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Продолжение новостей от Ричмонт:

Richemont plans to cut more than 200 watchmaking jobs in Switzerland, according to the Unia trade union, as the jeweler scales back further in response to weakening demand.

The biggest cutbacks will probably be at the high-end Piaget and Vacheron Constantin brands, a Unia spokesman said by phone. Richemont contacted the union at the end of last week and will meet with employee representatives tomorrow at three Swiss sites, he said. Richemont declined to comment.

“It shows you they don’t expect watch demand to bounce back strongly for the next year or two,” said Jon Cox, an analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux in Zurich. “They’re preparing for the new reality in the industry.”

News of the cuts comes 10 days after Chairman Johann Rupert said he’s abolishing the CEO position in the company’s biggest management shakeup since 2009. The Swiss watch industry has been grappling with the most challenging times since the quartz crisis of the 1970s and 1980s, when battery-powered watches threatened to make mechanical timepieces obsolete. Withering demand in Asia has spread to Europe and the U.S. this year and has led Richemont to buy back unsold inventory from retailers and refocus on more affordable pieces.

Swatch Group AG, the maker of Omega and Breguet timepieces, has so far resisted announcing job cuts. Chief Executive Officer Nick Hayek has said it’s difficult to hire back highly skilled watchmakers after letting them go in a downturn.
More Cuts?

“Further adjustments will be necessary, and not just at Richemont,” said Rene Weber, an analyst at Bank Vontobel.

Piaget and Vacheron Constantin are some of Richemont’s most expensive watch brands. Piaget makes the Altiplano, the thinnest automatic watch on the market, which sells for as much as $91,500. Almost all of its watches are made of gold, platinum or titanium. Vacheron Constantin sells a $150,000 platinum chronograph and has produced the world’s most intricate mechanical pocket watch.

Richemont already cut about 100 jobs this year, with the majority at its biggest brand, Cartier. Richemont workers at the time were also offered early retirement, job transfers and voluntary departures.

The company, whose full name is Cie. Financiere Richemont SA, this month said first-half operating profit fell 43 percent to 798 million euros ($860 million).

Separately, Richemont agreed to sell some investment properties in Paris, which it expects to boost this year’s operating profit by 150 million euros.

Richemont shares traded 0.8 percent lower at 65.65 francs as of 2 p.m. in Zurich.

Отсюда: Richemont Plans More Than 200 Swiss Job Cuts Amid Watch Woes