Rolex buys land in Bulle to build its new manufacture in the Canton of Fribourg
Following the green light from the General Council of Bulle, on 12 December, Rolex SA today signed the contract with the City of Bulle to buy the land needed for its new watch factory. The site chosen along the A12 motorway in Bulle, in the industrial sector of “La Prila”, covers a total area of 104,686 m2. This new production site will enable Rolex to meet the world’s growing demand for its prestigious watches and maintain its state-of-the-art production facilities. Investments are estimated at more than one billion Swiss francs. More than 2,000 jobs should be created on the site, where the company plans to train several hundred apprentices.
Rolex SA has signed today with the City of Bulle the contract for the transfer of the land necessary for the construction of its new watch factory, following the green light given by the General Council of the municipality on 12 December. Located along the A12 motorway, in the industrial area of “La Prila”, the land covers a total area of 104,686 m2 in one of the seven strategic activity sectors in the Canton of Fribourg. The site should open its doors in 2029 with an estimated investment of more than one billion Swiss francs. More than 2,000 jobs are expected to be created by the company, which plans to train hundreds of apprentices in this new manufacture.
This new production site will enable Rolex to meet the worldwide growing demand for its prestigious watches and maintain its state-of-the-art production facilities.
To carry out this establishment, the authorities of the Canton of Fribourg and the municipality of Bulle are working closely with Rolex. With this establishment, the Canton of Fribourg proves that it is playing in the big leagues thanks to an active land policy, available land and great responsiveness on the part of the authorities.
Jean-Frédéric Dufour, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex SA, said today: “Rolex is delighted with the decision of the City of Bulle to sell the land for the construction of a new production site. This strategic investment for the brand represents a major step in its long-term development. This upcoming fifth site is ideally located between Geneva and Biel. Due to its geographical location, it confirms our unwavering attachment to “Swiss Made”. With this new milestone in the history of the manufacture, Rolex is proud to participate in the development of the local economic fabric and to make it one of the new poles of transmission of its know-how to new generations.”
For the President of the State Council and Minister of Economic Affairs, Olivier Curty, “this is wonderful news”. “I am very pleased that Rolex has chosen to settle in the canton of Fribourg, where we are fortunate to be able to offer equipped, well-located and immediately available land. I am delighted that the efforts made in recent years to attract companies and boost our land policy are paying off. We are also very proud to welcome the prestigious Rolex brand to the club of flagship companies in the canton.”
Jean-François Steiert, Minister of Territorial Development, underlines the exemplary work of all the partners during the last months and recalls that there is still a lot to accomplish until the inauguration of the site: “This project, based on a sustainable concentration approach, requires intense collaboration between Rolex, the relevant services of the Confederation, the State of Fribourg and the City of Bulle, beyond individual interests.”
The Mayor of Bulle, Jacques Morand, adds: “The establishment of Rolex is great news for the City of Bulle, particularly in terms of job creation, but also in terms of training apprentices.”
Jerry Krattiger, Managing Director of the Fribourg Development Agency, concludes: “The purchase of the land is excellent news. This is an exceptional project. The establishment of Rolex will not only strengthen the positioning of the Canton of Fribourg in the fields of Industry 4.0 – with automation, advanced manufacturing and robotization – but also the cantonal positioning in the field of luxury goods.”