News
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May- 2020 -13 May
Presman Mastermelt reopens scrap metal postal service amid Covid-19 pandemic
Precious metals processing and recycling company Presman Mastermelt has announced it is restarting its postal service for customers wanting to send their precious scrap and lemel. The company, which is based in London’s Hatton Garden, is currently closed to visitors, and said all registered parcels will be accepted on Mondays…
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13 May
Demi+Co launches jewellery storage
Demi+Co has announced the launch of a limited-edition series of jewellery boxes. The online jewellery brand said the idea for the launch followed customer requests and feedback directly from social media and emails, as well as the idea that “people are spending an increasing amount of time at home decluttering…
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13 May
Alrosa ‘virtually stops’ trade in April
Alrosa Group announced it has “virtually stopped” selling rough and polished diamonds in light of the ongoing pandemic, though it has “remained committed” to its price over volume strategy. The world’s largest diamond miner by volume still sold $15.6m (£12.7m) worth of rough and polished diamonds in the month. Revenue…
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13 May
UK economy shrinks by 2% as pandemic takes its toll
The UK’s economy shrank by 2% in the three months to 31 March 2020, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which also found that gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 5.8% during March, the largest fall…
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12 May
Chancellor extends furlough scheme until October
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has extended the Government’s furlough scheme until the end of October. Announcing the decision in the house of commons today (12 May) Sunak revealed that “no changes whatsoever” will be made to the current scheme until the end of July. However he noted that…
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12 May
Houlden announces support measures for members
The Houlden Group has revealed a wealth of measures it is using to support its members and supplier partners during the ongoing pandemic. It initially facilitated inter-group communications between jewellers through its website forum, interactive Zoom meetings and social media platforms like WhatsApp, using the insights gained to “develop a…
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12 May
Safety first is the only way lockdown measures can be eased, says Usdaw
Trade union Usdaw has responded to the prime minister’s statement by urging a safety first approach to easing lockdown measures. The union cautions non-food retailers not to open until they can guarantee staff and customer safety and urges them to adopt the joint advice agreed with the British Retail Consortium…
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12 May
Reopening independent stores must be part of first phase of exit plan, says Bira
Independent retail businesses can offer a safe shopping environment and will help keep people within their local communities’, says the head of the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira). Andrew Goodacre is calling for small independent shops to reopen during the first phase of lifting lockdown restrictions outlined in government documents.…
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11 May
Benevolent Society sends hampers to beneficiaries
The Benevolent Society has announced that it has identified up to 50 beneficiaries to be the recipients of a hamper filled with edible goods. In a newly-released statement, the society said: “With all of the talk of Worldwide pandemic, economic disaster, job losses, the NHS being overwhelmed, it is important…
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11 May
De Beers Group launches e-commerce platform
De Beers Group’s auctions department has announced the introduction of a new scheme that will give registered buyers 24/7 access to diamond purchases. The newly-launched ‘Buy platform’ will allow buyers to make an “immediate, direct and straightforward purchase” from a range of rough diamonds with a further purchase option in…
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