UPDATE 4-Canada Goose sees upbeat annual sales as China recovery gains steam
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Asia Pacific revenue surges 65% as China demand bounces back
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Q4 adjusted EPS of 14 cents beats estimates of 11 cents
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Shares jump 5%
(Updates shares to market open; Adds executive comment in paragraph 5)
By Deborah Mary Sophia
May 18 (Reuters) - Canada Goose Holdings Inc forecast annual sales above Street estimates on Thursday, as a sharp rebound in key luxury market China is making up for a demand slowdown in the United States, sending its shares up 5%.
A reversal in China's strict COVID-19 policy has brought consumers back to stores, encouraging wealthy shoppers to snap up everything from Coach handbags to Cartier jewelry and Birkin bags.
That has buttressed sales at a time when affluent U.S. shoppers have paused a post-pandemic splurge on high-end goods, with companies including LVMH and Gucci-owner Kering reporting sagging sales in the market.
Canada Goose's Asia Pacific revenue jumped 65.4% to C$114.1 million in the quarter, which, coupled with robust demand in Europe and Canada, helped the luxury winterwear maker beat expectations in its fourth-quarter results.
With U.S. revenue declining 4.5% in the reported quarter, Chief Financial Officer Jonathan Sinclair said the company was "not being super ambitious for this year" in the region.
Canada Goose, popular for its bright-red parkas and pricey puffer jackets, has about 18 retail stores in Mainland China - the highest number of outlets it has in any country.
"We will go back to seeing China become more of a region of growth," said Jessica Ramírez, senior analyst at Jane Hali & Associates, adding Chinese consumers getting back to traveling would further boost sales in other regions.
The company is also planning to more than double its store count worldwide over the next five years, from 51 permanent stores currently.
Toronto, Ontario-based Canada Goose said it expects fiscal 2024 revenue between C$1.40 billion ($1.05 billion) and C$1.50 billion, while analysts were expecting C$1.33 billion, according to Refinitiv data.
However, it forecast annual per-share profit in the range of C$1.20 to C$1.48, compared with estimates of C$1.46 per share.
($1 = 1.3372 Canadian dollars) (Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
