BITTAR BRINGING BANGLES INTO BLEECKER STREET SHOP
Alexis Bittar is putting one more shopping destination on New York's downtown map.,cuff Links
The Brooklyn-based jewelry designer is opening his second store in late May on Bleecker Street, home to designer boutiques, upscale eateries and specialty store chains.
Bittar unveiled his Broome Street flagship in March 2004 and plans to open four more stores in the next five years in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and London. He may also add another New York location on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
The new, 350-square-foot space will feature Bittar's signature Lucite bangles in eye-popping colors and handcrafted pearl and gold vermeil pieces that have helped him achieve a cultlike status among the costume jewelry set. Having started out selling his collections on the streets of SoHo 20 years ago,rings, Bittar has grown into a designer whose jewelry wholesales in 600 stores worldwide, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom and Selfridges.
Like its other location, Bittar's new store fuses antique touches and modern objects. Victorian wallpaper mixes with industrial pieces that showcase the jewelry, as well as works of art. Cherry blossoms adorn one wall - the inspiration for which was taken from a scene from the 1959 film "North by Northwest." With a dark gray rug sweeping the floor and oak veneer cases lining the walls, the store will evoke a homey feeling as opposed to the austere aesthetic that Bittar feels is dominating today's retail climate. He claims the store is "one part bedroom, one part 1940s department store."
"I didn't want to mimic the same store identity that's been rolling out lately,tiffany bangles for sale," Bittar said. "It seems like everyone is doing the 'all-white Sheetrock' look and it's minimal to the point of boring. I want to keep the same fusion of antique and modern that my other store has, but in a different way."
Bittar's Broome Street store also juxtaposes the new with the old. The walls vary between stark Plexiglas and antique wallpaper. A lion-footed Victorian table dominates the center of the room.
"I want my customers to feel something special upon entering my stores, like they are stepping back in time," Bittar said.
According to sources outside of the company, his 13-year-old brand has estimated sales of about $25 million. Each year Bittar experiences double-digit growth and has just seen a record 30 percent sales increase from last spring into fall. He often collaborates with ready-to-wear designers, having done Michael Kors' bold necklaces, rings and bangles for the designer's spring show, as well as the bright, beaded pieces for Bryan Bradley's Tuleh spring collection.
"I enjoy straddling the bridge between costume jewelry and high fashion," Bittar said. "I think it's all about the high drama in jewelry today and about having an impact. On the sales end, we're feeding this insatiable need right now."
Tara Silberberg, owner of Brooklyn jewelry store The Clay Pot,Thanksgiving surprise gift, is known for featuring independent, under-the-radar brands. She has carried Alexis Bittar since he began wholesaling the line.
"Alexis has really grown in such interesting ways over the years," Silberberg said. "Part of it is the strong fashion direction he takes, but he always does basics and favorites, so it's a good combination that hits a wide age bracket. I recently sold one of his Lucite pins to a 90-year-old woman. He is so inventive and creates a big range for lots of people to enjoy. You've got the fashion girls and the grandmas. It's amazing to me."
Bittar is also at the fore of a costume jewelry moment that is extending from the runway to retail. Fashion houses such as Balenciaga and Lanvin are delving into the category in great numbers and with the threat of a recession looming, the fashion jewelry market is still thriving.
"I think especially when times get tough, people love this kind of jewelry,buy tiffany cuff Links," Silberberg said. "With the metal market so crazy, fine jewelry is outrageously expensive and it's going to definitely impact retailers this coming winter. So I sense that those in the midrange - if they can capture that and can have a customer for that - will do well. People are looking to not break the bank and still look good. And the runway backing is going to make a big difference."
Bittar doesn't seem to mind the increasing competition in the marketplace. He managed to bring his eccentric, colorful brand into the fray during a time when minimalism was a key trend and bright Lucite bangles were not exactly lauded.
"Costume jewelry is a cottage industry that has been growing heavily over the past five years," Bittar said. "I remember in the Nineties, buyers would ask, 'Is jewelry still happening?' But now, young girls are experiencing it for the first time and they love it. Older women want to know if it's OK to pile on that next bangle and it is right now."
Bangles, BMWs elbow out delis and discount shops
IN A SPACE DOWNTOWN On Cortlandt Street that last housed a messenger service, Khan Kashani just opened a women's clothing boutique specializing in expensive designer labels.
Mr. Kashani is betting that affluent residents moving downtown will want to shop for the pricey yet casual clothes that he is selling - without leaving the neighborhood.
