Luxury news and archive

LVMH exports more luxury products than France does wine

LVMH's global sales of handbags and perfumes exceeded the combined value of all wine and camembert cheese exported by France's agricultural sector, highlighting the luxury sector's importance to the country's trade balance. A study by consultancy firm Asterès for LVMH, as reported by the Financial Times, revealed that the French luxury...

Goldman Sachs appoints Global Luxury and Beauty Division head amidst sector's growth potential

Investment bank Goldman Sachs has appointed Cosmo Roe to head up its global luxury and beauty division. The appointment showcases the firm's recognition of the sector's potential for growth. With a history of involvement in major deals such as the sale of Tom Ford to Estée Lauder, Roe, who previously was a partner in the company’s consumer...

Investors brace for luxury slowdown in Q1

Investors are bracing for a notable downturn in luxury sales as companies prepare to release their first-quarter results, reflecting weakened demand from China, reported Reuters. Kering's unexpected forecast of a 10 percent decline in first-quarter sales, contrasting with the 3 percent anticipated by analysts, has already cast a shadow over the...

Fashion |Opinion Featured

Giorgio Armani’s supply chain fiasco highlights complexity

Workers in an Italian factory who were found to be exploited while producing accessories for Giorgio Armani highlight the complexity of fashion supply chains. Even in a heavily regulated continent like Europe, it is possible to evade the systems in place to ensure worker safety and protection. Fashion supply chains are fragmented, involving...

Retail

Chanel joins luxury retail battle for Manhattan's Fifth Avenue

The race to acquire luxury real estate is getting hotter as Chanel and Louis Vuitton are bidding for the same building in Manhattan’s prestigious Fifth Avenue retail area. As top-tier luxury brands vie for their space in the world’s most iconic shopping corridors, the building at 745 Fifth Ave and 58th Street is a most prestige location and...

Retail

Kering acquires Milan's most expensive real estate

Luxury powerhouse Kering has made history with its acquisition of via Montenapoleone 8 in Italy, marking the largest single asset transaction ever recorded in the country. Purchased from Blackstone Property Partners Europe for a staggering 1.3 billion euros, the move underscores the importance for luxury conglomerates to secure prime locations...

Fashion

Is an Hermès Birkin bag a better investment than gold?

Reports suggesting that Hermès requires shoppers to make purchases across multiple categories before being eligible to buy a coveted Birkin bag have led some luxury experts to speculate that these bags hold more value than gold. An article in Fortune this week highlighted that the value of a Birkin bag doubles approximately every five years,...

Business

Gucci sales down 20 percent in first quarter after slowdown in Asia

Gucci’s sales have taken a tumble in the first quarter of 2024, falling 20 percent according to Kering’s forecasts. The transition of the house under a new creative director and commercial strategy required a phasing in of new product as well as updating store design. Kering said early customer response to Sabato De Sarno’s new Gucci was largely...

BusinessFeatured

UK luxury sector worth 81 billion pounds to the economy

The British luxury sector is now worth 81 billion pounds annually to the UK economy, supporting more than 450,000 jobs across various sectors, making it one of the top industry drivers of the economy, according to a new report from Walpole. The ‘Luxury in the Making’ report from the industry body that represents more than 250 British luxury...

Fashion

Tips from an expert: How to spot a fake designer handbag

Recent data reveals a concerning trend that a significant portion of young consumers, approximately 37 percent, purchased counterfeit designer goods in 2022. Moreover, the global counterfeit goods market exceeded the GDP of Austria and Ireland combined in 2019. This surge in counterfeit products has persisted, with estimates suggesting that up...

Fashion Featured

Luxury brands are grappling with billions of euros of unsold inventory

The issue of excess inventory is commonly associated with fast fashion and ultra-fast fashion retailers due to their rapid production cycles and the need to constantly introduce new styles. However luxury companies are similarly struggling with substantial amounts of unsold stock, proving the situation is no longer exclusive to the lower end of...

Retail

Matches is for sale a second time in three months

Administrators are actively seeking a buyer for troubled retailer Matches, which recently faced an abrupt closure under the new ownership of Frasers Group. While the brand will continue its operations through its website and three London stores during the search for potential buyers, administrators from Teneo Financial Advisory Ltd. confirmed...