Burberry warns 1,700 jobs at risk after annual loss
The troubled group is in the midst of a turnaround plan to help boost sales and cut costs as the global luxury sector struggles with weak consumer demand, notably from China.
A model presents a creation for Burberry's Spring/Summer 2025 fashion show collection, during the London Fashion Week in London, on 16 September 2024. Picture: AFP
LONDON - British luxury fashion label Burberry said Wednesday it could shed almost one-fifth of its global workforce over two years to reduce costs as it fell into an annual net loss.
The troubled group is in the midst of a turnaround plan to help boost sales and cut costs as the global luxury sector struggles with weak consumer demand, notably from China.
Net loss stood at £75 million ($99.8 million) in the 12 months to the end of March, compared to a profit of £270 million one year earlier, Burberry said in a statement.
Further cost-saving measures were announced on Wednesday, targeting an additional saving of £60 million by 2027, which would impact around 18 percent of its workforce, or 1,700 people.
Revenue also fell 17 percent to £2.46 billion.
"While we are operating against a difficult macroeconomic backdrop and are still in the early stages of our turnaround, I am more optimistic than ever that Burberry's best days are ahead," said chief executive Joshua Schulman.
Schulman was appointed CEO in July, replacing Jonathan Akeroyd, vowing to win back customers with a renewed focus on outerwear, including its famed trench coats.
The group also warned that the economic environment has become "more uncertain in light of geopolitical developments."