LVMH - First half 2015 watch and jewellery profits up 91%
Sales for the first half of 2015 at LVMH were up by a respectable 19% and net profit climbed by a more modest 5% - still welcome news in the current uncertain economic climate. But the contribution of the watches and jewellery division is startling. The sales figures were up to 1.552 billion euros (compared with 1.266 billion over the same period last year), but profit from recurring operations was up by a staggering 91% over the same period, with the operating margin rising by over 50% (from 8.5% to 13.2%).
The Bulgari boost
With other brands cutting back budgets and putting their watchmakers on short time, where is this growth coming from? One source might be the group's own-name stores in this sector, with new ones opening at the rate of two per month over the past year. Another is Bulgari, which the group claims saw "markedly rapid growth, particularly in China, the Middle East and Europe". Growth that comes from the success of the brand's jewellery lines as well as the take-up for the new ladies Lvcea collection, the men's Octo line and the new Diagono Magnesium models presented at Baselworld.
LVMH attributes sound growth to its other watch brands, singling out the new Carrera Heuer 01 model by TAG Heuer, Hublot's move upmarket with its artistic associations, Zenith's new Elite 6150 movement and Chaumet's Josephine collection as particularly noteworthy.
Outlook
With the majority of TAG Heuer's new models to hit the stores in the second half of the year and the lucrative run-up to Christmas to follow, the LVMH watch and jewellery brands are on course for a year that could defy the general economic climate. With renovated Bulgari stores due to open in London and Geneva and the extension of the Hublot factory to open in the second half of the year, the outlook is bright for LVMH.