Independent jewellery retailer John Greed is cutting ties with Pandora. Photo: The Lincolnite
Lincoln-based independent jewellery retailer John Greed is cutting its ties with Pandora, a move which is expected to lead to redundancies.
John Greed revealed to The Lincolnite that the company will soon be ending its retail and online relationship with Pandora but that discussions are ongoing.
No redundancies have been made by the time of writing.
The company has also said it is “committed to saving jobs wherever possible”.
John Greed will move away from selling Pandora in-store and online to concentrate on other brands including Nomination, Thomas Sabo, Swarovski and in particular its own John Greed.
The Lincoln company, which owns two Cornhill stores and leases one to Pandora, said negotiations over the Pandora shop are ongoing.
The lease may continue with Pandora, or be taken up by ‘another interested party’.
The John Greed shop will remain open as normal and the business will continue to operate from its headquarters at the Firth Road Business Centre in Lincoln.
John Greed. Photo: Steve Smailes for Lincolnshire Business magazine
Longevity and security
The business is run on a day to day basis by John and Laura Greed. The online side of the business also based in Lincoln is the largest part of the company.
In a statement issued to The Lincolnite John Greed said the “longevity and security of any retail business can only ultimately come from developing your own brand and identity”.
John Greed now wants to focus on its own brand.
The business started on Steep Hill in 1994 and has grown into be what it believes to be one of the largest independent jewellery retailers in the UK.
It seemed like the right time
John Greed Jewellery LTD and John Greed Retail LTD have been selling Pandora jewellery for 15 years both online and instore.
John Greed said: “Our Pandora High Street store franchise will soon come to a natural end and so it seemed like the right time for us to decide for a variety of reasons to also stop selling Pandora online.
“We will continue to sell other great Brands such as Nomination and Thomas Sabo but we really want to bring our own jewellery to centre stage.
“We grew into a large jewellery business keeping up with the customers’ demand for Pandora jewellery and so sadly our new business vision might require initially a much smaller focused workforce and so redundancies at the online business, unfortunately, might be inevitable.
However, we are committed to saving jobs wherever possible.
“We are still in negotiations with Pandora as regards them leasing our High Street building which would allow them to continue with the current Pandora store after our franchise ends.
“We are also in negotiations with other parties as regards the use of our building so we will have to see what happens.
“Retail and especially e-commerce is changing rapidly and we must change with it in order to secure a long term future for our business.
“We have in recent years invested heavily in new e-commerce technology and in finding the right people to help us create our vision. The retail environment is currently really tough and that isn’t going to change any time soon.
“We need to continue to develop our unique proposition and have already put a huge amount of effort in over the last 18 months to take our own brand, John Greed, to the next level.
“Although we don’t plan on being a Pandora online retailer in the future we are still on very good terms with them and are still very passionate about their brand.
“We are currently in discussions on working together on some very exciting projects which really capitalises on our specialist skills and expertise, so watch this space.”
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Grimsby Town signed defender Rollin Menayese on loan until the end of the season.
The 23-year-old central defender is coming from fellow League Two side Mansfield Town, who he joined in the summer of 2020 after three years at Bristol Rovers.
It is new manager Paul Hurst’s second signing of the window, as he looks to turn the club’s fortunes around after Ian Holloway’s departure.
Menayese has made 14 appearances for Mansfield this season, scoring two goals, and he hopes to now help Grimsby in their fight against relegation.
The new signing said: “I found out a couple of weeks or a week ago, when I spoke to the manager, spoke to my agent and I was very interested and keen to join.
“I think it’s the right time for me because I really want to push myself, I want to keep on improving and hopefully we can get some wins.”
Grimsby Town manager Paul Hurst was pleased to be able to bolster his defensive options for the coming games.
He said: “He’s a player that I have been aware of for some time.
“At the start of this season, I had said that I had been watching games and he is someone that caught the eye while he has been at Mansfield.”
Rollin will be available to play in the Lincolnshire derby with Scunthorpe United on Saturday, which could be huge in how the relegation fight pans out.
Scunthorpe are currently hovering just two points above the relegation zone, with Grimsby currently in the bottom two, staring demotion to the National League in the face unless form turns around.
It’s very tight at the bottom of League Two, but Scunthorpe and Grimsby are in danger of relegation. | Photo: BBC Sport (accurate as of January 18, 2021)
The first appointments went ahead at 11am on Monday, January 18, with the site having the capacity to deliver 1,500 vaccines every day.
The new COVID-19 vaccination centre in Boston. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It will be open seven days a week from 8am to 7pm, prioritising the most vulnerable people in the area before expanding to the wider community.
Letters have been sent out to people over 80 years of age who live within 45 minutes driving distance of the centre.
The letter invites people to book their vaccination through the national booking service, either online or by telephone.
Details will only be given to those who are sent a letter or contacted, so people are being urged not to contact their GP about this and wait for the NHS to come to you.
1,500 jabs could be delivered every day at the Boston vaccine hub. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
It is part of a national push to get people vaccinated across the country, as health secretary Matt Hancock said he is aiming for everyone to have had the first dose by September.
The site is another option for people who are eligible for the vaccine at this stage, meaning they can secure an appointment for the Boston PRSA up to seven days in advance.
Alternatively, people can wait to be called by the NHS and be invited to their local vaccination sites, of which there are now 21 in Greater Lincolnshire.
The full list of sites operating as vaccination hubs in the county are:
Hospital Hubs
United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust
Lincoln County Hospital
Boston Pilgrim Hospital
Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust
The boy attended today’s hearing remotely by video link from the secure accommodation unit where he is being held on remand.
Tributes left for Roberts Buncis, 12, near Alcorn Green in Fishtoft, where his body was found. | Photo: John Aron
During the 14 minute hearing the boy sat on a settee next to his defence barrister Tara McCarthy. Both of them wore protective visors.
No charge was put to him and the matter was adjourned for a further case management hearing to be held on April 6.
Judge John Pini QC remanded the defendant to the secure accommodation unit. The judge previously set down a trial date to commence on June 21. The hearing is expected to last two weeks.
An order has been imposed under section 45 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act of 1999 preventing publication of the identity of the accused boy.
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