Britain's Burberry Hit by Slowdown in Luxury Spending

Foreign tourists speak to each other in front of logo of Burberry on a shop-window of closed Burberry retail store in the State Department Store GUM at the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 13 November 2023. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV
Foreign tourists speak to each other in front of logo of Burberry on a shop-window of closed Burberry retail store in the State Department Store GUM at the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 13 November 2023. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV
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Britain's Burberry Hit by Slowdown in Luxury Spending

Foreign tourists speak to each other in front of logo of Burberry on a shop-window of closed Burberry retail store in the State Department Store GUM at the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 13 November 2023. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV
Foreign tourists speak to each other in front of logo of Burberry on a shop-window of closed Burberry retail store in the State Department Store GUM at the Red Square in Moscow, Russia, 13 November 2023. EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV

Britain's Burberry said it was being hit by a global slowdown in luxury spending and it would struggle to meet its annual revenue forecast of low double-digit growth, with a knock-on impact on profit, if it continued.

The company, which launched the first collection by designer Daniel Lee in September, reported a sharp slowdown in comparable store sales growth in its second quarter to 1%, down from 18% in the first, as growth in China evaporated.

Rising inflation and economic uncertainty have curbed shoppers' appetite for luxury after years of blockbuster demand, prompting investors to trim forecasts, Reuters reported.

LVMH, the world's biggest luxury group with brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Tiffany, reported a slowdown in quarterly sales in October, as did Kering with its Yves Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta brands.

Cartier-owner Richemont has also predicted an easing in growth.

Burberry said on Thursday that early indicators of demand for its Winter '23 collection were "encouraging", and it had achieved a good performance in the key categories of outerwear and leather goods in its first half.

Demand in China, however, fell away in the second quarter from a strong bounce back from the impact of COVID lockdowns. Burberry said spending by Chinese luxury consumers had shifted overseas from mainland China.

Tourist growth benefited European destinations, it said, with just over half of spending in the region coming from international visitors.

But a weak performance in the Americas worsened in the quarter, with comparable store sales down 10%.

Chief Executive Jonathan Akeroyd said: "While the macroeconomic environment has become more challenging recently, we are confident in our strategy to realize our potential as the modern British luxury brand, and we remain committed to achieving our medium and long-term targets."



Dolce&Gabbana CEO Ready to Open Capital to New Investors

The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
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Dolce&Gabbana CEO Ready to Open Capital to New Investors

The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
The logo of Italian designers Dolce & Gabbana is seen at a branch office at Bahnhofstrasse shopping street in Zurich, Switzerland September 9, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

Dolce&Gabbana is ready to consider opening up its capital to new investors either through a listing or other routes, the Italian fashion house's CEO said.
"We are now ready to consider opening our capital to third parties through a listing or other financial instruments," CEO Alfonso Dolce said in an interview published on Monday in Corriere della Sera's L'Economia weekly supplement.
The financing must "not compromise the ethical value of our company, its respectful growth," said Dolce, brother of Domenico, who founded the group and runs it in partnership with Stefano Gabbana, Reuters reported.
In May, the CEO did not rule out a possible future stock market listing, but said the move was not a priority.
Dolce&Gabbana's revenue for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, which ended in March, was up 17% to 1.871 billion euros ($2.04 billion), said Dolce, adding that he hoped to repeat this growth this year.
The fashion house will open 12 new stores in the US, including at 695 Madison Avenue in New York, the former Hermes location, with more than 2,000 square meters over five floors.
"The United States are vital, we already have 72 stores, plus four in Canada, together they represent 28% of our turnover, compared to 16% in China," said Dolce.