Print page     Email page

Company Profile

Tiffany & Co. is a holding company that operates through its subsidiary companies ("Company"). The Company's principal subsidiary, Tiffany and Company, is a jeweler and specialty retailer, whose merchandise offerings include an extensive selection of jewelry (87% of net sales in fiscal 2008), as well as timepieces, sterling silverware, china, crystal, stationery, fragrances and accessories. Through Tiffany and Company and other subsidiaries, the Company is engaged in product design, manufacturing and retailing activities.

Tiffany was founded in 1837 when Charles Lewis Tiffany opened a store in downtown Manhattan. Today, more than 200 TIFFANY & CO. stores and boutiques serve customers around the world.

The Company's operating segments are as follows: the Americas region (55% of fiscal 2008 sales) includes sales transacted in TIFFANY & CO. stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Brazil, as well as sales of TIFFANY & CO. products in certain of those markets through Internet, catalog, business-to-business and wholesale operations; the Asia-Pacific region (32% of fiscal 2008 sales) consists of sales transacted in TIFFANY & CO. locations in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, as well as sales of TIFFANY & CO. products in certain of those markets through Internet, catalog, business-to-business and wholesale operations; and Europe (10% of fiscal 2008 sales) consists of sales transacted in TIFFANY & CO. stores in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as sales of TIFFANY & CO. products in certain of those markets through Internet, catalog, business-to-business and wholesale operations. Other (2% of fiscal 2008 sales) consists primarily) of wholesale sales of diamonds obtained through bulk purchases that are subsequently deemed not suitable for Tiffany's needs, as well as sales of businesses operated under trademarks or tradenames other than TIFFANY & CO. (i.e., IRIDESSE) and earnings received from licensing agreements.

The Company's key growth strategies are: to selectively expand its channels of distribution in important markets around the world without compromising the long-term value of the TIFFANY & CO. trademark; to increase sales in existing stores by developing new products; to increase its control over product supply and achieve improved profit margins through direct diamond sourcing and internal jewelry manufacturing; to enhance customer awareness through marketing and public relations programs; and to provide customer service that ensures a superior shopping experience.

The Company's shares are traded on The New York Stock Exchange with the symbol TIF. Headquartered in New York, Tiffany has more than 8,000 employees around the world.