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Engagement Ring Sales Are Down Sharply, According To America’s Biggest Jeweler

It would appear to be a difficult moment for businesses that specialize in providing goods and services to romantic couples. Because engagement ring sales are down sharply, according to America’s biggest jeweler.

Apr 26, 20230 Shares190 ViewsWritten By: Johnny K.Reviewed By: Luke Williams
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  1. The Impact Of Covid-19 On Engagement Ring Sales For Signet Jewelers And The Jewelry Industry

It would appear to be a difficult moment for businesses that specialize in providing goods and services to romantic couples. Because engagement ring sales are down sharply, according to America’s biggest jeweler.

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Engagement Ring Sales For Signet Jewelers And The Jewelry Industry

After the announcement that David's Bridal, the largest retailer of wedding dresses, would be filing for bankruptcy the previous week, another major retailer of ringsand other symbols of enduring lovereported that their company's revenue had not yet recovered from the effects of Covid-19.

According to Signet Jewelers, the largest jewelrycompany in the United States, the pandemic had a negative impact on sales of engagement rings since the lockdowns caused by the pandemic caused relationships to become strained or to never even develop in the first place.

An image of a diamond engagement ring with a blurry background
An image of a diamond engagement ring with a blurry background

Signet Jewelers (SIG), whose corporate umbrella includes brands such as Zales, Jared, Kay Jewelers, and DiamondsDirect, reported that many early relationships, in particular, ended as lockdowns began in the winter and spring of 2020, which was then followed by a significant decrease in dating.

Zales, Jared, Kay Jewelers, and Diamonds Direct are all part of the Signet Jewelers corporate umbrella.

According to what was mentioned, this produced an "engagement gap."

Jamie Singleton, president, and chief consumer officer of Signet Jewelers, stated that "We're still seeing it today" during the company's investor day last week. "We're still seeing it today,"

Singleton, citing research conducted by the company, stated that the typical amount of time between a couple's first date and their engagement is 3.25 years.

So what's happened over the past couple of years is what we anticipated and what we planned for. Engagement jewelry sales were lackluster in fiscal 2023, and we expect them to remain so for the balance of fiscal 2024.- Singleton

She stated that the category will require around 25% more growth by the end of the calendar year 2026 in order to simply return to the previous levels of involvement.

However, according to Singleton, there are indications that things are beginning to turn around. The bridal market accounts for fifty percent of Signet's total merchandise revenue, making it an extremely important part of the company's business.

“As people begin getting back out after the lockdowns, we monitored the return of dating…. Dating, in fact, is up 8% to pre-Covid.”

It does not imply that there would be a sudden and dramatic increase in engagements overnight, but rather that there is a positive possibility for an increase in engagements in the near future. She stated that "We're confident in the turn that's coming," and I believe her.

"As engagements return to normal levels," Signet Jewelers CEO Virginia C. Drosos informed investors that the business is seeking to meet a sales target of $9 billion to $10 billion yearly in the next three to five years.

Jewelry Experts Guess The Cost Of Diamond Engagement Rings

This target will be reached during the next nine to ten years. She stated that Signet presently holds a thirty percent share of the market for bridal jewelry.

She remarked, "We've been anticipating this coming tailwind," and we are quite excited about it. Over the next few years, we anticipate this will have a major positive impact on our company's bottom line.

As the epidemic continued, it had a devastating effect on sales of wedding dresses since it brought a halt to all types of social occasions and caused engaged couples to postpone their nuptials.

As a result of the epidemic, wedding dates had to be rescheduled, which meant that brides-to-be had to deal with the added pressure that inflation and economic instability put on their budgets.

According to David's Bridal, their business was negatively impacted by a number of macro developments, including competition from online and secondhand retailers that offered lower prices. David’s Bridal said in a bankruptcy filing:

An increasing number of brides are opting for less traditional wedding attire, including thrift wedding dresses. These shifting consumer preferences have significantly exacerbated the company’s financial crunch.- David's Bridal

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