"There are a lot of condos going up, bringing in people who want luxury," he says.
Lured by Wall Street's high-earning professionals and a growing number of affluent residents, upscale retailers, from BMW to Thomas Pink and Hickey Freeman, have opened locations downtown.
Basics, too
THOUGH THE STORES are welcome additions,key rings, there is a downside to their arrival:Their presence is driving up rents and driving out long-time independent merchants - a transformation that isn't seen as a good thing by residents, who also desire supermarkets and dry cleaners.
Thanks to a wave of condominium conversions, about 46,000 people now live downtown - almost 20,000 more than in 2002 and up from 31,000 in 2003.
The newcomers who are being enticed by those units are exactly the type of wealthy consumers targeted by prestigious retailers.
Median household income in the neighborhood surged to $162,pendants,700 last year, compared with $111,000 in 2004, according to the Alliance for Downtown New York.
Ground-floor rents are rising dramatically as the area attracts more retail. Sites on Broadway, Wall Street and Broad Street are leasing for $200 a square foot, up from about $85 in 2002.
Exclusive merchants that have migrated to the area, which include leather goods designer Hermes and men's clothier Canali,tiffany earrings for sale, are more than willing to pay the freight required to be in the heart of the world's financial capital.
Many of them have set up shop in grand old bank buildings. Tiffany, which moved into the former Trust Co. of America building at 37 Wall this fall, said the recent influx of residents was the draw.
"That area has always been a very important business hub, but now with all these conversions, you've got this real community," says Beth Canavan, an executive vice president at Tiffany.
Though status retailers are a sign of the area's vitality, residents also need basic goods and services, some of which used to be supplied by independents that can no longer afford the rents.
"The mom-and-pop stores - the little jeweler, the little discount variety store,thanksgiving day celebration, the non-national food retailers, the delis, the nondescript stores - [they] are being replaced," says Faith Hope Consolo, head of the retail division at Prudential Douglas Elliman.
More to come
OVERALL, there are about 1,200 shops and restaurants downtown, including fixtures like department store Century 21, on Cortlandt Street, and electronics emporium J&R Music and Computer World, on Park Row.
More retail is on the way.
The Fulton Street Transit Center,shop for tiffany cuff Links, which is slated to be completed late this year or early in 2009, will offer 20,000 square feet.
The eventual build-out of the World Trade Center complex will provide another 490,000 square feet of space for retail activity - about 60,000 more than the original WTC.
And unlike that shopping space, which was largely underground to capture consumers commuting by subway, much of the space that will come on-line over the next few years will be at ground level or above.
Lady Braves down Lady Cardinals, remain unbeaten
Jessica Tsosie can set.
And dig.
And pass.
And lead.
It is her combination plate of skills that is one reason the Lady Braves of Santa Fe Indian School are undefeated and ranked fourth in Class AAA.
In a matchup of ranked teams, the Lady Braves dismissed the Lady Cardinals of Las Vegas Robertson 25-15, 25-15, 25-23 Thursday night in Francis L. Abeyta Memorial Gymnasium.
Robertson, a familiar foe, arrived ranked sixth.
"We knew we'd get some serious competition," Seatha Pacheco, SFIS head coach,money clips, said. "Nothing is going to be free. They're going to fight all the way through."
It's true.
Down a pair of games and knotted 17-17, the Lady Cardinals stitched together six unanswered points and fashioned a 23-17 advantage.
Two timeouts did nothing to change the momentum, not with Lakeshia Padilla on the sideline with cramps. With the libero replacing Padilla on the back row, Pacheco had no choice but to pull Padilla away from getting her leg wrapped and insert her back in the lineup,tiffany necklaces on sale, so she could make another substitution.
Padilla, a 6-foot senior, hammered three of her 11 team-high spikes to complete the sweep and raise the Lady Braves' record to 3-0.
"When she plays like she did, she can be very intimidating," Pacheco said of Padilla, who had nine digs and served two aces.
And when Tsosie covers one side of the court and then the other in a 10-second spurt, she can be downright exhausting.
"She played an excellent defensive game," Pacheco said of Tsosie, who had six digs, two aces and 19 assists.
Melodie Cruz chipped in eight kills and three digs, while Danielle Nelson had three kills and four blocks.
There was only one blemish.
The teams no longer reside in the same district.
"Now we beat them," Pacheco laughed before turning serious. "Every match matters."
