This “Mother Father” spinner necklace from Heavenly Vices Fine Jewelry draws inspiration from Victorian Era jewelry.
Here’s How Signet Is Reopening Its Stores
Curbside pickup with a password, social distancing in stores, masked employees and more.

Akron, Ohio—Signet Jewelers Ltd. announced Tuesday that it has reopened 1,100 of its 3,000-plus stores, with 80 percent fully open to the public and the remaining 20 percent doing curbside pickup only. 
Over the past six weeks, the retailer’s opened the doors of stores in the South and Midwest—Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and Texas—as well as in Arizona and California. 
The states with the highest number of reopened stores are Texas and Florida, with more than 120 Signet-owned banners operating again in both. 
 
All employees are wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and implementing “rigorous new sanitizing protocols.” They also wear gloves when needed.
Health and safety for customers and employees is the retailer’s “priority topic” right now, Bill Luth, the company’s executive vice president of global store operations, said in an interview Wednesday. 
Signet initially had employees sign a statement each day verifying they’d taken their temperature and felt ready and willing to work. 
Now the company is in the process of delivering contactless thermometers to all stores so managers can take each employee’s temperature.
Customers will see employees regularly cleaning frequently touched surfaces like the counters and door handles, and using alcohol wipes to clean each item before and after the customer tries it on.
Luth said they are using cleaning products listed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
At first, the massive retailer had its store managers procuring cleaning products locally, and Luth said they had the best luck finding what they needed from “non-traditional” supply sources, places like hardware stores and Tractor Supply stores.  
Now, Signet is able to buy these items in the quantity it needs so it is distributing them centrally. “As we sit today, we’ve been able to find it on scale so we don’t have the problems we did a month ago,” Luth said.
The company asks store managers to keep a two-week supply on hand and, if they run low, to procure them locally again.
Customers are not made to wear masks (unless it is required by local law) but employees are and Signet is also trying out face shields, gauging customer perception and the feeling of its team members.
Luth said the company is also testing portable countertop plexiglass screens, 3-x-3 barriers that sales associates can move along the counter as they help a customer.
Employee-only areas, like breakrooms and back offices, are cleaned once a day, while low-touch customer  
High-touch customer areas like register PIN pads, iPads, and merchandise are cleaned before and after every use.
And, Luth said, there is signage at every store detailing what the chain is doing to keep its stores clean and safe.
What About Ear Piercing?
Among Signet’s banners is Piercing Pagoda, the chain of mall kiosks that’s been piercing ears since 1969.
Although it represents a small percentage of the retailer’s overall sales, it consistently is one of its strongest performers.
Last year, Piercing Pagoda recorded the highest increase in year-over-year same-store sales of any of Signet’s brick-and-mortar banners. Comps for the chain of kiosks rose 11 percent, topped only by James Allen (12 percent increase).
But, right now, the Pagoda isn’t piercing any ears.
“We’re being really thoughtful about that approach,” Luth said Wednesday. “When we opened Piercing Pagoda, we did not open with piercing services.”
Signet is considering using both masks and face shields and is looking—“I’m saying ‘look’ because we’re not there yet,” he noted—to take customers’ temperature before piercing.
Luth also said the company is currently not taking in any jewelry for repair or watches for battery replacements but will be adding more services in the coming weeks.
Their goal in reopening was to first, make a clean and safe environment, and also not to overwhelm employees who are returning to work, and might be nervous about it, with a full suite of services and a long list of new rules.
“Everyone’s building new muscles. Execution is the key,” Luth said. “How do we make sure every customer’s experience is the same experience over and over?”
The Curbside Experience
Of Signet’s 1,100 stores that are open again, 220 are doing curbside pickup only, an extension of buy online, pick up in store (BOPIS), and something Signet has never had before.
Customers book a time online to come pick up their jewelry during store hours. When booking, they’re given a secret password that they have to recite when they park at the designated curbside location.
An employee greets the customer from a safe distance, confirms the identity via the password, and then places the jewelry bag inside the customer’s vehicle.
 
