LVMH: King of the Luxury Jungle - Luxury …

1 LVMH: king of the Luxury Jungle SEPTEMBER 2009 SEE DISCLOSURE APPENDIX OF THIS REPORT FOR IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES AND ANALYST CERTIFICATIONS Profit from temporary W&S woes to bag the stock at discount prices LVMH is the strongest player in the Luxury goods industry, a giant in an industry where fixed costs make scale paramount; the only "two-legged" balanced player, leading with mega-brands in both Leather Goods and Wines enjoying stable group EBIT margins as a consequence Champagne consumer demand weakness, de-stocking and oversupply in 2010 are well understood; W&S concerns have depressed the stock close to 20-year trough multiples and in the same range of smaller and more volatile hard Luxury players and other peers; an opportunity in our view On top of LVMH's unrivaled industry position, markets seem to under-appreciate cost-saving opportunities, brand-portfolio rationalization, higher FCF from lower W&S inventory investment, above-average mega-brands' results or support from first-mover EM inroads In a medium-term growth environment, LVMH has the chance to be a key consolidator in the Luxury goods industry: a mega-merger with CFR would be a strategic master stroke, placing it ahead of any M&A counter move by competitors LVMH.

2 king OF THE Luxury Jungle 1 Portfolio Manager's Summary We have few doubts about the opportunity of investing in LVMH for the medium to long term. We expect "winners will continue to win" in the Luxury industry. LVMH with its material scale advantage, leading brand portfolio, balanced category and geographic exposure is set to dominate over competitors in the long term. LVMH's mega-brands and scale advantage is particularly relevant in fashion and leather goods. We expect this area to continue to provide material top-line and earnings growth. In fact: (1) mega-brands like Louis Vuitton secure aspirational and emerging markets demand, leading to faster growth and superior margins; (2) scale provides cost advantage in SG&A ( , advertising expenditure, store rental costs, etc.)

3 , a key advantage for LVMH as the largest player in the industry; and (3) mega-brands and scale also allow first-mover advantage in emerging markets, where LVMH can push its other brands ahead of the competition. In this context, LVMH clearly emerges as a long-term winner and a potential consolidator of the Luxury industry. We expect Wines & Spirits to provide operating profit upside, as the champagne sector faces capacity constraints medium term. We see higher-than-average upstream integration at LVMH as a positive in the current capacity situation, causing lower COGS inflation. We expect highly positioned LVMH brands to continue to have pricing power medium term.

4 Strong international distribution is another positive, enhancing margin. Short term, W&S is going to be pressured, as the recession prompts trade-down and higher promotion intensity. Retail de-stocking is likely to exacerbate this trend in FY 2009. We expect more profitable growth in Watches & Jewelry as well as in Selective Retailing. We expect LVMH to grow its relative share in Watches & Jewelry through focused acquisitions ( , Hublot), reducing its scale disadvantage to UHR and CFR and producing over time improved operating profit from manufacturing and distribution scale. In the meantime, though, we expect Watches & Jewelry will probably be one of the most pressured LVMH divisions, as consumers and retailers alike focus purchases on the leading brands, where LVMH is still a runner-up at best.

5 We see Sephora as one of the most promising businesses in the LVMH portfolio, with a long-term opportunity to increase returns and grow IC. Increasing success at Sephora, with growing LFL and space, should push ROIC ahead in this area closing the gap to group average. Fragrances & Cosmetics looks set to provide further growth support; LVMH lags sector leaders in this area, but should continue to produce higher-than-group average ROIC returns from the strength of its brands and the relatively modest invested capital requirements. We expect ROIC for P&C to stay above 30%, and Selective Retailing to approach group average, as space maturity and LFL growth continues. The key controversy on Luxury investment is the short term; specifically, the impact of the current macro slowdown.

6 Calling the macro picture and its timing at this point seems exceedingly difficult. We see current depressed Luxury stocks valuations as an opportunity to buy quality stocks on the cheap, but this may work in the medium term and does point to short-term risks the risk we see is more in the shape of sideways trading than in downside terms, given the material recent correction. We rate LVMH outperform with a price target of 79. Luca Solca +44-207-170-5008 Matt Wing +44-207-170-0578 September 10, 20092 LVMH: king OF THE Luxury Jungle LVMH.

7 king OF THE Luxury Jungle 3 Table of Contents Significant Research Conclusions 5 LVMH Group king of the Jungle 15 Fashion & Leather Goods Handbags Are a Pillar of Luxury 51 Fashion & Leather Goods A "Long Bench" of Tail Brands 61 Champagne The Bubble Has Burst, But Ultimately the Fizz Is Likely to Return 75 Cognac Long-Term Analysis Indicates a Severe Kink in the Curve Rather Than a Catastrophic Turning Point 93 Watches & Jewelry A Difficult Time to Fight "Hard Luxury " Giants 121 Cosmetics & Fragrances Where Luxury Meets CPG 129 Cosmetics & Fragrances Analyzing Sales Growth Prospects Within the Global Beauty Industry 139 Sephora A Major Growth Avenue 155 Valuation Considerations 167 Index of Exhibits 173 4 LVMH.

8 king OF THE Luxury Jungle Exhibit 1 Financial Overview PPR LVMHR ichemontSwatchBurberryInditexH&MNext M&S ( )( )(CHF/ )(CHF)( /p)( )(SEK)( /p)( /p)( /p)( /p)Recent Price (08/09/09) , OMMM OMM O OM52-Week , Relative Cap (million)9,85030,94315,94610,8222,10622, 675323,1393,5115,4664,9651,047 Earnings per Note.

9 2008A PPR and Kingfisher EPS pre-exceptionals. Source: Corporate reports and Bernstein analysis. LVMH: king OF THE Luxury Jungle 5 Significant Research Conclusions LVMH is the only Luxury goods player with two strong category "legs": a very strong position in Leather Goods with Louis Vuitton, and an equally strong position in premium Wines & Spirits, with a vast portfolio of major brands, including Dom P rignon, Mo t et Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Hennessy. These two divisions provide around 80% of group operating profit and about 95% of net cash (see Exhibit 2). Exhibit 2 Operating Profit and Margin by Division (1997-2008) - 200 0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,00019971998199920002001200220032004200 5200620072008199719981999200020012002200 3200420052006200720081997199819992000200 1200220032004200520062007200819971998199 9200020012002200320042005200620072008199 7199819992000200120022003200420052006200 72008 Operating Profits (Columns, million)(30%)0%30%60%Operating Margin (Lines, %)Wines & SpiritsFashion & Leather GoodsPerfumes & CosmeticsWatches & JewelrySelective RetailingSource: Corporate reports and Bernstein analysis and estimates.

10 Leather Goods are a particularly important category for LVMH, given the global dominance in this area by Louis Vuitton the largest Luxury goods brand in the world. Louis Vuitton brings a vital contribution to the broader LVMH group. Leather Goods generated around 80% of total net cash for LVMH in FY 2008, and we estimate that over 100% of this has come from Louis Vuitton. We expect leather goods and handbags to continue being a key category within Luxury goods in the future, and we expect dominance of brands like Louis Vuitton to continue. Handbags have been one of the fastest-developing categories in the Luxury market in the past 10 years. Over the 1998-2008E period, leather goods of which handbags is the most important product category have shown a CAGR of around +10% per annum.