Craft Focus - Dec/Jan (Issue 70)

Tell me a little about the history of Whitecroft Essentials. Whitecroft started out as a wire-forming company, mainly manufacturing safety pins, which we still do to this day. We then added paperclips and a variety of haberdashery and stationery wire goods. It still fascinates me to see fur hooks being bent and bound! Today we import products frommany countries around the world, with an emphasis on continuity of supply and very high standards of quality. Can you outline the key collections and product ranges you supply? With haberdashery, we concentrate on three main areas. These are knitting, which includes knit pins, crochet hooks and sundries. We also stock sewing goods, including our hand sew range, machine needles, embroidery hoops and sewing aids. Lastly there’s haberdashery, which comprises safety pins, dressmakers and craft pins, fastenings and sundries, all under our ‘essentials’ brand. We also have a stationery division. Do you have any new launches coming up? We have just launched our latest Craft Book Kit range, following on from the success of last year’s version with an on-trend Unicorn Makes design. Each version has a super 48- page booklet, starting at the basics, with lots of inspired projects to make. We also have Softgrip crochet hooks arriving soon and plenty of other new items next year. In addition, we are busy promoting Olfa’s pink cutters and mats, which are proving popular. Where can retailers get to see your products? The range is available at most haberdashery wholesalers across the country, and our knitting products are also sold through some of the larger UK yarn merchants. Retailers are welcome to ring our sales office to find out their nearest supplier and request information or samples. What are the biggest current craft trends? Our kits are doing well, and we’re finding that there’s a real resurgence in traditional crafts, so knit pins and crochet hooks have Whitecroft Essentials has supplied knitting, sewing and haberdashery supplies for more than a century. Managing director Richard Wood tells us what’s coming up next for the company all the essentials 68 craft focus