Burberry

BUSINESS MODEL: A DISTINCTIVE GLOBAL LUXURY BRAND The Company designs, makes, sources and sells products under the Burberry brand. Product design and development are centred in Burberry’s London headquarters. Fabrics and other materials are bought from, and finished products manufactured at, both Company-owned facilities in the UK and through an external supplier network, predominantly located in Europe. Creative and marketing content and programmes are developed internally to engage and connect the brand and its products with consumers. Burberry products are sold globally through its stores and Burberry.com, as well as through third-party wholesale customers, both offline and online. In a few selected areas, Burberry uses the product and distribution expertise of licensing partners to develop the business. These activities are executed by a global team of almost 11,000 employees.

Four key themes underpin the Company’s strategic agenda, shaping and connecting its global activities. These key themes are set out below.

Brand firstThe business is led by the brand, with decisions taken in its best long-term interests.Famous for productBurberry is committed to the creation of authentic and distinctive products and continuous innovation in design and manufacturing.

Customer-centricThe customer is central to the Company’s activities. Burberry aims to be sector-leading in understanding, engaging and serving its customers, both online and offline.Productive and responsibleMore productive and efficient ways of working are a priority across the organisation, together with ensuring a culture of responsibility.

2014

September – My Burberry fragrance launches and the brand's iconic history is celebrated through The Heritage Trench Coat.

May – Christopher Bailey is appointed Chief Creative and Chief Executive Officer.

2013

December – The Burberry Beauty Box opens in London.

June – The Prorsum Menswear Spring/Summer 2014 show returns to London from Milan, showing as part of London Collections: Men.

2012

October – Burberry commences direct operation of its fragrance and beauty business. Beauty becomes Burberry’s fifth product division alongside mens, womens, childrens and accessories.

September – Opening of 121 Regent Street, London, Burberry’s most digitally-advanced brand experience, bringing every aspect of Burberry World (burberry.com) to life in a physical environment for the first time.

2011

March – Burberry forms a joint venture in Saudi Arabia with Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair & Co, transferring five stores from franchise operation.

January – Burberry.com launched. It is now available in 44 countries, in 11 different languages and is optimised for iPad, iPhone and other mobile devices.

2010

September – Burberry acquires its Chinese retail operations.

June – Burberry is the first luxury brand to join the Ethical Trading Initiative.

June – Launched in-store technology at Burberry’s flagship locations, providing interactive shopping experiences comprising digital touch screens, radio frequency identification technology (RFID) and plasma tile video walls with full audio and video control using iPad wireless technology.

June – Launch of Burberry Acoustic, an ongoing collaboration with emerging British music talent across multiple Burberry digital platforms.

January – Burberry forms a joint venture in India with Genesis Colors.

2009

November – Christopher Bailey is appointed Chief Creative Officer having previously held the position of Design Director since 2001.

November – Launch of ArtoftheTrench.com, a social media website celebrating the iconic trench coat and the people who wear it!

September – The Prorsum Womenswear Spring/Summer 2010 runway show relocates to London from Milan, marking the 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week. The show is live-streamed allowing consumers globally to share the full experience of a Burberry fashion show for the first time.

2008

November – Burberry forms a joint venture in Japan for non-apparel with its long-standing licensing partners, Sanyo Shokai and Mitsui & Co.

November – Burberry forms a joint venture to establish Burberry Middle East (BME) headquartered in Dubai.

March – The Burberry Foundation is launched, a philanthropic organisation dedicated to helping young people realise their dreams and potential through the power of their creativity. 1% of group profit before tax is donated to charitable causes, the majority to the Burberry Foundation.

2006

July – Angela Ahrendts joins Burberry as Chief Executive Officer.

2005

December – Burberry completes its demerger from GUS plc, the company’s former majority shareholder.

2004

Burberry launches its first transactional website in the United States. This was followed by the launch of a UK website in 2006.

2002

July – Burberry is listed on the London Stock Exchange following an initial public offering.

