Burberry to scrap final dividend

LONDON: Britain’s Burberry said the luxury fashion industry would take time to recover from the profound impact of the coronavirus outbreak that lowered its comparable sales by 27% in the final quarter and led it to scrap its final dividend.

The company, famous for its trench coats and trademark check, said the dividend cancellation would save about 120 million pounds ($146 million) to help it through the crisis and it would review the payout at the end of its 2021 year.

Shares in Burberry rose 2.6% as the sales fall was less than the 31% expected by analysts.

Chief Executive Marco Gobbetti said Burberry had been making progress in repositioning its brand before the “profound impact” of the novel coronavirus.

“It will take time to heal, but we are encouraged by our strong rebound in some parts of Asia and are well-prepared to navigate through this period,” he said on Friday.

Burberry, in common with other high-end labels, saw the impact of the pandemic in late January when sales in China started to shrink.

As the coronavirus spread, Burberry suffered significant losses in Europe and North America in March.

Chief Financial Officer Julie Brown said Asia was recovering, with sales in mainland China and South Korea ahead of the prior year and showing an improving trend.

For the wider region, including Hong Kong, which is reliant on Chinese tourists, the picture was mixed, she said, while trading in the rest of the world was hobbled.