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Tag: richemont

  • Richemont expects weaker half-year earnings after restructuring costs

    Richemont expects weaker half-year earnings after restructuring costs

    Luxury goods maker Richemont said on Wednesday that it expected operating profit in the six months to September to decline by 45% from a year ago.

    The Luxembourg-and JSE-listed group said in a statement that the decline reflected the effect of one-off restructuring charges of about €65m, and the additional effect of inventory buybacks.

    “We are of the view that the current negative environment as a whole is unlikely to reverse in the short term. However, we remain convinced of the long-term prospects for luxury goods globally and in particular for watches and jewellery,” it said.

    Sales in the five months to August dropped 13% at constant exchange rates and 14% at actual rates.

    Richemont said sales in the UK had shown growth since the weakening of pound against most currencies at the end of June following the EU referendum.

    Elsewhere in Europe, sales were down, particularly in France, due to a significantly lower level of tourist activity.

    There was positive momentum in both jewellery and accessories in the Americas, but an overall decline in sales due to a weaker performance in watches.

    In the Asia-Pacific region, growth in mainland China and Korea was more than offset by the continuing weakness of the Hong Kong and Macau markets.

    Retail declined overall, primarily due to Europe and Japan. All other regions’ sales declines were low single digits, supported by jewellery and accessories. The marked decrease in wholesale sales reflected the continuing negative trend and the watch inventory buybacks.

    Richemont’s other businesses reported sales growth, thanks to positive performances at Montblanc, Chloé, Azzedine Alaïa and Peter Millar.

  • YNAP pins hopes on expansion

    YNAP pins hopes on expansion

    Italian online fashion retailer Yoox Net-A-Porter (YNAP) aims to double sales and boost profits by 2020 as it expands in new markets, including Asia, but says it is still committed to Britain despite the vote to leave the European Union.

    The group says it is expanding its London headquarters and hiring several hundred new staff members despite Brexit. About a sixth of its total revenue comes from Britain.

    “We believe in this market. We believe in London and we continue to grow here,” says chief executive Federico Marchetti. “We have a very resilient business model thanks to our geographies being global.”

    YNAP says it plans to more than double revenues to around 4 billion euros (US$4.4 billion) by 2020. Its growth plans include further expansion in China and the rest of Asia.

    It also plans to offer jewellery and watches – Swiss watchmaker Richemont is a major shareholder – targeting sales of 100 million euros by 2020. This is part of a strategy to focus more on premium customers and fast-growing brands, as well as investing heavily in mobile. It says three-quarters of sales are set to come from mobile devices by 2020, from 41 per cent now.

    YNAP, a merger of Italy’s Yoox with upmarket rival Net-A-Porter, has its own multi-brand shopping websites but also runs online stores for luxury brands including Armani and Valentino. It added Prada this week.

    Finance chief Enrico Cavatorta says he expects synergies from the merger to take full effect from 2018, improving margins, and says the group should be cash positive from 2018.

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  • Richemont Asia stores set for cull

    Richemont Asia stores set for cull

    Feeling the pinch from a tough trading environment, luxury goods retailer Richemont has announced restructuring measures, including the closure of stores.

    Richemont Asia sales have declined despite a 26 per cent increase in sales in Mainland China.

    Global sales fell 18 per cent in April, and the company reported a 23 per cent drop in full-year profit.

    Richemont says it is cutting costs in its watch sector and plans to consolidate its global retail presence, particularly in Mainland China, while investing further in jewellery.

    Richemont owns brands including Baume & Mercier, Cartier, Chloe, Dunhill, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Lancel, Montblanc, Piaget, Roger Dubuis, Shanghai Tang, Vacheron Constantin and Van Cleef & Arpels.

    “In the near term, we are doubtful that any meaningful improvement in the trading environment is to be expected,” said chairman Johann Rupert, revealing plans for Richemont store closures across its brands.

    Richemont’s operating profit in the year ended March was $2.06 billion, down from $2.67 billion because of the cost of restructuring measures initiated to counter the Asia Pacific downturn. Full-year revenue edged up 6 per cent to $11.08 billion, helped by favourable exchange rates.

    “Our concerns over geopolitical risks and the impact on the behaviour of our clients proved justified,” said the company.

