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LVMH fashion unit's return to growth held back by Iran war. 28 Jul 2026, 09:06 am Updated - 28 Jul 2026 06:17 pm The window display of a Louis Vuitton store in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. (July 28): LVMH's biggest unit, home to Louis Vuitton and Dior, posted sales growth last quarter for the first time in two years even as the conflict in the Middle East deterred wealthy shoppers. Organic sales at the division, the French luxury group's most profitable unit, rose 1%, the company said on Monday, just below the estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. First-half profit from recurring operations exceeded estimates, underpinning margins. The luxury industry has been mired in a slump, first as Chinese shoppers - long a source of growth - curbed purchases, and more recently as the war sapped demand in Middle Eastern shopping hubs like Dubai. If not for the conflict, LVMH's quarterly sales would have grown by 4% instead of 3% at the group level, it said. An evolving and critical industry The Malaysian Gas Association (MGA), celebrating its 40th anniversary, highlights the role of natural gas as a clean energy source for Malaysia's low-carbon transition, emphasizing collaboration between policymakers, regulators, infrastructure players, investors, and industry stakeholders. With the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and National Gas Roadmap (NGR) in place, MGA aims to navigate challenges such as decarbonisation needs, declining local gas reserves, and increased LNG imports while ensuring reliability, affordability, and long-term sustainability. A stabilisation in earnings in recent quarters together with resilient sales outside the Middle East, "supports our view that LVMH has reached an inflection point in sales momentum and profitability", Citigroup analyst Thomas Chauvet said in a note. LVMH shares rose as much as 3.1% in early Paris trading, leaving the stock down 26% so far this year. "While continuing to pay very close attention to margins, we are entering the second half of the year with renewed confidence," chief executive officer Bernard Arnault said in the statement. US organic sales rose 6% in the quarter, while Europe was flat. Japan and Asia excluding Japan climbed 14% and 4% respectively. Jewellery demand. Jewellery has been an industry bright spot, as well-heeled shoppers snap up gold rings and bracelets. LVMH's watches and jewellery unit - which includes Tiffany & Co and Bulgari - posted an 11% jump in sales in the second quarter, well ahead of estimates. Rival Richemont posted surging sales during the same period, helped by demand for its Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery brands. In fashion and leather goods, Arnault cited the success of artistic director Jonathan Anderson's first designs for Christian Dior Couture as a growth driver last quarter. Yet the brand, led by Arnault's daughter Delphine, is facing strong competition from Chanel, whose designer Matthieu Blazy put out popular collections earlier this year. While Chanel is privately-held and doesn't have to disclose quarterly results like LVMH, top executives said in May the brand known for its tweed jackets was seeing signs of "very good" early demand from clients. In a note earlier this year, Morgan Stanley estimated that Chanel could capture about 30% of industry growth in 2026, at the expense of competing brands, including Dior. Dior's growth in the second quarter was "a bit above" the fashion unit's average, LVMH chief financial officer Cecile Cabanis said, while Louis Vuitton's was in line with the division. Other ready-to-wear companies such as Burberry Group plc and Moncler SpA recently posted disappointing sales, showing consumers are being selective about their luxury splurges. Gucci owner Kering SA publishes results on Tuesday and Hermes International SCA reports on Wednesday. Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee

Hélène de Tissot joins Chanel as chief financial officer. Jul 24, 2026 Automated translation Read the original in French Chanel is reorganising its finance department. According to information from Fashionnetwork, Hélène de Tissot has been appointed chief financial officer. She brings to this strategic role extensive expertise gained outside the fashion and apparel sector. Formerly the chief financial officer of the spirits group Pernod Ricard, Hélène de Tissot will join Chanel Ltd. in October 2026. She will officially assume her operational duties as chief financial officer in London from January 2027. In her new role, she will report directly to Leena Nair, the current CEO of the house. Hélène de Tissot succeeds Philippe Blondiaux, who announced his departure last week on LinkedIn: "This week, I announced my decision to retire from Chanel, effective December 31, 2026, thus ending a 40-year executive career that has taken me all over the world - from Burkina Faso to London, via Pakistan, Russia, Switzerland, the US and many other countries." Last May, Chanel announced increased results and confirmed it had maintained a sustained level of investment. The house, owned by the Wertheimer family, recorded a turnover of 19.3 billion dollars in 2025. Hélène de Tissot

Chanel expands Les Extraits line with limited distribution. By Silvia Blanco 23 July 2026 Chanel is expanding its Les Extraits line with the limited distribution of its 1957 fragrance, a musky composition created by in-house perfumer-creator Olivier Polge in 2019. The scent was originally meant to honor the year that house founder Gabrielle Chanel made her triumphant return to the U.S. market, but it also became a lucky charm for Chinese users who anointed the scent as a marker of prosperity and wealth, which in turn drove sales. Texture and mystique. The addition of 1957 to Chanel's Les Extraits line - which comes in a diamond-shaped box - can be viewed as a reaction to market interest, but more importantly, creatively speaking, it meant Polge could play up the scent's mystique, offering a more textured and slightly darker version of the original, which made its debut under the Les Exclusifs series. If the original 1957 was a crisp cotton shirt, the Extrait version would be a delicate light chiffon, according to Polge. "For a regular wearer of 1957, as soon as you try the Extrait version, I think you will realize the difference - there is more texture in the perfume. It's like slightly, I would almost say, spiced up with orange flower, iris, certain small leathery notes that really make the perfume vibrate in a slightly darker way," said Polge. "Maybe you can make the parallels with the thickness of a fabric, the preciousness of a fabric, and how maybe one might fit a certain situation," added Polge. Grand Parfumeur event. In Shanghai this week, Polge also played host to an intimate gathering dubbed "Grand Parfumeur," where the Rojo Art & Culture Space was transformed into a dimly lit fragrance palace where the brand's fragrance universe began with the story of Chanel No. 5. Here, it was brought to life via an interactive digital book. A film dubbed by brand ambassador Zhou Xun explores its raw materials produced in Grasse, and an olfactory experience allows guests to discover five of its most treasured ingredients. Global reach and new sets. On one end of the spectrum, the Les Extraits line will be sold like precious jewelry via appointments in select stores only - 50 in China and 200 globally. On the other end, as Chinese consumers trade down but look to fulfill their insatiable luxury appetite via "small luxuries," Chanel answered that call by releasing a new spray perfume set that allows consumers to select three scents among 11 Extrait juices. The spray set, also encased in a diamond-shaped gift box, which hit shelves a month ago, is also distributed at selected stores in the market in limited quantities. Playfully tapping into consumers' superstitious psychology, just like Coco Chanel herself would, pairing the 1957 with Sycomore and No. 5 is viewed as "finding a supportive mentor, reaching career success and financial fortune," according to Chinese internet lore. Future scents. As for its latest Extrait-in-Oil, which is set to launch sometime next year, Polge said that it will be "a more intimate way of wearing the perfume." "We spend a lot of time speaking about the richness of the raw material, the combination of the scent to the skin - I like the sensuality of it," said Polge.