It’s that time again, as we crawl into the Christmas break, and look back at the last 12 months in the party industry.
JANUARY
2023 kicked off with the news that US retail giant, Party City, had filed for Chapter 11.
Elsewhere in the industry, Gemar was preparing for its UK launch, and Palmer Agencies was readying for the movie of the year with a new Barbie costume range.
FEBRUARY
Spielwarenmesse made a successful return in February, following an enforce three-year break.
Wonder invested £8 million in warehouse robotics and DC transformation, and Rubies’ commercial director, Graham Gardiner left the business.
MARCH
Disguise announced a 61% increase in sales for Q3 in March, as suppliers hailed World Book Day 2023 a huge success. Toy Fair New York introduced Halloween BOOlevard, a Halloween themed product showcase.
APRIL
Gemar made its debut in Scotland with Suleman’s in April. Supplier, Talking Tables, joined forces with the Great British Garden Party, while Carole Middleton’s company, Party Pieces, considered a sale.
MAY
May provided a boost for the party industry, as Brits went Coronation Crazy, before preparing for a huge Eurovision party, as the contest headed to Liverpool. Across the pond, Spirit Halloween expanded its New Jersey HQ ahead of the big season.
JUNE
Maya Maraj joined World Book Day in June, as commercial partnerships manager, and Club Green named Kristina Sundby as its new national accounts manager. Party Pieces collapsed into administration owing £2.6 million.
JULY
In July, Tim Mulhall joined Rubies as chief executive officer UK. The Halloween and Costume Association announced the return of its Virtual Buying Week event, while retailer Party Fiesta entered voluntary administration.
AUGUST
Robert Nutt joined Pioneer Europe as business development manager in August, and Opposuits welcomed Edwin Klein as key account manager. MOM Fun Company announced a new partnership with Kroeger for the US and Canada.
SEPTEMBER
Retailers started preparing for Halloween and Spirit Halloween announced plans to open 1500 stores in 2023, while Amscan won a Licensing Award for its Bluey range.
Pioneer Balloon Company (a seperate entity to Pioneer Europe) announced a Chapter 11 reorganisation, as Party City prepared to exit bankruptcy with a $1 billion debt reduction.
OCTOBER
The following month, Party City successfully completed its financial restructuring, while UK wholesaler, Card and Party Store collapsed into administration.
Wonder was appointed as World Book Day licensee; BLE welcomed record numbers of retail visitors; NABAS clarified the new rules around single-use plastics; and Halloween HQ opened ten stores and a new site in Ireland.
NOVEMBER
Tesco relaunched Paperchase into over 250 stores in November, before the UK Balloon Artist Winners were revealed. Anagram entered a stalking horse agreement, while Widmann welcomed a new UK sales agent, Paul Lewis.
DECEMBER
In December, Wonder strengthened its sustainability team with the announcement of a new sustainability specialist, Daniel Foster. Party City introduced a digital party planning service, while Creative Party commenced liquidation proceedings.
