Fashion
Switzerland’s Richemont closes Q3 FY26 strong as sales rise 11%
All geographic regions recorded growth at constant exchange rates, with particularly strong double-digit performances in the Americas, Japan, and the Middle East and Africa. Sales in the Americas climbed 14 per cent at constant rates, supported by robust local demand across all business areas and major markets. Europe recorded 8 per cent growth, underpinned by local demand and supportive tourist spending, especially from North American and Middle Eastern visitors, with the UK and Italy delivering notable performances.
Richemont SA has posted a strong Q3 FY26, with sales reaching €6.4 billion (~$7.424 billion), up 11 per cent at constant exchange rates, led by retail strength and broad regional growth.
The Americas, Japan, and Middle East & Africa delivered double-digit gains.
Nine-month sales rose 10 per cent at constant rates, while disciplined investment supported growth amid currency and cost pressures.
The Middle East and Africa emerged as the fastest-growing region, with sales up 20 per cent, led by strong momentum in the United Arab Emirates and double-digit growth across all business areas. Asia Pacific sales increased 6 per cent at constant rates. Sales in China, Hong Kong and Macau combined rose 2 per cent, largely driven by solid activity in Hong Kong, while South Korea and Australia posted robust growth. Japan delivered a standout performance, with sales rising 17 per cent, Richemont said in a press release.
By distribution channel, retail continued to lead growth, with sales up 12 per cent at constant exchange rates and accounting for 72 per cent of group sales. Online retail sales rose 5 per cent at constant rates.
The ‘Other’ business area of the group remained broadly stable. Within this segment, Fashion and Accessories Maisons posted a 3 per cent increase in sales.
During the quarter, the group benefited from new product launches and impactful communication, with Peter Millar and Gianvito Rossi posting solid momentum within the Fashion and Accessories segment.
For the nine-month (9M) period of FY26, Richemont reported sales of €17 billion, representing growth of 10 per cent at constant exchange rates and 5 per cent at actual rates. Growth over the period was broad-based across regions, channels and business areas.
The group continued to invest consistently in nurturing the long-term growth prospects of its Maisons amid a complex macroeconomic environment characterised by weaker major trading currencies and rising material costs, which continued to weigh on margins. Richemont ended the period with a robust net cash position of €7.6 billion, compared with €7.9 billion a year earlier.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Fashion
Spain’s Inditex FY25 sales rise 3.2% to $46.28 bn amid strong demand
Profitability also improved during the year. Gross profit rose 3.9 per cent to €23.2 billion (~$26.91 billion), while the gross margin expanded to 58.3 per cent. Operating expenses increased 2.8 per cent, remaining below the pace of sales growth as the group maintained disciplined cost management.
Inditex has reported net sales of €39.9 billion (~$46.28 billion) in FY2025, up 3.2 per cent YoY, while sales rose 7 per cent at constant currency.
Gross profit reached €23.2 billion (~$26.91 billion) with a margin of 58.3 per cent, and net income grew 6 per cent to €6.2 billion (~$7.19 billion).
Online sales rose 4.8 per cent.
The group plans €2.3 billion (~$2.67 billion) capital expenditure in 2026.
The operating performance remained robust across key indicators. EBITDA increased 5 per cent to €11.3 billion, while EBIT rose 5.9 per cent to €8 billion. Profit before tax also reached €8 billion, up 5.8 per cent YoY, with the PBT margin standing at 20.1 per cent. Net income grew 6 per cent to €6.2 billion (~$7.19 billion), Inditex said in a press release.
Online business continued to expand, with digital sales rising 4.8 per cent to €10.7 billion. Inditex said the integration of stores and online platforms remains central to its omnichannel strategy, enabling seamless customer experiences worldwide.
The group’s store network also evolved during the year. Inditex opened stores in 41 markets and carried out 190 store openings, 217 refurbishments—including 96 enlargements—and 293 absorptions as part of its ongoing retail optimisation strategy. At the end of FY2025, the company operated 5,460 stores globally, while total selling space increased 5.3 per cent to 4.72 million square metres.
Zara, including Zara Home and Lefties, remained the group’s largest contributor with sales of €28.05 billion, followed by Bershka at €3.29 billion and Stradivarius at €3 billion. Europe excluding Spain accounted for the largest share of sales at 51.3 per cent, followed by the Americas with 17.8 per cent, Asia and the rest of the world at 15.0 per cent, and Spain at 15.9 per cent.
