Armani crosses line of 2 billion euro for the first time

2.091 billion euro in sales

The Italian fashion group Giorgio
Armani saw its sales rise to almost 2.1 billion euro last year (+16%). Never
before did the Italian label sell so much. The operating profit grew even
faster: +20% to 339 million euro.

The big leap forwards happened
(again) in Asia: in the whole of that continent Giorgio
Armani grew 29% (to 512 million euro), but in China alone sales rose by an
impressive 39%. In the United States sales rose by 15% and even in Europe –
still the most important continent for the Italian fashion label – Armani performed
well: a growth of 11%.

100 new shops this year

It is the third time in a row the
fashion group has grown and 2013 also looks promising, they say during an
interview with the American fashion magazine WWD: “It is of course still too
early to make predictions, but I expect the positive trend to continue this
year.”

The group has invested 158 million
euro in its worldwide distribution network in 2012. It also opened 104 new
shops, bringing the total to 2,203 shops. This year 100 new openings are
planned, although the group does not want to say where: “Our strategic plan sees
us committed both to mature markets as well as to emerging economies, in line
with the trend in recent years”, Armani said.