Interview : Bernhardt Eichner, Managing Director of Hermès services groupe

The boundary of the ring road is gradually disappearing

How long has Hermès been based in Pantin and how did you motivate your employees to cross the ring road?

Bernhardt Eichner - We have been based in Pantin since 1992. In the early 1990s, we needed to expand our premises and we found land available for this purpose. Pantin was chosen because of its proximity to Paris, especially as a survey of the company's employees revealed that most of them lived in the north-east of the city. The move was carried out in a flexible manner, and today all the buildings house around 1,500 employees.

How is the house now part of the town's social fabric?

B. E. - Hermès has cultivated a close partnership with the town hall of Pantin since it first opened for business. A number of joint initiatives are currently underway to contribute to local economic development and to promote Hermès' expertise in crafts and design. The town of Pantin has been developing its town centre for a number of years, and the area where our buildings are located is at the centre of the fast-growing Hoche - Mairie de Pantin metro line. The construction of the Cité des Métiers Hermès in 2013 and the opening of a new road alongside the building - the Allée des Ateliers - have contributed to the development of the Place du Marché, where residents come to enjoy new cafés and shops.

Has Pantin changed in recent years?

B. E. - Pantin is at a crossroads, at the intersection of numerous communication and transport routes: tramway, metro, RER, RN3, Ourcq canal. This makes it easy to get to and around. It's a diverse city in terms of the activities it hosts, but also in terms of the different populations that make it up. But it's also a historic centre of Parisian craftsmanship, which makes it a commune that's close to our culture. The boundary of the ring road is gradually disappearing, and Pantin is modernising, with ongoing improvements to housing and architecture.