S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) share Lovisa Holdings Ltd (ASX: LOV) looks to be the gift that keeps on giving this calendar year.
Having reached all-time highs last Thursday, shares in the ASX 200 fashion jewellery retailer are up 1.9% during the lunch hour today, though still a touch below the record highs.
In a year that's seen the benchmark index slide 6%, the 22% gains posted by Lovisa Holdings certainly shine brightly. And the ASX 200 share also pays a 3.1% trailing dividend yield, 30% franked.
What's driving investor interest in the ASX 200 retail share?
Investors look to be driving up the Lovisa share price on the back of strong sales growth.
As The Motley Fool reported on Friday, the first 19 weeks of the 2023 financial year have seen the ASX 200 share continue to grow global comparable store sales. Sales were up 16.1% compared to the 2022 financial year over the same period.
The sales metrics were based on stores that were open and trading and excluded stores that were temporarily shuttered due to pandemic lockdowns in either financial year.
Total sales for this period increased by 60% on FY22.
The ASX 200 retail share also looks to be getting a lift from its continuing global expansion.
Year to date, Lovisa has closed 14 stores and opened 61 new stores, for a net increase of 47 shops. The company's footprint now reaches 26 countries and a total of 676 stores.
"Compared to this time last year, we are currently trading over 100 more stores in five additional markets, with our first stores in Italy, Mexico and Hungary also due to open in coming weeks," Lovisa reported.
How has the Lovisa share price performed longer-term?
We always like to take a step back and see how longer-term investors may have fared with ASX 200 shares.
And in Lovisa Holdings' case, the answer is "quite well".
Over the past five years, shares in the jewellery retailer have gained 320%. That compares to a 19% gain posted by the ASX 200 over the same time frame.
