De Beers to Open More U.S. Stores

By Rob Bates -- JCK Online, 7/1/2007 2:00:00 AM

The De Beers retail chain will open stores in Houston, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco before the end of the year, according to Guy Leymarie, chief executive officer of De Beers Diamond Jewellers (formerly De Beers LV). The chain, a joint venture of the De Beers Group and LVMH, also has stores in New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

The Washington, D.C., store will be located in the Tyson Galleria, while the San Francisco store will be the flagship of the recently renovated 185 Post St. building in Union Square.

Leymarie says the company also is looking to open stores in Chicago, Miami, and Dallas but is still scouting for proper locations. “As soon as we get something we will make it happen,” he said. “They say diamonds are rare, but finding the right location is rarer.”

The company is also searching for a new CEO for its U.S. divi-sion to replace Alyce Alston, who left to rejoin the publishing world. Retail director Hamida Belkadi is acting CEO.

The company also continues to open stores all over the world, including, most recently, in Korea. It now has 17 stores. By the end of the year, it hopes to have 30.

Leymarie says the company's stores in the U.S. are “doing very well” and are performing “above expectations.”