PARIS, Apr 16, 2004/ FW/ --- Last week, LVMH, Dior’s parent company reported an overall sales growth of 10%. The Christian Group echoes it with their first quarter financial report filing.

LVMH reported sales of 2,849 million euros as the good revenue growth witnessed in the second half of 2003 has continued to accelerate since the beginning of this year. The Group’s leading brands delivered strong sales increases, particularly in the United States and in Asia, which were driven by the creativity and quality of their products.

After a strong increase in sales during the end of 2003, Christian Dior Couture has begun 2004 in a very good position to deliver further growth: sales in the first quarter were 136 million euros, representing a 14% increase at constant exchange rates (or 8% at current exchange rates). These figures, moreover, compare to a first quarter of 2003 during which organic growth had itself reached 29%. The success of new product lines created by John Galliano and Hedi Slimane in particular made a major contribution to this progress.

The Christian Dior Group confirms its objective of delivering further significant growth in operating results for the year.