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REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSHANGHAI/PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The world's biggest luxury brands seeking growth in their second-largest market China are all courting the likes of wealthy entrepreneur Diana Wang. "Luxury brands offer you this event experience, this personal experience and it makes you feel privileged," Wang told Reuters. This week, Burberry (BRBY.L) also flagged low double-digit growth due to a slowdown in luxury spending globally, and in China. FEEDING THE LUXURY HABITEven as they narrow their focus, luxury brands remain optimistic about the potential in China, which is forecast to account for almost 40% of global luxury sales by 2030, according to consultants Bain. Luxury consultant Mario Ortelli said several luxury firms are hedging their bets on China by also expanding their global footprint.

Persons: Thomas Peter, Diana Wang, Wang, Tiffany, Chopard, Jacques Roizen, Cartier, Richemont, It's, Jean, Marc Duplaix, Versace, Donatella Versace, Gucci, Chanel, Dior, Cyrille Vigneron, LVMH, Louis Vuitton, Bain, Eric du Halgouet, Birkin, Mario Ortelli, Ortelli, it's, Mimosa Spencer, Casey Hall, Miral Organizations: Tiffany, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Burberry, HSBC, Digital Luxury, Chanel, Shanghai, Capri Holdings, Tapestry, Bund, Thomson Locations: Beijing, China, PARIS, Shanghai, Cartier, Shenzhen, South Korea, Japan, Thailand

"The luxury industry seems to be outperforming the consumer market as a whole in China, but you know, really, almost everyone you speak to, there's a level of uncertainty," said Agility's managing director Amrita Banta. "There's a level of not feeling entirely comfortable with their future economic position that is really affecting almost everybody in China." Those factors disproportionately affect "aspirational" luxury customers who can easily live without another Gucci bag or $900 pair of sneakers. In China, luxury consumers are younger than in the rest of the world with an average age of 28, according to BCG - something companies had seen as positive for future growth. "In the trends that I'm seeing in the U.S. and also in China, more aspirational younger consumers are feeling more of a pain," Morningstar senior equity analyst Jelena Sokolova said.

Persons: Richemont, splurge, Morgan Stanley, Hermes, Chanel, Amrita Banta, Dior, Balenciaga, Gucci, Jelena Sokolova, HSBC's Erwan, Rambourg, Casey Hall, Mimosa Spencer, Catherine Evans Organizations: Cartier, Citigroup, Richemont, Citi, LVMH, Bain, Morningstar, Thomson Locations: SHANGHAI, PARIS, China, North America, Wuhan, Zhengzhou, Charlotte, Nashville, Swiss, Americas, Asia, United States, luxury's, U.S, Japan

The executive, who was expected to make a visit this month, walked through the WF Central mall in Beijing, China on Tuesday, photos circulating on social media showed. The photos showed Arnault with his daughter, Dior CEO Delphine Arnault, and son Jean Arnault, who works for Louis Vuitton, as well as Dior's China president Monika Figlewicz. Other Beijing residents, posting on social media site Xiaohongshu, reported seeing Arnault at luxury department store SKP. LVMH, which owns labels ranging from Hennessy cognac to fashion houses Dior and Louis Vuitton, declined to comment. "The Chinese are very important clients," Louis Vuitton CEO Pietro Beccari told Reuters in an interview last week.

Persons: Bernard Arnault, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Gonzalo, Read, Dior, Delphine Arnault, Jean Arnault, Louis Vuitton, Monika Figlewicz, Hennessy, Pietro Beccari, Pharrell Williams, Casey Hall, Brenda Goh, Mimosa Spencer, Conor Humphries Organizations: Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, WF, Reuters, Tiffany, Thomson Locations: Porte, Paris, France, SHANGHAI, PARIS, China, Beijing, China . China

But with flights remaining limited after China's border reopening in January, European luxury stores will need to wait longer for the return of masses of tourists they once depended on for growth. The average transaction value by Chinese travellers in Europe in March was 28% above 2019 levels, UBS said, citing data from VAT refund provider Planet. Cartier-owner Richemont (CFR.S), Hermes (HRMS.PA) and LVMH were best placed to benefit from wealthy Chinese shoppers, UBS added. As wealthy Chinese return to Europe and other foreign destinations, the appeal of China's Hainan Island, a duty free shopping hotspot, appears to be waning among top luxury spenders. China's "higher income, top luxury spenders (are) already travelling abroad again," she said, leading to an observable lower per-capita spend in Hainan.

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