Continental Jewellery expands in UK, product range grows
BIRMINGHAM, March 2014 – Quality, service and trust are the key drivers of Continental Jewellery (UK), which is expanding in the UK to reach out to more retailers with its growing collections of manufactured jewellery.
General Manager Peter Mooney took over day-to-day management of the UK company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Continental Holdings Limited, in January 2013, and has since put together an ambitious growth plan reaching out to multiple and independent retailers with a greater variety of product.
Continental Jewellery (UK) has the backing of a talented team of designers in China, and factories there producing an exceptional variety of high-quality manufactured jewellery ranges in precious metals and diamonds featuring designs specially geared for the UK customer.
“Our strength is in unbranded products,” Mooney said.
In China, the factories use the latest technologies to produce more than 360,000 pieces of finished fine jewellery goods annually with an average use of 70,000 carats of diamonds.
Peter Mooney
An experienced and highly skilled hand-set team works in all the jewellery manufacturing facilities in China.
The in-house design team in China uses CAD/CAM systems (computer aided design software and 3D model makers).
Based in the prestigious Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, Mooney is directing a dynamic sales effort to demonstrate to retailers across the UK that Continental can deliver high-quality jewellery in volume at extremely competitive prices with the minimum wait.
Mooney is also working hard to increase the new designs and collections for the UK market, perfectly suited to the tastes of the UK jewellery consumer.
DEDICATED CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Continental offers dedicated customer support, doing repairs, hallmarking, import duties, shipping and distribution with quiet efficiency.
“We are orientated in our product development and marketing to make sure that our quality is of the highest standard, and we have pushed our head office in Hong Kong to guarantee more competitive pricing and shorter lead times for delivery,” Mooney told Jewellery Outlook.
“With ranges from 9-carat to 18-carat gold, and platinum collections, we have pieces to suit every customer.”
With the extensive support of the factories in China, Continental has access to a large inventory of pieces, quickening delivery times to customers in the UK.
Mooney has presided over growth in the product range, knowing that there is an ample inventory to ensure that orders are met promptly.
“We never used to do stud earrings. Now we hold hundreds in stock,” he said.
Mooney, who worked for Continental Jewellery (UK) as Sales Manager for 10 years, took over as General Manager from his father who had more than doubled turnover of the company.
Now Mooney wants to multiply sales further by offering a wider variety of product to a larger body of retailers, from the big multiple chains on the high street to the small independents in provincial towns and cities.
He is adapting the collections to appeal to all areas of the market.
This will include maintaining Continental’s high-end diamond sales, while expanding its 9-carat range to offer lower price points.
Mooney has expanded the sales team and introduced a PR and marketing campaign.
“Because we have been in the UK for 25 years, we have built up trust with our customers. Most of our staff stay with us for a long time too,” Mooney said.
Continental exhibits regularly at a number of international jewellery trade fairs and events.
In the UK, Continental is a supplier to the leading independent retailer buying groups, the Company of Master Jewellers (CMJ) and Houlden.
Continental also exhibits at Jewellery & Watch Birmingham and IJL, the leading UK jewellery trade fairs, consolidating access to the UK retail community.
Peter Mooney on Twitter: @PJMoonCJ
(Sponsored Feature)