NMSD 3, ROY 1
The next best thing to being ranked is knocking off a ranked team, which is precisely when Lady Roadrunners accomplished in their 25-16, 25-9, 22-25, 25-18 win over the Lady Longhorns, ranked seventh in Class B, in Larson Gymnasium.
"It was our first big test of the year and we passed," Stacy Nowak, New Mexico School for the Deaf head coach, said through an interpreter. "We shocked them in the first two games for sure."
The Lady Roadrunners also found their stride after stumbling in the third game.
Caldonia Wilding finished with nine kills for the Lady Roadrunners (3-0). She also served six aces en route to 10 service points.
Regina Garcia had seven aces and 17 service points for NMSD. Setter Mia Fernandez recorded 13 assists to go with her seven points.
"Her desire, her heart and her setting selections," Nowak said of Fernandez and three reasons why the Lady Roadrunners triumphed. "She's dead now because she's so exhausted. She played so brilliantly."
Who didn't?
"Our offense clicked," Nowak said. "We got offense from four or five players."
And, the best is still to come.
"We have a long way to go," Nowak said. "They haven't even reached half their potential."
ESPAnOLA VALLEY 3,shop for tiffany rings, AZTEC 1
Follow the freshman.
That was the game within the match for the Lady Sundevils, who defeated the Lady Tigers 20-25, 25-17, 26-24,necklaces, 25-20 behind the play of freshman Kayla Romero.
"She played with a lot of guts,discount tiffany earrings," Damon Salazar, Espanola Valley head coach, said of Romero, who finished with a team-high 18 kills.
Maddy Romero chipped in nine kills and three aces, Sabrina Duran had six aces and setter Karli Salazar had 30 assists and four aces.
The Lady Sundevils (2-2) rallied from a 23-15 deficit in the third game of the nondistrict match in Edward A. Medina Gymnasium.
"Our serving and passing were great tonight," coach Salazar said.
Gentleman’s Agreement between Industry Titans No M
The New America Foundation issued the following news release:
During the 19th century a handful of wealthy industrialists dominated steel, oil refining and railroads; striking agreements to receive favorable terms for the carriage of their goods,thanksgiving bracelets, while subjecting farmers and competitors to unreasonable and excessive charges.
Now, over a century later, history is in danger of repeating itself. After weeks of closed-door meetings sanctioned by the Federal Communication Commission, two of the largest corporations in the communications industry have reportedly negotiated an agreement on network neutrality. Though details of the agreement are not available, its terms are immaterial. It should not be the policy of the FCC to allow the largest companies to write the regulations that will determine the future of the Internet.
"The FCC today is a regulatory purgatory where endless process is being substituted for clear leadership," stated Sascha Meinrath,discount tiffany Pendants, Director of New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative. "It is remarkable that the Obama administration is abandoning its campaign promise to ensure an open Internet and is instead actively supporting a process where some of the largest companies in the country control the future of communications."
"Voluntary and non-binding agreements leave an open Internet to the whims of the largest Internet and communications companies, who have every incentive to create a market that prioritizes their own content and services, while limiting the potential of new start-ups,tiffany Pendants sale, small businesses, and individual entrepreneurs," added Benjamin Lennett,tiffany cuff Links clearance, Policy Analyst for the New America Foundation's Open Technology Initiative. "We cannot afford to follow the same 'leave it to the market' philosophy that has left our economy in shambles and contributed to the worst oil spill in U.S. history."
The following New America Foundation staff are available to discuss the latest news:
Sascha Meinrath, Research Director, Wireless Future Program; Director,cheap tiffany rings, Open Technology Initiative
Benjamin Lennett, Senior Policy Analyst, Open Technology Initiative
James Losey, Program Associate, Open Technology Initiative
Please contact Kate Brown with requests at 202-596-3365 or brown@newamerica.net
Girls soccer team stops Little Falls
Andrea Hanson scored three goals and Erin Booth had a goal and three assists to power the Bemidji girls soccer team to a 6-1 home victory over Little Falls Friday in the season opener.
BHS resumes its schedule 1 p.m. today at Walker-Hackensack-Akeley and Tuesday it will visit Moorhead.
"Offensively we dominated and we were able to manufacture many good shots,key rings," said Jacks coach Kelly Schoonover. "We started strong with four goals in the first half but, as expected, we tired in the second half.
"This was a test of endurance and overall we did well," Schoonover said.
