It’s all over now, Baby Blue.
Tiffany Chief Executive Frederic Cumenal has abruptly left the high-end jeweler, ending a two-and-a-half-year stint at the helm that ended with a lackluster holiday season.
Tiffany’s directors were “disappointed by recent financial results,” said Michael J. Kowalski, the board’s chairman and interim CEO.
Kowalski, who had previously been chief from 1999 to 2014, added that the company has hired a search firm to find Cumenal’s permanent replacement.
The surprise announcement came just hours before the Super Bowl was set to kick off in Houston, Texas — where Lady Gaga, the jeweler’s new pitchwoman, performed at the halftime show.
Tiffany, which is known as much for its sterling-silver baby spoons as for its powder-blue packaging, had been hit by a surge in the value of the US dollar against other currencies, which made it more expensive for tourists to buy its pricey baubles.
The company also blamed the extra security at Trump Tower for a 14 percent drop in customer traffic at its flagship Manhattan location in November and December.
Kowalski signaled changes were ahead, but didn’t elaborate on whether that would mean discounts or selling off stores.
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