PGI India Felicitates 'Platinum Season of Love 2022' Award Winners at the Awards

Following the tremendous success of four previous editions, Platinum Guild International (PGI) India brought back its annual flagship retail initiative - Platinum 'Season of Love'. In its fifth edition, the month-long programme that spanned from 5^th May 2022 to 5^th June 2022, infused fresh vigor & excitement amongst PGI partners, while bolstering the overall consumer retail demand for platinum. The much-awaited activation made a comeback after two years. The comeback has been phenomenal with participating retailers reporting a 100% growth over Platinum Season of Love 2019.

Platinum Season of Love 2022 Awards

The Season of Love Awards in 2022 celebrated the extraordinary success of PGI's retail and manufacturing partners. Over an evening of celebration, PGI felicitated the winners and top performers of this signature retail initiative.

The winners across various categories were awarded for driving incremental in-store conversions during this campaign that boosted platinum jewellery sales. The list of awardees comprised of national winners for chain stores & independents and regional chain stores & independents and also sales associates were awarded for excellence in retail conversions.

Sharing her views on the astounding success of the initiative, Vaishali Banerjee, Managing Director - PGI, India stated, "The Platinum Season of Love registered a growth of 100% over 2019, making it an incredible comeback after two years. The resounding success of the fifth edition of Platinum Season of Love is truly a result of the enthusiastic participation from retailers, manufacturers, and the commitment of their teams. We truly appreciate the efforts by our partners in further building a robust demand momentum for platinum and driving customers to the store during this crucial period. With the onset of festivities and the imminent wedding season, we are confident that this momentum will sustain through the rest of the year."

Platinum Season of Love 2022 Awards

On being announced as the Platinum Season of Love National winner, Chain Stores, Mr. G.R. 'Ananth' Ananthapadmanabhan, Managing Director of GRT Jewellers said, "It is indeed an honour to be winning this award for the fifth time. We are grateful to our customers and the entire team for their commendable efforts in making this a success."

Mr. G. R. Radhakrishnan, Managing Director, GRT Jewellers further added, "Gods' grace, we thank our customers, our team and our artisans for this award. We are very happy to be the recipient of this award again. This year's edition of Platinum Season of Love played an instrumental role in boosting the demand for platinum jewellery before a high growth season."

Mr. Asher O Managing Director - Malabar Gold & Diamonds, 1st runners up of National awards and 1st runners up of regional awards west & south in Chain stores shared, "This triple recognition of our efforts is an absolute honour for us. With the festive season soon upon us, the month-long programme was indeed a great way to energize the customers during this important season."

Platinum Season of Love 2022 Awards

On being announced as the National award 2^nd runner up and also winner Regional-West chain store, Mr. Rajesh Kalyanaraman Executive Director of Kalyan Jewellers stated, "These are exciting times for the jewellery industry, and we are extremely honoured to be winning this award. We saw a great response to the Platinum Season of Love initiative, and we are hopeful for an exciting latter half of the year as well!"

Winner of regional awards - North in chain category, Mr. Sunil Raj, Head - Merchandizing and NPD of Tanishq said, "This year, Platinum Season of Love was an important initiative to leverage the wedding season and hence winning this award is a great milestone for us! This initiative not only enabled in strengthening the demand for platinum jewellery among consumers but also assisted in catering to the demands of younger consumers."

Mr. Dipu Mehta, Managing Director, Orra Fine Jewellery, 1^st runner up of regional awards - North in chain stores said, "We are thankful to our team for their commitment and efforts towards making the Platinum Season of Love initiative a grand success. The positive consumer sentiment during this period and this recognition for our team is truly a testimonial of these efforts."

Mr. Suvankar Sen, Director, Senco Gold & Diamonds, 1^st runner up of regional awards - east in chain stores said, "We are delighted about this win and this award is a perfect culmination of a very successful Platinum Season of Love initiative for us. As we scale to newer geographies and expand our offerings, this accolade will definitely be a great reward to our team."

This year Platinum Season of Love saw two winners sharing the space for National Awards in the independent store zone.

On being announced as the winner of the National Award in the independent stores category, Mr. Milan Shah, Director-Kalamandir Jewellers said, "It's an honour to be recognized as the winner under the independent stores category for the Platinum Season of Love initiative. As we prepare for a bustling Q3 and Q4 with a number of weddings, festivals and special occasions, we are optimistic that the growth trajectory is likely to continue."

