Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** The jewelry retailer outlined significant strategic shifts during its Q4 earnings call, including roughly 100 store closures and the shuttering of its online-only brand James Allen. With a focus on fiscal 2027, the company aims to sharpen brand differentiation, expand customer reach, and enhance omnichannel experiences—starting with website upgrades for its core brands ahead of the holiday season.
The jewelry retailer announced changes to its store network and brand portfolio during its fourth-quarter earnings call.
The jewelry giant also announced changes to its portfolio, including around 100 store closures this coming fiscal year and its plans to shutter its mainly online retailer James Allen.
The company plans to update its big three’s websites, finishing the project by Q3 just in time for the holiday season.
The retailer also plans to accelerate its store renovations, reaching 30 percent more locations this year, which adds up to about 10 percent of its store network.
To reach that goal, it plans to bolster its marketing efforts and its social media presence, said Symancyk.
Hilson also said the company had implemented an integrated diamond sourcing process to better manage its virtual diamond marketplace and elevate the natural diamond offerings for its brands.
As for its services category, the retailer’s jewelry service network is now able to provide custom services and jewelry repair, including B2B repairs.
Signet Jewelers to Close 100 Stores, Shutter James Allen Banner
Mar 19, 2026
Signet Jewelers to Close 100 Stores, Shutter James Allen Banner
Lenore Fedow
[email protected]
A campaign image from Signet Jewelers-owned banner Zales. Signet Jewelers announced changes to its brands and store network during its fourth-quarter earnings call Thursday, including shutting down its James Allen banner and transitioning it to a proprietary collection available at Blue Nile.
Akron, Ohio—Signet Jewelers reported essentially flat sales in Q4, the important holiday quarter, with modest growth in 2025.
Signet released its final results Thursday morning after sharing its preliminary fourth-quarter and full-year results last week.
For the quarter that ended Jan. 31, Signet’s sales totaled $2.35 billion, flat year-over-year. Same-store sales were down less than 1 percent.
For the full year, sales were up 2 percent year-over-year to $6.81 billion, while same-store sales increased 1 percent.
The retailer said it saw sequential improvement each month during the fourth quarter, with a return to positive comps on peak holiday selling days that continued for the rest of the quarter.
The momentum continued into Q1 with a positive Valentine’s Day performance.
Merchandise average unit retail (AUR), meaning the average selling price for its products, was up approximately 5 percent in Q4 and 7 percent for the full year, with growth in both bridal and fashion.
As for diamonds, Symancyk said the industry saw growth in both natural and lab-grown, adding there continues to be an opportunity for lab-grown diamonds in the fashion category.
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Signet’s banners in North America are Zales, Jared, and Kay Jewelers, as well as Peoples Jewellers in Canada. In the United Kingdom, Signet owns Ernest Jones and H. Samuel.
The company has been focusing on its three largest retail chains—Kay Jewelers, Zales, and Jared—with plans to continue evolving their product assortment and elevating the omnichannel customer experience.
Signet has been working to transition from a banner to brand mindset, looking to better differentiate its brands.
To better focus on its larger brands, Signet reviewed its portfolio and pinpointed ways to integrate select standalone brands into its larger brands, said Chief Operating and Financial Officer Joan Hilson.
