News

Iconic jewellery store to close after nearly 150 years

Prestons of Bolton – known to many as the ‘Diamond Centre of the North’ – is set to close its doors after nearly 150 years of trading in the town. The jewellery retailer, which has been based in Bolton town centre since it first opened in 1869, will shut down…

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Man charged following Ernest Jones robbery in Derby

A man has been charged following a robbery at a jewellery store in Derby’s Intu shopping centre. The break-in happened at about 3am on Tuesday, August 23, at the Ernest Jones store in the shopping centre. An unknown quantity of jewellery was stolen but later recovered by police. A 21-year-old…

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Anais Paris hits UK independents in July amid reports of exceptional early sell-through

Hot Diamonds has seen an encouraging start to sell-through of its new brand Anaïs Paris with UK independents. Adryan Cresswell, head of commerce, said: “We dispatched the first Anaïs Paris orders to the UK independents sector at the start of July and are very excited indeed with the early sell-out…

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UK Jewellers launch parliamentary petition to restrict offshore UK hallmarks

A group of UK silversmiths and jewellers have launched a campaign to restrict the use of distinctive traditional UK hallmarks, including city marks, to items hallmarked in the UK. For over 700 years UK hallmarks have only been struck in the UK, but the campaign said that there is now…

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Men in retail sector paid £4,523 more than women

Men in the retail and wholesale sector are paid on average £4,523 more than women, new research has claimed. According to figures released today by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR, men are more likely than women to have been promoted into senior and higher paying management roles in…

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‘Unfair contract terms’ costing small firms billions

Half (52%) of small firms have been stung by unfair contract terms with suppliers, costing nearly £4bn in the last three years. New research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) found suppliers are failing to make auto-rollover clauses clear (24%), tying business into lengthy notice periods (22%), charging high…

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Flawless Jewellery sponsors British paratriathlon champion

Family-run Flawless Jewellery, based in Kent, has announced a sponsorship agreement with British paratriathlon champion Cassie Cava. Cava, 24, who was born with clubfeet, broke her right foot six years ago and underwent reconstruction surgery, which was not as successful as hoped. After years of painful hospital appointments she made…

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Apprentices ‘can earn 270% more’ than graduates, says Barclays

Apprentices can earn 270% more over their lifetime than university graduates, according to new research from Barclays and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR). The report – Productivity and Lifetime Earnings of Apprentices and Graduates – says the average gap in lifetime earnings potential between apprentices and graduates…

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‘Heavy discounting’ spurs highest online sales growth in 20 months

Heavy discounting has spurred the highest growth in online sales for 20 months, according to the latest IMRG Capgemini eRetail Sales Index. The monthly report found e-commerce grew 19% in July compared with the same month last year, representing a 20-year high for the index and a continuation of a…

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Birmingham Jewellery Quarter reaches another milestone in quest for £2m investment

Several roads around Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter are set to close this weekend to make way for a major filming production. The closures – beginning at 7am on 19 August until 6am the following day – are for the purpose of transforming the Jewellery Quarter’s streets into a “futuristic America” for…

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