Tiffany & Co sales rise 4 percent during holiday season

Jan 10 (Reuters) - Tiffany & Co said on Thursday that its net worldwide sales during the holiday season had risen 4 percent, continuing a trend of modest gains in recent months, and the upscale jeweler said it would plan conservatively for 2013.

The company maintained its full-year profit forecast of $3.20 to $3.40 per share, but said that because holiday sales growth was at the low end of its expectations, earnings would come in at the low end of that range.

A difficult global economy prompted the retailer to scale back its sales and profit forecasts three times earlier this fiscal year.

At its Manhattan flagship store, which generates nearly one-tenth of revenue, sales fell 2 percent. In Asia outside of Japan, they rose 11 percent, excluding the impact of currency fluctuation.