Nick Hayek, chief executive of Swatch Group, has a habit of looking on the bright side. This time, the biggest of the Swiss watchmakers might actually be right.
Hayek said last week the first few months of this year had been “encouraging” compared with 2016, when sales fell 11 percent and net income by 47 percent. The firm is aiming to increase sales by as much as 9 percent this year.
The Swiss watch market, which endured a torrid 2016 amid a crackdown on conspicuous consumption in China and economic and political uncertainty elsewhere, looks as if it has finally bottomed out.
Sales in China are rebounding - with shoppers even returning to Hong Kong - while demand from the Middle East has also been strong.
Investors are sharing Hayek’s optimism. Swatch shares are up almost 40percent since the start of August. Rival Richemont SAe in sales over the Christmas season, is up 32 percent over the same period.
But both companies’ valuations are now close to 10-year highs: Swatch trades at about 23 times estimated earnings, and Richemont 25 times, according to Bloomberg data.
Read also: Swatch takes on Apple, Google
If those valuations are going to be more than simply optimistic, the Swiss watch market will have to move into growth mode, and manufacturers will need to show they can boost their profitability.
Exports of Swiss timepieces have been shrinking for 19 months, the longest period on record. But the speed of that shrinkage has eased, and with stock markets racing ahead and political uncertainty receding, the conditions are certainly set fair for a revival in the coming months.
Swatch has two things going in its favour. Its exposure to China may now turn out to be a benefit. The watchmaker generates about 47 percent of sales from Chinese consumers, more than Richemont’s 36 percent.
Unlike Richemont, Swatch maintained its production capacity. That helped to cut its operating margin by half since 2014 - but may be a boon if sales return.
The last time the luxury industry endured a slump after the crisis of 2008, margins also shrank.
Bouncing back
But they bounced back quickly as Chinese demand boomed.
For Hayek’s patience to be more than a case of hope over reality, though, those exports will need to start growing again in the coming months.
Set your watches now.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.
Andrea Felsted is a Bloomberg Gadfly columnist covering the consumer and retail industries. She previously worked at the Financial Times. Edward Evans is a managing editor with Bloomberg Gadfly. He is former managing editor for European finance at Bloomberg News.