Close
    HomeResearch & Knowledgeback to HomeStrategyback to Research & KnowledgeThe Zegna Groupback to Strategy
    Case Study

    The Zegna Group

    By Joachim Schwass
    5 pages
    December 2010
    Order this case study
    Reference: IMD-3-1137

    This company note describes the Zegna family business from its founding by Angelo Zegna at the end of the 19th century up to 2000 when 4th generation family members, Gildo and Paolo Zegna, were running what had become one of the world’s leading textile and fine men’s clothing businesses.

    Learning Objective

    This note can be used to illustrate various family business issues.

    Keywords
    Family Business, Succession, Fourth Generation, Clothing, General Management, Strategy
    Settings
    World/global, Italy
    1900-2000
    Type
    Published Sources
    Copyright
    © 2010
    Available Languages
    English
    Case clearing houses
    IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

    The Case Centre

    Cranfield University

    Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
    Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
    Email [email protected]

    Harvard Business School Publishing

    60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
    Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
    Fax (617) 783-7666
    Email [email protected]

    Asia Pacific Case Center

    NUCB Business School

    1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
    Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
    Tel +81 52 20 38 111
    Email [email protected]

    Copyright Information

    IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.

    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Strategy
    Family Business
    Browse all topics
    Discover our latest research
    IMD's faculty and research teams publish articles, case studies, books and reports on a wide range of topics
    All case studies
    Keep reading
    Article
    The anatomy of family business conflict

    Understanding conflict in family businesses is a complex but essential study area for practitioners and academics. To enhance theoretical precision and provide practical insights, this article presents a comprehensive framework of family business ...

    Customer Centricity Family Business
    By Marco Mismetti, Barbara Del Bosco, Cristina Bettinelli and Alfredo De Massis
    in Journal of Family Business Strategy
    June 2025, vol. 16, no. 2, 100660, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100660
    Read more
    Article
    Are you up for the challenge of a downturn? Here’s how to ensure you are

    Is your team ready for tough times? Ask these 7 critical questions to assess resilience, redefine success, and lead through uncertainty with purpose.

    Change Management Crisis Management Leadership Resilience Strategy
    By Merete Wedell-Wedellsborg
    in I by IMD
    Read more
    Article
    Can you rely on AI? - AI Trust Checklist

    Use our AI Trust Checklist to avoid bias, hallucinations, and deepfakes. Practical tips to build trust in your AI systems.

    Artificial Intelligence Leadership Strategy
    By Öykü Işık and José Parra Moyano
    in I by IMD
    Read more
    Case Study
    Candles Killer: Lighting up the world at the bottom of the pyramid

    Shenzhen Power-Solution (SPS), founded in 2009 in China as an entrepreneurial venture, disrupted traditional lighting markets in African villages with its flagship product, Candles Killer. This solar lamp, priced under $5, replaces hazardous keros...

    Sustainability Customer Centricity Innovation Strategy
    By Winter Nie and Yunfei Feng
    Case reference: IMD-2661, © 2025
    Read more
    Article
    Are stakeholders making or breaking your strategy? 

    Leaders are often unaware of their value-critical stakeholders, inhibiting progress on strategic issues. The solution is to get rid of free riders and predators and build more involvement in the value-creation cycle by the stakeholders that matter...

    Strategy Stakeholder Management
    By Paul Strebel, Angeliki Papasava and Patrick Reinmoeller
    in I by IMD Brain Circuits
    1 May 2025
    Read more
    Article
    A tribute to the life and work of Jess Chua

    Jess Chua was a leading scholar in the field of family business and a major contributor to Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice both as an author and editor. His significant contributions to the field were acknowledged by the Web of Science, which...

    Family Business
    By James J. Chrisman, Zhenyu Wu, Alfredo De Massis and et al.
    in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
    May 2025, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 603-619, https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587251315653
    Read more
    Article
    Successione e trasformazione, la lezione di Francesco

    The death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, marks the end of an influential pontificate and the beginning of a new chapter for one of the world's oldest institutions. As the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new pontiff, useful insights emerge ...

    Family Business Organizational Change
    By Alfredo De Massis
    in Il Sole 24 ore
    30 April 2025
    Read more
    Article
    Leading Global Operations - Complexity and Change

    Leading global operations through complexity and change in 2025 means embracing AI and ML to streamline supply chains and meet rising demands.

    Artificial Intelligence Digital Leadership Strategy Supply Chain
    By Ralf W. Seifert and Katrin Siebenbürger Hacki
    in I by IMD
    Read more
    Article
    Detroit Entrepreneurship - Motor City Innovation

    Many regional developers have tried and failed to emulate Silicon Valley’s VC-driven model for innovation. Detroit, the birthplace of Ford, is following an alternative route – with promising results.

    Competitiveness Finance Innovation Strategy Entrepreneurship Technology Management
    By Jerry Davis
    in I by IMD
    24 April 2025
    Read more
    Article
    Repairing reputational damage: don’t go the way of Boeing

    All organizations should have a plan to secure trust during, after (and even before) a crisis hits. Here are a host of examples, good and bad, to learn from.

