French conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE – owner of luxury brands Bulgari, Dior and Givenchy, to name a few – has completed the acquisition of US jeweller Tiffany & Co, further enhancing the group’s jewellery and watches division.
Anthony Ledru, previously executive vice president for Global Commercial Activities at Louis Vuitton and senior vice president of North America at Tiffany, was named CEO of Tiffany while Alexandre Arnault, former CEO of RIMOWA, was appointed executive vice president for Product and Communications of Tiffany.
Michael Burke, chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, will become chairman of Tiffany’s board of directors.
Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, commented, “We are committed to supporting Tiffany, a brand that is synonymous with love and whose Blue Box is revered around the world, with the same dedication and passion that we have applied to each of our prestigious Maisons over the years.”
In December, Tiffany’s stockholders gave the go signal for an amended merger agreement with LVMH to proceed following a legal dispute between the two parties. As part of the modified deal, Tiffany & Co accepted a lower price per share – US$131.50 – for its acquisition by LVMH. The two parties originally agreed on a US$135-per-share or approximately US$16.2-billion deal, which LVMH contested.