Southern French cosmetics group L'Occitane, based at Manosque in Provence, is to apply for a listing on the Hong Kong stock exchange to raise around $300m of new capital. The Asian market has been selected because this is where the most marked sales growth is being achieved. The company is not making any formal comment.
The company was set up in 1976 by Olivier Bausson with the first boutique being opened in 1980 in Voix, a small town in Haute-Provence. L'Occitane produces a range of body care products and perfumes. The US is the company's main market, followed by Japan and France. Sales last year reached €416m.