RE: H1 Results4 Nov 2025 19:00
It is widely perceived that Boohoo's actions and influence have contributed to the destruction of shareholder value at Revolution Beauty (REVB), which was already in a precarious position due to pre-existing accounting issues.
Here is a breakdown of the situation:
Pre-existing Issues at REVB: Revolution Beauty floated in 2021 with a valuation of nearly £500m. However, in mid-2022, accounting issues were flagged, leading to a profit warning, an audit probe, and the suspension of its shares from trading in September 2022. The share price plummeted dramatically from its IPO price of 170p to just a few pence.
Boohoo's Entry and Boardroom Battle: Boohoo began building a stake during this period of distress, eventually becoming the largest shareholder with over 26%. In June 2023, Boohoo initiated a hostile takeover attempt of the board, seeking to remove the CEO (Bob Holt), CFO, and Chair, and replace them with its own nominees.
Accusations of Value Destruction: The existing Revolution Beauty board vehemently opposed Boohoo's moves, publicly calling them "value-destructive, opportunistic and self-serving". They argued that Boohoo's actions were destabilizing the business at a crucial recovery stage and delaying the restoration of share trading.
Share Price Performance: Following the boardroom conflict and subsequent management changes effectively forced by Boohoo, Revolution Beauty's financial performance remained challenging, with further revenue declines reported in 2025. The share price has remained extremely low (trading around 2-3p as of late 2025, having hit a high of 26p within the last year).
Market Sentiment: Shareholder chat forums and news articles reflect a general sentiment that the prolonged conflict and subsequent management decisions have been detrimental to the company's value, with some shareholders blaming the new Boohoo-backed management for the continued poor performance.
In summary, while Revolution Beauty had significant problems before Boohoo's involvement, Boohoo's actions as a major shareholder have been widely criticized by former management and other market commentators as being self-serving and exacerbating, rather than solving, the problems, ultimately contributing to the continued low share value