Who would work in a tannery? asks British footwear boss
The owner of a Cornwall-based sheepskin boot manufacturer has said he considered setting up a tannery after its local supplier went out of business – but “who would work there?”
Nick and Kath Whitworth founded Celtic & Co 25 years ago and owned the UGG trademark in the UK before selling it to US group Deckers as part of a licensing agreement.
The company, which has an annual turnover of £6.2 million, buys sheepskins from the UK and exports them to Turkey for tanning.
“We were thinking of opening our own tannery, and have been in talks with the Royal Sheepskin Association,” Nick told the Telegraph newspaper. “But you need about £30 million to get one going and who would work there?”
He added that its former supplier had gone out of business in 2010: “The workforce was ageing, there was no one there under 60. Young people don’t want to work in smelly factories any more. They want office jobs.”
