How much? Burberry tightlipped on Romeo Beckham’s festive fee

Burberry has refused to comment on reports it paid Romeo Beckham £45,000 for one day’s work starring in the fashion company’s Christmas advert.

Carol Fairweather, Burberry’s finance director, repeatedly refused to answer questions about how much the company paid the 12-year-old son of David and Victoria Beckham as the company announced an 11% drop in profits.

“It’s not for me to comment on what arrangements were paid to Romeo,” Fairweather said on a conference call with journalists on Wednesday. “There are marketing budgets, and they [people in the marketing department] are making those decisions. I don’t sign off every invoice that comes into the building.”

She was “very happy” with the marketing department’s decision to hire Romeo, and said there had been almost 5m hits on YouTube.

Christopher Bailey, Burberry’s chief executive and chief creative officer, has described Romeo’s performance in the video as that of a “little superstar”.

Bailey, who was not available to speak to the media on Wednesday, has said previously: “It continues to be an utter joy working with Romeo – he has charm, style and energy. I’m delighted that he’s the lead role in our festive campaign.”

The Mail on Sunday reported Romeo earned £45,000 for staring in the advert. The deal, which works out at £93.75 a minute for an eight-hour day, was negotiated by Simon Fuller, the former Spice Girls manager.

Burberry’s sales in the six months to the end of September rose by 7% to £1.1bn, but pre-tax profits dropped 11% from £159m to £142m largely due to a £31m loss on foreign currencies.

The company, which is known for its trademark trenchcoats but also sells £14,000 alligator bowling bags and £95 babies’ booties, warned that sales growth is slowing in Asia with are “pockets of weakness in Europe”.

“Looking ahead, in a more difficult external environment, we continue to focus on the things that we can control,” said Bailey, who was handed a £7.6m golden hello when he was promoted to the top job. “Through authentic products, great customer experiences and a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, we remain confident of Burberry’s sustained outperformance.”

Burberry’s shares were down 1% to £15.13 at midday on Wednesday.