Bemidji scored all the goals it would need in the opening 40 minutes. Booth opened the scoring about 12 minutes in and eight minutes later Hanson notched her first of the fall. Rachelle LeBlanc drew the Flyers within 2-1 midway through the half but Booth and Maari Stocker answered in the final 10 minutes to give the Jacks their 4-1 cushion.
Hanson iced the victory with a pair of goals in the second stanza.
Paige Niskanen,tiffany, Caitlin Blotske and Josie Spry also had assists.
Casey Palmer and Whitney Morin combined for three saves in the Bemidji net.
The midfield transition game is something BHS coach Rick Toward thought would take time to develop and Friday's 2-0 home loss to Little Falls showed that he was correct.
"There were moments when we played well and possessed the ball but we had trouble transitioning,bracelets," Toward said.
"For eight or nine minutes early in the game we controlled play but we couldn't sustain it," Toward said
"It was a frustrating game but it's early in the season and we know we have improvements to make.
Grant Bell scored both Little Falls goals. Early in the first half he capped a flurry with a close-range goal and in the second half he scored on a penalty kick.
Carl Graefe and Connor McNallan split the goaltending chores.
BHS will continue its homestand 3 p.m. today against Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. Tuesday the Jacks will host Detroit Lakes at 4 p.m.
The Lumberjack swimmers head to Willmar today for the annual season-opening invitational.
BHS coach Scott Leindecker is anxious to see how his team will compete today because graduation claimed seven key performers and this year's team could be spearheaded by underclassmen.
"It's going to take us awhile to come together," Leindecker predicted. "I really won't know what we have until I see the girls in competition.
"But I'm cautiously optimistic,rings," the coach added.
Bemidji will also be on the road Tuesday when it visits Brainerd.
Y pmiller@bemidjipioneer.com
The Lumberjack swimmers head to Willmar today for the annual season-opening invitational.
BHS coach Scott Leindecker is anxious to see how his team will compete today because graduation claimed seven key performers and this year's team could be spearheaded by underclassmen.
"It's going to take us awhile to come together," Leindecker predicted. "I really won't know what we have until I see the girls in competition.
"But I'm cautiously optimistic,Bead bracelet," the coach added.
Bemidji will also be on the road Tuesday when it visits Brainerd.
discounts allow teams to continue traveling
It's not easy paying the bills related to traveling and competing in top-tier youth softball events.
Travel softball teams associated with organizations certainly hold some advantages over those without one. For instance, The Atlanta Vipers, one team competing in the ASA Girls' 12-under Class Fast Pitch Nationals, fundraises through their parent organization and can choose to volunteer at different large venues. Many go to the Georgia Dome for different events with the Atlanta Falcons.
But whether a team is associated with a small or large organization seems not to matter in today's economy. Teams are discovering that more has to be done to make ends meet -- whether that means sending out more sponsorship letters or simply cutting back on expenses.
Vipers coach Randy Miller said that while working with their organization gives them discounts on equipment,Beads necklace, the team still had to make sacrifices this season. He said the players didn't get new bat bags this year and the coaches didn't get new shirts.
"We made do as best we could,pendants," Miller said. "Other years, we may have spent another $4,000 dollars on the team. But we just couldn't this year."
California Cruisers coach Don Cone faced a different problem this season. One player was unable to make it to the Bloomington tournament because of financial issues. Despite the team trying to pitch in and help her play in the big tournament, they just couldn't make it work.
Cone attributed this situation to the poor economy and peoples' tight money situation. This was the first time this had happened to Cone's team.
"It was very discouraging because this girl has worked hard all season,earrings," Cone said. "But, her and her family weren't able to make ends meet based on the economy."
The economy woes have also forced some teams to choose their tournaments more carefully. TPS-98 team secretary Jennifer McBride said that the team did not make as much money this year compared to last. Their main fundraising activity though their organization, hosting tournaments, didn't seem to work as well this time.
"This year, we had to choose between going to two national tournaments," McBride said. "It was either that or parents paying money out of their pocket, which we just couldn't do."'
She also said how it seems harder to receive donations from businesses. The team doesn't have a business sponsor unlike some other teams but plans to have one next year.
But even with all of the challenges the economy poses, coaches and players find ways to make the best of the situation and pull through.
The player and coaches of Team Arizona did just that when they discovered they were going to participate in Bloomington's tournament this week. They found out they were coming in mid-June and had to rally everyone together to organize hotels, car rentals, and perhaps most importantly, fundraising.
Team Arizona manager Carol Ayotte said that it was their first year they needed to raise funds since they were flying to the Midwest and that they needed to cover the airline tickets.
