Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Apr. 30, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

In March 2011, Laurelton Diamonds, Inc., a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company (“Laurelton”), as lender, entered into a $50,000,000 amortizing term loan facility agreement (the “Loan”) with Koidu Holdings S.A. (“Koidu”), as borrower, and BSG Resources Limited, as a limited guarantor. Koidu operates a kimberlite diamond mine in Sierra Leone (the “Mine”) from which Laurelton now acquires diamonds. Koidu is required under the terms of the Loan to apply the proceeds of the Loan to capital expenditures necessary to expand the Mine, among other purposes. The Loan is required to be repaid in full by March 2017 through semi-annual payments scheduled to begin in March 2013. Interest accrues at a rate per annum that is the greater of (i) LIBOR plus 3.5% or (ii) 4%. In consideration of the Loan, Laurelton was granted the right to purchase at fair market value diamonds recovered from the Mine that meet Laurelton’s quality standards. The Loan may be drawn in multiple installments subject to certain contingencies; as of April 30, 2011, no installment had been drawn. The assets of Koidu, including all equipment and rights in respect of the Mine, are subject to the security interest of a lender that is not affiliated with the Company. The Loan will be partially secured by diamonds that have been extracted from the Mine and that have not been sold to third parties. The Company has evaluated the variable interest entity consolidation requirements with respect to this transaction and has determined that it is not the primary beneficiary, as it does not have the power to direct any of the activities that most significantly impact Koidu’s economic performance.

In April 2010, Tiffany and Company, the Company’s principal operating subsidiary (“Tiffany”) committed to a plan to consolidate and relocate its New York headquarters staff to a single location in New York City from three separate locations currently leased in midtown Manhattan. The move is expected to occur in mid-2011 and generate occupancy savings over the term of the 15-year lease. Tiffany intends to sublease its existing properties through the end of their lease terms which run through 2015, but expects to recover only a portion of its rent obligations due to current market conditions. Accordingly, Tiffany anticipates recording expenses of approximately $40,000,000 (of which $8,221,000 was recorded during the three months ended April 30, 2011) primarily within selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses in the consolidated statement of earnings in the fiscal year ending January 31, 2012; this expense is primarily related to the fair value of the remaining non-cancelable lease obligations reduced by the estimated sublease rental income as well as the acceleration of the useful lives of certain property and equipment, incremental rent expense during the transition period and lease termination payments. Changes in market conditions may affect the total expenses ultimately recorded.