Prada Not Looking at M&A, Sees 'Positive Surprise' from US

The logo of fashion house Prada is seen outside a shop in Milan, Italy, April 8, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of fashion house Prada is seen outside a shop in Milan, Italy, April 8, 2024. (Reuters)
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Prada Not Looking at M&A, Sees 'Positive Surprise' from US

The logo of fashion house Prada is seen outside a shop in Milan, Italy, April 8, 2024. (Reuters)
The logo of fashion house Prada is seen outside a shop in Milan, Italy, April 8, 2024. (Reuters)

Italian luxury group Prada is not looking at big acquisitions as it is focused on the brands it already owns, its Chief Executive Andrea Guerra said on Monday.
Speaking at the FT Luxury Summit in Venice, Guerra added that he expected a positive surprise this year from the US market for the luxury sector, Reuters reported.
"I'm cautiously positive about the US. I think that Prada has a relationship with the American consumer, but maybe we have been a little bit under represented as a business there. So we've got homework to do," he added.
The CEO - appointed in January 2023 to lead the company as the next generation of its founding family gets ready to pick up the reins - said he did not know when the change at the helm would take place.
Lorenzo Bertelli, one of the two sons of Prada's founders Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, is expected to be appointed CEO after Guerra.
In first quarter results published last month, Prada defied a slowdown across the luxury sector, reporting booming demand for its high fashion brand Miu Miu and continued growth in Asia.



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.