Somerset-based leather manufacturer Pittards is to begin producing and selling its own UK-made range of bags.
Established in 1826, the company has built a reputation for specialising in wholesale leather manufacture for clothing, footwear and other goods.
With the firm’s international clients including the likes of global sportswear brand Nike, Pittards will now produce bags in the same Yeovil factory where its leather production is based.
Pittards chief executive Reg Hankey said the move to manufacture bags on site is a strategic one, intended to shelter revenue streams from the fluctuations of global currencies.
“A high percentage of the leather we make goes overseas,” he said.
“Recently, our mainly dollar-denominated exports have been adversely affected by moves in exchange rates and we need to balance the business more.”
