French luxury goods giant Hermes yesterday posted strong sales growth in the three months to June, driven by “positive momentum” in Asia, reports AFP from Paris.

Known for its signature Birkin bags named after the British singer, and for brightly coloured silk scarves, Hermes saw turnover jump 7.2 per cent to 1.45 billion euros ($1.7 billion) in the second quarter.

Sales grew 12 per cent at constant exchange rates, “driven by the continuing momentum across all business lines and in all geographical areas,” Hermes said in a statement.

“Asia ... continued its outstanding performance, with positive momentum in continental China and the whole region,” it added.

The figures reflected a stronger performance than in the first quarter of the year, and also than the whole of 2017.

Analysts had forecast the company’s sales to grow 1.44 billion euros.