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May- 2016 -19 MayRetailers
Mappin & Webb to rebrand following “significant investment”
Fine jewellery retailer Mappin & Webb is set to undergo a re-brand this summer following “significant” investment from parent group Aurum Holdings. The 240-year-old brand will re-launch in June, with a high-profile marketing campaign, new-look stores and a highlighted product range to highlight its positioning to a broader and younger…
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19 MayRetailers
Small firms lose four days a month to administration
Over half of smaller business owners (55%) say their company growth is being held back by the amount of time they have to dedicate to administration, new research has found. The survey from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) – answered by 1,685 business owners – found the average small…
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18 MayTrade Organisations
New LDB president appointed as Harry Levy named chairman
The London Diamond Bourse (LDB) has appointed Menachem Prager as its new president, simultaneously creating a new chairman role. Current president Harry Levy has been appointed to the newly created position. Former vice-president Prager, who is the principal of a successful diamond company, has been a member of the bourse…
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18 MayAuctions
Pink diamond sells for record-breaking £21.8m
The seller of the most expensive polished diamond ever sold at auction has broke another record with the sale of the largest fancy vivid pear-shaped pink diamond. The 15.38-carat diamond – named ‘Unique Pink’ – sold for $31.56m (£21.8m) at Sotheby’s Geneva on Tuesday 17 March and became the most…
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17 MayCurrent Affairs
De Beers and Namibia sign long-term sales agreement
The Government of the Republic of Namibia and the De Beers Group of Companies has signed a 10-year sales agreement. The agreement – the longest-ever signed between the two partners – will include the sorting, valuing and sales of Namdeb Holdings’ diamonds. Namibia will see a significant increase in rough…
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16 MayEconomy
9-carat gold soars 15.8% as overall hallmarking figures fall
The number of 9-carat items hallmarked in April jumped 15.8%, despite an overall decline in hallmarking figures. The latest data from the four UK assay offices – compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office – found there was a total of 790,594 items hallmarked in April, compared with 810,831 in April…
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16 MayEconomy
High street footfall reaches two-year low
The high street has seen its deepest decline in footfall since February 2014, as shopper numbers fell by 4.6% in April. The latest Footfall and Vacancies Monitor from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard found that overall retail footfall fell 2.4% compared with the same month last year, although…
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13 MayEvents
Hatton Garden BID outlines £2.5m investment plans
Proponents of the Hatton Garden Business Improvement District (BID) have announced plans for a £2.5m investment into the local area over the next five years. The plans were announced at an event last night (Thursday, 12 May) hosted by NatWest Bank, where Gary Williams – chairman of the Hatton Garden BID…
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12 MayEconomy
UK gold jewellery demand up 1% despite worldwide decline
Demand for gold jewellery in UK increased by 1% in the first quarter of 2016, despite an overall gold jewellery decline. That’s according to the latest report from the World Gold Council (WGC), which found global gold jewellery demand fell 19% in the first quarter of the year to 482…
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