ETTINGER LONDON: THE MAKING OF A LEGEND

With a customer base that spans 35 countries and a direct-to-consumer online business that’s grown over the past decade to 25 percent of total sales (with only a .01 percent return rate!), Ettinger London is indeed a quiet success story.

Their secrets, according to Robert Ettinger, who runs the London-based leather goods company, go way beyond exceptional product. Like his dad Gerry Ettinger, who founded the company in 1934, Robert is a citizen of the world, brought up in London, Vienna, and France. He’s a certified British ski instructor who started learning about business via apprenticeships in Germany and Canada. In 1980 he entered the family business, becoming managing director in 1995. In 1996 the company was granted a royal warrant to HRH The Prince of Wales, England’s highest mark of excellence.

A strong believer in encouraging a work/life balance for all employees, Robert takes much pride in his team, noting that many of the craftspeople at the Ettinger factory in Walsall (near Birmingham, UK) have stayed with the company for most of their working lives. To ensure the future, the company offers apprenticeship programs to attract young workers and ensure that specialist skills continue through generations. While the business is family-owned, a percentage of annual profit gets shared with employees as a Christmas bonus. “We’re not a huge company,” Robert confides. “We have 34 full-time employees; much of the hand craftsmanship is done by trained outworkers. But over the years, we’ve been able to meet and surpass the highest luxury standards worldwide by using the finest materials, training and hiring the most talented staff, and regularly upgrading the factory.”

The Ettinger showroom is in Putney (London). MR picks for holiday gift-giving: small leather goods (wallets, card cases, key cases, notepads, passport holders) and Ettinger’s traffic-stopping travel bags. Check them out!