French luxury company PPR changes name to Kering

PARIS – French luxury purveyor PPR says it is changing its name to Kering.

The company behind Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent has been selling off its retail operations in recent years to focus more on its luxury brands. PPR stood for Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, but two of those brands have since been sold off.

Only the Pinault brand — the name of the company's founder and his son, the current CEO — remain.

The company said the new name reflects its roots in Brittany and its hopes for the future. It said it should be pronounced "caring" and noted that "ker" means home in Breton.