Headlines

Jeweler Named ‘Retailer of the Year’ in Its State

The business is more than 100 years old.

Published

8 years ago

November 3, 2016

INSTORE Staff

Day’s Jewelers in Waterville, ME, has been named 2016 Retailer of the Year for its state.

The award was presented at the Retail Association of Maine’s 83rd annual meeting on Oct. 27 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Freeport.

Key criteria for the award:

Continued growth in employees or sales.
Commitment of company resources to community projects.
Creation of a positive work environment for all employees.

“Day’s Jewelers’ values aligned perfectly with the award criteria and they were unanimously selected as this year’s recipient,” according to a press release from the association.

Day’s is a seven-store chain located in Maine and New Hampshire. Its stores range in size from 5,000 to 10,000 square feet and feature a children’s play area, a beverage bar and a customer lounge area.

The association explained that Day’s is one of six independent companies in the U.S. to achieve certification by the Responsible Jewellery Council, a non-profit organization that has established a set of best practice business standards for the global jewelry industry.

In the last few year’s Day’s has worked with its staff, customers and suppliers to donate to more than 40 charitable organizations. It has developed a program called “Diamonds for Peace” to help those in need by donating $10 for each loose diamond or piece of diamond jewelry sold.

The Retail Association’s board, made up of fellow retail businesses owners, recognized the continued challenges that Day’s faces in a competitive market.

“This is a prestigious award and Day’s is a very deserving company; taking a brand that had grown, faced a reduction in the number of stores and is now expanding to a new location in Augusta,” said Curtis Picard, executive director of the Retail of Association of Maine. “To grow it back to where it is today and recognized as one of Maine’s Best Places to Work, that’s impressive.”

In 2014, Day’s celebrated 100 years in business. Over the past century, Day’s has been family owned and operated by only two families with a strong connection to each other.

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