French luxury goods group LVMH on Thursday named two top Louis Vuitton executives as new managers of Tiffany and overhauled the design team in its first shake-up of the U.S. jeweller following a $15.8 billion acquisition.
The official closing of the deal comes after a bitter legal dispute, with LVMH backing away in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic which hammered luxury goods sales. LVMH and Tiffany ultimately renegotiated the deal price, lowering it by $425 million.
LVMH said Anthony Ledru, a senior executive at the group's Louis Vuitton brand, would be CEO at Tiffany, taking over from Alessandro Bogliolo, who is set to leave on Jan. 22.
Alexandre Arnault, one of LVMH boss Bernard Arnault's sons and who previously ran luggage label Rimowa, will be executive vice president and in charge of product and communication, while Vuitton's CEO and chairman Michel Burke will also become chairman of Tiffany.
Analysts anticipate that once Tiffany is integrated into LVMH, the conglomerate will be able to expand its product ranges to target younger clients, and focus on a push in Asia.
LVMH, home to brands including Fendi and Veuve Clicquot champagne, is also expected to review everything from Tiffany's network of stores to strategies in areas such as online sales as it repositions the brand and streamlines it.
The conglomerate already signalled changes on the design front, saying artistic director Reed Krakoff was set to leave the company along with Chief Brand Officer Daniella Vitale. It did not name replacements.
"We are optimistic about Tiffany's ability to accelerate its growth," LVMH's Bernard Arnault said in a statement.
LVMH, which also owns Bulgari but makes most of its money from fashion brands like Vuitton, is hoping to beef up its jewellery offering with its biggest ever acquisition, in one of the segments of the luxury world which had the best growth prospects pre-pandemic.
(Reporting by Sarah White and Jessica DiNapoli. Editing by Mark Potter and Elaine Hardcastle)
