Craft Focus - Apr/May (Issue 72)

10 CRAFT BUDDY MOVES TO CREATE & CRAFT Craft Buddy Ltd has announced that it will be moving to Create & Craft TV, marking an amicable end to its partnership with Hochanda. The deal comes as the company celebrates its 2018 growth results with new retail partners, international distribution deals and a successful show season. Viewers will be able to see exclusive designs and releases across its Crystal Art, Dawn Bibby Creations and Pretty Gets Gritty brands, as well as the signature Craft Buddy line. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Create & Craft family,” says co-director Gary Wadhwani. “Our brands have soared in popularity in the last 12 months and we are so excited to bring them to this wonderful audience for the first time.” Retail partners can join the mailing list at craftbuddyltd.co.uk Hawthorn Handmade reveals expansion plans Dorset-based craft company Hawthorn Handmade has continued its expansion with a move to larger premises. With the business going from strength to strength, the embroidery and felting specialist is set to move to a 3,000 sq ft space near Blandford. Inspired by its rural surroundings, Hawthorn has made a name in the craft supplies market with a range of contemporary kits featuring flower and animal designs. Founder Stephanie Carswell attributes the growth of the business to rising interest in traditional skills. “Embroidery has really emerged as a growing trend in the last few years and people are looking for something a bit different,” she explains. “We’ve worked hard to make our packaging really giftable and find that customers come back again and again to collect all of our designs and work through collections.” Reimagining old skills in a contemporary way has given the brand a broad audience of both new and experienced crafters, with the recently launched Go Stitch range proving especially popular. The business has also taken wholesale orders from gift shops and museums including the V&A. Hawthorn is now planning to invest in systems to ensure that it can quickly react to consumer demand, with new appointments also planned. Go to hawthornhandmade.com for more details. Retail footfall drops in February Springboard has released its retail footfall figures for February, reporting a drop of 2 per cent. This was the 15 th consecutive month of decline and a significant departure from last year, making 2019 the weakest February in five years. On the high street, footfall declined by 1.9 per cent, marking seven months of weakening, while retail parks fell by 0.8 per cent, a sharp drop from last year. “Consumers have been cautious in their spending, leading to the biggest drop in February footfall for five years,” says Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium. “These figures echo the month’s poor retail sales figures, which saw weak growth, particularly in bricks-and-mortar stores. While real incomes have been rising over the last year, the uncertainty surrounding Brexit appears to be driving a needs- not-wants approach to shopping.”