Raymond Weil releases new Freelancer collection

Luxury Swiss watchmaker Raymond Weil has launched its new Freelancer collection. Handmade in Geneva with care, the two new 42mm models feature a half-moon opening date window – a centerpiece of the new design. First launched in 2007, the freelancer collection two latest models have been reinvented to highlight this…

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Retail sales in May see ‘biggest decline on record’

Sales decreased by 2.7% in May on a total basis, excluding Easter distortions, making it the “worst decline” since records began in January 1995, according to the latest BRC-KPMG sales monitor. However, the BRC said this was against an increase of 4.1% in May 2018, itself a four year record.…

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Disrupting physical: Who needs a store?

Only a few months ago, I was discussing the longevity of the high street with an e-commerce director at a luxury furniture retailer. Recalling the closing down sales in my local House of Fraser, I suggested it was just the beginning of an industry-wide revolution. His response surprised me. “It’s…

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McKellars Jewellers wins at Lanarkshire Business Awards

McKellars Jewellers has won at the Lanarkshire Business Awards, winning both Best Specialised Retailer for South Lanarkshire and Best Gift Shop in Lanarkshire. The jeweller said it was “lucky” to be nominated for both categories, and was then entered into the grand final of Scotlands Business Awards which was held…

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GIA adds country of origin reports for coloured diamonds

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has added natural coloured diamonds to its GIA Diamond Origin Report Service. The group said the “innovative” service, announced on March 28, scientifically matches faceted D-to-Z and now natural coloured diamonds to their original rough to confirm the gem’s country of origin. The GIA…

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Diamond trader banned for ‘falsifying’ sales invoices

Jan Maarten Asscher, director of Clarity Diamonds, has been banned from running limited companies for 11 years after falsifying high end jewellery sales invoices worth $1.75m (£1.38m), the Insolvency Service has said. His fellow director, Mark Timothy Walker (57), of Ware, has also been banned for nine years after he…

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Links of London appoints Dominic Jones as global creative director

Links of London has appointed British jewellery designer, Dominic Jones, as the brand’s new global creative director. Jones graduated from Sir John Cass School of Art and Design in 2007 and launched his own label in 2009, he went on to consult for Fabergé, later becoming the creative director of…

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Three arrested following Duke Street jewellers smash and grab

Detectives investigating a smash and grab raid at the Hour House jewellery store, which saw Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews hide in the jewellery shop’s vault during the attack,  have made three arrests. Mathews was there to collect a watch at the jewellers in Duke Street, Marylebone, which was…

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How Making Tax Digital is going to help the retail sector

Shop closures are an all too familiar scene. A recent study by The Guardian found that English and Welsh town centres have lost 8% of their shops on average since 2013 (equating to 40 shops per town centre). While the sector is riding the waves of a storm, the digitisation…

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Retail sales volumes jump 1.8% despite Brexit uncertainty

In the three months to April 2019, the quantity of goods bought in retail sales increased by 1.8%, when compared with the previous three months. This was supported by a strong growth in non-store retailing, which reached a “record high” of 9.4%. When compared with the previous year, the quantity…

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