Richemont

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Compagnie Financière Richemont SA
Type Public
Traded as SIXCFR, JSE: CFR[1]
Industry Management
Predecessor(s) Rembrandt Group Limited[2]
Founded Geneva, Switzerland (1988 (1988))[3]
Founder(s) Johann Rupert[3]
Headquarters Bellevue, Switzerland[4]
Area served Worldwide
Key people Johann Rupert, Executive Chairman and CEO[5]
Services
  • Management
  • Logistics
Revenue
  • Increase 8.867 billion (2012)
  • €6.892 billion (2011)
[6]
Operating income
  • Increase €2.040 billion (2012)
  • €1.355 billion (2011)
[6]
Profit
  • Increase €1.540 billion (2012)
  • €1.079 billion (2011)
[6]
Total assets
  • Increase €11.753 billion (2012)
  • €9.693 billion (2011)
[7]
Total equity
  • Increase €8.618 billion (2012)
  • €6.992 billion (2011)
[7]
Owner(s)
  • Compagnie Financière Rupert (9.1%)[4]
  • Public Investment Corporation Limited, South Africa (3.13%)
[8]
Employees
  • Increase 24,609 (2012)
  • 21,387 (2011)
[9]
Divisions
  • Jewellery Maisons
  • Specialist Watchmakers
  • Montblanc Maison
  • Other Businesses
[10]
Subsidiaries See article section
Website richemont.com

Compagnie Financière Richemont SA is a Switzerland-based luxury goods holding company founded in 1988 by South African businessman Johann Rupert. Through its various subsidiaries, Richemont designs, manufactures, distributes and sells premium jewelery, watches, leather goods, writing instruments, clothing and accessories. Richemont is a publicly traded company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and on the JSE Securities Exchange.

As of November 2012 Compagnie Financière Richemont SA is the sixth largest corporation by market capitalization in the Swiss Market Index. As of 2009, Richemont is the third-largest luxury goods company in the world.

Contents

History [edit]

Johan Rupert founded Compagnie Financière Richemont SA in 1988 when he spun out the international assets of Rembrandt Group Ltd. (now Remgro Limited), a South Africa-based company founded in the 1940s by his father, Dr. Anton Rupert.[11][12] The luxury good investments of Rembrandt Group combined with Rothmans International formed the initial group of Richemont subsidiaires.[2][3][13]

In March 2007, Richemont and Polo Ralph Lauren Inc. announced the formation of a 50/50 joint venture, the Polo Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelery Company SÀRL.[14]

As of November 2012 Compagnie Financière Richemont SA is the sixth largest corporation by market capitalization in the Swiss Market Index.[15] As of 2009, Richemont is the third-largest luxury goods company in the world, but, losing this position to PPR in 2010 trailing market leader LVMH Moët Hennessy - Louis Vuitton SA.[16]

Organization [edit]

Compagnie Financière Richemont SA organizes its business activities into four operating divisions: Jewellery Maisons, Specialist Watchmakers, Montblanc Maison and Other Businesses.[17] Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels constitute the Jewellery Maisons. The Specialist Watchmakers group is composed of A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, IWC, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Officine Panerai, Piaget, Roger DuBuis, Vacheron Constantin and the Ralph Lauren Watch & Jewelery Co. Montblanc is the sole member of the Montblanc Maison. The Other Businesses division includes Alfred Dunhill, Alaïa, Chloé, Lancel, The Net-A-Porter Group, James Purdey & Sons and Shanghai Tang.[18]

Ownership and control [edit]

The largest significant shareholder of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA is Compagnie Financière Rupert, a Swiss company that hold shares controlled and principally owned by Johann Rupert. Compagnie Financière Rupert owns 522,000,000 Class "B" shares of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA, representing 9.1% of the equity and 50% of the voting rights. Johann Rupert and Compagnie Financière Rupert also hold 2,836,664 class "A" shares or "A" share equivalents as of the end of March 2012.[4]

Investments [edit]

Subsidiaries [edit]

The following companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Compagnie Financière Richemont SA unless otherwise noted.[19]

Joint ventures [edit]

  • Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Company SÀRL (50%) — watches, jewelery; based in Geneva, Switzerland[19]

Former investments [edit]

Richemont acquired British clothing retailer Hackett Limited in 1992.[20] After the acquisition, Hackett Limited became a wholly owned subsidiary of Richemont. On 2 June 2005, Richemont announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell Hackett Limited to Spanish investment company Torreal S.C.R., S.A.[21][22]

Richemont and Mimi So formed a joint venture in 2004, executing a plan to launch the American jewelry designer's boutiques in New York, Tokyo and Beverly Hills CA.[23][24] In 2007, Richemont requested to become the majority partner. So declined and purchased Richemont's stake in the venture. Mimi So was Richemont's first interest in an American brand or living designer.[25]

Due to changes in the tax laws of Luxemborg, Richemont decided to spin-off all of its non-luxury goods businesses, principally Richemont's stake in British American Tobacco, into a newly formed, separately traded holding company, Reinet Investments S.C.A.[2][26][27]

Notes [edit]

References [edit]

External links [edit]