Revenue: US$15.25 billion

Country of Origin: France

Founded: 1963

Employees: 36,000

Kering is a French international conglomerate based in Paris which owns some of the world’s most iconic brands in fashion, footwear and accessories, shoes manufacturer including Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Volcom, and chief Adidas rival Puma. It is the world's third largest luxury goods company, ranking behind LVMH and Richemont.

The conglomerate was founded by François Pinault in 1963 and was known as Pinault S.A. until 1994. It went through other variations before ending up as Kering in 2013. Kering has been a constituent of the CAC 40 index since 1995 and has been headed by François-Henri Pinault, the founder’s son, since 2005.

Kering’s main athletic shoe brand, Puma, recently made a splash when its sneaker, Faas, was worn and endorsed by the fastest man in the world, Usain Bolt.

In 1963, François Pinault opened Établissements Pinault specializing in timber trading in Brittany (France) with loans from his family and bank. The company changed its name to Pinault SA and achieved organic growth through acquisitions. In 1988, Pinault SA was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

In 1989, Pinault SA purchased a 20% stake in CFAO, a French distribution group active in Africa. In 1990, Pinault SA and CFAO merged, and François Pinault became the head of the newly formed group. This accelerated its acquisitions in the retail sector: Conforama (French furniture retailer) in 1991, Printemps (French department store) in 1992, the company also owns 54% of La Redoute (French mail-order shopping retailer), and Fnac (French bookstore), multimedia and electronics retailer) in 1994. In order to cope with its new activities, the group changed its name to Pinault-Printemps-Redoute in 1994.

In 1999, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute acquired a 42% controlling stake in Gucci Group for USD 3 billion and Yves Saint Laurent 100%. These acquisitions mark the cornerstone of the group's transformation into luxury goods. After Gucci, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute acquired Boucheron (2000), Bottega Veneta (2001), Balenciaga (2001), and signed a strategic partnership with Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney. In 2004, Pinault-Printemps-Redoute reached 99.4% ownership of Gucci.