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.



LVMH Sales Grow 1% in Second Quarter, Missing Estimates

This photograph taken on January 25, 2024 shows the logo of World's top luxury group LVMH during presentation of its 2023 annual results in Paris, on January 25, 2024. (AFP)
This photograph taken on January 25, 2024 shows the logo of World's top luxury group LVMH during presentation of its 2023 annual results in Paris, on January 25, 2024. (AFP)
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LVMH Sales Grow 1% in Second Quarter, Missing Estimates

This photograph taken on January 25, 2024 shows the logo of World's top luxury group LVMH during presentation of its 2023 annual results in Paris, on January 25, 2024. (AFP)
This photograph taken on January 25, 2024 shows the logo of World's top luxury group LVMH during presentation of its 2023 annual results in Paris, on January 25, 2024. (AFP)

LVMH, the world's biggest luxury company, posted a 1% rise in organic sales in the second quarter on Tuesday, missing analyst estimates, and likely adding to investor jitters about slowing growth in the sector.

Sales at the French group, owner of labels Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and Hennessy, grew to 20.98 billion euros ($22.8 billion), a 1% rise on an organic basis, which strips out currency effects and acquisitions.

The figure fell below analyst expectations for revenues of 21.6 billion euros, according to an LSEG poll based on six analysts.

The report from luxury sector bellwether LVMH, which is Europe's second-largest listed company, worth around 340 billion euros, comes amid concerns about weak sales of designer fashions in the sector's key market, China.

The group's fashion and leather goods division, which includes the Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior brands and accounts for nearly half of group sales and the bulk of operating profit, grew 1%, slowing slightly from the previous quarter's 2% rise.

"While remaining vigilant in the current context, the group approaches the second half of the year with confidence," said LVMH Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bernard Arnault in a statement.