Who owns sterling jewelers

Diamonds Direct was founded in in Charlotte. It now has 22 locations in 13 states, as well as an online presence. That includes its flagship store in SouthPark, at Sharon Road. The Diamonds Direct leadership team, storefronts and branded offerings will remain in place following the acquisition, according to a company spokeswoman.

Signet Group PLC is the world's leading retail jewelry specialist. The London-based company operates more than 1, stores in the United States and England, under the names H. Some 70 percent of the company's sales come from Signet's more than 1, U.

The mall-based Kay Jewelers store chain is the group's U. Samuel chain is the country's leading retail jeweler, and the Ernest Jones format, which specializes in diamonds and watches, is number two. Leslie Ratner opened up a jewelry shop in Richmond, Surrey, England, in Ratner, later joined by son Gerald, began to expand the business, opening new branches and launching a manufacturing wing, Jadales.

That operation permitted the company to produce its own branded watch line, Carronade. Ratners expanded strongly through the s, and by the end of that decade the chain had grown to more than stores. In , Ratners made its first attempt to go international, entering the highly fragmented Dutch market. The company's expansion into the s had come in large part through organic growth; in the early s, however, as Ratners made a push to become a national chain, the company launched a series of acquisitions.

The first of these came in , with the purchase of Terry's Jewelers Ltd. Gerald Ratner took over the business from his father in By then, Ratners had been losing money, in part because of its expansion moves, but also because of increasing competitive pressure, particularly from a new breed of discount jewelers that had been encroaching on the company's traditionally middle to low-end market.

In response, the younger Ratner moved to expand the group's offering of mid-priced jewelry, while developing an unabashed low-price advertising campaign. In , Ratners sold off its Jadales manufacturing subsidiary and shut down its money-losing Netherlands stores.

Gerald Ratner then set out to build the Ratners group into one of the world's largest jewelry specialists. With less than shops of its own, Ratners targeted the larger H.

Samuel Plc, then the United Kingdom's largest jeweler with some stores. Samuel was also one of the oldest jewelers in the country, with operations dating back to the early 19th century.

Today's Range. Key Developments. Key Metrics. All Listings. Signet Jewelers Limited is a retailer of diamond jewelry. Piercing Pagoda operates through mall-based kiosks.

The Other segment includes the operations of subsidiaries involved in the purchasing and conversion of rough diamonds to polished stones.

Retail Specialty. Contact Info. Clarendon House, 2 Church Street. HM Executive Leadership. Todd Stitzer. The group was founded in and grew organically before expanding rapidly through a series of acquisitions in the late s and early s, and was formerly known as the Ratner Group.

His remarks were gleefully reported by the media, The company lost over million pounds off its share price and consumers subsequently avoided the Ratner branded stores, nearly of which were closed between January and May as the group went through a financial restructuring. Ratner resigned in November and the group changed its name to Signet Group plc in September The company moved its primary stock market listing from the London to the New York Stock Exchange on September 11, , changing its name to Signet Jewelers Limited in the process.

The firm also moved its country of domicile from the United Kingdom to Bermuda on the same day, although it retains operational headquarters in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham. In February , Signet Jewelers Ltd.