- Kristopher Fraser
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Ermenegildo Zegna has tapped a retail veteran and Silicon Valley
businessman to join its board of directors. Ron Johnson will be bringing
his business expertise to the Italian luxury label. He is best known for
being the man behind the growth and innovation of Apple’s retail stores as
senior vice president of retail from 2000 to 2012 reporting to Steve Jobs
himself.
Under his tenure 400 shops were opened in 13 international locations. He is
currently the CEO of Enjoy, a startup company. Johnson was also previously
the CEO of J.C. Penney where his ill-conceived approach to rebranding the
company led to a 51 percent decline in shares and ultimately his firing.
In a statement, Ermenegildo Zegna CEO, Gildo Zegna, said Johnson’s
experience will help overcome “technological and cultural challenges in the
future.” As luxury brands work to become more technologically advanced,
Johnson’s expertise is much needed. This is the man behind concepts like
Apple’s Genius Bar which helped catapult the company’s retail stores to
success. If he can find a similar formula for Zegna, competing against
other Italian luxury brands will be much easier for the company.
