LVMH sales rise as US luxury demand offsets Europe slowdown, Iran War impact

PARIS, - Luxury giant LVMH reported a rise in quarterly sales on Monday as strong demand in the United States helped offset weaker spending in Europe and the Gulf due to the Iran war.

Second-quarter sales at the owner of Louis Vuitton, Dior and Bulgari rose 3% when adjusted for currency swings to €19.5 billion ($22.2 billion), broadly ‌in line ⁠with analysts' consensus ⁠estimate, according to Visible Alpha.

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Growth was driven by the U.S., where sales rose 6% ​in the second quarter after increasing 3% in the first three months of the year, ​LVMH said.

European luxury brands have stepped up their focus on the United States, opening stores and staging fashion events to attract wealthy shoppers buoyed by ​the AI and technology boom, while demand remains subdued ⁠in other ‌regions.

However, the update from LVMH - the first major luxury ​group to report ​first-half results - may not be enough to reassure investors that ⁠the $400 billion luxury sector is finally emerging from a ​two-year downturn.

The fashion and leather goods division, which generates ​the bulk of LVMH's operating profit, posted 1% organic growth. That was its first quarterly increase in two years, but fell short of analysts' expectations for a 1.7% rise.

LVMH said the Iran war reduced growth in the division by 1 percentage point, but added that Dior was gaining momentum ‌under new creative director Jonathan Anderson.

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In Europe, sales were flat in the quarter, stabilising after a decline in the first three ​months of the ​year as conflict ⁠in the Middle East weighed on tourism.

For the first half, sales rose 2% on an organic basis, but fell 3% on a reported basis to €38.6 billion. ​Over the same period, profits from current operations fell 4% to €8.7 billion, though the operating margin was broadly stable at 22.5%.

Shares in the French group, controlled by billionaire Bernard Arnault, have fallen 28% since the start of the year, making LVMH one of Europe's worst-performing large-cap stocks.