    “Trading conditions in Hong Kong and Macau remained difficult. Only mainland China showed good growth.”

    Richemont’s final quarter was hit by slower tourist spending in Europe after terrorist attacks, while its Hong Kong business continued to bear the brunt of a strong currency which, combined with a slowdown in Chinese growth, deterred mainland tourists.

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  • Swiss luxury retailer Kirchhofer for sale

    Swiss luxury retailer Kirchhofer for sale

    Swiss luxury watch and jewellery retailer Kirchhofer is up for sale, Reuters reports.

    The family owned company, with annual sales of about US$302 million, is thought to produce a net profit of around $60 million annually.

    Reuters reported that three independent sources confirmed Credit Suisse has been engaged to sell the business.

    Kirchhofer sells most famous Swiss watch brands along with jewellery, cosmetics and leather goods. These days it focuses especially on Asian customers.

    Estimate of the value of the company range between five and 10 times the net profit, which calculates at between $300 million to $600 million.

    Likely suitors would include luxury retail giants Kering, LVMH and Richemont, along with private equity investment companies interested in expanding the brand internationally.

    The business is currently owned by Juerg Kirchhofer, the son of founder Fritz Kirchhofer who started the retailer in 1944. It has 10 stores, mostly in tourist cities in Switzerland.

    In a statement to Reuters, Kirchhofer’s finance head, Hans Wolf said no decision had been made to sell the company as yet.

    “Mr Kirchhofer has reached retirement age, which does not necessarily mean he wants to retire soon. Different options are being reviewed and analysed at the moment for the future of the company,” he said.

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  • Tight market hits Watches & Wonders

    Tight market hits Watches & Wonders

    With sales slipping in the industry’s largest market, the annual Watches & Wonders exhibition in Hong Kong may be cut back to every two years.

    High-end watchmakers are looking at a shift in strategy in Hong Kong in the face of the most severe downturn the industry has faced since the 2008-09 financial crisis, reports Reuters.

    Branching out from the two biggest trade shows in Switzerland, the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) in Geneva and Baselworld, Watches & Wonders was launched in 2013 by theFondation de la Haute Horlogerie, which is now talking with exhibitors about the show’s future format, according to Richard Mille, CEO of independent watchmaker Richard Mille.

    Watches & Wonders mainly showcases Richemont-owned brands like Cartier, Montblanc and Vacheron Constantin, as well as some independents, reports Bloomberg.

    “Some brands have been fighting to get out, completely out, to stop Watches & Wonders,” Mille said at this week’s SIHH in Geneva, the industry’s first event of the year.

    “Some of the brands want to do it every two years, some say every year. It’s a negotiation.”

    A decision will be made after this week’s show, according to foundation chairwoman Fabienne Lupo.

    The event also competes with the annual Hong Kong Watch & Clock Fair, which had nearly 800 exhibitors last year.

    China’s crackdown on extravagant spending plus currency fluctuations have hit the demand for expensive timepieces in Hong Kong, with Swiss watch exports to the island city plunging 23 per cent in the first 11 months of 2015, and facing the first annual decline since 2009. TAG Heuer closed one of its Hong Kong stores in August.

    Mille, whose watches sell from about 70,000 Swiss francs ($70,000) upward, says the objective of exhibiting in Watches & Wonders is to make contact with clients who are unable to attend the boutique shows. “It’s not cheap, but it’s worthwhile.”

    Meanwhile, high-end watchmakers are considering expanding their range of more affordable products. Executives at the Geneva event say the industry is having to adapt to a market with fewer Chinese, Middle Eastern and Russian buyers than a year ago, an outcome of record low oil prices and signs of economic weakness in China.

    Cartier, Richemont’s leading brand and main source of profit, is presenting more models than ever at more accessible prices at this week’s SIHH. Among them is Cartier’s new Drive model, a steel-cased men’s watch priced at a little more than 5000 euros ($5430). Previously, Cartier would offer only new models in gold and leather, with prices starting at more than 10,000 euros.

    Sister brand Piaget, generally starting no lower than 10,000 euros, has re-launched a women’s line starting at about 7000 euros, while Richemont stablemate Montblanc has introduced a wide range of lower-priced models.

    Montblanc CEO Jerome Lambert says that whatever happens, his company will stay active in Hong Kong with major exhibitions.

