Type Subsidiary Founded 1996 Headquarters London, United Kingdom Founders Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon | Industry Consumer goods Revenue £317.9 million (2015) Customer service 00 44 800 044 3221 | |
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Key people Peter Harf, Chairman
Pierre Denis, Chief Executive Officer
Sandra Choi, Creative Director and designer
Jonathan Sinclair, Chief Financial Officer Products Shoes, handbags, accessories, fragrances Stock price CHOO (LON) 162.56 GBX +2.06 (+1.29%)10 Mar, 4:51 PM GMT - Disclaimer Parent organizations JAB Holding Company, JAB Luxury GmbH Profiles | ||
Jimmy Choo is a British high fashion house specialising in shoes, handbags, accessories and fragrances. The company, J. Choo Limited, was founded in 1996 by couture shoe designer Jimmy Choo and Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon OBE. The brand claims to have been a favourite of Princess Diana. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange.
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History
The brand traces its roots to a bespoke shoemaker named Jimmy Choo, based in the East End of London in the early 1990s, who catered to the global jet set, including Diana, Princess of Wales. The Jimmy Choo company was founded in 1996, with Mr Choo’s niece, Sandra Choi, who had been heading up design in the East End atelier, coming on board as Creative Director, a position she holds to this day. Mr Choo departed the company in 2001.
Choo sold his 50% share in the Jimmy Choo company to Equinox Luxury Holdings Ltd. in 2001. Lion Capital acquired a majority shareholding in November 2004, and the company was sold in 2007 to TowerBrook Capital Partners for £225 million. In 2011 it was sold to Labelux (which was integrated into its parent company, JAB Holding Company in July 2014) for £525.5 million.
J. Choo Limited is currently run by ex-LVMH executive Pierre Denis.
Jimmy Choo’s IPO was announced in September 2014. In October 2014, Jimmy Choo announced it would price its London Stock Exchange listing at 140 pence a share, giving the firm an equity value of £546 million.
Shoes under licence
Separate to the Jimmy Choo ready-to-wear brand, Mr. Jimmy Choo began Jimmy Choo Couture Limited in late 2006 to continue his work on the exclusive Jimmy Choo Couture shoe line, which is produced under license from J. Choo Ltd., available by appointment only at Connaught Street in London.
Stores
The first Jimmy Choo store was opened in 1996 on Motcomb Street in London. Two years later, the company expanded to the US, opening two stores in New York City and Beverly Hills. Over the following years, Jimmy Choo expanded its store portfolio by opening directly operated stores and with local partners. Over 2011 and 2012, Jimmy Choo took control of the majority of its Asian operations in China, Hong Kong and Japan. Several boutiques are to be found in secondary outlets such as Saks Fifth Avenue, as well as smaller boutique stores on shopping estates such as Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York.
Awards
The brand has won awards for its products, including the British Fashion Council Awards Designer Brand category in 2008, the Accessories Council Brand of the Year 2008, the Footwear News Brand of the Year Award, and the 2009 Nordstrom Partners In Excellence award.
Enforcement
J. Choo Ltd. has over 400 design patents to its name. The company has brought several prominent cases for copyright and trademark infringement, as well as being the target of "knock-off" counterfeit imports in the UK, the US and Australia. The company has sued Oasis, Warehouse and Marks & Spencer for copying shoes and bags.
In December 2008 the company threatened to sue a New Zealand website, Kookychoo.com, for trademark infringement. Kookychoo is a company which sells products unrelated to shoes; items such as toys, jewellery and bean bags. Kookychoo's owner stated, "It's terrifying to be honest because I'm feeling really bullied. There was never any malice intended, we just wanted to start a small New Zealand business so it's quite frightening."