Kering

Kering (previously PPR) is the French luxury goods holding company owner of Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Brioni, Gucci, Puma, Volcom, Saint Laurent Paris, 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.

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.