Tourism slump hits Burberry Hong Kong sales

British luxury brand Burberry Hong Kong has seen its sales slide by more than 20 per cent for the third quarter in a row.

The result reflects the continuing fall-off in tourist numbers to Hong Kong from China, including a 26 per cent drop in February.

Burberry’s second-half sales results, just released, show a “challenging” environment for luxury, says CEO Christopher Bailey. Global comparable sales declined by 2 per cent, dragged down by Hong Kong and Macau. Global comparable sales excluding these regions actually edged up 1 per cent for the half.

Burberry’s bright spots were Mainland China, Japan and Korea, which all saw positive growth. Japan, which has become a luxury shopping hotspot for Chinese tourists, had double-digit growth in total retail revenue.

Sales also slowed down in Europe, as luxury shoppers from China avoided the region following the Paris terror attacks in November. Demand for Burberry goods fell in France, Germany, Italy and Spain amid a general sense of unease about security and fears of further terrorist attacks in Europe.

However, it is not all doom and gloom for Burberry, says Verdict Retail analyst Andrew Hall, citing growth in online sales and the launch of the Mr Burberry fragrance. The success of Burberry’s fragrances has seen the brand’s beauty division achieve underlying growth of 10 per cent in the second half.

“Furthermore, Burberry continues to be at the forefront of luxury fashion retail, making headlines with high-profile collaborations – for example, Steve McQueen – and sending waves across the industry as it shakes up the traditional fashion show timetable,” says Hall.

“Burberry can certainly be proud of the hard-won successes, but long-term strategic leadership is needed to overcome the blows dealt by performance in some Asian markets. Until this is achieved, the good work will continue to be overshadowed by falling demand in Hong Kong and Macau.”