Last Friday (15 November) saw excitement from Jellycat fans and collectors alike, as Selfridges’ Birmingham Bullring store unveiled a ‘brand news, never before seen concept’ that is being fanfared as the ‘largest Jellycat space in the UK.’
There are eight dedicated areas across a wide range of imaginative plush, books and accessories, with the cult Jellycat brand continuing to go from strength to strength, helped by social media platforms, especially Tik Tok and Instagram.
The company – a favourite of Princess Charlotte, who was once photographed with Jellycat’s Fuddlewuddle Puppy as a baby – hit the headlines at the beginning of September when it accused Aldi of copying one of the company’s best sellers, Dexeter the Dragon.
Having grown the Jellycat business over the past 25 years through employing a network of UK sales agents – with independent gift retailers among the brand’s devoted stockists – the company took he decision to implement a strategic shift in its sales operations earlier this year and decided, as part of its broader business strategy, to bring its sales team in-house.
Jellycat was founded by brothers William and Thomas Gatacre in 1999. Currently, Arnaud Meysselle is the company’s chief executive.