Burberry buys its business in Asia from third party distributors.

2001

Christopher Bailey is appointed Design Director.

2000

Burberry opens its first store on Bond Street, London, reflecting the brand's status as an iconic, global luxury brand.

Burberry buys its former licensee in Spain, Burberry (Spain) S.A. for the Spanish market.

1999

Mario Testino shoots the first advertising campaign for Burberry, featuring British model Kate Moss and marking the beginning of a long-standing relationship with the brand.

1998

Roberto Menichetti is appointed Creative Director to establish the Prorsum line and held the post for three years.

1997

Rose Marie Bravo is appointed Chief Executive Officer.

1990

Burberry is granted a Royal Warrant by HRH The Prince of Wales as an Outfitter.

1978

The Burberry advertising campaign for 1978 was shot on a beach by Lord Lichfield.

1970

Burberry enters a licensing agreement with Mitsui to manufacture licensed product for the Japanese market with Sanyo Shokai.

1964

Burberry were the official outerwear supplier for the British women’s Olympic team who participated in the Tokyo Olympics.

1955

HM Queen Elizabeth II grants Burberry a Royal Warrant as a Weatherproofer.

Burberry was acquired by UK retailing group Great Universal Stores (GUS).

1940's

During the Second World War, Burberry supplied the British Army with a range of military apparel and accessories, including the trench coat. Burberry also catered for various other divisions of the British Armed Forces, including the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal Navy, the Royal Pioneer Corps, the Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU), and the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) - including the women’s division.

Despite the austere conditions posed by war, Burberry continued to make civilian clothing during the 1940's including weatherproofs, overcoats and suits for both men and women. The brand adapted their product category to war time to include women’s siren suits, which were designed to be worn in an air-raid.

1937

Burberry sponsored a record breaking flight from Croydon to Cape Town in an aeroplane called The Burberry. Both aviators Flying Officer Arthur Clouston and Betty Kirby Green wore Burberry.

1920's

The Burberry check, now registered as a trademark, was introduced as a lining to the trench coat.

1920

Burberry became a publicly quoted company for the first time.

1919

HM King George V officially appointed Burberry a Royal Warrant as Tailors.

Captain John Alcock and Lieutenant Arthur Whitten Brown wore Burberry aviator suits to pilot their plane in an exposed cockpit, and complete the first non-stop transatlantic flight in 72 hours. Photo courtesy of Vickers.

1914-1918

During the First World War, Burberry adapted its weatherproof coats to meet the needs of officers on the front, adding epaulettes and D-rings, and so the 'trench coat' was born.

1914-1917

British Explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton wears Burberry gabardine for an expedition to Antarctica.

1913

Burberry moves to a larger London premises in Haymarket, designed by the Architect Walter Cave.

1912

British Explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole wearing Burberry clothing and equipped with a Burberry tent. Tragically he and his team died on the return journey.

The Tielocken coat is patented. The predecessor to the trench coat, it proves popular among officers during WWI. The coat closes with a single strap and buckle fastening and only features a button at the collar.

1911

Norwegian Explorer Roald Amundsen and his team became the first people to reach the South Pole with a Burberry gabardine tent and clothing.

1910

Celebrated aviator Claude Grahame-White wears Burberry gabardine. He is the first person to fly between London and Manchester in less than 24 hours.

1909

Opening of the Burberry store in Paris at 8 Boulevard Malesherbes.

Circa 1901

The Equestrian Knight logo appears for the first time accompanied by the Latin word ‘Prorsum’ meaning ‘forwards’.

1897

Explorer Major F.G. Jackson, famed for mapping parts of the Arctic Circle, wears Burberry gabardine when undertaking an expedition to Franz Josef Land.

1891

The company moves into its first London store at 30 Haymarket.

1888

Burberry patented gabardine.

1879

Thomas Burberry invents gabardine - the breathable, weatherproof and hardwearing fabric.

1856

The brand is founded by 21-year old Thomas Burberry.