Scalpers, the Seville-based fashion retailer that has grown from a menswear niche label into an international lifestyle brand, has appointed Francisco Gutiérrez as deputy chief executive, elevating an internally developed executive who transformed the company's digital operations. The appointment, announced in October 2025 and effective immediately, reflects Scalpers' commitment to professional management as it pursues aggressive international expansion and aims to position itself as a leading brand in the affordable premium segment. Gutiérrez will report directly to chairman Borja Vázquez and CEO Alfonso Vivancos, assuming responsibility for the company's operational and strategic management.
The newly created role marks a significant milestone in Scalpers' evolution from founder-led operation to professionally managed enterprise. Borja Vázquez emphasized that the appointment reinforces the company's dedication to innovation and sustainable growth, stating that Gutiérrez's leadership and vision will be key to consolidating the project over the coming years. The appointment forms part of the implementation of Scalpers' 2025-2030 strategic plan, which Gutiérrez himself designed and which was recently approved by the board. This plan establishes three primary pillars: repositioning Scalpers in the premium bridge segment, driving growth through the womenswear line, and internationalizing the brand with focus on southern Europe and market entry in the United States before 2030. No external search firm was involved in the promotion of an internal candidate.
Gutiérrez entered the fashion industry in 2012, joining the London office of Pull & Bear, the Inditex subsidiary, where he held multiple digital roles before moving to Pull & Bear's headquarters in Ferrol, eventually serving as head of the online channel. He holds a degree in architecture from the University IE de Segovia. Gutiérrez joined Scalpers in 2019 to lead e-commerce and marketing, taking on the dual title of chief digital officer and chief marketing officer. During his tenure, he became the principal architect of the brand's digital transformation. Under his leadership, the online channel increased turnover tenfold, from 4.5 million euros to 45 million euros between 2019 and 2024, establishing e-commerce as one of Scalpers' key strategic pillars. He also expanded the supporting teams from five to more than eighty professionals and oversaw integration of marketing, communications, customer service, and marketplace operations.
Founded in 2007 by Rafael Medina (the Duke of Feria), Borja Vázquez, and others, Scalpers began as a menswear label centered on tailored garments and luxury accessories before diversifying into children's wear (2013), womenswear (2018), girlswear (2019), and homeware (2021). The company operates approximately 300 points of sale across seven countries, with revenue reaching 220 million euros in 2024, marking a ten percent year-on-year increase. Womenswear now accounts for 27 percent of total sales, while the digital channel represents roughly 24 percent of revenue and demonstrated 10 percent growth in 2024. Gutiérrez's appointment reflects Scalpers' trajectory from an owner-managed enterprise into a structured organization capable of managing complex multi-category, multi-channel operations across diverse geographies.
The elevation of a digital-native executive to the deputy chief executive position signals Scalpers' strategic prioritization of omnichannel retail and digital growth over traditional wholesale or franchising models. Gutiérrez's track record of scaling the online business tenfold suggests confidence that he can drive the company's stated objective of entering the United States market while deepening penetration in southern Europe and Latin America. The role's creation also reflects the company's apparent belief that specialized ownership of digital operations during the 2019-2024 period has exhausted its organizational utility; full operational oversight now requires an executive focused on integrated rather than siloed channel performance. Whether Gutiérrez can translate digital transformation expertise into broader P&L and supply chain management, particularly in new markets where Scalpers lacks retail infrastructure, remains a key measure of the appointment's strategic success.
