Kering () is a French-based multinational corporation specializing in luxury goods. It owns the brands Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Yves Saint Laurent, Creed and Alexander McQueen.
The timber-trading company Pinault S.A. was founded in 1962, by François Pinault. After the company was quoted on Euronext Paris in 1988, it became the retail conglomerate Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR) in 1994, and the luxury group Kering in 2013. The group has been a constituent of the CAC 40 since 1995. François-Henri Pinault has been president and CEO of Kering since 2005. In 2020, the group's revenue reached €13.1 billion.
History
Retail
In 1962, François Pinault opened the Établissements Pinault in Brittany (France) specialized in timber trading. The company became Pinault S.A.. In 1988, Pinault S.A. was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.
In 1989, Pinault S.A. purchased 20% of CFAO, a French distribution conglomerate active throughout Africa. In 1990, Pinault S.A. and CFAO merged, and François Pinault became head of the newly formed group. This accelerated its acquisitions in the retail sector: Conforama (French furniture retailer) in 1991, Printemps (department stores in France) in 1992, which also owned 54% of La Redoute (French mail-order shopping retailer), and Fnac (French bookstore, multimedia and electronics retailer) in 1994. To align with its new activities, the group was renamed Pinault-Printemps-Redoute in 1994.
In 1999, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute purchased a controlling 42% stake of the Gucci group for $3 billion and 100% of Yves Saint Laurent. After Gucci, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute acquired Boucheron (2000), Bottega Veneta (2001), Balenciaga (2001), and signed partnerships with Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney. In 2004, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute reached a 99.4% ownership of Gucci.
Luxury
In 2003, François Pinault handed over the helm of Artémis, the family holding company that controlled Pinault-Printemps-Redoute to his son François-Henri. In 2005, François-Henri Pinault became president and CEO of Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, succeeding to Serge Weinberg. The group officially changed its name to PPR. and continued acquiring luxury brands: The Sowind Group (owner of Girard-Perregaux) and Brioni (2011), the Pomellato Group (Pomellato and Dodo, 2012), Qeelin (2012), Christopher Kane (2013), Ulysse Nardin (2014). To further this strategy, PPR offloaded its retail assets: Le Printemps (2006), Conforama (2011), CFAO (2012), Fnac (2012), and La Redoute (2013). PPR also developed a Sport & Lifestyle portfolio with the acquisition of Puma (2007), Cobra Golf (2010), and Volcom (2011). Cobra and Volcom have since then been divested and Kering only holds a minority share in Puma.
In March 2013, PPR changed its name to Kering.
In December 2014, Alessandro Michele, a 12-year accessories designer at Gucci, was named PPR's creative director. In 2015, Kering named a new creative director, Anthony Vaccarello, to renew the brand's props. In October 2015, Kering named Georgian-born designer Demna Gvasalia as creative director of Balenciaga. Kering appointed Daniel Lee as creative designer of Bottega Veneta in June 2018.
In 2014, Kering hired Roberto Vedovotto to launch its own eyewear manufacturing division, Kering Eyewear, and pilot its development. In March 2017, Richemont partnered with Kering Eyewear to produce Cartier, Alaïa, and Montblanc eyewear. In September 2019, Kering Eyewear opened a 15,000 square-metre logistics centre near Padua, Italy, with an annual output capacity of five million eyewear units. In March 2022, it was announced Kering Eyewear had acquired the Hawaiian eyewear brand Maui Jim. In March 2018, Kering agreed to sell its shares of Stella McCartney back to its eponymous owner. Kering spun off the brand Puma in 2018 and sold Volcom the following year. In 2020, Kering made 13.1 billion euros in revenue, -17.9% from the previous year. In 2021, Kering led a $216-million investment round in the luxury resale website Vestiaire Collective and acquired 100% stake in the Danish luxury eyewear manufacturer Lindberg. In January 2022, the group announced its intention to sell its watches division, namely the brands Girard-Perregaux and Ulysse Nardin.
In October 2023, Kering announced that third quarter revenue was down 13%. Pinault blamed this decline on the turnover of leadership in both business and creative aspects at multiple brands, as well as challenging macroeconomic conditions decreasing 'asperational' consumer spending.