Neil Travis, president of First Jewelry, which manufactures and distributes the Persona sterling-silver charm brand, is retiring after 40 years in the industry and plans to shut down his company, according to a statement released today.
The Toronto, Canada–based business says it expects to close down by March 30 of this year.
In a statement, Travis said he wants the Persona brand to live on and hopes to sell it to another company or investor. He said a suitable candidate would be one with prior jewelry or online marketing experience.
Launched in 2010, Persona became known for using licenses on its charms. It first introduced its Peanuts-themed line in 2015, around the time the comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz was being made into a feature film. It soon added lines based on Coca-Cola and emoticons. At last year’s JCK Las Vegas, it introduced a line based on the Beatles in part to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the group’s release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The Persona line is now carried in over 1,000 retail locations in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as online.
A statement said the decision to close the brand was in part precipitated by the company’s largest retail partner deciding to exit the charm business in its mall-based stores, which caused its 2017 revenue to dramatically decline.
“After more than 40 years of manufacturing, marketing, and merchandising in the jewelry business, it seems like the right time for me to retire,” said Travis in a statement.
Travis did not respond to a request for additional comment.
For its 2017 Beatles-themed collection, Persona introduced pendants and jewelry based on the group’s famous albums Abbey Road and Yellow Submarine
In 2015, Persona introduced charms based on the Peanuts comic strip created by Charles M. Schulz.
(Images courtesy of Persona)
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