Article : L'Echo du Berry, 30 November to 6 December 2000
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Set up in October 1998 in the Le Fay small business area, Berry Services has added 100 m² of workspace to the existing 500 m². What a success story!
In October 1998, mechanical engineer Jean-Claude Benéteau took on a twofold challenge—to create a company from scratch in a rural area and to provide work to an unqualified workforce. “I wanted to develop an original idea for the region—custom packaging and precision assembly,” Jean-Claude explains. From the very first months of the company's existence, eight jobs were created in a sector that does not require any specific qualifications, but which nevertheless requires a certain level of manual skill and meticulous attention to detail in order to work quickly and accurately.
Turnover of 2.5 million
In two years of existence, Berry Services has grown steadily, from 850,000 francs in turnover in the first year to 2.5 million the following year. Ten staff members are employed full-time, supplemented by a dozen temporary workers. Almost all of the workforce are young women with a background in the clothing industry, or who are just starting out in the world of work.
Whilst continuing with his original activities (film wrapping, laminating and precision assembly), the young company director has utilised his reputation and the expertise of his staff to take a new approach, becoming a subcontractor to major ready-to-wear and footwear firms such as the André group, Kenzo, Morgan and La Redoute. Berry Services provides these groups with services such as quality control, label and tag insertion, ironing and any required alterations, placing garments on hangers, packaging, and delivery of goods, organising logistics with carrier companies in the region. The premises have become too small to continue expanding this activity, which meets a real customer need. Jean-Claude Benéteau is moving into a new stage of development— a 1,000 m² expansion project, aligned with the existing workshop, has been under way for several months. Neuvy-Saint-Sépulchre council is the project manager of the construction work, for which an invitation to tender has been launched, and will sell the premises back to the company on a lease-purchase basis upon completion of the work in April 2001. “This expansion will first of all enable us to secure the twelve positions occupied by temporary workers,” says Jean-Claude, “and then to meet the objective of thirty full-time jobs in two years. With this surface area, we will also be able to significantly improve working conditions and provide the staff with a nicer room for their breaks!”
Maryvonne Baillou
