|
||||||
 |
January 19, 2009
|
|||||
|
||||||
|
||||||
 |
||||||
TOP STORIESJCK Holiday Roundup of Jewelers Colibri Group Closes Without Warning, Blames Economic Conditions  Tiffany’s U.S. Holiday Sales Down 31% Richline Acquires Tru-Kay Manufacturing Gold Jewelry Fabrication Fell 11% in 2008 From Our BlogsStyle 360 by Jennifer Heebner Live from Vicenzaoro First: The Americans Weigh In I caught up with several Americans at the Vicenzaoro First show today and got... Read On » Cutting Remarks by Rob Bates Hillary Clinton Praises Botswana's Diamond Industry Here is a nice little endorsement, even if it got scant publicity ... In her c... Read On » Jewels on Jewels by Cynthia Sliwa Customer Watch: Luxury Logo Flaunting Isn’t Cool – For Now, Anyway In the consumer press these days you’ll find murmurings of a new trend: That fl... Read On » Style 360 by Jennifer Heebner Live From Vicenzaoro: More Trends While I’ve been expecting to see a lot of new trends (the Italians are ... Read On » MORE INDUSTRY NEWSRio Tinto to Slow Production at Argyle Mine Birks Card Program Acquired by TD Jewelry, Luxury Web Sites Attract Users Holiday Traffic and Sales Show Steep Declines 2008 Holiday Retail Sales Down 2.8% Weldon to Present ‘Gemstones of the World’ |
 Don't miss any issues!Make sure this newsletter gets through your spam filter and delivered to your inbox. Add |
|||||
|
|
||||||
|
||||||
2008 has been dubbed “the worst holiday in decades” across all categories of retail, and jewelry was no exception. Luxury retail in general has been hard hit by the recession, and of the luxury sector, jewelry especially took a pounding. 
The Colibri Group, one of the best-known U.S. suppliers of independent and chain jewelers, has abruptly shut down and gone into receivership. The 80-year-old company, based in E. Providence, R.I., was best known to the public for its jewelry and cigarette lighters. 
Luxury jewelry retailer Tiffany reported Wednesday that worldwide net sales for the November-December holiday period declined 21 percent to $687.4 million, from $867.3 million a year ago. Same store sales declined 25 percent for the period. 
Precious metals jewelry manufacturer and distributor Richline Group, Inc. said Friday that it has completed negotiations with Tru-Kay Manufacturing, Inc. for the exclusive worldwide distribution rights for all of its products. 
World jewelry fabrication fell by 11 percent (262 tons) in 2008, which took the total to its lowest level since 1989, according to a report released Thursday. Record and volatile gold prices, combined with a deteriorating economic backdrop, were the key reasons behind the poor performance. 
Rio Tinto’s Argyle Diamonds Ltd. will slow down its underground mining project and ease diamond production in 2009 at its Argyle mine in Western Australia. 
TD Retail Card Services (formerly Shoppers Charge Accounts Co.) has acquired the private label credit card program of the Canadian operations of Montreal-based luxury jewelry retailer Birks & Mayors Inc. 
Jewelry, Luxury goods, and accessories Web sites were the strongest performers in December in terms of unique visitors on a month-to-month basis, according to a survey of Web site traffic. 
Foot traffic fell a 15 percent, year-over-year, and retail sales declined 4.4 percent, year-over-year, at U.S. malls and shopping centers for the 2008 holiday shopping season (November-December), according to ShopperTrak. 
Retail industry sales for December (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) declined 2.2 percent unadjusted over last year and decreased 1.4 percent seasonally adjusted from November, according to the National Retail Federation. 
The Women’s Jewelry Association of San Diego and the Gemological Institute of America Alumni Association will host the lecture, “A Photo-Safari of Gemstones of the World” on Jan. 22 in Carlsbad, Calif. The featured guest speaker will be Robert Weldon, manager of GIA Photography and Visual Communications. 
