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Clinton’s Demise is Craft Retailers’ Gain
Listed under: News
Published: Thursday, January 13, 2011
Mass-produced cards could soon be a thing of the past, with the latest trading results from Clinton Cards suggesting consumers decided to reject shop-bought varieties this Christmas in favour of handmade ones they crafted themselves.
Reporting a two percent drop in its sales compared to last year – surprising, given the fact that the country was just coming out of recession – the company has attributed its poor performance to the adverse weather conditions in the run up to Christmas and revealed its pre-tax profits are likely to be significantly lower than the current market expectations.
However, independent craft shop owners have been less than surprised by the report. “To be honest, I can't see why anyone would be shocked by the results as people are generally spending much less than they were two or three years ago, so it's only to be expected they'd be more hesitant about splashing out on expensive cards,” says Tony Piercey, owner of Craft Genie in Surrey.
“Having said that, I don't think consumers are choosing to make their own cards due to money alone – in most cases, creating handmade varieties can be just as expensive – but because they are looking for things they can personalise and make their own,” he continues. “People have generally grown tired of the same-old, same-old varieties in the larger stores and want to spend their money on creating something that is truly unique.”
Revealing that the past few years have been very up and down, he says, “2008 was absolutely brilliant for us and the time when cardmaking really came into it's own, but the recession had a really big impact on our business and 2009 was pretty dire. Fortunately, things picked up for us during the second half of last year and we had a really busy Christmas, which was great.”
Agreeing that the number of consumers making their own cards has definitely risen over the past year, Bryan Perry, of the Glitter Pot in West Sussex, says, “Interest has been steadily growing over the last 12 months and a lot of new people seem to be taking up the pastime, which is very encouraging. Customers are generally looking for better value for their money and would rather spend their money on a range of supplies that will give them hours of enjoyment, rather than a store-bought card that'll be gone in an instant.
“I can't say I'm surprised by the results as the growing number of people making their own cards is inevitably going to pull business away from the chains,” he adds. “Luckily, our results were far more encouraging and we actually had the busiest Christmas we've had for years so we're certainly feeling fairly optimistic!”
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Reporting a two percent drop in its sales compared to last year – surprising, given the fact that the country was just coming out of recession – the company has attributed its poor performance to the adverse weather conditions in the run up to Christmas and revealed its pre-tax profits are likely to be significantly lower than the current market expectations.
However, independent craft shop owners have been less than surprised by the report. “To be honest, I can't see why anyone would be shocked by the results as people are generally spending much less than they were two or three years ago, so it's only to be expected they'd be more hesitant about splashing out on expensive cards,” says Tony Piercey, owner of Craft Genie in Surrey.
“Having said that, I don't think consumers are choosing to make their own cards due to money alone – in most cases, creating handmade varieties can be just as expensive – but because they are looking for things they can personalise and make their own,” he continues. “People have generally grown tired of the same-old, same-old varieties in the larger stores and want to spend their money on creating something that is truly unique.”
Revealing that the past few years have been very up and down, he says, “2008 was absolutely brilliant for us and the time when cardmaking really came into it's own, but the recession had a really big impact on our business and 2009 was pretty dire. Fortunately, things picked up for us during the second half of last year and we had a really busy Christmas, which was great.”
Agreeing that the number of consumers making their own cards has definitely risen over the past year, Bryan Perry, of the Glitter Pot in West Sussex, says, “Interest has been steadily growing over the last 12 months and a lot of new people seem to be taking up the pastime, which is very encouraging. Customers are generally looking for better value for their money and would rather spend their money on a range of supplies that will give them hours of enjoyment, rather than a store-bought card that'll be gone in an instant.
“I can't say I'm surprised by the results as the growing number of people making their own cards is inevitably going to pull business away from the chains,” he adds. “Luckily, our results were far more encouraging and we actually had the busiest Christmas we've had for years so we're certainly feeling fairly optimistic!”
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