Dainese shifts production to North Africa

200 Italians to lose jobs as iconic leather brand closes factory

ITALIAN motorcycle clothing specialist Dainese is to close its production plant in Italy in a cost-cutting exercise, with the loss of 200 jobs.

The company, who also owns Mavet and AGV helmets, is shutting down their plant in Molvena, Italy and relocating across the Mediterranean Sea in Tunisia, where the company already has two production plants.

A small operation will remain in Italy, making top of the line leathers for professional riders like Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Max Biaggi.

After negotiations with trade unions, the company has agreed to invest two thousand euros per redundancy for re-training purposes.

It's reported Dainese's sales were down over 25 per cent in 2009.