You might think there’s still a Gucci in a fancy office in Florence calling all the shots. Honestly? There isn't. The family is long gone. If you've seen the movies, you know the drama ended in a mess of lawsuits and, tragically, a literal murder. So, who owns the company gucci today?
It’s all about the French. Specifically, a massive conglomerate called Kering.
They aren't just a "shareholder." They own the whole thing—100%. If you buy a Dionysus bag or those classic loafers today, your money eventually flows back to a headquarters in Paris, not a family villa in Italy. But even though Kering is the "parent," there's a lot of nuance to how this works in 2026.
The Kering Connection: Who Really Pulls the Strings?
Kering isn't some faceless bank. It’s a luxury powerhouse. Think of it like a very expensive umbrella. Under that umbrella, you've got Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Bottega Veneta. But Gucci is the crown jewel. It’s the brand that makes or breaks their stock price.
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Kering SA is a publicly-traded company on the Euronext Paris exchange. This means technically, if you have a brokerage account, you could own a tiny piece of Gucci yourself by buying Kering stock (ticker: KER). However, the real power sits with the Pinault family.
The Pinault Dynasty
Through their private investment vehicle, Groupe Artémis, the Pinault family controls about 42% of Kering.
- François Pinault: The founder who fought a legendary "handbag war" to win Gucci.
- François-Henri Pinault: His son, who ran the show as CEO for decades.
Wait, things just changed. As of late 2025, François-Henri Pinault actually stepped back from the day-to-day CEO role, though he remains Chairman of the Board. He handed the keys to Luca de Meo, a guy who surprisingly came over from the car industry (he was the boss at Renault). It was a shocker in the fashion world. You don't usually see a car guy running a silk and leather empire, but Kering needed a "turnaround" expert.
What Happened to the Gucci Family?
They’re out. Completely.
The transition from a family business to a corporate giant was basically a decade-long car crash. In the 80s, the brand was a mess. Family members were suing each other over everything. One brother even reported his own father to the IRS for tax evasion. No joke.
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By 1989, an investment group from Bahrain called Investcorp started buying up shares. They eventually bought out Maurizio Gucci—the last family member with power—in 1993. Maurizio was later assassinated in 1995, a story that became the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster. By the time the dust settled, the family had zero equity left.
Who Is Running Gucci Right Now?
Ownership is one thing, but who is actually making the creative and business decisions in 2026? This is where it gets interesting because the leadership is fresher than a new season drop.
Francesca Bellettini is the current CEO of Gucci. She’s a legend in the industry, having turned Saint Laurent into a multi-billion dollar machine before being moved over to fix Gucci in late 2025.
On the creative side? It’s Demna.
Yes, the same Demna who made Balenciaga the most talked-about (and sometimes controversial) brand on the planet. He took over as Artistic Director for Gucci in March 2025. He replaced Sabato De Sarno, whose "Gucci Ancora" era just didn't move the needle fast enough for the investors. Kering owns the brand, but they’ve bet the house on Demna’s weird, oversized, and ultra-modern vision to bring back the hype.
Why Ownership Matters for Your Next Purchase
When a company like Kering owns a brand, it’s not just about the money. It’s about the "ecosystem."
For instance, Kering recently made a massive move by selling its beauty division to L'Oréal for roughly €4 billion. This means that while Kering owns the Gucci fashion brand, your Gucci perfume is now effectively managed under a 50-year license by L'Oréal. It’s a tangled web of corporate deals designed to pay down debt and focus on what they do best: leather and clothes.
Quick Stats (The 2024-2025 Reality)
- Annual Revenue: Gucci brought in about €7.65 billion in 2024.
- Employee Count: Over 20,000 people work for the brand worldwide.
- Store Count: They operate roughly 530 stores directly.
The Biggest Misconception
People often ask if LVMH (the group that owns Louis Vuitton) owns Gucci.
Nope.
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In fact, they hate each other. Back in 1999, Bernard Arnault (the head of LVMH) tried to pull off a "creeping takeover" by buying up Gucci shares on the open market. Gucci's management at the time hated the idea so much that they issued a bunch of new shares to dilute Arnault's stake and basically begged the Pinault family to buy them instead.
Pinault said yes. That’s how the Kering (then called PPR) era began. It was the ultimate corporate "f-you" to LVMH.
Actionable Insights for Fashion Followers
If you are tracking Gucci for investment or just because you love the brand, here is what you need to watch in the coming months:
- Watch the Demna Transition: His first few collections will determine if the "Kering" era of Gucci stays profitable. If the sales in China don't rebound under his creative direction, the ownership structure might face pressure from activist investors.
- Kering Stock (KER): If you want to "own" Gucci, you don't buy "Gucci" shares. You buy Kering. Keep an eye on Luca de Meo’s restructuring plans; he’s currently trying to make the whole group "leaner."
- Check the Label: Notice the shift in where products are sourced. Under Kering, there has been a massive push for "sustainability," which is a corporate priority that the original Gucci family probably wouldn't have cared about.
The House of Gucci is no longer a house of relatives; it's a pillar of a French multi-national. It’s cleaner, more profitable, and arguably more stable, even if it lost some of that wild, Italian family flair along the way.