Economy
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Jan- 2016 -25 January
Petra Diamonds revenue falls 28% in first-half results
Petra Diamonds has announced that revenue for the first six months of the financial year – ending December 31 – fell 28% to $154m (£108m). The fall in revenue was despite a 2% increase in production to 1,629,403 carats – compared with 1,601,069 carats in the same period last year…
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22 January
2016 ‘likely to be volatile’ claims De Beers CEO
De Beers Group chief executive, Philippe Mellier, warned of likely “volatility” in the diamond industry in 2016. Addressing a sightholder reception on Wednesday, Mellier said despite “encouraging signs” in the industry at the start of 2016, the recovery in the diamond sector remained “delicate” and there there is likely to…
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18 January
Footfall across the UK down 2.2% in December
Footfall in December was down 2.2% on the same time last year as consumers turned to e-commerce for their Christmas shopping. That’s according to the latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor, which found the 2.2% decline was marginally lower than the 2.1% decline in November,…
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12 January
UK retail sales remain subdued as e-commerce sales surge
The growth of retail sales continued to slow down in December as e-commerce sales jumped compared with the same month last year. That’s according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG Retail Sales Monitor, which found like-for-like retail sales in the UK rose by just 0.1% in December compared…
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7 January
Christmas spending up 4% but high street slumps
Year-on-year consumer spending was up 4% over the Christmas period but there was a huge divide between online retailers and high street stores, according to new research. The latest monthly spending data analysis by Barclaycard found that growth in this period (22 November to 26 December) was driven entirely by…
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6 January
Shop prices fall 2% in December
Overall shop prices fell 2% in December from the 2.1% decline seen in November, according to new data released today. The latest British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Nielsen Shop Price Index found that non-food shop prices, which includes jewellery, fell by 3% during the month – slightly lower than the…
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5 January
Polished diamond prices increase in December
The price of polished diamond continued to increase in December, boosted by last-minute Christmas holiday orders. The latest Rapnet Diamond Index (RAPI) from Rapaport found the price of 1-carat, GIA-graded diamonds increased 1.5% during the month. RAPI for 0.30-carat diamonds and 0.50-carat diamonds increased by 4.7% and 3% respectively, while…
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Dec- 2015 -16 December
Hallmarking up 13% in November
Hallmarking figures in November were up 13% as all metals recorded an overall increase in the amount of articles hallmarked. That is according to the latest data released today by the four UK assay offices, and compiled by the Birmingham Assay Office, which found the total number of articles hallmarked…
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15 December
Shop vacancy rates continue to fall in November
The number of vacant shops in Britain has continued to fall in November to 12.7% – the lowest level since February 2010. That is according to the latest data from the Local Data Company (LDC) which found the overall vacancy rate (retail and leisure) was down 0.3% when compared with…
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14 December
Black Friday hits high street footfall
Footfall in November was 2.1% lower than a year ago, as Black Friday shoppers turned to online shopping instead of the high street. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Springboard Footfall and Vacancies Monitor found the fall was significantly below the 0.2% decline in October and underperformed the three-month average…
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