So, first off, you got your big dogs in Europe – LVMH, Richemont, Kering – basically, the folks who *own* luxury. And apparently, they’re doing pretty darn well. The CAC, which I think is some kind of Paris stock index (don’t quote me on that), is up more than 3% this week, largely thanks to them. Good for them, I guess. Makes me wanna invest, if I actually *had* any money to invest, you know?
Now, where does Burberry fit in all this? Well, they’re a British luxury fashion house, so…adjacent. What’s interesting is that despite, like, allegedly sluggish growth, someone thinks Burberry’s got staying power. “High brand recognition, pricing power, and strong control over distribution” – that’s the mantra they’re spouting. Sounds good on paper, right? But then, BAM! They reported a decline in retail revenue for the third quarter of 2024. Ouch. That’s gotta sting. Maybe all that fancy Equestrian Knight stuff isn’t flying off the shelves like they thought it would?
And then, because this is a truly baffling collection of snippets, we get to… jewelry! Burberry jewelry, specifically. Apparently, you can get rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, all decked out in the iconic Burberry Check. Which, let’s be honest, that check pattern? It’s either super classy or super…well, you know. There’s not really any in-between, is there? You either love it or you think it’s, like, *so* 90s.
So, what’s the overall takeaway here? Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. It seems like we’ve got this picture of a European luxury market that’s generally doing pretty well, sprinkled with a dash of Burberry’s slightly mixed bag. They’re a brand with a ton of history – originally making coats for military use in WWI, which is kind of wild if you think about it – but they’re facing some headwinds. And they’re trying to sell us jewelry.
