By John Revill and Mimosa Spencer

ZURICH (Reuters) -Luxurious items group Richemont’s shares soared as a lot as 21% in early buying and selling on Friday after the proprietor of Cartier posted robust development and earnings, helped by its jewelry enterprise.

The maker of IWC and Piaget watches shocked to the upside by reporting gross sales and working revenue from persevering with operations rising by 1 / 4 through the six months to the tip of September.

Jewelry gross sales rose by 24% within the interval, with clients snapping up collections akin to Cartier’s Conflict and Trinity rings and necklaces.

China’s easing of some COVID restrictions, which might assist luxurious corporations which have been damage by fast shutdowns in massive cities like Shanghai, added to an optimistic market reception.

“A much better than anticipated set of figures, which is a mixture of the improved surroundings in Asia through the quarter,” stated Jon Cox, an analyst at Kepler Cheuvreux.

The figures additionally confirmed the standard of the group’s manufacturers, “significantly its greatest in school jewelry enterprise”, Cox added.

For the interval, Richemont reported a internet loss for shareholders of 760 million euros ($776.72 million) after taking a 2.7 billion euro non-cash cost associated to its part-exit from on-line vogue retailer YOOX Internet-A-Porter (YNAP).

However from persevering with operations, which eliminated the influence of the write-down and YNAP’s losses, Richemont’s revenue elevated by 40% to 2.1 billion euros.

Group gross sales elevated by 24% to 9.67 billion euros, helped by an enchancment within the Asia Pacific area and double-digit proportion gross sales development elsewhere as beforehand locked-down clients returned to its luxurious boutiques.

Richemont shares have been up 12% on the day simply earlier than 1000 GMT.

Whereas executives flagged a current shortening of quarantine necessities as a “step in the correct course”, they cautioned the scenario remained extremely unstable and unpredictable, with flareups in numerous cities persevering with to disrupt enterprise.

Richemont, which additionally owns jeweller Van Cleef & Arpels, remained cautious concerning the future, including it could cut back a few of its advertising and marketing and occasions to replicate the extra subdued financial surroundings in Europe and North America.

“Subsequent 12 months may be very troublesome to foretell,” Cyrille Vigneron, chief government of Cartier, informed reporters.

“China ought to get higher, however when, we do not know,” he stated. “Within the U.S. there are indicators of recession however that’s not unfolding now, so we do not know.

“Will there be an influence on Europe? In all probability, however we do not know.”

Chairman Johann Rupert highlighted rising rates of interest and value of residing pressures as potential dangers, though analysts stated the controlling shareholder was famous for his warning.

“Richemont is well-known for giving cautious steerage, which this time is to the purpose, contemplating the continued powerful surroundings,” Vontobel analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy stated.

The most recent outcomes confirmed “wonderful gross sales development, revenue and money circulation outcomes”, he added.

($1 = 0.9785 euros)