In the year under review, Burberry delivered an excellent performance, with sales up 16% and profit up 24%. This was despite a challenging environment for the luxury goods sector.

Products

Over recent years Burberry has been transformed from a traditional rainwear manufacturer to a leader in fashion and luxury.

The Burberry Prorsum Autumn/Winter collection was selected as one of the ten best collections by Women’s Wear Daily, a leading industry publication. Candy check, a pink adaptation of Burberry’s iconic pattern, was successfully offered across a range of handbags and small accessories.

Channels

Burberry achieved growth across all its distribution channels – retail, wholesale and licensing.

Retail selling space increased by 12%, with nine new stores. This included Burberry’s first store in Italy, located in the heart of the fashion capital of Milan.

In wholesale, Burberry continued to concentrate on key accounts in developed markets, while building brand awareness in emerging markets, such as China.

In licensing, the launch of Burberry’s new fragrance, Burberry Brit, was supported by an extensive media campaign and received strong consumer response. This was to the benefit of the entire Burberry brand.

Regions

Burberry continued to extend its global reach, with solid growth across the US, Europe and Asia.

In the US, Burberry added four new stores and worked with wholesale customers to continue building its presence in this substantial market. In Europe, sales growth resumed in Spain, reflecting the brand’s successful repositioning efforts. In Japan, Burberry assumed greater control of managing the non-apparel licensees in this market.