Expertise Events hosted the AJF at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre from 6-7 April, and many exhibitors emphasised the presence of three jewellery industry buying groups as a key highlight.
As noted by Jeweller’s 2025 Buying Group Report, Nationwide Jewellers, Showcase Jewellers, and the Independent Jewellers Collective represent more than 500 members and 600 stores, around one-third of the local market.
Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy said that events like the AJF provide a valuable platform for identifying and addressing the industry's needs.
“The buying groups contributed to the positive atmosphere on the show floor, and I think that kind of collaboration is exactly what the jewellery industry is hoping to see more often,” he told Jeweller.
“One of the most important insights from this year’s Australian Jewellery Fair was the value of providing central events that everyone, including the buying groups, can plan around. It’s the type of advantage that industry unity provides.”
Nationwide Jewellers hosted its annual Time Out Conference in conjunction with the AJF, welcoming members from near and far for four days. The group has 364 members across Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, accounting for more than 420 stores.
General manager Glen Pocklington said seeing the event build on the momentum established the previous year was pleasing.
“On Sunday morning, we marshalled more than 150 of our members in the lobby of The Star Grand and then marched over for the opening bell of the fair,” he said.
“The suppliers in the room had to be happy with that sort of traffic to kick things off, and from all reports, they had a promising weekend’s worth of trade and making new connections.
He added: “The Nationwide team spent the two days speaking in more detail with our members about the new marketing initiatives and business planning tools we presented and workshopped at Time Out.”
This was the second consecutive year the AJF was hosted on the Gold Coast. At last year’s event, Showcase Jewellers committed to attending this show and the International Jewellery Fair in Sydney in August.
The group represents more than 140 members and 170 stores across Australia, New Zealand, and Vanuatu. After walking the floor on the Gold Coast, managing director Anthony Enriquez said it was pleasing to meet so many members face-to-face.
“The Australian Jewellery Fair proved to be a resounding success for the Showcase Jewellers Group. The event was well attended and strongly supported by both our valued members and supplier partners, reflecting the strength and unity within our network,” he said.
“It provided an ideal platform for meaningful engagement, enabling Showcase to connect with key stakeholders in a collaborative and productive environment.
“The fair itself was efficiently organised and ran seamlessly across all aspects. Most importantly, it achieved its core purpose — to foster connections, strengthen relationships, and create new opportunities for both retailers and suppliers.”
It was a big week for the Independent Jewellers Collective, which hosted a fifth-anniversary celebration alongside a group conference and the AJF.
CEO Joshua Zarb echoed the sentiments of Pocklington and Enriquez and said that advancing the broader jewellery industry was in the best interest of all three groups.
“It was so nice seeing all the buying groups work together to support the industry event. At the end of the day – we all want what is best for our supply partners and the industry as much as we do for our retailers,” Zarb explained.
“We used the time at the Gold Coast show to sit with our retailers and debrief on what was our biggest conference to date. We launched several new initiatives that were accepted with vigour, and it is exciting times for IJC”.
The Independent Jewellers Collective represents more than 80 members and more than 100 stores across Australia and New Zealand.
Zarb added: “Not only did we spend time with our existing IJC retailers, but once again, we met several new future IJC partners over the weekend and simply could not be happier with this format for the event.”
Jewellery apprentices
The buying groups recently demanded greater support for apprentices, citing concerns about an increasing demand for custom-made jewellery and the challenges of an ageing workforce.
Representatives from the three groups recently completed a meeting with Jobs and Skills Australia, which provided insight into the trade's unique nature.
It was suggested that the unique structure of the jewellery industry, mainly consisting of small independent businesses, had contributed to the skills shortage being underrepresented in broader workforce assessments. An upcoming report will detail the matter in greater detail.
As reported, Expertise Events is expected to announce the details of the 2026 AJF in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, the industry’s attention will now turn to the International Jewellery Fair, held from 23 to 25 August at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Sydney.
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