Kering

Kering
Société Anonyme
Traded as Euronext: KER
Industry Retailing
Founded 1963
Founder François Pinault
Headquarters Paris, France
Key people
 François-Henri Pinault (Chairman and CEO)[1]
Products
Revenue €10.038 billion (2014)[2]
€1.664 billion (2014)[3]
Profit €1177.4 million (2012)[2]
Total assets €24.69 billion (end 2010)
Total equity €17.764 billion (2012)[4]
Number of employees
 33,000 (FTE average, 2012)[5]
Subsidiaries
Website kering.com

Kering (previously PPR) is the French luxury goods holding company owner of Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Gucci, Puma, Volcom, and other luxury, sport & lifestyle brands distributed in 120 countries. The company was founded in 1963 by businessman François Pinault and is now run by his son François-Henri Pinault. It is quoted on Euronext Paris and is a constituent of the CAC 40 index.

On 22 March 2013, Pinault announced that the group would rename itself as Kering, and was approved by shareholders on 18 June 2013.[6][7]

History

Wood trade negotiation, the group’s origins

On 2 June 1962, François Pinault officially opened the Etablissements Pinault, specialized in wood trade negotiation, and then in construction material. First a company from Brittany, it grew organically and thanks to successive acquisitions, it reached national recognition. In 1987, the Pinault group took control of the paper-maker La Chapelle d’Arblay, which faced economic difficulties. It was then sold to Finnish group Kymmene. Pinault SA was listed in the Second Marché of Bourse de Paris in 1988, and allowed institutions such as the Crédit Lyonnais or the AGF to invest in its company.

A diversification towards retail and its shift towards apparel & accessories

In March 1990, François Pinault was elected president of CFAO, which specialized in electrical material distribution and negotiation in Africa.

In April 1991, Pinault SA entered the retail distribution market, with the takeover of Conforama.

In 1992, the Group sold the Compagnie Industrielle d’Ameublement (kitchen furniture), of Ordo (office furniture) and Isoroy (wood panel makers). During the same year, The Pinault-Printemps Group was born out of the Au printemps SA takeover, which owned 54% of La Redoute and Finaref. In 1993, the Armand Thierry company, bought by Le Printemps, was sold. Disco (Food-industry retailer) was also sold.

Logo of the company Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR).

In 1994, La Redoute was absorbed by Pinault-Printemps, and renamed Pinault-Printemps-Redoute. In July, the group took control of French retailer Fnac.

In 1995, the Group launched its first Website: www.laredoute.fr.

In 1996, CFAO bought SCOA, the main pharmaceutical distributor in West Africa. The same year, PPR created Orcanta, a lingerie distributor.

Over the following years, PPR continued to develop its activities in retail and home shopping sectors. In 1997, Redcats (PPR’s home shopping retailer, built around La Redoute) took control of Ellos, Scandinavia’s home shopping leader. The same year, Fnac created Fnac Junior, a concept-store which targets young people under 12.

In 1998, PPR continued its acquisitions in the home shopping sector: Redcats acquired 49.9% of Brylane (home shopping company in the United States). PPR also took control of Guilbert (specialized in office furniture retailing).

In 1999, Fnac launched its Website: www.fnac.com

In 2002, PPR sold Facet, the subsidiary company of Conforama’s private card, to BNP Paribas, and Finaref, its financial services subsidiary, to Crédit Agricole. The same year, Guilbert’s home shopping activities were sold to Staples, while the following year its office-furniture negotiation activities were sold to Office Depot.

In 2003, PPR sold its Pinault Bois et Matériaux company to the British group Wolseley. After symbolizing the very first step of the Group in the wood trade sector, and becoming a famous French retailer in wood material construction, import and transformation, Pinault Bois was sold for 565 million euros.

In 2004, PPR sold the electrical material manufacturer Rexel. After a public bid, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute increased its shares to 99.4% of Gucci Group’s capital.

The 18 May 2005, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute changed its name to become simply PPR.

In 2006, PPR made a certain number of disposals, for example the sale of 51% of France Printemps (with brands such as Made in Sport and Citadium) to RREEF and the Borletti Group, as well as the lingerie company Orcanta, bought by Chantelle. Meanwhile, Redcats (which comprises La Redoute and many other home shopping companies) bought The Sportman’s Guide Inc.

With the acquisition of a control participation in Puma in 2007 (of 27.1%) and after acquiring a 62.1% share of Puma, the Group consolidated its position in the Sport & Lifestyle sector. In March 2007, PPR sold Kadéos to the Accor group.

In 2008, PPR sold YSL beauty to L’Oréal for 1.15 billion euros.

In 2009, PPR floated its subsidiary CFAO and gave up control (58%).

