Shares in French skincare giant L'Occitane surged almost 13 percent in Hong Kong after its owner, Austrian billionaire Reinold Geiger, offered to take the company private. Geiger plans to buy back nearly 28 percent of the shares for $1.78 billion. The offer price of HK$34 per share represents a 15.25 percent premium to the closing price of HK$29.50 before trading was halted three weeks ago. L'Occitane International rejected a previous offer from Geiger's investment holding company in September. The company cited the need for further investment in marketing to invigorate the brand's shares in a competitive market, particularly in China. L'Occitane, founded in 1976 in Provence, France, listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2010. [d26bec68]