Marco Gobbetti is stepping down as chief executive of British luxury fashion house Burberry to take up the reins at Italian peer Salvatore Ferragamo, the companies announced Monday.

Expressing disappointment at Gobbetti's departure set for the end of the year, Burberry chairman Gerry Murphy said the board respected "his desire to return to Italy after nearly 20 years abroad".

Following the news, Burberry's share price slumped 9.0 per cent in early deals on London's benchmark FTSE 100 index.

Salvatore Ferragamo gained 2.2 per cent in Milan.

Murphy added in a statement that the Burberry board would begin its search for a successor. 

Gobbetti will leave after nearly five years in the role, allowing him to be closer to family, while the announcement comes one month after pandemic-hit Burberry announced a strong sales recovery.

Marco Gobbetti, the new chief at Ferragamo. Photo: AFP

"With Burberry re-energised and firmly set on a path to strong growth, I feel that now is the right time for me to step down," Gobbetti added in the statement.

In a separate release, Salvatore Ferragamo said Gobbetti would become general manager and chief executive officer of the Florentine group as soon as he is released from his contractual obligations at Burberry.

The sharp fall in Burberry's share price "shows how much he is credited with the success of" the group in recent years, noted Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

Markets.com chief market analyst Neil Wilson said that while there were "some pandemic-related issues still being washed out, Burberry remains a strong brand in the luxury space with room to appeal to a broader consumer base".

Gobbetti's tenure comes to an end having seen a turnaround in Burberry's fortunes after the heavy financial fallout of the coronavirus outbreak.

It recently announced a surge in annual net profit following strong sales in the first three months of the 2021, the final quarter of Burberry's fiscal year.

Burberry's share price slumped 9.0 per cent in early deals on London's benchmark FTSE 100 index. Photo: Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

As head of Burberry, Gobbetti appointed Italian designer Riccardo Tisci as its chief creative officer who ended the use of real fur and angora in its clothes.

Formerly CEO of Moschino, Gobbetti spent 13 years at LVMH where he was head of Givenchy and Celine.