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Kering’s Next Frontier: Beauty

The Gucci owner has hired former Estée Lauder executive Raffaella Cornaggia to lead its new beauty division, echoing the formation of the group’s eyewear unit in 2014. Why now for beauty and does this mean the beginning of the end of the licensing model for luxury brands?
The Gucci owner has hired former Estée Lauder executive Raffaella Cornaggia to lead its new beauty division, echoing the formation of the group’s eyewear unit, which shook up industry conventions in 2014.
The Gucci owner Kering has hired former Estée Lauder executive Raffaella Cornaggia to lead its new beauty division, echoing the formation of the group’s eyewear unit, which shook up industry conventions in 2014. (Gucci)

When Kering announced the creation of its eyewear division in 2014, the consensus view was that this was a risky move, almost a step too far. Kering’s eyewear division is now targeting annual revenues of over $2 billion, with much of that coming from licences that have lapsed with Italian eyewear manufacturer Safilo, leaving Safilo’s valuation in the doldrums. (To make matters worse for Safilo, LVMH which had initially set up a joint venture with the company, eventually set up its own eyewear division, Thélios, in partnership with Safilo’s rival Marcolin, resulting in the loss of further licences for the struggling eyewear group).

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