Headlines

Here’s What Happens When Meghan Markle Wears Your Jewelry Brand

Published

5 years ago

July 9, 2018

INSTORE Staff

There’s an upside and a slight downside.

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has taken a liking to jewelry by Birks Inc., and that’s a good thing for the company — for the most part.

Markle has worn pieces from the Montreal-based company in public many times, and the exposure has led to sales spikes, Maclean’s reports.

Her unofficial endorsement of Birks — there’s no official relationship, and Markle buys the jewelry at retail — is, in a way, priceless.

But there’s also a “slightly negative” side to the situation in that all buzz about Birks currently centers on Markle, said Eva Hartling, vice president for Maison Birks.

“We’re launching new collections in the fall, but nobody cares unless the duchess decides to buy a piece and wear it,” she said.

Hartling noted, however, that the company is “not complaining.”

Read more at Maclean’s

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”