Adidas Reduces Inventory Levels More Than Planned 

Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 General view of FIFA president Gianni Infantino's Adidas shoes during the medal ceremony. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 General view of FIFA president Gianni Infantino's Adidas shoes during the medal ceremony. (Reuters)
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Adidas Reduces Inventory Levels More Than Planned 

Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 General view of FIFA president Gianni Infantino's Adidas shoes during the medal ceremony. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 General view of FIFA president Gianni Infantino's Adidas shoes during the medal ceremony. (Reuters)

Adidas said on Wednesday that inventory levels continued to decline in the third quarter as the German firm curbed its selling into wholesalers, while lower costs helped increase its gross margin.

Inventory levels were down 23% on the year to 4.85 billion euros ($5.18 billion), a little more than expected, Adidas said.

Adidas last month lifted its full-year guidance, partly thanks to the positive impact of the release of Yeezy shoes during the second and third quarter.

Adidas' gross margin for the quarter was up 0.2 percentage points, to 49.3%, thanks to reduced freight costs and less discounting.



Ralph Lauren Hikes Annual Sales Forecast on Strong Demand for High-end Apparel

A man walks past Ralph Lauren Corp.'s flagship Polo store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, US, April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
A man walks past Ralph Lauren Corp.'s flagship Polo store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, US, April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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Ralph Lauren Hikes Annual Sales Forecast on Strong Demand for High-end Apparel

A man walks past Ralph Lauren Corp.'s flagship Polo store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, US, April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
A man walks past Ralph Lauren Corp.'s flagship Polo store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, US, April 4, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Ralph Lauren raised its annual sales forecast after topping quarterly revenue estimates on Thursday, on steady demand for its cable-knit sweaters and Oxford shirts in North America, Europe and China, sending shares of the company 6% up in premarket trading.
Wealthy customers continue to splurge on high-end leather handbags and Polo sweat-shirts, boosting demand across Ralph's direct-to-customer channels and helping it counter a muted wholesale business and soft e-commerce sales in North America.
The results are in contrast to a pullback in the broader luxury sector, primarily in the key China market, which has hurt larger European fashion houses such as Hugo Boss, Kering and luxury bellwether LVMH.
The Club Monaco owner now expects fiscal year 2025 revenue to increase about 3% to 4% compared with a prior forecast of a 2% to 3% rise.
The luxury retailer's net revenue rose 6% to $1.73 billion in the second quarter ended Sept. 28 from a year earlier. Analysts on average had expected revenue of $1.68 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.