Escada reorganises European management

By

Bruno Joly

Published
Jan 7, 2013

Following a European restructure, Escada has confirmed that it will be bringing the management of its British, French and Italian subsidiaries to its office in Munich. The German brand has been under the ownership of Megha Mittal, daughter-in-law to Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, since 2009. Denise Shepard, Managing Director of Escada UK, has left her position at the company and will not be replaced. Her French counterpart, Nathalie Banessy has also left after 4 years in the post.

The brand’s showroom in London and Paris will remain open and operational. “Our structure comprises of a main European division that covers the German, Austrian, English, French and Italian markets. Jacob Bjerregaard, Vice-President of Sales and Trade Marketing, will be overseeing development in these markets,” Alexandra Valtin, spokesperson for the brand told FashionMag.com.

The decision is not entirely surprising given that the group’s activity has halved in the past ten years, not forgetting the company filed for insolvency in 2009. Bruno Sälzer, CEO of Escada, in July said that the brand’s own stores accounted for 75% of sales. Many German brands are reverting to this circuit model of distribution in which managers report directly to division heads.