Beaverbrooks sales soar as shoppers flock back to stores

Beaverbrooks said that, in the week since it began reopening stores, sales were up 30% year on year and that it was “cautiously optimistic” about trading in a post-coronavirus world. 

The jewellery retailer also recorded a 23% increase in average transaction value on jewellery and watches, which it said reflected the pent-up demand of consumers for luxury items in lockdown. 

Appointments in the newly reopened stores were up 1,279% year on year, with 331 booked in the first week of trading.

Beaverbrooks reopened 58 of its stores in England and one store in Northern Ireland on June 15. The rest of its 70-strong estate remain closed, but it plans to reopen 11 of its Scottish stores on June 29.

Managing director Anna Blackburn said: “Customer feedback and enquiries over the past 12 weeks indicated that the demand was there for in-store shopping, but of course there was an element of uncertainty when we reopened 59 of our stores last week.

“However, the first week of trading has been incredibly positive, and we’re feeling cautiously optimistic that consumer confidence is starting to return.

“While we saw strong performance online throughout lockdown, the response from customers this week has demonstrated that there is absolutely still demand for that personal in-store shopping experience, particularly when it comes to sentimental items and considered purchases such as gifts.

“From the day we closed our stores in March, we started work on plans for reopening that would put safety first while ensuring we were still able to offer our expertise and the high level of personal service our customers expect, so we’re thrilled to have seen customers returning to our stores over the past week with the reassurance that they can shop safely.”

Beaverbrooks has introduced a host of safety measures in its reopened stores including a customer host upon arrival and perspex screens between customers and advisors.