“We don’t have enough skilled labour to answer the current demand”. The lack of skilled workers limits
Paraboot’s growth. The company, which was founded in 1908, “has the machinery, but not enough hands
to operate them”, stated Pierre Colin, Marketing and Communication director, interview during Pitti Uomo.
Paraboot currently employs 200 people in Saint-Jean-de-Moirans (Isère), near Grenoble: 140 inside the
plant (40 of which in offices), and 60 individuals through Capuce, the entity that operates the brand’s
physical stores. “We are 110 years old, but we have remained small, with a revenue of 19 million euro”.
Lack of labor skills
“We are currently looking for 10-15 employees to train internally in our production processes. Yet, it’s not
easy to find personnel to grow within the company – explains Mr. Colin -. It’s not a matter of salary, but of
how the work is viewed. There is little interest for manufacturing activities”.
Internal training
Another critical matter is training and schooling. “There are only 3 schools for footwear manufacturing in
France, but they are focused on styling, rather than the skills we require. From assembling the shoe to
stitching, a characteristic element for our models. It’s not easy to create an internal school. Hermès and
Louis Vuitton have the same issue in France, but they have the resources to create their own internal
training.
Post-pandemic
Yet, Paraboot’s performance would be outstanding, even with the pandemic raging. “We had a slowdown
during the lockdown periods, when stores were closed, but we bounced back between 2020 and 2021. We
didn’t record any losses. 2022 could be our best year yet”.
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