Parker Clay Plc has inaugurated a leather products manufacturing facility in Addis Abeba Industrial Village. The development comes two months after the company received a 1,150sqm plot in the Village from the Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC). The US-based firm retails leather products made in Ethiopia. It started operations a few years ago with a small space and a few employees. It has since seen its workforce grow to more than 200, 80pc of whom are women. The company retails leather bags for as much as 350 dollars on its website. The inauguration comes as the leather industry continues to underperform. Exports from finished leather goods plunged 72pc in 2020/21 from three years prior. Though no figures are yet available for the most recent performance, the export of leather goods accounted for a tiny fraction of revenues.