Clothing

Luxury firms will warily cut prices to boost sales

19 Dec 2024

High-end goods cost 54% more than before Covid. Yet the likes of LVMH refuse to blame lower volumes on more expensive wares. The fact is that rich Chinese consumers care more about savings than status symbols. Sacrificing margins will be an uncomfortable but inevitable strategy.

Shein IPO is test of UK market discipline

6 Dec 2024

Britain’s financial watchdog may bless the fast-fashion group’s possible $64 bln listing, leaving investors to gauge the risks in its supply chain. Yet passive funds and soft disclosure rules limit shareholders’ ability to price such factors. Better transparency would help.

Shein margin wobble takes bite out of IPO value

14 Nov 2024

The e-commerce giant’s revenue growth slumped in the first half of 2024, and the net margin fell to 2% per The Information. Even if the business recovers, it creates uncertainty that’s compounded by a protectionist US government. Investors may struggle to see the upside.

New Nike boss could consider becoming Big Sneaker

18 Oct 2024

The $126 bln athletic wear maker is struggling with a weak consumer, fashion missteps and a saturated market. Fresh CEO Elliott Hill can try and design his way to growth or go big. A tie up with rival Adidas would consolidate share with the benefit of chunky cost savings.

Luxury’s China wobble will accelerate M&A

16 Oct 2024

LVMH lost 7% of its market value after revealing bleak consumer spending in the world’s second-largest economy. The broader sell-off will make small players more vulnerable. But this will create a big opening for cash-rich giants to pounce on already battered stocks like Kering.

Richemont exits online hell, but heaven is way off

9 Oct 2024

The $70 bln luxury group is offloading its ailing platform YNAP in exchange for a stake in US-listed buyer Mytheresa. Chair Johann Rupert gets rid of a loss-making arm. But the sector’s dubious economics make it hard to see how he winds up with a holding that offsets his blushes.

LVMH wedges door open for future Moncler deal

27 Sep 2024

Bernard Arnault’s $400 bln group will help the CEO of its Italian rival raise his stake in the ski-jacket maker to 18.5%. It tightens Remo Ruffini’s grip on Moncler and puts LVMH in his good books. That leaves the luxury giant in pole position if Ruffini ever opts to sell.

China-EU trade spat’s next swipe may hit LVMH

23 Sep 2024

Beijing is weighing up retaliating against EU tariffs on electric cars. Targeting the French luxury giant and its rivals would cause minimal strategic pain and hit Paris rather than Berlin. Higher consumption taxes, rather than import duties, could also fit with domestic reforms.

Vinted’s price markup rests on limitless growth

9 Sep 2024

Private equity shop TPG may buy a stake in the second-hand clothing site at a $5.5 bln valuation, the FT reported. It implies a much steeper multiple than the main listed peer. That may be fair if rapid growth persists, but the performance of other marketplaces are a red flag.

Nordstrom buyout looks like least bad fit

6 Sep 2024

The US department store chain’s founding family and a Mexican retailer have offered to take it private in a $3.8 bln deal. The share price has risen since a deal was first mooted, but Nordstrom’s prospects haven’t. Its directors ought not to let this one get away.

Luxury’s legal pain is new threat to valuations

20 Aug 2024

Italian prosecutors allege sweatshop-like worker conditions at subcontractors of houses like LVMH’s Dior. That’s a bad look after recent luxury price rises. But if the sector has to hike costs to improve its supply chains, investors may find a new reason to mark valuations down.

Rose-colored Ray-Bans shade brand rehab realities

26 Jul 2024

EssilorLuxottica is paying $1.5 bln for Supreme, whose cachet suffered under Vans owner VF. Streetwear strays from the buyer’s eyewear expertise and the imputed return on capital looks modest. American Apparel also serves as one of many cautionary tales on fashion after it frays.

French luxury’s China pain may be more evenly felt

24 Jul 2024

Headwinds from Beijing are affecting the performance of Hermès, LVMH and Kering. The three groups continue to operate in different leagues, but they share a common dependence on the People’s Republic. China’s shaming of luxury implies Hermès may be less insulated than before.

Meta stake may blur vision for Ray-Ban maker

18 Jul 2024

The $1.2 trln tech giant may buy 5% of eyewear group EssilorLuxottica. It’s a show of confidence in the companies’ smart glasses partnership. But the investment could complicate the Paris-listed firm’s governance and limit its options for working with rivals like Apple.

Burberry faces a lengthy stay in the bargain bin

15 Jul 2024

Shares in the $3.4 bln UK fashion group fell 17% after it replaced its CEO and suspended its dividend. New boss Joshua Schulman’s plan to refocus on trench coats isn’t certain to work. But Burberry fare’s waning appeal also limits the scope for a deep-pocketed acquirer like LVMH.

Underdogs force Nike into game of defense

28 Jun 2024

The Converse owner's shares fell sharply after it warned on weaker sales. Rival upstarts have been giving Nike a run for its money, and the company is backpedaling on its direct-to-consumer push and doubling down on product innovation. Trouble is, it's starting on the back foot.

Wanted: A buffed-up board to put a sheen on Shein

28 Jun 2024

The $63 bln fast-fashion giant needs to find a chairman and board directors ahead of a London IPO. Providing comfort to fund managers jittery about Shein’s supply chain and cheap clothes will be tough. Breakingviews imagines how a headhunter might approach potential candidates.

Permira has many motives to kill its Golden Goose

19 Jun 2024

The sneaker brand blamed Europe’s political uncertainty for pausing its $1.9 bln listing. Yet a sluggish luxury market and slower growth had already forced it to scale back its price ambitions. For the private equity shop, avoiding a repeat of Dr. Martens’ IPO flop is paramount.

Golden Goose IPO to test its Super-Star status

11 Jun 2024

The maker of pricey sneakers liked by Taylor Swift will list in Milan. But sales are slowing and keeping a 34% profit margin while investing in growth is hard. As a luxury boom flags, a relatively discounted IPO value of 2 bln euros including debt is appropriately conservative.

Inditex’s golden era is coming to an end

3 May 2024

Asian disruptor Shein is threatening the $142 bln Zara owner’s fast-fashion crown with ultra-cheap wares. Dismissing the risk may threaten its market share. To protect the Spanish giant’s business, CEO Óscar García Maceiras has plenty of cash but no obvious M&A solution.