Taking inspiration from international trade shows, The Village was spearheaded by Retail Edge Consultants – combining multiple exhibitors with an emphasis on technological offerings for jewellery retailers in one location – at the International Jewellery Fair in August 2025.
Retail Edge Consultants provides a jewellery-specific point-of-sale and business management system, specialising in inventory control and data analysis. It also provides business coaching.
Also featured is Zeller, offering integrated payment and business banking solutions, and Podium, which centralises all business communications, from SMS to webchat and reviews, into a single inbox.
Retail Edge business development manager Kim Ridley told Jeweller that last year's feedback made continuing the project an easy decision.
“Everyone is really excited to get started in Adelaide. We’re going to be driving home the message about the importance and value of smart tech and how integrating new tools in business can completely transform your business,” she explained.
“The Australian Jewellery Fair is going to be an excellent opportunity to show how everything can work together to make your daily life easier as a jewellery store owner. It’s a chance to spend time, one-on-one, with experts, which is very valuable.”
For Retail Edge, the focus of recent years will continue to be business coaching services, which were spotlighted with the debut of the Business Excellence Awards at last year’s Sydney Fair.
Ridley said that the results generated from business coaching were evidence of the evolution of the jewellery business, not just in Australia, but worldwide.
“Having someone who can look at your business impartially, to really lift off the roof and see what’s happening inside, is just such a valuable exercise,” Ridley added.
“Working as a jeweller and managing a business are two very different things, and finding a balance between both is a big challenge. Even the simplest issues can be hard to identify, and when someone helps not only spot them, but also to solve them, it can make a world of difference.”
The Australian Jewellery Fair is scheduled for April 19-20 at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
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