Luxury Giant LVMH hits 400 Billion Euro in Market Value

The logo of French fashion house Dior is seen on shopping bags at the 30 Montaigne, the original site of Christian Dior's first store, ahead of its reopening in Paris, France, March 2, 2022. (Reuters)
The logo of French fashion house Dior is seen on shopping bags at the 30 Montaigne, the original site of Christian Dior's first store, ahead of its reopening in Paris, France, March 2, 2022. (Reuters)
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Luxury Giant LVMH hits 400 Billion Euro in Market Value

The logo of French fashion house Dior is seen on shopping bags at the 30 Montaigne, the original site of Christian Dior's first store, ahead of its reopening in Paris, France, March 2, 2022. (Reuters)
The logo of French fashion house Dior is seen on shopping bags at the 30 Montaigne, the original site of Christian Dior's first store, ahead of its reopening in Paris, France, March 2, 2022. (Reuters)

LVMH shares rose to a fresh record high on Tuesday, giving the luxury goods group a market capitalization of 400 billion euros ($434 billion) for the first time and cementing its lead as Europe's most valuable company.

Like other luxury companies which are heavily exposed to China, LVMH has benefited this year from the fast reopening of the world's second biggest economy. However, some analysts said further gains in the share price could become harder to achieve.

"Let's say I'm waiting for 500 billion to mark it down as a milestone," said Angelo Meda, head of equities and portfolio manager at Banor SIM in Milan.

"They are firing their last cartridge which is the Chinese reopening, going forward things will get tougher: tough comparisons, dollar going down," he added.

The shares rose as much as 0.4% to a lifetime high of 795.7 euros, which gave the group a market value slightly above 400 billion euros, according to Reuters calculations based on Refintiv data. They had reversed course to stand 0.5% lower by 0846 GMT.

Earlier this month, LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault reshuffled top management at the group, tightening his family's grip with the appointment of his daughter Delphine to lead Christian Dior, and naming a new boss for Louis Vuitton.



Burberry Shows Early Signs of Recovery as 1st Quarter Sales Fall Less than Expected

FILE PHOTO: A Burberry store is seen in London, Britain, January 16, 2023.  REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Burberry store is seen in London, Britain, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
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Burberry Shows Early Signs of Recovery as 1st Quarter Sales Fall Less than Expected

FILE PHOTO: A Burberry store is seen in London, Britain, January 16, 2023.  REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Burberry store is seen in London, Britain, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

Burberry's retail sales fell by a less-than-expected 1% in the first quarter, it reported on Friday, in early signs of a recovery for the British luxury brand struggling with underperformance.

Shares in Burberry, which have more than doubled since September, rose 5% in early London trade.

Known for its trench coats and check pattern scarves, Burberry is using its British heritage designs to try to win back customers under the leadership of CEO Josh Schulman, who took over a year ago.

Comparable sales returned to growth in Europe, the company said, while trading in the Americas strengthened. Sales fell in China and in the rest of Asia, but the rate of decline was around half the level seen in the previous quarter.

"The improvement in our first-quarter comparable sales, strength in our core categories, and uptick in brand desirability give us conviction in the path ahead," Schulman said, adding that the autumn collection was being "well received".

Burberry has issued several profit warnings in recent years, and as part of its turnaround drive since Schulman took over, it plans to cut a fifth of its global workforce, a radical cost-cutting measure that investors have welcomed.

The 1% drop in overall comparable retail sales in the first quarter, which ended on June 28, beat analysts' forecasts for a 3% decline in a consensus provided by the company, and improved on a 6% fall in the previous quarter.

According to Reuters, analysts at Citi said the brand had reported its third consecutive quarter of like-for-like improvement since Schulman launched its new strategy last November, implying comparable sales could turn positive in the current quarter.

"In a quarter marked by further macro and geopolitical pressures and weaker tourist spending in Europe and Japan, Burberry has likely held up better than peers quarter-on-quarter," they said.