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作者:admin 日期:2008-04-02
Saks' jewelry sales wow over holidays
作者:admin 日期:2008-05-14
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| Jennifer DeWinter, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of fine jewelry and accessories at Saks Fifth Avenue. |
In a holiday season marred by disappointing sales, Saks Fifth Avenue was among the few to prosper.
For the two-month holiday selling period ended Jan. 5, Saks' same-store sales increased 10.2 percent, while total sales increased 10.6 percent to $795.3 million. No specific figures were given for jewelry, but it outpaced the 9 percent rise in same-store sales for the fourth quarter, a spokesperson said.
Jennifer DeWinter, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of fine jewelry and accessories at Saks Fifth Avenue, credits the holiday success to the retailer's aggressive strategy of selecting and securing key designers and then offering the right names in the right geographic markets.
"Saks always pursues as many exclusives as possible, and this holiday season we have been very successful," DeWinter says. "We have a talented merchandise team that works closely with our store management team to ensure there are appropriate stock levels and the right assortments."
Saks has also experienced a dramatic increase in the number of large-transaction sales and strong growth in the top end of the market, she adds.
Not surprisingly, DeWinter says Saks' retail clients are drawn to the most coveted brands—both newer brands and iconic ones such as Cartier, Chopard and Chanel. The chain's exclusive agreement with high-end diamond brand Graff did well too.
"[Graff's] success at Saks is a further indication of increase in the large-transaction sales," DeWinter says.
In terms of marketing, DeWinter says Saks tailors its material to the different market segments.
For example, one fine-jewelry catalog is designated for high-end clientele and another for its best ready-to-wear clients. For Mother's Day, Saks sends out a direct-mail catalog focusing on products in more accessible price points.
Source: nationaljewelernetwork
Tags: jewelry sale holiday
Nelly Maqdisi, an Ambassador for jewelry
作者:admin 日期:2008-05-14
Lebanese artist Nelly Maqdisi presented a new collection for a famous brand of jewelry in Dubai.
She also performed a number of her songs at the celebration that was held for the opening of a new branch for a famous international company in the Middle East. She performed in front of a number of well-known personalities in Dubai, members of the press, and representatives from the jewelry company.
According to the London daily Elaph, Nelly is very pleased to be the new face for the brand of jewelry brand in the Middle East, stating that advertising for a commercial brand adds to the accomplishment of an artist.
Source: albawaba
Tags: jewelry ad celebrity
Veteran jewelers share recession-beating tips
作者:admin 日期:2008-05-13
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| Emphasizing custom-design work, like this ring in progress, above, from Gholson originals Fine Jewelry in Waco, Texas, is helping some retailers navigate the tough economic times. |
On an April day at Baker and Baker Jewelers in Marietta, Ohio, Larry Hall had made three deliveries by noon, and planned another 30-mile trek that day, all in the name of keeping customers happy.
The motto at the jewelry store, which has weathered its own share of recessions during its 142 years in business: "If there's a recession, we're not participating," says Hall, who has run the business for 17 years.
One of his morning deliveries involved a $2,000 pair of turquoise earrings he had sold to a customer only to find that one of the stones was loose. After the store made the repair, Hall hand-delivered the earrings, plus a gift certificate for one of the best restaurants in town, to the man's office.
"When you do get a little nibble, you run with it," Hall says.
At Nielsen's Jewelers in Portland, ore., Jan Corbin is doing the same.
She says she recently sold a clock to a customer, who broke the item upon reaching home. Though it was not the store's fault, the jeweler offered to ship the clock back to the manufacturer as a convenience to the customer, who will pay for the repair.
"You take care of them, or they'll go somewhere else," Corbin says. "Don't drop the ball."
Nielsen's sales were up 50 percent in December 2007 and rose 7 percent for the entire year. Sales are down only slightly in the first three months of this year. Given the economic climate, that's a strong showing, and Corbin attributes it to custom work.
