Craft Focus - Feb/Mar (Issue 65)

craft focus 11 industry news DECEMBER RESULTS SHOW MIXED BAG FOR ONLINE RETAILERS Customer engagement expert, Optimove, has reported a mixed bag of post-Christmas results from UK retailers, which it attributes to ill-planned discounting strategies hitting hard in a lean holiday season. “Customers are beginning to buy online earlier in the Christmas and holiday period,” says Pini Yakuel, CEO at Optimove. “According to our analysis, total order amounts were 32 per cent higher in November than December. The growing popularity of Black Friday and Cyber Monday are attracting larger orders, but instead of increasing overall sales, this might encourage shoppers to make December purchases earlier at a lower price than they would without the discounts. This December saw a 10 per cent lower order total than 2016.” RECORD YEAR FOR BLAKE ENVELOPES Stationery giant Blake Envelopes has posted a 12.5 per cent growth increase year-on-year, despite a continued volume reduction of envelope usage across the marketplace in general. The company broke its own records in November, processing more sales than ever before. “I’m fortunate to work with the best people in our industry, and our success to date and particularly last year is the result of us improving in all areas of our business whilst growing stronger as a team,” says managing director, Graham Carlin. “Within an environment where operational excellence is the norm, our ability to deliver the best customer experience is, I believe, unrivalled. We are ready for the challenges involved in delivering our exciting and demanding plans for 2018.” A number of new product launches are planned for this year. Go to blake-envelopes.com for information. MANOR HOUSE HOTEL OFFERS CRAFT BREAKS FOR 2018 Situated at the foot of Dartmoor National Park, the Manor House Hotel has a full range of craft breaks available for 2018. Set in more than 600 acres of beautiful countryside, the hotel offers free tuition in 18 different crafts including pottery, glass engraving, pyrography, personalised hot press printing and woodwork. The programme is flexible, ensuring that each activity takes place once or twice during every guest’s stay, which means visitors can take part in as little or as much crafting as they choose. Each activity is suitable for everyone from beginners to experts, and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. The hotel offers a full programme of sporting activities, too, including tennis, bowls, badminton, swimming, snooker and archery. Go to activityhotelbreaks.co.uk for more information.