The luxury-goods maker, best known for its tartan-plaid trench coats, will rejoin the FTSE 100 Index later this month, index compiler FTSE Russell said Wednesday.
The promotion marks another chapter in a revival being led by Chief Executive Officer Joshua Schulman, who took the helm in mid-2024 when the London-based firm was struggling to return to its former glories.
Burberry lost its place in the FTSE 100 shortly after Schulman joined, but a rally of more than 70% under his stewardship has boosted the firm’s market value to about £4.6 billion ($6.2 billion), taking it back into the blue-chip gauge. The CEO is successfully refocusing the label on its British roots and better promoting its flagship outerwear products, helping it resist a wider downturn in demand for luxury goods.
“The return to the FTSE 100 will be an acknowledgment of the recovery being seen in brand heat and demand driven by the new strategic direction,” said Adam Cochrane, an analyst at Deutsche Bank AG.
Inclusion in the FTSE 100 has the potential to spur further demand for the shares from funds that track the index.
“Being part of the index broadens the company’s access to investors, specifically passive ones, which would support share price post-entry as investors rebalance their portfolios,” said Jelena Sokolova, an analyst at Morningstar Inc.
Burberry is one of two companies joining the benchmark in FTSE Russell’s latest quarterly review, the other being Metlen Energy and Metals Plc. They replace student accommodation provider Unite Group Plc and homebuilder Taylor Wimpey Plc.
Metlen, whose business includes renewable energy, natural gas trading and aluminum production, joins the gauge only a month after listing its shares in London and moving its primary listing from Athens. Its inclusion had been flagged in an indicative index review last week.
Taylor Wimpey exits the benchmark after a 22% year-to-date drop in its shares reduced the firm’s market value to about £3.4 billion. Unite Group leaves after a drop in its shares in the final minutes of Tuesday’s trading session pushed its market value fractionally below that of another FTSE 100 homebuilder, Persimmon Plc.
Taylor Wimpey and Unite are among seven stocks slated to be added to the FTSE 250 index of UK midcap stocks, according to FTSE Russell’s review. Others include Johnson Service Group Plc and Oxford Biomedica Plc. Those being deleted from the FTSE 250 include Asos Plc, Auction Technology Group Plc and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Monica Vinader has chosen English singer/songwriter Sienna Spiro as the face of the aspirational, ambitious premium jewellery brand.
Sienna Spiro
The “meaningful collaboration” links the jewellery brand “known for its design integrity and exceptional quality” to “one of music’s most compelling emerging voices… with her lyrics rooted in feeling and intention, qualities that closely align with Monica Vinader’s approach to design”, we’re told.
Throughout the campaign, Spiro wears the new Infinity collections as well as Monica Vinader pieces engraved with lyrics from her song ‘You Stole the Show’.
The engravings spotlight the brand’s personalisation services, “transforming jewellery into objects of meaning, from song lyrics and private messages to personal mantras”, the retailer said.
The brand, which has several stores in London, plus stores at Liverpool One, in Manchester and Edinburgh, appointed a new CEO in November. Sebastian Picardo now heads the previously family-run brand founded by siblings Monica (artistic director) and Gabriela (non-exec director) in 2008.
At the time of his appointment, the sisters said Picardo is “perfectly placed to guide our next phase of growth” and will work to accelerate the business’s global reach, “scaling innovation, inspiring existing and new audiences, and setting new standards for modern luxury jewellery”.
Scottish gymwear brand Dfyne has opening a 21,623 sq ft headquarters in Glasgow that “marks a major milestone in the company’s growth just four years after launch”, it said.
Dfyne
Designed in collaboration with workplace designer/builder Oktra, the new HQ provides a permanent base for Dfyne’s growing team and “reflects the brand’s ambition, identity, and people-first values.. as the business continues to grow”.
The opening marks ‘phase one’ of the project, with further phases planned to extend the workspace and complete the ground floor fit-out, it said.
The workplace is organised around a series of “clearly defined zones, balancing focused workspaces with informal collaboration areas and spaces to showcase Dfyne products”.
“Cultural storytelling” is also embedded within the design. Brown leather seating in the new meeting booths references a brown leather sofa from Dfyne’s original headquarters – a piece closely associated with the brand’s early days and formative moments.
“This detail symbolises [our] journey from a small founding team to a fast-growing international brand, while maintaining a strong connection to its roots”, it said.
CEO Oscar Ryndziewicz added: “In only four years, and thanks to our incredible community, we’ve grown to such a level that we can create a new, tailor-made space for our team that embodies our brand values. With the creation of unique workspaces, our new HQ is purposefully designed to enable everyone who supported the company’s growth to spark connections and inspire innovation.”
Puma is continuing its fruitful fashion-meets-sport collab with UK streetwear brand Represent, this time “rewriting the playbook of basketball-inspired staples”.
Puma x Represent
Fusing “Heritage Hoops Energy with Modern Streetwear”, it brings the two brands neatly together with a campaign fronted by German NBA star Dennis Schröder who “embodies the collection’s balanced fusion of court performance and off-court style”.
The “simple yet elevated collection” spans footwear and apparel that’s “highlighted by expressive and detailed cut-and-sew designs”, as well as a fresh interpretation of Puma’s All-Pro Nitro 2 sneaker.
Its “court-ready” Jersey and Shorts debut comes with a newly designed Puma x Represent graphic, featuring mesh construction and contrasting trim “that nods to retro game-day uniforms”.
The range is, of course, accompanied by “courtside essentials” including a Graphic T-Shirt and Hoodie, “pieces that bring bold visual detailing to the championship collaboration”.
A Coach Jacket and accompanying Pants also “comprise comfortable warm-up layers with everyday wearability”.
For footwear, Puma x Represent presents a re-envision All-Pro Nitro 2, a performance design underpinned by “explosive Nitro cushioning and a lightweight Ultraweave upper”. The black and white two-tone colourway is punctuated by subtle logo hits on the heel and tongue.
Complementing one of Puma’s “most modern examples of basketball performance technology”, the collection brings “a touch of ‘80s flair with the low-top Majesty”.