In 160 years of history, Ligne Roset has established itself as a reference in the world of high-end contemporary furniture. Faced with the explosion of orders since June 2020, a tapestry training school has recently been created. 

Known for their avant-garde approach, the group's two brands, Ligne Roset and Cinna, prioritize quality over quantity and champion French excellence. Last year, they recorded a record increase in the number of orders: " June 2020 was the biggest month in our entire history , " says Antoine Roset, Marketing Director of Groupe Roset.

An explosion in demand  

“ The successive lockdowns have sparked a desire among the French to invest in their homes,” he adds. Sales of the TOGO sofa, an iconic Ligne Roset signature piece, have skyrocketed, as have those of other emblematic pieces from the brand.

But this surge in orders is proving difficult for the group's production capacity to handle. As a result, delivery times are lengthening. " Our factories can expand, and we're not currently experiencing any difficulties in sourcing raw materials, but recruiting labor is proving very problematic, " explains Antoine Roset. " Expertise is being lost. Furthermore, in the Ain plain, where we're located, we have a very low unemployment rate, which only makes matters worse . "

Train the next generation  

To address this labor shortage, the group decided in 2020 to create an upholstery training school, in partnership with Pôle Emploi (the French public employment service), the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, and the AFPIA Est-Nord Furniture School. " This idea had emerged just before the Covid crisis, to accelerate the recruitment process. In September 2020, we contacted Pôle Emploi and then participated in the creation of a CQP (Professional Qualification Certificate) for furniture upholstery," explains the marketing director.

At the end of 2020, recruitment for this new school began, based on technical and mechanical tests, followed by an interview. The process resulted in the selection of three men and two women, aged 27 to 44. In April 2020, they began a 600-hour training program at the Roset Group's factories. Three hundred hours were dedicated to traditional upholstery, thanks to instruction from a trainer from the AFPIA Est-Nord Furniture School. The remaining 300 hours focused on contemporary upholstery, the complex skills of which require specialized training.

Subject to obtaining their CQP, the five students will be hired by Ligne Roset to join the production lines of the plant. 

A similar project, this time for sewing, should soon be launched to train the group's future recruits. " We could hire around a hundred people, in sewing, upholstery, but also foremen and machine operators , " concludes Antoine Roset.