On Tuesday, Canadian company Birks Group, a fine jewelry operation since 1879, announced its plan to accept bitcoin for products and services at eight select locations. Birks Group and its retail stores will accept cryptocurrencies through a partnership with Bitpay. The collaboration marks the first major implementation of Bitpay’s point-of-sale solution for brick-and-mortar locations within the Canadian region.
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Eight Birks Group Locations Integrate Bitpay
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts can now purchase silverware, timepieces, and fine jewelry with bitcoin cash (BCH) and bitcoin core (BTC) from eight select Birks Group locations in Canada. Birks Group has been providing jewelry services in the Canadian region for more than 100 years with its 28 Maison Birks and Brinkhaus stores. Through the partnership with Bitpay, the Birks Group locations that will accept BCH and BTC are in Vancouver West Hastings, Brinkhaus Calgary, Fairview Mall, Bloor, Yorkdale, Montreal and Calgary. Furthermore, the newly opened Patek Philippe and Graff stores will also be accepting cryptocurrencies in the near future. The company explained during the announcement on Tuesday that “Birks Group is the first luxury retailer in Canada to accept bitcoin.”
Jean-Christophe Bédos, the chief executive officer of Birks Group said that the company’s collaboration with Bitpay is a significant milestone for the business. “As an internationally growing brand, we believe that Bitpay will benefit our customers as we look to align ourselves with these innovative capabilities that are on the forefront of technology,” the executive explained.
Bitpay’s chief commercial officer, Sonny Singh, added that the fine jewelry operation has a large number of international shoppers so accepting borderless digital assets “makes perfect sense.”
Fine Jewels and High-End International Clients
The Canadian company is not the only jeweler in the world accepting cryptocurrencies for payments since a slew of businesses have begun accepting digital assets since last year. In September last year, Bitpay partnered with “bond street” level jeweler Samer Halimeh NY. The well-known luxury diamond retailer, headquartered in Knightsbridge, also accepts BTC and BCH for retail services and business-to-business (B2B) gemstone trades. Last October, U.S. jewelry retailer Marks Jewelers started accepting seven digital currencies, including bitcoin cash, for products and services.
Birks Group detailed that retail store customers in select locations can purchase well-known jewelry brands — such as Breitling, Rolex, Bulgari, and Cartier — with digital currencies. “Accepting bitcoin helps Birks Group cater to their high-end international clients and get new customers while providing an innovative and safe payment option,” Singh further noted during the announcement.
What do you think about Birks Group accepting BCH and BTC for jewelry and services in Canada? Let us know what you think about this subject in the comments section below.
Images via Shutterstock, Birks Group, and Pixabay.
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