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
Quarterly Update: Q1 FY2027- Kalyan Jewellers
Q1 FY2027 highlights robust revenue growth, expanding global footprint, and continued investment in festive season readiness.
The recently concluded quarter has been a very satisfying one, recording consolidated revenue growth of approximately 38% when compared to the same period in the previous financial year.
We saw revenue growth in excess of 38% for our India operations during Q1 FY2027 as compared to Q1 FY2026, led by robust operating momentum on the ground with healthy same-store-sales-growth across all the key markets in the country despite the 28-day Adhik Maas period falling fully in the recently concluded quarter. Adhik Maas is a once in a 3-year phenomenon during which wedding-related demand tends to take a pause in certain parts of the country. The recently concluded quarter recorded same-store-sales-growth of approximately 28%.
We launched our ‘Shine with India’ Gold Recirculation Campaign during the second half of May with the larger objective of increasing the share of recycled gold and thereby reducing dependence on imported gold. The initiative has been well received by customers, helping us increase the share of recycled gold as a percentage of revenue to over 46% during Q1 FY2027. For the month of June, the share of recycled gold as a percentage of revenue was in excess of 55%.
Our international operations recorded revenue growth of approximately 35% for the recently concluded quarter when compared to the same period during the previous financial year. Within the Middle East specifically, we witnessed revenue growth of approximately 30% for Q1 FY2027 as compared to Q1 FY2026, driven predominantly by same-store-sales-growth despite the impact on footfall during April due to the geopolitical tensions in the region.
International markets contributed approximately 14% to our consolidated revenue for the recently concluded quarter.
Our digital-first jewellery platform, Candere, recorded a revenue growth of approximately 112% during the recently concluded quarter as compared to the same period during the last year.
During the recently concluded quarter, we launched 12 Kalyan showrooms and 5 Candere showrooms in India.
The ongoing quarter has started off well and we are upbeat about the new showroom launches, gearing up with fresh collections and campaigns for the upcoming festive and wedding season across the country.
As of June 30, 2026, our total number of showrooms across India and international markets stood at 524:
- Kalyan India – 354
- Kalyan Middle East – 38
- Kalyan USA – 2
- Kalyan UK – 1
- Candere – 129
The metrics and other details provided above are subject to the Limited Review process by our Statutory Auditors. Post approval of the results for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 by the Board of Directors, a detailed information update will follow. Revenue figures provided above refer to revenue from sale of goods (excluding bullion).
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