The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Qatar Investment Authority made a gain of around $892 million when it sold shares in Tiffany & Co as part of LVMH’s $15.8 billion acquisition of the U.S. jeweller, according to analyst estimates and filing data.
The French luxury goods group concluded its acquisition of the retailer last week in which QIA had been a longstanding investor having initially acquired a 5.2 percent stake in late 2011.
After building that stake up over several years, QIA sold its remaining 9.3 percent stake in Tiffany as part of a renegotiated deal LVMH agreed with Tiffany shareholders in October that involved it paying $131.5 per share.
The $1.55 billion sale by QIA amounted to a total gain of around $892.3 million, representing an internal rate of return of 9.3 percent from the sovereign fund’s total investment, according to Diego López, Global SWF managing director.
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“It represents a very good return for a listed equity in any environment,” he said.
Best known for its diamond engagement rings, Tiffany’s last quarterly earnings indicated the retailer had started to recover from the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic, with a 70 percent rise in sales in China and an e-commerce sales surge of 92 percent in the quarter.
QIA did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Tiffany stake was one of several glitzy purchases QIA made in the years after the global financial crisis as it deployed the Gulf nation’s plentiful natural gas riches in assets ranging from German sports car maker Porsche to London’s Canary Wharf business district.
By Tom Arnold. Editor: David Evans.
The luxury goods maker is seeking pricing harmonisation across the globe, and adjusts prices in different markets to ensure that the company is”fair to all [its] clients everywhere,” CEO Leena Nair said.
Hermes saw Chinese buyers snap up its luxury products as the Kelly bag maker showed its resilience amid a broader slowdown in demand for the sector.
The group’s flagship Prada brand grew more slowly but remained resilient in the face of a sector-wide slowdown, with retail sales up 7 percent.
The guidance was issued as the French group released first-quarter sales that confirmed forecasts for a slowdown. Weak demand in China and poor performance at flagship Gucci are weighing on the group.