Denis Charlet / AFP
Pimki will still close dozens of stores, with around 500 job losses (photo of the Pimki brand in Villeneuve d’Asc)
Textiles – Things are not getting better for Pimki, far from it. The management of ready-to-wear brand Pimki announced this Thursday, January 18, that it will close 97 stores out of a total of 300 by the end of the year as part of a new economic plan. Parisian.
The announcement was made during an Extraordinary Social and Economic Committee (CSE) meeting. 23 of them have already gone out of business.
The closures eliminate 496 jobs out of the 1,375 employees the brand had at the end of 2023, while 82 layoffs have already been announced.
The exact list of stores that will close their doors has not been disclosed, but “ We know that in Bordeaux, where there were five shops, there will be nothing left, the same in Lille”Explained Parisian Marie-Anne Mercure, CFDT union representative and saleswoman for 37 years in Brest. He deplores the very short period of time before closure and the impossibility of “turning back” for laid-off employees.
On Pimki’s side, the management justifies its decision “Economic Context, Sales and Inflation Decline in Places of Attendance”who has “Significantly impact sales and financial results”.
Ready-to-wear sector amid crisis
This is taking place as part of a restructuring plan initiated by the brand’s new managers, a consortium of buyers bringing together Lee Cooper France, Ammonis and Ebisler Textile.
And this is not the only phase of the strategy, as the management has also announced that it wants to “Diversify its activity by connecting 14 other stores in its network with the Miniso brand”A chain of Chinese accessories is coming to France in 2021.
The ready-to-wear sector in France has been rocked by violent crises for several months. Camaïeu, Go-Sport, Kookaï, Burton of London, Gap France, André, San Marina, Kaporal, Don’t Call Me Jennyfer, Du Pareil au Meilleur and Sergent Major… these brands known to French consumers suffer from this. An explosive cocktail: epidemics, inflation, rising costs of energy, raw materials, rents and wages, and second-hand competition.
It was fatal for some brands, which were liquidated, such as Camaiu in September 2022, whose layoffs of 2,100 employees had a strong impact. Others are in receivership, such as Kukai or Burton of London.
Without reaching this point, still others are downsizing, cutting staff and closing stores, such as Princes Tam Tam or Comptoire des Cottonières (fast retailing group).
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