Gucci Group NV · Amsterdam The Netherlands

Gucci Group, an Italian company with a Dutch address that sells French fashion, does quite well in Japan, too. Offerings include handbags and other leather goods, shoes, ready-to-wear clothing, cosmetics, skin care, jewelry, and watches. Gucci family squabbles and imprudent licensing once nearly doomed the firm. New management revived it with fresh product lines and stricter licensing, as well as heavy investing in its Asian presence. Gucci operates about 425 stores worldwide and wholesales products through franchisees and upscale department stores. French retailer PPR purchased almost all of the remaining shares in the company in 2004, taking its interest up to 99.4%. To read the full description, subscribe now.