Kantar Brandz report: luxury brands reach record values

Each year, the Kantar BrandZ ranking establishes a top 100 list of the most influential brands, based on announced financial results and consumer perception. This ranking highlights the companies' vitality, stability, and relevance of the growth strategies implemented.

Several notable facts emerge from this assessment: first, there is a clear dynamism, with 36 brands reaching the highest valuation ever recorded in this ranking. Second, Apple, the undisputed leader for the past three years, broke records by becoming the first company to exceed $1,000 billion in valuation. Indeed, the vast majority of the companies cited by Kantar operate in the technology sector, recording the highest growth in brand value at +45%.

However, luxury goods are not to be outdone; in fact, the results confirm that the sector is in good shape despite being affected by the economic and geopolitical upheavals linked to the current economic situation. Unsurprisingly, France dominates the sector, with Louis Vuitton and Hermès - whose value has risen by 17% in two years - at the top of the luxury rankings. Dior and Chanel follow in their competitors' footsteps, consolidating their position with values up by 14% and 13%, respectively.

The strategies used to define the " brand's construction ", particularly their close relationship with consumers, are among the fundamental criteria used to establish this Kantar ranking. If there is one common denominator among the French luxury giants, it is the strategies they have applied in recent times, with brand identity at the heart of their thinking. The luxury sector has clearly understood this, and the values conveyed by the brands have become fundamental in attracting new generations of consumers, particularly Generation Z.

The figures bear out the relevance of this strategy: €3,305 million in sales for Hermès in the first quarter of 2024, accompanied by growth of 17% at constant exchange rates and solid activity in all geographic regions. For its part, LVMH ended the first quarter of the year with 20.7 billion in global sales, while Chanel defined 2023 as a "record year" with total sales of 19.7 billion dollars, up 14.6% on the previous year.