A key player in the leather and leather goods sector, CTC has been helping French companies to achieve excellence and international competitiveness since 1899. Created from the merger of several structures, this professional committee plays a major role in France’s luxury goods industry, combining expertise, innovation and training.
French leather goods, world-renowned for their quality and know-how, have become a key sector of the luxury goods industry. At the forefront of creation in leather goods, France is developing exceptional skills, supported by support structures such as CTC. This Comité professionnel de développement économique cuir chaussure maroquinerie ganterie stands out as a unique center of expertise for players in the sector.
Luxury leather goods in France have established themselves as a real economic driving force. According to the latest market data released by Alliance France Cuir in its annual report, exports of leather products are set to grow by almost 5% between 2022 and 2023, driven by global demand for high-end, eco-friendly products. In the hides and skins sector, sales in 2023 reached 293 million euros, with 76 companies employing a total of 540 people. The tanners and fitters sector generated sales of 446.2 million euros. It includes some sixty companies employing nearly 1,750 people.
Handbags account for 71% of French leather goods exports. Of the 13.3 million handbags produced in France, all materials combined, 8 million leather handbags were exported.
French companies, at the cutting edge of excellence, distinguish themselves by combining traditional craftsmanship with technological innovation. Today, this differentiation is based as much on product creativity as on a sustainable approach to sourcing and production.
A key player in the leather goods industry
Formed in 2008 by the merger of a Comité Professionnel de Développement Économique (CPDE), a Centre Technique Industriel (CTI) and the Bureau de Style de la filière cuir, CTC is positioned as the essential support for the development of French companies in the industry. By 2023, CTC’s cumulative group sales will reach 24 million euros, including 12 million euros in France, marking an 11% increase over 2022.
The Group’s mission is to promote technical progress, boost the competitiveness of French companies, and support the preservation of jobs in this strategic sector. Its hybrid model is based on a dual approach: on the one hand, CTC carries out a general-interest mission, financed by the Taxe Fiscale Affectée, reserved for its 890 member companies, to promote technological and economic advances in the sector. Secondly, it offers private services to companies in the luxury goods, fashion and distribution markets, both in France and abroad. These include a full range of quality control services (auditing, inspections, physical testing, chemical analysis and CE marking certification), consulting and training.
“CTC’s hybrid model offers a very broad range of services to companies. It guarantees agility in meeting their needs. What’s more, our international presence, particularly in Asia and Italy, enables us to secure and globalize the services we offer our customers” , explains Françoise Nicolas, CTC’s Managing Director.
Far from limiting itself to one-off interventions, CTC offers comprehensive support covering all stages of the value chain: design, manufacturing, sourcing and distribution of leather goods.
Strategic actions for a more efficient leather goods industry
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