More than 150 years ago, Thomas Burberry invented gabardine. It was the gabardine that formed the basis of the Burberry brand. Since Burberry established in 1856, it has expanded its line of only coats to innovative men`s wear, women`s wear, and accessories such as bags and scarves, to include beauty and fragrance lines as well. The headquarters of The Burberry Foundation located in London, UK. The American Burberry headquarters was opened at Madison Avenue in New York City in 2009.
Burberry has a worldwide presence. It’s stores located in the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and in all the other central countries. The number of sites where the Burberry stores can be found has increased to 473 locations. Burberry stores employ more than 10,001 people. Burberry ranked 8th among the ten most luxurious Billion Dollar Brands of 2013, with an estimated brand value of $4.34 billion. Recently, Burberry underwent a seven- year transformation. It has grown from an underperforming label to one of the most beloved and valuable luxury brands. In that time, it has tripled its sales in five years.
Thomas Burberry was a 21-year-old dressmaker when, in 1856, he founded his brand. It took 35 years for his company to grow big enough to move to its first London store, 30 Haymarket. His coats have been worn by explorer Major F.G. Jackson, aviator Claude Grahame-White, Roald Amundsen and others. Today in Burberry`s ad campaigns, leading models and actors wearing the clothes include Kate Moss, George Craig, Emma Watson, 10-year-old Romeo Beckham, and British models like Edie Campbell, Cara Delevingne, and Max Rendell.
Burberry controlled by a group whose business model is based primarily on a central design, supply chain, and distribution operation. This structure allows providing products to global markets via retail and wholesale channels. The internal control framework includes axial direction, resource allocation, oversight and risk management of the core activities of marketing, inventory management, brand and technology development. The internal control also provides central support about legal, brand protection, human resources, information systems, and financial practice.
Today, Burberry owns the following brands: Burberry Prorsum, Burberry London, Burberry Brit, Burberry Brit Rhythm, The Burberry Beauty Box, and Burberry Gift Box.