"We only had six weeks to get everything together,key rings, but we managed and pulled through," Ayotte said.
Some teams even managed to play in Nationals this week through hosting a tournament in a different sport -- golf.
Angela Tovar, secretary of Sugarland Smash, said that it's financially difficult for them not having a sponsor. But they, like most of the other teams in the tournament, are just determined to play softball each year and compete.
"It can get hard because a lot of our team lives paycheck to paycheck," she said. "But we still manage."
Crafton Sunoco ‘coffee lady’ in was always on the go
Although Doris "Dory" Coax made her career in the printing industry, she was better known in later years as the "coffee lady" of the Sunoco APlus in Crafton.
"My mother was the kind of person who was always on the go," Tiffany Necklaces her daughter, Betty Schlott of Crafton. "When she retired from Standard Printing, she went to work at the Sunoco station."
Doris J. Coax of McKees Rocks died on Wednesday, May 12, 2010, in Family Hospice and Palliative Care in Mt. Lebanon. She was 86.
Rick Schmeider, store manager for Sunoco, recalled what an asset Mrs. Coax was to the business.
"Dory was with me for eight years. She handled the coffee section, Tiffany Rings was a busy section. And if you came in for coffee and were in a bad mood, you went out smiling," Schmeider said. "Once Dory got hold of you, you couldn't stay mad.
"There were a lot of customers who just came in the store to see Dory. And when business slowed down, she even washed the windows."
Doris Seibert grew up in Chartiers City, the daughter of railroader William Seibert and Mary McCartney Seibert.
In 1942, after graduating from Langley High School, she began her career in the printing industry. She married John "Jack" Coax of the North Side in 1943, prior to his leaving for the military.
In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Coax is survived by her son, Daniel Coax of McKees Rocks; grandchildren, Denny, Jaci and Lindsay Schlott and Rebecca, Rachel, Rosalind and Jessica Coax; four great-grandchildren; and her sister, Mary Gee.
Mrs. Coax was preceded in death by her husband in 1983, and a son, John Coax Jr.
John Coax Jr. was born a day after her husband, who was serving with the Tiffany Money Clips in Europe, arrived at St. John's Hospital in the North Side in time to be with his wife when she gave birth.
The story made papers around the country, Schlott said. "Unfortunately, John was only 39 when he died."
A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. today in St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, Lincoln Avenue at Steuben Street, Crafton. Arrangements by Hershberger-Stover Inc. Funeral Home, Crafton.
To see more of The Daily Progress or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dailyprogress.com. Tiffany CuffLinks (c) 2010, The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, Va. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Prosecutor reveals $1m details of Madoff’s jewellery mailing list
The extent of Bernard Madoff's attempts to transfer his family's valuables was revealed yesterday as prosecutors detailed contents of at least five packages shipped from his Manhattan apartment to relatives and others.
The list reads less like a court document than a catalogue of the trappings of Park Avenue privilege: diamond Cartier and tiffany jewelry watches, a diamond bracelet, four diamond brooches, a jade necklace, a gold watch and other assorted jewellery.
The money manager, who is accused of perpetrating a $50bn (pound(s)33bn) "Ponzi" scheme, sent the items in an apparent violation of a court order and should be jailed pending trial, US prosecutors claimed in a court document made public yesterday.
One package contained about 13 watches, one diamond necklace, an emerald ring and two sets of cufflinks and could exceed $1m. At least two packages were sent by Mr Madoff and his wife to his brother and an unidentified couple in Florida.
Mr Madoff's lawyers said last night he should remain free because he "simply did not realise that [the asset freeze] necklaces to these personal items". They added "the value of these items was purely sentimental".
Mr Madoff's sons alerted prosecutors last week that they had received jewellery in the post from their father. Mr Madoff's alleged fraud came to light last month when his sons turned him in. Ira Sorkin, Mr Madoff's defence attorney, had said that the packages contained heirlooms innocently sent to Mr Madoff's children and brother, Peter.
Under a $10m bail agreement struck by prosecutors and his lawyers following the charge of security fraud, Mr Madoff is under 24-hour house arrest in his Manhattan flat. White-collar defendants are rarely jailed pending trial.
But his continued release presented "a danger to the community of additional economic harm and further obstruction of justice", wrote Marc Litt, the assistant US attorney. There was no practical way "to prevent the dissipation" of Madoff's assets, and asset transfers made it more difficult, "if not impossible", to recover all available assets to recompense victims.
