Businessweek

Michael Kors Holdings Limited engages in the design, marketing, distribution, and retail of branded women’s apparel and accessories, and men’s apparel. Segments The company operates in three segments: Retail, Wholesale, and Licensing. Retail This segment offers women’s apparel, accessories (which include handbags and small leather goods such as wallets), women’s footwear and licensed products, such as watches, fragrances and eyewear. As of March 31, 2012, the company’s Retail segment included 191 North American retail stores, including concessions; and 46 international retail stores, including concessions, in Europe and Japan. Wholesale This segment includes sales primarily to major department stores and specialty shops throughout North America and Europe. Products sold through the Wholesale segment include accessories (which include handbags and small leather goods such as wallets), footwear and women’s and men’s apparel. Licensing This segment includes royalties earned on licensed products and use of the company’s trademarks, and rights granted to third parties for the right to sell its products in certain geographical regions such as Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, the Middle East, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Products The company offers two primary collections: the Michael Kors luxury collection and the MICHAEL Michael Kors accessible luxury collection. The Michael Kors collection establishes the aesthetic authority of its entire brand and is carried in many of its retail stores, as well as in the finest luxury department stores in the world, including Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Holt Renfrew, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Le Bon Marche, and Printemps. The MICHAEL Michael Kors collection is carried in all of the company’s lifestyle stores as well as department stores throughout the world, including Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Printemps, Lotte, Hyundai, Isetan and Lane Crawford. Taken together, the company’s two primary collections target a customer base while retaining a premium luxury image. In addition to these two primary collections, it offers select footwear and outerwear through its KORS Michael Kors accessible luxury collection. Intellectual Property The company owns the Michael Kors and MICHAEL Michael Kors trademarks, as well as other material trademark rights related to the production, marketing and distribution of its products, both in the United States and in other countries in which its products are principally sold. Seasonality The company’s Wholesale segment experiences its greatest sales in its fourth fiscal quarter (period ended March 31, 2012) with its second and third fiscal quarters being relatively consistent as its second highest sales volume quarters. The company’s retail segment experiences greater sales during its third and fourth fiscal quarters as a result of Holiday season sales. History Michael Kors Holdings Limited was founded in 1981. The company was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands in 2002.