A ready-made cause for the advocate of “made in France”. Thursday November 4, Arnaud Montebourg visits the workshops of the Regain manufacture in Castres (Tarn). The presidential candidate’s campaign team invited journalists. The former Minister of the Economy draws the attention of the media to the manufacturer of French sweaters, because, he explains, the Tarn company “has just lost a public order for the benefit of a foreign producer”. The former socialist tenor demands that his successor at Bercy, Bruno Le Maire, support the hexagonal manufacturing and not make the choice of foreign competition.
Announcing the arrival of the candidate of “the remorada”, the local press reports that the French army preferred to the tricolor manufacturer a Chinese competitor to dress its soldiers. Information denied by the “big mute”, which denounces “fake news”. So, “made in China” or “made in Tarn”? Here is the route of this false information.
Since the @manuf_regain, which has just lost a public order in favor of a foreign producer, I ask @brunolemaire to register the factory with the union of public purchasing groups.
We will defend the public order to save the made in France. #LaRemontada pic.twitter.com/T83KfwMaCE
– ☰ Arnaud Montebourg (@montebourg) November 4, 2021
In the eyes of the general public, it all starts with newspaper articles. “Soldiers (…) will soon wear sweaters made in China”, writes Actu Occitanie on Tuesday, announcing the imminent arrival of Arnaud Montebourg. “The army preferred a Chinese manufacturer to Regain for one of its last orders of sweaters”, adds France Bleu Occitanie, Wednesday, on the eve of the candidate’s trip.
In the midst of the presidential pre-campaign, other contenders for the Elysee seized the subject on Thursday morning. On the far right, Marine Le Pen tweets: “With [Emmanuel] Macron, our taxes subsidize Chinese imports and relocations. “ The candidate of the National Rally promises, if elected, to devote “most of the public order for companies that produce in France”.
With E. Macron, our taxes subsidize Chinese imports and relocations. It is time for French money to support the French economy: I will reserve most of the public order for companies that produce in France.
– Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) November 4, 2021
On his left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, too, is indignant that “the French army buys sweaters in China rather than in the Tarn”. BFMTV shifts and headlines on this “pullgate”.
The French army buys sweaters in China rather than in the Tarn. And do the Chinese military sell it too? It would also be cheaper for back shooters.
– Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) November 4, 2021
Thursday at midday, the spokesperson for the Ministry of the Armed Forces, Hervé Grandjean, splits a series of tweets to deny the “fake news”. In September 2020, the army signed a contract with two French companies, Saint James and Leo Minor, to supply themselves with sweaters, he says. “The confection is made either in France, in Morocco or in Tunisia” and not in China, specifies the spokesperson. The market took place “in accordance with the Code of public procurement, on criteria of quality, price, integrating social responsibility provisions”, assure Herve Grandjean.
The French army chooses Chinese sweaters rather than “Made in Tarn” sweaters?
❌ Fake news!
The facts, in a thread to unwind ⤵️ 1/6– Spokesperson for the French Ministry of the Armed Forces (@HerveGrandjean) November 4, 2021
If the Regain manufacture did not win this market, it has not been forgotten by the ministry, adds the spokesperson. As part of the recovery plan, the company benefited from“a contract of 500,000 euros for the supply of 15,000 jerseys”. The army is also funding its “experimentation on innovative technical underwear”. The spokesperson for the Armies argues that “78% of [se]s suppliers are French and half are SMEs and VSEs “. Tricolor companies of course, but which sometimes manufacture their products in factories outside France.
So where will the French army sweaters be made? On its website, Leo Minor specifies that its production sites are located in Casablanca, Morocco, and Monastir, Tunisia. Contacted by franceinfo, the company had not yet answered our questions when this article was published. As for Saint-James, the brand only mentions on its website its historic workshop in Saint-James in La Manche, near Mont-Saint-Michel. The group has not yet answered questions from franceinfo.
An examination of the items sold in a Parisian boutique of the brand confirms that the sweaters are “made in France”, the other clothes being made in Portugal or Italy. The wool of most “made in France” sweaters, on the other hand, comes from Australia or New Zealand, according to a salesperson at this store. Only one model present in the store would be made from wool of French origin: the one similar to gendarmerie uniforms. The model corresponding to the army uniforms is not available for sale, but, again according to this seller, it is also made from French wool.
So where does this assertion that the Regain manufacture have been the victim of Chinese competition come from? The answer can be found in a press release sent on Monday, November 1 by Willy Bourgeois, secretary general of L’Engagement, the movement in support of Arnaud Montebourg’s candidacy. This warns the editorial staff of the candidate’s coming to Castres for a visit to the Regain factory. The company “has just lost an important market with the French army which has chosen to order its sweaters from a Chinese company, directly threatening employment in France”, he wrote, denouncing this “choice of the French government to favor a Chinese company to the detriment of French know-how”. Contacted by franceinfo, Willy Bourgeois declined to answer our questions.
Simon Le Boulaire, press relations manager for the Engagement movement, acknowledges that this “Chinese competition” has indeed been mentioned in this invitation to the local press. However, he says that this information comes from the boss of the Regain factory. It is he who would have informed the team of Arnaud Montebourg of the relocation by evoking this “Chinese competition”. According to Simon Le Boulaire, the origin of this false information is due to a communication error that occurred in the rush of exchanges between the boss of the Regain manufacture and the Arnaud Montebourg team.
Reached by franceinfo, Laurent Brunas, boss of the Regain manufacture, assures that he has never declared that his company had lost this market for military sweaters to a Chinese company or a manufacturer in China. “This is information that I never disclosed”, he asserts, swearing: “I am unable to say where my competition is manufacturing.” While feeling sorry for this controversy, which he compares to a “meteorite” who him “fell on it”, on the other hand, he confirms his comments made on France Bleu Occitanie.
He compared the cost of labor, cheaper in Portugal than in France, and even less expensive in Tunisia, Romania or China., conclusive, fatalistic: “China is therefore ten times cheaper than France. So I have no chance to pass.”
Although the relocation of the manufacture of sweaters from the French army is not done on the side of China, the criticism remains unchanged, in the eyes of Simon Le Boulaire: “For us, the problem remains, it is not produced in France. It is disguised relocation. Under the guise of giving the contract to a French company, jobs are being cut in France.” In a statement tweeted Thursday evening, the candidate Arnaud Montebourg does not say anything else: “The French army practices relocations disguised under cover of French brands.” And the candidate to let go on BFMTV : “It may not be China, but in any case, it is not France.”