Britain’s Company of Master Jewellers (CMJ) is celebrating being the first buying group to win at the jewellery industry’s most prestigious annual awards event, the UK Jewellery Awards.
At the awards ceremony in London on 1 September, the CMJ was announced as the winner of the Service Supplier of the Year category, beating 10 other leading industry suppliers in the shortlist.
The Service Supplier of the Year category recognises suppliers that have provided outstanding customer service, introduced new technologies and supported customers to improve sales in their own businesses. This year’s criteria also examined how suppliers have supported customers and adapted their business models due to Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns.
The CMJ gave unprecedented financial support to its retailer members over lockdowns, as well as taking networking and learning events online and providing extra marketing support, a return-to-reopening manual, and establishing new connections with PPE suppliers.
The UK Jewellery Awards’ expert judging panel praised the CMJ for “providing unrivalled support throughout the pandemic and consistently going above and beyond”.
Ruth Faulkner, Editor of Retail Jeweller, said: “This year’s UK Jewellery Awards represented one of the first opportunities in almost 18 months for the industry to get together and celebrate the achievement of colleagues.
“Covid-19 has been challenging for so many businesses, especially those with a high street presence and so it was heartening to be able to award the efforts of so many companies which have not only survived the pandemic but thrived and emerged stronger as a result. The companies we celebrated at this year’s UK Jewellery Awards from across all areas of the industry and the supply chain must be applauded as the leading lights in our sector. So, to all our finalists and winners — congratulations, they really are the very best in the business.”
Emmet Cummins, Managing Director of the CMJ, said: “We are extremely proud to have been named Service Supplier of the Year at the UK Jewellery Awards 2021. The whole CMJ team worked tirelessly throughout the past 12 months, to ensure our members received the best service and support to help them through the unprecedented demands of the year in question. It was inspiring for me personally to witness the enthusiasm and passion with which this was delivered by the team. It was equally humbling to receive the amount of feedback we did from our members, a lot of whom expressed their appreciation and gratitude for what the CMJ did. Recognition from the UK Jewellery Awards serves as a further endorsement that the CMJ is doing its part to service the needs of the independent sector of this industry and that gives us great confidence to continue to service suppliers and retailers as we begin the journey to normality.”
The UK Jewellery Awards, organised by a leading jewellery and watch industry title Retail Jeweller, is this country’s longest-running and most prestigious trade awards event, established in 1993 to recognise the achievements of those working in the jewellery and watch sectors.
With 21 targeted categories, the awards cover every aspect of the industry, from jewellery design and ethical business practice through to customer service and successful retailing.
The CMJ is the largest specialist jewellery and watch buying group in the UK and Ireland, with almost 150 retailer members. To find out more, visit www.masterjewellers.co.uk.
