Steady Decline in Number of US Jewelry Businesses
July 22, 25
(IDEX Online) - The number of US jewelry businesses shrank yet again in Q2, according to the latest update from the Jewelers Board of Trade (JBT), which provides commercial credit information.
The figures show a long-term decline continuing at a steady rate, with figures for the last four quarters showing a year-on-year fall of around 3 per cent in the total number of retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers.
The JBT statistics take account of new businesses as well as ceased operations.
The biggest decline, in percentage terms, was manufacturers. There are 104 fewer today than there were a year ago, down 4.7 per cent to 2,104.
There are 516 fewer retailers, down 3.0 per cent to 16,873, and 86 fewer wholesalers, down 2.6 per cent to 3,241.
During Q2 there were 28 closures due to mergers or takeovers, three bankruptcies and 143 businesses that ceased activity for other reasons.
In addition, 561 company credit ratings were downgraded in Q2 2025, and 639 upgraded - compared to 633 downgrades and 663 upgrades in the same quarter previous year.
JBT also provides figures for Canada, which has a far smaller jewelry sector. It shrank by 1.8 per cent.