Ausonia Tannery passes to Henan Prosper. First deal for the Chinese in Santa Croce

In 2009, the then Chinese President Hu Jintao, during his official trip to Italy for the G8, visited the historic Ausonia tannery in Santa Croce sull'Arno (Pisa), the heart of the Tuscan leather district, to understand the processing systems and touch the products made. It was an exceptional event, also from the point of view of safety. Now that tannery has passed to a Chinese leather group, one of the largest in the world, specialised in sheep skins: its name is Henan Prosper & Colomer Moda Co. and it has bought 100% of Ausonia through its Spanish subsidiary Colomer 1792 Slu. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.

The Ausonia tannery, 15 employees and 9 million euro turnover 2023 with 20 thousand euro profit, was founded in 1946 by Marino Donati and led by his son Aldo until his death four years ago. The company supplies fine leathers to major fashion and luxury furniture brands, including Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren, Cassina and Poltrona Frau.

The acquisition was communicated by the advisor Bernoni Grant Thornton, who assisted Colomer 1792 in the acquisition process. A process that remains, however, surrounded by a doubt (which the advisor did not want to dispel): several Spanish and Italian newspapers in 2018 wrote that Colomer 1792, the company that carried out the operation-Ausonia, had been bought by the Chanel brand. In reality, Chanel's acquisition should refer to Colomer Leather Group, a company that markets raw hides and skins born in the 1990s from a split of the Colomer group.

The acquisition of Ausonia 'consolidates the position of the Henan Prosper group, a global leader in the leather industry with over 11,000 employees worldwide, further strengthening its presence in the Italian market,' says a note.

For the Santa Croce district, this is the umpteenth handover of a company in recent years (as of 2019), and the first to mark the arrival of the Chinese: among the latest operations is the acquisition by the French Lvmh, the world's largest luxury group, of the majority stake in the Nuti Ivo tannery, one of the district's most important names, specialising in the processing of cowhide.