The new owner of Le Coq Sportif is known. The brand, owned since 2005 by Marc-Henri Beausire’s Swiss group Airesis, is now the property of the consortium led by the Franco-Swiss Dan Mamane.
Le Coq Sportif
The Paris Business Court ruled in favor of the proposal put forward by the entrepreneur who made his fortune in technology equipment and recently turned around the business of Conforama Switzerland. At the end of an extensive competition for a project of this size, the project won out over that put forward by the consortium led by the turnaround company Neopar and backed by Iconix, Xavier Niel, and Teddy Riner, and which also included Marc-Henri Beausire in its ranks.
The sports brand, founded in 1882 by the Camuset family and which has garment workshops in the Aube region, was the French Olympic and Paralympic team’s outfitter for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and will also be outfitting French athletes for the next Winter Olympics.
Confronted with major financial difficulties, despite several state-guaranteed loans in recent years, the company, which posted sales of 82 million euros, up 30% in the first half of 2024, and a net loss of 18 million euros, was placed in receivership last November.
Major partners
Dan Mamane is not, of course, alone in building the project selected by the Paris court. He is backed by the Mirabaud Patrimoine Vivant investment fund, which in the past took a minority stake in Le Coq Sportif under the aegis of former French Minister of the Economy Renaud Dutreil.
The brand will be entrusted to Alexandre Fauvet, a former Lacoste executive who was recently CEO and minority shareholder of premium alpine brand Fusalp. In a press release, the consortium also stated that the “project includes the support of the Japanese group Itochu, owner of the brand in Asia, as well as that of Udi Avshalom, a world-renowned sneaker expert and former COO of Adidas, who will take on the position of Global Brand Strategic Advisor.”
A large-scale partnership, but for what project? “The plan validated by the court aims to reposition Le Coq Sportif as a benchmark international brand in high-end sports and lifestyle. The ambition is to achieve sales of 300 million euros in 2030 (compared with 122 in 2023) and “a return to sustained profitability.”
To achieve this, the brand will “develop its offer, with a new segmentation around four universes: sportstyle, sport heritage, lifestyle chic and technical performance. Distribution will be rebalanced between the selective network, e-commerce, marketplaces, and affiliated stores. Internationally, the ambition is clear: to triple the share of sales outside France by 2027.”
“After some difficult years, Le Coq Sportif needs to regain its influence and desirability, and that’s what our project is all about. It is based on strong convictions and the assets of this emblematic brand: a French brand, unique textile know-how, a precious territorial anchorage, and immense potential for reconquest,” explained Mamane in the consortium’s press release.
“We will give back to Le Coq Sportif the means to innovate, to seduce world markets again and to assert itself as a reference of French style and sport.”
As rumors have suggested in recent weeks, the French industrial aspect seems to have weighed heavily. The buyer explains that the historic workshops in Romilly-sur-Seine, a few kilometers from Troyes, will play an important role in the strategy, which aims to bring together creative, industrial and strategic functions, whereas the company previously had major offices in the heart of Paris. The Romilly-sur-Seine site will become a true reference center for textile innovation, high-end production, and the circular economy. It will also house a research and development center, enabling the integration of the most advanced technologies in terms of design, materials, and responsible production.”
All the expertise of the new CEO, Fauvet, will be needed to deploy this approach to the product, at a time when the brand has been confronted with delicate seasons in terms of sales to both French and international multi-brand customers.
This article is an automatic translation. Click here to read the original article.
Rebag’s Clair report, which studies the value retention of bags on the resale firm’s platform, said Hermès has reclaimed the top position in 2025, reaching an average 138% value retention—a 38% year-over-year increase.
Rebag
The New York-based Rebag’s report also said that a ten-year analysis of Birkin data shows resale values have surged 92% since 2015, outpacing Hermès’ own retail price growth of 43%.
Behind Hermès, Goyard logged 132% retention in 2025, up 28% from 2024; The Row recorded 97% value retention, while Miu Miu climbed to 104% average retention, according to the report.
In fine jewellery, Van Cleef & Arpels extended its lead, with 112% retention led by the Sweet Alhambra collection, while in the watches category, Rolex remained steady at 104%, with standout models like the Submariner Hulk reaching 244% of their original retail price. Comparatively, Cartier witnessed 87% retention.
Louis Vuitton x Takashi Murakami‘s return boosted search demand and pushed top styles above 130% resale value, the report added, while renewed interest in Balenciaga‘s Le City, Celine‘s Phantom, and Chloé‘s Paddington saw an increased demand for early-2000s bags.
