Hawkin’s Bazaar was founded in 1973 and has sold curios, toys, gifts and gadgets since then. The brand was bought by H Grossman Limited last year, who have now sold to MenKind.
Stocking Fillers, which sells Christmas gifts, was also part of the deal. The two brands, complete with sites, stock and customer data, went for an undisclosed amount.
It’s a good news story in many respects as Hawkin’s Bazaar had collapsed in January 2020, putting 177 jobs at risk. The appointed administrator pointed out the brand’s heritage, but the challenge any shop has competing against Amazon.
Trade press note that shoppers will still be able to buy through the websites, but in time, these will redirect to MenKind. Geek Native infers that once Hawkin’s Bazaar’s site redirects and there is no longer a web presence, that will be a crucial step in retiring the brand.
Previously, MenKind bought Red5 and followed the same pattern. Red5 stores persisted while behind-the-scenes integration took place. The website redirected first, and then the retail locations rebranded to MenKind.
MenKind has over 50 locations, including pop-ups, in the United Kingdom, including a handful here in Scotland.
Established in 2001, the gift shop has survived and grown during difficult trading times and isn’t Amazon. The secret to their success? MenKind say;
But, what really sets us apart is that we have a sense of humour. Yes, we put a lot of thought into the products that we offer, and we are fully committed to giving our customers an amazing experience, but we take ourselves about as seriously as the ‘wash with like colours’ tag on a t-shirt.
It’s an important season for all three sites in question;
David Mordecai, Hawkin’s Bazaar CEO, commented,
We are delighted to have been acquired by Menkind. It is a market leader in the gifting industry and brings a world of experience which makes it truly exciting for this deal to take place. We are so thankful to our loyal customers for their support over the years and feel confident that they are in the best hands possible with Menkind.”
Photograph credit: Mtaylor848.
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