An Italian luxury leather goods firm has announced the investment of a new factory in the greater Florence metropolitan area with a close to 15 million euro investment. Tod’s Group, led by brothers Diego and Andrea della Valle, plans on opening a 4,500-square-meter manufacturing plant on 10,000 square meters of land in the municipality of Pontassieve.
The local district just outside of Florence is home to numerous manufacturing plants where more designer brand handbags are made than anywhere else in Europe, and production will increase with the new facilities. Handbags made by Fendi, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Celine, Givenchy, Gucci, and now Tod’s, have made the district what it is today thanks to its upscale products that are in high demand.
Tod’s new factory will strive to decrease negative environmental impacts by using green alternatives to operate. These include solar panels, rainwater collection systems, and energy-saving technologies. The new Tod’s industrial building will have the same architectural design as its headquarters in Brancadoro in the Marche.
The project has been shelved two times since its announcement – the first in 2009 and the second in 2014 – and finally made its third debut in the spring of 2021 when the leather market was no longer suffering from the effects of the pandemic.
The group, which already owned land in Pontassieve, brainstormed the establishment of the new Tod’s factory and implemented a production destination with a plan that was released in March 2022.
The new manufacturing plant will host 150 employees formerly from Vallina, who currently work at the Il Veliero in Pontassieve. It is expected the number of employees will rise well above 200 as the demand for Tod’s handbags has increased in previous years.
Tod’s arrival in the municipality of Pontassieve will add to the long-lasting tradition of leather goods in the area and will pose another investment for the region – as was the arrival of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and others. (Parker Hurley)
