Ideal World recruits new commercial director as group sets eyes on expansion

Ideal World, the multi-channel home shopping channel and retailer, today announces it is boosting its senior management team with the appointment of Bav Majithia to the role of commercial director.

The business has extensive growth plans over the coming months, seeking to boost its number of partnerships, products and customers.

Majitha brings a wealth of experience to Ideal World, having run and grown several award-winning businesses including his own retail communications company. During his career he has successfully built large teams and commercial relationships and mentored companies in a number of sectors.

At Ideal World, Majitha will be responsible for managing all commercial aspects of the business; from procurement, to securing brand partnerships across both TV and online platforms. He will work closely alongside CEO Hamish Morjara and the senior management team.

Ideal World CEO, Hamish Morjaria says: “We’re extremely pleased Bav is joining Ideal World at what is a time of dynamic growth. He has a great track record in building and developing businesses and employs a methodical, logical, and process-driven approach to everything he does. I’m looking forward to working closely with Bav to take Ideal World to the next level.”

Commenting on his appointment, Bav Majitha says: “I am thrilled to be joining Ideal – it’s well-loved, with great credentials and enormous commercial growth opportunities. My focus will be to extend what we already do and where we do it and really make Ideal live up to its omnichannel potential.”

Source: Retail Times

Katy Sue acquires Kanban Crafts

Katy Sue, one of the UK’s fastest growing craft businesses, has today acquired one of their largest competitors in a significant UK and international expansion. The fast-growing craft business, which is implementing a buy and build strategy to consolidate the highly fragmented craft market has completed the acquisition of the trading assets of Kanban Crafts, a well-loved papercraft brand made popular on shopping TV in the UK and Germany.

Having grown rapidly by acquisition over the past four years, Katy Sue headed by founder Sue Balfour and experienced entrepreneur Neil Stephenson, has completed five bolt-on acquisitions in recent times but this more significant acquisition moves the business to a platform of size and scale in the papercrafts segment. The acquisition of Kanban is one of a number of deals the business is currently looking at as it continues to build a family of well-loved craft brands.

Yorkshire based Kanban brings complimentary papercraft manufacturing capability along with more than 20 years of designs and creative content. Popular with card making fans, the brand is known both in the UK and Germany where it will continue to trade. Sue Balfour explains,

“I have been a Kanban fan for a long time, appreciating their constant innovation and incredible foiling detail. We are delighted to bring yet another quality UK manufactured product range to Katy Sue HQ. Our plan is to quickly relocate the business to our factory in South Shields and bring the brand back to TV and online during March. We can assure all Kanban fans that we will shortly return to the airwaves on Create and Craft and QVC Germany.”

Commenting on the deal, Paul Wright, Chairman of Hochanda Global Limited, the owners of Create and Craft TV added,

“We are thrilled to continue our strong relationship with Katy Sue and of course Kanban at this very exciting time for the channel. Kanban has been the premier supplier for card making kits to Create and Craft over many years and we and their army of fans look forward to seeing the new products arriving on our screens soon”.

Katy Sue has grown to over 32 staff during the pandemic and is investing heavily in its TV presence and ecommerce capability, specifically its own websites and marketplaces such as Amazon. This expansion is part of the company’s plans to grow revenues to £10m, employing over 100 staff by the end of 2025.

QVC Legend Tova has Died

QVC Legend Tova Borgnine has died.

News of her death was confirmed in a statement by the TOVA team on Borgnine’s social media pages on Monday (28 February).

Borgnine met with QVC in 1990 and, the following year after debuting her TOVA Signature fragrance, she and her brand went on to become a well-known part of the channel.

Over the years, she has appeared on different versions of the channel, including the German and UK editions. Her popularity led her to be dubbed QVC’s “first lady of beauty”.

Between 2002 and 2012, the TOVA brand worked exclusively with QVC across its worldwide network through the programme Beauty By TOVA.