Her strategy: don't overbuy; instead, remain stocked up on practical items such as bridal and anniversary jewelry. However, one area where Corbin—the fourth generation to run the 116-year-old family-owned store—won't be cutting back is advertising.
"You have to get all you can," she says.
Like Corbin, Hall says he doesn't believe in cutting back on advertising just because the economy is in a slump.
Coleman Clark of B.C. Clark in Oklahoma City agrees. His store has been in business, and in the family, since 1892.
Clark is maintaining advertising in television, print and billboard, and on the Web sites of a local television station and a local radio station.
"There are still people shopping, and if you don't have your name out there, they'll go somewhere else," he says.
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| Reaching out to potential customers and adding an artistic flair to its jewelry display cases led Gregory's in Salado, Texas, to the best March in its 30-year history. |
His advice to jewelers: Avoid opening new lines or sinking a large amount of capital into inventory when times are tough.
At Gregory's in Salado, Texas, Carolyn Dachs brainstormed with her staff on how to improve business after a weak January and February.
Their solution was to redesign the display cases with a more artistic flair and reach out to potential customers—those who had visited the store and left their contact information—via phone and e-mail. So far, the strategy is working: Dachs just recorded her best March in history.
Going forward, though, Dachs is strictly limiting what she will buy for the year.
"I don't know where the economy is going and I'm not buying inventory," Dachs says. "I'm just not buying anything."
Meanwhile, at Leonard's Jewelers in Mount Airy, N.C., Walter Leonard Jr. is buying in bulk.
But it's not new merchandise that's keeping this 115-year-old store afloat.
Leonard says times are especially hard in his area, which has been impacted by the loss of manufacturing jobs.
People are looking for ways to turn their possessions into cash, so his store is concentrating on the buying and reselling of previously owned jewelry.
Leonard says this strategy has been working well for his store; sales were up about 20 percent over the holidays and they are up slightly this year.
As the store focuses on this area, Leonard, who has run the business for 55 years, is stepping back on advertising.
He says the store has done less advertising in recent years, in general, as newspaper advertising rates have increased dramatically.
"We just don't get the results from it [like we used to]," he says. "I feel that after 115 years, they sort of know where we are."
At Gholson originals in Waco, Texas, Bob Gholson also doesn't advertise much, just in the local magazine.
He says word-of-mouth has worked well for the business, and adds that during slow times, the store keeps itself busy with repair and custom-design work.
Tips on navigating slow retail waters
—Emphasize customer service. Give 110 percent to those customers who are buying.
—Keep on advertising. It might be tempting to cut back, but there are still people out there shopping.
—Maintain a positive attitude. And ensure the sales staff is similarly upbeat when dealing with customers.
—Stick with staples. You can't go wrong with traditional pieces such as diamond stud earrings and bridal.
Source: nationaljewelernetwork
Tags: jeweler
Nasdaq to Delist House of Taylor Stock
作者:admin 日期:2008-05-13
The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC, on Monday has determined to remove House of Taylor Jewelry, Inc. stock from the exchange, effective at the opening of the trading session on May 22.
House of Taylor released the delisting notice Monday through a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Nasdaq Staff, according to the filing, determined that the jewelry company no longer qualified for listing on the Exchange as determined through its Marketplace Rules4310(c)(13) and 4310(c)(14).
Nasdaq said the company was notified of the staff's determination on April 15. The company did not appeal the decision. Nasdaq's determination to delist the company became final on April 24.
Source: jckonline
MJWA Elects Officers; Honors Sharon Blair
作者:admin 日期:2008-05-13
Dale Gordon, of Gordon Jewelers in Boonville, Mo., was elected president of Missouri Jewelers and Watchmakers Association at the group’s Annual Convention, held in Springfield, April 19-20. Gordon succeeds Leo Anglo, of Vincent’s Jewelers in Creve Coeur. Anglo’s two-year term ended at the meeting.
“It is truly an honor to be elected to this prestigious office,” Gordon says. “I look forward to working with the MJWA board of directors to help our members survive and thrive in this difficult time.”