Mr Madoff's lawyers said there was little risk of flight and the bail conditions are "more than adequate". silver bangles may submit additional papers today and a federal magistrate judge is expected to rule by tomorrow.
Comment, Page 11 Madoff scandal, Page 23
LIMA CRASH INJURES MOTORISTS, DAMAGES JEWELERY STORE
A handwritten sign saying "closed due to accident" could be seen on the front entrance of Dunkin's Diamonds only minutes after a car came smashing into the building.
Two people were seriously injured around 12:40 p.m. Tuesday following a two-vehicle collision at tiffany the intersection of North Cable and Elida roads.
Patrolman Rick Mays, of the American Township Police Department, said Anton Arnett, 21, of Lima, was driving his red Ford Thunderbird LX at a high rate of speed north on North Cable Road when he ran the red light at Elida Road and struck a car driven by Linda Clay, 62, of Lima, who was traveling east on Elida Road.
Mays said Clay's blue Chevrolet HHR finally came to a stop in the intersection after a 90-degree turn.
Chief Tom Hadding, of the American Township Fire Department, reported one person was in critical necklaces condition and another was in stable condition Tuesday afternoon at St. Rita's Medical Center.
Shards from both cars covered the street and snowy grass bordering Dunkin's Diamonds.
Capt. Joel Wills, of the American Township Fire Department, said the display room within Dunkin's Diamonds sustained heavy damage. The wall into which the car drove was made of stucco and cinder blocks.
A witness said as she was traveling south on North Cable Road she saw smoke from the accident.
"I saw a great bunch of smoke in the sky that covered the area and I thought there was a car silver bangles on fire," she said. "Then I saw the car in the middle of the road. It was very sad."
The manager of Dunkin's Diamonds declined to comment.
Arnett was cited for a red light violation.
Jewellery & Watches Market Report 2009
This Market Report examines the UK jewellery and watches market, with the jewellery sector being segmented into the categories of real jewellery (gold, silver and platinum) and fashion/costume jewellery. Total sales of jewellery and watches in the UK fluctuated between 2004 and 2008, and fell by 2.8% in the latter year to finish the review period at Pounds 4.33bn.
The declining sales in 2008 can be largely attributed to the global economic downturn and UK recession, tiffany jewelry which have had a negative impact on nearly all industries. The volume of jewellery pieces hallmarked in the UK was significantly down in 2008, compared with 2004, as retailers sought to clear their existing slow-moving stock. Furthermore, as consumers have cut back on spending during the recession, there has been pressure in the market to reduce prices which, combined with lower volumes, has meant an overall downturn in sales. Initially, the luxury end of the market was relatively unaffected by the downturn, but by the end of 2008 and early 2009, it had begun to take effect.
The jewellery and watches market has become increasingly competitive in recent years. Although the industry has always been fragmented with a wide range of suppliers and retailers, developments in online retailing have contributed to it becoming increasingly transparent for information on pricing and availability. This has been a positive trend, especially for many smaller brands that previously were not able to deal directly with consumers. Some larger retailers, as well as a few independents, have also developed transactional sites to deal with this demand. Positive trends in the jewellery market have included high levels of spending in the wedding market; however, the number of marriages in the UK continues to show an overall decline. The increasing number of self purchases necklaces(i.e. bought for oneself rather than as a gift) has also contributed to greater volume sales over the past decade, among men as well as women. In addition, the inclusion of jewellery as part of seasonal fashion collections and the introduction of seasonal ranges among retailers and suppliers have also boosted sales. With around a third of the UK population owning a piece of precious jewellery and nearly nine in ten owning a watch, products have a high rate of consumer penetration.
The downturn in the UK economy is unlikely to show a reversal in 2009, and this will continue to affect all areas of consumer spending. The report forecasts that sales of jewellery and watches will continue to show a decline in 2009 and 2010, before beginning a slow recovery thereafter.
Key Topics Covered:
-- Executive Summary
-- 1. Market Definition
-- 2. Market Size
-- 3. Industry Background
-- 4. Competitor Analysis
-- 5. Strengths, Weaknesses, silver bangles Opportunities and Threats
-- 6. Buying Behaviour
-- 7. Current Issues
-- 8. The Global Market
-- 9. Forecasts
-- 10. Company Profiles
-- 11. Further Sources
Companies Mentioned:
-- ABBEYCREST PLC
-- AURUM GROUP LTD
-- CARTIER LTD
-- LVMH WATCH & JEWELLERY (UK) LTD