BRITISH success story Mulberry has shocked investors with a profits warning amid more signs the bubble in the luxury goods market has burst.
Its shares peaked at 2500p in the summer, but tumbled 314p or 23.8% yesterday to 1006p after the company followed Burberry in warning of slowing demand from emerging markets in Asia.
Mulberry, which recently announced plans to open a second factory in Somerset to keep up with demand, said profits for the year to March will be below expectations and the previous year. It blamed lower-than-expected international sales and a 4% decline in wholesale shipments, taking the shine off a 13% hike in retail sales to £46.5 million, including a 10% rise in UK sales.
The warning is a blow to chief executive Bruno Guillon, who only joined the firm from luxury brand Hermes in March.
Burberry recently rattled the City with signs of a slowdown in demand in China, although it offered a more reassuring update earlier this month.
Mr Guillon said figures reflected a drive to improve the quality of its wholesale distribution network. He said it was in the long-term interests of building a global luxury brand.
Philip Dorgan, of Panmure Gordon, said it was likely the international slowdown was "just a blip".
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