2012 record year for luxury icon Hermès

Historically high sales

Since 2008 the French producer, known for its
legendary silk scarves and the iconic Birkin-handbags, has simply its
sales. Yearly sales are now at a record height of 3.48 billion euro, a rise of
22.6% percent compared to 2011. In the fourth quarter alone the company
had sales worth over one billion euro.

In 2012 Hermès saw its net profits rise to 740
million euro (+24.5%) and after deduction of the added value realised in 2011
through the sale of their participation in the group Jean-Paul Gaultier the
rise would even be higher at +31%. The added value of that sale was 29.5 million
euro in 2011.

Operating results saw a rise of 26.4% to 1.119
billion euro, for the first exceeding one billion euro. The profit margin
is at 32.1%, the highest level since the French company went public in 1993.

Not throwing caution to the wind                

The excellent results of 2012 show the economic crisis is not affecting Hermès at all and that the group at the moment is not
troubled by the slowing economy in Asia (providing half of the sales in 2012).
This does not mean Hermès is throwing caution to the wind: the company is not
making a prognosis for 2013 and it repeats that the strong euro can still have
an impact on sales in Europe.

CEO Patrick Thomas is also cautious about
expanding: last year two new Hermès locations opened (in China and in
Taiwan) and six boutiques were renovated or expanded. This year only one new
location is scheduled, in Shanghai. A dozen existing locations will be
modernised.

Hermès, founded in 1837, had 10,118 employees at the end of 2012, of which 6,110 in France. The group created more than 800
new jobs last year.