Polish Fashion Group LPP Says it Won't Return to Russia

FILE PHOTO: Clothes are displayed on the mannequins at Polish fashion retailer LPP brand Reserved shop, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Warsaw, Poland, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Clothes are displayed on the mannequins at Polish fashion retailer LPP brand Reserved shop, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Warsaw, Poland, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo
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Polish Fashion Group LPP Says it Won't Return to Russia

FILE PHOTO: Clothes are displayed on the mannequins at Polish fashion retailer LPP brand Reserved shop, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Warsaw, Poland, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Clothes are displayed on the mannequins at Polish fashion retailer LPP brand Reserved shop, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Warsaw, Poland, September 4, 2020. Picture taken September 4, 2020. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

Polish fashion group LPP will not return to Russia, its CEO said on Monday and repeated that the company had exited the country, seeking to reassure investors after a Hindenburg Research report questioned the sale of its business there.
In a call on Monday, Marek Piechocki also said the company would consider a share buyback, though shareholders would have the final say.
The company's shares were 24% higher by 1025 GMT, partially recovering from a 36% fall on Friday after Hindenburg Research's report.
LPP again denied the allegations in the report and said it has no operating or trading activities in Russia.



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.