Craft Focus - Feb/Mar (Issue 71)

Tell me a little about the origin of SoloCrafts. Solocrafts has been a UK distributor since 1994, with Peter Marsh and I taking over the reins in 2014. Over two-and-a-half decades the company has been privileged to launch a large number of cross stitch and craft brands into the British market, and we plan to do it for at least another 25 years! What is your background, and how did you come to work in the craft industry? I had previously worked in retail buying and merchandising for House of Fraser and Sainsbury’s, so budgets and day-to- day business management are my areas of expertise. Peter’s background is in development, specialising in utilising new technology. As a consultant, his approach is to examine existing problems, challenge them and offer an alternative. We met many years ago, becoming business partners after 10 years of friendship. We’ve found that our different approaches and styles really complement one another. On a personal level, I have been a crafter in my spare time since early childhood whereas Peter has had a steep learning curve to ensure he understands the world of needlecraft! What are your key product lines and collections? As distributors we are able to source our product from all over the world, choosing a selection of brands that complement each other and provide us with the broadest range of crafts to offer our customers. Our existing partners RIOLIS, Design Works, Janlynn, Luca-S, Needleart World and Merejka all offer distinctive and great quality kits, mostly cross stitch, which has always been our strongest selling area. We also have partnerships with VDV, makers of stunning embroidery and Grafitec, producers of traditional and modern tapestry canvases and kits. RIOLIS has just launched its Diamond Mosaics collection, and we hope to see this develop into a key product. How often do you launch new lines? We have a fairly busy launch calendar, with most of our brands bringing us new designs every month. We are constantly searching for innovative products, and in the past 12 months we have brought Merejka cross stitch kits and VDV bead embroidery to the UK market. Does the company exhibit at any trade shows, either in the UK or overseas? We attend CHSI Stitches at NEC Birmingham each February. We find this to be the best show to meet as many of our clients as possible and it’s also a great place to find new customers. As a UK distributor we do not exhibit overseas, although we do travel to shows outside Britain on the hunt for the next potential partnership. What do you look for in a retail partner? We currently work with a broad spectrum of shops from both the high street and online sectors. We try to be as flexible as we can to accommodate the needs of everyone from retail giants through to start-ups. Our main ethos is to look at each client individually, as there is no ‘one size fits all’ these days. With a raft of major brands in its stable, SoloCrafts has plenty to offer retailers. Emma Struthers talks to Craft Focus about the company’s latest launches Going solo 132 craft focus