Also elected to the MJWA Board of Directors were the following officers:
* Stacey Stauch, Crews Jewelry, Grandview, first vice president
* Melody Farnen, Melody’s Quality Jewelers, Mexico, second vice president
* Paul Dodds, Paul Dodds Jewelry, Lee’s Summit, treasurer
During the association’s convention dinner, MJWA honored Sharon Blair, of Shawnee Mission, Kan., on her 25th anniversary as the group’s executive director. Anglo presented Blair with gifts from the board of directors and produced a multimedia tribute, citing Blair’s many accomplishments and successes during her tenure.
David Lafleur, vice president of Jewelers of America, called Blair, ”a tremendous resource to jewelers throughout Missouri and a wonderful and supportive colleague to her peers in other JA affiliates around the country.” 
Carolyn Pope of Crews Jewelry in Grandview, and a past president of
MJWA presents an award to Sharon Blair to mark Blair’s 25th anniversary
as the group’s executive director.
Founded in 1906, MJWA is among the oldest state associations of jewelry professionals in the United States.
Source: jckonline
Tags: jewelry association women
Serial thieves steal $100,000 in jewelry
作者:admin 日期:2008-05-13
Serial thieves preying on JCPenney jewelry counters in California have taken more than $2 million worth of gold, silver and gems, including a $100,000 heist in Escondido this week.
There have been at least nine recent thefts from JCPenney department stores in the state, leading store officials to offer a $20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the culprits.
On Wednesday, a trio of masked burglars hit the jewelry counter at the JCPenney store in Escondido's Westfield mall. It was all caught on surveillance cameras.
Investigators say the theft is related to a string of similar burglaries since December. JCPenney estimates it has lost $2 million in merchandise.
Source: sfgate
Tags: jewelry store stealing
Egypt's first lady of jewelry
作者:admin 日期:2008-05-12
At London Fashion Week, all eyes are usually on the clothes.
But the Arab and Islamic-influenced brooches, bracelets, necklaces and rings adorning the models heading down Julien Macdonald's catwalk are also getting attention.
They are part of a collaboration between the fashion powerhouse and former British Designer of the Year and Egyptian jewelry designer, Azza Fahmy.
"I really love the craft and the skill and the romance that goes into the pieces. So, that teamed with my sense of high octane glamour and my London high living twist is a great mix and a contrast. And that's what I like," Macdonald enthused to CNN.
In return, "Azza Fahmy Jewellery" gets international exposure, to the likes of Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal and OK!.
But don't -- as one London paper did -- call the catwalk collection "designer bling."
"It's quite a deep and nice collection -- not bling bling. I hate bling bling collections," Fahmy exclaims.
Starting at $250 to 'the sky's-the-limit', Fahmy's pioneering blends of gold, silver and precious stones, makes her one of the Arab world's preeminent jewelry designers.
The only problem is, a mere 30 percent of these 'jewels of the Nile' are sold outside Egypt -- Fahmy was missing out on the lucrative Gulf Arab market.
One of the challenges of marketing designer jewelry in the Middle East is getting past the traditional mentality that measures an item's worth not by exceptional finishes but by its weight in grams and karats.
To do well in the East, Fahmy and her daughters Fatma and Amina steered the family business to the West.
It started with the Julien Macdonald collaboration, and now exclusive Western stores like Kabiri, Harrods and Harvey Nichols are selling their jewelry.
Arabs tend to imitate Western spending habits, paying big money for luxury foreign items like Bulgari or Cartier -- but they don't give the same attention to their own Arab brands.
Fahmy believes that as her jewelry becomes popular in the West -- more Middle Eastern buyers will follow suit.
The marketing strategy seems to be working. Her team says the collections now sell in the U.A.E., Qatar and Bahrain. Next stop -- Saudi Arabia.
"To have a product which stands beside Cartier, etcetera -- it's a challenge. But we are sure of the ourselves because we are presenting something special, something which is different from all these brands," Fahmy said.
