order, and online business. Yves Rocher offers several beauty lines including skin care, cosmetics, fragrances, and hair care.
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