Inditex maintained a strong balance sheet during the year. Lease-adjusted funds from operations rose 7 per cent to €8.2 billion, while the group ended the fiscal year with a net cash position of €11 billion.
“These results reflect the ability of our teams to honour the trust that millions of customers place in our eight commercial formats every day. Connecting with them, understanding their desires and delivering the best product and a differentiated experience underpin our long-term growth expectations,” said Oscar Garcia Maceiras, CEO at Inditex.
The company’s board will propose a dividend of €1.75 per share for FY2025, comprising an ordinary dividend of €1.20 and a bonus dividend of €0.55. The dividend will be paid in two instalments of €0.875 per share in May and November 2026.
Looking ahead, Inditex plans to continue investing in its growth strategy. The group expects gross selling space to expand by around 5 per cent in 2026 alongside continued online growth. Ordinary capital expenditure is projected at approximately €2.3 billion (~$2.67 billion), primarily aimed at optimising store networks, enhancing technological integration and strengthening online platforms.
Early trading in 2026 has also been encouraging. Store and online sales in constant currency increased 9 per cent between February 1 and March 8 compared with the same period in 2025, supported by strong customer response to the Spring/Summer collections.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Fashion
Germany’s Hugo Boss FY25 sales reach $4.95 bn despite global headwinds
The operating profitability improved during the year, with EBIT rising 8 per cent to €391 million (~$453.56 million), while EBIT margin increased by 80 basis points (bps) to 9.2 per cent. Net income grew 16 per cent to €259 million, and earnings per share rose 17 per cent to €3.61.
Hugo Boss has reported sales of €4.27 billion (~$4.95 billion) in FY25, down 1 per cent YoY.
EBIT rose 8 per cent to €391 million (~$453.56 million), while net income increased 16 per cent to €259 million.
Growth in EMEA and the Americas offset weaker Asia demand.
Strong Q4 sales and profitability supported results, though 2026 is expected to see a temporary sales decline.
Regionally, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) recorded 2 per cent currency-adjusted growth, supported by strong demand in key European markets including Germany and France. The Americas grew 3 per cent, reflecting improving momentum in the US and double-digit gains in Latin America. In contrast, Asia/Pacific sales declined 5 per cent, largely due to subdued consumer demand in China, Hugo Boss said in a press release.
By brand, Boss Menswear remained the strongest contributor, with sales rising 3 per cent currency-adjusted during the year.
The company highlighted brand initiatives such as global campaigns, the Beckham x Boss collections and the Boss fashion show in Milan.
Meanwhile, Boss Womenswear and Hugo recorded declines of 5 per cent and 4 per cent respectively, as the company streamlined assortments and refined distribution to improve long-term brand positioning.
Channel-wise, brick-and-mortar retail sales remained broadly stable YoY, reflecting softer store traffic in markets such as China and the UK. Wholesale sales increased 2 per cent, while digital revenues rose 7 per cent, driven largely by strong performance from digital partner platforms.
The gross margin declined slightly to 61.5 per cent, down 20 bps from the previous year, due to currency effects, promotional market conditions and channel mix changes. However, Hugo Boss managed to offset some of these pressures through improved sourcing efficiency and lower freight costs.
Operating expenses fell 3 per cent, improving to 52.4 per cent of sales, reflecting the company’s focus on cost discipline and productivity improvements across sales, marketing and administrative functions.
The company also strengthened its balance sheet during the year. Inventories declined 10 per cent currency-adjusted, helping reduce inventory as a share of group sales to 21.5 per cent. Capital expenditure (capex) dropped 32 per cent to €195 million, following major investments in prior years.
Meanwhile, free cash flow before leases reached €499 million, broadly stable compared with €497 million in 2024. Hugo Boss ended the year with a net financial position of €48 million excluding lease liabilities, improving significantly from negative €78 million in the previous year.
Fourth quarter (Q4) sales rose 7 per cent currency-adjusted, with reported revenues increasing to €1.281 billion from €1.249 billion in the same period of 2024.
Growth was supported by improvements across several business channels. Brick-and-mortar retail returned to growth, rising 2 per cent, supported by a successful holiday season and strong consumer response to brand campaigns and product launches.
Brick-and-mortar wholesale recorded strong growth of 14 per cent, partly due to higher deliveries to selected partners and a timing shift of some shipments originally planned for early 2026. The digital business grew 12 per cent, benefiting from stronger performance from digital partners.
