LVMH reports fall in third quarter sales and warns of ‘uncertain’ outlook

LVMH reported an unexpected fall in third quarter sales on Tuesday (Oct 15), as the world’s largest luxury group was hit by a pullback in spending by Chinese consumers and warned of an “uncertain economic and geopolitical environment”.
Group revenues at the Paris-based conglomerate controlled by French billionaire Bernard Arnault dropped 3 per cent to €19.1 billion (US$20.8 billion; S$27.22 billion) in the three months to Sep 30 compared to the same period last year. Analysts had been expecting revenues to increase by 1 per cent.
Sales at LVMH’s core fashion and leather goods division, seen as a bellwether for the luxury industry, fell 5 per cent, also missing Visible Alpha analysts’ consensus for a rise of 1 per cent.
It is the first time the division has recorded falling sales since 2020, when the Covid pandemic closed businesses and markets. 
LVMH’s American depositary receipts fell almost 7 per cent after publication of the third-quarter results, which were released after the Paris stock market closed.
LVMH said the contraction in third-quarter group revenues “mainly arose from lower growth seen in Japan, essentially due to the stronger yen”.
But chief financial officer Jean-Jacques Guiony told analysts that consumer confidence in mainland China had reached Covid-era lows.
Chinese shoppers, who have fuelled much of the industry’s growth in the past decade, have reined in their spending as they worry about their country’s darkening economic outlook and weak housing market.
LVMH’s sales in Asia outside of Japan fell 16 per cent in the third quarter, while those in the US, the biggest luxury market, were flat.
Sales growth in Japan remained in the double digits, but moderated from the first half of the year.
LVMH’S fashion and leather goods division includes the group’s biggest brands, such as Louis Vuitton and Dior, and accounts for nearly half of group sales.
Sales at LVMH’s jewellery and watches division as well as its wines and spirits unit also fell in the third quarter.
This was an “unusual and material sales miss for the luxury bellwether”, said Thomas Chauvet, analyst at Citigroup, adding that he anticipated a 3 to 5 per cent downgrade to expectations for LVMH’s full-year group revenues.
Burberry and Kering, which owns Gucci, have suffered double-digit falls in sales in recent quarters.
Paris-based rival Hermès has been helped by a more resilient ultra-wealthy client base. 
LVMH shares have dropped nearly 14 per cent this year, while Kering’s stock is down 41 per cent. Hermès’s shares are up almost 10 per cent. 
“We see LVMH as the weakest among the quality names,” Luca Solca, analyst at Bernstein, said.
The results come at a time of change at LVMH, with Arnault’s five adult children taking on more prominent roles at the group.
Adrienne Klasa © 2024 The Financial Times
This article originally appeared in The Financial Times