Buoyed by Chinese spending, French luxury giant LVMH now most valuable European company

LVMH, the Paris-listed owner of luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior, has become the first European company to reach a market value of $500 billion.

Its shares rose 0.3 per cent on Monday to €903.70, resulting in a market capitalisation of €454 billion, equivalent to $500.3 billion at the exchange rate of 1.1019 euros to the dollar.

LVMH is now the only European company among the top 10 companies in the world by market value, a list dominated by US tech giants such as Apple. The French luxury giant occupies the 10th spot, surpassing Visa and closely trailing Tesla.

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The milestone also means that the controlling stake held by founder Bernard Arnault and his family has now reached $212 billion, making the 74-year-old French billionaire the world's wealthiest man, ahead of Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

Rise Of LVMH And The China Connection

In many ways, the ongoing rise of LVHM can be attributed to robust consumer spending in China after the Xi Jinping government scrapped its strict "zero-Covid" policy in December 2022.

The improving economic outlook in China and a stronger euro has benefited LVMH immensely. The company reported a 17 percent increase in revenue in its first-quarter results, largely driven by a rebounding Chinese luxury market. Analysts at Bernstein noted that LVMH is capitalising on sustained demand growth in Europe and America while reaping the benefits of a rapid recovery in Chinese consumer spending.

Despite rising inflation, geopolitical uncertainties, and cost of living pressures, the top players in the luxury sector, including LVMH, have been resilient. Some even reported increased margins due to price increases on luxury goods such as leather goods and bags. According to a Financial Times report, the accumulation of savings and increased luxury buying during the pandemic-induced lockdown boosted the industry.

LVMH's growth has outpaced its competition, with the companynow almost twice the sizeof L'Oréal, the world's largest cosmetics company, and more than double the size of Hermès.

In January, Louis Vuitton, LVMH's flagship brand, became the first luxury brand in the world to achieve over 20 billion eurosin annual revenues.

Recently, Delphine Arnault, the founder's daughter, was appointed as Dior's chief executive. This move came amid speculationson who might succeed Arnault at the helm of the luxury conglomerate.