Who Owns Burberry?
Burberry is owned by Burberry Group plc, a publicly traded British luxury company listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker BRBY. Founded by Thomas Burberry in 1856, the company is headquartered in London and reported revenue of £2.42 billion for fiscal 2025/26. Joshua Schulman has served as chief executive officer since July 2024.
Parent Company
Founded
1856
Status
Publicly Traded
Headquarters
Who Owns Burberry?
- Parent Company: Burberry Group plc
- Ownership Type: Wholly owned
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock Ticker: London Stock Exchange: BRBY
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Burberry | Burberry Group plc | Wholly owned |
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History of Burberry
- Founded: 1856
- Founders: Thomas Burberry
Thomas Burberry founded the house in 1856 in Basingstoke, Hampshire, as an outdoor outfitter. His 1879 invention of gabardine, a breathable, water-resistant fabric, established the company's technical reputation and clothed explorers including Ernest Shackleton on Antarctic expeditions.
The trench coat emerged from First World War military commissions, with the check lining appearing in the 1920s. Through the mid-20th century Burberry built a British establishment identity, earning Royal Warrants and outfitting everyone from aviators to film stars.
The modern corporation took shape in the 1990s and 2000s. Rose Marie Bravo and then Angela Ahrendts repositioned Burberry as a global luxury brand, taking it public on the London Stock Exchange in 2002 after demerger from GUS plc. Creative directors Christopher Bailey and later Riccardo Tisci pushed the brand upmarket through the 2010s.
The 2020s brought volatility. Tisci's elevation strategy stalled, the pandemic hit Chinese luxury demand, and the brand cycled through creative and executive leadership. Daniel Lee replaced Tisci as chief creative officer in 2022, and Joshua Schulman replaced Jonathan Akeroyd as CEO in July 2024.
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Schulman's Burberry Forward strategy refocused on the house's provenance: outerwear and scarves delivered double-digit growth in the second half of fiscal 2025/26. For the 52 weeks ended March 28, 2026, revenue was £2.42 billion, down 2 percent reported but flat at constant exchange, with comparable sales returning to positive 2 percent growth. Adjusted operating profit jumped to £160 million from £26 million, and the company described the year as a meaningful inflection point.
About Burberry Group plc
Is Burberry publicly traded?
Yes. Burberry Group plc trades on the London Stock Exchange under ticker BRBY. It returned to the FTSE 100 index in September 2025.
Who owns Burberry?
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Burberry is an independent public company with shares held by institutional and public investors. No controlling shareholder exists, making it genuinely independent among major luxury brands.
When was Burberry founded?
Thomas Burberry founded the company in 1856 in Basingstoke, Hampshire. The business is 170 years old as of 2026.
Who is the CEO of Burberry?
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Joshua Schulman has served as chief executive officer since July 2024. Daniel Lee is chief creative officer and Gerry Murphy is chairman.
What is Burberry's annual revenue?
For fiscal 2025/26, ended March 28, 2026, Burberry reported revenue of £2.42 billion with adjusted operating profit of £160 million.
Where is Burberry headquartered?
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The company is headquartered at Horseferry House in Westminster, London, with signature manufacturing at Castleford in Yorkshire and mills in Scotland.
What is the Burberry Forward strategy?
Burberry Forward is CEO Joshua Schulman's November 2024 turnaround plan refocusing the brand on its heritage strengths: outerwear, scarves, and British identity, after years of fashion-led drift under prior leadership.
- Founded: 1856
- Headquarters: London, England, United Kingdom
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock: London Stock Exchange: BRBY
- Revenue: £2.42 billion (FY2025/26, ended March 28, 2026)
- Employees: Approximately 9,000
Where Is Burberry Made / Based?
- Headquarters: London, England, United Kingdom
- Manufacturing / Operations: United Kingdom, Italy, China
Burberry Categories & Tags
Burberry Sustainability & Ethics
Burberry has committed to carbon neutrality in its own operations and has set science-based targets through the SBTi, covering Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions with a 2040 net-zero ambition. The company publishes a sustainability basis of reporting annually with EY limited assurance.
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The house is a signatory to the Fashion Pact and has eliminated real fur from collections since 2018. It reports on responsible sourcing for cashmere and leather, though it does not hold B Corp certification.
A notable past controversy: Burberry faced intense criticism in 2018 when it admitted destroying unsold stock to protect brand exclusivity, a practice it subsequently ended in favor of recycling and donation. The episode became a case study in luxury waste.
Awards & Recognition
- Royal Warrants: Burberry holds Royal Warrants from the British Royal Household as an outfitter, a recognition held continuously for decades.
- Index Returns: The company's September 2025 return to the FTSE 100 reflected a recovery in market capitalization under the Forward strategy.
- Brand Rankings: Burberry consistently appears in Interbrand and Brand Finance luxury rankings, typically within the top 10 luxury brands by value.
- Sustainability Ratings: The group has held strong ESG ratings from MSCI and CDP relative to luxury peers, reflecting its disclosure practices.
Burberry Recalls & Controversies
The 2018 stock-destruction revelation remains the brand's most damaging modern controversy. Burberry admitted burning roughly £28 million of unsold product in a year to prevent discount dilution, prompting public backlash and a policy reversal ending the practice.
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The 2021 Xinjiang cotton episode hit Burberry particularly hard: Chinese state media targeted the brand after it joined Better Cotton Initiative statements on forced labor concerns, triggering boycotts and contributing to a period of weak China sales from which the brand has since recovered.
Executive churn has been its own story: three CEOs since 2017 (Marco Gobbetti, Jonathan Akeroyd, Joshua Schulman) and multiple creative director changes signaled strategic instability that investors cited as the shares declined through 2023 and early 2024 before the recovery.
Burberry Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Independent public status preserves full brand control without conglomerate oversight
- +170-year heritage and Royal Warrants provide authenticity no competitor can copy
- +British manufacturing of signature products supports provenance marketing
- +Forward strategy showing early results with comps and margin recovery
- +FTSE 100 membership attracts institutional investor base
Considerations
- -Single-brand concentration means no portfolio cushion during brand downturns
- -Frequent leadership changes have created strategic whiplash for investors
- -£2.4 billion scale is small against LVMH and Kering rivals with far deeper pockets
- -Heavy Greater China exposure ties performance to volatile Chinese luxury demand
- -Mid-tier luxury positioning leaves it squeezed between accessible and top-tier brands
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Frequently Asked Questions About Burberry
Sources & Further Reading
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Competitors to Burberry
No direct competitors found in the same category. This could be because Burberryoperates in a unique market segment or we're still building our competitor database.
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Burberry Group plc Stock Information
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