73 PROFILE CURIOUS UNIVERSE +44 (0)1225 614 310 sales@curiousuniverse.co.uk https://curiousuniverse.co.uk/ Craft has boomed over the last year! Have you noticed any new trends? Yes, we’re constantly looking to tackle new areas. We launched a new quilling range this year and have massively expanded our Paint By Numbers and Crystal Creations offering. Equally, we have some lovely ‘My First’ products in sewing and knitting in beautiful carry cases that should be very popular. How often do you launch new ranges? Product development is at the forefront at Curious Universe, and we continue to launch new and exciting ranges every month. We’re always evolving our ranges and provide fresh concepts to incorporate into our product range that appeal to various markets. We also recognise the strength of our current ranges and have continued to build on their successes, introducing new titles in popular formats. How would you advise a retailer who is interested in stocking your products? Please do contact us at sales@ curiousuniverse.co.uk and we would love to discuss your needs. What sets you apart from your competitors? We’re passionate about the products that we create and really want the consumer to have a very enjoyable experience in using our products. We work very hard with all our suppliers to ensure that the product is exceptional value for money, considered high quality and designed with the consumer in mind. In addition, the following areas spring to mind that is an ongoing focus: Sustainability – As a young company that creates over 20 million products per year, we’ve paid particular attention to building a sustainable future for people and the planet. We’re working hard behind the scenes to play our part in making the shift towards a better future. We’ve aligned our sustainability framework with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our Employee & Community Engagement – We provide our people an exciting, challenging and inclusive place to work. To support this, we offer extensive training to all our employees, including job specific skills and management development. We give back to the community – This year we chose two fantastic local charities that we support through fundraising, donating products and corporate volunteering days: Julian House, a charity that supports vulnerable and at-risk individuals; and Bath Mind, providing advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. We celebrate diversity in all its forms – We support this through our product content and in their promotion. We want to bring reading, fun or creativity to everyone, regardless of their culture or background. This year, we have achieved the following: • Delivered company wide diversity and inclusion training. • Expanding recruitment channels to ensure a wider audience can be reached. • Recruitment advertisements are all checked for bias to ensure a fair and inclusive approach. • Training on unconscious bias. • Established a Leadership team which is 71 per cent women and five of our eight ‘head of’ roles are female (62 per cent). Do you visit any trade shows? Do you plan to visit any soon? Over the next 12 months, we’re looking forward to exhibiting at the Frankfurt Book Fair, London Toy Fair, Spielwarenmesse Nuremberg, Bologna and London Book Fairs. What are you looking forward to most over the next year? As our company develops, so does our appetite for growing our product ranges with a keen interest on building on our art and craft ranges. We have some new and exciting concepts that we can’t wait to introduce to the market, allowing us to continue showcasing our passion for creating fun, quality products. What new products can we expect from you in the future? Keep your eyes peeled for all sorts of new concepts and subject areas. However, the following titles should be really exciting coming in June 2023: Carry Along Craft Studio, I Love Cross Stitch and I Love Crystals is expanding nicely too!
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