Rebag’s 2025 Clair Report, which analyses millions of data points across the primary and secondary markets to reveal the brands, styles, and investment opportunities shaping the luxury landscape, said that global tariff shifts and changing consumer behaviours have made 2025 a “defining year for luxury resale.”
“Higher primary prices pushed more consumers to the secondary market, reaffirming its stability. The 2025 Clair Report highlights the brands demonstrating lasting long-term value,” said Charles Gorra, CEO and founder of Rebag.
In June, Rebag reported its launch on Luxury Stores at Amazon, bringing its pre-loved designer handbags, jewelry, watches, and more to the platform.
Lululemon Athletica’s CEO shake-up has put the spotlight on the once-dominant yoga pants maker’s race to wrest back younger and affluent shoppers from rivals and revive its sagging U.S. business.
Calvin McDonald – Reuters
Its shares, which have halved in value this year, rose 10% on Friday following the departure of CEO Calvin McDonald after about seven years in the role.
An athleisure pioneer known for its premium yoga apparel, Lululemon lost ground as newer rivals such as Alo Yoga and Vuori weaned away its core younger shoppers with trendier styles, marketing campaigns and celebrity partnerships.
Meanwhile, established players like Nike and Gap also entered the market with lower-priced styles.
Lululemon “caught the perfect wave in fashion, becoming the trend for the last five years,” said Brian Mulberry, senior client portfolio manager at Zacks Investment Management.
“But as its core customers graduate college and face tighter budgets, affordability is a challenge and a new outfit at Lulu can cost as much as a month’s groceries.”
Lululemon sells a range of yoga, running and training apparel such as Align yoga pants priced at $108 and men’s joggers at $128.
The slow refresh to core styles and product missteps, such as its decision to pull its $98 “Breezethrough” leggings from shelves last year, have led to heavy discounting to clear aged inventory.
At an earnings call late on Thursday, company executives said the board is “focused on a leader with experience and growth and transformation”.
“It’s understandable to think that a strategic overhaul with a new leader at the helm will be a positive, but this opens the door to more questions as to what direction the board will go with a replacement,” said Jay Woods, chief market strategist at Freedom Capital Markets.
Lululemon is the latest global consumer company facing leadership churn as macroeconomic uncertainty fuels increasingly divergent spending patterns.
Lululemon is making efforts to speed up product development, launch fresh styles and drive company-wide efficiencies to offset cost inflation and protect margins.
The company beat third-quarter results, lifted by strong China sales, but issued a weaker-than-expected holiday forecast as higher promotions and increased spending on marketing weigh on margins.
Founder Chip Wilson, who is also Lululemon’s largest independent shareholder, in a statement on Friday slammed the board for “poor succession planning” and value erosion.
He called for an urgent CEO search led by new, independent directors with deep company knowledge to restore a product-first focus. Lululemon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Wilson’s statement.
The company’s forward price-to-earnings multiple, a common benchmark for valuing stocks, is 14.66, compared to 31.26 for Nike and Abercrombie & Fitch‘s ratio of 10.8, according to LSEG data.
“The main challenge I foresee for the new leadership is not how consumers see Lulu, but how does it see itself?” said Mulberry.
Ferragamo appoints Alberto Tomba as a brand ambassador. The collaboration with the Italian skiing legend celebrates values shared by the Florentine fashion house: dedication, perseverance, resilience and attention to detail.
Alberto Tomba
Born in 1966, Tomba is the quintessential emblem of an Italy that invests in talent, commitment and the ability to push beyond one’s limits. His career is marked by major international successes, including three Olympic gold medals and two silver medals, two World Championship gold medals and two bronze medals, and 50 World Cup victories.
The Bologna-born skier is also the only athlete to have won races in 11 consecutive seasons (1987-1998) and to have claimed four World Cup discipline titles in giant slalom and four in slalom.
“Tomba’s sporting journey perfectly reflects Ferragamo’s philosophy: every achievement comes from sacrifice, every result from dedication. We share with him a deep sense of authenticity and a love of excellence, values that continue to inspire our daily work,” said Leonardo Ferragamo.
“Being chosen by Ferragamo is an honour,” Tomba commented. “I have always believed that sport and style share a common language: that of passion, rigour and the desire to improve every day. Representing a brand that embodies all this, and that brings Italian beauty and craftsmanship to the world, is a source of great pride.”
This article is an automatic translation. Click here to read the original article.
Politics8 years ago