Lark & Berry launches competition for aspiring jewellers

Lark and Berry has launched a new competition to find an aspiring artist or jewellery designer to collaborate with on a limited-edition capsule collection that will debut early next year.  The brand, which was the first known fine jewellery designer to exclusively use only cultured diamonds and gemstones, said that…

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Footfall up 41% yesterday morning as shoppers returned to high streets

Retail footfall across high streets, shopping centres and retail parks in England increased by 41.7% yesterday morning (15 June) in comparison to last week, and by 51.7% in England’s high streets, according to the latest data from retail experts Springboard. The 51.7% rise in footfall in high streets from last…

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Covid-19 to add £5.3bn to UK e-commerce in 2020

The surge in online shopping caused by the Covid-19 pandemic is expected to add £5.3bn to UK e-commerce sales this year, to reach a total of £78.9bn. This is according to analysts at Edge Retail Insight, the global trend forecasting arm of retail insights firm Edge by Ascential, which have…

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Business secretary welcomes NAJ StoreSafe scheme

NAJ member Jacobs the Jewellers was visited by the business secretary, the Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP, to show the MP how the jewellery industry could reopen safely. Ahead of the Reading shop’s reopening, owner Adam Jacobs and his colleagues explained more about the NAJ’s StoreSafe scheme during the visit…

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Swarovski partners with NHS Charities Together

Swarovski has announced a new partnership with NHS Charities Together in order to show appreciation for those that have worked on the frontline during the global pandemic. As part of the group’s ongoing #SparkDelight initiative, Swarovski has pledged to donate a portion of sales received on selected pieces from its…

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Retailers to suffer for ‘some time to come’, says BRC

Footfall across the UK tumbled by 81.6% in May, as the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned that retailers may suffer lower footfall and sales “for some time to come”. According to its latest report,  the decline recorded in May marked a “shallower decline” than the month prior, as certain…

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39% of UK SMEs believe economy will need five years to recover from Covid-19

Four in 10 (39%) small business owners believe it will take at least five years for the UK economy to fully recover from the impact of lockdown and Covid-19, according to a new poll. Research by the “#ForgottenLtd Campaign”, which is campaigning for fair and equal government support for small…

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Usdaw urges public to ‘respect shopworkers’ as shops are allowed to reopen

Shopworkers union Usdaw has urged customers to respect staff and employers to ensure safety in stores, as shops are allowed to reopen from today (15 June). The news comes as Usdaw released statistics revealing one in six shop workers have suffered abuse on every shift, during the coronavirus pandemic. The statistics revealed 62%…

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CIBJO postpones annual conference amid coronavirus pandemic

CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, has announced the postponement of its annual congress, which was due to take place in Dubai from 5 October to 7 October 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Organisers announced the congress will be rescheduled in 2021 and the decision was made during a video…

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Theo Fennell to reopen boutique on a limited basis

Theo Fennell has announced that it will be reopening its Fulham Road flagship boutique on 16 June, following the latest government guidelines for store openings.  The fine jewellery and silverware boutique will be opening on a by-appointment basis for two days a week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 11am and 4pm,…

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