The fashion company Hugo Boss has almost left the Covid dent behind and exceeded its own forecasts.

According to the brand manufacturer, which is based in Metzingen, south of Stuttgart, it was primarily casual clothing that has driven growth in recent months.

But more formal clothing was also sold more because more social events had taken place again.

Overall consumer sentiment has brightened.

Gustave parts

Editor in Business.

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Sales last year were just under 2.8 billion euros, just 1 percent below sales in 2019, the fashion company said based on the preliminary figures.

Compared to 2020, the group even achieved growth of 43 percent, 3 percentage points more than announced at the beginning of November.

At 228 million euros, the operating result was also well above the forecast of 175 to 200 million euros.

In the previous year, Hugo Boss had made an operational loss of 236 million euros due to the store closures.

The company intends to present the final figures on March 10th.

Digital sales increasingly important

The good figures are mainly due to the development in the second half of the year, according to the statement.

With 906 million euros, the fourth quarter was even the strongest quarter in the company's history in terms of sales, compared to 583 million euros in the previous year.

Digital business is becoming increasingly important for the fashion company, which is listed on the M-Dax.

That accounted for a fifth of sales in the fourth quarter, according to the statement.

CEO Daniel Grieder, who has been running the company since June 2021 and previously worked for Tommy Hilfiger for a long time, was optimistic about the figures.

2021 was an "extremely successful year".

"We have greatly accelerated our sales and earnings development over the course of the year," he is quoted as saying in the press release.

New marketing campaigns would also increase the "relevance of our brands" in the current year.

The recovery is also reflected in the company's stock market value.

It has more than doubled since November 2020 and is therefore above the price of February 2020. However, the share price is still a long way from the highs in spring 2015.