Richemont reported strong quarterly results, driven by festival sales, despite ongoing weak demand in China. The robust earnings lifted rival share prices, buoying the European luxury sector on Thursday.

Richemont , the owner of Cartier jewellery, on Thursday fuelled hopes of a revival for the beaten down luxury goods industry, with end-of-year sales that exceeded expectations, sending shares higher across the sector.

Richemont sales unexpectedly jumped by double digits during the holiday shopping season as consumers splurged on Cartier jewelry, a sign of recovering demand for luxury goods.

Richemont reported better-than-expected sales, up 10% compared with the prior-year period, in the midst of a downward trend in demand for luxury goods that is weighing on most high-end brands.

Richemont, the owner of Cartier jewellery, beat market expectations for third-quarter sales on Thursday, fuelling hopes that the luxury sector could be coming out of its recent downturn. The Swiss company's sales jumped 10% year-on-year to 6.