Hearing several themes emerge from this holiday: 1) sales are uneven — good one day, bad the next; 2) independents seem more upbeat than the chains; 3) even those who are doing well are finding it a hard, exhausting fight; 4) this is shaping up as a better holiday than last year. But that’s not saying much.
Again, we’d love to hear how you are finding things in the comments, particularly feedback on the big products introduced this year: Everlon, Love’s Embrace, etc ..
And now the news:
Nov. retail sales rise 1.3%
Zale Nov. comp sales down 18%.
– Analyst downgrades.
– GLG: “Is something really wrong?”
– My thoughts.
Robbins Diamonds goes Chapter 11.
Harry Winston sales down 50%.
– New York Post on new HW chairman DeNarp.
Blue Nile hires 90 workers.
– Liberty Media “interested” in purchasing company.
– CEO sells 15,000 shares.
– Chairman sells 28,000.
Interview with Randy McCullough, new moissanite CEO.
Forevermark sales top $100 million.
De Beers suspends output at South African alluvial mine.
Botswana: De Beers bailout “unavoidable.”
– WSJ: Botswana must diversify.
Chaim on diamond consumption in 2016.
Syria objects to mention of Israel Kimberley Process leadership.
NGOs skeptical of Zimbabwe diamond plans.
Alex Yearsley leaves Global Witness.
Partnership Africa Canada looking for someone to work on conflict diamonds.
Northwest Territories recovery “uncertain.”
Schonfeld sentence reduced.
– Judge blasts.
Bulgari expands in San Francisco.
Christie’s sells rare pear shape for $5.4 million.
Diamond jeweler claims to have invented the word “unfriend.”
White House gate-crasher’s watch a fake?
JCK wins two awards.
Media Watch:
– LA Times editorial by Human Rights Watch on Zimbabwe diamonds. Lovely ad for Canadian (or man-made) diamonds.
– Richmond Times Dispatch on jewelry sales in Virgina. I was interviewed, and give possibly my dumbest sound bite ever.
– The New York Times on brown diamonds and coral.
– CBS Early Show on buying a diamond.
– List of top celebrity engagement rings.
From the Blog:
Interview with Randy McCullough, CEO of Moissanite.
Alex Yearsley Leaves Global Witness.
Have a great weekend, and for all who celebrate, Happy Hannukah.
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