Exhibit 99(a)(31)
PRESS RELEASE
Paris, April 23, 2004
PPR MAKES ADDITIONAL SEC FILING IN CONNECTION WITH GUCCI OFFER
Pinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A. (Euronext Paris: PRTP:PA) announced today that, in compliance with applicable U.S. securities regulations, it has filed certain additional information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission relating to its pending offer to purchase all of the outstanding common shares of Gucci Group N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: GCCI.AS; NYSE: GUC) that are not beneficially owned by PPR, at a price of $85.52 per share in cash. This information includes the audited financial information of Gucci for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2004 that was made publicly available by Gucci on April 19, 2004.
As previously disclosed, the tender offer is scheduled to expire at 3:00 p.m., Central European Time, 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on Thursday, April 29, 2004, with payment to be made by PPR to the paying agents for the offer on April 30, 2004.
Investors, security holders and other interested parties may obtain a free copy of the additional information referred to above, as well as an updated Offer to Purchase including such additional information for purposes of convenience only (but not the related transmittal documents), at www.pprfinance.com and at www.guccigroup.com. The updated Offer to Purchase referred to above may also be downloaded from www.sec.gov. As noted below, investors and other interested parties may also obtain free copies of the documentation by contacting PPR’s or Gucci’s investor relations departments, or by contacting ABN AMRO as described below.
The Information Agents for the tender offer are MacKenzie Partners, Inc. and Innisfree M&A Incorporated. Contact information for these entities is set forth below.
Pinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A. is a leading retail group in Europe through companies such as Printemps, Redcats, Conforama and Fnac, and a major player in the luxury goods sector through Gucci. The PPR Group has a presence in over 65 countries. In 2003, PPR posted reported consolidated sales of EUR 24.4 billion, income from ordinary activities before taxes of EUR 983.2 million and attributable net income (group share) of EUR 644.6 million, and employed about 100,000 people. Shares of Pinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A. are listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.
Gucci Group N.V. is one of the world’s leading multi-brand luxury goods companies. Through the Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Sergio Rossi, Boucheron, Bottega Veneta, Bédat & Co., Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Balenciaga brands, Gucci Group designs, produces and distributes high-quality personal luxury goods, including ready-to-wear, handbags, luggage, small leather goods, shoes, timepieces, jewelry, ties and scarves, eyewear, perfume, cosmetics and skincare products. Gucci Group directly operates stores in major markets throughout the world and wholesales products through franchise stores, duty-free boutiques and leading department and specialty stores. Shares of Gucci Group N.V. are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange.