Delvaux ready to cut 26 out of 155 jobs in Belgium
According to a recent statement provided to Belgian newspaper La Libre, Brussels-based luxury leathergoods house Delvaux is poised to restructure its operations in the country, where it has been based since 1829, owing to “economic difficulties mainly linked to the covid-19 pandemic”.
Jobs potentially at risk include those linked to logistics.
While many Delvaux pieces are today manufactured in France (on the Avoudrey and Bourg-Argental sites), quality control of both raw materials and finished goods is still ultimately carried out at the brand’s headquarters in the Belgian capital.
A single item, then, may have journeyed between France and Belgium twice prior to distribution, limiting the company’s agility and complicating costs, hence the plan to undertake all quality control and distribution activities in France going forward.
Creative, management and administrative functions will remain in Brussels, along with the crafting of bespoke, “exotic” and “exceptional” leather pieces.
A spokesperson for Delvaux estimated that the brand’s turnover for activities in Belgium, specifically, was down by “around 40%” year on year in 2020. The house currently has 624 employees around the world, of which 155 are located in Belgium and 125 of these are based at its Brussels headquarters.
If Delvaux goes ahead with its proposed reorganisation, around 26 Belgium-based jobs will be lost to France.
Image: Delvaux.
