Les Ateliers de Fitilieu, which has a training school for professions in saddlery-leather goods, cutting and leather mechanics, will ultimately employ around one hundred craftsmen and women. The activity of the Ateliers de Fitilieu complements that of the Maroquinerie de Belley(Ain), the Maroquinerie Iséroise (Isère), and the Manufacture de Haute Maroquinerie (Savoie).

More than fifty craftsmen undertake initial or further training at the Ateliers before completing their apprenticeships in the site's production workshop. At the end of their training, the qualified artisans will move to one of the three sites in the Savoie-Dauphiné hub.

As part of its commitment to building long-term relationships with its local partners, Hermès is pursuing a recruitment strategy in close collaboration with employment services in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the education department via the GRETA adult education centres, and the Pôle Emploi governmental employment agency. As Hermès’ general training policy also supports the integration and retention of disabled people in employment, Fitilieu's artisan trainers have developed specific skills to adapt learning and production to people with different disabilities.

Axel Dumas, CEO of Hermès, commented: “This new leather goods workshop is a testament to our commitment to the region. Hermès objects are above all the fruit of the skills of the women and men who apply their know-how at Hermès. In Fitilieu they are craftsmen, elsewhere they are sales associates, engineers or creators. All of them contribute to the success of our house with their talents”.

Hermès is also pursuing its plans to establish the Maroquinerie de Guyenne (Gironde) and the Maroquinerie de Montereau (Seine-et-Marne) leather workshops, and will lay the foundation stones of these future sites in June and September 2019 respectively. Each of these establishments will ultimately employ more than 250 artisans. With its new sites, Hermès reaffirms its regional anchoring and the success of its sustainable model of artisanal growth.