core sector communique

CIBJO Sector B and CAENCOM to present value adding services to members John Kennedy of Jewellers Security Alliance to address security issues for jewellers Milan, Italy - May 14, 2012 - With the 2012 CIBJO Congress just a few days away, CIBJO has announced that it will be discussing during the gathering the creation of value adding services for the membership of its members, many of which of national jewellery and gemstone associations, particularly in the realms of security, insurance, logistics, valuation and appraising. CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri said that, increasingly, jewellery retailers were facing identical challenges in preserving and safeguarding their businesses. "For example, in Europe, in the U.S., and reportedly also in Asia, jewellery retailers are facing worsening crime rates. In other words, there are more robberies, and too often with lethal results. Only last week, a Dutch jeweller was murdered in an attempted robbery. We are hearing too many of these stories of late, " he said. "Of course, each of our member associations is coping with these phenomena at their respective national levels, but CIBJO can facilitate a cooperative effort to counter these challenges. We will do so under the auspices of Sector B, which covers the chain of jewellery distribution, and with the invaluable input, help and cooperation of the CIBJO Association Executives' Networking Commission (CAENCOM). Together we will discuss how we can assist our national jewellery associations, improving services related to security and insurance, and also logistics, valuation and appraising," CIBJO's president added. Among the speakers scheduled to address for the CAENCOM and Sector B meetings during the CIBJO Congress is John Kennedy, President of the Jewelers' Security Alliance, of New York. In a message to CIBJO, Kennedy wrote he intends presenting some statistics about the high incidence of crimes against jewellers in Western Europe, which he noted is considerably higher than the incidence of crimes against jewelers in the United States. "It would be good strategy to have the national jewelry organizations, within the bounds of privacy and legal restrictions, to share information on crimes and suspects among the members. Also, by working closely with their relevant police organizations, the national organizations can become more aggressive encouraging the police to take a greater interest in jewelry crime. The national organizations should look upon security activity as a way to recruit and connect closely with members, but also as a potential source of revenue, such as contributions and support from insurance companies, security vendors, and other sources. CIBJO is a great vehicle for promoting and coordinating security as an important issue for the national organizations," Kennedy wrote. "We're very pleased to have John Kennedy, as well as number of other expert speakers participating in the 2012 CIBJO Congress," said Simon Rainer, CAENCOM president, who is also the CEO of British Jewellers Association (BJA). "Sector B President Ian Hadassin and I have been working hard to assure that retailers, who make up a large percentage of the CIBJO membership's constituents, will have good reason to look at CIBJO for leadership. I hope and trust that the participating delegates will take that message home to their own members." CIBJO is the international jewellery confederation of national trade organizations. CIBJO's purpose is to encourage harmonization, promote international cooperation in the jewellery industry and to consider issues which concern the trade worldwide. CIBJO's chief mission is to protect consumer confidence in the industry.