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NEWS UPDATE US retailer Party City to open branch in Ireland US-based party product chain Party City is currently making plans to open its first European retail outlet in Ireland. The New York Stock Exchange-listed company – which is the largest retailer of party goods in the US and runs nearly 900 stores – held a grand opening of the flagship store on Saturday 8 June in the Liffey Valley retail park in Dublin. The store, which was the first Party City branch to open outside of North America, is being run on a day-to-day basis by Creative Retail Solutions (owners of seasonal pop-up shop business Halloween HQ). The store will operate online from an Irish-specific ecommerce website, partycity. ie and will employ 30 people in-store. James Harrison, the chief executive of Party City,
confirmed the opening of the store last week. “I’m excited to announce that we are opening our first European party specialty store in Ireland,” he said. “Previously, our only retail presence in Europe has been through the UK headquartered e-commerce business Party Delights and the chain of temporary Halloween pop-up stores Halloween HQ. This fullline store in Ireland will serve as a pilot for us to determine the consumer interest in the broader offering that only a party specialty retailer can offer at store level.” “We are extremely interested to see what this pilot tells us and how we can shape the learnings gained toward making the party conscious that are so popular here in North America a part of
Halloween HQ continues to grow
While Halloween HQ parent company Creative Retail Solutions will have its work cut out with the new Party City plans, owner Vincent Lynch is keen to confirm that Halloween HQ will be continuing with its own growth plans and will be making moves into the European market for the first time. “There will probably be around 30 stores between Ireland and the UK this year and we will probably have six stores in Northern Europe,” he revealed.
the European landscape as well.” Creative Retail Solutions is owned by Vincent Lynch and Stuart and Declan Fagan. Speaking to the Irish Independent newspaper, Vincent said he was confident Party City would appeal to Irish consumers, describing the offering as being ‘a store of the future’ for parties, pointing out that it would introduce new concepts to Ireland and offer in-store experiences. Above: Party City: coming soon, to a town near you.
Scottish success at debut Bristol Novelty roadshow The first leg of Bristol Novelty’s 2019/20 roadshow, which was held in Dunblane, Scotland, saw a ‘fantastic turn-out’ for the debut event, which has kicked off the ever-expanding plans at the costume and accessory company. The event was well-received by retailers and is part of the company’s expansion plan to provide a better customer experience, offering competitive prices on all its new and popular products. “The turn-out was fantastic and we were delighted to see so many customers turning up to support us,” commented marketing manager Fran Hales. “I would like to thank all who attended for their time as it was a pleasure to meet you all.” He continued: “We love catching up with retailers as they provide us with incredible insight but more importantly, it gives us the opportunity to establish what they want and need from us as a business.” Dunblane was just the first stop of Bristol Novelty’s nationwide roadshow, which will be travelling around the UK over the coming weeks and months, providing guests with the full roadshow experience, including new costume lines, accessories ranges and more.
RH Smith & Sons has taken on new office space in Leeds to act as a creative hub for the Smiffys business. Currently headquartered in Gainsborough in Lincolnshire, Smiffys has taken on a 15-year lease for an additional 13,000 sq ft of space at the Central Park development in Leeds. “Despite the uncertainty caused by Brexit, we decided to invest in this new larger facility in Leeds as part of our long-term growth strategy for the UK and European markets,” stated director Dominique Peckett. Smiffys offices and showroom in Gainsborough will remain fully operational as will the international facilities in Amsterdam, two offices in China and premises in Australia and US.
Autumn Fair will be moving to the Atrium at the NEC this September as part of a re-edited offering designed specifically to facilitate connections between suppliers and retailers. Partyware exhibitors such as Neviti and Ginger Ray will be showing within the greetings sector in Hall 6, while Travis Designs will be in the toy sector in Hall 5. Visit www.autumnfair.com for more information.
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Rhyl-based balloon and party shop Personalise A Memory has been named Gift Shop of the Year at the Welsh Independent Retail Awards 2019. “Being crowned the winner in our category meant the world to us,” said Ashley Jones, 21, who runs Personalise A Memory with his mother Lindsay. “We’d like to say a big thank you to every person who voted for us and to every single person who comes into our shop because you’ve helped a small business grow.”
Smiffys takes on new creative office space in Leeds
Autumn Fair moves to new home at the NEC
For the latest news visit PartyWorldwide.net
Rhyl party shop named Welsh gift shop of the year
Angels Open Days end on a high Feedback was hugely positive for Angels Open Days, which took place from 31 March – 2 April, 2019 at the Angels headquarters in Hendon, London. “We had a great show,” said Emma Angel, director of Angels Distribution and organiser of the show, “with buyers turning up and really making the most of the opportunity to see the latest 2019 ranges from our exhibitors. Surprisingly, Tuesday was the busiest day, and it was especially nice to end on a high!” Above: The three-day show was a great success.
MAY/JUNE 2019 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE
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