Gibsons Games shares its 2025 impact report
Gibsons Games, the Surrey based jigsaw puzzles and games company, are delighted to share their 2025...
Craft Focus magazine is a bi-monthly trade publication for the craft industry, distributed to Art & Craft shops, Toy shops, Model shops, Haberdashers and Needlecraft retailers.
Each issue contains detailed information on upcoming trade shows and reviews many new and innovative products, enabling retailers to make informed and profitable buying decisions for their business. Find out more about the magazine here.
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Gibsons Games shares its 2025 impact report
Gibsons Games, the Surrey based jigsaw puzzles and games company, are delighted to share their 2025...
STABILO TO LAUNCH EXCLUSIVE STABILO x PANTONE DESK SET
STABILO International GmbH is proud to announce the launch of the limited edition STABILO x...
Crafting Queen Sara Davies hosts crafting getaway at Thoresby Hall
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Two New Member Companies to join UK Hand Knitting Board
UK Hand Knitting , the not-for-profit organisation that represents yarn wholesalers in the UK...
As we head into another busy and exciting year for the craft and creative retail sector, there’s plenty to inspire us. In this issue, we bring you part two of our Christmas Special, featuring 15 festive products that caught our eye. With seasonal shopping becoming increasingly important for retailers, it’s the perfect time to discover new ideas, plan ahead and find those products that will bring a little extra sparkle to the Christmas season.
We’re delighted to feature Tara Strickland, Head of Design at SANTORO, who talks to Craft Focus about the enduring appeal of Gorjuss and Swing Cards, and why continually creating something new remains at the heart of the business. It’s a fascinating insight into building creative brands that continue to resonate with customers year after year.
We also catch up with Debbie Harding, the creative force behind DoodleCraft Design, for a wonderfully crafty take on game night.
Elsewhere in this edition, we’ve gathered plenty of inspiration for the year ahead, from new products and creative trends to the latest developments across the craft, hobby and stationery markets. We take a closer look at art materials, exploring some of the products inspiring creativity, as well as featuring craft kits that offer customers everything they need to get creative.
As always, we bring you the latest trade fair and industry news, keeping you up to date with the people, products and developments shaping the retail landscape.
As always, we love hearing from you, our valued readers, so do keep in touch – you can email me at editor@craftfocus.com
Enjoy the issue!
Rachel Westall, Editor
PS. If you have any news you would like to submit to this site or Craft Focus magazine, please email editor@craftfocus.com
Rachel x
Life Stories shows readers how to create textile art with a palpable sense of story, about ordinary people and everyday life. This book delves into the three things that most inspire Ali Ferguson as a textile artist – collected stuff, words and clothing. Ali shares the stories and thinking processes behind pieces of her work, alongside the techniques that she uses, instructions for making projects and a thoughtful curation of related work from other contemporary textile artists working with similar themes. This beautiful book is fully illustrated with photographs of finished work, processes and source materials both from Ali's own creative practice and that of other leading textile artists, to provide a range of inspiration and different points of view. For further info, email: sales@batsfordbooks.com or visit: www.batsfordbooks.com
If you like this, check out more inspirational ideas.
Spring Fair, the UK's largest retail experience for Home, Gift and Fashion, has announced a major new partnership with Total Licensing to accelerate the growth of its successful Licensing sector and strengthen its position as the leading destination for brand-led retail opportunities in 2027. The partnership comes following the hugely successful launch of the Licensing Lab at Spring Fair 2026, which attracted exceptional audience engagement, welcomed some of the industry's most recognisable names, and highlighted the growing importance of licensing as a commercial driver across multiple retail categories.
Under the motto "Home Sweet Home", Creativeworld Trends 2027 bring creative design into the heart of everyday life. The three theme worlds Kitchen Experiences, Balcony Moments and Bedroom Stories show how handicrafts, personal memories and the conscious use of materials shape the spaces in which people live. We take a moment to explore the three new trend worlds you can explore at the upcoming Creativeworld in Frankfurt in February 2027
