Craft Focus - Dec/Jan (Issue 76)

64 Case files ExaClair’s Clement Rouillard talks Andrea Ashfield through the company’s range of craft, stationery and office products Tell us a little about the history of ExaClair. ExaClair Limited is the UK subsidiary for the Exacompta Clairefontaine group. We offer a vast assortment of high-quality products from international brands serving the office supplies, art and craft materials, educational toys and wrapping paper categories. Originally operating under the name Tollit & Harvey, our organisation started producing stationery and office goods in London in 1897, relocating to its current King’s Lynn base in mid-20 th century. Account books, folders and files grew in popularity and our UK site soon became a centre of manufacturing excellence. The company was successfully acquired in 2008 by the Exacompta Clairefontaine group, creating an improved and varied offering for customers. We now provide an extensive selection of quality products for trade, designed to be used in the office, home and educational environments. This includes the internationally known and respected brands Exacompta, Clairefontaine, Rhodia, Décopatch, Avenue Mandarine and Maildor, as well as the traditional stationery labels Herbin, G. Lalo and Brause. Other popular ranges include Europa, Iderama, Pollen, Guildhall, Chartwell, Exactive, Goldline, Technik Art and more. What products does the company supply for the craft and hobby market? We are selling hundreds of products to the craft and hobby market through brands like Décopatch, which supplies kits, maché items, glue and papers, and Avenue Mandarine, with educational handicraft kits and origami. There’s also Maildor stickers, Pollen card making kits and speciality papers and the Clairefontaine Handicraft brand. Décopatch is by far our biggest range as it is sold in Hobbycraft stores. What are your bestselling lines? Décopatch mini kits are our most popular items. The collection includes dinosaur, swan, butterfly, fly, dog, llama, bunny, dolphin, reindeer and bat themes, as well as the bestselling unicorn design. Are there any new launches coming up? We will be adding an elephant to the Décopatch range in 2020. From Clairefontaine Handicraft, we will be launching a new paper that can be sewn, combining soft and hard craft techniques. “Craft needs to be br ought alive in-store, so it is crucial that managers offer workshops and demonstrations on techniques that wil l inspire shoppers, creating a sense of community in order to drive sales thr oughout the year. “