  
Signet said it plans to expand this service to more stores as they reopen.
Going forward, Luth said he expects curbside pickup will become a “standard” in retail, with the pandemic redefining what customers will expect from brick-and-mortar stores in the same way Uber rewrote the rules for taxis and car services.
He rattles off a list of just a few of the retailers now doing curbside pickup: Walmart, Target, Kroger, Best Buy.
“If we don’t prepare to support that service for our customer, once again jewelry would look like an antiquated arm of retail,” Luth said.
“If you don’t do that, customers look at you like you’re out of it.”
2020 Outlook
Signet CEO Gina Drosos said on the company’s earnings call Tuesday the retailer will have at least 75 percent of its stores open by month’s end. This includes all stores in the U.K., which are set to open June 15.
The retailer, which was forced to close all its stores in mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic swept across North America and Europe, saw same-store sales drop nearly 40 percent in the first quarter as it pivoted to online-only sales.
As of Feb. 1, the Akron, Ohio-based jewelry retailer had 3,208 stores: 2,757 in North America and 451 in the U.K.
Drosos said Tuesday the retailer cut its store count by 13 percent last year, closing stores in D-class malls and almost all regional banners. Luth said only a “handful” of regional brands still exist; the company’s long-term goal is to close them all.
This year, Signet will shutter at least 380 stores. There will be 150 stores in North America and 80 in Europe that simply won’t reopen following the pandemic, and the company forecasts it will have to close another 150 locations.
Luth said the company will monitor customer response at these stores, letting them run through the summer and holidays.
By the end of the fiscal year, Signet’s physical footprint will have shrunk by 20 percent in the past two years.
The Latest

The suspects were rounded up in Paris and its suburbs on Wednesday night, but none of the stolen jewels were recovered with them.

Experts share top tips on how to encourage positive reviews and handle negative feedback.

Sponsored by the Gemological Institute of America


The suspect faces charges in the August robbery of Menashe & Sons Jewelers and is accused of committing smash and grabs at two pawn shops.

The “Lumière Fine” collection was born from designer Alison Chemla’s interest in the transformative power of light.

From sunlit whites to smoky whiskeys, introduce your clients to extraordinary diamonds in colors as unique as their love.

Show off your spooky side with these 12 festive jewels.

The “Brilliant & Beyond” panel coincides with the “Love & Marriage” exhibition curated by Davis Jewelers in Louisville, Kentucky.

Consumers are feeling more optimistic about their present situation while the short-term future remains a little scary.

The company, which organizes a watch show in Geneva every spring, will bring a selection of watch brands to the 2026 Couture show in Vegas.

“The Modern Guide to Vintage Jewellery” follows the evolution of jewelry design from the ‘30s to the ‘80s with buying and styling advice.

For her annual Halloween story, Senior Editor Lenore Fedow explores the symbolism behind spiders, beetles, and other eerie insects.

Notable jewelry designers, members of the press, and retailers are up for an award at next year’s gala.

Leaders from Jewelers of America and National Jeweler discuss the gold price, tariffs, and more in this one-hour webinar.

After experiencing motherhood, growth, and loss, founder and designer Erin Sachse has created 10 irreplaceable jewels.

It is part of Sotheby’s “Royal & Noble Jewels” sale along with an ornate hair ornament and an old mine-cut light pink diamond ring.

One of the individuals was apprehended at the airport as he was trying to flee the country.

Hill Management Group will oversee, market, and produce next year’s spring show.

London-based investment firm Pemberton Asset Management acquired the auction house for an undisclosed amount.

The workshop will give attendees the chance to try out and ask questions about three different diamond verification instruments.

The footage shows two of the jewelry heist suspects descending from the second floor of the museum and then escaping via scooter.

Founder and designer Rosanna Fiedler looked to a vintage Cartier clutch when designing the sunlight-inspired drop earrings.

The luxury conglomerates faced a challenging Q3 amid geopolitical and economic tensions.

The struggling diamond mining company, which owns the historic Cullinan mine, has launched a rights issue to raise about $25 million.

The book details the journey of watches as symbols of hard-earned success in hip-hop for artists like 2Pac, Jay-Z, and more.




















