£13m invested in Renfrewshire as Scottish Leather Group hails new era for manufacturing in Scotland

Posted on 9 Nov 2022 by The Manufacturer

Scottish Leather Group, one of the country’s biggest exporting businesses, has made a £13m investment across its businesses as the firm sees a huge increase of 75% from the same time last year in orders.

The family-owned firm, which can traces its roots back over 500 years, has been a premium supplier of leather stretching back over eight generations.

Now the company is embarking on a recruitment campaign to help it fulfil its new pipeline of orders from the likes of Aston Martin, JLR, Polestar, Lucid, Emirates and Spring Air.

More than 380 staff have been recruited since the start of 2021 with an extra 60 new roles required to help meet the demand this year alone.

  • Accounting
  • Engineering
  • Manufacturing
  • Laboratory
  • IT & Software Development
  • Apprentices

The Covid 19 pandemic and the requirement for many businesses to offer additional cleaning and hygiene services saw the demand for leather increase dramatically. Scottish Leather Group, which offers the lowest carbon leather in the world has been at the forefront of this emerging market.

The firm recently purchased the old Chivas Regal bottling plant in Paisley and have turned it into a world class leather cutting facility for the worlds automotive and aviation sectors. It also has its very own R&D sew trim facility to help customers tailor their own seat designs.

The substantial growth, coupled with the company’s leading focus on ensuring an environmentally friendly and sustainable supply chain, has seen more eco-conscious companies turn to Scotland for their leather produce.


Nicolas Muirhead, managing director of Scottish Leather Group

Nicolas Muirhead, managing director of Scottish Leather Group


Nicolas Muirhead, managing director of Scottish Leather Group, said: “We have seen businesses across the world reassess their supply chain and focus on durability and environmental impact, and every single time they reach the same conclusion – leather is the best product on the market to meet that challenge. Scottish Leather Group is a world leader in delivering low carbon leather produce and we have seen demand continue to build as sustainability reaches the top of the agenda for businesses on a global scale.

“Our investment plan across all four of our businesses is not only substantial in our commitment to Renfrewshire but also a marker for belief in the local workforce.

“We plan to recruit 60 staff over the coming months, ranging from senior executives to recent graduates and apprentices. It is a really exciting time for our company and, with the new clients coming on board from growing industries across the globe, we are looking forward to growing the team and building on what we can deliver for our clients.

“Around £13m has been committed to our Bridge of Weir plant which will see our entire business become a true net zero organisation by 2025 – well ahead of industry standards and Scottish and UK Government targets.

“We recently purchased the old Chivas Regal building in Paisley and have turned it into a world class leather cutting facility servicing the worlds automotive and aviation sectors

“It is a very exciting time to be part of Scottish Leather Group and we are looking forward to welcoming many more people to join us on this journey.”

For the full list of vacancies across the business please visit: www.scottishleathergroup.com/careers

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