Hi Stuart, hope you’re having a great summer! How’s business going?
“Hi Jacqui, so far the summer has been great and being typically English I am looking forward to a bit of rain and shade just so it can feel normal. Business so far has been good, the reception to Karnival Costumes has been fantastic and we making sure our lines can be purchased not just across Europe but worldwide. We are working very hard to make sure we have good quality products at the right prices with fantastic images.”
That’s good to hear! Do party retailers benefit from all this hot weather we’ve been having?
“Wow this is a toughie! I think yes, because the hot weather has been sustained for a lengthy period so we are now dropping back into our normal routines where people are celebrating parties, enjoying going to festivals and generally having more fun. We now need to look at how other countries who have hot weather all year round dress up. Ideas such as ponchos are lightweight and so are very popular in the US and Australian markets. We are very excited to be launching a range of material ponchos that will be suitable for all themed decade parties.”
Are preparations starting for Halloween yet? What sort of Halloween are you expecting to see this year?
“Yes it seems now all retailers are finally gearing up for Halloween. For the past few years a lot of retailers have been holding stock and I think the main objective for retailers and suppliers this year is to make margin. If the warm weather continues we could see a lot more Halloween parties and kids dressing up for trick and treat. I suspect traditional costumes such as witches and vampire capes will be the best sellers but you cannot look too far from zombies, which always bring the scare factor!”
Has Karnival Costumes introduced any new Halloween ranges for 2018 that retailers should know about?
“There are a few Halloween evergreens which are now in our range such as Grim Reapers and more zombies. I am always quizzical about Voodoo but so far many suppliers have looked at this without there being a lot of volume sold. Day of the Dead is still popular as well, so we have our own version. Another theme which is popular throughout October is Oktoberfest and we have introduced four new styles for men and four new styles for women.”
They sound great! And what about next year – how far into 2019 have you been planning so far? And what’s in store for party retailers?
“Next year is so exciting as it will be the first time where we can introduce new lines for Christmas, new lines for Carnival 2019 and a lot more lines for Book Week 2019. In fact, we are already starting to plan for Halloween 2019 where we will have a brand new range. We are looking to show this off as early as November 2018 so we can hit the ground running. Another exciting area which Karnival Costumes is looking at is accessories which will accompany our costumes. Working with Progressive Party gives us an ideal platform to launch Karnival Costumes and we are looking forward to working with you closer.”
Sounds like you’ll be busy! Thanks for your time Stuart – and we’re looking forward to seeing what you have in store. Have a great summer!
“Thank you Jacqui and thanks for this opportunity. Next year will be exciting, so here’s to enjoying the remainder of 2018 and looking forward to 2019!”
