PARIS-- LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton reported Monday a jump in its first-quarter sales, boosted by the weak euro, even as underlying growth slowed from the previous quarter.

LVMH, home to brands including Louis Vuitton, Céline, Bulgari and Moët et Chandon, said sales rose 16% to 8.3 billion euros ($8.8 billion) from EUR7.2 billion in the same period a year earlier.

Yet the company, which is viewed as a bellwether for the wider luxury sector, received a significant boost from favorable currency effects following the recent drop in the euro, as it sells over 70% of its products outside of the Eurozone.

Stripping out the effects of foreign exchange swings, acquisitions and disposals, sales growth in the first quarter cooled to 3% on-year from a pace of 5% in the final quarter of 2014, marred by ongoing weakness in the company's wines and spirits division and as business at the company's key fashion and leather good's division also slowed.

After a long stretch of stellar growth, the biggest names in the luxury industry have faced turbulence in recent times as companies strive to keep up with changing consumer appetites. Over time, many high-end shoppers particularly in China--have moved away from easily recognizable name-brand accessories, seeking out less-well known more prestigious labels.

At Louis Vuitton, LVMH's main brand, a new designer was brought in, as the brand sought to refresh its image with a move toward pricier yet more discretely branded accessories. The label rolled out new lines of leather handbags retailing at more than a thousand dollars apiece, steering focus away from its cheaper signature monogrammed canvas bags.

In the first quarter, sales at the group's fashion and leather goods business which makes up over a third of the company's revenue increased by 13% to EUR3 billion, though a large part of the gain owed to the weak euro.

Excluding currency effects, acquisitions and asset sales, revenue in the division rose a meager 1% in the quarter.

LVMH said that underlying growth was affected by a tough comparison with sales from the same period last year, notably in Japan where consumers splurged at the beginning of 2014 in advance of a tax hike.

The company's wines and spirits division continued to lag, with organic sales sliding 1% on-year to EUR992 million.

Selective retailing which includes LVMH's duty-free store chain DFS and cosmetics retailer Sephora reported sales up 5% on an organic basis to EUR2.6 billion, though the company said DFS faced a "complex situation in Asia."

Tuesday, LVMH will hold a conference call to comment on the first-quarter sales figures.

Write to Nadya Masidlover at nadya.masidlover@wsj.com

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