Analysts believe the company, which is 41% owned by Pinault's family, could get as much as $6 billion for the retail business. The reason for selling is that retail "cannot develop quickly abroad," because it takes consumers a long time to warm up to an unfamiliar name, Pinault says -- a sentiment that Abercrombie & Fitch may want to keep in mind (see above), but that has been largely disproven by McDonald's (see below).

Pinault was interviewed extensively for the piece, which provides a detailed look in the history of his ascendancy in the business and the thinking behind his decision to divest the retail operations. There's not a lot about what he intends to do with the fashion brands, however, beyond possibly acquiring another label geared towards outdoor activities to bolster Puma in the mass market.

Read the whole story at Wall Street Journal.

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