LUXURY handbag maker Mulberry has named its new chief executive.

The British business, which has stared down the economic gloom in recent years with soaring sales and profits, has poached 46-year-old Bruno Guillon from French luxury brand Hermes.

Mr Guillon, who has also worked for Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, will succeed current executive chairman Godfrey Davis in March.

He said Mulberry, which was founded in 1971, was a “great English brand with a unique heritage and an exceptional opportunity for growth”.