Jimmy Choo hails strong trading in year to date

Luxury shoe retailer Jimmy Choo said it has trading strongly in the year to date, in line with management's expectations, with strong growth in all categories.

In a trading update ahead of the AGM later on Thursday, it said the men's division remains the "star performer", while the company's fragrance licence is also performing well.

Since the start of the year, it has opened six stores and completed eight renovations in a busy period in its store development programme. The company said it continues to see strong progress in Asia and Japan with good development in EMEA and the USA, where we it has been encouraged by the progressive development of its online business as it rolls out Omnichannel services. Meanwhile, the group's planned joint ventures in the UAE and South Korea remain on track for the second half of the year.

Chairman Peter Harf said: "The prospects‎ for the business are stronger than ever. As a result of the investment we have made, we see significant opportunities for growth ahead of the market and margin expansion. Pierre and his team have made remarkable progress in nurturing the brand DNA, in strengthening the business execution and enhancing the overall client experience. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for another strong set of results and for their continued hard work and commitment."

At 0900 BST, the shares were up 0.6% to 198.70p.