    “There is a different price awareness among customers now… and less price elasticity,” Piaget chief executive Philippe Leopold-Metzger told Reuters at the fair. “Times are difficult.”

    Several watchmakers have cut staff numbers in recent months, including Kering‘s newly acquired Ulysse Nardin and privately owned Parimigiani and Christophe Claret. Piaget closed a boutique in Shanghai last month, and Parmigiani plants to cut back its global outlets to about 250 from around 300 by the end of the year.

    Van Cleef & Arpels, one of the fastest-growing brands within the Richemont group, has also seen a slowdown in Hong Kong, Macao and the US. It is looking at new growth opportunities in such markets as Australia, Canada and Thailand, where it has just opened a store.

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  • Asia weighs on Richemont

    Asia weighs on Richemont

    Luxury goods retailer Richemont has reported its first drop in Christmas retail sales in seven years, citing a downturn in Asia and fallout from the Paris terror attacks.

    And worse may be in store in the fourth quarter for the Geneva-based owner of luxury brands including Montblanc, Cartier, IWC Schaffhausen, Net-a-Porter and Alfred Dunhill – especially in the watches category.

    According to data from the Swiss watch industry, stock shipments to Hong Kong, Richemont’s single largest market, are down 28 per cent.

    The company said demand for luxury watches and fashion was significantly down in Hong Kong and Macau in the three months to December 31. Sales in the territories fell by 9 per cent, but that rate was less than the 15 per cent decline for the first nine months of the year, suggesting the decline was levelling out.

    In contrast, Richemont said sales growth in Mainland China “continued to improve”.

    In Europe, sales fell 3 per cent in the quarter after Europeans were spooked by the Paris terror attacks in November, reducing the ranks of tourists to the French capital. That followed “very strong sales growth” in the first half of the financial year, which ends next March 31.

    Richemont’s global sales rose 3 per cent to 2.93 billion euros (US$3.2 billion), but on a constant currency basis fell 4 per cent, one per cent further than analysts were forecasting.

  • Asia curbs Richemont sales

    Asia curbs Richemont sales

    Richemont – Swiss parent of luxury brands like Cartier, Dunhill and Montblanc – is blaming a Hong Kong sales slump for a tough half year ahead.

    Reporting its half year figures on Friday, the company said it expected a “challenging second half” which led to an immediate nine per cent fall in its share price.

    Hong Kong accounts for about 16 per cent of Richemont’s global sales and the Mainland a further eight per cent. Asia, excluding Japan, accounted for 34 per cent of the group’s total revenue.

    “The significant sales decline in Hong Kong and Macau during the period was partly offset by positive developments elsewhere. In particular, Mainland China resumed growth with strong retail sales, largely offsetting challenging wholesale sales,” the company said in its trading statement.

    Japan reported strong momentum, both from local and tourist demand, helped by the favourable exchange rate movements.

    Richemont said its global sales through its company-owned stores – which account for just over half its turnover – rose 13 per cent in the first half year at constant currencies. However, wholesale sales fell six per cent. Combined sales increased by 15 per cent at actual exchange rates or by just three per cent at constant exchange rates.

    Shipments of Swiss watches to Hong Kong fell 20.5 per cent in the first nine months of this year, due to falling demand. And Richemont, with such a large part of its global operations in the territory, is very exposed to such a drop.

    The company’s CGO Gary Saage said its margins had fallen in the first half to September – and in October demand had slowed even further. However there was a small upturn in the mainland last month

    “It’s been a long time coming. Mainland China in total grew one per cent and, clearly, within that our own retail grew significantly,” he told analysts in a briefing.

    “Wholesale is still extremely challenging and we don’t know when that will get better, but we take comfort in that our retail networks in both watches and jewellery are performing.

    “Headline numbers in watches will take time to recover,” Saage said.

    Gross profit increased by 13 per cent and accounted for 65 per cent of sales. The 100 basis points margin decrease versus the prior period largely reflected the impact of the Swiss franc’s appreciation and lower capacity utilisation, partly offset by the positive effects of other exchange rates and the growing proportion of retail sales, the company reported.

    Richemont also owns the Baume & Mercier, IWC International Watch, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Piaget, Roger Dubuis and Vacheron Constantin.

