Hermès to open another leather goods workshop in France

Hermès is launching new projects on multiple fronts. On Wednesday, the French luxury group announced it will open a leather goods factory in the Auvergne region of France “by 2023,” creating 250 new jobs.

The news came a few weeks after Hermès presented a project for the opening of the label's twentieth leather goods factory in France, in Normandy. The twenty first is set to open in the Ardennes region.

Hermès stated in a press release that the new facility in the central region of Auvergne “will open in the urban agglomeration area of Riom Limagne and Volcans,” located north of the city of Clermont-Ferrand. The future site “is still being evaluated, among several located in the agglomeration’s territory, and will provide an economic boost to the area,” said Hermès, reaffirming “its strong connection to the Auvergne region, where it relies on several local partnerships.” Hermès already operates a facility in the region, in Sayat, and the new factory will grow the total number of Hermès jobs in Auvergne to 500.

While the new factory won’t be operational before three years, the luxury group is already busy on the project. A first cohort of artisans will begin their training in November 2020 at a temporary atelier set up in Riom, said Hermès.

In the next three years, thanks to the three planned factories, the group should be able to create 750 new jobs in France, all of them in developing regions where new jobs are relatively scarce.

Hermès is therefore broadcasting an optimistic message on the employment front, positive news for the medium-term outlook of one of the world’s leading luxury groups. Hermès continues to invest in production facilities, strengthening at the same time its role of safe haven in the current economic storm, as a champion of know-how and manufacturing skills for high-quality items.

It is a significant signal that Hermès is sending its customers, as well as investors and competitors. The latest quarterly results published by the French luxury group led by Axel Dumas showed a 41% decline in sales, down to €982 million, a consequence of the temporary closure of a large number of Hermès stores and production sites, owing to the measures taken to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

With AFP