Bilanea

Court-supervised takeover

Take over a company: Retail and wholesale

Every insolvency proceeding opened in this sector over the last twelve months, read from a buyer's point of view: how many files still accept offers, which regions and courts concentrate the openings, and which companies to study first.

Openings since 31 Jul 2026

3,213

Safeguards, receiverships and liquidations

Takeover windows open

3,097

Offers still accepted, no ruling yet

Companies with 10+ employees

177

Out of 1,655 known headcounts

Share of national openings

23 %

Over the last 90 days

What the figures say

Between 31 Jul 2026 and 23 Oct 2026, the French official gazette of civil and commercial notices (BODACC) published 3,213 opening judgments in this sector: 2,418 judicial liquidations, 758 receiverships and 37 safeguard proceedings.

This sector accounts for 23% of the opening judgments published in France over the last 90 days, among companies whose activity is known.

3,097 of these proceedings are still in the period during which a buyer can submit an offer to the court-appointed administrator or liquidator, with no ruling on their fate so far. This is the pool you can actually act on.

Among the 1,655 companies whose headcount is known in the national register, 177 employ at least ten people: these are the files where the court looks hardest for a buyer to save jobs.

Rulings already handed down on these files: 0 sale plans, 0 continuation plans, 60 conversions into liquidation and 54 closures.

Over the same period, 673 business sales were published with a stated price, at a median price of €108,000. This benchmark sets the price of a healthy business against a court-supervised takeover.

Most affected regions

Opening judgments published in the BODACC since 31 Jul 2026
RegionOpenings
Île-de-France626​
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes476​
Nouvelle-Aquitaine336​
Occitanie312​
Hauts-de-France275​
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur272​

Busiest courts

Opening judgments published in the BODACC since 31 Jul 2026
CourtOpenings
Tribunal des Activités Economiques de Paris155​
Tribunal de Commerce de Bobigny120​
Tribunal des Activités Economiques de Lyon111​
Tribunal de Commerce de Bordeaux89​
Tribunal de Commerce de Lille Métropole72​

Opportunities to study first

No proceeding meets all of our priority criteria today. The latest openings below remain available.

Latest proceedings opened

The most recent opening judgments, with their takeover interest score.

What to watch for in a takeover in this sector

In retail, the location and the commercial lease make up most of the value; stock is valued separately and often below cost. A franchise or selective distribution agreement does not follow without the network's consent. For an online shop, check who owns the domain name, the accounts and the customer files, whose transfer must comply with the GDPR.

How a court-supervised takeover works

In receivership as in judicial liquidation, the court can order the sale of all or part of the business. The administrator or liquidator sets a deadline for offers and informs the candidates; after that date an offer can only be changed in a way that better serves the aims of the sale. In safeguard proceedings, a sale only covers part of the business, as part of the plan.

The offer is made in writing and states, among other things, the scope taken over, the price and how it is paid, the business and financing forecasts, the level and outlook of employment and the guarantees given (article L. 642-2 of the French Commercial Code). The court picks the offer that best secures lasting jobs, the payment of creditors and the strongest guarantees of performance, not necessarily the highest price.

The company's managers and their relatives cannot, as a rule, bid. Contracts needed for the business (lease, equipment leasing, supplies) can be transferred with it by court order. Deadlines are short: spot files early, ask the court officer for the documents and arrange financing in parallel.

Companies to take over by sector

Our method for scoring and selecting opportunitiesThe national observatory of business failures

Sources: French official gazette of civil and commercial notices (DILA), national business register (INSEE Sirene), Bilanea observatory. Updated daily; latest notice included published on 23 Oct 2026.

These figures describe the published judgments; they say nothing about a company's situation or the outcome of the proceeding. Only the court officer provides the file.