Alrosa ‘virtually stops’ trade in April

Alrosa Group announced it has “virtually stopped” selling rough and polished diamonds in light of the ongoing pandemic, though it has “remained committed” to its price over volume strategy. The world’s largest diamond miner by volume still sold $15.6m (£12.7m) worth of rough and polished diamonds in the month.  Revenue…

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UK economy shrinks by 2% as pandemic takes its toll

The UK’s economy shrank by 2% in the three months to 31 March 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which also found that gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 5.8% during March, the largest fall…

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Chancellor extends furlough scheme until October

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has extended the Government’s furlough scheme until the end of October. Announcing the decision in the house of commons today (12 May) Sunak revealed that “no changes whatsoever” will be made to the current scheme until the end of July.  However he noted that…

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Houlden announces support measures for members

The Houlden Group has revealed a wealth of measures it is using to support its members and supplier partners during the ongoing pandemic.  It initially facilitated inter-group communications between jewellers through  its website forum, interactive Zoom meetings and social media platforms like WhatsApp, using the  insights gained to “develop a…

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Safety first is the only way lockdown measures can be eased, says Usdaw

Trade union Usdaw has responded to the prime minister’s statement by urging a safety first approach to easing lockdown measures.  The union cautions non-food retailers not to open until they can guarantee staff and customer safety and urges them to adopt the joint advice agreed with the British Retail Consortium…

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Reopening independent stores must be part of first phase of exit plan, says Bira

Independent retail businesses can offer a safe shopping environment and will help keep people within their local communities’, says the head of the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira). Andrew Goodacre is calling for small independent shops to reopen during the first phase of lifting lockdown restrictions outlined in government documents.…

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Benevolent Society sends hampers to beneficiaries

The Benevolent Society has announced that it has identified up to 50 beneficiaries to be the recipients of a hamper filled with edible goods. In a newly-released statement, the society said: “With all of the talk of Worldwide pandemic, economic disaster, job losses, the NHS being overwhelmed, it is important…

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De Beers Group launches e-commerce platform

De Beers Group’s auctions department has announced the introduction of a new scheme that will give registered buyers 24/7 access to diamond purchases. The newly-launched ‘Buy platform’ will allow buyers to make an “immediate, direct and straightforward purchase” from a range of rough diamonds with a further purchase option in…

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British Academy of Jewellery collaborates with Parlement Lycéen Européen

The British Academy of Jewellery (BAJ) has announced the continuation of its partnership with Parlement Lycéen Européen (PLE), a network of jewellery schools across Europe.  In light of the ongoing partnership, the association will participate in the PLE’s annual jewellery design competition, whereby students from twelve European jewellery schools compete…

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Trouble ahead for retail vacancy rates, warns BRC

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Local Data Company has said the new BRC-LDC Vacancy Monitor has revealed that the rate of store vacancies increased to 12.2% in March. The monitor also reported a 0.3% decrease in vacancy rates in shopping centres to 14.1% compared with 14.4%. The South West and Wales…

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