Global Powers of Luxury Goods 2016

Key findings from the report include:

• Discipline by design: luxury’s new normal – The luxury goods sector has now passed the mid-point of the ‘decade of change’. The first half was characterized by the Chinese consumer and the explosion in the use of digital technology. The second half of the decade is expected to be characterised by discipline. The external environment is likely to change in a number of crucial areas: an evolution in consumer buying behaviors; the merging of channels and business model complexity; an increase in international travel; the growing importance of the millennial consumer; and the continued impact of the global economy. All of these factors create opportunities for the luxury goods sector.
• Demand for luxury goods still growing profitably – Sales for the world's 100 largest luxury goods companies continued to grow despite economic challenges, although the rate of growth was less than in previous years. Profit margins were higher than the previous year and the polarisation of company performance was greater, with more high performers achieving double-digit luxury goods sales growth and profit margins, and also more companies experiencing double-digit sales decline.
• Italy is once again the leading luxury goods country in terms of number of companies – With 29 companies in the Top 100 it has more than double the number based in the US, which has the second-largest number. However, Italian companies account for only 17 percent of luxury goods sales in the Top 100 – these predominantly family-owned Italian companies are much smaller, with average luxury goods size of $1.3 billion, compared to $3.1 billion for US companies.