Hermès Is Giving All Employees a Bonus Worth About Half a Birkin Bag
Hermès Executive Chairman Axel Dumas said the company was “celebrating an excellent year, in a tougher environment” on its 2024 earnings call.
Key Takeaways
- Hermès Executive Chairman Axel Dumas said the company will “share the fruits of growth” with its employees.
- All employees will receive a 4,500 euro (around $4,723) bonus each.
While the luxury market has been struggling, Hermès, a French luxury group most well-known in the U.S. for its fabulously expensive Birkin bag, has been a bright spot, reporting higher-than-expected sales for 2024.
And now, that boosted bottom line is beefing up employees’ wallets.
Hermès’s more than 25,000 employees are getting a bonus of 4,500 euros (around $4,723) each, the company said on its 2024 financial report call on Friday.
“We are celebrating an excellent year, in a tougher environment,” said Executive Chairman Axel Dumas, per Reuters.
Hermès reported 4 billion euros ($4.1 billion) in sales in the fourth quarter, an 18% increase (at constant exchange rates), and 15.2 billion euros ($15.9 billion) in revenue for 2024, according to Business Insider.
Related: The Hermès Heir Who Planned to Leave Billions to His Gardener Now Says His Fortune Is Gone
“True to its commitment as a responsible employer and its willingness to share the fruits of growth with all those who contribute to it daily, Hermès will be giving out a bonus of €4,500 to all its employees worldwide at the beginning of the year in respect of 2024,” the report noted.

Hermès has been giving employees bonuses for at least the last five years, BI reported.
Birkin bags start at around $11,000 and can go up into hundreds of thousands — the most expensive for sale at press time at Sotheby’s is a “White Matte Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin 30 Palladium Hardware, 2020” for $220,000.
As any “Sex and the City” fan will know, there famously used to be a waitlist (sometimes topping five years) — but now, according to Vogue, the best way to buy a Birkin is to purchase one used from a reputable second-hand or vintage dealer.
However, if you insist on buying new, you’ll need to build a relationship with sales professionals at the store to snag a bag, and even then it could take years, Vogue adds.
With the new bonuses and rumored employee discounts, workers at Hermès are at least halfway to a new Birkin bag of their own.
Key Takeaways
- Hermès Executive Chairman Axel Dumas said the company will “share the fruits of growth” with its employees.
- All employees will receive a 4,500 euro (around $4,723) bonus each.
While the luxury market has been struggling, Hermès, a French luxury group most well-known in the U.S. for its fabulously expensive Birkin bag, has been a bright spot, reporting higher-than-expected sales for 2024.
And now, that boosted bottom line is beefing up employees’ wallets.
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