Burberry to launch 3 new biz units to enhance product focus

British fashion brand Burberry will be creating three new business units, namely ready-to-wear, accessories and shoes. According to a press release, it will also pool expertise within the business units to enhance its product focus. It is added that this is in line with Burberry's next phase of business strategy as it evolves its approach to its products. Marketing has reached out for additional information regarding the impact in its operations in Southeast Asia.

Marco Gobbetti, CEO, Burberry, said the changes it intends to make will ensure Burberry has "the right structures in place" as it enters the next phase of its strategy. "Embedding product specialisation will enable us to elevate quality and increase our agility, further supporting the momentum we have built across our brand and product and setting us up for future success as markets begin to recover," he added.

Burberry's new ready-to-wear business unit will be headed by Adrian Ward-Rees, who was appointed SVP, head of ready-to-wear at Burberry. Ward-Rees was previously at Christian Dior where he served as senior vice president and managing director of Dior Homme for the past four years. Starting his new role on 20 July, Ward-Rees will be based in London and joining Burberry's executive committee as well. He will report to Gobbetti.

Earlier this year in January, Burberry launched a new online game called Ratberry, as part of its 2020 Lunar New Year campaign. The game built on the success of Burberry's first online game "B Bounce", that rolled out in October 2019.

According to Burberry, "Ratberry" is the central character in a world inspired by the limited-edition Thomas Burberry Monogram motif in honour of the Year of the Rat this year. The luxury brand saw a growing appetite for gaming among younger consumers, particularly in China. As such, Ratberry aims to connect with the Burberry community online.

To drive traction to its game, Burberry has also released Lunar New Year stickers on WeChat, featuring Ratberry and products from the dedicated Luna New Year capsule collection.

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