LVMH Chief executive Bernard Arnault's wealth down by 28% to $77 billion
The World Health Organisation has declared that Europe has become the new 'epicentre' of the coronavirus pandemic
Arnault finished the day with $109.3 billion to his name, compared with Bezos' $110.1 billion
LVMH and US jewellers Tiffany announced Monday a $16.2 billion tie-up that is the French luxury group's biggest-ever acquisition and will bolster its presence in the United States. The deal comes after LVMH spent more than a month wooing Tiffany, the most iconic of US luxury brands known for its wedding rings and diamonds. The companies said in a statement they "have entered into a definitive agreement whereby LVMH will acquire Tiffany for $135 per share in cash, in a transaction with an equity value of approximately 14.7 billion euros or $16.2 billion." The deal adds Tiffany to LVMH's extensive stable of luxury brands that include Louis Vuitton, Dior and Moet & Chandon and will strengthen its position in the jewellery sector. "We are delighted to have the opportunity to welcome Tiffany, a company with an unparallelled heritage and unique position in the global jewelry world, to the LVMH family," said the group's chief executive, Bernard Arnault. Such a deal has been seen as way .
(Reuters) - French luxury group LVMH is nearing a deal to buy U.S. jewelry chain Tiffany & Co for about $16.3 billion, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Sunday.
French luxury giant LVMH said on Monday it was in preliminary talks to take over US jewellers Tiffany but there was "no certainty" that they would be successful. A source close to the talks told AFP at the weekend that LVMH had made a USD 14.5 billion bid for Tiffany at the start of October, but that the iconic US company had yet to respond to the offer. Tiffany's stock market value stood at USD 11.9 billion at the close of Wall Street trading on Friday. "Following recent market rumours, the LVMH group confirms having started preliminary discussions about a possible operation with Tiffany," LVMH said in its statement Monday. The purchase of Tiffany by LVMH would be one of the largest acquisitions by the French group, which is a world leader in luxury, present in fashion to wine, perfumes and cosmetics. Tiffany's Bulgari brand -- bought for USD 5.2 billion in 2011 -- competes with Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, both owned by Swiss group Richemont. "They say diamonds are a girl's
The French luxury group has approached Tiffany with a takeover proposal, though there's no guarantee an agreement will be reached, said the people, who asked not to be identified
LVMH rose as much as 3.4% in early trading in Paris, while Dior gained as much as 13%
The transaction would be LVMH's first acquisition of a German purveyor of luxury goods
The last fashion brand that LVMH sold was Christian Lacroix in 2005
LVMH hints at timely wardrobe edit