Craft Focus - Jun/Jul (Issue 73)

7 EDITOR’S LETTER On the cover Feast your eyes on Jo Lochhead’s blue tit felting kit, which retails at £12, and contains all the materials needed to create this charming bird. We caught up with Jo, managing director of The Crafty Kit Company, in this issue – turn to page 68 to discover where she finds her inspiration. craftykitcompany.co.uk Mixed fortunes There was positive news for beleaguered retailers recently, with latest figures from Springboard revealing an increase of 1.4 per cent in customer footfall for the month of March. On the high street, footfall was up by 2.5 per cent, while in retail parks, it rose by 1.5 per cent. Frustratingly, this growth did not translate to an increase in spending, but in uncertain times, getting customers through the shop door represents an opportunity that’s too good to miss. To ensure that your product selection is second-to-none, this issue contains plenty of ideas to grow seasonal sales. In addition to craft ideas that will keep kids busy over the summer holidays, we’re looking at the latest fabrics, home sewing ideas, on-trend tropicals and some amazing low-cost profit boosters. There’s unmissable expert advice and business tips, and we’ll also be reporting on the trends we discovered at this year’s Stationery Show London. Enjoy reading! Andrea Ashfield Editor Andrea EDITOR Andrea Ashfield +44 (0)1376 514 000 editor@craftfocus.com CHIEF SUB EDITOR Louise Prance MARKETING MANAGER Michael Richards +44 (0)1376 538 481 michaelr@craftfocus.com PRODUCTION MANAGER Scott Brothwell ACCOUNT MANAGER Tracy Voice +44 (0)1376 535 618 tracyv@craftfocus.com SALES MANAGER Sarah Mclean +44 (0)1376 538 490 sarahm@craftfocus.com GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Sarah Hill, Stephanie Hodder, Vicky O’Connor, Sarah Young +44 (0)1376 535 616 artwork@kdmediapublishing.com PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Lorna Butcher WEB DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Stuart Weatherley SUBSCRIPTIONS Beth Varney +44 (0)1376 514 000 KD Media Publishing Limited, Pantile House, Newlands Drive, Witham, Essex CM8 2AP craftfocus.com Craft Focus is solely owned, published and designed by KD Media Publishing Limited. Whilst every effort was made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the standing of advertisers nor by the editorial contributions. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Craft Focus is published six times a year. ISSN 1758-0900 @craftfocus @craftfocusmag @craftfocus MEDIA PUBLISHING Craft Focus is proud to be associated with and supporters of: