News

Retail sales rise for second month in a row

Total sales increased by 3.2% in July, against an increase of 0.5% in July 2019, marking the second consecutive month of growth since the start of the pandemic. According to the latest BRC-KPMG retail sales monitor, UK retail sales increased by 4.3% in the month against the year prior, following…

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Tag Heuer launches limited edition timepiece

Tag Heuer has announced the release of a new special edition Formula 1 timepiece to honour the 104th Indianapolis 500.  The latest release is a celebration of 16 years as the ‘Official Timekeeper’ of the IndyCar Series and the 104th Indianapolis 500 race, and the special-edition timepiece “honours its long-standing…

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Alrosa unearths 236-ct diamond

Almazy Anabara, a subsidiary of the Alrosa Group, has unearthed a 236-ct rough diamond of “intense” yellow-brown colour in Russia.  The diamond was extracted from the Ebelyakh mine in Yakutia, and is the largest natural colour rough diamond ever found in the country. The diamond’s dimensions are 47x24x22 mm, and,…

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Bath goldsmith upgrades premises

Goldsmith and jewellery designer, Tina Engell, has announced the opening of a new combined workshop and retail space in the centre of Bath. The move to a larger premises will see her join a “number of creative independent businesses who are based in the buzzing artisan quarter”. Following the move,…

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Usdaw calls for the public to support NI shopworkers

Retail trade union Usdaw is reminding shoppers that the wearing of face coverings is mandatory from today (10 August) in shops and shopping centres in Northern Ireland. Usdaw asks shoppers to follow the law and help protect shopworkers and other customers by wearing a face covering, while following existing social…

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BAJ reveals winners of NHS competition

The British Academy of Jewellery (BAJ) has announced the winners of its Pins of Praise design competition, which was launched in support of NHS staff and volunteers as the pandemic unfolded.  The competition was open to both BAJ students and the general public, and challenged participants to use CAD skills…

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Edge of Ember to exclusively use lab-grown diamonds 

Edge of Ember has announced it is “exclusively” using lab-grown diamonds in its collections going forward. It comes as the group said that working with diamonds that came with the “negative environmental impact of mining and harrowing stories of labour just didn’t quite cut it”.  The brand is now taking…

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Poor July sales rock high street recovery

Poor in-store sales through the month of July have “dampened hopes of a recovery” across UK high streets, according to the latest High Street Sales Tracker from BDO. In-store like-for-like sales decreased by 39.4% last month, down from a marginal base of 0.1% that was reported the year before.  According…

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Usdaw warns business rates increase could risk more jobs

Retail trade union Usdaw has expressed “major concerns” over reports that the government is considering increasing business rates for premises with a rateable value over £51,000. The news comes as reports suggest Rishi Sunak is considering increasing business rates in an effort to boost the UK economy. Instead, Usdaw is…

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Price of gold hits ‘record’ high

The price of gold has topped $2,000 (£1,527) an ounce for the first time in history, as investors look to move cash into gold amid increased concerns over the global economy and geo-political tensions.  The price of gold first hit a “record” high last week, when its price was bumped…

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