Nice : a new CEO for Façonnable

The coming of Pierre Guérin at the head of Façonnable marks a new step for this company created in 1950 in Nice and which has become, with a turnover of 1.85 billion francs in 2000, one of the leaders of sophisticated sportswear. The 'family' management provided by the founders, Jean-Pierre Benaym and Arthur Goldberg, is substituted by a more 'professional' management. Pierre Guérin, 48, graduated from the Institute of Political Studies of Paris and from the I.S.A. (HEC group) has made his whole career in the luxury industry, in the selective distribution and in individual equipment goods. He has had positions of responsibility in prestigious firms such as Cartier, l'AMY, LVHM, Pierre Balmain.This nomination is the result of the takeover of Façonnable in September 2000 by the American group of department stores Nordstorm. The new CEO, who will be located at the Façonnable offices in Nice, will have to develop the brand in Europe (increase of the number of stores and of customers in portfolio). Jean-Pierre Benaym remains a member of the board of directors of Nordstorm, while Arthur Goldberg, the stylist and the creator of the brand, will keep on designing his collections in Nice.