The maker of £10,000 Kelly and Birkin handbags has shrugged off fears of a slowdown in China by reporting record profit last year, driven by insatiable demand in Asia.
Über-luxury brand Hermès enjoyed its most profitable year with profits jumping 26.4% to €1.12 billion (£957 million).
The Paris-based fashion house, which is fighting a legal claim against rival LVMH over stakebuilding in the company, said last month it expected to report record profitability for 2012 after strong fourth-quarter sales. The group, which keeps supply limited and creates waiting lists for its most-desired products, also reported its best operating margin of 32.1%.
Last year some luxury brands reported slightly weaker sales growth in the key emerging market of China but more recently demand appears to be improving.
Hermès reported Asian sales, excluding Japan which has become a mature market for the group, were up 25% while European sales growth was also strong at 15%.
