Craft Focus - Feb/Mar (Issue 71)

craft focus 7 industry news Latest news from the crafting industry industry news CRAFTER’S COMPANION MOVES TO NEW US HEADQUARTERS Crafter’s Companion is set to move its US headquarters to a larger space in Corona, California after a huge growth in sales from $12m to approximately $22m over the past two years. The new office and warehouse, which takes up 31,000 square feet, has been selected after increased demand from key accounts including the Home Shopping Network (HSN), Notions Marketing, Amazon.com and retailers Tuesday Morning and Hobby Lobby. “It’s fantastic to see such an increase in demand for our products in the US market,” says Sara Davies, the company’s founder. “When we opened our office in Santa Ana, California in 2016 I could not have envisioned this level of growth, although I always knew our products would be well received by customers in North America. A big part of our success in this market has been down to a great partnership with HSN. Its team has supported our brand for many years and enabled us to bring our innovations to their well-established and loyal customer base.” Crafter’s Companion is now recruiting for several new positions across customer service, compliance and design to join its current team of 30. New appointments will include two senior recruits to be based at its US headquarters. Lister Hargreaves will join the company as chief financial officer, bringing more than 17 years’ experience of the global financial industry to the role. Kelli Snowgold has also been promoted to the newly created post of vice president of commercial strategy and will be responsible for developing and driving business growth and overseeing sales and marketing, including management of products. “This latest expansion, together with a strengthened senior leadership team, provides us with a solid platform to further increase our US presence and develop our product portfolio to meet customers’ evolving needs,” continues Sara. “It’s a very exciting time for our business and we can’t wait to see what the next few years will bring. I’m delighted to welcome Lister to the Crafter’s Companion family. We’re confident his experience will be hugely beneficial for us as we continue to grow. Likewise, we’re delighted to congratulate Kelli on her new role; she’s become a big part of the business since joining us and I’m sure she’ll continue to be an integral part of the team moving forward.” Commenting on his appointment, Lister adds, “I am very excited to be joining Crafter’s Companion as I’ve had close connections to the company’s UK team from the start and have watched it grow over the past 13 years. I am confident that I can draw on past experiences to help build a platform for our continued and sustainable future growth in the North American craft market. I’m looking forward to getting started.” Crafter’s Companion now employs more than 150 staff worldwide and exports its products to Europe, Asia, South Africa, New Zealand and North and South America. Visit crafterscompanion.co.u k for details. HOUSE OF ALISTAIR TO PUBLISH BOOK Alistair Macdonald, the creative force behind House of Alistair, is publishing a new book . Love to Sew: Quilting on the Move features 18 beautiful hand-sewn patchwork gift ideas all made using English paper piecing. This popular, easy technique uses fabric that’s cut and folded over a paper template. The resulting shapes are stitched together by hand. Alistair studied fashion design at Central St Martins before establishing House of Alistair in 2008. He works on a wide variety of projects including high fashion and film costume, as well as running a successful haberdashery and giftware business. The new title is published by Search Press. Visit searchpress.com for details. BOXING DAY FOOTFALL DROPS FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE YEAR Boxing Day footfall fell by 3.1 per cent in 2018, the third consecutive annual drop, according to research by Springboard. The data reveals that the magnitude of the decline was less than in 2016 because of a smaller drop in high street footfall, which was virtually flat at -0.3 per cent compared with -6.2 per cent in 2017 and -3.6 per cent in 2016. This was attributed to a wider choice of restaurants and coffee shops on the high street over shopping centres. Footfall also fell at retail parks, with at least part of the decline put down to a fall in confidence over the ability to spend large sums on bigger household goods and furniture. Visit spring-board.info