Only one full takeover offer has been submitted for French furniture retailer Alinea following the closure of the bidding process, with a decision now pending from the Marseille judicial court.
According to reports from Le Figaro and BFMTV, Romanian real estate developer SDC has lodged the sole complete offer to acquire the business. The proposal follows an earlier bid from the group earlier this year that was later withdrawn.
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SDC's plan would retain Alinea's core operations but exclude seven stores whose size and performance are considered incompatible with its strategy. The group intends to reposition the retailer as a more agile business centred on 20 higher-potential locations, while discontinuing peripheral activities such as kitchens, catering and culinary workshop services.
If accepted, the proposal would preserve 572 jobs out of around 1,200, with a commitment not to carry out economic redundancies during the first 24 months after the takeover.
However, the offer has already faced opposition from some employees. Staff representatives in Aubagne criticised the proposal, stating they view it as "unworthy and insufficient".
Several partial offers have also been submitted by companies including Ikea, Grand Frais, Cargo, B&M and Leroy Merlin, targeting individual stores.
The court is expected to decide within two weeks whether Alinea will undergo restructuring, be sold, or face liquidation.
Source: www.univers-habitat.eu
