Sponsored by
H&M breathes a sigh of relief as drop in sales proves smaller than feared
Budget clothing retailer Hennes & Mauritz posted a smaller than expected drop in like-for-like November sales, easing fears of large markdowns to reduce unsold stock.
The company said that local-currency sales at stores open a year or more (like-for-like sales)shrank one per cent in the last month of its fiscal year.
This performance beat analysts’ forecast for a three per cent drop.
That was the second consecutive monthly drop and comes after a five per cent dip in the previous month, October.
Citi analyst Richard Evans said a weak euro and likely product investments will probably limit H&M’s earnings growth in 2013 to mid-single digits.
He repeated a neutral stance on H&M’s shares.
Total sales in November, including new stores, were up seven per cent from a year earlier in local currencies.
This was just above forecasts.
The group is on course for a total year rise in sales of around 11 per cent.
“Sales are marginally better than we expected, but probably at a cost to margin,” said Credit Suisse analyst Simon Irwin.
He said that H&M had probably been cutting prices in promotions to get rid of stock in Novem- ber.
He stuck to forecasts for full-year 2013 like-for-like local currency sales growth of two per cent.
He is also predicting total sales growth of 10.4 per cent.
Turnover in the September-November quarter, which H&M published ahead of the full-year earnings report which is due out on January 30, rose five per cent from a year earlier, matching expectations.
H&M is lagging forecast growth at larger rival Inditex, which is less exposed to the downturn in Europe.
Inditex, which owns high fashion chain Zara and a number of other chains, has a larger share of sales than H&M in faster-growing emerging markets and is less exposed to cost inflation in Asia.
Shares in Inditex, which H&M trails by value and turnover as well as by the number of markets and stores, have soared 66 per cent so far this year.
Email to a friend
Print this page- Woolwich police raid house in Lincolnshire
- Two shot after soldier is hacked to death in street with meat cleaver
- McDermott identifies Leeds transfer targets
- Leeds MP beaten unconscious in homophobic attack hits out at Tory gay marriage rebels
- £20,000 damages for Yorkshire policewoman offered a pink gun
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 31 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 6 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North
