Anais Paris hits UK independents in July amid reports of exceptional early sell-through

Hot Diamonds has seen an encouraging start to sell-through of its new brand Anaïs Paris with UK independents. Adryan Cresswell, head of commerce, said: “We dispatched the first Anaïs Paris orders to the UK independents sector at the start of July and are very excited indeed with the early sell-out…

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UK Jewellers launch parliamentary petition to restrict offshore UK hallmarks

A group of UK silversmiths and jewellers have launched a campaign to restrict the use of distinctive traditional UK hallmarks, including city marks, to items hallmarked in the UK. For over 700 years UK hallmarks have only been struck in the UK, but the campaign said that there is now…

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Men in retail sector paid £4,523 more than women

Men in the retail and wholesale sector are paid on average £4,523 more than women, new research has claimed. According to figures released today by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR, men are more likely than women to have been promoted into senior and higher paying management roles in…

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‘Unfair contract terms’ costing small firms billions

Half (52%) of small firms have been stung by unfair contract terms with suppliers, costing nearly £4bn in the last three years. New research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found suppliers are failing to make auto-rollover clauses clear (24%), tying business into lengthy notice periods (22%), charging high…

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Flawless Jewellery sponsors British paratriathlon champion

Family-run Flawless Jewellery, based in Kent, has announced a sponsorship agreement with British paratriathlon champion Cassie Cava. Cava, 24, who was born with clubfeet, broke her right foot six years ago and underwent reconstruction surgery, which was not as successful as hoped. After years of painful hospital appointments she made…

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Apprentices ‘can earn 270% more’ than graduates, says Barclays

Apprentices can earn 270% more over their lifetime than university graduates, according to new research from Barclays and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The report – Productivity and Lifetime Earnings of Apprentices and Graduates – says the average gap in lifetime earnings potential between apprentices and graduates…

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‘Heavy discounting’ spurs highest online sales growth in 20 months

Heavy discounting has spurred the highest growth in online sales for 20 months, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index. The monthly report found e-commerce grew 19% in July compared with the same month last year, representing a 20-year high for the index and a continuation of a…

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Birmingham Jewellery Quarter reaches another milestone in quest for £2m investment

Several roads around Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter are set to close this weekend to make way for a major filming production. The closures – beginning at 7am on 19 August until 6am the following day – are for the purpose of transforming the Jewellery Quarter’s streets into a “futuristic America” for…

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Jewellery firms named in Small Business Saturday’s ‘Small Biz 100’

Six small jewellery firms have been named among the 100 small businesses in the UK to be celebrated by Small Business Saturday. The businesses will be among those featured one per day for the 100 days leading up to the dedicated Small Business Saturday on 3 December. The jewellery companies…

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After Brexit, the show must go on

The post-Brexit dust appears, at least for the time being to have settled. Although the gold price shot up in the immediate aftermath, the pace of increase does appear to have slowed. Now that the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 have calmed down and regained their initial losses, it’s possible…

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