Le Col: Can this premium cycling brand designed by riders be the next Rapha? December 14, 2016 "I'm convinced that cycling isn't going to go away," says Yanto Barker, a retired British pro cyclist now whose ambitious apparel brand Le Col is currently looking to secure £1m worth of funding from investors via Crowdcube. Le Col is entering the home straight of its crowdfunding campaign with 23 days left for budding investors to join the 117 people who [...]
Luxury stocks including LVMH, Burberry and Kering have fallen out of favour: These days, it’s all about the stratospheric rise of Greggs’ sausage rolls December 22, 2015 Is this the end of luxury? It's certainly been a tough year for the most luxurious of brands, thanks in part to the slowdown in China, one of the fastest growing consumer markets. Options trader Banc de Binary has tracked the performance of some of the most high-end brands, including Kering, which owns Gucci, Balenciaga and [...]
Abercrombie & Fitch hurt by fierce competition in 14th straight quarterly sales drop August 30, 2016 Fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch is the latest US chain to post disappointing results. Shares ditched almost 14 per cent in the pre-market in New York as the company revealed its 14th consecutive quarterly sales decline. It blamed the slump on lower traffic at its out-of-town stores and a drop off in tourist spending. Same-store sales fell by [...]
Luxury firms should stop blaming macro trends for poor sales and become more sophisticated October 31, 2016 The latest batch of earnings reports from the luxury giants were showstoppers – with stunning double-digit gains from Kering, the owner of Gucci, versus no growth from Burberry. The polarised results raise the question: is it time for the luxury sector to move on from a tale of woe after the crackdown on Chinese consumption [...]
Here’s how to make the most of investing in Apple, Amazon and major overseas players October 27, 2016 In a globalised world, equity investors need to think big if they want to buy the world’s best companies. “There is no UK equivalent to the likes of Amazon or Facebook. The UK’s own social networking pioneer, Friends Reunited, finally closed its web doors in February this year,” says Michelle McGrade, chief investment officer at [...]
Abercrombie & Fitch misses expectations as sales sag, sparking share sell off – though the Hollister brand remains flat May 26, 2016 News of its 13th quarter-on-quarter sales decline has sparked a sell off of Abercrombie & Fitch stock. The fashion retailer's shares are down by 13 per cent in the pre-market, after the chain missed expectations and warned the current quarter isn't looking any better. Shares that were up by over 20 per cent over the past 12 months on hopes declining [...]
Tiffany & Co shares are not an investor’s best friend today, as sales slide over seven per cent in the last quarter May 25, 2016 Diamonds may be a girl's best friend but they've fallen out of favour with tourists in the face of the strong dollar. Sales at luxury jeweller Tiffany & Co have dropped by 7.3 per cent over the last quarter, its steepest slide over a three month period in almost six year – sending investors running. Shares in Tiffany slumped by [...]
Moet Hennessy chief executive Christophe Navarre invests in Vivino wine networking app January 13, 2016 Christophe Navarre, the president Moet Hennessy – the wines and spirits division of luxury giant LVMH – is one of several investors involved in wine app Vivino's $25m (£17.3m) series B fundraising. Vivino's site and app is a networking site for wine lovers, and the most downloaded mobile wine app, allowing users to recommend and rate wines, and identify wines from restaurants around the world. [...]
LVMH posts strong start to year despite some wine woes in China April 13, 2015 FRENCH luxury goods group LVMH posted a three per cent rise in like-for-like first-quarter sales yesterday, boosted by the weak euro against the dollar and a strong performance from its key brand Louis Vuitton. Total sales in the first three months of the year increased by 16 per cent on a reported basis to €8.3bn [...]
Inflation likely to show minute rise above zero – London Report October 11, 2015 INFLATION data will be in the spotlight this coming week. The consumer price index in the UK, released tomorrow, is expected to pick up in September to 0.1 per cent year-on-year, following a drop to zero per cent in August. The Bank of England, which is targeting two per cent inflation, said the outlook for [...]