New store set to create 14 jobs

The new store, at the Dobbies Garden Centre and Shopping Village in Barlborough, represents a £250K investment from the company and is expected to create 14 new jobs in the area.

Focusing on education, enjoyment and inspiration, the 5,500 sq ft outlet will include themed shopping areas covering papercraft, arts, sewing, home décor and haberdashery, along with demonstration areas for workshops and group sessions.

The outlet will give both craft enthusiasts and people who are trying the hobby for the first time the opportunity to learn about craft and get to know the brand.

To help with a recruitment drive to staff the store with craft enthusiasts, the company held a job open day on July 6 to give the region’s crafting public a chance to apply and show off their skills.

The open day was also designed to give the Crafter’s Companion team the opportunity to meet and get to know the crafting groups in the area as part of its ongoing community engagement initiative.

Sara Davies, who founded Crafter’s Companion in 2005, is hoping that the store will make a positive addition to the centre, which already has an established presence within the local community and attracts customers from as far afield as Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester and Leeds.

She said: “Dobbies is a great brand and renowned for providing quality products to loyal customers. Naturally we are thrilled to be partnering with them on this project and hope that it’s the start of a great relationship.

“The company’s established retail presence and customer demographics fit perfectly with our own, making Chesterfield the perfect location for us. We’re sure our store can help to attract even more customers from the catchment area and craft enthusiasts from further afield.

“As with our flagship store in Newton Aycliffe, we want create a destination at the heart of the community, where people can come to learn about craft, get involved with the brand and be inspired to get crafting. We’re really looking forward to seeing the store take shape.”

The new store at Dobbies Chesterfield will join several other brands such as Edinburgh Woollen Mill, Holland and Barrett, Lakeland, Pets at Home and Cotton Traders, as well as an extensive garden centre, farm shop food hall and a restaurant.

The Chesterfield store launch follows the opening of the company’s first UK store in County Durham earlier this year.

Crafter’s Companion specialises in manufacturing and distributing crafting tools and products, which are currently sold online via its website, on TV shopping channels across the world, by independent retailers and in its flagship store.

For more information about Crafter’s Companion, please visit www.crafterscompanion.co.uk.