English-speaking accountant for Grasse
SAREPTA works in English and French with perfume and fragrance businesses, craftspeople, self-employed professionals and family firms in Grasse. Our Valbonne office is about 20 minutes away by car.
SAREPTA is a firm of expert-comptable (French chartered accountant) registered with the Ordre des Experts-Comptables, with an office in Valbonne, about 20 minutes from Grasse. For English-speaking clients in Grasse it handles bookkeeping, stock and annual accounts, VAT on exports, payroll and company formation. The first 30-minute meeting is free, by video call or at the office.
Grasse and the perfume industry
Grasse has been a centre of perfumery since the sixteenth century. In 2018 UNESCO added the perfume skills of the Pays de Grasse to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Around the historic houses (Fragonard, Galimard, Molinard) there is a full supply chain: growers of perfume plants, producers of essential oils, subcontractors to the international fragrance groups, independent formulators and soap makers. The town also has a craft sector, ordinary small businesses and a growing visitor economy.
Accounting questions specific to Grasse
A business that makes or trades fragrance materials does not have the same accounts as a consultancy. The points below come up regularly.
- Valuing stocks of costly raw materials such as essential oils and absolutes, and the effect of the method on profit
- Depreciation of production equipment
- Sales to customers in other EU countries and exports outside the EU: VAT and declarations
- Research tax credit for formulation and extraction research
- Handing over or selling a family business, in coordination with the notaire (French notary)
How we work with you
Accounts are kept in French, as the law requires, and we go through them with you in English. This is useful when the owner, a buyer or a business partner does not read French.
You have one advisor, a client portal for documents and a reply within 24 business hours. Meetings are held on Microsoft Teams or at the Valbonne office.
Valbonne - Sophia Antipolis office
230 Route des Dolines06560 Valbonne, France
Grasse is about 14 km from our Valbonne office, 230 Route des Dolines, around 20 minutes by car outside peak traffic. There is parking on site and meetings are by appointment.
Opening hours
Monday - Friday, 08:00 - 17:00. Meetings by video call or in person, by appointment.
Your questions about
an accountant in Grasse
Do you work with perfume and fragrance companies in Grasse?
Yes. Our services are open to producers, subcontractors and independent businesses in the fragrance sector. The accounting points that matter most are raw material stocks, production equipment, research spending and sales abroad. We explain the French accounts and tax position in English where needed.
We sell to customers outside France. How does VAT work?
Sales of goods to businesses in other EU countries and exports outside the EU can be invoiced without French VAT, provided the conditions are met and the supporting documents are kept. Sales within the EU also have to be reported in specific declarations. We set up the invoicing rules with you and prepare the returns.
I am taking over a family business in Grasse. Where do I start?
Start with the last three years of accounts and a valuation of the business. The transfer can take several forms, such as a sale or a gift of shares, and each has different tax consequences. We prepare the figures and the forecast, and work with your notaire or lawyer, who draws up the deeds.
Solutions by profile
Let's talk about your situation
A free, no-commitment 30-minute conversation - by video call or at our Antibes or Valbonne office - to see how SAREPTA can help.