Conforama - sale to Steinhoff International Holdings agreed on 31 January 2011.[8]

Progressive repositioning on Luxury and ‘Sport & Lifestyle’

1999 is the year when PPR first invested in the luxury sector, with a 42% acquisition of Gucci Group NV. More acquisitions followed to build a stronger luxury identity for the Group: Yves Saint Laurent (now Saint Laurent Paris), YSL Beauty and Sergio Rossi. Then in 2000 the jeweller Boucheron, and the watchmaker Bedat & Cie. At the same time, PPR launched Citadium, a new sports boutique, and bought Surcouf.

In 2001, more luxury brand acquisitions followed: Gucci Group bought Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga, and signed partnership deals with Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. Between 2001 and 2004, PPR reinforced its capital participation in Gucci Group.

Bédat & Co - on February 25, 2009 Gucci announced a definitive agreement for the sale of Bédat & Co to Luxury Concepts Watches & Jewellery Sdn Bhd, the Malaysia-based brand management company, in partnership with Viviane Fankhauser, then acting CEO of the firm.[9]

In July 2011, PPR took control of the Sowind Group, the Swiss watchmaker, whose brands include Girard-Perregaux and JeanRichard.

In November 2011, PPR acquired Brioni.[10]

In December 2012 PPR SA bought a majority stake in Chinese jeweler Qeelin, reinforcing its presence in China.[11]

In August 2012, PPR announced its new joint-venture with the online retail specialist Yoox to administer the e-commerce operations of most of its luxury brands.[12]

In January 2013, PPR and Christopher Kane signed a partnership. PPR acquired 51% of the company’s shares.[13]

Acquisition of a majority stake in the Italian Pomellato group.[14]

In September 2013, Kering announced its minority stake in the brand of the promising New-Yorker designer Joseph Altuzarra.[15]

PPR, through its Puma subsidiary, bought leading golf equipment manufacturer Cobra in 2010[16]

On 3 May 2011, the Group launched a friendly bid for Volcom,[17] a company specialized in action sports. This acquisition reinforces PPR’s new positioning. As François-Henri Pinault said : “PPR’s Sport & Lifestyle Group is well-positioned to develop in the promising segment of action sport, thanks to Volcom’s outstanding brand with strong identity and unique heritage,”.[18]

August 2014 Kering buys 100% stake in Ulysee Nardin, a luxury watch manufacturer based in Le Locle, Switzerland.

Renaming to Kering

On 22 March 2013, FHP suggested the name Kering to highlight the company's focus on its luxury and sport/lifestyle divisions.

Phonetically, it is pronounced as « Caring », but also plays with the origins of the business in the Brittany region of France. In Breton ker [19] means ‘home’ or ‘place to live’. The new logo also takes an owl as its new emblem, an animal which carries a deep significance.

“Kering is a name with meaning, a name that expresses both our purpose and our corporate vision. Strengthened by this new identity, we shall continue to serve our brands to liberate their potential for growth”,[6] added François-Henri Pinault, CEO.

Kering Academy

With the Kering Academy and HEC Business School in Paris, Tsinghua University in China offers an 18- month executive program focused on Kering "managers identified as high-potential talents at Kering and its brands operating in China."[1]

Organization (January 2012)

Organization and the Group’s brands

Kering is made up of 2 divisions: Luxury and Sports & Lifestyle. In 2014, the brands of the Group are the following:

Board of Directors

The Independent Directors are:

Executive Committee

Source: www.kering.com

Competitors

Kering's chief competitors in luxury goods conglomerates are LVMH and Richemont.

Financial and market data

Financial data

Financial Data in euro millions
Year 2006 2007 [20] 2008 [20] 2009 [20] 2010 [21] 2011[22] 2012[23] 2013[24]
Sales 17 931 17 761 20 201 16 525 11 008 12 227 9 736 9 748
EBITDA 1 540 2 096 2 140 1 790 1 649 1 911 2 067 1 750
Net result, share of the group 680 1 058 924 985 965 986 1 048 50
Net debt 3 461 6 121 5 510 4 367 4 000 3 395 2 491 3 443

Sales which had an impact on the Group with the associated key dates :

Kering complies with the MSI 20000 financial standards.

Market data

Market Data at 31 December
Years 2007 2008[26] 2009[26] 2010[27] 2011[28] 2012[23]
Number of shares (in millions) 128 128.4 126.5 126.8 127 126.2
Market capitalizations (in millions of Euros) 14089 5897 10 661 15 093 14 034 17 764
Number of daily transactions 692 022 1 116 420 701 105 453 415 385 265 317 960

Commitments

Sustainability

Sustainability has been at the heart of Kering’s strategy and the Group’s actions for over a decade. In April 2012, François-Henri Pinault publically announced a set of quantifiable targets covering both environmental and social aspects, for the Group to achieve by 2016.[29] Additionally, Kering has developed an innovative tool called the Environmental Profit & Loss account (E P&L). Pioneered by PUMA,[30] Kering is now rolling out this tool across the entire Group, with a Group E P&L to be published in 2016. Since September 2012, the sustainability engagements of Kering are under the direction of Marie-Claire Daveu.[31][32] Kering sustainability department is composed of 15 experts, and with an annual budget of 10 million of euros is indexed on the evolution of the stock dividend of Kering.

