Dollar’s strength takes a bite out of Tiffany & Co. — and things are about to get worse

Dollar’s strength takes a bite out of Tiffany & Co. — and things are about to get worse

New York's flagship jewelry store said it expects sales to continue to drop -- by a whopping 10 percent in the quarter ending in April.

Tiffany & Company’s quarter sales declined for the first time in five years as New York’s marquis jewelry store is being hammered by a strong dollar.

Because Tiffany’s relies so much on overseas sales for its revenue, with tourists accounting for about a quarter of U.S. sales, the continuing strength of the U.S. is dollar is causing big problems for them, according to a Reuters report.

Tiffany has seen negative effects from the dollar’s strength for months now, but the drop in sales was a surprise for analysts who were still expecting it to overcome those concerns and post an increase in the fourth quarter.

The dollar has gained about 9 percent between November and January, which includes the holiday shopping season, and analysts believe the dollar has yet more to rise.

Tiffany’s shares fell 3 percent on the news, and the company revealed that sales would probably keep dropping by another 10 percent in the quarter ending in April because of the dollar.

In all, profits are likely to drop 30 percent in the current quarter, and a bit more modestly in the second, according to Reuters.

The company is heavily reliant on tourists, with its 5th Avenue store getting 40 percent of its revenue from them.

Tourism as a whole is down in the United States, with foreigners spending $34.55 billion in the United States between November and January, a 1.5 percent decline from the same time last year.

Tiffany’s fourth-quarter revenue was about $1.29 billion, a decline from $1.30 billion after analysts were expecting it to be $1.31 billion.

Tiffany’s is a worldwide luxury jewelry and specialty retailer that is headquarter in New York City. It is known for its high-quality luxury goods and especially its diamond jewelry. It was founded in 1837 by Charles Lewis Tiffany, and boasts total assets of nearly $4 billion as of 2013 with more than 10,000 workers as of 2014.

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