34 and development, stationery, giftware, and creative products that encourage people to interact with them rather than simply look at them. Increasingly, that means products designed around creativity, crafting, collecting, and digital-free play. Talk us through the current products you’re particularly excited about. Do you have a favourite? There’s a lot to be excited about at the moment! Pop & Builds are particularly exciting because they have taken the idea of our traditional paper engineering and opened it up to a completely new audience. The range began with seasonal adventstyle countdown designs, but we are now expanding into more evergreen themes, including the new Land of the Dinosaurs and Solar System. They combine the satisfaction of making something with the visual impact of a finished 3D scene, and importantly, they require no cutting or sticking. The designs also incorporate educational elements, making them a great example of how creativity and learning can work together. Harmonie Lane is another major focus for us, and perhaps our current favourite! It’s a new girl-centric lifestyle brand built around friendship, creativity, music, and self-expression, with products spanning stationery, activities, and craft. At its heart, Harmonie Lane is about bringing young minds into a world where play is more hands-on and skill-building, while encouraging them to embrace what makes them unique! In a world where so much of children’s entertainment is digital, we love that Harmonie Lane encourages children to make, create, collect and express themselves in a more tangible way. The characters are genuinely relatable, each with their own personality, interests and style, giving children the opportunity to see themselves reflected in the brand while developing their own creativity and individuality. The response from retailers since its launch has been incredibly encouraging, and we’re excited to see where the brand goes next! Hobby & crafts have boomed over the last two years! Have you noticed any new trends? Absolutely! One of the most interesting developments has been the growing desire for hands-on, screen-free experiences, particularly among children and families. There’s a real appetite for products that encourage people to make, build, create and spend time doing something tangible. We’re also seeing craft increasingly overlap with other categories such as gifting, toys, stationery, and lifestyle. Consumers aren’t necessarily looking for a traditional ‘craft product’; they’re instead looking for something that gives them an experience or an opportunity to express themselves. Collectability is another strong trend. Character-led products can create an emotional connection that goes beyond the individual item, encouraging customers to return to a brand and build a collection over time. That’s something we’ve seen particularly strongly with Gorjuss and Bangoberry. How would you advise a retailer who is interested in stocking your products? Our product ranges are intentionally designed as a retail story, so we encourage buyers to consider collections as a range, rather than simply selecting individual products. We place a huge emphasis on creating visual shelf impact, so grouping complementary products together can really help communicate the personality of a brand, and get shoppers on board! It’s also worth considering the different price points within a collection. A range such as Harmonie Lane or Bangoberry can offer accessible entry-level products alongside more substantial gift or activity items, while our 3D Pop Ups provide a particularly strong point of difference within greetings and gifting. Most importantly though, speak to us! We work closely with our retail partners and can recommend collections and products based on the type of store, customer, and space available.
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