Hamilton & Inches reports ‘strong’ sales growth in 2019

Hamilton and Inches has reported “strong” sales growth in 2019, despite a year of “significant” investment for the company. In its latest statement, the 150 year old jewellers said that it was “pleased” to achieve a pre-tax profit of £121,000 amid “significant levels of investment” that laid “strong foundations” for…

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Boxing Day footfall falls to lowest level since 2010

Retail footfall decreased by 10.6% on Boxing Day in 2019, and marks the largest decrease in footfall since 2010. The research from Springboard found the decline to be larger than the last two years combined for the period. In 2018 footfall was 4.2% lower than in 2017 and in 2017…

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Volkswagen’s unceasing nightmare is a lesson in honesty

Readers will recall the scandal surrounding faked emissions tests conducted by the car-making giant, Volkswagen, in recent years. In case you have forgotten, the controversy surrounded the manufacturer’s attempts to depress the emissions readings on regulatory testing of its vehicles in order to artificially meet the standards on CO2 that…

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The internet need not be the scourge of every sector – just ask the CEO of Mountain Warehouse

The last decade in business was arguably characterised by one word: disruption. While the internet behemoths had already begun building serious fortunes in the 2000s, most would agree it was after 2010 that things really started motoring. Heralded as the great democratiser of information and services, the effects of a…

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Thief swallows earrings in jewellery store raid

A thief has reportedly swallowed two pairs of white gold earrings during a raid on a Hull jewellers. The raid, which occurred on Monday 23 December, saw the suspect take off with over £13,000 worth of jewellery. The suspect allegedly left the store with a yellow 18 carat gold diamond…

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Finally, a government addressing the business rates fiasco

Regardless of your political colours, small businesses up and down the land will be pleased to hear of at least one policy which looks set to survive the transition from manifesto wish lists to actual policy and legislation, and that is a business rates overhaul. The prime minister, Boris Johnson,…

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Italian exhibition group launches ‘vo vintage’

An exclusive event on the Italian and international trade show scene, with legendary creations and extremely rare examples of watch and jewellery history together with the sector’s most authoritative players. Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) is launching VO VINTAGE entirely dedicated to the collector’s segment with some of the most sought-after,…

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Airbnb is the latest ‘big tech’ monolith to run rings around our outdated legal apparatus

It may seem tangential to those who do not work in real estate, but there is a court case on the continent with major implications for the future of many sectors, which reached a critical phase yesterday. It is the case of Airbnb vs the French tourism association, in which…

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Vera Lynn’s gin dispute is a window on a fascinating trademark problem

Everyone knows a bit of cockney rhyming slang, but what if your own name is the one being used, and then somebody tries to use it as their brand? This is exactly what happened to the singer Dame Vera Lynn, who has just been awarded £1,800 in legal costs from…

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Laings reveals first full-year results as one brand

Luxury jewellers Laings has announced it achieved sales of £42.3m in the year to 31 May 2019. It is the first full year that the jewellers has operated under one brand. Sales also saw a like-for-like increase of 17.4%, and an operating profit of £4.2m was also reported. The company…

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