The VJF began on Tuesday 22 September and will conclude in mid-October, giving retailers ample time to secure stock ahead of the Christmas season.
John Rose, general manager West End Collection, said retailers could expect to see new collections and products from the supplier’s 18 brands – including the Georgini jewellery range and Ice-Watch, Christian Paul, Maurice Lacroix, and Roamer watches.
In addition, West End is introducing four new watch brands to the market: Jacques du Manoir and JDM Military Sapphire – both manufactured by Roamer – Oui & Me ladies’ watches from France, and sports watches by Italian brand Sector.
“At the physical jewellery fair, people would be able to walk up to your stand or booth, and talk to sales staff and be shown around the different displays and stock available before Christmas. This year, with the Virtual Jewellery Fair, we have images of the displays for the different brands, videos of each of the new collections and new release products, and special packages that are only available during this limited time, as we would normally offer at the physical fair,” Rose told Jeweller.
“Those packages offer huge incentives to the retailer – they can save thousands,” he added.
Retailers can take part in the VJF by contacting West End Collection to request access to all the online material, including digital catalogues.
“At the retailers’ request, we can also use Zoom to talk ‘face-to-face’, go through everything while screen-sharing, and answer any questions on the spot, as we would if we were in the real jewellery fair,” Rose added.
Inside the Virtual Jewellery FAIR By West End Collection
New brands
Rose said the four new watch brands were particularly exciting for retailers, as they target different segments in the market.
The brands are:
- Jacques du Manoir: “We see a trend of demand for Swiss watches, and Roamer is a well-established Swiss watch brand. Jacques du Manoir is a range of very beautiful, high-quality dress watches for women, priced from $290–400 at retail. I think that consumers really appreciate the Swiss quality and owning a Swiss watch at such a good price,” Rose explained.
- JDM Military Sapphire: Also manufactured by Roamer, Rose described JDM Military Sapphire as “a men's range with sports styling – all sapphire crystal, 100-200m water resistance, and there are a lot of chronographs within the range too. They retail for $250–500, so your customer is able to buy high-quality Swiss watches at almost fashion watch prices.”
- Sector: Another new release for the men’s market are Sector sports watches and dive watches. The Italian brand is known for its athletic, adventurous image, using the slogan “No limits” across its advertising and employing a range of extreme sports stars such as skydiver and BASE jumper Sean McCormac as spokespeople.
- Oui & Me: Delicate and dainty, French watch brand Oui & Me features classically pretty, affordable fashion watches for women. “It’s very feminine, with lots of florals on the dials and straps, and priced very well at $130–$200 retail,” says Rose.
Latest collections
The Virtual Jewellery Fair will feature the latest releases from West End Collection’s 18 brands, alongside the relaunch of Morellato watch straps.
Rose said the straps offer very attractive margins for retailers, explaining, “Morellato is one of the most well-known watch strap manufacturers made in Italy. We are very focused on the relaunch of Morellato straps this year, giving retailers an opportunity to buy into the full range – or a portion of it – at our special package prices, which creates very good margins for them.”
He also pointed to the new unisex Ice-Watch collection, Pierre Leclerq. "Ice-Watch has always done extremely well with the female market but this is a really strong release geared more towards the male market. It features the pops of colour and modern design that Ice-Watch is so known for – it’s an exciting collection-within-a-collection,” he said.
Finally, Rose called the latest Georgini jewellery collections “a huge highlight” of the VJF. “The Luxe Collection, which was released this month, focuses on statement pieces – a lot of bridal jewellery, with larger stones of 1–2 carats," he explained.
“Meanwhile, the Heirloom Collection, for November, features a lot of pearls and marquise diamond simulants; the marquise is not a cut you would normally find featured in these ranges, so we are keeping Georgini really fresh and exciting.
“Heirloom features some beautiful bridal and statement prices, as well as core jewellery pieces. We’re very excited about it, so we’re offering retailers the option to buy into that with a big discount,” he added.
To get involved and find out more about the event and what products will be on offer, please visit West End Collection's Showroom.
What's New at West End Collection's Virtual Jewellery Fair?
