Samsonite group grows 12.9% in H1, driven by Tumi and American Tourister

In the first half of the 2018 financial year, closed on June 30, luggage manufacturer Samsonite International S.A. recorded a 12.9% increase in revenue, reaching $1.848 billion. Adjusted EBITDA was $276.8 million, up 14.6% over the previous year.

All of Samsonite regions posted positive performances in the period: North America was up 12.4%, Asia was up 14%, Europe grew by 11.4% and South America by 7%. As for the group’s main brands, net sales for Tumi increased by 16.6% year-on-year, driven by strong growth in Asia (+39.4%) and positive results in North America (+8.2%) and Europe (+9.2%). Samsonite and American Tourister grew respectively by 5.0% and 24.2%.

“Tumi is now fully integrated within the group, and we are focusing on its global growth, having added 17 new stores worldwide,” said Kyle Gendreau, CEO of Samsonite. “In the meantime, the advertising campaign featuring Cristiano Ronaldo has helped American Tourister boost its net sales by 24.2%,” he added.

In Europe, which recorded a revenue of $392.7 million in H1 (+11.4%), Italy grew by 13.7%, France by 3.5%, the UK by 9% and Spain by 6.3%. Emerging markets were also buoyant, with Russia’s revenue rising by 35.9%, and Turkey’s by 31.4%. In Europe, net sales for Samsonite and Tumi increased respectively by 5.5% and 9.2%, while those of American Tourister were up by a remarkable 49.5%.

Communication-wise, Tumi recently unveiled its international Autumn/Winter 2018-19 advertising campaign, featuring actor, producer and activist Rosario Dawson. The campaign coincides with the launch of Tumi’s two new women’s luggage collections, Georgica and Mezzanine, and of the Voyageur and Mariella collections. In the video, directed by Allen Coulter, Dawson interprets four women, with different personalities, looks and styles.

Samsonite International S.A. is a world leader in travel luggage and operates the Samsonite, Tumi, American Tourister, Hartmann, High Sierra, Gregory, Speck, Lipault, Kamiliant and eBags brands, as well as other proprietary and licensed brands.

Samsonite group grows 12.9% in H1, driven by Tumi and American Tourister

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