The end of the summer is the perfect time to take stock of the first half of the year before everyone goes Halloween crazy. PPE spoke to Lauren Grierson, assistant buyer for children’s licensed character fashion, Matalan, to find out how the party business has been so far in 2018.
How has business been for you in the first six months of 2018, in general?
“As a whole our dress-up department has traded phenomenally this year. We are +14% vs plan, +2% vs last year. The hype around World Book Day in schools has grown year-on-year and we have seen this in our sales as well. We are looking to grow it next year.”
Has Matalan seen any particular crazes or fashions this year?
“Throughout the industry we have seen an increase in options for ‘customer moments’ such as Book Week, Halloween and Christmas. Halloween has seen a move towards more alternative dress-up styles such as unicorns and mermaids. We have also seen this influence licensed dress-up – with consumers looking for gender neutral and princess-alternative characters.”
Have any areas of your business done particularly well this year so far?
“We have seen a natural uplift in our styles due to new innovations and updates to costumes but the most successful lines for us do need the support of a film release. 2019 will be a big year for us due to new releases such as Aladdin and Frozen 2.”
How do you expect the rest of 2018 to be for Matalan’s costume business?
“We expect to have a successful Halloween and Christmas season as we see a great uplift at this time year for dress-up and gifting purposes.”
Is there a particular product, range or supplier that has has really made a difference to your business in 2018?
“Christy’s by Design has always supported our dress-up ranges. It continues to innovate and drive new ideas for us which is refreshing compared to some of the other players in the market.”
