Britain's Superdry Warns on Revenue Growth after Posting Annual Loss

FILE PHOTO: Superdry goods are seen at their store at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, US, February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Superdry goods are seen at their store at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, US, February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
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Britain's Superdry Warns on Revenue Growth after Posting Annual Loss

FILE PHOTO: Superdry goods are seen at their store at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, US, February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Superdry goods are seen at their store at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, US, February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

Struggling British fashion retailer Superdry said on Friday it does not expect significant revenue growth this fiscal year as it prioritizes cutting costs and bolstering margins.

The company, whose fashion line mostly include sweatshirts, hoodies and jackets, reported an adjusted pretax loss of 21.7 million pounds ($27.46 million) for the year ended April 29, 2023, compared with a profit of 21.6 million pounds.

Revenue for the first quarter ended July tumbled 18.4%, hurt by lower demand for its spring summer collection due to extreme weather across Europe and the UK and a later start to its end-of-season sale.

"Conversely, our new Autumn Winter collection is selling better this early in the season than usual," the company said.



Hermes 2Q Sales Rise 13% on Continued Appetite for High-End Luxury

People stand with Hermes shopping bags as they wait at a traffic light in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping hotspot, in Hong Kong, China December 5, 2023. (Reuters)
People stand with Hermes shopping bags as they wait at a traffic light in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping hotspot, in Hong Kong, China December 5, 2023. (Reuters)
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Hermes 2Q Sales Rise 13% on Continued Appetite for High-End Luxury

People stand with Hermes shopping bags as they wait at a traffic light in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping hotspot, in Hong Kong, China December 5, 2023. (Reuters)
People stand with Hermes shopping bags as they wait at a traffic light in Tsim Sha Tsui, a bustling shopping hotspot, in Hong Kong, China December 5, 2023. (Reuters)

Birkin-bag maker Hermes reported a 13% rise in second-quarter sales on Thursday, demonstrating the continued appetite from wealthy shoppers for its luxury handbags, even as less affluent consumers pull back.

Sales at the French luxury group grew to 3.7 billion euros ($4.02 billion), a 13% organic sales rise that strips out currency fluctuations. The figure was in line with analyst expectations, according to a Visible Alpha consensus.

Operating profit for the first half was 3.1 billion euros, compared to a forecast from consensus provider Visible Alpha for 3.2 billion.

One of the most steady performers in the luxury goods sector -- even as economic conditions worsen -- the French group's results stand out after a string of disappointing earnings updates from peers which have raised investor concern about uncertain prospects for the sector in the coming months.

Hermes' famously classic designs and tight management of production and stock have helped reinforce the label's aura of exclusivity, and CEO Axel Dumas told reporters the company had seen "no big interruption in trends".

However, he said Hermes was seeing slightly less traffic with aspirational clients, which was impacting higher volume products like fashion accessories.