The announcement of the placement in recovery of this French luxury nugget, on September 19, had the effect of an electric shock. The subsequent mobilization of consumers, combined with end-of-year holiday purchases, has in fact relaunched the activity of the Manufacture des Emaux de Longwy 1798, a subsidiary of the Emblem SME group based in Longwy (Meurthe- and-Moselle).
Martin Piétri, president of the company with 34 employees, believes that this boost in its sales of ceramics decorated using the cloisonné enamelling technique should make it possible to “end the year at 2.1 or 2.2 million euros in turnover, i.e. a level equivalent to the 2023 financial year, while at the start of the school year we were on a downward trend“. A 13% drop in activity was then envisaged.
The manager expects a lot from the contracts won with the Dior and Louis Vuitton houses or even new opportunities in interior design, like the 15 m² mural created for a Cartier boutique in Tokyo. His objective is to reach, by the end of 2025, the company's break-even point, which he places at 2.5 million euros in turnover. A result which would reward the ten years of commitment of the buyer of the Lorraine factory.
Towards a continuation plan
To make the company profitable, Martin Piétri intends to maximize the effects of legal recovery by asking the Briey court (Meurthe-et-Moselle) for the renewal of the six-month observation period, with the objective of initiating , ultimately, a ten-year continuation plan, “which would allow us to pay off our debt».
Manufacture des émaaux de Longwy 1798 has in fact accumulated significant social and tax liabilities, despite the re-engagement of shareholders, a loan guaranteed by the State and the support of Emblem's other activities – a group of 70 people (figure business of 6.5 million euros in 2024), which also includes the Taillardat and Craman-Lagarde houses, two luxury furniture manufacturers, as well as the Vernaz & girls, specializing in gold leaf gilding.
After reducing its payroll, recently choosing not to renew six positions following departures, the company with essentially manual know-how can only count on its commercial development to reach the threshold of profitability.
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