Australasia’s largest jewellery industry buying group, Nationwide Jewellers, has confirmed that a delegation of buyers from the US will attend the upcoming International Jewellery Fair (IJF) in Sydney.
In 2022, Nationwide Jewellers partnered with the Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO) and the Company of Master Jewellers (CMJ) to form the Global Jewellers Network.
The group’s purpose was to share resources for the betterment of members in each organisation, with the IJO based in the US and CMJ in the UK and Ireland.
In a new development, it’s been confirmed that 22 members from the IJO will visit the International Jewellery Fair in Sydney on August 17-19. The IJF will take place at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Darling Harbour.
The group will be led by IJO owner and chairman Jeff Roberts. Nationwide general manager Glen Pocklington said the visit will be an opportunity to exchange of ideas, particularly regarding marketing strategy.
“We know that our members benefit greatly from sharing their ideas and challenges with one another, so we’re really looking forward to seeing what conversations take place when we bring a group of independent jewellers from different parts of the US into the room,” he told Jeweller.
Once inside the Nationwide area of the Sydney Fair, IJO members will participate in exclusive workshops and meet with preferred suppliers alongside local members.
Pocklington said this was just the beginning of the partnership between the three groups: “Including the Company of Master Jewellers, we anticipate further collaborative ventures between our three buying groups.”
Combined, the three groups represent more than 1,500 independent jewellery stores in nine countries.
Jeweller’s 2024 State of the Industry Report documented Nationwide Jewellers as the largest buying group in Australia, with 299 members accounting for 337 stores.
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