Après avoir frôlé la liquidation, Bergère de France pursues its activity in Scop

The offer presented by 57 employee-cooperators was in competition with the Nordic cell Happywool (ex Phildar et Pingouin). Or, cette dernière ne prévoyait to keep any location of employment, when approving the union source. The reprise file in Scop va pour sa part makes it possible to preserve 70 employees on CDI out of a total of 120. Add to that a dozen of domicile knitters employed part-time and whose work represents two full-time equivalents. «On y croit, there is a viable project. But we have raised concerns about the company’s ability to keep pace. In production, we work with a lower level of cash», worries Allison Da Cruz, déléguete syndicale FO.

Example Duralex

Bergère de France (turnover of 15.2 million euros in 2023) revient de loin. Placement in legal redress in 2015, the society a vécu «a long descent to the underworld», according to the words of Marie-Madeleine Maucourt, director of the Union régionale des Scop du Grand-Est (Urscop). Unable to meet the deadlines of its continuation plan, the company was placed in judicial liquidation last April 26. The commercial jurisdiction avait cependant accordé une poursaige provisoire de l’activité pending six months, the time to find a repreneur.

Citing the example of Duralex, Marie-Madeleine Maucourt insists on the fact that “Bergère de France is not an isolated case» he insists on the fact that “The maintenance of our industries and our knowledge in France is essential for the territory». The project benefited from the decisive support of financial partners including Socoden, the banque des Scop, the Crédit coopératif and the Crédit agricole. The Grand-Est Region and the public interest group Objectif Meuse have also given their support to the dossier.