(Reuters) – Ralph Lauren Corp and Michael Kors-owner Capri Holdings beat quarterly revenue estimates on Tuesday, underscoring the unwavering demand for luxury goods from high-income consumers amid decades-high inflation, sending their shares up 2%.
Rising prices have had little impact on middle- and high-income households who have been happily spending on designer labels, having built up substantial savings during the pandemic when restrictions made everything from foreign holidays to eating out more difficult.
European rivals LVMH and Gucci-owner Kering have also seen a strong increase in their sales, benefiting from some luxury spending shifting to Europe as U.S. tourists took advantage of a stronger dollar.
Ralph Lauren’s revenue rose 8.3% to $1.49 billion in the first quarter ended July 2. Analysts had expected $1.41 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
Capri, which also owns Versace and Jimmy Choo, said total quarterly revenue rose 8.5% to $1.36 billion, also beating analysts’ estimates of $1.29 billion.
Excluding items, Capri earned $1.50 per share, topping estimates of a profit of $1.36.
However, Asia revenue for Michael Kors, Capri’s biggest brand, fell over 16%, as a new round of lockdowns in China hit demand in the key luxury goods market. Jimmy Choo and Versace also saw declines.
Capri also said its net inventory at the end of the first quarter was up 66% compared to last year, while Ralph Lauren’s stocks grew 47% as both companies expedited seasonal product shipments to avoid the last year’s supply chain delays.
(Reporting by Uday Sampath and Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)