At her workshop on the outskirts of Cairo, Fahmy's craftsmen work in the belief they're turning precious metal into something different -- art.
Fahmy's daughter, Amina Ghaly, works for the family business as a designer and says there's value in the design, the marketing and workmanship poured into each item.
"At least 20 to 25 people will have touched that piece just to have one perfect piece at the end," Ghaly explained.
In the 60's, Fahmy was the first woman to apprentice in Egypt's jewelry district. The one-time government employee used to run a one-woman shop in her spare time.
Today, more than 180 employees drill, solder, hammer and file under her watchful eye, crafting two to three thousand pieces every year.
The luxury goods market is a crowded one, as Fahmy well knows: "Like any business, it's not a joke," says the designer.
Going to the West to find a better footing in the East is seriously savvy move.
A move that could lead to future success on the catwalk -- and with more consumers worldwide.
Source: cnn
Tags: jewelry designer Egypt
Jewelry Shanghai: Visitor Numbers Down, Quality Up
作者:admin 日期:2008-05-12
Jewelry Shanghai 2008 concluded Sunday after a weekend-long exhibition that started May 8 at the Shanghai New international Expo Center. On the last day of the show, hours before companies began packing up their booths, foot-traffic was light, mostly made up of members of the public, with a few trade members here and there.
Prominent designs included gold jewelry set with small size diamonds, with a good deal of jade, amber, pearls and precious stone pieces all around. Diamantaires noted good sales of SI+ / D-G goods.
Jane Kao of Taipei, Taiwan-based jewelry wholesale company Bennie Wang Jewelry, exhibiting for the first time at Jewelry Shanghai, remarked that the visitor numbers were much lower than she had expected and that most of the attendees she saw were consumers. The company sells its own designs to retailers, and, although Kao says that the industry members she did meet were interested, sales were “not good.”
“We are mostly here to promote our company and to test if people in Shanghai like our product. We are different from others who sell mass-produced items. Ours are all designed in-house, in small numbers. Nevertheless, I expected to see more people here.” Kao commented that a recent downturn in the Shanghai stock market, as well as overall concern about the economy kept people away.
Anna Tchapovshaia, of Botswana Diamonds, a brand manufactured by DTC Botswana Sightholder DIA Holdings and distributed in China by Trinity Diamond, echoed the sentiment, that most of the attendees they saw were consumers, not trade members. However, despite this she says that the brand is there almost purely for the PR opportunity, and “in terms of this, we’re happy with the show.”
Official visitor numbers were not made available from show organizers.
Raymond Cohen, sales executive of Antwerp-based DTC Sightholder Tache Company NV, emphasized that the relatively sparse crowds at the show didn’t faze him. “Numbers are down, definitely, but the quality of buyers is up,” he says.
Cohen also gave some advice to foreign companies exhibiting in China. “Chinese buyers want a large range of goods. I think a lot of companies come here with a very specific set of goods, that people here may or may not want, but you can’t do that.” When asked how the show is going for him, he said that it is going very well. “It’s simple,” Cohen says. “If you have the goods, it’s fine; if not, it’s not good.” He said most buyers had been interested in everything but SI goods.
Raj Impex Shanghai Limited is a company that has been selling in Shanghai for approximately two years now and that specializes in small goods below 0.30 carat. “Mac,” a sales executive, echoed the complaints of other exhibitors that people were simply not buying. Those that had been buying were mostly Chinese, Japanese and Korean buyers.
He stressed that the show is very small in comparison to others in the region, such as Hong Kong, but that the event is a good opportunity to meet and gain new customers from cities in the Shanghai area that may not come to Hong Kong.
Show organizers said that there were 400 exhibiting companies from China, Hong Kong, India, Belgium, Israel, Taiwan and others. Shanghai, they say, makes up 20 percent of the Chinese jewelry industry’s total sales and is an important distribution and consolidating center for the country’s industry.
Source: idexonline
Tags: jewelry show China
