LVMH expects an excellent year
LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury goods group, said yesterday the outlook for 2012 was “excellent” and hiked its dividend after rapid growth in Asia and at its Louis Vuitton brand helped it post a forecast-beating rise in full-year operating profit. The French group, which last year bought Italian jeweller Bulgari, shrugged off concerns about the global economy with a 22 per cent rise in profit from recurring operations to €5.26bn (£4.38bn) on sales up 16 per cent at €23.66bn. Chief executive Bernard Arnault said business trends in January had been the same as at the end of last year, adding that the company’s priority remained organic growth.