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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
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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."

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Fashion

80-year-old LL Bean Staple Finds New Audience as Trendy Bag

Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
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80-year-old LL Bean Staple Finds New Audience as Trendy Bag

Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)
Gracie Wiener poses with some of her tote bags in Washington Square Park in New York, Wednesday, July 17, 2024, (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

L.L. Bean created it 80 years ago to haul heavy blocks of ice. Now it's a must-have summer fashion accessory, The Associated Press reported.

The simple, sturdy canvas bag called the Boat and Tote is having an extended moment 80 years after its introduction, thanks to a social media trend in which they're monogrammed with ironic or flashy phrases.

New Yorker Gracie Wiener helped get it started by ordering her humble bags from L.L. Bean monogrammed with “Psycho” and then “Prada,” the pricey Italian luxury brand, instead of just her name or initials, and posting about them on Instagram. Then others began showcasing their own unique bags on TikTok.

Soon, it wasn’t enough to have a bag monogrammed with “Schlepper,” “HOT MESS,” “slayyyy” or “cool mom.” Customers began testing the limits of the human censors in L.L. Bean’s monogram department, which bans profanity “or other objectionable words or phrases,” with more provocative wording like “Bite me,” “Dum Blonde” and “Ambitchous.”

Social media fueled the surge, just as it did for Stanley’s tumblers and Trader Joe’s $2.99 canvas bags, which were once selling on eBay for $200, said Beth Goldstein, an analyst at Circana, which tracks consumer spending and trends.
The tote’s revival came at a time when price-conscious consumers were forgoing expensive handbags, sales of which have weakened, and L.L. Bean’s bag fit the bill as a functional item that’s trendy precisely because it’s not trendy, she said. L.L. Bean's regular bags top out at about $55, though some fancier versions cost upward of $100.
“There’s a trend toward the utilitarian, the simple things and more accessible price points,” she said, and the customization added to the appeal: “Status items don’t have to be designer price points.”

L.L. Bean’s tote was first advertised in a catalog as Bean’s Ice Carrier in 1944 during World War II, when ice chests were common. Then they disappeared before being reintroduced in 1965 as the Boat and Tote.

These days, they’re still made in Maine and are still capable of hauling 500 pounds of ice, but they are far more likely to carry laptops, headphones, groceries, books, beach gear, travel essentials and other common items.

Those snarky, pop-oriented phrases transformed them into a sassy essential and helped them spread beyond Maine, Massachusetts’ Cape Cod and other New England enclaves to places like Los Angeles and New York City, where fashionistas like Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon and Sarah Jessica Parker are toting them — but not necessarily brandished with ironic phrases.

“It’s just one of those things that makes people smile and makes people laugh, and it’s unexpected,” said Wiener, who got it all started with her @ironicboatandtote Instagram page, which she started as a fun side hustle from her job as social media manager for Air Mail, a digital publication launched by former Vanity Fair Editor-in-Chief Graydon Carter.

The folks at L.L. Bean were both stunned and pleased by the continuing growth. For the past two years, the Boat and Tote has been L.L. Bean’s No. 1 contributor to luring in new customers, and sales grew 64% from fiscal years 2021 to 2023, spokesperson Amanda Hannah said.

The surge in popularity is reminiscent of L.L. Bean’s traditional hunting shoe, the iconic staple for trudging through rain and muck, which enjoyed its own moment a few years back, driven by college students.