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Prada CEO Says it Aims to Double Business in China in Medium Term

A mannequin is pictured in a giant ornament in a Christmas display window at the Prada store on on 5th Avenue in Manhattan in New York City, US, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar
A mannequin is pictured in a giant ornament in a Christmas display window at the Prada store on on 5th Avenue in Manhattan in New York City, US, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar
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Prada CEO Says it Aims to Double Business in China in Medium Term

A mannequin is pictured in a giant ornament in a Christmas display window at the Prada store on on 5th Avenue in Manhattan in New York City, US, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar
A mannequin is pictured in a giant ornament in a Christmas display window at the Prada store on on 5th Avenue in Manhattan in New York City, US, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar

Prada has ambitions to double its business in China over the medium term, Gianfranco D'Attis, chief executive of the Italian luxury fashion house's flagship brand, said on Wednesday.
"That means increasing our investments," D'Attis said in a group interview in Shanghai.
Prada will have bigger stores, more local products and more events in China, he added.
D'Attis, a former Dior executive who took the helm of the Prada brand in January, also said that it hoped to develop a hospitality concept as part of its worldwide distribution strategy, including in China, possibly in 2024-2025, Reuters reported.
The group, whose brands also include classic English shoemaker Church's, reported a 10% rise in third quarter revenues in November, saying that a strong performance in Asia and Europe helped to compensate for weakness in the Americas.

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LVMH Shares Drop after Missing Second-quarter Estimates

A man walks past a shop of fashion house Dior in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A man walks past a shop of fashion house Dior in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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LVMH Shares Drop after Missing Second-quarter Estimates

A man walks past a shop of fashion house Dior in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A man walks past a shop of fashion house Dior in Paris, France, April 15, 2024. REUTERS/Manon Cruz/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Shares in LVMH (LVMH.PA) fell as much as 6.5% in early Wednesday trade and were on track for their biggest one-day drop since October 2023 after second-quarter sales growth at the French luxury goods giant missed analysts' consensus estimate.

The world's biggest luxury group said late Tuesday its quarterly sales rose 1% year on year to 20.98 billion euros ($22.76 billion), undershooting the 21.6 billion expected on average by analysts polled by LSEG.

At 1000 GMT, LVMH's shares were down 4.5%.

The earnings miss weighed on other luxury stocks, with Hermes (HRMS.PA), down around 2% and Kering (PRTP.PA), off 3%.

Kering is scheduled to report second-quarter sales after the market close and Hermes reports on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Jittery investors are looking for evidence that the industry will pick up from a recent slowdown, as inflation-hit shoppers hold off from splashing out on designer fashion.

JPMorgan analyst Chiara Battistini cut full year profit forecasts by 2-3% for the group, citing softer trends at LVMH's fashion and leather goods division, home to Louis Vuitton and Dior.

"The soft print is likely to add to ongoing investors’ concerns on the sector more broadly in our view, confirming that even best-in-class players like LVMH cannot be immune from the challenging backdrop," said Battistini in a note to clients.

The weakness of the yen, which has prompted a flood of Chinese shoppers to Japan seeking bargains on luxury goods, added pressure to margins, another source of concern.

Equita cut 2024 sales estimates for LVMH by 3% - attributing 1% to currency fluctuations - and lowered its second half organic sales estimate to 7% growth from 10% growth previously.

The lack of visibility for the second half beyond the easing of comparative figures - as the Chinese post-pandemic lockdown bounce tapered off a year ago - is unlikely to improve investor sentiment to the luxury sector, Citi analyst Thomas Chauvet said in an email to clients.

"No miracle with the luxury bellwether; sector likely to remain out of favour," he wrote.

Jefferies analysts said the miss came as investors eye Chinese shoppers for their potential to "resume their pre-COVID role as the locomotive of industry growth and debate when Western consumers will have fully digested their COVID overspend".

LVMH shares have been volatile since the luxury slowdown emerged, and are down about 20% over the past year, with middle-class shoppers in China, the world's No. 2 economy, a key focus as they rein in purchases at home amid a property slump and job insecurity.

LVMH offered some reassurance, with finance chief Jean-Jacques Guiony telling analysts during a call on Tuesday that Chinese customers were "holding up quite well," while business with US and European customers was "slightly better".