The Grenoble public prosecutor’s office summoned the management of Go Sport on December 19 to find out more about the financial situation of the specialized sports distributor, owned by the same shareholder as Camaïeu, Hermione People and Brands (HPB), while the representatives of the workers they are worried. AFP found out on Monday.
The Grenoble prosecutor’s office confirmed to AFP that a hearing is scheduled for December 19 to verify that the company is not in a situation of cessation of payments in the short term.
HPB confirmed the date of the hearing and stated that “Go Sport is not in default” and that it will have “within 48 hours the elements that support these arguments.”
The elected representatives of the Central Economic and Social Committee (CSEC) and the unions CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC, CFDT of Go Sport are concerned that “more than 2,000 Go Sport employees” could “suffer the fate of the employees of Camaïeu”, according to a statement sent to AFP. They started “legal proceedings before the commercial court before it is too late.”
“Same shareholder, same effects?”
HPB is the specialized distribution branch of Financière immobilière bordelaise (FIB), a group owned by Bordeaux businessman Michel Ohayon.
Also present in the luxury hotel industry (Grand Hôtel de Bordeaux, Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace Versailles) and wine, it has made a name for itself in recent years buying many retail brands, often at low prices or in court, including Galeries Lafayette in the region, La Grande Récré, Gap France or Café Légal.
And Camaïeu, which was liquidated at the end of September, eliminating 2,600 jobs.
According to Go Sport’s CSEC lawyer Evelyn Bledniak, who recalls that “each company has its particularities”, the committee “submitted an application to the commercial court for the appointment of a receiver” at the end of a “right of alert” procedure Released in October to get an update on Go Sport’s financial situation and cash flow”.
“Same shareholder, same effects?” Ask the elected representatives of the CSEC and the unions of the specialized distribution group. “In any case, the objective is to verify that Go Sport is not in a situation of cessation of payments in the short term, which is one of the conclusions of the report of the public accountant mandated by the CSEC.”
Go Sport, at a loss for years, had been bought for a token euro by HPB, from the parent company of the Casino food distribution group, the heavily indebted Rallye company.
Source: BFM TV
