It’s almost impossible to feel anything but joy when seeing the robin’s-egg blue of a Tiffany & Co box. The Jewelry giant first solidified itself in my mind (and all of popular culture) as a young girl watching the film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Nowadays, the social media marketing nerd in me fangirls at the sight of Tiffany’s gloriously well-designed Instagram.

But long before the film appearances and the social media mastery, Tiffany’s made a name for itself as an iconic American brand, beginning in the mid 1800’s. Charles Lewis Tiffany and John B. Young created a fine goods company that would go on to supply the Union army with swords in the American Civil War and redesign the Great Seal of the United States. Later, Tiffany’s would create the trophy for the first ever super bowl and the 1978 NBA championship trophy. Needless to say, Tiffany & Co created an extremely patriotic luxury brand and embedded itself into our nation’s history. It’s no wonder that LVMH, the French fashion house, means to acquire it.

For a while now, Tiffany sales have been declining. The most recent earnings report published in August saw more parentheses than not, with worldwide sales down 3% overall. Along with the earnings, the stock price has also been significantly lower (35%) on average when compared to 2018. Factors such as a weakening American market and dwindling levels of foreign tourist expenditures have left the jewelry legend in a bit of a bind. 

But have no fear, the sensation that is LVMH has come to save our American icon. On November 25th, LVMH published a statement on their website announcing that it will acquire Tiffany & Co for $135 per share, the transaction boasting an equity value of $16.2 billion. When talks of this acquisition began back in October, Tiffany’s stock dramatically rose by 30%.

Investors trust LVMH to turn Tiffany & Co around due to their steadily rising watches and jewelry profits and their individual success with Bulgari. The French conglomerate acquired Bulgari in 2011, and their revenue has doubled since. Genius billionaire owner of LVMH, Bernard Arnault, plans to place a concentrated focus on Tiffany’s higher-end diamond collections over the more affordable silver pieces. He also wishes to support Tiffany’s existing strategies of appealing to millenials and launching new products. Tiffany’s will easily achieve these goals, now backed with LVMH’s $52 billion in annual revenue. 

Another benefit to this acquisition is that Tiffany’s will no longer be plagued with the responsibility of disclosing everything to investors. LVMH does not publish its individual brands’ profits, only the total numbers for each category (Wine & Spirits, Fashion & Leather Goods, Watches & Jewelry, etc.). This will allow Tiffany to spend on marketing and growth without worrying about investor pressures. Truly, this deal will benefit both parties, with Tiffany’s near-assured success and LVMH’s desirable growth into the American and jewelry markets. Both of their stocks are up since the acquisition announcement earlier today, boding well for these companies moving forward.

Even though I’m a major fan, I have never received a little blue box of my own. I urge everyone to tell their families (I know I will) to get on the Tiffany train now, while prices are somewhat reasonable. Because with the owner of Louis Vuitton getting his hands on it, there’s no telling where the brand will climb and how luxurious it will become.