Sales at Italian fashion group Prada bounced back sharply in 2021 as pent-up demand for luxury handbags and clothes helped push revenues above pre-pandemic levels, the company said on Tuesday.

In an unscheduled trading update, Prada said group sales last year rose by 41% at constant exchange rates to 3.364 billion euros ($3.83 billion), and stood 8% above 2019 levels.

The figure was above an estimate of 3.28 billion euros in an analyst consensus cited by UBS and indicates a revamp strategy, which aims to move Prada upmarket and increase the share of online sales, is paying off.

Prada last November set itself a medium-term sales goal of 4.5 billion euros.

The Hong Kong-listed group, which had not been due to disclose full-year results before March, said sales had particularly accelerated in the second half of last year thanks to its retail network, which grew by 27% compared to 2020 and by 21% compared to 2019, including e-commerce.

Core profits also showed a "significant increase" in the second half thanks to the higher contribution from the retail channel and the full-price policy pursued by the family-owned fashion house.

"The Prada Group has the capabilities and resources to set itself apart and deliver on its future growth objectives," said Chief Executive Officer Patrizio Bertelli, who in November announced he could hand over the reins of the group to his son Lorenzo Bertelli in three to four years time.