PARIS — Gearing up for international expansion fueled by new investors, Fusalp has recruited Luc Zeltner as chief operating officer, a new position in the company.
Zeltner has worked for two decades in marketing and business development for brands including Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Merci, Lacoste and Vuarnet.
He will join from Vuarnet where, as director of development, he was involved in pushing upmarket the positioning of the brand’s sunglasses and sports apparel, as well as defining a communications strategy that included a campaign featuring Vincent Cassel.
Zeltner will also join the board of Fusalp.
Fusalp, which was revived by heirs of René Lacoste, in May announced the arrival of a group of new, high-profile French shareholders.
Bought by Sophie Lacoste, Philippe Lacoste and Alexandre Fauvet in 2013, the brand has grown quickly and set up 22 new stores in France and Switzerland in less than three years. Sales for the year ending in May were 16.6 million euros, a 30 percent increase since 2014.
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Fusalp has stores in 20 countries and is seeking to accelerate development outside of France, notably in Asia and North America.
Investors revealed by the brand in May include Frédéric Biousse, Nicolas Houzé, Elie Kouby, Leopold Meyer, Nathalie Sayer and Patrick Sayer.
Biousse and Kouby are known for steering the rapid growth of contemporary French fashion brands Maje, Claudie Pierlot and Sandro, which grew from 7 million euros in annual sales to turnover of 700 million euros in the span of eight years.