Retailers

Retail optimism level at its highest since 2002, says CBI

Retailers are at their most optimistic since 2002, with 51% of respondents reporting an increase in sales volumes, according to new research by the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).  According to CBI’s latest quarterly Distributive Trades Survey, retail sales grew strongly in the year to August with the pace of…

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IJL registrations up 15% up for new Olympia show

Major jewellery trade show International Jewellery London (IJL) has recorded a 15% rise in visitor registrations for its 2014 event, compared to last year. In a sign that the jewellery industry is continuing to show signs of gaining buoyancy, the event, which this year moved from Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre…

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Retailers excluding 12 million disabled customers, says government

Thousands of high street businesses could be turning away the custom of one in five people, owing to the lack of accessibility for the disabled, according to new government figures.  Latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that households with a disabled person have a combined…

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Gems TV to feature in ITV documentary

Gems TV and its founder are the subject of an new behind-the-scenes documentary to be aired on 2 September at 9pm on ITV. Founded by professional gem hunter Steve Bennett, Gems TV has become a large retail jewellery business in Britain. Sales are generated through its TV channel (Sky Channel 655, Freeview 43),…

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Tateossian set to open flagship London store

Jewellery brand Tateossian is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary with the opening of a new men’s flagship store in London.  The new store will be located in Sloane Square, near London’s Kind road and the Saatchi gallery. A company statement said that the area was a “mecca for shopping,…

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Trollbeads celebrates roll out of shop in shops

Trollbeads UK has announced the successful completion of the first stage in its new shop-in-shop concept with 20 stores investing in the programme.  Acotis, Ainsworth the Jewellers, Andersons of Warwick, Caboodle, Francis & Gaye, Hooper Bolton, Grace & Co, Moore and Scrupps and Steffans are amongst the stores recently to…

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Ortak reopens following £136,000 grant

Ortak has reopened its shop in Kirkwall town centre, Orkney, after receiving a £136,400 grant from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).  Earlier this year it was announced that Ortak had gone into administration and manufacturing ceased at the Hatston factory with redundancies made after the company failed to find…

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Drakes Group announces plans for expansion

Drakes Group has announced plans to expand its Plymouth store this year, taking over four units in the Drake Circus Shopping Centre.  The family-run business has announced the opening of its “all new Drakes Store” on the first floor of the shopping centre, located alongside Next. The shop will occupy…

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Carat expands to 19 retail locations in Asia

Carat has continued to expand its retail footprint in Asia this year with store openings in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Bangkok, taking the total number of locations up to 19.  Its most recent opening in Hong Kong shopping mall, Times Square, plants the brand firmly in one of the most…

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Retail sales rebound solidly in July, says CBI

Retail sales volumes grew solidly in the year to July, rebounding from a disappointing performance a month earlier, according to the latest Monthly Distributive Trades Survey from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Retailers expect sales volumes to grow at an even stronger pace next month and stocks in relation…

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