Burberry Finds Out What’s Inside the Luxury Pandora Box

Cousin Greg’s date and her “ludicrously capacious bag” might have unwittingly triggered Burberry’s downfall. While major luxury brands like LVMH and Kering have dropped ~21% and ~36%, respectively, over the past year, Burberry stands out like “a lunch pail” and has fallen 64% in the same time.
After yet another rocky quarterly performance, the British luxury brand slashed its dividend and fired CEO Jonathan Akeroyd — bringing in Joshua Shulman, the former CEO of Michael Kors, Coach, and Jimmy Choo, as the new leader.
High fashion, low demand: The luxury spending slowdown has affected the entire industry’s sales, but Burberry’s challenges are compounded by its heavy reliance on Chinese consumers, who have cut back on luxury spending amid economic troubles. The downturn has been so severe that CFO Kate Ferry has hinted at potential job cuts as the company seeks to lower costs.