Avon Rises on Report Brazil’s Natura Has Shown Takeover Interest

Avon Products Inc. gained after a report that it’s in early talks with rival Natura & Co. about a potential sale that could put the cosmetics maker and pioneer of direct-sales into Brazilian hands.

Brazil’s Natura, which bought the Body Shop retail chain in 2017, is considering buying both Avon’s private-equity owned North American business and the London-based publicly traded company, the Wall Street Journal said March 22, citing an unidentified person familiar with the matter.

Natura’s press department didn’t immediately reply to a request seeking comment. “We don’t comment on speculation but we believe in the turnaround strategy that ...