Segal’s Jewellers has adapted to the changing landscape of the industry, leveraging new technologies and expanding its global reach – all while maintaining a dedication to heritage, family and trust, writes Sam Hawcroft
Segal’s has a rich history dating back more than a century.
Its story began in 1919 in Hull’s South Street, when skilled watchmaker Jack Segal spotted an opportunity and began buying silver and pre-owned rings, extracting and repairing them items for resale. It was an entrepreneurial spark that laid the foundation for what is now a thriving fourth-generation family enterprise.
In 1921, Jack expanded into larger premises in Porter Street, and the post-war era brought further growth – in 1947, Maurice Segal joined the family business, developing the antique and second-hand side, and it was his passion for buying and selling that was instrumental in shaping Segal’s into the esteemed jewellers it is today.
The business took another leap forward in 1963 when Maurice began working alone, focusing on buying and selling second-hand jewellery from a small unit at in Paragon Arcade. The expansion continued in 1994, thanks to Maurice’s wife, Shirley. The Segal’s Gold Shop, Silver Shop and the Gift Shop were established, broadening the business’s reach and offerings.
The family tradition carried on with the next generation. In 1990, Shirley’s son Mat joined forces with Maurice, bringing his love for luxury watches and diamonds, and interesting new jewellery. Two years later, in 1997, Shirley’s daughter Jo joined the team, further expanding the business by opening a new shop across the Humber in Grimsby. This store, along with two others on the much-missed Top Deck of Princes Quay, Hull, stocked a range of Segal’s items, including gold, silver and gifts.
The early 2000s saw continued growth. In 2003, the Grimsby store expanded to a larger location in Flottergate. Maurice died in 2011, but his legacy lives on, and Shirley, now 89, remains actively involved, overseeing operations and ensuring the high standards set by Maurice continue to be met. “She gets all the reports weekly,” says Jo, “so if there’s anything untoward, she questions it. She’s still very savvy!”
Segal’s has undergone further significant developments in recent years. In 2019, responding to customer feedback – “for years they said to us, you need a bigger shop!” – it moved to a larger premises on the corner of Chariot Street and Carr Lane, transforming their old location in Paragon Arcade into a dedicated silver shop.
Last year marked another milestone, with the relocation of the Grimsby store to an even larger site in Freshney Place Shopping Centre. Managed by Laura, affectionately known as “the lady with the bow”, the new shop mirrors the flagship store’s design and offerings, enhancing the customer experience.
Throughout its history, Segal’s has consistently adapted to the changing market while staying true to its core values of quality and trust. The business now offers a wide range of services, including jewellery repairs, valuations and customisations.
Investing in – and, crucially, keeping up with – advanced technology, such as equipment for distinguishing between natural and laboratory-grown diamonds, ensures they can accurately identify and authenticate the jewellery they buy and sell.
“If we get offered a stone, this means we can precisely know what that stone is,” says Mat.
Jo adds: “When we then go on to sell it, we know and we trust what we are selling. We’ve taken the technology that is out there, and we’ve invested in that to enable us to be better than your average high street jeweller.
“If somebody comes in and they’ve got an old ring that grandma left them, we say we can restore it, we can part-exchange it, or we can take the stones out and make it into something else. It’s not just standing behind the counter and serving – it’s giving the advice and the knowledge that we’ve got. There’s a big difference between a jeweller and a retail jeweller, which is what a lot of the nationals are.”
The Segal family’s commitment to the business is evident in their hands-on approach. Jo focuses on the operational aspects, ensuring everything runs smoothly, while Mat brings his expertise in sales, diamonds and watches. Their respective spouses, Martin and Jane, also play crucial roles, handling procurement and finances.
The fourth generation is already making its mark, with Mat’s son Jake and Jo’s daughter Libby involved in the business. Jake’s technical and analytical skills complement Mat’s expertise, while Libby manages marketing and the essential repair services, ensuring the business remains dynamic and innovative. One of the key members of staff is Ben, not a relative, but he feels like one of the family. Both Mat and Jo both saw great potential in him and he is now an integral part of the team.
