Earlier this year the French luxury group Pinault-Printemps-Redoute changed its name to Kering. In doing so, it took big step – it shed the family name. The decision to do so was taken by the chairman and CEO, Francois-Henri Pinault, who is the son of the business’s founder (the Printemps and Redoute are from various takeovers). Pinault cited perfectly sound business reasons for the rebranding – chief among them that only 5% of the group’s sales now come from France. Nonetheless, this is a Rubicon many family businesses would struggle to cross.
