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Placed in receivership on March 29, the fate of Clergerie, one of France’s last remaining shoe manufacturers, is hanging in the balance. A court decision on June 14 is eagerly awaited by the company’s employees and its historic founder, Robert Clergerie. His son, Damien, is calling on the major players in the luxury goods industry to take an interest in the case.
Last March, Clergerie was placed in receivership by the Paris Commercial Court. The shoe manufacturer, based in Romans-sur-Isère in the Drôme region of France, had been suffering from poor cash flow and high losses since 2020. In the end, the company was unable to find “solutions in bonis” during the “conciliation procedure opened” between its shareholders and creditors.
“It’s my life’s work, it was my business”, said Robert Clergerie. The founder of the brand bearing his name – created in 1981 and sold in 2011 – was indeed “moved and touched” by the decision to place the company in receivership.
“The Clergerie brand will of course be sold”, says the 89-year-old shoemaker, because “it still has value, it’s a beautiful trophy that will be butchered, and that’s what I’d like to avoid.”
Possible buyers
On June 14, the Paris Commercial Court will be examining potential buyers. To date, no candidate has made a public statement. However, five partial bids were submitted to the clerk’s office between the end of April and the end of May, which AFP was able to consult. Some of these have since been withdrawn, creating uncertainty as to whether the remaining bids will go ahead.
Damien Clergerie, the founder’s son, launched an appeal on the LinkedIn network, inviting major luxury groups such as LVMH, Chanel, Kering and Hermès to turn their attention to the shoe brand. He also sought the support of the French Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire. The appeal attracted the interest of over 6,000 people, including many business leaders. Some of them proposed transferring the company to employees, using the model of a cooperative and participative company (SCOP).
160 worried employees
Clergerie still employs some 160 people. Around forty work in the stores, while almost 90 employees work at the factory in Romans-sur-Isère (Drôme).
“There may be a vague, very faint hope” that employees will return to work, Robert Clergerie told AFP. “There are the workers, the staff, there are quality people who have the knack… They know very well that I can’t do much, even if I’m interested in getting the business going again”, sums up the brand’s founder.
“We’re scared, because we know that not all the staff will be taken on”, says Valérie Treffé-Chavant of the CFE-CGC union.
“We should have thought of this from the start (of the receivership)”, laments Sandrine Martorana, an FO trade unionist who has worked for Clergerie for 24 years. Now, “it’s a bit short” to turn around, she laments. According to the unionist, “people are attached to the factory, it’s a family business”, with employees hard hit by the turnaround, especially as some have been working together for nearly 40 years. “There’s a real know-how here, and it’s such a shame it’s being lost.”
Clergerie remains one of the most emblematic names in the French shoe industry, and in its home town of Romans-sur-Isère. During its heyday, the brand exported its shoes as far as Hollywood, and its historic boutique in the heart of Paris, rue du Cherche-Midi, sold up to 11,000 pairs a year. In 2020, already in difficulty, the company was sold to the French Legacy Group.
Read also >Clergerie: the reasons for its receivership
Featured photo : © Clergerie[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row njt-role=”not-logged-in”][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Placed in receivership on March 29, the fate of Clergerie, one of France’s last remaining shoe manufacturers, is hanging in the balance. A court decision on June 14 is eagerly awaited by the company’s employees and its historic founder, Robert Clergerie. His son, Damien, is calling on the major players in the luxury goods industry to take an interest in the case.
Last March, Clergerie was placed in receivership by the Paris Commercial Court. The shoe manufacturer, based in Romans-sur-Isère in the Drôme region of France, had been suffering from poor cash flow and high losses since 2020. In the end, the company was unable to find “solutions in bonis” during the “conciliation procedure opened” between its shareholders and creditors.
“It’s my life’s work, it was my business”, said Robert Clergerie. The founder of the brand bearing his name – created in 1981 and sold in 2011 – was indeed “moved and touched” by the decision to place the company in receivership.
“The Clergerie brand will of course be sold”, says the 89-year-old shoemaker, because “it still has value, it’s a beautiful trophy that will be butchered, and that’s what I’d like to avoid.”
Possible buyers
On June 14, the Paris Commercial Court will be examining potential buyers. To date, no candidate has made a public statement. However, five partial bids were submitted to the clerk’s office between the end of April and the end of May, which AFP was able to consult. Some of these have since been withdrawn, creating uncertainty as to whether the remaining bids will go ahead.
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Placed in receivership on March 29, the fate of Clergerie, one of France’s last remaining shoe manufacturers, is hanging in the balance. A court decision on June 14 is eagerly awaited by the company’s employees and its historic founder, Robert Clergerie. His son, Damien, is calling on the major players in the luxury goods industry to take an interest in the case.
Last March, Clergerie was placed in receivership by the Paris Commercial Court. The shoe manufacturer, based in Romans-sur-Isère in the Drôme region of France, had been suffering from poor cash flow and high losses since 2020. In the end, the company was unable to find “solutions in bonis” during the “conciliation procedure opened” between its shareholders and creditors.
“It’s my life’s work, it was my business”, said Robert Clergerie. The founder of the brand bearing his name – created in 1981 and sold in 2011 – was indeed “moved and touched” by the decision to place the company in receivership.
“The Clergerie brand will of course be sold”, says the 89-year-old shoemaker, because “it still has value, it’s a beautiful trophy that will be butchered, and that’s what I’d like to avoid.”
Possible buyers
On June 14, the Paris Commercial Court will be examining potential buyers. To date, no candidate has made a public statement. However, five partial bids were submitted to the clerk’s office between the end of April and the end of May, which AFP was able to consult. Some of these have since been withdrawn, creating uncertainty as to whether the remaining bids will go ahead.
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[/vc_cta][vc_column_text]Featured photo : © Clergerie[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
