Italian leathergoods brand Furla recorded +47% sales growth for its travel retail business in the first half of 2017.
The strong performance of the travel retail division contributed to overall company turnover of €238 million (+23.5% year-on-year) in H12017.
According to Furla, the H12017 performance was driven by organic growth, with like-for-like sales in directly-operated stores registering a double-digit increase.
The Asia Pacific region registered +63% growth in the first half of 2017, driven by “notable expansion”, a double-digit like-for-like gain in China and ‘remarkable’ results in South Korea and Australia. Japan and the EMEA region were up +16%, while the USA posted a +3% increase.
The EMEA region (including Italy) accounted for 45% of total turnover in the first half of 2017, while Japan contributed 24%, APAC 24% and the USA 7%.
Furla said: “The data reveals a substantial all-around expansion,which is the result of a dynamic strategy focused on developing the company’s directly-managed distribution network, effectively communicating the brand’s values and seizing growth opportunities both in emerging and established markets.”
Investments in marketing and communications will increase over the course of 2017, with a focus on digital and e-commerce, the brand added.
Furla CEO Alberto Camerlengo said: “The results of the first half of 2017 make us very proud and underline the way turnover has doubled over the last three years. This growth, in extremely complex scenarios, is important in all markets as is the improvement in the quality of our distribution network and of our relationship with our strategic partners.
“Furla’s continuous product innovations, in line with our brand values, support us in the achievement of more and more challenging objectives, and the speed in implementing responses to the ever-changing needs of the retail world are our most distinctive features. Our intent is to continue growing organically both in our diverse product categories and in our geographic footprint.”
