French luxury group Hermes posted Thursday a jump in third quarter sales, bucking the overall gloom in the sector caused by falling sales in China. The luxury house, famous for its leather bags and silk scarves, saw overall sales rising 10 percent to 3.7 billion euros ($4.
0 billion) in the July to September period. China is the world's biggest spender in the luxury sector, accounting for half of global sales. But as its post-pandemic recovery falters, consumption has flagged, sending jitters through the industry.
"Hermes stands out from other big groups" Hermes' chief financial officer Eric du Halgouet told journalists. Its main competitors, the world's top luxury group LVMH and Kering (Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent) have both reported falling third quarter sales, drops of 4.4 percent and 15 percent respectively.
In Hermes's greater China region, which includes Macao and Taiwan, the "there was no reversal in the trend" of sales growth, said du Halgouet. The greater Asia region, which excludes Japan, posted 0.6 percent quarterly growth "despite the downturn in traffic in Greater China observed since the end of the Chinese New Year, and a high base in the third quarter last year," the company said in a statement.
Du Halgouet said the drop in footfall in Chinese stores was being made up for in increased spending per client, in particular on jewellery, leather goods and ready-to-wear clothing. Sign up to get our free daily email of the biggest stories! Hermes also recently opened .
