Longtime Hermes luxury group boss dies
PARIS, FRANCE: Jean-Louis Dumas, who chaired the French luxury goods group Hermes for almost three decades until 2006, has died at the age of 72, his spokesman said on Sunday, 2 May 2010.
Dumas took over in 1978 as head of the illustrious fashion and luxury house, which was founded by his family five generations earlier, in 1837.
He died on Saturday, 1 May, in Paris.
Under his leadership, Hermes became a global brand, turning over €1.9bn in 2009, with wide-ranging interests including stakes in the prestigious German camera maker Leica or Jean-Paul Gaultier's fashion house.
Suffering from ill-health, Dumas stood down as Hermes manager and artistic director in January 2006.
Source: AFP