Britain’s Shop vacancy remains at 13% in May

The shop vacancy rate in Britain remained at 13% in May for the third month running after falling in March.  This is according to new figures released from the Local Data Company (LDC) which found that the overall retail and leisure shop vacancy rate increased marginally from 11.6% in April…

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Read the latest issue of Jewellery Focus

The latest issue of Jewellery Focus is now available to view online. Have a peruse of the contents below, and then hit the blue button at the bottom of this article to go to the issue viewer. Roundup Page 7 Industry News From store openings to hallmarking figures, we provide…

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Police appeal after spate of burglaries

Police in Merseyside have released CCTV images of a man they would like to speak to following a series of thefts from jewellers across the country. Jewellers in Merseyside, Cumbria and Lancashire have all been targeted in recent weeks by men asking to view expensive items before grabbing them and…

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Gem-A council postpones upcoming AGM

The council of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) has announced it will postpone its upcoming annual general meeting (AGM), citing the need to resolve ‘internal matters’.  Following an announcement confirming the dates of the AGM, due to take place on June 24, the council of the association said…

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Shop prices fall for 25th consecutive month

Shop prices were down 1.9% in May compared with the same time last year – unchanged from April’s rate of decline.  This is according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen Shop Price Index which recorded its 25th consecutive month of shop price deflation, with falling non-food prices now…

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Bonhams: £60m of jewellery ‘gathering dust’

There is an estimated £60m worth of vintage jewellery gathering dust in drawers and attics across Britain, according to Bonhams.  The auction house said that millions of pounds worth of earrings, necklaces, bracelets and other pieces of jewellery are simply set aside and forgotten as a result of changing tastes.…

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Iggy Azalea’s $500,000 yellow diamond engagement ring

A yellow diamond given to pop singer Iggy Azalea by her partner for their engagement is worth around £250,000, according to the CEO of Gemporia. Steve Bennett said as a stand-alone stone the central diamond would cost close to £175,000; the surrounding white diamonds are over 2 carats and have…

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‘You picked the wrong guy’: jeweller chases off armed robber with baseball bat

Devon & Cornwall Police have released CCTV footage of an attempted armed robbery after the owner of a jewellery store successfully chased the suspect away.  The robbery, which took place at Coopers Jewellers in Barnstaple on the afternoon of Thursday May 28, was unsuccessful after the store’s owner, David Bruce,…

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Gem-A announces AGM details

The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) has said its AGM will take place at 11am on Wednesday June 24 at The Crypt Restaurant in Ely Place.  The meeting will be followed by a talk from the association’s CEO James Riley on his recent field trip to Mogok, Burma. Gem-A…

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Delivery volumes for online sales up 11% in April

Online delivery volumes from UK retailers were up 11% in April compared with the same month last year, according to new figures.  The IMRG MetaPack UK Delivery Index showed that the growth rate for delivery volumes from the year to date (May 29) has now reached 10.9%. This is below…

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