Tag Archives: homewares

Laura Ashley secures home furnishings partnership with Ashley Wilde

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The home and lifestyle brand, Laura Ashley, has secured a new soft furnishings partnership with the global textiles specialist, Ashley Wilde. Under the deal, the British fabric company will provide all soft furnishings for the Laura Ashley home collection.

Established in 1950, Ashley Wilde Group, has a rich heritage in the textiles business and attributes its longstanding success to design, style, service and innovation.

The Laura Ashley home collection will be available at Next and is launching in spring this year. It will include bed linen, ready-made curtains, made-to-measure curtains and blinds, cushions, throws, bath towels, and mats.

The new collection will see the return of signature Laura Ashley prints alongside a range of modern florals and vintage inspired botanicals.

Simon Brodin, managing director at Ashley Wilde Group, said:”Our new relationship with Laura Ashley marks the beginning of a very exciting collaboration for Ashley Wilde; our brands share so much in terms of heritage and quality.

“It is a pleasure to work with the stunning prints that Laura Ashley is famous for and bring them to life through soft furnishings for the home. This collaborative collection is something we are very proud of.”

Poppy Marshall-Lawton, head of brand and partnerships at Laura Ashley, added: “Ashley Wilde was the perfect choice of partner to relaunch the Laura Ashley soft furnishing collections.  They have a fantastic design ethos and many years of experience creating beautiful product ranges for other leading interior and designer brands.”

Sesame Street lands new homewares partner in Texco as demand for retro continues

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Sesame Workshop’s evergreen and ever popular pre-school IP, Sesame Street is stepping into the homewares and bedding market with the launch of a new range of duvet sets, curtains, bean bags, towels and more courtesy of Texco.

The new line-up, which will also include cushions and fleece blankets, will feature beloved characters from the show like Elmo, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster. The deal was secured by the European licensing agency, Bulldog Licensing, which represents Sesame Street across the UK and Eire.

The move arrives in the midst of what Bulldog Licensing’s MD, Rob Corney has billed as a ‘huge demand for retro brands among consumers and consequently retail’ at the moment.

“During times of uncertainty, families naturally gravitate towards the tried and true characters who can bring comfort and joy,” he said. “Sesame Street has always been a multi-generational favourite. With Sesame Street’s brand values and brilliant production quality, we look forward to seeing the new range from Texco which will hit the market next year.”

Sesame Street programming airs on leading commercial preschool broadcaster Tiny Pop. Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck launched in 2018, and the channel has since complemented the show with Elmo’s World, which debuted in January 2020, before Cookie’s Crumby Pictures and Super Grover 2.0 joined the portfolio this autumn.

Character World tucks in with Swizzels for bedding, blankets, and more

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Character World is helping kids tuck in to the confectionery specialist Swizzels Matlow with a new range of bedding, blankets, towels and more based on some of its most popular brands.

In a deal brokered by Blonde Sheep Licensing, the initial range is due to online this year with a focus on the Love Hearts brand, with further lines to be added throughout the year.

Swizzels is the largest independent British owned manufacturer of sugar confectionery in the UK and is still run by members of the families who founded the business back in 1928. The company makes a range of well-known products including Love Hearts, Squashies, Refreshers, Drumstick Lollies, Rainbow Drops, Double Lollies and Fruity Pops.

Tim Kilby, eCommerce and brand director at Charter World, said: “Character World is delighted to be working with Swizzles. We are looking forward to bringing Love Hearts to life in homes throughout the UK later this year.”

Natasha Dyson, managing director at Blonde Sheep Licensing, added: “It’s fantastic to have Character World on board for the bedding category. The Swizzels brands have broad appeal and their bright colours paired with Character World’s retail network will add cheer to bedrooms all over the UK.”

Blonde Sheep Licensing continues to investigate other opportunities for Swizzels in categories including jewellery, toys and social greetings.