SOURCING & SUPPLY CHAIN
WF
10
Luxury shoe
brand takes
more control
of its
traditions
High-end men’s shoe brand J.M. Weston takes great pride in its 120-year-old
traditions. When one of the tanneries that supplies it with premium leather got
into severe financial difficulty, the footwear firm stepped in to take over. It
wants to keep at least some supply on home soil, in France.
A
court in Le Puy-en-Velay in central France has
decided which of two rival bids will take over the
running of local leather company Les Tanneries
du Puy. The company went into administration in April
2010, but the courts allowed the management team
time to find new owners, with leather production
continuing at the site, highly regarded by many high-
end footwear manufacturers and brands, throughout
the upheaval.
There were two realistic proposals on the table. One
came from Jean-Michel Soquet, an entrepreneur who
recently sold a spa and beauty treatment resort in the
hills near Le Puy. The other was from Denis Lemercier
representing a holding company called Groupe EPI,
which owns luxury footwear brand J.M. Weston, a long-
standing and important customer of Les Tanneries du
Puy. At a hearing on July 8, the commercial court in Le
Puy decided that the second of these two bidders
should take up the reins of the tannery. Intriguing
though it was that an entrepreneur such as Mr Soquet
should seek his next fortune in the ancient art of
making leather, it seems to make much more sense for
the fate of the tannery in the beautiful town in the
Auvergne region now to be in the hands of a company
that knows, loves, lives and breathes leather, and has
done for generations.
Les Tanneries du Puy is located in the attractive, historic town
of Le Puy-en-Velay in Auvergne, France.
CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK