National News
Retail Gold Sales Drop 25% Amid Rising Prices, Lightweight Jewelry in Demand
A 4% rise in gold prices in March has led to a significant 25% decline in retail gold sales at jewelers and a 60% drop in Zaveri Bazaar. Indian families with upcoming weddings are feeling the pinch of higher gold prices, turning to lighter, lower-carat jewelry to meet bridal jewelry demands. Despite this, demand is expected to pick up during Akshay Tritiya in April, though lightweight jewelry remains the preferred choice.
Gold prices saw a near-4% increase in the first half of March, bringing down retail sales by 25% compared to the same period last year. Zaveri Bazaar, a hub where retail jewellers buy bullion and jewelry in bulk, saw a 60% drop in sales.
Senco Gold & Diamonds, Joy Alukkas, PNG Jewellers, Mamraj Musaddilal Jewellers, and senior executives from the India Bullion & Jewellers Association mentioned that Indian families, especially those with weddings planned for the upcoming season, are stressed by the escalating prices. As a result, they are opting for lightweight jewelry, as high prices make it difficult to stick to the traditional gold jewelry budgets.

Suvankar Sen, the chief of Senco Gold, shared that sales of small-ticket gold jewelry in the ₹30,000 – ₹40,000 price range have dried up. “The high prices are keeping customers away from spending on gold,” he said. On March 18, gold was priced at ₹88,256 per 10 gm in the physical market, with a 3% Goods and Services Tax (GST), pushing the cost to ₹90,903 per 10 gm.
“Those who have weddings in the family are buying lightweight jewellery as they cannot stretch the budget. Demand has dropped by 15% beginning from March and if this rally continues, the recovery in demand may not happen. The next big sales can only happen during Akshay Tritiya, which falls on April 30,” said the MD of Senco Gold & Diamond.
Despite the rise in prices, the demand has remained sluggish in South India too. “Compared to last March, demand is down by up to 25%. While the high price is a big factor in this demand drop, other things like board exams have slowed down demand as well,” said Baby George, CEO of Joy Alukkas.
Saurabh Gadgil, chairman of PNG Jewellers, also highlighted the shift in preferences. “People are buying lightweight jewellery, and many are exchanging old gold jewellery with new ones. The volumes are getting impacted but value-wise the jewellers are not facing any issue.”


Avinash Gupta, partner at Hyderabad-based Mamraj Musaddilal Jewellers, noted that while demand has softened, it hasn’t reached alarming levels. “Demand will bounce back in April due to weddings and Akshaya Tritiya, but definitely the preference will shift to lightweight and lower caratage jewellery.”
National News
India’s Major Retail Jewellery Players Made A Strong Start To FY27
The Common Drivers Are Clear: Strong Same-Store Sales, Fast Store Expansion, Premiumisation, and A Better Product Mix.
India’s organised jewellery retailers have made a strong start to FY27, with Kalyan Jewellers, P N Gadgil Jewellers and Titan Company all showing that branded players can still grow quickly even in a record gold-price environment. The common drivers are clear: strong same-store sales, fast store expansion, premiumisation, and a better product mix.
Kalyan’s broad-based growth
Kalyan Jewellers reported about 38% consolidated revenue growth in Q1 FY27, with India operations also rising by more than 38% despite the 28-day Adhik Maas period, which usually softens wedding-related demand. Same-store sales growth was around 28%, showing that existing stores remained the main engine of momentum. Candere was a standout, posting about 112% growth, while Kalyan added 12 Kalyan showrooms and five Candere outlets during the quarter.
The company also highlighted a shift toward recycled gold through its “Shine with India” campaign, with recycled gold contributing more than 46% of revenue in Q1 and over 55% in June. That suggests Kalyan is not only growing demand but also improving sourcing efficiency at the same time.
PNG’s premium mix
P N Gadgil Jewellers reported 41% year-on-year revenue growth in Q1 FY27, with retail revenue up 56% and same-store sales up 46%, which points to very strong productivity at existing stores. Retail now contributes roughly 78% of revenue, while franchise and e-commerce also expanded healthily. The company’s retail stud ratio increased to 10.9%, indicating improving demand for studded jewellery and a higher-value product mix.
PNG also noted that newer stores in North and Central India are already showing higher studded jewellery penetration than its traditional Maharashtra and Goa markets. That matters because it signals that the brand is successfully taking its premium assortment to new geographies, not just expanding store count.
Titan’s steady momentum
Titan’s jewellery business also continued to grow strongly, with domestic jewellery operations rising around 18% to 39% depending on the business-update frame reported, supported by Akshaya Tritiya demand and healthy early-quarter buyer traffic. Titan said consumers increasingly preferred lightweight and lower-karat jewellery as gold prices climbed, while plain gold jewellery grew in the mid-teens and studded jewellery delivered early double-digit growth. Tanishq’s like-to-like sales grew in early double digits, and CaratLane also posted healthy double-digit like-to-like growth.
Titan expanded its jewellery network by adding 19 net stores in the quarter, including Tanishq, Mia and CaratLane outlets. That reinforces the same theme seen across the sector: scale, distribution and brand trust are helping large organised players win share.
What it means
The quarter suggests that high gold prices are changing what consumers buy, not whether they buy. Buyers are shifting toward lighter designs, lower karatage, studded jewellery and branded channels, which helps organised retailers defend growth even when raw material prices are elevated. In that setting, store expansion and premiumisation are offsetting pricing pressure, while digital channels and recycled-gold initiatives are adding another layer of resilience.
For the upcoming festive and wedding season, the sector appears well positioned, especially if gold prices stay volatile but not sharply disruptive. The strongest signal from these updates is that organised jewellery retail is gaining share from unorganised players rather than simply riding higher ticket values.
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