"Sustainable business is smart business" is the principle that CEO and Chairman François-Henri Pinault uses to illustrate the Group’s sustainability engagements.[33]

In 2009, and PPR supported Home, a movie by Yann Arthus-Bertrand and co-produced by Luc Besson. To celebrate the movie’s official launch (on 5 June 2009), free screenings were held in over 100 countries: on television (France 2 on the night of its launch at 8:35pm in France), on DVD and also in several cities around the globe, including the Champ de Mars in Paris during open air projections. Home was seen by over 400 million people around the world [34]

Kering Foundation

The Kering Foundation is part of the Kering Sustainability Department.

The Foundation is committed to defend women’s dignity and rights by combatting violence against women and promoting women’s empowerment. Since 2009, the Foundation initiated 47 partnerships with NGOs and accompanied social entrepreneurs for the benefit of more than 140,000 women. In coherence with the Group’s new orientation, the Foundation focuses on three geographic areas: Western Europe, Asia and the Americas.

Many brands have their own philanthropic projects, which the Kering Foundation supports. Gucci, one of the Group's major brands launched its project Chime for Change, an international campaign lead by Actress Salma Hayek-Pinault, Frida Giannini, creative director of Gucci and Beyoncé Knowles, which raises funds for women’s emancipation focusing on education, health and justice.[35]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Guilbault , Laure (10 April 2014). "Kering Launches Executive Program in China". WWD. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "20212 Financial Results : Kering" (PDF). Kering.com. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  3. ↑ "Kering" (PDF). Ppr.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  4. ↑ "share". Kering. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  5. ↑ "About". Kering. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "PPR Becomes Kering". March 22, 2013.
  7. ↑ "It's Official: PPR Becomes Kering; Reportedly In Talks To Acquire Richard Mille". Forbes. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
  8. ↑ Roberts, Andrew (31 January 2011). "Steinhoff Agrees to Buy PPR’s Conforama for 1.2 Billion Euros". Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  9. ↑ "Kering" (PDF). Ppr.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  10. ↑ Passariello, Christina (2011-11-08). "PPR Buys Menswear Brand Brioni - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  11. ↑ "PPR Aims to Buy More Chinese Brands After Adding Jeweler Qeelin". December 10, 2012.
  12. ↑ Friedman, Vanessa (2012-08-03). "PPR looks to Yoox for online retail help". FT.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  13. ↑ Alexander, Ella (15 January 2013). "PPR Buys Majority Stake In Christopher Kane". Vogue.
  14. ↑ Zargani, Luisa (24 April 2013). "Kering Acquires Pomellato". WWD.
  15. ↑ "Kering Takes Minority Stake in Altuzarra". BoF. 6 September 2013.
  16. ↑ Wahba, Phil (10 March 2010). "Fortune Brands selling Cobra golf line to Puma". Reuters.
  17. ↑ "PPR to acquire Volcom inc. for $24.50TO per share in cash". Kering. 2 May 2011.
  18. ↑ Fruman, Sarah (23 June 2011). "Volcom acquisition completed". Transworld Business.
  19. ↑ "kêr - Wiktionary". En.wiktionary.org. 2013-03-03. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 "Sources 2007 and 2008 and 2009" (PDF). Ppr.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  21. ↑ "Kering". Ppr.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  22. ↑ "Kering". Ppr.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Group Key Figures". Kering. 2012-12-31. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  24. ↑ "Kering : Press Release : 2013 Results" (PDF). Kering.com. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  25. ↑ "enters into exclusive negotiations for the disposal of La Redoute and Relais Colis". Kering. 2013-12-04. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Kering" (PDF). Ppr.com. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  27. ↑ "Kering". Ppr.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  28. ↑ "Kering". Ppr.com. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  29. ↑ "Commitment". Kering. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  30. ↑ "Puma Puts Financial Value on Environmental Impact". Triple Pundit. Retrieved 2011-05-19.
  31. ↑ "Kering". kering.com. Retrieved 2012-09-20.
  32. ↑ "Copenhagen fashion summit: seven things we learned". The Guardian.
  33. ↑ "5 Lessons from Kering, the Sustainability Dark Horse". Triple Pundit. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  34. ↑ "FACT SHEET - Informations about the movie - Home - Un film de Yann Arthus-Bertrand". Homethemovie.org. Retrieved 2014-01-11.
  35. ↑ "Chime For Change Campaign, Beyoncé Launch Initiative To Help Girls Run The World". huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2013-01-03.

External links