    Leadership Resilience Strategy
    By Michael Skapinker
    in I by IMD
    Read more
    The anatomy of family business conflict
    By Marco Mismetti Barbara Del Bosco Cristina Bettinelli and Alfredo De Massis
    in Journal of Family Business Strategy June 2025, vol. 16, no. 2, 100660, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfbs.2025.100660
    Summary
    Understanding conflict in family businesses is a complex but essential study area for practitioners and academics. To enhance theoretical precision and provide practical insights, this article presents a comprehensive framework of family business ...
    Read more
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Customer Centricity
    Family Business
    Browse all topics
    Are you up for the challenge of a downturn? Here’s how to ensure you are
    By Merete Wedell-Wedellsborg
    in I by IMD
    Summary
    Is your team ready for tough times? Ask these 7 critical questions to assess resilience, redefine success, and lead through uncertainty with purpose.
    Read more
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Change Management
    Crisis Management
    Leadership
    Resilience
    Strategy
    Browse all topics
    Can you rely on AI? - AI Trust Checklist
    By Öykü Işık and José Parra Moyano
    in I by IMD
    Summary
    Use our AI Trust Checklist to avoid bias, hallucinations, and deepfakes. Practical tips to build trust in your AI systems.
    Read more
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Artificial Intelligence
    Leadership
    Strategy
    Browse all topics
    Candles Killer: Lighting up the world at the bottom of the pyramid
    By Winter Nie and Yunfei Feng
    Case reference: IMD-2661 ©2025
    Summary
    Shenzhen Power-Solution (SPS), founded in 2009 in China as an entrepreneurial venture, disrupted traditional lighting markets in African villages with its flagship product, Candles Killer. This solar lamp, priced under $5, replaces hazardous kerosene lamps and has an optimized design (9 components, water-bottle stands). The candles killer solar lamp addresses the critical need for affordable, safe and sustainable lighting for people at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP), a huge market that multinationals struggle to reach. By achieving both low cost and differentiation, SPS created a blue ocean market. The company has made remarkable progress in its mission to provide solar lighting to underserved communities: by 2023, it illuminated over 55 million people across 7.8 million households in 66 countries. Beyond social impact, SPS achieved environmental sustainability at scale, reducing cumulative carbon emissions by 6.7 million tons, the equivalent of planting 368 million evergreen trees. Candles Killer's success led SPS to expand its product line into a solar home system for phone charging and multi-bulb lighting. SPS also introduced Solar Media, a platform with pre-loaded content (medical tips, farming methods, education) to share vital knowledge in remote regions.
    Reference IMD-2661
    Copyright ©2025
    Copyright owner IMD Copyright
    Organization Shenzhen Power-Solution
    Industry Energy;Utilities, Electricity Supply;Consumer Goods, Consumer Electronics
    Available Languages English
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Sustainability
    Customer Centricity
    Innovation
    Strategy
    Browse all topics
    Are stakeholders making or breaking your strategy? 
    By Paul Strebel Angeliki Papasava and Patrick Reinmoeller
    in I by IMD Brain Circuits 1 May 2025
    Summary
    Leaders are often unaware of their value-critical stakeholders, inhibiting progress on strategic issues. The solution is to get rid of free riders and predators and build more involvement in the value-creation cycle by the stakeholders that matter...
    Read more
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Strategy
    Stakeholder Management
    Browse all topics
    A tribute to the life and work of Jess Chua
    By James J. Chrisman Zhenyu Wu Alfredo De Massis and et al.
    in Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice May 2025, vol. 49, no. 3, pp. 603-619, https://doi.org/10.1177/10422587251315653
    Summary
    Jess Chua was a leading scholar in the field of family business and a major contributor to Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice both as an author and editor. His significant contributions to the field were acknowledged by the Web of Science, which...
    Read more
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Family Business
    Browse all topics
    Successione e trasformazione, la lezione di Francesco
    By Alfredo De Massis
    in Il Sole 24 ore 30 April 2025
    Summary
    The death of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025, marks the end of an influential pontificate and the beginning of a new chapter for one of the world's oldest institutions. As the Catholic Church prepares to elect a new pontiff, useful insights emerge ...
    Read more
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Family Business
    Organizational Change
    Browse all topics
    Leading Global Operations - Complexity and Change
    By Ralf W. Seifert and Katrin Siebenbürger Hacki
    in I by IMD
    Summary
    Leading global operations through complexity and change in 2025 means embracing AI and ML to streamline supply chains and meet rising demands.
    Read more
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Artificial Intelligence
    Digital
    Leadership
    Strategy
    Supply Chain
    Browse all topics
    Detroit Entrepreneurship - Motor City Innovation
    By Jerry Davis
    in I by IMD 24 April 2025
    Summary
    Many regional developers have tried and failed to emulate Silicon Valley’s VC-driven model for innovation. Detroit, the birthplace of Ford, is following an alternative route – with promising results.
    Read more
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Competitiveness
    Finance
    Innovation
    Strategy
    Entrepreneurship
    Technology Management
    Browse all topics
    Repairing reputational damage: don’t go the way of Boeing
    By Michael Skapinker
    in I by IMD
    Summary
    All organizations should have a plan to secure trust during, after (and even before) a crisis hits. Here are a host of examples, good and bad, to learn from.
    Read more
    Contact

    Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

    Related topics
    Leadership
    Resilience
    Strategy
    Browse all topics