Turnaround · United Kingdom · 2006–2014
Burberry: reclaiming a luxury brand
Overexposed through licences and counterfeits, Burberry's check had lost its prestige. Angela Ahrendts bought back control of the brand, focused on the trench coat, and went digital first.
By Shivam Bhandari · Reviewed 31 October 2026 · How we write
by the numbers
- Ahrendts CEO
- 2006–2014
- Art of the Trench launch
- 2009
- Revenue growth during tenure
- roughly tripled, to over £2 billion
What happened
By the mid-2000s Burberry's famous check appeared on dozens of licensed products, from dog coats to baseball caps, many sold cheaply abroad. Counterfeits were everywhere, and in Britain the check became associated with a down-market image. Prestige was slipping.
Angela Ahrendts became CEO in 2006 and appointed designer Christopher Bailey as the single creative authority. Burberry bought back or ended many licences, reduced the check's visibility, and refocused on its heritage product: the trench coat. It became an early digital leader in luxury — livestreaming runway shows and launching ‘Art of the Trench’ (2009), which invited customers to share photos in their coats.
Revenue roughly tripled during her tenure to more than £2 billion. In 2014 Ahrendts left to run Apple's retail business.
Timeline
- 2006
Ahrendts becomes CEO.
- 2009
Art of the Trench; licence buy-backs continue.
- 2010
Runway shows livestreamed.
- 2014
Ahrendts joins Apple.
what made it work
- Took back control of where the brand appeared.
- One creative vision across all products.
- Hero product at the centre of the brand.
- Early digital storytelling in a traditional industry.
the lesson
A brand's value depends on control — overexposure can destroy prestige faster than competitors can.
Apply it to your business
- 1Audit everywhere your brand appears.
- 2Build around one hero product.
- 3Use digital storytelling to modernise a heritage brand.
Laws at work in this story
Figures are rounded and drawn from public reports, company filings and widely cited coverage at the time. Check the company's latest filings before relying on any number.