Extended family celebration

Jeff Appelt usually returns from business trips with diamonds, but last month, the shiny object he brought back to Winnipeg was an award.

Appelt’s Diamonds, the Manitoba jewelry business Appelt owns, was named multi-store retailer of the year at the Canadian Jewellers Association Awards in Toronto. The award is presented to a retailer with more than one physical location for their professional standards and contributions to the Canadian jewelry and watch industry.

A panel of 11 judges deliberated on the award. It’s one of five the association hands out annually to recipients who demonstrate excellence in ethics and integrity, education and leadership, industry and client relations, and innovation and growth.

Appelt says when he accepted the award, he thought about the two generations of leadership that came before him: his grandfather, company founder Benjamin Appelt, and his father, Bert Appelt.

He also thought about the company’s 37 employees. “We have an amazing group of people,” says Appelt, 55. “They made (the award) possible.”

One employee summed it up best, Appelt adds, when she contacted him after the ceremony in Toronto and said: “Congratulations. We got the award.”

The use of the word “we” said it all for Appelt, who says he works hard to maintain a company culture where employees are family and customers are friends.

If you’ve listened to contemporary hit radio in southern Manitoba over the last two decades, it’s likely you’ve heard an Appelt’s Diamonds commercial with the chief executive officer himself inviting you to stop by: “Hi, I’m Jeff Appelt and I want to be your jeweller.”

The company offers engagement rings, diamond jewelry and gold jewelry at four standalone stores. There’s one on Ness Avenue, another on Regent Avenue West, a third on Kenaston Boulevard, plus a fourth about 130 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg in Morden, where the company was founded more than 85 years ago.

The business has the largest selection of engagement rings and wedding bands in the province, Appelt says, and is known for carrying some of the top bridal and fashion lines in the industry.

Engagement rings and wedding bands start at around $1,000. Customers have choice and control; they can pair the ring they want with whatever diamond they choose.

“Some people call that custom — we call it everyday,” Appelt says. “We put the choice and control on you instead of us having the choice and control over you, and so it gives you a better experience.”

Each customer’s love is unique, so their ring should be unique, says Douglas Thevenot, director of operations, adding Appelt travels to Belgium to hand-select diamonds.

“We want to make sure that the diamond sparkles,” Thevenot says. “We call it the 10-table guarantee: from 10 tables away, you’re going to see that diamond sparkling.”

All diamond jewelry purchased at Appelt’s is covered at no additional charge with the company’s “Rock Solid Diamond Warranty.” From little diamonds up to big dazzling ones, the company will fix or replace them — even if you lose a gemstone.

Each store features skilled goldsmiths onsite and the company employs one of the only horologists in Manitoba, allowing customers to receive watch and jewelry repairs in-store rather than having a piece shipped away.

The staff want everyone who walks through the doors to feel comfortable and they refer to customers as guests.

“We want to make them feel like this is their home,” Appelt says.

The way employees are trained to interact with customers is inspired by the hospitality industry, Thevenot says, which he believes differentiates the company.

“We’re not a traditional retailer,” he says. “It’s more about helping and assisting and giving them the education they need to make informed decisions when it comes to such a significant purchase in their life.”

Treating customers as guests stems from the Appelt family, according to Thevenot.

Appelt says it’s something the company has done ever since it was a one-man operation run by his grandfather.

Benjamin Appelt didn’t have money to spend on advertising, so getting to know customers and giving them a personalized, one-on-one experience was a way to promote repeat business and positive word of mouth.

“We need to get to know our guests that come into the store,” Appelt says. “Do you have to do that? No, you don’t have to do that at all. But we want to do that. It also makes us feel better.

“It’s more fun selling to someone who later on you see as your friend now coming into the store … We want to have people become (our) friends. That’s probably one of the biggest things that was instilled from my dad to myself.”

Benjamin Appelt started the company as a watch repair business in 1938. Bert Appelt was studying to become a teacher, but took over the business in 1965 after Benjamin had a stroke.

Bert expanded the company’s offerings to include jewelry and eventually opened additional stores. Jeff Appelt joined the business in the early 1990s, and became CEO in 2014. The company’s annual revenue is in the ballpark of $10 million.

Beyond the showroom, Appelt’s has a history of supporting local organizations including Siloam Mission, CancerCare Manitoba, Special Olympics and the Rainbow Resource Centre.

Last year, Appelt donated $50,000 to Manitoba Possible so the non-profit, which serves people with disabilities, could purchase a recreation and leisure van. It was an easy decision for Appelt, since his grandfather had a disability resulting from polio and used a wheelchair.

“I get that (desire to give from) my dad, because he has always been a person that likes to give back to the community,” Appelt says.

Today, the eldest of Appelt’s five children have joined the family business. Josh has been with the company for five years and Brooke is working part-time while she finishes a business degree at the University of Manitoba.

Appelt has been looking for opportunities to set up stores outside of Manitoba, but he is reluctant to share details at this time.

The company’s most recent slogan is “Celebrating love since 1938,” and Appelt is excited by the idea of bringing the company’s personalized approach to underserved markets so Appelt’s Diamonds can help more people celebrate life’s most meaningful moments.

“All we want to do is continue to get better,” he says. “None of us know what the future holds. That’s the most exciting thing about life and it’s the most exciting thing about business.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca