Carpi (Modena) – A few months ago, the move from Rio Saliceto to the new headquarters in Carpi (Modena), in the heart of the Emilian fashion district, between big names like Liu-Jo and Twin Set, should have been the first step in a relaunch plan. Instead, for Manifattura Riese the end of an entrepreneurial story born in 1961 has come, with the Navigare brand, sportswear for men.
The historic company in liquidation
The company was placed in liquidation in bonis. A decision taken immediately after the sale of the company by the Consilium fund, which in 2015 had acquired 80% of the shares from the Brunetti family, which remained within the company structure with a minority stake. The pandemic crisis, the lockdown, the forced closures of more than ten single-brand stores located in Italy (many in outlet villages) have made every effort for recovery useless.
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With the pandemic, revenues plummeted by 70%
In 2019, before the pandemic, Manifattura Riese had a turnover of 23.7 million. The year after the collapse, up to a loss of 70% of revenues in the first three months of this year. The company will close its doors by the end of June. And again by that date, the procedures for the collective dismissal of 83 employees, about forty employees in the Carpi headquarters, the others in the single-brand stores, should be started. The decision was communicated to the unions in recent days, after a month of insistent rumors about the search by the Consilium fund of a buyer capable of making a difference. Research that ended at the end of April, with the transfer of hands from the fund to Luchi Fiduciaria, two offices, one in Milan and one in Turin. “The property – the company’s lawyers and consultants told the unions – is not willing to keep Manifattura Riese standing”.
The trade unions: “Open a discussion table as soon as possible”
Despite the strong difficulties in the sector, and the rumors that were being recurred, for the employees it was like a bolt from the blue: “We had asked for meetings to address the issue of Covid layoffs but no one expected this decision”, says Sergio Greco. of Filctem-Cgil. For this reason, the trade unions have asked the Region to convene an institutional discussion table as soon as possible to stop the liquidation procedure, also evaluating the possibility of resorting to the extraordinary redundancy fund to save jobs. The goal is to take time to check all possible alternative solutions to closure.
A meeting of workers with the mayors of Carpi and Rio Saliceto is already scheduled for 10 May, where Manifattura Riese was founded over half a century ago. In any case, the company has communicated that it can guarantee the payment of all charges due to employees.