GGJS 2021 to unlock latent demand, help replenish stock for wedding season

GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat has finally found its ‘silver’ lining with a massive bump in jewellery sales in the last couple of months. The festive season had brought in more than double the business for jewellers on an average. Although this has got more to do with pent-up buying demand for wedding jewellery, the market is turning out to be really well for jewellery. The wedding season will soon reach its peak in December. That’s when GOWJA will hold the eleventh edition of the Gujarat Gold Jewellery Show.

The buyer-seller meet is regarded as the first unlock edition of GGJS, to be held from December 27-29 at Helipad Exhibition Centre, Gandhinagar. The past two years didn’t present a scope to the organisers to have a full-fledged B2B pre-pandemic show due to mounting Covid-19 infection. As the trade reprises the spirit with instances of wonderful manufacturing, great finish and uncompromising purity to satiate the new era of Indian jewellery consumption, GGJS 2021 finds itself at an opportune timeline.

Paresh Jhurmarwala, Director, GGJS said that with support from the Gold Ornaments Wholesale Jewellery Association (GOWJA), the venue will comprise 600 stalls, spread around three halls. “The market is currently on the upward trend, due to which there is a lot of enthusiasm in the trade for this show,” he said.

Let’s understand how GOWJA is creating the best-possible environment for a successful turnout this time.

Safe buying experience

GOWJA is creating a testing facility for Covid-19 inside the venue. There are several important factors that such an initiative will bring in. Firstly, this will reduce the buffer time between getting an exhibitor or a visitor tested in order to grant them access to the venue. Rapid antigen testing will clear healthy individuals for immediate access.

Safety is of utmost priority for any traveller today and the provision of a full-fledged coronavirus testing facility will streamline buying inside the venue.

Display of market-conducive manufacturing

The market has expanded tremendously within the last two years. Colour gemstones, lightweight and everyday wear jewellery are hogging the limelight more frequently than ever. Again, bridal jewellery has become truly national for every bride-to-be and every retail brand poses the challenge of securing the most inclusive range of variegated designs from each corner of the country to please the buyer.

Incorporating so many factors and executing them require a proper plan of action, which each participating exhibitor of GGJS 2021 has followed while curating their inventory this time. Therefore, while a participant will follow a list of what to buy from whom, they will also come across manufacturers who help tick majority of the buying list and make the purchase super-fast and delightful.

Market responding promisingly

So far, the organisers have received more than 12,000 paid registrations for the show. With no shows happening in Gujarat in the last two years, Jhurmarwala is of the opinion that business would be far better than that of 2019.

The trade circle of Gujarat’s gem and jewellery have been waiting for such an event, believe exhibitors. Bridal jewellery manufacturer Aadey Jewels, known for heavy and premium items, is planning to come up with new collections for the upcoming show.

Gold has become an attractive avenue for investments post-pandemic, which has supported design innovation that Aadey Jewels does every 3-6 months. “We create designs as per the latest market trends. The business has been good since the reopening of the stores. We feel that the buying capacity of the end-consumers has also increased, which is a good sign for the industry,” said Varun Shah, Director, Aadey Jewels. He added that high demand from end-consumers has made the manufacturers’ books almost full. GGJ 2021, according to Shah, will help replenish stocks of retailers who couldn’t participate in IIJS Bengaluru.

Antique jadau jewellery manufacturer Lakhtarwala Jewellers will also showcase their specialties from necklaces, kadas to big choker sets. Matrik Shah, Marketing Manager of Lakhtarwala Jewellers, feels that the bridal jewellery segment has remained unscathed by Covid, despite rising popularity of lightweight segments. “Looking at the recently concluded festive season and the ongoing wedding season, GGJS will give a good opportunity to visitors to buy regionally exclusive bridal jewellery designs,” Shah maintained.

RBZ Jewellers, Soni Nanalal Bechardas Jewellers and PM Jewellers are also focusing strongly on the bridal segment. RBZ Jewellers specializes in antique kundan studded jewellery. According to Devendra Wankhede, senior marketing manager of RBZ Jewellers, bridal necklaces starting from 40 grams and complete bridal sets starting from 200 grams will be displayed at the show. “Many marriages are scheduled at the end of 2021 and start of 2022. So, demand for bridal jewellery is strong. I hope to witness visitors from various towns and villages of Gujarat in large numbers,” added Devendra.

According to Sneh Soni, director, Soni Nanalal Bechardas Jewellers, the brand is focusing on a complete bridal trousseau consisting of long, short necklaces, maang tika, Kada, and haath phool for GGJS. “We are trying to reduce the overall weight of the jewellery to make it more pocket-friendly. Jewellery pieces of around 100 grams have been converted into 60-70 grams for this collection,” Soni said.

PM Jewellers, a manufacturer of Rajkot vertical jewellery, diamond jewellery, temple and gold jewellery, is expecting visitors across India. “GGJS is being held at the perfect time during the wedding season. We are going to showcase beautiful collections of Rani Haar in plain gold Rajkot jewellery and diamond chokers,” he said.

Lightweight, on demand, will definitely have a sizeable share in GGJS 2021, promises Hiren Soni, owner, Bachubhai Zaveri. His company is planning to showcase lightweight jewellery with reduced weights by almost 20-25%.

“The weight reduction is being done by reducing the handwork on the jewellery. This makes the products much easier to wear and adorn. GGJS is being scheduled just after the Jaipur Jewellery Show and a week before IIJS Signature. So, I predict a lot of calculative buying to happen at the show,” Soni said.

Retailers excited about the show

The platform will be beneficial for experienced visitors such as Antony Prince from Prince Gold & Diamonds India Pvt Ltd, Chennai as well as first-time visitors such as Saket Kesri from Ratnalaya Jewellers, Patna.

“Rajkot jewellery is quite famous because it’s lightweight and versatile. Other parts of the state also produce beautiful designs but don’t get the proper exposure to showcase the same. So, I think GGJS will be a golden opportunity for local talent to make a mark for themselves in the industry,” said Kesri.

According to Prince, shows like GGJS are an ideal platform to network, meet people from the trade, exchange ideas and understand trends in the market.

Other retailers such as B.A. Ramesh from Thangamayil Jewellery, Madurai, Nandita Agarwal from Sona Chandi Jewellers, Kanpur, and Surbhi Shekhar from Manohar Lal Jewellers, New Delhi are also visiting GGJS for the first time.

For Ramesh, the expanse of 2,500 stalls will be a good platform for the manufacturers from local hubs such as Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Junagadh, etc to display their skills and talent. “I have started keeping Gujarati jewellery in the last couple of years, which are getting good traction in this part of the country,” he said.

Agarwal said she is planning to get in touch with new vendors specific to Gujarat to source new designs, while Shekhar is hopeful about meeting old and new vendors to improve inventory.

It is definitely one of the most eventful times for the fine jewellery industry as jewellers see healthy demand across all sections. Reaping the benefits of such a market would be ideal for every retail brand across the country, and GGJS 2021 is at the right slot at the right time.

Written by Manoj Chakraborty

RJ Exclusive