Longchamp posts record sales as it looks towards a female future

Sales at Longchamp were up 20% from the previous year according to its most recent trading update, as it celebrates 20 years of digital trading.

Each region and distribution network contributed to the growth, with a 33% increase in Europe and 27% in the US.

In South Korea, sales almost doubled from the previous year, undergoing a rise of 93%, as well as in the Middle East, where the group launched four new store locations.

During the year, 19% of Longchamp's overall sales were in France, with 35% in the rest of Europe and the Middle East, 13% in the Americas and 34% in the Asia-Pacific region.

The growth allowed the French luxury house to create 800 new jobs in two years, with half of these in France alone.

The business employs 4,245 people worldwide, including 1,682 in France at its headquarters in Paris, and across its boutiques and workshops.

77% of the group's employees are women, with 80% on permanent contracts. While only 40% of the Executive Committee is female, 67% of subsidiary directors worldwide are women.

Longchamp is managed by the Cassegrain family, now in its third generation since it was founded by Jean Cassegrain in 1948.

His grandson, also Jean Cassegrain, is CEO of the group, and his granddaughter Sophie Delafontaine is General Manager and Creative Director. Their brother, Oliver Cassegrain, manages Longchamp's US stores from his home in New York.

CEO Cassegrain's sons Adrien and Hector Cassegrain joined the brand in 2020 as Director of Transformation and CSR, and General Manager (France), respectively,

Delafonte's daughter Juliette Poupard was appointed Group Event Director in early 2024.

Longchamp manages 354 sales locations via 25 distribution subsidiaries in 24 countries including the UK, France, Finland, and Japan. Approximately 300 of these were renovated between 2022 and 2024, featuring around 200 works by 60 different artists, with a particular focus on young and emerging female artists.

Since 2007, Longchamp has been recognised as an “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” (Living Heritage Company), an official label for French companies with "an exceptional level of artisanal and industrial know-how".

For the third season running, Longchamp has also partnered with the Madagascan workshop Anaka in its creating bags and accessories, part of an NGO promoting women’s economic emancipation and children’s access to schooling.