paris (Bloomberg) — LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA's Louis Vuitton fashion and leather-goods brand had an "exceptional" April even as economies slowed, chairman Bernard Arnault said.

"The economic and monetary environment isn't the best, but we've gotten used to it," Arnault said today at LVMH's annual shareholder meeting in Paris. The company, the world's largest luxury-goods maker, will keep investing in its brands to fuel profit growth, which he said will be "significant" this year.

LVMH rose as much as three percent in Paris trading to the highest in more than four months. The producer of Veuve Clicquot champagne is outperforming rivals because it expanded more quickly in emerging markets, which are still growing at a double-digit pace as demand slows in the US and Europe. Last year, LVMH operated 445 stores in developing markets, where sales have doubled to 4 billion euros since 2003, Arnault said.

"As the US slows, emerging countries are compensating more and more," the chairman said. LVMH has been unaffected by this week's earthquake in China, where it has 21 stores, he said.