The Jewelry District: Guest J.K. Symancyk

By Natalie Chomet | April 09, 2025

JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates talk with J.K. Symancyk, who became CEO of Signet Jewelers in November. Symancyk shares his journey from theater major and aspiring lawyer to the head of America’s largest jeweler. He points out what the sporting goods and pet supply sectors have in common with jewelry stores (more than you might think!). The hosts and J.K. also dive into the details of Signet’s new “Grow Brand Love” strategy and what it means for Signet’s big three brands—Jared, Kay, and Zales. He also discusses Signet’s shift from banners to brands, why it needs to differentiate lab-grown and natural diamonds, and the ever-evolving future of brick-and-mortar stores.

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Presenting sponsor: IGI (igi.org/education)
Sponsor: Nivoda (nivoda.com)

Episode Credits
Hosts: Rob Bates and Victoria Gomelsky
Producer and engineer: Natalie Chomet
Editor: Riley McCaskill
Plugs: @jckmagazine; igi.org/education; nivoda.com

Show Notes
03:30 A nontraditional path
04:30 What’s the same, what’s different
09:20 Signet’s new strategy
12:45 Redefining the big three
18:50 Brands not banners
22:00 The elephant in the room
25:00 Digital and brick-and-mortar

Show Recap
A nontraditional path
J.K. tells Rob and Victoria his parents were merchants. “I grew up in and around retail, and thought that was the last thing I might ever want to do.” Instead, he became a theater major with intentions of pursuing a law degree. He took a job at Walmart to save money for law school, then migrated to its international business, helping build out retail in China, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Europe. “What I thought was a job somewhere along the way turned into a career,” he says. Over time J.K. has worked in just about every retail consumer category: food, apparel, accessories, footwear, pet care—and now jewelry.

What’s the same, what’s different
J.K. previously was CEO of specialty retailers Academy Sports & Outdoors and PetSmart, and he’s noticed some surprising parallels to the jewelry industry. For one, all those businesses are driven by love. “Even in sporting goods, whether it was passion for being outdoors or passion for a particular sport,” he says. “Pets was very similar to our business at Signet, in the sense that people walked in the door motivated by love.”

Both pet and jewelry customers are “trying to navigate a category that they may not fully understand,” he says. Which is why it’s so important to have trained associates, who can answer shoppers’ questions, educate them, and give them confidence that they’re making the right choice in what is ultimately an emotional and decision.

J.K. also notes that all three industries are tight-knit. “Yes, you’re competitors, but you’re also peers, and you’re also collaborating in some cases,” he says.

According to J.K., the jewelry industry is slightly smaller than the sporting goods and pet supply sectors, with a narrower set of product categories. “A lot of the base [jewelry] components are the same,” he says. “[The industry] really does reward people who are forward-thinking in terms of design, or who really do lean in and understand the importance of trend.”

He says jewelry uses storytelling to create an emotional connection with customers by tapping into something they already feel. “You don’t have to manufacture it,” he says. “It’s there, it’s natural…. The deepness of emotion is a real treasure and part of what makes [the industry] so unique.”

Signet’s new strategy
J.K. explains the three elements of Signet’s new strategy, dubbed “Grow Brand Love.” The first is a pivot from being a “banner-led organization” to being a “brand-led organization.” Second is focusing on how Signet can expand its core, then identifying adjacent areas where it can grow further. The final element is “structure following strategy”—redesigning Signet’s operating model to facilitate the delivery of those objectives.

Redefining the big three
Signet plans a “relentless focus” on its three largest brands: Kay, Zales, and Jared. J.K. outlines the identities of the “big three”: Kay is milestone and romantic gifting jewelry; Zales, style and trend; and Jared, inspired luxury. A fourth grouping is “digital pure play,” which includes the brands Blue Nile, James Allen, and Rocksbox. J.K. wants to embed operations back into each brand, instead of having them centralized. That will allow the individual companies to focus more on selling, clienteling, and the overall customer experience.

Rob asks about distinguishing Kay and Zales, which are often seen as similar. J.K. responds that “there’s not a tremendous overlap between their customers. There’s high awareness of both brands, but very little overlap in actual spend.” Kay has a broader mix, centered on engagement and bridal. Zales has a more diverse customer base and tends to skew a bit more toward female self-purchasers.

Brands not banners
J.K. shares why it’s important to call Signet’s stores brands, as opposed to banners. “A banner is literally a static nameplate on a door or a piece of cloth on a flag,” he says. “In the case of a banner flying on a pole, it literally flies in whatever direction the wind is blowing.”

By contrast, “a brand has an identity,” he says. “It has a story, it has a personality.” Shifting to brands opens up the potential for deeper connection with customers, J.K. believes.

Signet has opportunity to grow in the fashion trend space, he says, by adding lighter-weight gold, color, and men’s pieces. “The key for us…is to lean into smaller categories, even items at a time, to build that credibility as we continue to evolve our assortment and find the right balance by brand.”

The elephant in the room
Vic brings up “the elephant in the room”: lab-grown versus natural diamonds. Customers feel there’s a place in the market for both, J.K says, adding Signet needs “to be clearer around what role we see each playing, how and where we lean in stronger to protect the allure and lasting value of natural—particularly in milestone jewelry and engagement rings—and then where we also see the chance to pursue the opportunity that lab-grown diamonds provide to grow the overall fashion category.”

He hopes to create an “assortment architecture” that differentiates natural and lab-grown. He also wants to invest in education to dispel myths and help customers make informed choices. As Signet searches for a new chief marketing officer, J.K is looking for ways that the Signet team can become better storytellers.

Digital and brick-and-mortar
Physical stores remain important to Signet. “If you go and talk to millennial and Gen Z customers, they believe place matters,” J.K. says. “They love the in-person shopping experience, if it’s a good experience.

“Our stores continue to be strong contributors to the top line and bottom line for us,” he adds. “But we also recognize that with younger consumers telling us the shopping experience matters, we’ve got to continue to evolve what that experience looks like so that we can stay ahead of a bar that keeps getting raised.”

J.K. notes there’s a “harmony” between a strong retail presence and e-commerce capabilities. “That is going to be the winning combination moving forward,” he says. “I wouldn’t want to live in either one place or the other. I’m proud that we’ve got both.”

The Signet CEO expresses his gratitude to his staff for adapting quickly to changes at the company, and to people in the industry for welcoming him, teaching him, and providing feedback, even when it’s critical. “While I’ve got a lot of retail experience,” he says, “the thing that’s kept me vibrant is being a good student.”

Any views expressed in this podcast do not reflect the opinion of JCK, its management, or its advertisers.