Commercial Sales Results
L’Oréal delivers “exceptional” third quarter; travel retail returns to growth
A “very positive Hainan” helps L’Oréal to a stellar third-quarter where growth was posted across all divisions and regions with “remarkable” performances from Professional Products and L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty and a strong recovery in Luxe.
Commercial revenue at the Spanish airports group climbed +7.4% year-on-year to €1,574.1 million, outstripping the +4.1% rise in passenger traffic.
A “very positive Hainan” helps L’Oréal to a stellar third-quarter where growth was posted across all divisions and regions with “remarkable” performances from Professional Products and L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty and a strong recovery in Luxe.
Retail activities, from shops and restaurants to advertising and car rental, saw revenues dip by -3.6% year-on-year through September, caused by multiple factors including the Middle East crisis, currency fluctuation and a softer luxury market.
Retail revenues climbed marginally year-on-year (+0.7%) to £592 million (US$793 million) at the UK hub, against the backdrop of a -0.6% decline in passenger traffic, which included a sharp fall on Middle East routes.
Duty-free revenue climbed +11% to €78.4 million, with spend per head leaping +21% to €10.00 in the nine months.
Nationwide duty-free sales (excluding inflight) rose +4.1% year-on-year in August but failed to keep pace with +11.7% customer volume growth.
Revenue grew by +5.1% excluding the North Asia region, which was affected by the continued reduction of the store network in China.
Airside sales from January through September climbed by +7.8% year-on-year with landside sales down -3.6% against the backdrop of a major renovation programme.
In the third quarter, organic revenue growth reached +1% year-on-year, which reflected “a less buoyant environment in China, while the United States, Europe and Japan saw good growth”.
A +21% surge in footfall at China Duty Free Group’s Hainan stores during ‘Super Golden Week’ was reflected in the province’s wider offshore duty-free market, with sales reaching US$127.57 million during the National Day holiday (1-7 October) alone.
Full-year revenue is expected to hit £3.8 billion (US$5.03 billion), up +5% year-on-year, with earnings per share up around +18% despite the impact of war in the Middle East, says F&B powerhouse SSP in a trading update.
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