Tiffany & Co. Case Analysis
Tiffany & Company
Tiffany has decided to sell direct in Japan as opposed to selling wholesale to Mitsukoshi and Mitsukoshi selling to the public. In this agreement Tiffany will give Mitsukoshi 27% of net retail sales in exchange for providing the boutique facilities, sales staff, collection of receivables, and security for store inventory. This new agreement exposes Tiffany to the fluctuation in the yen-dollar exchange rate. Therefore, they are considering two basic hedging alternatives to reduce exchange-rate risk on their yen cash flows. The first alternative was to sell yen for dollars at a predetermined price in the future using a forward contract. The second alternative was to purchase a yen put option allowing them to exercise their option only if it was more profitable in the future at the future spot rate. Two more alternatives that we think are appropriate are a synthetic forward using options and a synthetic forward using interest rate parity. Furthermore, Tiffany needs to understand the hedging alternatives and determine what, if any, strategy is right for them.
1.In what ways is Tiffany exposed to exchange-rate risk subsequent to its new distribution agreement with Mitsikoshi? How serious are these risks?
Tiffany is exposed to foreign exchange risk by selling directly to the Japanese market. When they sold wholesale to Mitsukoshi, Mitsukoshi bore all the foreign exchange risk. Under this new agreement Tiffany is now exposed to the volatile fluctuations in the yen-dollar exchange rate. Since Tiffany is making profits in yen they have to convert the yen to dollars to take back to their home country. Since the yen is thought to be overvalued in comparison to the dollar, the future exchange rate can decrease Tiffany's profits. Also, the extreme volatility in the exchange rate creates significant uncertainty in what the future exchange rate and profits will be if left unhedged. The most important foreign exchange risk facing Tiffany is
Tiffany has decided to sell direct in Japan as opposed to selling wholesale to Mitsukoshi and Mitsukoshi selling to the public. In this agreement Tiffany will give Mitsukoshi 27% of net retail sales in exchange for providing the boutique facilities, sales staff, collection of receivables, and security for store inventory. This new agreement exposes Tiffany to the fluctuation in the yen-dollar exchange rate. Therefore, they are considering two basic hedging alternatives to reduce exchange-rate risk on their yen cash flows. The first alternative was to sell yen for dollars at a predetermined price in the future using a forward contract. The second alternative was to purchase a yen put option allowing them to exercise their option only if it was more profitable in the future at the future spot rate. Two more alternatives that we think are appropriate are a synthetic forward using options and a synthetic forward using interest rate parity. Furthermore, Tiffany needs to understand the hedging alternatives and determine what, if any, strategy is right for them.
1.In what ways is Tiffany exposed to exchange-rate risk subsequent to its new distribution agreement with Mitsikoshi? How serious are these risks?
Tiffany is exposed to foreign exchange risk by selling directly to the Japanese market. When they sold wholesale to Mitsukoshi, Mitsukoshi bore all the foreign exchange risk. Under this new agreement Tiffany is now exposed to the volatile fluctuations in the yen-dollar exchange rate. Since Tiffany is making profits in yen they have to convert the yen to dollars to take back to their home country. Since the yen is thought to be overvalued in comparison to the dollar, the future exchange rate can decrease Tiffany's profits. Also, the extreme volatility in the exchange rate creates significant uncertainty in what the future exchange rate and profits will be if left unhedged. The most important foreign exchange risk facing Tiffany is