Luxury Companies, Amid Gloom, Lure Clients

Consumer confidence is back.

In a sampling of 5,000 households in May, the Consumer Confidence Conference Index rose to 54.9 from 40.8 in April. As a result, a growing number of businesses are beginning to see a silver lining amid doom and gloom. Even luxury brands like Italian linen and home decor company Frette are seeing better results than last year. "We've seen some market improvement within the past 45 to 60 days," Chief Executive Officer Paul Raffin says.

Luxury companies such as Gucci, famous for its handbags, are having to work harder to attract customers.

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