RTL talks about Berthe!
Perrin is banking on Made in France and creativity to develop and prosper while more and more French people are keeping their holey socks and favoring foreign brands.
We put on socks Made in France : Perrin socks . Made in Montceau-les-Mines in Burgundy. You can't miss the factory since it's in the city center. Perrin is a family business that is now in the hands of a young duo of entrepreneurs .
"My wife is the fourth generation of the Perrins ," explains president Franck Couturier. But her child went diving in tropical seas, so there was this young son of very close friends. Damien Schneider , now 32, a former automotive engineer. He was looking for a project without really knowing. "We discussed it over a crepe with Martine and Franck."
"Damien is a bit like our spiritual son ," Franck Couturier insists. And there you have it, the handover will take place in July. But Perrin socks and tights have been around since 1924 , when Francis Perrin bought the small hosiery shop in Montceau-les-Mines.
The French sock becomes rare
In the 60s, there were 500 companies in France: that's over now. Of the 450 million pairs of socks we buy each year, 95% come from abroad . And then the French spend little: only 7 pairs per year compared to 15 to 17 pairs for the Japanese for example.
"In France, many socks have holes ," sighs Franck Couturier. The Perrin sock can cost 20 euros a pair, but it lasts because, as the boss points out, "the quality remains, the price is forgotten." The wool comes from Australia and New Zealand, the silk from China, and the mohair from a group of 120 goatherds in the South-West.
A winning strategy
"Made in France has carried us," explains Franck Couturier. Today, Perrin is growing and this company of 90 people, plus around twenty in the boutiques, is hiring to run its 85 machines and produce a million pairs per year.
The mending is still done by hand , a tutor trains new arrivals for two years. Mending women, or menders, prototypers, hosiery workers. Five people are currently in training, five other positions will be created.
Four sock brands are developed: Perrin 1924 , for comfort products, Berthe aux Grands Pieds , for the creative side, Dagobert à l'envers , reversible socks and La Chaussette Française with its custom sizes.
Ten boutiques under its own name : La Manufacture, a network of 1,200 independent retailers, a website and 7% of its turnover from exports. "We want to do better with this luxury product that is always accessible to all", dream Franck Couturier and his successor Damien Schneider. And this heritage company is lucky enough to be able to visit Montceau-les-Mines.
The RTL report: http://www.rtl.fr/actu/conso/avec-les-chaussettes-perrin-la-qualite-reste-le-prix-s-oublie-7793850604
