FinancialsMay 15, 2023
Richemont Chair Shoots Down Reports of Acquisition by LVMH FinancialsMay 18, 2023
Watches of Switzerland’s Full-Year U.S. Sales Climb 52%
CEO Brian Duffy also detailed a new joint venture partnership with Audemars Piguet.
Pictured is Watches of Switzerland’s store in the Mall of America. The company posted double digit growth in its fourth quarter and for the full year.
London—Watches of Switzerland ended its fiscal year on a high note, posting double digit growth in its fourth quarter.
The company also posted record revenue for the full fiscal year, in spite of a "more challenging trading environment in the second half," said CEO Brian Duffy.
He touted a “record year of revenue and profitability” and expressed confidence in the year ahead.
Here are four important takeaways from the company’s recent earnings report.
Watches of Switzerland posted strong revenue growth in Q4 and FY23.
For the fourth quarter ended April 30, the company posted £371 million ($463.5 million) in total revenue, up 22 percent year-over-year.
In the U.S., revenue climbed 27 percent in Q4, totaling £173 million ($216.1 million).
In the U.S., revenue climbed 27 percent in Q4, totaling £173 million ($216.1 million).
For the fiscal year, revenue totaled £1.54 billion ($1.92 billion), up 25 percent year-over-year.
Revenue in the U.S. climbed 52 percent to £653 million ($815.8 million).
Luxury watch revenue for the year was up 28 percent, driven by increases in average selling price and volume, while luxury jewelry revenue was up 10 percent.
The company’s e-commerce revenue was up 3 percent.
Notably, revenue from its pre-owned segment was up double digits, said the company, with pricing and margins maintained.
The company has several new projects in the pipeline.
Watches of Switzerland has a long list of new projects for the fiscal year ahead.
Its multi-brand showroom opens this month in the American Dream mall in New Jersey, with its multi-brand showroom at One Vanderbilt in New York opening in January 2024.
Its multi-brand showroom opens this month in the American Dream mall in New Jersey, with its multi-brand showroom at One Vanderbilt in New York opening in January 2024.
Its refurbished and expanded Mayors location in Dadeland, Florida also opened this month.
Internationally, the first Watches of Switzerland multi-brand showroom in Europe will open in the Mall of the Netherlands, The Hague at the end of the calendar year.
Its Rolex flagship on London’s Old Bond Street will open in the first half of 2024.
Its Rolex flagship on London’s Old Bond Street will open in the first half of 2024.
A new Tudor flagship boutique will also open on Old Bond Street in Q4 of fiscal 2024.
It’s been expanding its mono-brand portfolio elsewhere in Europe as well, with new TAG Heuer stores opening in Berlin and Stockholm.
It’s been expanding its mono-brand portfolio elsewhere in Europe as well, with new TAG Heuer stores opening in Berlin and Stockholm.
As of April 30, the company has 193 showrooms across the U.K., U.S. and Europe, including 80 mono-brand boutiques with Rolex, Omega, TAG Heuer, Breitling, Tudor, Audemars Piguet, Grand Seiko, Bulgari, and Fope, as well as its e-commerce presence.
Watches of Switzerland has entered into a partnership with Audemars Piguet.
The highlight on its list of new projects is a joint venture partnership with luxury watch heavyweight Audemars Piguet.
The company has signed a letter of intent with the brand confirming its intention to open a store in the U.K. in St. Anne’s, Manchester, England.
Duffy said, “This is an important expansion in our partnership with Audemars Piguet which has spanned more than 50 years and we look forward to what will be a great showroom for the city of Manchester.”
The location is slated to open in the spring of 2024.
Watches of Switzerland is predicting revenue growth in its future.
“We enter FY24 significantly ahead of where we expected to be in our long range plan following two years of exceptional performance and notwithstanding the macroeconomic backdrop,” said Duffy.
For fiscal 2024, the company is forecasting revenue growth of 8 to 11 percent at constant currency, between £1.65 billion and £1.70 billion ($2.06 billion to $2.12 billion), with EBIT margin in line with the prior year.
“We remain confident in our goals to maintain our leadership position in the U.K., become the clear leader in the U.S., and capitalize on our growth potential in Europe,” Duffy said.
The company is expecting the “more challenging” trading environment of the second half of fiscal 2023 to continue into the first half of fiscal 2024 but foresees improvement in the second half.
It expects a “modest” sales decline in Q1 of FY24 that will normalize by the second quarter.
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