Gucci’s Renaissance: Kering CEO Luca de Meo Unveils Strategies to Revive Brand

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Luisa Zargani

Thu, April 16, 2026 astatine 12:48 PM CDT 12 min read

FLORENCE — “Gucci is not vanilla crystal cream. It’s spicy, sometimes bitter, sometimes ace sweet.”

This was conscionable 1 of the nonstop and pithy remarks Kering main enforcement serviceman Luca de Meo made arsenic helium outlined plans for the brand, which contributes up to 40 percent of the French group’s sales.

Given the value of Gucci for the group, de Meo did not clasp backmost from commenting astatine magnitude connected the marque during his three-and-a-half hr code astatine Kering’s Capital Markets Day successful Florence connected Thursday.

“As an Italian, it’s precise casual for maine to recognize that Gucci is much than a brand. It’s 1 of the astir admired expressions of the civilization of this country. If you inquire ChatGPT what are the astir fashionable Italian brands, it volition archer you Ferrari, Gucci and Nutella — conscionable try.”

This offers some challenges and opportunities and de Meo — who touted the value of exertion respective times during his remarks — relied connected Kering’s information stating that Gucci “is the most well-known luxury marque successful the world, and consciousness is thing you physique with wealth and with time. There are 2 things you cannot compress. Everybody knows Gucci. That’s a immense competitory advantage. We bash not request to put to beryllium known.”

He besides claimed that “Gucci remains successful the apical 5 successful desirability worldwide, down from fig 1 a fewer years ago. That is the spot we privation to reclaim. Awareness is astir wealth and time. Desirability is astir doing the close things, but we indispensable admit with humility that implicit the past years, we person not ever done the close things and our originative absorption lacked stableness and clarity, and our connection became excessively uneven. We sometimes diluted our individuality by trying to beryllium everything for everyone.”

After 7 months of “brutal review,” helium laid retired his conclusions to investors, analysts and the property astatine Stazione Leopolda. While conceding the conditions to reboot Gucci had been created, the “brand should not transportation the weight” of Kering’s turnaround, remaining 1 of the group’s priorities.

As reported, Gucci revenues fell 14.3 percent successful the first quarter to 1.35 cardinal euros, oregon 8 percent successful integrated terms. The Italian manner house, present led by erstwhile Balenciaga originative manager Demna, registered a 7 percent betterment successful North America, which could not compensate for enduring weakness successful Western Europe and China.

“Gucci has mislaid immoderate of its radiance but we’ve acted decisively and we’ve seen a sequential betterment by the quarter. The betterment is existent due to the fact that it’s structured,” claimed de Meo.

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