Economy
The economy has a direct influence on the UK jewellery trade, affecting consumer spending, material costs, and business confidence across the sector. For jewellers, manufacturers, and suppliers, staying informed on economic trends is vital to planning and resilience. Jewellery Focus provides expert coverage of economic developments impacting the trade, including inflation, interest rates, consumer confidence, and supply chain challenges. Our reporting helps jewellery professionals understand the wider market forces shaping their business environment.
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May- 2014 -29 MayAppointments
Jewellery designer Jessica Flinn expands her workforce
Award winning Sheffield jewellery designer and manufacturer, Jessica Flinn is expanding her workforce with two new appointments. Mary Overmeer joins the team at the Jessica Flinn Boutique at 268 Sharrow Vale Road where she will work in sales and also use her skills as a professional photographer to photograph all…
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27 MayEditor's Blog
Can you smell a retail boom?
I love to be the bearer of good news. The UK just had the biggest year-on-year rise in the quantity of goods bought in the retail sector since 2004. Yes, you heard right. OK, so a lot of the 6.9 per cent fillip has been precipitated by food sales (thanks, Tesco,…
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2 MayAnalysis
FEATURE: The End of the Gold Rush
The gold price has stabilised, and the slump in gold hallmarking has bottomed out. And now that the commodity traders are losing interest, MICHAEL NORTHCOTT asks whether the scrap-buying craze has caused any lasting change to the market. Two very significant trends have appeared that will likely have a profound…
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Apr- 2014 -29 AprilEditor's Blog
Another trade show on the continent? Sounds good to me…
There’s no arguing with the notion that a busy trade show means its appertaining sector is buoyant. That’s why the inaugural Jewellery & Gem Fair Europe, organised by UBM Asia, spells good news for the industry as a whole. After the show closed, the organisers excitedly trotted out a press release…
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28 AprilEconomy
UK economic outlook ‘exceptionally strong’, says CBI
The CBI has announced that the economic outlook for the next three months is “exceptionally strong and broad-based”, and growth expectations are the strongest they have been since the body began recording data in 2003. Pointing specifically to the retail and service sectors, the CBI’s Growth Indicator, published today, said…
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9 AprilUncategorized
Jenny Brown of Jenny Brown Jewellery
Describe yourself in three words. Determined, headstrong and hardworking. When you were at school, what did you want to be and why? At school my passion was always fashion but the convent environment didn’t allow such things! After education I started with modelling, fashion and then into jewellery thanks to…
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8 AprilEditor's Blog
The buying begins
It now seems that the upward trend for hallmarking figures is gaining strength. Across the four major assay offices in the UK, the total number of items hallmarked in the first quarter of this year was up by 23 per cent, compared with the same period the previous year. The…
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Mar- 2014 -11 MarchEconomy
Three-month retail sales growth ‘in line’ at 2.8%, says BRC
The three-month average growth in retail sales to the end of February was 2.8 per cent, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). These figures mean the three-month period was in line with the 12-month trend, which now sits at 2.7 per cent growth. However, on…
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6 MarchEvents
Birmingham council to sell NEC for £1bn
The venue for Jewellery & Watch Birmingham, the NEC, has announced that its owners Birmingham City Council are planning to sell the entire complex for around £1bn. Birmingham’s council has been at the centre of a lengthy dispute over equal pay. The legal bill and the money needed to settle…
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Feb- 2014 -14 FebruaryCurrent Affairs
Birmingham Jewellery Quarter reaches another milestone in quest for £2m investment
Birmingham’s largest business improvement district (BID) has this week been successful in the first round of seeking a potential award of £2 million Townscape Heritage Grant, to be invested in the Jewellery Quarter. The grant, which assists communities in the regeneration of conservation areas and is awarded by the Heritage Lottery…
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