MORE KAY, ZALES AND JARED JEWELRY STORES TO CLOSE

The world’s largest retailer of diamond jewelry is planning to close another 150 stores in the fiscal year. Officials with Signet Jewelers, which operates about 3,300 stores primarily under the name brands of Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared The Galleria Of Jewelry and Piercing Pagoda, announced the closings Wednesday with its quarterly earnings. Last fiscal year, the company closed 262 stores, including 232 stores in North America. CEO Virginia Drosos said in a statement Wednesday that last fiscal year the company made progress on “achieving double-digit eCommerce growth, delivering $85 million of net cost savings and continuing to optimize our store footprint.”