LVMH Makes Donation to Emilia Romagna Region
MILAN — More help is coming to fuel the recovery of the Emilia Romagna region.
The LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton group said Monday that it is making a donation to Italy’s region, which has been hit by widespread flooding that caused at least 14 deaths and left thousands of people homeless.
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“As I have said many times before, Italy is our second country after France,” Antonio Belloni, group managing director, member of the LVMH executive committee and the board of directors, told WWD. “We are proud of the thousands of people who work with us in Italy and grateful to the country, where there is such a strong culture of quality and luxury and we want to give a concrete sign of solidarity.”
LVMH has over the years grown to include Italian brands Bulgari, Fendi, Loro Piana, Berluti, Pucci, Acqua di Parma, Thélios and Cova.
The group counts 13,000 employees in Italy and invests more than 100 million euros on a yearly basis. It has 35 production sites in the country and in particular three in the region hit by the floods — for Berluti in Ferrara, for Christian Dior Couture in Lugagnano Val D’Arda, near Piacenza, and for Pucci near Bologna. There are also 13 stores under the LVMH umbrella in the Emilia Romagna region. The sites and stores were not damaged, except for one Sephora unit in Riccione, on the Adriatic coast, noted Belloni.
“We feel very close to the population,” continued Belloni. “I want them to know that they can count on us. They are so proactive and are working hard to overcome this moment.”
The group did not officially reveal the sum that was donated but media reports state that Stefano Bonaccini, president of the region, has declared the amount totals 1 million euros.
Belloni said LVMH plans to help employees of the group that live in the region with the internal Heart Fund.
Meanwhile, Alberta Ferretti on Monday confirmed her intention to stage her resort 2024 show in Rimini on Friday in a sign of continuity.
As reported, Kering said over the weekend that it is making an undisclosed donation to the region. Automotive giant Ferrari, headquartered in Maranello, also in the region, donated 1 million euros to the regional civil protection agency.
Kering said it is making the donation on behalf of its maisons, which include Gucci, Saint Laurent, Pomellato and Brioni, among others. The group counts more than 13,000 employees in Italy.
Taking place 11 years after the Emilia Romagna region was struck by back-to-back earthquakes in 2012, last week’s exceptional rainfall is believed to have equaled half the annual average.
As a result of the floods, hundreds of roads and bridges became unusable, with some towns cut off completely, and at least 36,000 people have been left homeless.
Emergency workers, including local volunteers, are clearing streets of mud and although rainfall over the weekend did not top levels of the past few days, the region remains in emergency mode.
The Italian government has earmarked 30 million euros in response to the disaster.
Emilia Romagna plays a central role in Italy’s fashion and beauty supply chain and includes company such as the Max Mara Fashion Group , Sergio Rossi, Giuseppe Zanotti and Casadei to name a few.
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