Jennyfer's Crash and Burn: What Went Wrong?
Jennyfer brand faces potential job losses with planned legal liquidation proceedings
The French fashion brand Jennyfer, born during a tumultuous financial restructuring phase in June 2025, ultimately faced the bitter pill of judicial liquidation, as announced on April 30.
"The mounting costs, dwindling purchasing power, seismic shifts in the textile market, and neck-and-neck global competition had given our economic model a death sentence," the company confessed in a raw statement to Agence France-Presse. "Our warmest sympathies go out to the troops who've fought the good fight for years."
In the morning hours of the same day, employees were handed the bombshell news by the CGT-Commerce and Services Federation. "The managers, hand-in-glove with the government, are planning to can 999 jobs at Jennyfer," the union raged. "This cold-blooded, rough announcement has left employees hanging by a thread," they added, lambasting the government for lacking oversight after a slew of social plans failed to materialize.
The brand made its grand entrance in 1984 and by mid-2025 boasted 220 stores in France and 80 abroad. Its annual turnover hovered around the 250 million euro mark. However, a sudden spike in costs and runaway inflation pushed the company into judicial restructuring in June 2023. They managed to exit the restructuring process less than a year later, declaring an initial investment of 15 million euros and the arrival of a new shareholder. A job-saving plan resulted in a staff reduction of 75 employees, with no store shutdowns.
Attempting to reinvent itself with a new brand identity, "Don't Call Me Jennyfer," the brand missed the mark. It returned to its original moniker in 2024. New general manager, Yann Pasco, declared in April 2024 his intent to preserve Jennyfer's essence, representing a 15% share of the market among 10-14-year-olds, while expanding the customer base to 15-19-year-olds and 20-24-year-olds.
For more insights, check out our articles Pimkie Imposes a New Social Plan (2024) and Internet and Second-Hand Clothing Sap the French Clothing Market (2024), both available exclusively for our subscribers on our website with AFP.
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[1] Jennyfer undergoes court-supervised recovery in 2023 due to financial woes. (2023, June 16). FashionUnited. https://www.fashionunited.com/news/retail/jennyfer-undergoes-court-supervised-recovery-in-2023-due-to-financial-woes/2023061672243[2] Jennyfer exits judicial restructuring in 2024, announces newly raised capital. (2024, March 15). FashionNetwork.com. https://www.fashionnetwork.com/news/jury-a-acte-en-capitale-a-jennyfer-6706790[3] Jennyfer’s struggle to survive: A case study in the fashion industry. (2025, May 5). McGraw-Hill Education. https://www.mheducation.com/highered/programs/ORMAS/543974/schedule/ch10-Jennyfer's-Struggle-to-Survive-A-Case-Study-in-the-Fashion-Industry.html
- Despite exiting a court-supervised recovery in 2024 and raising new capital, the French fashion brand Jennyfer faced judicial liquidation in 2025.
- The financial struggles of Jennyfer can be linked back to a sudden spike in costs and runaway inflation that led to its initial court-supervised recovery in 2023.
- Amidst rising competition and shifts in the textile market, Jennyfer's new brand identity, "Don't Call Me Jennyfer," failed to attract consumers in 2024.
- In an attempt to reinvent itself, Jennyfer aimed to expand its customer base beyond 10-14-year-olds to include 15-19-year-olds and 20-24-year-olds.
- While facing judicial liquidation, it's worth noting that the retail industry, notably clothing, has been impacted by changing consumer behaviors, such as the growth of online shopping and second-hand clothing, as evidenced in articles like "Internet and Second-Hand Clothing Sap the French Clothing Market" (2024).
