Italy’s Prada to Invest 60 Mln Euros to Help Boost Production Capacity

A model presents a creation from the Prada Fall/Winter 2023/2024 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
A model presents a creation from the Prada Fall/Winter 2023/2024 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
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Italy’s Prada to Invest 60 Mln Euros to Help Boost Production Capacity

A model presents a creation from the Prada Fall/Winter 2023/2024 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo
A model presents a creation from the Prada Fall/Winter 2023/2024 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy, February 23, 2023. REUTERS/Alessandro Garofalo

Italy's Prada (1913.F) is planning to spend 60 million euros ($66 million) on industrial capital investments this year, a large chunk of which will help double the size of its knitwear factory in Torgiano, in the central region of Umbria, the luxury group's industrial director said on Thursday.

Prada, in common with other luxury groups, is investing to enhance its production capacity and strengthen its grip on the supply chain.

In order to do so, Prada is also looking at possible small acquisitions of manufacturers, according to Reuters.

"We have our targets," Industrial Director Massimo Vian said, adding that an acquisition is less likely in the leather sector, where the group is already well placed.

However most of investments will be absorbed by the expansion and improvement of the plants they already have and the acquisition of new technologies.

Prada said last month it aimed to hire more than 400 people in Italy by the end of the year to strengthen its production capacity and maintain growth.

Around 10% of Prada clothing is produced in-house, a percentage that rises to around 30% in the case of leather goods and to around 50% in the case of footwear, Vian told journalists on Thursday.



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.