By
AFP
Translated by
Nazia BIBI KEENOO
Published
April 24, 2025
On April 22, French luxury house Hermès unveiled plans to develop a new leather goods workshop in Colombelles, in the Normandy region of northern France. According to the company, the project will “create 260 artisan jobs in the long term” and will help sustain the growing success of Hermès’ iconic leather goods and saddlery collections.
Hermès, renowned worldwide for its Birkin and Kelly bags, continues to report record-breaking financial results. In the first quarter of 2025, the company recorded an 8.5% increase in sales, reaching €4.1 billion, despite a broader slowdown in the global luxury market. According to the official statement, the new Colombelles facility will become Hermès’ 27th leather goods workshop and is slated to open by 2028.
The project adds to three additional workshops already under development in L’Isle-d’Espagnac (Charente), Loupes (Gironde), and Charleville-Mézières (Ardennes).
Hermès stated that it is preparing the Colombelles site “with the support of the Caen la Mer urban community, Normandie Aménagement, and the Colombelles Town Hall.”
To recruit and train artisans for the new facility, Hermès will rely on its in-house training school, the École Hermès des savoir-faire, alongside workforce support from France Travail and various local employment partners.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability, choosing to build the new facility on a brownfield site that once housed the Société métallurgique de Normandie (SMN), a historic steelmaking complex active from 1917 to 1993.
Since 2010, Hermès has opened 13 leather goods workshops throughout France. The company reaffirmed that all its leather production facilities are still based entirely within the country.
In 2024, Hermès reported another record-breaking year, with net profit rising 6.8% to €4.6 billion and total annual sales surpassing €15 billion, marking a 13% increase. Sales of leather goods and saddlery—its core business—grew by 16.4% to €6.46 billion.
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