Hobbycraft reports strong Christmas sales
Arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft saw its like-for-like sales increase by 9.5% in the six weeks to 24 December.
The company experienced strong growth both in its stores and online with in-store like-for-likes up 7.1% and online sales rising by 28%.
To boost customer engagement, Hobbycraft hosted 12 weeks of Christmas workshops and demonstrations across its 94 stores in the run-up to Christmas. These ranged from events on fillable baubles to personalised advent calendars and were attended by over 21,000 adults and children.
Hobbycraft said its online blog and Christmas ‘Look book’ saw 10% more customers searching for Christmas ideas and inspiration in the period. The most popular festive blog posts were “How to crochet a mini stocking advent”, “14 Christmas Eve Box Ideas” and “15 Crafty Christmas hamper Ideas”.
Katherine Paterson, customer director at Hobbycraft, said: “A personalised present means so much more and Christmas is clearly the perfect time of year to create something extra special for loved ones. Social media channels and influencers are helping to drive this trend and our results this Christmas show that crafting a thoughtful gift or decoration is a more enriching experience in these challenging times.”
