Samsonite posts 27 pct profit increase

Luggage maker Samsonite International saw a 26.6 per cent increase in profit for 2016, according to the group’s filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Total profit for the year hit US$274.83 million, while net sales of the group during the year amounted to US$2.81 billion, a 15.5 per cent increase year-on-year, which the group notes as hitting ‘a record level.’
The group acquired business luggage company Tumi in August of last year, which the group’s chairman notes as ‘undoubtedly the year’s most significant event, and arguably the most important acquisition in our company’s 100-plus year history.’
Chairman Timothy Charles Parker notes that ‘it is encouraging that the second half of the year (2016) has been much stronger than the first half, especially in the two major markets of the U.S. and China,’ while noting that the year overall has been ‘uneven’ with regard to global growth ‘due to a mixture of political and economic uncertainty.’ Despite the challenges, Parker states that ‘we are very satisfied with the results […] I believe we have further strengthened the position of the Company in the global travel lifestyle marketplace.’
Stripping out the effect of the Tumi acquisition and a one-off from the liquidation of a pension plan in the U.S., the group saw a 11.6 per cent increase in profit during the year.
The group aggregates its Hong Kong and Macau results, which reached US$109.1 million in revenue, a 41.3 per cent increase year-on-year, while its total sales in Asia amounted to US$1.03 billion, an 8.6 per cent increase from 2015.
The company’s top revenue by country came from China, which saw a 0.4 per cent contraction year-on-year, reaching US$251.73 million.
The group’s chairman notes that this year ‘may be no different’ from last year in terms of ‘political surprises’ but that ‘the world will carry on travelling, and this will drive our business forward.’