Having made a successful return to schools last year, teacher strikes did little to dampen the enthusiasm for World Book Day this year, and schools around the UK saw children dressing as their favourite characters. But did that translate to sales for the dress-up sector?
Celebrating its 26th year in 2023, World Book Day’s mission is to see more children with a lifelong habit of reading for pleasure, and the improved life chances this will bring them. Each child in the UK received a voucher again this year, and many schools celebrated the event with the annual dressing up day for teachers and pupils. But how was it for you?
Pete Silver, head of sales UK, Rubies
“Our sales for World Book Day were simply phenomenal. As the official partner, it’s always a joy to see little ones getting into character and engaging in a love for reading on the big day. Key trends for this year amongst World Book Day dress-up included generic costumes being preferred to licensed; an advantage of these types of costumes to consumers, is they can put their own stamp on it and make it their own, and also one fancy dress can represent an abundance of characters and books.
“Our retail customers maximised the event by making sure they ordered their stock early in advance, as shoppers are buying and preparing earlier than ever, and by keeping on-trend by ordering our new and updated styles and designs.”
To read feedback from other key suppliers, simply head to the digital issue of Progressive Party Europe here.
