Shifrin-Willens Jewelers
Founded : 1926
Activities : Retail jewelry sales and service, jewelry collection, watches
Stockists : 25 locations
Parent Company : Finlay Enterprises
Origin : 15336 Grand River Ave.
Detroit, MI 48227
Shifrin-Willens is a regional specialty retailer of fine jewelry offering a selection of merchandise in the following categories: diamonds, gold, precious and semi-precious jewelry and watches. Shifrin-Willens was founded in 1926 in Detroit, Mich.
It filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code in 1984 and was purchased by Schottenstein Stores Corp. in 1985. Shifrin-Willens was a prominent 25-store jewelry chain in the Midwest for almost 70 years. Today, the brand is part of the Fine Jewelers Group of Finlay Enterprises.
Finlay Enterprises, Inc. is one of the leading jewelry retailers in the United States. Unlike competitors such as Zale Corp., Finlay initially operated few self-standing retail locations. Instead, the company operated fine jewelry departments in leased spaces in stores owned by 26 major and independent host store groups.
Once the largest share of Finlay’s 827 U.S. departments were located in stores in The May Department Stores group, including stores such as Filene’s, Kaufmann’s, and Lord & Taylor, which acts as host to 343 Finlay departments. Another top Finlay host is Federated Department Stores, Inc., which owns stores such as Rich’s, Sterns, and Burdines, and which hosts 153 Finlay departments.
Independent store groups featuring Finlay Fine Jewelry departments include Belk, Carson Pirie Scott, Liberty House, Dillard’s, Steinbach, and others, bringing Finlay into 43 states and Washington, D.C. Finlay is the largest operator of leased jewelry departments in the United States.
Finlay Fine Jewelers, America’s Finest Jewelers and it’s brands have conducted almost $50 billion in jewelry sales with some of the leading retail partners in the world since 1832. Finlay Enterprises Incorporated’s principal activities are the retailing of fine jewelry products and operating leased fine jewelry department stores throughout the United States and France. The Group operates under many brands in addition to Finlay Fine Jewelers (1832) including Shifrin-Willens (1926), Merksamers (1979), and Jay B. Rudolph (1967).
Vertical integration is a key component to success in the jewelry industry. While Vin Lee Jewelers has been featured along side Harry Winston and worn by celebrities, dignitaries and even royalty, many of the brands within Finlay Enterprises cater to a broader audience. Starting with the acquisition of American Jewelry Manufacturers in the early 90s, the Group became the jewelers jeweler, providing precious metal and gemstone inventory, manufacturing, and design work for other retail and wholesaler operations.