Headlines

Diminishing Middle Class Hurting the Big Jewelry Companies

Published

9 years ago

March 3, 2016

INSTORE Staff

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist” to figure out why, consultant says.

It’s definitely a bear market out there and particularly so for publicly traded jewelry companies like Tiffany, Signet and Blue Nile, all of whom are trading down for the year, as Yahoo Finance writes.

The article cites Howard Davidowitz, chairman of national retail and consulting firm Davidowitz & Associates, who says the big jewelry companies face a threat in the declining purchasing power of the middle class: “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see that any company that appeals to the aspirational middle class is in trouble.” He also says that jewelers should focus on closing mall stores and instead shift their attention to online sales and urban stores.

Looking for a Seamless Sale? Call Wilkerson

After almost 60 years in business, Breakiron Jewelers in Erie, Pennsylvania, was closing its doors. And the store’s owner, Linda Breakiron, was ready for it. She had run the store as its sole owner since the beginning of the millennium and was looking forward to a change. Of course, she called Wilkerson. Breakiron talked to other jewelers who had used Wilkerson and was satisfied with their response. “They always had positive feedback,” she recalls. With the sales, marketing and even additional inventory that Wilkerson provided, Breakiron insists she could never have accomplished her going-out-of-business sale without Wilkerson’s help. She’s now ready for the journey ahead, but looking back, she’d be sure to recommend Wilkerson. “They just made the whole process very seamless.”