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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Jun- 2014 -13 JuneNews
BRC: Retail sales growth slows in May
Retail sales growth slowed down in the month of May, according to the latest figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC). The BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor said UK retail sales for May were up 0.5% on a like-for-like basis from May 2013, when they had increased 1.8% on the preceding…
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3 JuneEconomy
Economic growth reaches ‘record high’, says CBI
Economic growth reached a record high in May, posting the highest reading since data began in 2003, according to the latest CBI growth indicator. The survey of 726 respondents across the manufacturing, retail and service sectors registered record high growth in business activity, with a balance of +35%, up from…
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3 JuneEconomy
Cash use down by 14% over the last five years, says BRC
By Helen Dickinson, director general of the British Retail Consortium Customers are using less cash than ever as retailers make it easier and more convenient to shop and pay. New data reveals that a growing proportion of smaller payments previously made in cash are now being made in other ways.…
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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 UKย 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 ย 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 organisersย excitedly trotted out a press release…
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28 AprilEconomy
UK economic outlook โexceptionally strongโ, says CBI
The CBI has announced that the economic outlook for the next three months is โexceptionally strong and broad-basedโ, 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 CBIโs 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 didnโt 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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