International News
Pandora to Close Up to 100 Stores in China
Pandora posted 4% revenue growth to DKK 7.08 billion in Q2 2025, driven by strong US demand and a 36% surge in lab-grown diamond sales. The brand will close 100 underperforming China stores—double earlier estimates—while still targeting 400–500 new global openings by 2026.
Pandora reported steady growth in the second quarter despite global challenges, while announcing plans to close about 100 underperforming stores in China to streamline its retail network. The closures are higher than the 50 previously expected, meaning net global openings will now total 25 to 50 this year, compared to the earlier forecast of 50 to 75. Still, Pandora aims to expand its footprint by 400–500 stores by 2026.
Product mix contributed negatively driven by the strong performance in Collabs and Pandora Lab-Grown Diamonds, which both carry gross margins below group level,
For the quarter ending June 30, revenue rose 4% to DKK 7.08 billion ($1.11 billion), with organic growth of 8% and like-for-like sales up 3%, driven by strong US demand, especially during Mother’s Day. Profit inched up 0.5% to DKK 803 million ($125.9 million). Lab-grown diamond sales surged 36%, though their lower margins pressured profitability.
Pandora also flagged potential tariff impacts, estimating costs of DKK 200 million in 2025 and DKK 450 million in 2026, and may consider price increases to offset pressures.
DiamondBuzz
Diamond Slump forces Debswana to diversify into copper, platinum and solar
Diamond-centric mining models is giving way to broader resource portfolios
Debswana Diamond Company, the 50–50 joint venture between the Botswana government and De Beers, is moving to diversify into copper, platinum and renewable energy as the prolonged downturn in natural diamond demand pressures earnings and forces the industry to rethink its growth strategy.
The company’s board has approved plans to invest in a portfolio of non-diamond projects after revenue fell 46% in 2024, the latest available financial year, highlighting the scale of the downturn in the global diamond market.
The move signals a strategic shift toward commodities with stronger long-term demand fundamentals, particularly copper, which is central to global electrification and energy-transition infrastructure.
Debswana’s diversification reflects a broader industry pivot as diamond producers confront weak consumer demand, rising competition from lab-grown stones and elevated inventories across the supply chain.
The shift is also visible among smaller exploration companies. Botswana Diamonds recently rebranded as Botswana Minerals, signalling its own strategic focus on copper exploration rather than diamonds.
Together, these moves underscore a growing consensus across the sector: the era of diamond-centric mining models is giving way to broader resource portfolios anchored in energy-transition metals.
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