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MajorsFeb 20, 2020
Fink’s, Mayors, Breitling Opening New Stores
The retailers are expanding in 2020, planning store openings across the United States.
From left, Westime President Greg Simonian, Breitling ambassador and motocross racer Ken Roczen, surfer Sally Fitzgibbons, skateboarder Ryan Sheckler and Breitling USA President Thierry Prissert at the grand opening of the new Breitling boutique in San Diego (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Breitling)
New York—A few notable retailers are looking to expand in the new decade, planning store openings for the year ahead.
Roanoke, Virginia-based chain Fink’s Jewelers is set to open a new location in Virginia Beach this fall.
The family-owned jeweler is renovating an 8,000-square-foot space in an end-cap space at the Hilltop North Shopping Center.
The new space will give the jeweler room to expand its watch and jewelry offerings, making room to showcase more from its most popular brands, including Rolex, David Yurman, Roberto Coin, Tudor, Breitling, Omega and TAG Heuer.
The showroom will also feature a diamond department, which will focus on engagement rings and wedding bands, and a space for The Sabel Collection, the company’s private-label line of gemstone and diamond fashion jewelry.
“This beautifully renovated store will offer the largest jewelry, timepiece and diamond selection in the area,” said fourth-generation owner Matthew Fink in a press release announcing the opening.
At the same time, the jeweler will close an “underperforming” location at Chesterfield Town Center, a shopping center in the Richmond area, as per a local news report.
Founded in 1930 by Nathan Fink, Fink’s Jewelers has eight locations in Virginia and four in North Carolina.
Farther south, Mayors opened its second location in Georgia on Feb 11.
The new store is in Avalon, a development that is a mix of retail, office and residential in the Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta.
Mayors is the only watch and jewelry retailer in the community and offers store exclusives from brands such as Ulysse Nardin and Grand Seiko.
The store has a Rolex boutique and a hospitality area, and the brands it carries include Messika, Roberto Coin, TAG Heuer and Rolex sister brand Tudor.
Mayors is in the midst of a brand relaunch following its acquisition by Watches of Switzerland in 2017 and has set a goal of expanding to key cities throughout the United States.
The brand opened a flagship in Merrick Park, Florida in July and a new store in Atlanta in August.
On the West Coast, Breitling opened a new boutique in San Diego, its first in the city.
The store is in Fashion Valley, an open-air shopping center with upscale stores like Tiffany & Co., Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton.
in San Diego was inspired by the culture and vibe of Southern California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Breitling)
The store’s grand opening featured Southern California-inspired food and cocktails, a vintage SoCal Surf Woody vehicle, and a skateboard emblazoned with the brand’s logo.
Guests of honor included professional surfer Sally Fitzgibbons, motocross racer and Breitling brand ambassador Ken Roczen, professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler, Breitling USA President Thierry Prissert and Westime President Greg Simonian.
Looking at the overall industry, the number of jewelry stores in the U.S. was down 3 percent year-over-year in 2019 to 19,578, compared with 20,162 in 2018, according to the Jewelers Board of Trade’s year-end data.
The number of U.S. jewelry stores that closed, merged or declared bankruptcy totaled 717, but that was down 16 percent from 852 in 2018.
Store openings in the U.S., meanwhile, were up 6 percent year-over-year to 193 versus 183 in 2018.
The store’s grand opening featured Southern California-inspired food and cocktails, a vintage SoCal Surf Woody vehicle, and a skateboard emblazoned with the brand’s logo.
Guests of honor included professional surfer Sally Fitzgibbons, motocross racer and Breitling brand ambassador Ken Roczen, professional skateboarder Ryan Sheckler, Breitling USA President Thierry Prissert and Westime President Greg Simonian.
Looking at the overall industry, the number of jewelry stores in the U.S. was down 3 percent year-over-year in 2019 to 19,578, compared with 20,162 in 2018, according to the Jewelers Board of Trade’s year-end data.
The number of U.S. jewelry stores that closed, merged or declared bankruptcy totaled 717, but that was down 16 percent from 852 in 2018.
Store openings in the U.S., meanwhile, were up 6 percent year-over-year to 193 versus 183 in 2018.
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