THE HISTORY OF PICARD LEATHER GOODS

PICARD is a young-at-heart family business that has been living its love for craftsmanship, fashion and people since 1928. Because of this, we have a long and successful company history that has recorded many advances as well as social changes.

Our company was founded in 1928 by Martin Picard and his sons Edmund and Alois. When the first collection was completed, Alois Picard transported it independently from Obertshausen to Offenbach on his bicycle. In the years that followed, PICARD Lederwaren grew steadily. The company introduced large-scale production in leather goods production for the first time in 1935. At this time, PICARD employed 100 people. The factory in Obertshausen was then opened in 1949 and by the end of the 1960s over 1,000 people were employed at this location.

In the 1970s, the company, like all companies in the leather goods industry located around Offenbach, suffered from imports from South America and the Far East. As a result, part of production was relocated abroad in 1976 with the establishment of a branch in Tunisia. In the course of this change, the company management at PICARD also changed when Thomas Picard was added to the management team. This was followed by further internationalization of production, so that another foreign factory was opened in Bangladesh in 1995, which also invested in its own kindergartens and a local school at the same time. In 2008, production at the main plant in Obertshausen was expanded and in 2011 another plant was opened in Ukraine. During this time, the name PICARD has become a household name, so that in 2002 45 percent of women in Germany owned a PICARD bag.

In 2015, PICARD's leadership changed again when Georg Picard, Thomas Picard's nephew, took over the helm. The company is now managed by the 4th generation. As a result, 15 own brand stores were opened around the world, from Frankfurt to St. Petersburg and Singapore to China. This also made PICARD known on an international level. However, with a large company comes great responsibility, including when it comes to sustainability. Since then, PICARD has made sure that everything from production to social aspects is done to ensure that the environment is protected and that employees work under social and fair conditions and continue to be supported.

In the wake of the corona pandemic, PICARD ran into economic difficulties, mainly due to temporary closures of stationary retail as part of the lockdown and the resulting drop in sales. However, a closure was averted as part of a self-administration insolvency and the associated restructuring and realignment. The company currently has nine brand stores at Frankfurt, Munich, Stuttgart and Berlin airports. We also have a stronger online presence these days to ensure that our traditional family business will continue to exist for a long time to come. Since the end of 2020, PICARD's focus has been on digitalizing retail and, in addition to stationary retail, on expanding direct sales channels. In the future, PICARD will continue to focus on what has guaranteed success over the decades: passing on traditions, strictly adhering to our values and our passion for fashionable, as well as practical, leather goods.