Yves Rocher USA history

The company also eyed a move into the retail arena and opened its first retail store in Paris in 1970.

In 1973, Rocher sold 60 percent of his company to Elf Aquitaine subsidiary Sanofi, yet Rocher retained the majority--57 percent--of the company's voting rights and, therefore, control of its direction.

By 1984, Yves Rocher's sales had reached FFr 2.6 billion.

Its accounts had been falsified, however, with its stock overvalued by more than FFr 20 million, its capital holdings inflated by more than FFr 40 million, and accounting errors adding another FFr 3.5 million--on top of underestimated consolidated losses remaining from the 1987 year.

There, Yves Rocher filed a number of court complaints against BNP, which countersued--and won--in 1991.

Leparmentier, Arnaud, 'Yves Rocher règle ses comptes avec la BNP dans l'affaire Petit Bateau,' Le Monde, February 25, 1992.

1993: Sell-off of clothing subsidiaries.

In September 1994, the company began preparations to double its production capacity at La Gacilly, boosting its payroll there from 1,200 to 2,200 employees.

By 1997, the company's annual sales neared FFr 8 billion.

2000: Proposed acquisition of Sanofi's shares.

Yves Rocher has been a partner of Handicap'zéro since 2003.

2009: The Eco-Hotel Spa opens Now it's possible to live in harmony with nature.

In 2012, sales topped $3 billion, up from $2.8 billion the previous year.