“We have about 27 staff now across our three stores, and those we get tend to stay,” says Jo. “I think the reason for that is it’s not the same job day in, day out. Every day is a learning day. We get lovely customers coming in, whether they’re regular or new, and our staff are genuinely interested in what the customers have to say. I would say that, for both me and Mat, it’s not work. We come in here and we love what we do, and we project that on to our staff.”
There is, of course, often a tale behind every item brought in. “You get the sad stories of people who are having to sell their jewellery because of a bereavement or family circumstances,” says Jo, “and it’s about being able to understand that everybody’s story is different. Then you get the interesting stories – for instance, we’ve had a ring that was battered because it was dropped in a food processor and we restored it back to its former glory – and a customer found it very funny when she was bitten on her finger by a horse and it crushed her ring, possibly saving her finger!”
A lot of Segal’s footfall now is for repairs, Jo says. People love to wear jewellery, and therefore should it break they are much more likely to require it repairing or altering, rather than just popping it in a drawer never to be worn again. If an item is too damaged to repair they can offer a price for part-exchanging for something new.
“We’ve got some of the best repairers in the country,” adds Mat. “What they can do to restore jewellery is remarkable.”
The impression some may have that the jewellery business is expensive and exclusive is wide of the mark, insist Jo and Mat.
“We sell for everybody,” says Jo, “whether it’s £5 or the sky’s the limit! Especially when somebody wants an engagement ring and they’ve maybe got a couple of hundred pounds, we will do our very best – we’ve got hundreds of rings that we can sell them, and they’re diamond rings, too. With other high-street chains you can spend £500 on a cubic zirconia ring, yet you can come here and get a beautiful diamond one for the same price.
“Recently we’ve found that people do want to buy new because our prices are extremely good, and sometimes you can’t find what you want in a second-hand item – but we do our best to be more than competitive.”
“I think, with the cost of living, sometimes people will shop around a little bit more now,” adds Mat. “They won’t just buy the first thing they see, which is good, really, because if they compare the prices with high street jewellers, that’s where we win because people can educate themselves to the fact that they can buy it cheaper from us.”
“The fact that we have been in business for 105 years and we are extremely busy on a day to day basis is a testament that we are getting it right,” says Jo. “Not only do we have the staff on the shop floor, we’ve got more behind the scenes doing what we need to do to enable us to fill our windows and make them look as good as they do.”
Jane, Mat’s wife, has a particular talent for designing captivating window displays. Each is carefully curated to showcase the variety and quality of the jewellery available, from antique pieces to modern designs, and the displays often reflect seasonal themes or current trends.
Inside the shops there is yet more to discover. “We’ve got a history wall,” says Jo. “As you walk in, it tells you when and where we started, how many shops we’ve been in, who joined in what year. We’ve actually had people walking into the shop saying, ‘I’m interested to have a look at the history wall.’”
Another key element that has propelled Segal’s into the modern era and expanded its reach globally is its user-friendly website. Developed by Hessle-based online retail specialists Spark, it offers a vast number of new and second-hand items for sale – and what you see is what you get.
“Whenever we do anything, we try to keep it local,” says Jo. “And the one thing that all our customers say is our website is easy to use. We don’t have generic photographs of a diamond solitaire, for example – the photo is of the actual diamond solitaire that you will be buying. Any new stock items we put on in our store update every evening and we have regular customers who check every morning what new items we have put on our website.”
The seamless integration of the website with Segal’s in-store inventory system ensures that stock levels are always up to date. As items are sold, the website is automatically updated, providing real-time availability to online shoppers. This automation not only enhances the shopping experience but also reduces the workload for the staff, allowing them to focus on the customer service they’re renowned for.
Looking ahead, Segal’s is continuing to invest in advanced equipment and training for its staff, ensuring it remains at the forefront of the jewellery industry. With a history rooted in quality and trust, they have adapted to the changing landscape of the industry. As Jo says: “We’re an antique company with traditional values, but we have a modern outlook. You provide the moment, we provide the memory.”
