David Epstein to Succeed Daniel Grieder as Hugo Boss CEO on Jan. 1, 2027
Key Facts
Hugo Boss announced in Metzingen on Nov. 12, 2026, that Chief Executive Daniel Grieder had decided to leave the company at his own request, effective Dec. 31, 2026. The Supervisory Board appointed David Epstein as his successor, effective Jan. 1, 2027. The decision sets a clear date for a leadership transition at the German fashion company, after Frasers Group became its majority shareholder in October. But the company’s announcement attributed Grieder’s departure to his personal decision and did not describe the appointment as a strategic shift or link it directly to the change in ownership. The company said Grieder would leave at year-end, while Epstein would begin his duties at the start of the new year.
Grieder took the helm at Hugo Boss in June 2021 and has since overseen the company’s transformation under its “CLAIM 5” strategy. The company said the relaunch of the “BOSS” and “HUGO” brands gave them distinct identities and a contemporary visual language. The work also included expanding the distribution and partner network and building an omnichannel platform, according to the company’s description of the period. Grieder is leaving after leading this course for more than five years, while Epstein takes charge of the next phase as the company continues to execute its plan. Hugo Boss describes “CLAIM 5 TOUCHDOWN,” launched in December 2025, as a strategic framework running through 2028 and focused on brand strength, distribution and operational performance.
Epstein joins from Frasers Group, where he has served as head of brand partnerships since 2024. Hugo Boss said he oversees the group’s partnerships across sports, luxury and premium products. His experience gives him a direct connection to sectors associated with the positioning of the “BOSS” and “HUGO” brands, but the company did not detail in its announcement how that experience would shape the new management team’s priorities. He will begin his tenure on Jan. 1, 2027, one day after Grieder’s term ends. That timing makes the handover between the two executives continuous at the start of the new year.
The leadership succession comes as Hugo Boss faces operating pressures, after group sales fell 5% on a currency-adjusted basis in the third quarter of 2026. The company said the decline came amid strategic realignment and macroeconomic headwinds. By contrast, gross margin rose 220 basis points to 63.3% in the same quarter. In an update issued on Nov. 3, the company forecast a full-year currency-adjusted sales decline in the high-single-digit range and estimated earnings before interest and taxes of between 250 million and 300 million euros. It attributed the revised outlook to higher depreciation and amortization costs for IT amid developments in AI and technology, and to softer demand assumptions for the fourth quarter.
Frasers’ ownership stake changed in stages during 2026. In June, Hugo Boss reported that Frasers’ offer of 38 euros per share was 4% above the closing price of 36.46 euros on June 10 and the three-month volume-weighted average price of 36.41 euros on the same date. After an independent review, the Executive Board and Supervisory Board recommended in July that shareholders reject the offer, saying the price of 38 euros did not adequately reflect the company’s standalone prospects and future value-creation potential. In August, Frasers held about 47.89% of the capital and voting rights after the offer was accepted for shares representing about 17.62%, with the additional acceptance period ending on Aug. 13. In September, the Supervisory Board elected Michael Murray, Frasers’ chief executive, as its chairman, succeeding Stefan Sturm, after Sturm announced his resignation.
In October, Frasers bought an additional 198,666 shares for about 7.6 million euros, raising its holding to about 34.5 million shares, or 50.08%, according to Reuters. After the stake crossed the 50% threshold, Hugo Boss said the move would have no major consequences, while Frasers said reaching that level was in the interests of its investors. On the day the stake increase was announced, Frasers shares closed up 0.3%, while Hugo Boss shares ended the session down 0.8%. Hugo Boss had said it was focused on executing “CLAIM 5 TOUCHDOWN” and saw opportunities ahead, after its two boards concluded that Frasers’ offer did not reflect its standalone prospects and value-creation potential. With Epstein’s tenure starting in January, executing the plan through 2028 and addressing the demand and sales outlook will be among the matters facing the new management team.