ing involved in pearling back in the 1970s. Dr Kailis was pivotal [because she brought] her skills from medical science to the pearling industry to help improve the production of pearls. Whilst the family was heavily involved in pearl farming, they naturally moved into setting pearls into modern jewellery designs, and from here the retail side of the business was born. This grew from a small store in Broome to the modern Kailis Jewellery brand we know today. IR: Kailis just sold off its fishing business and is now focusing on its pearl retail operations. What are some of the plans for the future of the pearl brand?  TT: Over the past few years, we have consolidated and grown the business in our home state of WA. This has included developing a full flagship store in the luxury Raine Square precinct in the Perth CBD, which is supported by new boutiques at Westfield Booragoon, Claremont Quarter and of course our historical home in Broome. A real focus has also been the growth of our online business and continuing to spread brand awareness across Australia. The future focus for the Kailis Jewellery brand will be a further expansion across Australia, both digitally and physically, when the right opportunities come along. We will also continue to focus on our product offering. We love creating jewellery that has a Kailis look and feel and plan to grow our product range, ensuring that our pieces offer elegant versatility, giving our customers the option to wear their jewellery in multiple ways. IR: How has Kailis evolved its product offering over the years? What are some of the ways that Kailis is seeking to attract younger consumers? TT: Kailis has always had a modern element to our designs. We continue to evolve our design ethos to represent modern women and the various roles they fill throughout their day. We love that our jewellery is timeless – it can go from day to night, to special occasions and that ‘just because’ moment. In a fashion-conscious world moving towards sustainability, investing in timeless jewellery pieces helps reduce the waste in our environment and allows the wearer to be fashionable and ethically conscious at the same time.  We ensure that our product offering considers that our customers would like to wear and enjoy their Kailis piece for many years. Younger customers are immediately attracted to our silver range and classic gold pieces; this allows them to have beautiful statement pieces that they can add to over time.  IR: How would you describe the Kailis in-store experience? TT: Customer experience is at the forefront of what we do and this is best experienced in-store. Our boutiques have been designed based on feedback from our customers. They all include private viewing spaces so customers can have a special one-to-one experience to select the perfect piece. Private viewing spaces allow our customers the ability to select a time that suits them and ensure that they can maximise their experience in our retail stores. Our Raine Square flagship store includes a change room in one of our private suites so that customers can try on our jewellery with their selected outfit to ensure that they are absolutely happy that their choices are complementary. IR: How is Kailis evolving its digital offering? TT: We are constantly striving to improve the digital experience for our customers – it is such an important part of the customer journey, as many of our in-store customers have already done some research on pearls and our brand before they come in-store. It’s a constant challenge keeping up with changes and trends in the digital space, but we aim to offer as much as we can to the consumer. This also includes customer care, where customers can interact with our team and be sent photos of products, particularly the pearl on an individual piece. Selecting the jewellery piece is one aspect of the purchase, but the selection of the individual pearl is equally important, as each pearl is unique. IR: What are some interesting consumer behaviours that you have noticed in the past couple of years since Covid-19 hit? TT: Whilst our online business was growing pre-Covid, we have seen a noticeable shift in the price points customers are comfortable spending with a reputable business online. Customers who were locked down for extended periods appreciated being able to shop for those special occasion pieces online with support from our customer care team. Those interactions with our team were invaluable for some who were isolated during that time. Whilst at the beginning of the pandemic there was some trepidation about how people would feel about coming back to shopping centres and large public spaces, I think in general the public has looked forward to getting back into the new normal and now thoroughly appreciates the value of an in-store retail experience.