Longchamp sees demand grow for leather goods

Longchamp, the French leather goods company,

posted a 16 percent increase in revenues last year to 454 million euro.

The company, which also has a capsule collection with Kate Moss, said its results were due to a number of boutique and shop-in-shop openings, key product launches and a constant flow of Asian tourists, particularly in Europe.

Longchamp CEO Jean Cassegrain said January and February “started well” after a “difficult” December in Europe, making him “quite optimistic” the luxury company can keep up its double-digit pace this year. “If things are getting a little tougher in 2013, it can also play in our favour,” he said in an interview. “We have proven to be more crisis-resistant than some of our competitors.”

By region, sales rose 26 percent in the Americas; 25 percent in Asia-Pacific; 16 percent in Europe, excluding France, and the Middle East, and 9 percent in France, which is the brand’s largest market.

The U.S. ranks as the number-two market, with two other countries competing for the spot: Japan and Germany.

Longchamp ended the year with 252 directly operated boutiques and shop-in-shops, with a flagship on Canton Road in Hong Kong among key additions.