Louis Vuitton Commits to French Supply Chain With New Factory
Employees handcraft bags inside the new Louis Vuitton luxury leather goods workshop in Beaulieu-sur-Layon, France.
Photographer: Balint Porneczi/Bloomberg
Surging demand for products such as Louis Vuitton handbags means the luxury sector is a bright spot for retail. In September, LV opened its 16th leather workshop in France, where it plans to add 1,500 jobs over the next three years.
Recent years have seen Louis Vuitton open factories from Tuscany to Texas. But the 165-year-old brand, whose sales surpassed €10 billion ($10.9 billion) in 2019, says it’s committed to keeping the majority of its production in France. “If we let the craftsmanship leave, even to places as close as Italy, I think it’s inevitable that the creativity in the sector will follow,” says Chief Executive Officer Michael Burke. To keep employees happy, the 60,000-square-meter (646,000-square-foot) facility in western France features natural lighting, minimal noise, and optimal energy use.