The chief executive and global strategist of Stuller Inc, which is North America’s largest jewellery manufacturer and distributor, is due to present his vision for the future of the jewellery industry at the conference, which is due to run from June 20 to 24.
Besides touching on the challenges that face independent jewellery retailers in the changing marketplace, Stuller will outline some of the common factors in successful businesses and speak about typical pitfalls of unsuccessful companies.
The 1995 winner of Inc magazine’s ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ will also shed light on leadership secrets every jewellery store owner should know.
David Brown, organiser of the event, said, “What would you ask the owner of the largest and most successful jewellery manufacturing business in the USA?”
“Here is a man of unique vision, passion and uncompromising standards who started his career as a young man with no capital and no experience and yet has built a business that continues to innovate and lead the way,” Brown added.
Other talks at the conference will focus on diamond sales, customisation, succession planning and staff management.
Renowned US sales trainer and Retail Edge consultant Janice Mack Talcott will present a seminar entitled ‘Selling Significant Jewellery’ that will concentrate on how retailers can strengthen diamond and precious coloured jewellery sales in their stores.
On the customisation front, director of Edge Retail’s US operations Lynn Baldwin will present a talk entitled ‘Building your repair margins and gross profit’ which will concentrate on how retailers can increase their margins and create a point of difference for their stores.
Various staff management talks are also set to take place, including an employee development workshop hosted by Talcott and fourth-generation US jeweller John Whitaker, and a session entitled ‘Pressing the right buttons with your staff and your customers’, by award-winning HR trainer Allison Mooney.
Brown expects a number of US jewellery retailers to descend on Australia for the conference, which will give Australian and American jewellers the opportunity to learn each other’s business tips.
The conference was a response to Retail Edge research which indicated that Australian and American retailers operate very differently to one another, outperforming each other in different areas.
The Edge Down Under Conference is set to take place from June 20 to 24 at the Jupiter Gold Coast hotel in Broadbeach, Queensland.
More information:
Edge Down Under Conference