MILAN — Salvatore Ferragamo SpA’s chief executive officer and general manager Marco Gobbetti expressed satisfaction with the preliminary 2022 sales reported on Thursday, at the tip of his first 12 months leading the Florence-based luxury house.

“During 2022, we set our strategic framework and commenced making excellent progress on our priorities,” said Gobbetti, who joined the Florence-based company in January last 12 months from Burberry, and appointed Maximilian Davis as creative director in March.

Within the 12 months ended Dec. 31, revenues amounted to 1.25 billion euros, up 10.2 percent compared with 1.12 billion euros in 2021. At constant exchange, sales grew 5.7 percent.

“Notwithstanding the start of our strategic refocusing, 2022 has also been one other 12 months of growth in revenues, wherein we successfully pursued the standard of sales in our retail stores while also starting the optimization of our wholesale channel, amid a fancy and volatile macroeconomic environment,” Gobbetti continued.

In 2022, sales within the Asia Pacific registered a 4.6 percent decrease to 417.6 million euros, mainly attributable to the results deriving from the resurgence of COVID-19 within the region, particularly in China. The realm represented 33.2 percent of the entire.

Gobbetti said the fourth quarter was impacted by a COVID-19 resurgence in China. “Despite quarterly revenues lower than prior 12 months, we continued to prioritize the standard of sales, consistently with our full-price strategy. Today, we’re quite encouraged by the positive customers’ response in China because the restrictions were lifted.”

The Japanese market registered a sales increase of 11.9 percent to 99.1 million euros, or 7.9 percent of the entire.

The Europe, Middle East and Africa region was up 24.7 percent to 262 million euros. 

North America grew 22.3 percent to 391.3 million euros, representing 31.1 percent of the entire.

Revenues in Central and South America climbed 29.7 percent to 89.8 million euros.

Gobbetti confirmed Ferragamo’s mid-term ambition, leveraging “the brand new product offering, which can progressively increase its share throughout 2023, to the renewed brand image and to a powerful management team now in place.”

The chief touted Davis’ debut fashion show in September, which he said “generated a powerful endorsement from trade, press and celebrities alike.” Ferragamo will hold its coed fall 2023 show on Feb. 25 during Milan Fashion Week.

For the 12 months, the retail channel was up 11.3 percent to 923.5 million euros, representing 73.8 percent of the entire

Wholesale revenues climbed 13.6 percent to 336.2 million euros, accounting for 26.9 percent of the entire.

Sales of shoes grew 16 percent to 564.2 million euros, accounting for 44.8 percent of the entire.

Leather goods and purses grew 6 percent to 525.5  million euros, representing 41.7 percent of the entire.

Ready-to-wear grew 19.7 percent to 83.6 million euros.

Amongst key achievements last 12 months, Gobbetti pointed to the agreement with Farfetch last August, “which strengthens significantly our digital capabilities and targets a latest, young clientele.”