Kering confirmed that the office of France's national financial prosecutor had opened a preliminary inquiry into the company in February 2019, which the firm said was related to tax matters.

"The group intends to fully cooperate with the inquiry, in complete transparency and serenity. Kering will continue to communicate diligently and openly about tax litigation," Kering said in a statement.

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta; Editing by Jan Harvey)