Gucci, the flagship brand of French luxury and sportswear group Kering, posted a 4.6 percent rise in underlying second-quarter sales on Monday, marking a much sooner-than-expected rebound under its new creative and management duo.

Kering Finance Director Jean-Marc Duplaix said the brand had benefited from strong demand from Chinese tourists in Japan and Western Europe, while Gucci’s sales in China were boosted by discounted sales of its previous designer’s collections.

Kering’s first-half operating profit fell 5.4 percent to 773.2 million euros ($859 million), which Duplaix said was partly due to significant investment in marketing and communications at recovering sports brand Puma.

Gucci has been ailing for more than two years, partly due to a lack of innovative designs, excessive price increases and a focus on high-end products, as well as tough trading conditions in China.

It was not yet clear whether Gucci’s latest strong sales performance indicated a lasting improvement in its desirability or whether it was a blip influenced by short-term boosts such as discounted sales.