MILAN, April 30 (Reuters) - Revenues at Italian luxury group Prada rose 3% at constant exchange rates in the first quarter, excluding the contribution of Versace, driven by double-digit sales growth in the Americas, which offset weakness in Europe and the Middle East.
Group revenues totalled 1.3 billion euros ($1.5 billion) in the January-March period, slightly below analysts' consensus of 1.4 billion euros compiled by Visible Alpha.
Versace, which Prada acquired last year and is in the process of
integrating and relaunching, contributed 143 million euros to quarterly revenues.
The Italian group said that the Medusa-head brand, which recently hired Pieter Mulier as its new creative director, performed in line with the expectations.
Miu Miu, the smaller label that last year drove the group's revenue growth, slowed its pace and its sales rose by 2.4% in the quarter.
"The group delivered another quarter of growth in a disrupted environment and against the most challenging comparison base of the year," said Prada CEO Andrea Guerra in the statement, adding that the group aims to deliver above-market growth.
Retail sales grew 15% at organic level in the Americas, supported by strong local demand, and were up 5% in Asia Pacific, driven by China and South Korea.
Europe was down 6% due to weaker spending by travellers but also a modest decline in local demand.
Sales in the Middle East region dropped 22% due to the conflict.
($1 = 0.8541 euros)
(Reporting by Elisa AnzolinEditing by Keith Weir)
