S.Oliver Group CEO Claus-Dietrich Lahrs exits

Claus-Dietrich Lahrs, the CEO of Germany’s S.Oliver Group, is stepping down after just three years in the role.

The Rottendorf-based group announced the news in a brief statement on Tuesday without giving a reason for the departure, but added that the founding Freier family will soon announce a new management team.

Lahrs took up his post at S.Oliver in November 2019, joining from luxury giant Bottega Veneta where he was CEO since 2016, before which he held the same role at Hugo Boss.

At the time of his appointment, founder Bernd Freier described Lahrs as “an extremely experienced and respected personality in the international fashion industry” who “will set the course for the S.Oliver Group’s sustainable growth in this dynamic market environment”.

During his short tenure, Lahrs was credited with overseeing the launch of the group’s new central warehouse in Dettelbach, which bolstered the group’s logistics processes.

Lahrs isn’t the first CEO to spend a brief period at the helm of S.Oliver Group. In 2018, then chief Gernot Lenz left the business after less than one year due to “differences of opinion on the management of the company”.