Industry Analysis & Industry Trends
The Watch and Jewellery Wholesaling industry has lost its shine during the past five years. Since 2008-09, a financial crisis, two recessions and crippling government austerity measures have resulted in sharp rises in unemployment and crippled consumer confidence. This has had a damaging impact on jewellery and watch sales, which are highly discretionary in nature. Companies in the industry also faced an increasing trend of wholesale bypass over the period. During the five years through 2012-13, revenue is expected to contract at a compound annual rate of 2.7%. In 2012-13, industry revenue is anticipated to contract by 1.5% to £1.5 billion as these trends continue.
Resilient demand for luxury watches has provided a glimmer of hope to firms distributing these products... purchase to read more
Industry Report - Industry Products Chapter
There are three main segments in the industry: fine jewellery, imitation jewellery and watches.
Fine jewellery
The fine jewellery segment includes a wide range of jewellery items, such as rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. These are made from precious metals and can incorporate precious stones, such as diamonds, sapphires and rubies. Fine jewellery accounts for the largest share of industry revenue. However, this segment has fallen over the past five years as metal prices have risen and consumer spending has waned.
Gold jewellery accounts for the largest percentage of fine jewellery sales. Gold jewellery can be further segmented in terms of carats, which describes the gold content of a gold alloy. For example, 24-carat gold contains 99.9% gold... purchase to read more