Gucci sues Gucci over Dubai hotel

Gucci sues Gucci over Dubai hotel

Fashion house files lawsuit against founder’s great-granddaughter.

June 26, 2010 12:41 by Samuel Potter

The Gucci Group has filed a lawsuit against the great-granddaughter of the firm’s founder, reports Bloomberg, and the dispute centers around a Dubai hotel.

Elisabetta Gucci, whose great-grandfather founded the luxury goods company, announced plans earlier this month to launch a global chain of up-market hotels, starting in Dubai. Gucci’s partner is Baitek International Investment, owned by Saudi Arabian investor Abdulla Al Sayegh.

But Gucci Group NV, owned by French company PPR SA, filed a lawsuit this week in Florence against Elisabetta Gucci and her partners, says the report. The company confirmed in an emailed response to Bloomberg News that it was “seeking injunctive relief in order to protect its rights.”

Ms Gucci plans to open an 87 suite property in Dubai’s Media City by the end of the year, according to Lorens Ziller, managing director of her EG Hotels company.

“Elisabetta Gucci is doing her job,” Ziller said in a June 23 interview. “She cannot cancel her name or her background. If she has a famous name or a famous background, that’s not her fault and we are not trying to use it as much.”

But Gucci Group’s email to Bloomberg said: “Gucci wants to make clear that it has no relationship to Elisabetta Gucci Hotels and that it is not involved in any project whatsoever with Elisabetta Gucci Hotels. If necessary, Gucci will take any needful step to protect its rights.”