Gucci

Gucci is an Italian fashion and leather goods brand, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company Kering formerly known as PPR. Gucci was founded by Guccio Gucci in Florence in 1921. Gucci generated about € 4.2 billion in revenue worldwide in 2008 according to BusinessWeek magazine and climbed to 41st position in the magazine's annual 2009 "Top Global 100 Brands" chart created by Interbrand. Gucci is also the biggest-selling Italian brand. Gucci operates about 278 directly operated stores worldwide (as of September 2009) and it wholesales its products through franchisees and upscale department stores. In the year 2013 the brand was valued at $ 12.1 Billion USD with a sales of $4.7 billion USD. As per forbes list 2013 Gucci was ranked 38 most valuable brand.

A turnaround of the company devised in the late 1980s made Gucci a global contender and notable fashion label. In October 1995, Gucci went public and had its first initial public offering on the AMEX and NYSE for $22 per share. November 1997 also proved to be a successful year as Gucci acquired a watch licensee, Severin-Montres, and renamed it Gucci Timepieces. The firm was named "European Company of the Year 1998" by the European Business Press Federation for its economic and financial performance, strategic vision as well as management quality. Gucci headquarters are in Florence, other world offices are in Milan, Paris, London, Hong Kong, Japan, and New York. PPR headquarters are in Paris.