Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine May'17 | Page 40

RETAILER CURRENT HAVE YOUR SAY BREAKING NEWS Tell us your news by emailing at [email protected] To read the latest sustainability news, go to http://news.apparelresources.com/sustainability-news/  Hudson's Bay appoints new CEO for Europe Louis Vuitton faces labourers' protest over wages Hudson’s Bay Company has announced the appointment of Wolfgang Link as Chief Executive Officer of HBC Europe, effective from May 2017. He will lead the company’s expansion and growth strategy for the European business including Galeria Kaufhof, Galeria Inno, and the entrance of Hudson’s Bay and Saks OFF 5TH. Reporting to HBC’s Chief Executive Officer, Jerry Storch, Dr. Link will oversee the European management team. Commenting on his appointment Jerry Storch, CEO stated: “We are pleased to welcome Wolfgang to the HBC family during this new phase of development for our European A group of leather workers, upset over Louis Vuitton management’s failure to meet wage expectations, reportedly staged protest recently at the French fashion house. The hour-long walkout started with employees gathering in front of their various production facilities across France at 7:30 AM. Later they were invited for talks. This is the second labour protest at Vuitton in a span of 15 years. The company had reportedly offered a gross raise of ¤30 a month or about US $ 31.95 for every employee which is far lower than the ¤55 that workers requested through unions’ representatives. Company Managers had also offered raise of an additional ¤10 to ¤20 a month for 80 per cent of workers, but that too didn’t go well. Louis Vuitton has 18 leather workshops, 12 of which are in France. The house employs 4,500 people, including 2,000 in French workshops, according to the unions. Global Fashion Group's revenue zooms business, as we prepare to launch two new banners in the region. Wolfgang is an accomplished leader with a proven track record in the retail sector in Germany and throughout Europe. His experience in both digital and traditional channels and profound knowledge of the European market were keys in selecting him for this role, and will help foster the expansion and success of HBC Europe, including our significant investment in Germany.” The fashion retailer has also decided to invest around US $ 425 million in Europe with an aim to increase its sales there. It is planning to increase its sales in the region by 20 per cent over the next two years. Global Fashion Group (GFG), the leading online fashion destination for emerging markets, has reported strong results for the Financial Year 2016. GFG delivered net merchandise value (NMV) in excess of ¤1 billion, representing growth of 30.3 per cent on a constant currency and pro-forma basis. Total net revenue of the Group for 2016 exceeded ¤1 billion, up 26.4 per cent on a constant currency pro-forma basis despite continued macroeconomic challenges in several regions and associated increased pricing pressure. 2016 also saw the implementation of 40 Apparel Online Bangladesh | MAY 2017 | www.apparelresources.com several regionally led initiatives, including for example brand recruitment across all regional companies, warehouse automation and capacity increase at Lamoda and Dafiti, optimisation of the last mile delivery infrastructure with Lamoda Express, IT investment and integration of Kanui and Tricae IT into Dafiti, fixed cost rationalisation with the setup of a Malaysian shared service centre for all of Zalora. These developments helped enhance GFG’s efficiency and improve its services to both partner brands and consumers.