Economy
-
Apr- 2016 -5 April
Polished diamond prices remain stable in March
Prices of polished diamonds remained stable in March, according to the latest RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI) from the Rapaport Group. The company said prices were supported by steady dealer trading even though the outlook for consumer demand remains uncertain. It added, in the first quarter, sentiment improved as polished prices…
Read More » -
Mar- 2016 -16 March
BUDGET: CBI welcomes business rates policy
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has called George Osborne’s Budget, announced today, a “strong and stable Budget for business facing global stormy waters”. CBI director general, Carolyn Fairbairn, said: “The Chancellor has listened to our concerns about the mounting burden on firms and chosen to back business to grow the economy out…
Read More » -
16 March
Online retail sales up 18% in February
Online retail sales in the UK were up 18% in February when compared with the same month last year, according to IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index. The growth, which saw £18.9bn spent during the month, represented an increase on the 8% rise in online sales in February 2015 and was…
Read More » -
16 March
BUDGET: Business rates relief “doubled permanently”
Business rates relief for small businesses will “more than double” during the next budget period. The Chancellor, George Osborne, announced that he was raising the threshold to £15,000 for the lower rate (up from £6,000) and to £51,000 got the higher band (up from £18,000). He said the measures would mean…
Read More » -
16 March
‘Jewellers thriving’ as net closure of retail stores falls 50% in 2015
Jewellers are said to be among the list of retail categories managing to thrive as the net closure of retail stores dropped by 50% in 2015. A PwC analysis compiled by the Local Data Company found despite the rate of openings remaining constant at 13 per day in 2015, the…
Read More » -
15 March
Hallmarking edges up in February as number of gold articles jump
The total number of hallmarked items rose by 0.8% in February, an increase of 5,970 articles compared with February 2015. That’s according to the latest figures released today by the four UK assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, which found there was a total of 766,310 articles…
Read More » -
14 March
Retail footfall declines in February
Retail footfall has declined by 1.1% in February compared with the same period last year, according to the British Retail Consortium. UK Summary Footfall in February was 1.1% down on a year ago, lower than the 1.2% rise seen in January and lower than the three-month average rate of -0.8%.…
Read More » -
8 March
Retail sales slow in February
Retail sales slowed to a near standstill in February, as like-for-like sales grew by just 0.1% compared with the same month last year. That’s according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG Retail Sales Monitor which found on a total basis sales were up 1.1%, against a 1.7% rise…
Read More » -
2 March
UK shop prices fall for 34th consecutive month
Shop prices fell 2% year-on-year in February, the 34th consecutive decline following January’s 1.8% fall. That’s according to British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen’s monthly Shop Price Index, which found non-food deflation, which includes jewellery, remained at 3% for the third consecutive month. On a 12-month average basis, the index…
Read More » -
2 March
De Beers says rough diamond demand ‘is improving’
Demand for rough diamonds continues to improve for De Beers as it announces an increase in sales for its second sales cycle of 2016. According to its preliminary report for the second sales cycle of the year, the company sold $610m (£435m) worth of rough diamonds, taking into account global…
Read More »
