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Signet Has Biggest Jump Since 2020 on Rebounding Jewelry Sales

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(Bloomberg) -- Signet Jewelers Ltd. shares soared after the Kay Jewelers owner said sales are recovering from a disappointing holiday season that led Wall Street to slash expectations for the retailer.

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The modest revenue trend is welcome news for the sector. Many executives have struck a cautious note about US consumer discretionary spending because of uncertainty about the economic impact of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The shares gained as much as 25% in New York trading on Wednesday, the most since 2020. They had lost 40% this year through Tuesday’s close.

Signet, which also owns the Zales and Jared chains, warned Wall Street earlier this year that holiday sales were worse than expected, in part because its brands didn’t offer enough gold jewelry or lab-grown diamonds in the $200-to-$500 price range that shoppers were looking for. On top of that, the number of engagements has been recovering more slowly than the company anticipated following the pandemic. Bridal sales account for about half of Signet’s annual revenue.

The company said Wednesday that it took steps to address those shortfalls. “We increased our depth of assortment at key price points while also benefiting from improved bridal trends,” Chief Executive Officer J.K. Symancyk said in a statement. That led to a January rebound, with “growth across all categories” so far in the quarter, said Symancyk, who took over in October and previously served as CEO of PetSmart Inc.

The company sees revenue of $1.5 billion to $1.53 billion in its fiscal first quarter, according to the statement. The average estimate compiled by Bloomberg is close to the low point of that range. The company also expects e-commerce sales and revenue from stores that have been open for at least a year to be flat to up 2% in the period. The average of three analyst estimates is near the midpoint of that range.

To boost revenue growth at Signet, Symancyk wants to expand the company’s dominant share of bridal jewelry sales in the US, while seeking faster growth in fashion jewelry, where it has lagged behind.

“We have historically been so focused on our core in engagement that we’ve missed some of those opportunities to connect with customers,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg News.