Chairman, Groupe Rocher (parent), Groupe Rocher (Yves Rocher brand)
Interview de Bris Rocher, Président Groupe Rocher, par Olivier Baccuzat AMRAE 2021
Transcript (11 segments)
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Host0:11
Good morning everyone and welcome to this second day of the Risk Management Meetings, held digitally this year due to the health crisis. We have nearly 3,500 registered participants, including both regulars and new faces attracted by the digital format and the heightened focus on crisis governance. Our first guest this morning is Bris Rocher, CEO of Groupe Rocher.
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Bris Rocher2:18
Good morning, good morning.
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Host2:22
Let me briefly introduce you. You are the CEO of Groupe Rocher, founded by your grandfather in 1959, now an international group with about ten brands including Yves Rocher, Petit Bateau, and others. You employ nearly 18,000 people and generate around €2.5 billion in revenue. In December 2019, Groupe Rocher became the first large French company to adopt the 'entreprise à mission' status under the PACTE law. In a few words, can you explain the mission of Groupe Rocher?
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Bris Rocher3:29
The mission of Groupe Rocher is rooted in our founder's DNA: to reconnect people to nature. My grandfather had health issues as a child and lost his father at 14. He found solace in the Breton forests, realizing nature's positive impact on well-being. That experience led him to create a business that combines economic performance with the common good. For example, in the 1970s he opposed land consolidation to protect biodiversity. Today, we live in a world increasingly distant from nature, yet we are products of it. Our mission is to reintegrate nature into our lives, which is why we inscribed this purpose in our statutes.
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Host7:23
We understand your mission. Becoming a mission-driven company also protects against risks, I imagine. What risks does your group face today—regulatory, market, human, beyond the pandemic?
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Bris Rocher8:04
We live in a complex world with growing exposure, especially digital. Becoming a mission company is a risk in itself because it is legally enforceable. But it's a measured risk if it meets consumer expectations. The reputational risk is even greater than the legal one—I saw that at Arthur Andersen during Enron. The real question is the benefit. A company exists only if it has employees. Our purpose gives them a reason to be there. We did an internal barometer: 90% feel pride, 86% attachment, 72% daily engagement. So the interest is to define a purpose and engage the whole organization.
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Host13:15
In your management report, you detail risk mapping for subcontractors and suppliers. Does the mission resonate with all stakeholders? Not 100%, but you have to apply it. What have you seen since becoming a mission company on October 24, 2019?
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Bris Rocher13:55
We didn't start on that date. We had already planted 100 million trees since 2006. Becoming a mission company formalized our situation and put us in the spotlight. It engages all stakeholders—employees, franchisees, independent consultants, suppliers, service providers—in something beyond economic performance. It motivates because we are in a meaningful fight.
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Host15:06
You are a distribution group. The last 11 months saw store closures in France and worldwide. How did you absorb that shock? Was it anticipated?
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Bris Rocher15:36
No, the pandemic was not anticipated. But the group has always tried to pivot. A mission company combines economic performance and the common good; economic performance is crucial. We developed resilience. For example, my grandfather started Yves Rocher as a mail-order brand. After May 1968 postal strikes, he opened stores. Retail became our main channel, but traffic has been declining 4-5% annually for five years, and traditional mail-order declined with the internet. So we developed a new channel: direct sales through independent consultants, which evolved into social selling. During the crisis, this channel took over from retail, allowing us to absorb the shock.
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Host18:55
Bris Rocher, time is short. We understood that this channel allowed you to absorb the shock. Thank you for your intervention from Morbihan, where your headquarters are in La Gacilly. I pass the relay to Nicolas Beytout for the first roundtable of this second day of the Risk Management Meetings. Nicolas, over to you.