Hobbycraft Store, Tunbridge Wells (geograph 1693806)(cropped)
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Hobbycraft is the leading
arts and crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...
superstore
retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...
chain in the
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.


History

The company was founded in 1995 by the Haskins Group, a nursery and garden supplier in the south of England, and was bought by investment group Bridgepoint in April 2010, and in 2024 they sold the business to Modella Capital. The stores have been blamed for putting independent craft suppliers out of business, and the amount of choice for specific hobbies has been said to be not as good as in specialised stores. Hobbycraft reported a 10% increase in sales in the beginning of 2010, and opened two new stores, with the chief executive saying arts and crafts are a low cost
hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other ...
and he believed they would do well despite difficulties in the economy. In 2010 to 2011, Hobbycraft quickly brought in a new shipping system under the guidance of Hobbycraft IT Director Mike Thomas, the former supply chain director, IT and Business Development Director for Entertainment UK and Woolworths in which he had held active senior director/shareholder roles. During the deployment of the new IT system, Hobbycraft management also decided to relocate the distribution centre operations from
Blandford Forum Blandford Forum ( ) is a market town in Dorset, England, on the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour, north-west of Poole. It had a population of 10,355 at the United Kingdom 2021 census, 2021 census. The town is notable for its Georgian archit ...
to Burton-upon-Trent. In October 2013, it was revealed that "Hobbycraft's pre-tax profits fell from £11.5m to £6.3m last year after the company incurred exceptional costs of £2.8m, mostly as a result of the decision to relocate its distribution from Dorset to Staffordshire." In September 2014, it was revealed that Hobbycraft's profits had halved, due to chains such as
Aldi Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...
,
Lidl Lidl ( ) is a trademark, used by two Germany, German international discount supermarket, discount retailer chain store, chains that operates over 12,600 stores. The ''LD Stiftung'' operates the stores in Germany and the ''Lidl Stiftung & Co. K ...
,
Poundland Poundland Limited is a British variety store chain founded by Dave Dodd and Steven Smith in 1990, originally selling all of its items at the single price of £1. The retailer grew from a single location in Burton upon Trent, opening its hund ...
, and online retailers such as
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moving into the craft market. Hobbycraft's CEO Catriona Marshall said that the company's profits had been depressed by a £3m investment on a rented warehouse in Burton-upon-Trent, on which Hobbycraft took out a fifteen-year lease. Marshall said: "Our performance in 2013/14 reflects investment in infrastructure and the final stages of the programme to put in place our new supply chain and online trading platform. We are now using this investment to grow store sales and our online presence." At the start of December 2014, Bridgepoint brought in retail veteran
Archie Norman Archibald John Norman (born 1 May 1954) is a British businessman and politician. He is the only person to have been chairman of an FTSE 100 company and a Member of the House of Commons (MP) at the same time. From January 2010 to January 2016, N ...
in the hope of turning around the fortunes of the company. In May 2018, Matt Davies, the new chairman, added: "This is a unique business that I have followed for many years. I look forward to working with Dominic again and to working with the team to build on its success to make Hobbycraft an even greater place for crafters and enthusiasts alike." In August 2020, Hobbycraft announced multi-channel growth plans after a complete financial year in which its online revenues increased by 19%. The company has seen e-commerce turbocharged this year – recording a 200% rise in internet revenues as the 12-week shutdown of Covid-19 channelled much of its web revenue. In May 2021, Hobbycraft was revealed as the Fourth Best Big Company to Work for in the UK and the third Best Retail Company to work for in the UK by the Best Companies Awards 2021. In June 2022 Hobbycraft has posted pre-tax profit growth of £15m, representing +8.7% growth on the 2021 financial year, while revenue increased to £203.1m from £176.9m, growth of +14.8%. Hobbycraft’s chief executive, Dominic Jordan, says that while the company is in a strong position heading into the 2023 financial year, the months ahead remain challenging. Dominic went on to add that the current cost of living crisis is causing problems, and that the company also faced challenges with shipping costs. To mitigate this, the retailer focused instead on its eCommerce efforts, resulting in an uplift of +58.2% in online sales. Its benefits scheme, meanwhile, now has 5.9m Hobbycraft Club members. June 2023, saw the retailer awarded the #1 Best Big Company to work for in the UK by Best Companies Awards 2023, thanks to several compelling factors. Chris Fenlon, Retail & People Director at Hobbycraft commented; “We are delighted and so proud to have been awarded the 2023 Q2 #1 Best Big Company and #1 Retailer to work for in the UK, as we really do put our colleagues at the heart of everything we do.” In August 2023, Hobbycraft launched its first
mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a smartphone, phone, tablet computer, tablet, or smartwatch, watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop appli ...
, giving customers the ability to search for product, help, and inspiration as well as manage and display their loyalty Club information. In August 2024, investment group Bridgepoint sold the retailer to specialist retail investor Modella Capital for an undisclosed sum. Modella managing director Joseph Price said: “Hobbycraft is a business with fantastic potential, boasting a highly experienced management team, truly passionate store colleagues and real authority in a sector on the high street that continues to grow and is set to do so in the future. Modella is affiliated to the turnaround firm Rcapital and lists Ted Baker’s UK licensing partner No Ordinary Designer Label, which collapsed into administration earlier this year, under its portfolio of investments.


2025 - store closures

On 22 April 2025 the company announced the planned closure, by mid-July, of nine stores across the UK as part of a restructure. Some other stores are also being "reviewed". Up to 126 workers jobs may be affected and there will be additional redundancies in the head office and distribution centre.


Past logo

File:Hobbycraft-logo.svg, Logo used until June 2011


Controversies

* In May 2013, Queen's Hospital A&E department in
Burton upon Trent Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a market town in the borough of East Staffordshire in the county of Staffordshire, England, close to the border with Derbyshire. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 censu ...
was closed down for three hours "in accordance with national guidance" after seven workers of Hobbycraft attended A&E and reported being covered with an unknown white powder. It was later shown to be inert. * In September 2014, Hobbycraft made wide news headlines in the United Kingdom when non-national staff were required to speak English at work or face disciplinary action.


References

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External links


hobbycraft.co.uk
— official website Arts and crafts retailers Companies based in Dorset Retail companies of the United Kingdom Stationers of the United Kingdom Retail companies established in 1995 British companies established in 1995