Pandora Slips into the Red but says it will Withstand Coronavirus
May 06, 20
(IDEX Online) - Pandora reported a first-quarter loss of $3.49m, as sales across its 7,300 outlets fell by 13 per cent.
The Danish jewelry retail giant, best known for its charm bracelets, said it had been badly hit by COVID-19, but insisted it was in a "strong financial position" to withstand ongoing effects of the pandemic.
The global pandemic forced Pandora to close most of its outlets, first in China and then worldwide in March.
It said it was bracing itself for the temporary closure of all points of sales for the rest year and was set to borrow $430m.
Sell-out growth (including temporarily closed stores) for the last week of March was around -70 per cent.
It improved to -55 per cent by the end of April based on strong online performance and a gradual re-opening of physical stores, so far mainly in Germany.
Alexander Lacik, president and CEO of Pandora, said: "We are focused on managing the current crisis, and we do our utmost to protect our employees and create a safe environment for them and our customers.
"Among our 28,000 employees, we have only had a few reported cases of COVID-19. The group is now preparing for the recovery after the pandemic, and our strong performance in January and February makes us confident in the underlying brand momentum.