Highlight Crafts
17 March 2025
Sector: Retail/Wholesale Craft Supplies
Location: North East Derbyshire
Highlight Crafts is based in Clay Cross, North East Derbyshire and has been trading since May 2021.
The business is predominantly involved in direct retail sales and training through e-commerce and face-to-face for craft related products as well as classes, which are designed and developed in-house. It employs 29 people.
Challenges faced
Although the business had done well in the past selling on television, the trends were showing television sales were on the downturn, and there was an urgent need to build more solid connections with customers and sell through the website.
Other issues included rising costs, copycat products from the Far East as well as a large wholesale customer going into administration. This has all had a major impact on sales and cashflow.
Solution and Impact
Highlight Crafts has been supported by the Accelerator project. Accelerator is funded by North East Derbyshire District Council’s share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber.
Managing Director, Karl Shaw has been working with Chamber Business Adviser, Andy Bunn initially with a business diagnostic and on future growth plans. One of the main areas of support has been around growing the business’s marketing reach to combat declining television sales. The business was keen to push more potential customers towards its website to build contacts and its mailing lists.
Accelerator offers eligible businesses growth vouchers, up to the value of £2,000 which can be used towards specialist consultancy support. Highlight Crafts was successful with its application for the voucher and has been helped to create a Google Ads and YouTube advertising campaign to generate new B2C customer leads. This support has been provided by Liam Lally, a specialist in paid digital advertising.
The added benefit of this advice was improvements to its website in terms of key words and search engine optimisation, ensuring the site would be found by the kind of customers they were looking for.
The support has provided some security for the business and enabled it to create a new marketing position and safeguard jobs.
Some of the Highlight Crafts team have also taken advantage of the funded Accelerator workshops including Using AI for SEO, Marketing & Brand Development, and Blogging with Authority and Trust.
“The support was delivered in a professional, efficient and timely manner.
It highlighted areas for the team to focus on to generate sales leads. This has had a direct and positive impact on our business.”
- Karl Shaw, Managing Director
This initiative is funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and delivered by East Midlands Chamber on behalf of North East Derbyshire District Council.
