EXCLUSIVE: Majors execs walk the high-volume wire
December 01, 2007

Terry Burman, CEO of Signet Group, the parent of Sterling Jewelers.

New York—As part of our Who’s Who in the Majors supplement, National Jeweler interviewed some of the top names in the high-volume retail jewelry business.

These executives spoke frankly about growth opportunities, challenges, the impacts of the Internet and how doing business in the jewelry industry these days also means doing good.

In an exclusive interview, Terry Burman, chief executive officer of Signet Group, explains how executing the basics, such as merchandising and customer service, as well as paying attention to what will happen in the long-term versus the short-term, has helped make Sterling Jewelers the top specialty retailer in the United States.

In an era of diminishing returns on diamonds, H. Marvin Beasley, chairman and chief executive officer of Helzberg Diamonds, explains how the retailer has continued to make the most of the category through tradition, service and quality.

Peter Engel, president of Fred Meyer Jewelers, gives insight on how to offer consumers value, the challenges and advantages of being in malls or shopping centers, and how the Internet has become an ally for the chain.

Fortunoff Fine Jewelry Executive Vice President Esther Fortunoff discusses the retailer’s growth plans, its success in promoting new designers and how jewelers are coming under increased scrutiny when it comes to social responsibility and ethical issues.

Robert Taylor, president and chief executive officer of Honolulu-based Maui Divers, speaks of how the island-themed jeweler is looking at growth on the U.S. mainland and beyond, as well as in cyberspace.

Editor’s note: For the complete Who’s Who in the Majors supplement, see the December issue of National Jeweler.