Shop vacancy rates fall back to 2010 levels

Shop vacancy rates in Britain have fallen back to levels not seen since 2010, according to new figures from the Local Data Company (LDC).  Shop vacancy rates fell to 13% in March  from 13.1% in February, while the overall retail and leisure vacancy rate also dropped in March to 11.6%,…

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Shop prices fall to record low in March

Shop prices fell to a record low in March as overall shop prices reported deflation for the 23rd consecutive month, with retail prices 2.1% lower than a year earlier.  This is according to the latest BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index which found that overall shop prices had dropped even further than…

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RJC announces management restructure

The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has announced a restructure to its management team at a meeting with elected board members on April 1.  The restructure will introduce the role of executive director in place of CEO, in an effort to bring the organisation in-line with the practice elsewhere in many…

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Police launch manhunt after Hatton Garden burglary

Police in London have launched a manhunt after raiders accessed safety deposit boxes in a vault using ‘heavy cutting equipment’ over the Easter bank holiday weekend.  Officers were called to Hatton Garden on Tuesday (April 7) morning at approximately 8:10am after reports of a burglary at a safety deposit business…

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Precious metals fair set for Edinburgh launch

The Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh and fine art auctioneers, Lyon and Turnbull, are set to launch a four-day precious metals fair later this year.  Elements, which will take place in Edinburgh between September 10-13, aims to celebrate jewellers and silversmiths in the UK and offer them…

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ADVICE: With freedom comes responsibility, says TH March

Chartered Financial Planner Steve Clemence of TH March gives advice on the new Pensions Freedom Legislation. Buying a Lamborghini with your pension pot may not be a responsible way of spending the money you and your employer have saved into your pension.  With the average pension pot being £38,600, you…

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Birmingham jewellers fined over unhallmarked gold

A Birmingham jewellery firm has been ordered to pay a total of £8,288 after it was found to be selling unhallmarked gold.  Yousaf Jewellers, based in Coventry Road, Small Heath in Birmingham, was fined £500 for each offence (£6,500), ordered to pay costs of £1,738 and a £50 victim surcharge…

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Polished diamond prices fall in March

Polished diamond prices softened in March as trading volumes were restricted by weak demand, according to the latest report from Rapaport. Diamond market sentiment was “weak” throughout the first quarter, with jewellers avoiding large inventory purchases and buying focused on satisfying specific demand to fill existing orders. The RapNet Diamond…

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Marked feature bricks laid in new BAO premises

The new premises currently being constructed for the Birmingham Assay Office this weekend saw the addition of several ‘feature bricks’, bearing key hallmarking symbols used during the office’s 240 years in operation. The marks include the traditional hallmarking symbols; a lion for sterling silver, crown for gold, orb for platinum and Pallas…

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Endless enters New Zealand market with 54 retailers

Composable charm bracelet brand Endless Jewelry has secured more than 50 retail partners in New Zealand, the 21st market the firm has entered since it launched almost two years ago. Last week, Nielsen flew to New Zealand where he introduced the brand to jewellery retailers from the North and South…

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