David Brown

By The Numbers: Danger of Unproven Lines

Published

12 years ago

July 2, 2008

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[h3]Danger of Unproven Lines[/h3]

[dropcap cap=W]hip out your data sheets, it’s time again to see how you measure up against Joe Average?Jeweler. Monthly figures are below. Our highlight category for July is Unproven Lines.[/dropcap]

Those bright shiny things you fall in love with at first sight do indeed have the potential to set your store apart. But when you consider only about one-third of it will sell in the first year, it’s easier to see the danger.?Here, more than half the “new” inventory in the average U.S. jeweler is already 60 days old and aging quickly.

David Brown is president of the Edge Retail Academy, an organization devoted to the ongoing measurement and growth of jewelry store performance and profitability. You can contact him at [email protected]

[span class=note]This story is from the July 2008 edition of INSTORE[/span]

If you’d like to contribute your own data and receive a personalized KPI report each month, call (877) 910-3343 or e-mail: [email protected].

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Wilkerson Testimonials

A Liquidation Sale during a Pandemic? Wilkerson Showed Them the Way

For 25 years, Stafford Jewelers of Cincinnati, Ohio, was THE place to go for special gifts, engagement diamonds, high-end Swiss watch brands — in other words, the crème de la crème of fine jewelry. But this summer, the Stafford family was ready to retire. So, they chose Wilkerson to help them close up shop. “One of the biggest concerns was having the sale in the middle of COVID,” says Director of Stores Michelle Randle. Wilkerson gave the Stafford team plenty of ideas as well as safety guidelines, which they closely followed. “All of the employees felt safe, the customers coming in the door felt safe and we did a lot of business,” says Randle. How much business? “The inventory flew,” she says. Translation: They sold millions and millions of dollars-worth of merchandise. Randle calls it, “an incredible experience.” Would she recommend Wilkerson to other retailers who are thinking of thinning their inventories or retiring? “Everyone got more than what they expected out of the sale. You have to hire Wilkerson. They’re amazing.”