Burberry first-half retail sales jump 15 pct

LONDON, United Kingdom - British luxury brand Burberry posted a 15 percent rise in retail revenue in its first half, reflecting a strong performance across all regions and continued digital growth.

The 158-year-old seller of raincoats and leather goods, known for its camel, red and black check pattern, said on Tuesday it made 748 million pounds ($1.2 billion) of retail revenue in the six months to Sept. 30.

That was bang in line with analysts' average forecast and compared to 694 million pounds in the same period last year and first-quarter growth of 17 percent.

Comparable store sales growth was 10 percent, compared to 12 percent in the first quarter.

"Looking ahead, while mindful of the more difficult external environment, we have never been better prepared internally for the all-important festive periods," said Chief Creative and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Bailey. (1 US dollar = 0.6224 British pound)