Latest news with #NeilClifford
Times
10-05-2025
- Business
- Times
No degree? No problem. Why employers are choosing non-graduates
Neil Clifford left school with one qualification: a C in O-level art, for which he sketched a Dunlop Green Flash shoe. 'I've achieved a lot since then,' said Clifford, chief executive of the £289 million fashion brand Kurt Geiger since 2003. 'But no amount of time or money will wipe my memory of opening that envelope on results day, seeing Fs and Us and feeling I'd failed at life.' It's part of the reason why, nine months ago, Clifford instigated a new rule at Kurt Geiger, which employs 2,000 people: no degrees necessary. 'You don't have to have been to university for any job at Kurt Geiger, from shopfloor to finance. We see the potential in every person. Some kids are bright but can't afford
Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
Multi-millionaire car fanatic 'never knew' feature of his 'favourite' car
Neil Clifford, the CEO of Kurt Geiger and a co-host of the The Car Podcast with Chris Harris and Friends, has admitted it took him two months to spot a feature on one of his favourite cars A multi-millionaire CEO and car obsessive has shared the "favourite" car he owns – admitting it took him two months to realise its feature. Neil Clifford, the boss of fashion brand Kurt Geiger, recently made the confession on The Car Podcast, which he hosts alongside Chris Harris, Manish Pandey, and Chris Cooper. He was talking with his co-hosts about which cars have the most pathetic boots. Chatting about everything from Audis to Ferraris, Neil also shed light on his treasured Alpine A110 and a discovery he had made during his tenure with it. He confessed to his co-hosts: "One of my favourite cars that I own has the most pathetic boot which is the Alpine A110. I owned the car for two months before I realised it had a boot. "It's really really really true because I'd read the Autocar test and you know it's the best car that's ever been built since the 1970s, and the only problem is the storage. But I could only find the back boot." "And then it took me a couple of months to realise there is a front boot. When you open it up it's clearly very underwhelming the front boot because you can only fit a banjo in it and clearly the banjo is that useful for us." Despite the initial oversight, Neil was full of praise for a car that's been praised from top to toe and corner to corner for its handling since hitting the roads in the late-2010s, reports the Express. Neil's commentary comes ahead of the launch of Alpine's highly anticipated electric SUV, the A390. However the French manufacturer, owned by Renault, has postponed the US launch due to Donald Trump's 25 percent tariffs on imported car parts. This setback comes amid wider caution over the future of electric vehicles, which commentators suggest has prompted Alpine to hit pause on their US expansion, reports Autocar. Renault's Chief Financial Officer Duncan Minto told the publication: "Considering what's going on in the US at the moment, I don't think it's the right time to be spending on those studies." Alpine is one of several manufacturers hit by the tariffs with Jaguar Land Rover halting exports to the States. A JLR spokesperson explained: "The USA is an important market for JLR's luxury brands. As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are enacting our short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid to longer-term plans."
The Independent
13-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Kurt Geiger sold to New-York based fashion firm for £289m
Kurt Geiger is to be sold by its private equity owner Cinven for £289 million to fashion company Steve Madden. Cinven bought the shoes and handbag brand in 2015, and has significantly expanded its presence in the US in recent years. Kurt Geiger now has more than 70 stores across the UK and US, and a presence in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Its product range spans across shoes, handbags and accessories, including swimwear, sunglasses, belts, and hats. With its global infrastructure and proven track record of supporting and growing its brands, we believe Steve Madden is the right strategic partner to help us reach our potential Neil Clifford, Kurt Geiger chief executive Neil Clifford, Kurt Geiger chief executive, said: 'We couldn't be prouder of the progress our team has made over the last few years in building Kurt Geiger London into a globally recognisable fashion brand.' He said the company is still 'in the early stages of our growth journey, with significant expansion opportunities available to us'. 'With its global infrastructure and proven track record of supporting and growing its brands, we believe Steve Madden is the right strategic partner to help us reach our potential,' he said. Steve Madden, who founded the New York-based buyer, said buying Kurt Geiger was 'one of the great accomplishments of my career'. He added: 'The brand is doing better and better every year, and the opportunity to collaborate with them is thrilling. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.' Cinven said Kurt Geiger, which was founded in London in 1963, has gone from £10 million to £140 million net turnover in North America in the last four years. Maxim Crewe, partner at the private equity firm, said: 'From launching into new product verticals and enhancing the digital platform, to capitalising on global opportunities in the US … we believe the brand is positioned for long-term success.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Steve Madden Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire Kurt Geiger
LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y., Feb. 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Steve Madden (Nasdaq: SHOO), a leading designer and marketer of fashion footwear, accessories and apparel, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire UK-based Kurt Geiger from a group led by international private equity firm Cinven for an enterprise value of approximately £289 million in cash. Edward Rosenfeld, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Steve Madden, commented, 'With this acquisition, we are excited to add Kurt Geiger London, a brand that has exhibited exceptional growth over the last several years. Kurt Geiger London's unique brand image, high-quality and statement-making styles and compelling value proposition have driven success across multiple product categories, led by handbags. Its differentiated and elevated positioning within the market – and its alignment with our strategic initiatives of expanding in international markets, accessories categories and direct-to-consumer channels – make this a highly attractive and complementary addition to our portfolio.' Neil Clifford, CEO of Kurt Geiger, added, 'We couldn't be prouder of the progress our team has made over the last few years in building Kurt Geiger London into a globally recognizable fashion brand. It's been gratifying to see how consumers have responded to our unique design aesthetic and strong British DNA. While we've delivered remarkable growth in recent years, we believe we are in the early stages of our growth journey, with significant expansion opportunities available to us. With its global infrastructure and proven track record of supporting and growing its brands, we believe Steve Madden is the right strategic partner to help us reach our potential.' Steve Madden, Founder and Creative and Design Chief of Steve Madden, commented, 'When I started this company in 1990, I never dreamed we would be where we are today. Owning Dolce Vita, one of the most talked about brands in America, Betsey Johnson and ATM Collection, and now being able to partner with Kurt Geiger, is one of the great accomplishments of my career. The brand is doing better and better every year, and the opportunity to collaborate with them is thrilling. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.' In addition to Kurt Geiger London, Kurt Geiger's brand portfolio includes KG Kurt Geiger and Carvela. Kurt Geiger also operates footwear concessions within luxury and premium department stores in the United Kingdom, including Harrods and Selfridges, where it sells both its own and third-party brands. For the twelve months ended February 1, 2025, Kurt Geiger had estimated revenue of approximately £400 million. Transaction Details The Board of Directors of Steve Madden has unanimously approved the transaction. Steve Madden intends to fund the transaction with a combination of committed debt financing and cash on hand. The transaction is anticipated to close in the second quarter of 2025, subject to the receipt of required regulatory clearance and other customary closing conditions. Advisors Solomon Partners, L.P. is serving as Steve Madden's financial advisor, with Travers Smith LLP and Foley & Lardner LLP as legal advisors. BofA Securities is serving as Cinven's financial advisor, with Freshfields LLP as legal advisor. Kinmont is serving as Kurt Geiger senior management's financial advisor, with Addleshaw Goddard LLP as legal advisor. About Steve Madden Steve Madden designs, sources and markets fashion-forward footwear, accessories and apparel. In addition to marketing products under its own brands including Steve Madden®, Dolce Vita®, Betsey Johnson®, Blondo® and ATM®, Steve Madden licenses footwear, handbags and certain accessories for the Anne Klein® brand. In addition, Steve Madden designs and sources products under private label brand names for various retailers. Steve Madden's wholesale distribution includes department stores, mass merchants, off-price retailers, shoe chains, online retailers, national chains, specialty retailers and independent stores. Steve Madden also directly operates brick-and-mortar retail stores and e-commerce websites. In addition, Steve Madden licenses certain of its brands to third parties for the marketing and sale of certain products in the apparel, accessory and home categories. For local store information and the latest boots, booties, fashion sneakers, dress shoes, sandals, and more, please visit and the Company's other branded websites. Safe Harbor This press release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company contain certain 'forward looking statements' as that term is defined in the federal securities laws. The events described in forward looking statements may not occur. Generally, these statements relate to business plans or strategies, projected or anticipated benefits or other consequences of the Company's plans or strategies, projected or anticipated benefits from acquisitions to be made by the Company, or projections involving anticipated revenues, earnings or other aspects of the Company's operating results. The words 'may,' 'will,' 'expect,' 'believe,' 'anticipate,' 'project,' 'plan,' 'intend,' 'estimate,' and 'continue,' and their opposites and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements. The Company cautions you that these statements concern current expectations about the Company's future results and condition and are not guarantees of future performance or events and are subject to a number of uncertainties, risks and other influences, many of which are beyond the Company's control, that may influence the accuracy of the statements and the projections upon which the statements are based. Factors which may affect the Company's results include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any one or more of these uncertainties, risks and other influences could materially affect the Company's results of operations and financial condition and whether forward looking statements made by the Company ultimately prove to be accurate and, as such, the Company's actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact Steven Madden, of Corporate Development & Investor RelationsDanielle McCoy718-308-2611InvestorRelations@ PR DirectorChad Evans720-240-7935chadevans@ A photo accompanying this announcement is available at in to access your portfolio
