KitchenCraft’s new brand structure will be unveiled at Spring Fair and Ambiente, where new brands such as Maxwell & Williams, Chef’n, Rabbit and London Pottery will be presented under the KitchenCraft name. Additionally, in a significant move, Creative Tops and the brands they currently manage – to include Katie Alice, V&A, Mikasa and La Cafetiere – will also now come under the KitchenCraft umbrella.
The two, major Spring shows see the first stage of going ‘live’ with the new brand structure. Although the name Creative Tops will be retired as a trading name, it will instead be used as a brand name, coming from KitchenCraft, and re-focusing on its strengths in surface pattern design across gifts, tablemats, coasters and small tabletop collections.
“We felt it was important not to lose the individual strengths that each of the brands we now manage has, but instead to reinvigorate them and give them a point a focus, and form an integral but clear part of our overall strategy,” explains managing director Matthew Canwell. “In addition, we aim to simplify ordering processes for our retail customers going forward, and having one main trading name was an essential part of that process.”
KitchenCraft will have two stands at both Spring Fair and Ambiente – one focused on cook products and one focused on dining products. “The shows form an essential part of our launch process, showcasing our new product development programme and making it easy for our customers to see, understand and become excited by what the next year has to offer,” Matthew continues. “We have our largest launch ever this year, across both the cook and dine categories, and mindful of a tough retail climate, we feel there is a great commercial balance behind them all.”
With investment in new stands for both shows, KitchenCraft will be making interactive and digital features a focus. There will be cookery demonstrations to showcase products, while offering inspiration for use in-store, tea tasting as part of the London Pottery launch, competitions, window display inspiration and also a hydration bar, so that buyers can keep drinks flowing while being kind to the environment.
Top: Creative Tops’ Seas The Day from KitchenCraft.
