Esprit restructures its marketing division

By

Melanie Muller

Translated by
Susan Spies

Published
Jul 25, 2017

Back in April, Vincent Jeanniard already joined the Esprit fashion group as Head of Global Marketing. The 46-year-old executive is leading the fusion of the company’s brand and go-to-market marketing teams into one department. The move is intended to ramp up Esprit’s marketing efforts and make them more dynamic to be able to react more quickly to customer needs and a younger target group. The fusion is also part of the restructuring program Esprit has rolled out to fight its recent decline in sales.

“Vincent and the merged team will be responsible for the development and implementation of the marketing strategy and activities across all departments, markets and channels," the company said in a statement.
 
Vincent Jeanniard has held various positions in the global brand and marketing sector, especially executive roles in the beauty and fashion industry. Most recently Jeanniard was vice president of Burberry Beauty in London. Between 2006 and 2013, he worked as a general manager in the beauty industry for companies like Christian Dior in the UK and Ireland, L'Oréal Luxury Division in Brazil and Shu Uemura in Tokyo.

He will be assisted by Rob McIntosh, who will join the brand as Chief Brand Officer on 1 August 2017 and a member of the Executive Management Team (EMT) at Esprit. McIntosh has already worked in various creative positions for major brands such as Apple, J.Crew and BMW. Most recently, he was Head of Experience Design at AKQA London, an innovative creative agency. 

Rob McIntosh is to support Esprit in the "targeted rejuvenation of the brand and the image," to reach a new generation and target group of Esprit customers.
 
Esprit Holdings Ltd. currently operates 6,137 stores in 40 countries. Its recent sales posted a double-digit loss when adjusted for exchange rates, which management says will continue unchanged in the fourth quarter as well. Further changes under the restructuring plan include the closure of unprofitable stores, the reduction of advertising measures, price reductions and streamlining of operating costs. Esprit’s headquarters are located in Ratingen near Düsseldorf, Germany and in Hong Kong. The brand will be celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2018.