Hugo Boss weathers crisis, plans more stores - report

CEO of Hugo Boss Claus-Dietrich Lahrs poses ahead of the BOSS Black fall/winter 2012 fashion show by Hugo Boss in Beijing, May 18, 2012.

BERLIN (Reuters) - German fashion house Hugo Boss (BOSSn.DE) has escaped the European debt crisis broadly unscathed and plans to open more stores, Welt am Sonntag reported on Saturday, citing an interview with chief executive Claus Dietrich Lahrs.

"At the moment, we're looking at growth in all regions, also in Europe," the newspaper quoted the CEO as saying. "We will open more stores and hire staff and continue to increase online sales steadily."

Hugo Boss, known for its sharp suits, reported higher-than-expected sales of 485 million euros (379.97 million pounds) in the second quarter, an increase of 14 percent on a currency-neutral basis.

The company has forecast full-year sales to rise up to 10 percent in 2012, with growth slowing in the second half as the economy stutters.

(Reporting By Andreas Cremer; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)