On Saturday, June 1, a strike affected 23 Naf Naf women’s ready-to-wear stores out of a total of 111 across the country. Among the closed stores were the Parisian boutique on rue de Rivoli, as well as stores in Caen, Thionville, Grenoble, and Cannes. The strike was initiated by the South union, a minority within the company, ahead of a hearing scheduled for Tuesday at the Bobigny commercial court to examine takeover offers for the chain, which has been in receivership since last September.
Of the three takeover offers, one from a Turkish textile industrialist, Migiboy Tekstil, offers a significant recovery plan that would retain 99 stores out of 111 and 505 employees out of 579. The South union claims that the strike movement originated from the employees who do not believe in the proposed recovery plan and do not want to be taken back. The CFDT union, in the majority, did not call for the strike but respects the choice of each employee.
One of the striking saleswomen expressed weariness with the recurring difficulties faced by Naf Naf, including previous social plans and the current restructuring. The brand, under the ownership of businessman Selçuk Yilmaz since 2020, has faced closures and layoffs. The potential buyer, Migiboy Tekstil, operates spinning, fabric, and clothing manufacturing factories and sees an opportunity in Naf Naf boutiques for its production. The strike is seen as coming at the worst time for Naf Naf, as the company seeks a path forward amidst financial challenges.