04-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Burberry Got Too Fancy. This American Is Taking It Back to Its British Roots.
LONDON—Soon after taking over as Burberry's BRBY -0.24%decrease; red down pointing triangle chief executive last summer, Joshua Schulman popped into the company's Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan. The shop floor was cavernous, minimalist and showcased select $3,000 handbags.
What he didn't see were any $500 umbrellas—the type of higher-volume accessory that, along with trench coats, made Burberry an icon of functional, aspirational luxury for well over a century. As an American who had long admired the British brand, Schulman was puzzled.
