{
  "id": 19648387,
  "title": "Burberry returns to profit as sales soar, from £85 socks to £9,000 bags",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/12/burberry-returns-to-profit-as-sales-soar-from-85-socks-to-9-000-bags",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-12T11:59:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Business",
    "slug": "guardian-business",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/nov/12/burberry-profit-sales-socks-bags-china-us"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Burberry has returned to profit, marking a significant turnaround from a £48m loss in the previous year. The British luxury brand's success can be attributed to its back-to-basics strategy and a \"democratic approach\" which has helped it outperform a challenging luxury market. CEO Joshua Schulman reported sales growth of 6%, driven by strong online and wholesale sales particularly in China and the US.\n\nThe brand's sales soared to £1.1bn over the six months to 26 September, a 15% increase in China and 14% in the Americas. However, sales in the Europe and Middle East region dipped by 1%, likely due to the ongoing Iran war. Schulman emphasized that Burberry's pricing strategy, ranging from affordable scarves to top-tier bags costing more than £9,000, has resonated well with customers worldwide.\n\n\"Wealthy shoppers around the world are travelling less and being more cautious about spending, hitting luxury brand sales globally,\" Schulman noted. However, Burberry's lightweight jackets, \"tropical\" gabardine raincoats, and its Cotswold range of leather bags and accessories featuring the brand's famous check have proved popular. The CEO also highlighted that the brand's focus on locally relevant marketing, such as special products for China's Valentine's Day and the upcoming lunar new year, has been contributing to the growth.\n\nDespite global tourism being down, local spending in Burberry's flagship city centre stores, especially in London, has remained strong, Schulman said. While he acknowledged nobody has a crystal ball about whether customers will start spending more freely, Burberry's cyclical business nature suggests history may provide some guidance.",
  "summary": "CEO says ‘democratic approach’ has helped brand outperform tough market, with big rises in China and US Burberry has returned to profit as its back-to-basics strategy drove strong sales of the British brand’s coats, jackets and handbags over the summer. Joshua Schulman, the chief executive, said the luxury brand had outperformed a “challenging luxury market” to achieve sales growth of 6%, helped…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}