ROME (AFP) - Italian fashion group Giorgio Armani's sales revenue rose over 2 billion euros (S$3.2 billion) last year - a 16 per cent increase from 2011, and including an 11 per cent jump in crisis-hit Europe.

"The excellent results show the group's capacity to assert its position as a leader in the sector and a global reference point," founder Giorgio Armani was quoted as saying in a statement late on Monday.

The turnover rose to 2.091 billion euros, with particularly sharp increases seen in the Far East, where it rose by 29 per cent in 2012, including China, where it went up by 39 per cent.

Mr Armani, 78, who has no direct heirs, also reassured investors saying he had been working "for years" for a plan on his succession.