Avon Products rejects Coty's $10B offer

Coty came calling, but Avon slammed the door.

Struggling direct cosmetics seller Avon Products Inc. Monday rejected a $10-billion buyout offer from Coty Inc., a smaller beauty products maker looking to capitalize on Avon's business woes.

It is the largest takeover offer by far from Manhattan-based Coty Inc., which has snapped up smaller beauty brands like OPI nail polish and Philosophy Inc. skin care, in the past two years.

The $23.25-per-share bid also underscores the weakness at Avon, which has been beset by a foreign bribery investigation, weakening sales and a leadership vacuum.

The deal, should it go through, would be the biggest acquisition in the U.S. so far this year, according to research firm Dealogic. And it would be the largest in the retail sector globally since 2007.

Coty is controlled by German holding company Joh. A. Benckiser GmbH, which also operates consumer products company Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc.

Coty has about $4 billion in annual revenue. It has said it wants to increase its revenue to $7 billion by 2015. Adding Avon's $11 billion a year in revenue would far surpass that goal. The deal also would strengthen Coty's hand in emerging markets.

Coty is mainly known in the U.S. for its fragrances sold under the names of celebrities including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Celine Dion. Its top-selling fragrance brand is Calvin Klein.

Coty went public with the Avon bid Monday to put pressure on Avon to negotiate. The offer, which isn't binding, is a 20 percent premium to Avon's Friday closing price of $19.36. Coty also said it won't pursue a hostile takeover.

Avon's stock rose $3.34, or 17.25 percent, to close at $22.70 Monday. Still, the stock is down sharply from its 52-week high of $31.60 last May and less than half of its all-time high of $46.11 in 2004.

Avon said the bid undervalues the company.

Avon was founded in 1886 and made its name selling products door to door.