British luxury fashion house Burberry on Monday said its chief executive Marco Gobbetti will depart the group at the end of the year and return to Italy. It comes a month after the pandemic-hit group announced a strong sales recovery. "The board and I are naturally disappointed by Marco's decision but we understand and fully respect his desire to return to Italy after nearly 20 years abroad," chairman Gerry Murphy said in a statement. Gobbetti will leave after nearly five years in the role. "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. bcp/lth