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  • Richemont Revenue Beats Estimates on Japan, Europe Demand

    Richemont Revenue Beats Estimates on Japan, Europe Demand

    Richemont, the world’s biggest jewelry maker, said sales growth accelerated as weaker currencies attracted big-spending tourists to Japan and Europe, spurring the stock’s steepest intraday gain in more than two years.

    Sales increased 4 percent excluding currency shifts in the five months through August, the Geneva-based company said in a statement Wednesday. Analysts expected a 1 percent gain, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey. The shares climbed as much as 7.5 percent.

    Sales rose 48 percent in Japan and 26 percent in Europe, offsetting an 18 percent decline in Asia-Pacific. The results mirror comments by peers in the luxury business, such as Hermes International SCA, which reported higher first-half sales, fueled by an acceleration in Japan. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE in July posted strong revenue growth in Europe and the U.S., which helped offset a decline in China, Macau and Hong Kong.

    “Japan and Europe more than compensate for the weak development in Hong Kong,” said Rene Weber, an analyst at Bank Vontobel AG in Zurich. “The strong performance of those markets mean the Swiss watch industry can weather the Asian weakness, at least this year.”

    Shares in the Swiss owner of the Cartier jewelry brand, whose full name is Cie. Financiere Richemont SA, rose 6.4 percent to 76.65 francs as of 11:40 a.m. in Zurich. The report bolstered shares in the luxury-goods industry, with Hermes up 4.8 percent and LVMH gaining 3.5 percent.

    Richemont said sales in Hong Kong and Macau were “significantly lower,” while mainland China returned to growth with retail sales growing at a “strong double-digit rate.” The company reports five-month sales figures each year on the day of its annual meeting with shareholders.

    “Part of the crisis in confidence in the watch industry in Asia-Pacific is fragile confidence by independent retailers amid the problems in Hong Kong and Macau,” said Jon Cox, an analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux in Zurich, adding that Richemont’s comments about China were reassuring.

    Still, Richemont said its wholesale business continues to be weighed down by weakness in the Asia-Pacific region, which is still “extremely challenging.”

    Luxury spending in Hong Kong has been suffered since late 2012 when the Chinese government has been discouraging exuberant spending among officials. Political protests in Hong Kong last year forced some stores to shut and weighed on tourism.

    Among other luxury stocks, Swatch Group AG, the maker of Omega watches, rose 3 percent, and Kering SA, which owns Gucci, rose 4.4 percent.

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  • Richemont warns of profit plunge

    Richemont warns of profit plunge

    Swiss corporate luxury retailer Richemont has warned of a 36 per cent plunge in net profit in the year to March 31, blamed on “derivatives”.

    The loss comes despite a 10 per cent improvement in operating profit and capital gains on the disposal of assets.

    “This significant decrease reflects non-cash, mark-to-market losses on financial instruments, which include monetary items and derivatives,” the company said. It also warned its tax rate would increase significantly.

    Richemont owns Van Cleef & Arpels, watchmakers Piaget and IWC and fashion brands, including Shanghai Tang.

    Further details will be revealed when the company reports its full results on May 22. Investors need not be too concerned, however: the company is sitting on cash reserves of around €5.4 billion.

  • Shanghai Tang flagship launches 360 tour

    Shanghai Tang flagship launches 360 tour

    Two years ago, Richemont-owned luxury fashion brand Shanghai Tang relocated its flagship from the historic Pedder Building into a new location off the usually beaten path of die-hard shoppers.

    The decision was purely financial – the building’s owners ramped up the rental so much, the brand could not justify the overhead; apparently Abercrombie & Fitch considered the investment more palatable.

    The new flagship is located on 1 Duddell St, not far from Pedder St as the crow flies, but a location arguably so obscure most foreigners, as opposed to locals, struggle to find it.

    This week, Shanghai Tang has solved that problem, creating a 360 panoramic online journey through the flagship, accessible online from anywhere in the word.

    The high resolution view  is hosted by Google. Users can use their mouse or trackpad to zoom in on various displays and turn a full circle on each of the store’s three floors.

    “Whether or not you have had the chance to visit us in central Hong Kong, we are proud to introduce our first 360 online virtual tour of our Shanghai Tang Mansion,” the band said in an email to its fan base this week.

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