Burberry on Thursday unveiled its latest executive appointment with Paul Price named as its chief product merchandising and planning officer.

It’s a return to the luxury business for Price who was its chief merchandising officer from 2007 to 2017, during the brand’s glory days of growth and creativity.

This expanded role sees him back at the firm after time spent as CEO of Topshop and Topman in London and then James Perse in Los Angeles, as well as running his own consulting firm.

Price will start early next month and will then relocate to London in January 2025. He’ll lead the merchandising and planning teams as well as licensing, architecture and the showroom teams, joining Burberry’s Executive Committee and reporting to still-new CEO Joshua Schulman.

Schulman called him “an exceptional merchant and retail leader who has led high-performing teams across channels and geographies. Paul combines business acumen and a focus on the customer with a dynamic and energetic leadership style. 

“As a key member of the Burberry leadership team during the company’s peak era of value creation, Paul was responsible for product strategies that led to consistent double-digit growth. I look forward to working with Paul and know he will help unleash the commercial and creative alchemy that will drive Burberry forward.”

Burberry has struggled in recent periods, partly due to the wider luxury downturn. But there has also been criticism that its move even further upmarket has gone too far and it has struggled to find shoppers willing to pay its elevated prices in the numbers it needs.

The recent replacement of Jonathan Akeroyd as CEO by ex-Coach chief Schulman underlined the problems at the business.