Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Following the January debut of Japanese organising consultant and author Marie Kondo’s Netflix series ‘Tidy Up’, John Lewis & Partners has reported record sales of storage and organisation products, with storage boxes soaring by 47%, and baskets climbing 24% on last year.
The department store group said: “January has always been a popular month for reorganising the home, but with over 50,000 #declutteryourlife posts on Instagram, the demand for home storage solutions has increased beyond expectation.
“With homes getting smaller, clever solutions are increasingly important to customers, and aesthetic has become as important a consideration as functionality.”
Baskets have been one of the retailer’s best-selling storage solutions, with seagrass, water hyacinth and jute materials challenging classic wicker styles in terms of popularity.
John Lewis & Partners utility shop buyer Matt Thomas commented: “The popularity of Marie Kondo showcasing how best to declutter your home has been a huge influence for customers. A tidy home equates to a tidy mind, and it’s clear that customers are taking inspiration and starting early when it comes to spring cleaning.”
Clothing, footwear and accessories storage are also seeing the Marie Kondo effect. Sales of clothing hooks are up 36% with a shift towards a more premium look and feel, and exclusive brand Neatfreak! (which offers a stackable cubby shoe rack) has seen sales soar by 518% this year.
Jewellery trinket trays from John Lewis’ Find Keep Give collection have proven so popular that some styles sold out twice as fast as expected, and ‘Stackers’ jewellery boxes have seen a 36% increase in sales. The retailer has also increased its men’s offering, resulting in a 172% uplift in sales of jewellery storage boxes and trays.
Modular storage, which enables customers to mix and match according to their storage demands is also seeing strong growth, with sales up 16% compared with the same time last year.
