Kopenhagen Fur looks into normal operation in 2021
Kopenhagen Fur looks into a normal sorting and sales season in 2021, but the government's announcement that all mink in Denmark must be killed changes the basic platform of the company in the long term.
The government's announcement on 4 November to kill all Danish mink basically means nothing in relation to the coming sales season. Kopenhagen Fur expects to receive around 5-6 million Danish skins over the next few weeks from the healthy farms outside the restricted zones. The skins will be offered at four planned auctions in 2021 together with approx. 6 million skins unsold skins from last year and the usual millions of skins from farmer in other fur producing countries.
- As a company, we are in operation and are looking into a completely normal sales season, where we offer the world's finest mink skins, as we usually do. Our sorters are ready to receive the skins and the auction team is already working deep into the detailed planning, says Jesper Lauge, CEO at Kopenhagen Fur.
In the long run
Unfortunately, the loss of the Danish mink production means that the ownership base disappears and therefore, the company's management has decided to gradually downsize the company and make a controlled shutdown over a period of 2-3 years. The company’s very strong financial platform and the values that the company's owners, the Danish mink breeders, have built up in the company over generations - and which have made Kopenhagen Fur a world leader - must then rightfully accrue to the owners who are in an extreme and unusually difficult situation, says Jesper Lauge.
Kopenhagen Fur is built on the cooperative spirit's belief in the individual and its strength in the community. Unfortunately, even the strongest community cannot survive the consequences of the decisions that have now been made. I have therefore announced to the company's more than 300 employees today that we are looking into closing a couple of years ahead from now, says Jesper Lauge.
Kopenhagen Fur's large international customer group might of course have difficulties understanding the past week's development in Denmark. Many customers have based their entire business model on Danish mink - as the ultimate stamp of quality. However, customers will welcome that Kopenhagen Fur still has a completely normal auction season in 2021 and expects to hold auctions in 2022, and possibly one or two auctions in 2023.