The 2006 Louis Vuitton City Guide dons a radiant sunshine yellow cover

First published in 1998, this one-of-a-kind guide takes the traveler around thirty European cities, from delightful small hotels to unsuspected art galleries, from top restaurants to one-off designer boutiques, from secret museums to street-corner cafés, from fashionable stores to cosy tea rooms.

© LB Production

Always on the lookout for new trends, new discoveries, Louis Vuitton constantly updates its address listings to satisfy the curiosity of its fellow travelers.

This year, the Louis Vuitton City Guide sets off to explore three new cities far from the main tourist trail.

Biarritz with its ocean, its vast beaches and its Second Empire splendors…

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, and the romantic aura of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, despite the architectural legacy of the Tito regime…

Valencia which plays host to the 32nd America's Cup, and where the Louis Vuitton Cup preliminary races have been in full swing since 2004…

Also in 2006, for the delight of visitors, the spotlight is turned back on Bordeaux, Dublin, Istanbul and Saint Petersburg. Meanwhile, the New York City Guide, published to mark the opening of Louis Vuitton's Fifth Avenue store in February 2004, is also updated with new addresses, a new perspective, and more pages to capture the ambiance of this extraordinary city.

Last but not least, since it first appeared in 1998, the City Guide has featured offprints for Cannes, Berlin and Venice, released to coincide with their film festivals, and for Valencia, published in a preview volume in June 2005, to celebrate the Louis Vuitton Acts ahead of the America's Cup.

December 2005

LVMH profits leap

Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy has posted a leap in net profits for the first half of €599 million (£405 million). The company said that it had enjoyed “dynamic” sales over the summer months, and is looking forward to an equally strong second half. “We are very optimistic for the second half,” an ebullient chairman, Bernard Arnault, told analysts and journalists at the LVMH headquarters on Wednesday. Although currency fluctuations caused a downward adjustment of €149 million off the bottom line, Arnault said that he expects more favourable exchange rates in the second half. “I'm optimistic in as much as I hope the dollar won't come down again,” he said.

Arnault said that the group's best performing brand, Louis Vuitton, continued to generate “exceptional double-digit growth in July and August. Despite the company's difficulties in meeting customer demand for popular items like its denim handbags with the LV monogram, “we are very confident regarding the growth of Louis Vuitton”, Arnault said.

Louis Vuitton chief executive Yves Carcelle said that the company would triple the quantities of denim bags delivered to stores this fall in order to relieve growing waiting lists for the super hot items. He said that the denim range was a major opportunity for Louis Vuitton. What makes this bag even more desirable is the fact that counterfeiters have not yet been able to reproduce the look. “Nowhere have we found a single counterfeiter capable of producing denim that is jacquard and stonwashed.”

The results were generally in line with analysts' expectations. The group said accepted a €147 million one-off charge in the first half related to the closing of its Samaritaine department store. It was closed this June when it was discovered that the building did not meet safetey requirements. Had it not been for Samaritaine's closing, net profits would have surged 38 percent. Meanwhile operating profits rose 11 percent to €1.09 billion, with sales up 10 percent to €6.17 billion.

September 2005

LVMH denies sale Donna Karan

LVMH SA, the French luxury goods concern, had denied rumours that it has sold US fashion label Donna Karan, according to dealers quoted by AFX. Market rumours had been circulating that LVMH was selling Donna Karan to Jones Apparel Group Inc for £700 million.

August 2005

Uma Thurman sticks with Louis Vuitton

Uma Thurman is expected to stay modelling for Louis Vuitton, as the French fashion house continues its trend to feature famous actresses in its editorial campaigns. While shooting the forthcoming fall-winter campaign in March, Thurman's second for the French luxury brand, talk on the set turned to the possibility of reuniting for a third time, for the spring-summer 2006 season.

"I did mention it," Marc Jacobs, Vuitton's creative director, said on Wednesday. "We all talked about it during the shoot. It just sort of feels like it works." The new autumn/winter ads will debut in August issues of fashion magazines.

June 2005