LONDON, June 17 (Reuters) - Luxury fashion firm Mulberry Group Plc (MUL.L) shrugged off economic gloom, saying it expected further sales growth ahead after a strong set of full-year results, boosted by growing demand in an effervescent Asian market.

Mulberry - SS 2010

The company, famed for its leather handbags, said retail sales in the first ten weeks of the current year were up 36 percent.

"We have started the new financial year strongly," Group Chairman Godfrey Davis said in a statement on Thursday. "Current indications are that sales will grow more rapidly during the next financial year than the one just ended."

The company said its Asian business was growing particularly rapidly, with wholesale revenues expected to more than double as its partners open stores in Hong Kong, Korea, Qatar, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur.

Mulberry reported in-line full year results, with pre-tax profit for the year to March 31 up 22 percent to 5.1 million pounds ($7.48 million) on sales of 72.1 million.

The company increased its divided 10 percent to 2.2 pence per share.

(Reporting by Karolina Tagaris, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)