National award in the independent stores category, Dr. Siva Arul, Managing Director of Saravana Stores Elite said, "We are honored to be recognized as the National winner for Platinum Season of Love under the independent store category. We witnessed incremental demand for platinum jewellery across various categories and it is Platinum Season of Love that played a key role in unlocking these new spaces and avenues!"

Mr. Viren Chokshi, Director - D. Khushalbhai Jewellers, 2^nd runner up of the national award in independent stores shared, "We are thrilled to win the award for Platinum Season of Love. Being a part of this initiative was indeed a great experience, as we saw an outstanding response from our customers. Our team was committed to making this initiative a successful one and we are glad to be receiving this honour."

On being announced as the winner of the Regional South in the Independent category, Mr. Amarendran Vummidi, Partner, Vummudi Bangaru Jewellers said, "It feels great to win this award and be recognized for our contribution to the remarkable growth and success of the Platinum Season of Love 2022 initiative. This activation resulted in a strong demand surge as it further fortified consumer confidence."

Mr. Saket Keshri, Director Ratnalaya Jewellers, winner & runner up of Regional East in the independent store category stated, "The remarkable success of the Platinum Season of Love 2022 initiative has been possible due to the brilliant work that our sales team has done, and winning this award is indeed a great demonstration of our team's efforts. Also, this edition of the Platinum Season of Love campaign generated huge excitement at a consumer level and created a strong desire for platinum prior to the much-anticipated festive season of 2022."

"We are elated to win the best manufacturer award for Men of Platinum and service. Its been a long journey for men's jewellery for BN and we are extremely honored to receive this retailer recognition and confidence," said Mr. Nirmal Rawal, Partner, BN Jewellers.

"This is a brilliant initiative undertaken by PGI and we are extremely honoured to win this award for Platinum Days of Love. While we continue to innovate and excel in the category of platinum love bands, we have also decided to focus on offering a wide range of products from bracelets, and chains to platinum jewellery for men," said Madhu Jethwani, General Manager Jewelex.

"Over the last few months, we have witnessed tremendous growth with self-purchase being introduced under Platinum Evara, and we are extremely happy at having won the award for Platinum Evara. We have also created some innovative designs for Platinum Days of Love and built an offering for Men of Platinum, to drive incremental platinum growth," stated Mr. Colin Shah, MD Kama Schachter.

About Platinum Guild International (PGI)

Platinum Guild International (PGI) is a marketing organisation with the vision to develop the global platinum jewellery market as a new demand source for platinum. It was formed in 1975 with specialist teams dedicated to growing the global platinum jewellery market through consumer and trade-facing programmes in the four key jewellery markets of China, India, Japan and USA. Since then, jewellery development has demonstrated a strong track record in delivering results.

Through various programmes, both direct-to-consumer and in collaboration with jewellery retailers and manufacturers, PGI creates consumer ounce demand by first identifying opportunities for platinum in jewellery, and then developing them with partners. It also aims to build an enduring commitment to platinum in jewellery.

PGI's consumer marketing and educational programmes are focused on developing awareness and an appreciation for platinum's unique properties as a precious metal for fine jewellery.

In addition, PGI works globally with collaborative partners running extensive marketing programmes in the four main platinum jewellery markets of China, Japan, USA and India. These markets are staffed with experts in strategic planning, marketing, retail, design and business development.

PGI is funded by the leading platinum producers of South Africa, as well as through co-funded programmes with the jewellery industry.

Purity Assurance Program

PGI has partnered with TUV India Pvt. Ltd. to implement a robust audit programme to ensure the purity of platinum under its programme. TUV is one of the country's first certification bodies and has been closely associated with the quality revolution in India.

Under Platinum Guild India's quality assurance programme, each individual piece of jewellery has an assured purity as high as 95%. And as a proof of this assurance, every piece is stamped 'Pt950' and comes with a tamper-proof quality assurance card that distinguishes authentic platinum from other jewellery.

A Unique Identification Number is also stamped on the jewellery in addition to the detailed description of the piece you choose for yourself. Our quality assurance programme is in place to ensure transparency and that the platinum the consumer buys is of the highest quality. After all, that is what true value is all about.