Groupe Lafuma has raised its sales by 2.1 percent to €83.1 million for the first half of this year, amounting to a rise of 3.5 percent in constant currencies. With the Lafuma, Millet and Eider brands, the mountain sports division reported a sales hike of 4.3 percent to €38.7 million and its operating profit jumped by 12.8 percent to €6.3 million, supported by outstanding winter conditions. The surf business reported a sales increase of 3.8 percent to €14.2 million for the six months, but its operating profit remained stable at €3 million. This surf entity chiefly consists of the Oxbow brand, which opened its first store in Paris in March. The remainder of the group's turnover comes from Lafuma-branded furniture, which generated stable sales of €30.2 million. The Lafuma group's online sales jumped by 27.6 percent, which helped to raise the share of retail sales to 22 percent, up by two percentage points compared with the same six months in 2017. The whole French group improved its gross profit margin but an increase in staff and other costs led to a decline of 21 percent in its operating profit to less than €2.7 million for the six months. Its net profit was nearly halved to just under €2.1 million, down from €4.0 million for the prior-year period. Lafuma confirmed that it was targeting stable sales, but added that it was projecting a slightly lower operating profit. More in the Outdoor Industry Compass.

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