Regionally, EMEA delivered strong growth of 9 per cent in Q4, while the Americas increased 6 per cent, supported by a solid US performance and strong demand in Latin America. Asia/Pacific remained slightly negative at 1 per cent, although this represented a sequential improvement compared with earlier quarters as Southeast Asia and Pacific markets helped offset weaker demand in China.
EBIT in Q4 rose 22 per cent to €154 million, while EBIT margin increased to 12.0 per cent, up from 10.1 per cent a year earlier. However, gross margin declined 160 bps to 60.8 per cent, mainly due to increased promotional activity in the wholesale channel aimed at improving inventory levels.
The company said 2026 will be a transitional year, as it executes a deliberate brand and distribution realignment under its Claim 5 Touchdown strategy. These measures include selective store closures, a more targeted distribution approach, and further streamlining of product assortments, particularly for Boss Womenswear and Hugo.
As a result, currency-adjusted group sales are expected to decline in the mid-to high-single-digit range in 2026, while EBIT is projected between €300 million and €350 million.
Daniel Grieder, chief executive officer of Hugo Boss, said, “2025 once again highlighted the rapid transformation of our industry, shaped by technological innovation, evolving consumer preferences, and ongoing macroeconomic and geopolitical uncertainty. At Hugo Boss, we focused on what we can actively shape—further strengthening our brands, elevating our products, and deepening our global consumer engagement.”
“2026 will be a decisive year of targeted brand and channel realignment. While these deliberate actions will temporarily impact top- and bottom-line development, they are essential to position Hugo Boss for long-term success. I have absolute confidence in the strength of our brands, our strategy, and our global team as we unlock the full potential of Hugo Boss and take the company to the next level,” added Grieder.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Fashion
China’s clothes & textiles retail sales up 10.4% YoY in Jan-Feb
The value added of manufacturing went up by 6.6 per cent YoY in the period, a release from National Bureau of Statistics of China said.
China’s economy got off to a promising start in the first two months this year, with the total value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size growing by 6.3 per cent YoY.
The value added of manufacturing rose by 6.6 per cent YoY.
The retail sales of clothes, shoes, hats and textiles went up by 10.4 per cent YoY, while the total value of foreign trade in goods was up by 18.3 per cent YoY.
The value added of state-owned enterprises increased by 4.2 per cent YoY during the period, while shareholding enterprises recorded a 6.9 per cent YoY rise. Enterprises funded by foreign investors, including those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, grew by 4 per cent YoY, whereas private enterprises posted the highest growth of 7.4 per cent YoY.
In February, the total value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size went up by 0.83 per cent month on month (MoM).
The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index stood at 49 per cent in the same month and the production and operation expectation index was 53.2 per cent—0.6 pp higher than that in January.
In January-February 2026, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached 8,607.9 billion yuan—up by 2.8 per cent YoY—1.9 pps faster than that in last December.
The retail sales of clothes, shoes, hats and textiles went up by 10.4 per cent YoY in the two months.
In February, the total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 0.81 per cent MoM.
In the first two months this year, the online retail sales of goods were worth 2,081.2 billion yuan ($312.18 billion)—up by 10.3 per cent YoY and accounting for 24.2 per cent of the total retail sales of consumer goods.
In the first two months this year, the total value of foreign trade in goods was 7,732.1 billion yuan—up by 18.3 per cent YoY—13.4 pps faster than that in December 2025. The value of exports was 4,617.8 billion yuan—up by 19.2 per cent and the value of imports was 3,114.3 billion yuan—up by 17.1 per cent YoY.
Imports and exports with Belt and Road partner countries grew by 20 per cent YoY during the two months, while the same by private enterprises went up by 22.8 per cent YoY during the two months.
The country’s consumer price index (CPI) in January-February 2026 went up by 0.8 per cent YoY. It increased by 0.2 per cent YoY in January and by 1.3 per cent YoY in February.
The CPI went up MoM by 0.2 per cent in January and 1 percent in February.
In the first two months, the producer prices for industrial products went down by 1.2 per cent YoY. In January, these went down by 1.4 per cent YoY and went up by 0.4 per cent MoM. In February, these decreased by 0.9 per cent YoY and rose by 0.4 per cent MoM.
In the first two months, the purchasing prices for industrial producers dropped by 1.1 per cent YoY.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
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