Giorgio Armani he doesn't feel like ruling out anything for the group's future. Three months after his 90th birthday, the designer, after having fought for years to maintain his independence, opens up to the possibility that his company could one day join a larger rival o be listed on the Stock Exchange. “Independence from large groups could still be a driving value for the Armani Group in the future, but I don't feel like it exclude nothing” Armani said in a written response to a series of questions from Bloomberg. “Independence it is one of the founding values of everything I have created and certainly the one that I have guarded with the most tenacity, to the point of obstinacy" said Armani who however also added: "What has always characterized the success of my work is the ability to adapt to the times that change."
Joining a large group or even going public
“At the moment I don't foresee aacquisition by a large luxury conglomerate, but as I said I don't want to rule out anything a priori because it would be an "unentrepreneurial" action, explained Armani, who controls almost all of Giorgio Armani Spa, adding that "the quotation It's something we haven't discussed yet, but it's an option that could be considered, hopefully in the distant future."
Post-Armani to a pool of trusted people
The designer also reflects on his own succession: “I think the best solution would be a pool of trusted people close to me and chosen by me. This would also be the most strategic option, given the breadth of activities in which the group is involved. I started alone with a small company and transformed it, piece by piece, into a group of international importance, thanks also to the precious contribution of the collaborators I chose along the way. The scenario now is very different than when I started, so I imagine more coordinated functions for those who come after me, which is much more efficient." The succession plan, he had said, will be revealed only after his passing. “Two categories of shares without voting rights, the total value of which cannot exceed half of the share capital” is what we read in the meantime in a resolution of the extraordinary meeting of the company called last September 26th for the “amendment of the statute with deferred effectiveness".
