Luxury crisis threatens Banijay's buyout of The Independents | Galliano's flickering flame | The Row’s PR headache

Plus: Karl Lagerfeld, Johnstons of Elgin, Vilgrain

Tuesday 4 November Read this issue     Spotlight | France Luxury crisis complicates Stéphane Courbit's planned acquisition of The Independents   Three years in the making, the planned takeover by the French TV producer of the public relations and events company The Independents, a conglomerate of 20 PR agencies and production studios working for high-end brands, is threatened by the current crisis in the luxury sector.   Subscribers only | Entourage     Families     France Karl Lagerfeld's former Parisian mansion facing forced sale   After its botched attempts to sell it to various billionaires last year, Gabon may be forced by its creditors to auction off the Hôtel Pozzo di Borgo in Paris, whose first floor was for many years home to Karl Lagerfeld.   Subscribers only | Families Follow our running story : "Karl Lagerfeld's former home"     In brief France Vilgrain family makes a killing on Parisian property market   Subscribers only     Houses     United States Image-conscious The Row alienates its customer base   The Olsen sisters' brand, which until now has always boasted a very loyal clientele, is struggling to contend with its first major PR crisis.   Subscribers only | Houses       United Kingdom Shockwaves of Italian investigation into illegal workshop practices reach UK shores   In a pre-emptive measure to avoid finding itself implicated like many an Italian luxury company in the ongoing Milanese inquiry, a supplier to the British royal family has been taking a close look at its own supply chain.   Subscribers only | Houses     In brief France Maison John Galliano lives on but only just   Subscribers only

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