Starfish Earrings, the largest retailer of earrings in the world, has bucked the downturn in consumer spending, reporting sales growth of 25% last month.

The business, started by Craig Leal and his wife Carolyn in 2003, has also doubled store numbers in the past 12 months with eight operating in NSW and Queensland.

Craig Leal said last week he'd been out "pounding the pavement" looking at different centres for potential sites.

"We're trying to move further up the (NSW) coast but I have to get out of the house a bit more and drive around more," Leal said.

"We're pretty much self-funding our expansion so we're only opening two to three stores every year. Two of the eight are franchised, in the Macquarie Centre and at Carlingford, both in Sydney.

Starfish Earrings stores focus on things the jewellers don't carry, with about 50% of stock sourced from about 10 local Australian designers and 50% from international designers. Around 25% of the Australian range is designed by Carolyn, who is the largest supplier to the business.

Leal said Starfish had become a destination store and, as a result of the chain's success, its buying power had increased and all stores were becoming more profitable.

This story first appeared in Inside Retailing Weekly. Click here to subscribe.

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