The Jewelers Board of Trade reported that 192 U.S. jewelry retailers closed their doors in the third quarter of 2018.
That number represented an increase from 174 closings in the third quarter of 2017.
The total included 155 retailers in the category of “ceased operations” as well as 31 “consolidations (sale/merger)” and six bankruptcies.
The total number of U.S. jewelry businesses that closed, including retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers, was 226. That was a decrease from 228 in the third quarter of 2017.
Meanwhile, JBT reported that 39 new retailers opened their doors in the U.S., up from 34 in the third quarter of 2017.
The total number of new jewelry businesses, including retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers, was 51. That was up from 40 new businesses in the year-ago quarter.
JBT listed a total of 19,101 jewelry retailers in the U.S. as of the third quarter of 2018, down from 20,040 in the same quarter a year ago.
The group listed 25,268 jewelry businesses in all, including retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers. That was down from 26,523 in the third quarter of 2017.