Knocking Pandora from the No. 1 slot it had held since 2009, INSTORE readers crowned Gabriel & Co. the best-performing brand-name jewelry line in 2016. Pandora came in second and Stuller third.
More than 450 jewelry store owners and managers weighed in on the subject in INSTORE’s 10th annual Big Survey, the full results of which appear in the upcoming October issue.
Every month, we at INSTORE ask our Brain Squad what the three best-performing brands were for the preceding month, and the results are published in our Hot Brands section. And since 2008, we have posed the same question in our Big Survey, which is filled out by a broader audience and which frames the question in an annual timeframe.
The last time Pandora was not the No. 1 pick was 2008, when Hearts On Fire took top honors — that year, Pandora was No. 2, followed by Simon Golub. Since 2013, Gabriel & Co. had been in the No. 2 slot. 2016 marks the third year Stuller has been in the top three.
Look out for the full slate of rankings in our October issue. In the meantime, here are the top three brands as chosen by readers since 2008:
2008: 1. Hearts on Fire; 2. Pandora; 3. Simon Golub
2009: 1. Pandora; 2. Hearts On Fire; 3. Simon Golub
2010: 1. Pandora; 2. Hearts On Fire; 3. Simon Golub
2011: 1. Pandora; 2. Hearts On Fire; 3. Stuller
2012: 1. Pandora; 2. Stuller; 3. Gabriel & Co.
2013: 1. Pandora; 2. Gabriel & Co.; 3. Hearts On Fire
2014: 1. Pandora; 2. Gabriel & Co.; 3. Hearts On Fire
2015: 1. Pandora; 2. Gabriel & Co.; 3. Stuller
2016: 1. Gabriel & Co.; 2. Pandora; 3. Stuller
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Four Decades of Excellence: How Wilkerson Transformed a Jeweler's Retirement into Celebration
After 45 years serving the Milwaukee community, Treiber & Straub Jewelers owner Michael Straub faced a significant life transition. At 75, the veteran jeweler made a personal decision many business owners understand: "I think it's time. I want to enjoy my wife with my grandchildren for the next 10, 15 years."
Wilkerson's expertise transformed this major business transition into an extraordinary success. Their comprehensive approach to managing the going-out-of-business sale created unprecedented customer response—with lines forming outside the store and limits on how many shoppers could enter at once due to fire safety regulations.
The results exceeded all expectations. "Wilkerson did a phenomenal job," Straub enthuses. "They were there for you through the whole thing, helped you with promoting it, helping you on day-to-day business. I can't speak enough for how well they did." The partnership didn't just facilitate a business closing; it created a celebratory finale to decades of service while allowing Straub to confidently step into his well-earned retirement.
