Aston Martin rejects £1.3bn Chinese rescue to take Saudi cash

It’s not just China’s economy feeling the impact of zero-Covid – Burberry is also a victim.

The luxury fashion brand said sales slumped 35pc in China in the first quarter due to ongoing Covid restrictions.

It’s a key market for the company, with Chinese buyers accounting for around a third of the global luxury industry before the pandemic, both at home and as tourists abroad.

Stripping out China, Burberry’s sales grew 16pc over the quarter, with trading in Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa surging 47pc compared to the lockdown-hit first quarter of last year.

This was largely thanks to a rebound in sales to American tourists in the region.

Overall, though, sales were up just 1pc.

Jonathan Akeroyd, chief executive of Burberry, said:

Our performance in the quarter continued to be impacted by lockdowns in mainland China but I was pleased to see our more localised approach drive recovery in EMEIA, where spending by local clients was above pre-pandemic levels.

Our focus categories, leather goods and outerwear continued to perform well outside of mainland China and our programme of brand activations boosted customer engagement.

While the current macroeconomic environment creates some near-term uncertainty, we are confident we can build on our platform for growth.