The new store, which is located within a shopping centre in Queens, marks the jewellery chain’s first entry into New York – considered to be one of the four major fashion capitals in the world.
The new store, which is located within a shopping centre in Queens, marks the jewellery chain’s first entry into New York – considered to be one of the four major fashion capitals in the world.
In addition to the Michael Hill range, the outlet will also stock the Emma & Roe collection, a jewellery offering specialising in charms, bracelets and stackable rings that was launched in April last year.
Michael Hill was founded in Whangarei, New Zealand in 1979 before moving its headquarters to Brisbane, Australia in 2005. The jewellery chain now has more than 290 Michael Hill stores across Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada, and eight Emma & Roe stores in Australia.
The new outlet brings the total US store count to 10. Additionally, a second store in New York is scheduled to open later this year in Roosevelt Field, Garden City.
Company founder and chairman Sir Michael Hill – who attended the store’s opening event – said that for both jewellery and romance, New York was “as good as it gets”.
“We have been so looking forward to sharing the brand and jewellery with New Yorkers,” he stated. “We are all so passionate about making this endeavour a success. It really has been a labour of love to get to this point and establish a presence in a city like New York.”
In the company’s latest financial results for the nine months ended 31 March, the US region achieved the largest year-on-year same-store sales increase – 7.2 per cent – of all Michael Hill operating markets.
Conversely, same-store sales for Australia – the jewellery chain’s largest market with more than 200 stores – declined 2.1 per cent.
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