Adidas Says Q2 Underlying North America Sales Rise 

An Adidas sneaker is seen on display at the newly renovated JD Sports store at Westfield Stratford City in London, Britain, July 30, 2024. (Reuters)
An Adidas sneaker is seen on display at the newly renovated JD Sports store at Westfield Stratford City in London, Britain, July 30, 2024. (Reuters)
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Adidas Says Q2 Underlying North America Sales Rise 

An Adidas sneaker is seen on display at the newly renovated JD Sports store at Westfield Stratford City in London, Britain, July 30, 2024. (Reuters)
An Adidas sneaker is seen on display at the newly renovated JD Sports store at Westfield Stratford City in London, Britain, July 30, 2024. (Reuters)

Adidas said on Wednesday its second-quarter revenues in North America, excluding sales of the Yeezy line, increased from last year, driven by growth in both wholesale and its own retail.

Including Yeezy, the currency-neutral sales in North America - Adidas' second-biggest market behind Europe - fell by 8% to 1.3 billion euros ($1.51 billion) in the April to June period.

"The decline was solely related to the significantly smaller Yeezy business," the company said in a statement, without specifying how much the sales increased excluding the product line.

In a turnaround led by CEO Bjorn Gulden, Adidas has sought to clear remaining Yeezy stock after a bruising break-up with rapper Kanye West, who goes by Ye, while striving to boost its brand through its popular retro styles.

Its quarterly currency-neutral sales rose 19% in Europe to 1.9 billion euros, from 1.6 billion euros a year earlier.

Adidas had hiked its full-year guidance for the second time this year and reported preliminary second-quarter results above expectations in mid-July.



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.