Economy
-
Nov- 2014 -17 November
Shop vacancies rise for first time since Q1 2013
The average shop vacancy rate in town centres in the UK was 10.3% in October, up from July’s rate of 10.1%, and the first time the figure has risen since the first quarter of 2013. The British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) Footfall and Vacancies Monitor for October found footfall was 0.8%…
Read More » -
14 November
Demand for gold jumps 18% for Q3, but jewellery drops 4%
UK demand for gold rose 18% in Q3 compared with the same period last year, according to the latest data from the World Gold Council (WGC). Within that, jewellery demand softened by 4% year-on-year, but the WGC said “the comparison continues to be heavily influenced by the events in 2013”.…
Read More » -
12 November
HALLMARKING: Gold keeps climbing, silver lets the side down
Gold continued its upward trajectory in the month of October with a 22.1% rise in the number of articles hallmarked, totalling 115,815 overall. The figures, released by the Birmingham Assay Office using data collated from the four UK assay offices, showed that 9ct remained the strongest performer of all metal…
Read More » -
11 November
Online sales grow by 15.4% in October
Online sales in the UK grew 15.4% in October compared with the same time last year, according to the BRC-KPMG Online Retail Sales Monitor for October. In October online sales represented 18.2% of total non-food sales, compared to 16.5% in October last year. This is the highest penetration rate since…
Read More » -
7 November
Jewellery spurs 2% sales rise for Richemont Group
Richemont, the Swiss luxury goods group, has reported a 2% rise in sales citing the “international demand for jewellery” which saw the group’s jewellery sales grow by 10% at constant exchange rates. In its unaudited consolidated financial results for the six months ended September 30 2014, Richemont reported a 2%…
Read More » -
6 November
Michael Kors reports upbeat Q2 results
Fashion accessories brand Michael Kors has reported strong Quarter 2 (Q2) results with its total revenue increasing by 42.7% to $1.1bn (£688m) from $740.3m (£464m). European revenue grew 108.6% to $237.9m (£149m), with comparable store sales increasing 41.1%. Retail net sales increased 39.4% to $495.6m (£310m), according to the company…
Read More » -
4 November
Retail confidence for Christmas is high, says Barclays
Over 70% of retailers are feeling more confident about Christmas trading than to last year, with 28% claiming they are “far more confident”, according to new research from Barclays. According to a new survey of multi-channel retailers, commissioned by Barclays’ retail and wholesale banking team, the festive cheer compares favourably…
Read More » -
2 November
Blue Nile sees sales soar 25.6% in Q3
Online retailer of diamonds and fine jewellery Blue Nile has published a strong Q3 report with net sales up 6.9% and international net sales up 25.6%. The company saw its international sales for the third quarter reach $21.5m (£13.4m), compared to $17.1m (£10.7m) for Q3 in 2013, an increase of…
Read More » -
Oct- 2014 -30 October
Jewellery Focus introduces revamped mobile site
A new mobile and responsive site for JewelleryFocus.co.uk has been rolled out with immediate effect to cater for the growing number of mobile users engaging with the Jewellery Focus brand on a daily basis. The site is designed for simplicity of use and focuses on the latest news stories –…
Read More » -
27 October
High street sales growth ‘remains robust’
Retail sales volumes continued to grow in the year to October, with another strong rise expected in the month ahead, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). The body’s latest monthly Distributive Trades Survey of 124 firms showed a third successive month of firmly above-average sales growth. But sales growth…
Read More »
