LVMH’s Q1 Jewelry, Watch Sales Up 24%
New addition Tiffany & Co. had an excellent start to the year, the luxury titan said.
Here are five important takeaways from the luxury titan’s most recent earnings report.
It’s a strong start to the year for LVMH.
LVMH put on a strong performance in the first quarter, reporting revenue growth of 29 percent year-over-year to €18 billion ($19.6 billion).
That double-digit growth carried across every business category, except its wine and spirits division due to supply constraints.
LVMH did not share financial guidance for the year ahead but said it remains “both vigilant and confident” in light of the pandemic and geopolitical crises.
“LVMH relies on the talent and motivation of its teams, the diversity of its businesses, and the geographical balance of its revenues to further strengthen its global leadership position in luxury goods in 2022,” said the company.
Jewelry and watch sales hold strong post-Tiffany acquisition.
Revenue in the watches and jewelry segment climbed 24 percent year-over-year to €2.34 billion ($2.55 billion).
Its jewelry brand portfolio includes Bulgari, Chaumet, Repossi, and Fred, as well as the recently acquired Tiffany & Co.
The category has received a strong boost in recent quarters following LVMH’s acquisition of Tiffany, which closed in January 2021.
The storied brand had an “excellent start to the year,” said LVMH, and posted especially strong growth in the United States.
Its “Knot” collection, which features a knot design on bangles, earrings, rings, pendants, and a choker, saw particular success.
Bulgari’s growth was driven by its high jewelry and watch collections, as well as its Serpenti line, said LVMH.
Additionally, Chaumet and Fred put on an “excellent performance.”
Chaumet’s “Joséphine” and “Liens” lines did well while Fred opened a new flagship in Singapore.
The Tiffany & Co. brand is strong.
Tiffany is a top brand among LVMH’s jewelry houses, receiving special attention, as did Bulgari, in its earnings presentation.
The “Knot” collection was a strong performer, alongside Tiffany’s high jewelry offerings.
Its relaunch of designs by famed jeweler Jean Schlumberger also did well.
The company launched a new campaign for its HardWear line, featuring K-pop superstar Rosé.
Its celebrity ambassadors include Anya Taylor-Joy, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Eileen Gu.
Recently, the jeweler jokingly announced it would be getting into the cryptocurrency game, launching TiffCoin as an April Fool’s joke.
It later released 499 physical 18-karat gold Tiffcoins, priced at $9,999, individually numbered and engraved with a Tiffany “T.”
The brand joined Signet Jewelers and Brilliant Earth in refusing to purchase Russian diamonds in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
There’s a lot of newness from its watch brands.
LVMH’s watch brand portfolio includes TAG Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith.
Its watch brands “continued to see strong momentum,” said LVMH, and unveiled several new timepieces at the recent Watches & Wonders show in Geneva.
TAG Heuer introduced five new watches at the trade show, including its first solar-powered watch.
The brand also debuted the Carrera Plasma, which features lab-grown diamonds, including an entirely diamond crown at 3 o’clock.
Hublot launched The Big Bang Unico Ledger in partnership with cryptocurrency company Ledger, and Zenith introduced the new Chronomaster Open and Chronomaster Sport models.
Bulgari also recently released the new Octo Finissimo Ultra watch.
The U.S. region posted double-digit growth.
The United States is LVMH’s second-largest market in terms of revenue, just behind Asia.
The U.S. accounted for 24 percent of revenue, up from 23 percent in the previous first quarter.
U.S. organic revenue was up 26 percent, compared with 23 percent growth last year.
Japan and Europe also posted double-digit organic revenue growth.
Asia, excluding Japan, reported revenue growth of 8 percent, a significant difference compared with 86 percent growth in the previous first quarter.
“Asia continued to grow over the quarter despite the impact of a tightening of health restrictions in China in March,” said LVMH.
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