Labelux, the German conglomerate founded in 2007 by Joh A. Benckiser SA, the holding company of the reclusive Reimann family, to “be a significant new global player in the luxury goods market; one which could benefit from the underlying trends which support the long-term growth of the luxury industry” (this according to their web site), has never really gotten out of the outfield — to borrow some metaphors from the Romney campaign. Though they snapped up some big names, including Jimmy Choo, Bally, Derek Lam, Belstaff, Zagliani and Solange Azagury-Partridge, their point of difference was never clear, nor their vision for the Group as a whole, never mind the individual parts. Yesterday, however, things started to change. Read more