Independent Jewelers’ Confidence Levels Rise

Jewelers’ continued to grow more optimistic about the outlook for their businesses in September, with the INSTORE Jewelers Confidence Index climbing for a fourth straight month, to 55 from 54 in August. The latest result was also the second highest reading of the year. Note that a score above 50, shows that jewelers are more positive than negative.

Combined with very strong sales results in August – one in two jewelers said their sales were up on-year, compared to one in four who said they were down – the data suggests the industry is gathering a nice head of steam as it enters the key fourth quarter.

Interestingly, jewelers’ optimism continued to outpace their stock purchases, with almost 47 percent of the 231 survey respondents saying they had ordered less jewelry compared to the same month last year. Those two factors – outlook and actual orders – form the basis of our index.