"Over the past two years, UK jewellery businesses have been fighting a financial battle. Small retailers found themselves absorbing cost increases across almost every part of their operation. According to the ONS, labour and overhead costs for small businesses rose by 12-18% from 2022 to 2024. This has become a burden for most independent jewellers. For small studios in London, Birmingham, Brighton, or Edinburgh, producing everything domestically has simply become too expensive."
"But fully shifting production overseas comes with its own set of anxieties: quality control, communication barriers, shipping delays, and the fear of losing creative identity. This is the dilemma many UK jewellery entrepreneurs are stuck in today, as it is difficult to balance local control with global cost efficiency. Fortunately, a practical middle-ground has emerged: the hybrid manufacturing model. A practical solution: Hybrid manufacturing Hybrid manufacturing is increasingly becoming the strategy of choice for UK jewellery brands that want to stay competitive."
UK jewellery businesses experienced significant cost pressures from 2022 to 2024, with labour and overhead rising by 12–18%, placing heavy burdens on independent retailers and small studios. Fully domestic production has become unaffordable for many, while complete offshoring raises concerns around quality control, communication, shipping delays, and loss of creative identity. Hybrid manufacturing keeps design, prototyping, branding, and final quality checks in the UK while moving labour-intensive steps overseas. The hybrid model lowers unit costs, enables faster restocks, and provides access to specialist craftsmanship, while preserving creative direction and UK-based final quality assurance.
Read at London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com
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