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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)
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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.

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Fashion

Kering Posts 11% Drop in Q2 Sales, Sees Weak Second Half

The logo of luxury brand Gucci is seen in Tokyo on June 22, 2021. (AFP)
The logo of luxury brand Gucci is seen in Tokyo on June 22, 2021. (AFP)
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Kering Posts 11% Drop in Q2 Sales, Sees Weak Second Half

The logo of luxury brand Gucci is seen in Tokyo on June 22, 2021. (AFP)
The logo of luxury brand Gucci is seen in Tokyo on June 22, 2021. (AFP)

Kering reported a bigger-than-expected drop in second-quarter sales and forecast a weak second half, as the French luxury group struggles to revive its key label Gucci and worries grow about a prolonged downturn in high-end spending.

Sales at the French luxury group which owns labels Gucci, Boucheron and Balenciaga, fell to 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion), an 11% drop on an organic basis, which strips out currency effects and acquisitions.

The figure was below analyst expectations for a 9% drop, according to a Visible Alpha consensus.

It also said second-half operating income could fall by around 30%, following a 42% drop in the first half.

Sales at Gucci fell 19%, showing no improvement from the first quarter, and below analyst expectations for a 16% decline, according to a Visible Alpha consensus.

Kering has been revamping Gucci, the century-old Italian fashion house which accounts for half of group sales and two-thirds of profit.

Minimalist designs from new creative director Sabato de Sarno, which began trickling into stores earlier this year, are key to the design reset and push upmarket, in a bid to cater to wealthier clients who are more immune to economic headwinds.

Kering chief financial officer Armelle Poulou told reporters that the designs had been well received and the rollout was on track.

But the efforts have been complicated by a downturn in the global luxury market, while China's rebound - traditionally Gucci's most coveted market - was clouded by a property crisis and high youth unemployment as Western markets came down from a post-pandemic splurge.

Earnings from sector bellwether LVMH on Tuesday missed expectations as sales rose 1%, offering few signs that a pickup is around the corner, sending shares in luxury goods companies down on Wednesday. Kering traded at its lowest level since 2017.