What our Clients Say
Gianfranco Ferré UK Ltd is the English subsidiary
of IT Holding SpA.
Luxury is IT Holding SpA’s business. The Italian-based company is a leading player in the luxury sector, controlling a group of companies that design, produce and distribute high quality fashion and accessories products, through owned brands and licence agreements.
Those owned brands include Gianfranco Ferré, one of the legendary names of fashion. The late Italian designer, known as “the architect of fashion”, created elegant classics for both his own company and for Christian Dior and established himself as a master in the manipulation of materials.
Both IT Holding and Gianfranco Ferré operate successfully all over the world, including the UK, where the link with Artaius was first established in 2000.
Francesca Novello, now the compliance officer for IT Holding, was then the controller for the company’s European and retail operations. She explains: “Artaius were recommended by fashion agents and distributors Gorland. We had also already met Alfred Levy of Artaius through their sister company Wilder Coe, who were our auditors for another group company in the UK.”
Artaius now provides a range of services, including bookkeeping, payments to suppliers, payroll, preparation of quarterly accounts and a reporting package for consolidation, preparation of annual accounts and support to the company’s auditors in carrying out the annual audit.
Any business wants to know that they can rely on their professional advisers to deliver. For global organisations, that need is even more essential, in order to keep highly complex operations running smoothly and efficiently.
Francesca says: “Artaius have always been very timely and reliable with regard to both their services, and any request for information that we put to them, and they have always been proactive in pointing out problems or opportunities.
“They have also always been at our side through most of the business issues we have had to face, including the set up or takeover of companies, contract renewals and employment issues.”
Despite the distance between the UK and Italy, email makes communication easy. Artaius is in regular contact with various officers within IT Holdings, on issues such as payments approval, and the quarterly financial reports.
Francesca appreciates the fact that her team deals with people who have long-term knowledge of the business.
She says: “It has helped to have the same contact person throughout our relationship, with Jenny Warren being our main contact person and Alfred Levy stepping in whenever necessary. We particularly value the reliability and timeliness of the information they supply, both on an ongoing basis and when we have on the spot requirements.”
