HUDSON, Ohio, Aug. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- It may not feel like it outside, but fall has arrived and retailers like JOANN are seeing customers shop earlier than ever for Halloween and Fall décor and supplies. The nation’s largest retailer of sewing and fabrics, with one of the largest craft assortments, is already selling out of some of its hottest items, as millions on social media have dubbed “Summerween” an official season.
“We’ve seen over the past couple of years that customers – particularly a younger demographic – are shopping for Halloween much earlier than in years past,” said Rob Will, Chief Merchandising Officer at JOANN. “From huge outdoor skeletons to party favors to unique fabrics for costume-making, we’ve created a ‘One Stop Scare Shop’ and new decor collections are arriving in stores each week. Our Buyers added more variety and volume, pulled up inventory to be available earlier than ever, and customers can’t get enough!”
Some of the best-selling Halloween items from JOANN so far include a collection of over 50 unique skeletons – such as an 8-foot animated skeleton, a 5-foot “groundbreaker” and 5-foot werewolf - tabletop decor and spooky figural pillows, and of course fabrics for every costume or project imaginable.
“It is so exciting to see customers enjoy the process of finding new ways to celebrate the ‘spooky season’ and we’ve loved surprising them with product earlier than ever this year,” said Stan Rosenzweig, Executive Chairman of the Board. “We are keenly listening to customers across our communication channels, including stores and social media, and have worked to ensure we are getting product to shelves when customers want to see it. Our new collections have been incredibly well-received, and we are thrilled to offer such a wide array of products, whether customers are looking to dress up their front yards, create bespoke costumes for their children or host a Halloween get-together.”
Team Members will also get into the spirit during the month of October, as they don their own handmade costume creations. Customers are encouraged to celebrate the creative holiday with JOANN all month long, and share their finished costumes, party settings and home décor vignettes using #handmadewithJOANN.
The trend also marks a large shift in consumer behavior that JOANN will service for the the Winter Holiday season. Based on consumer demand signals, the retailer plans to introduce its holiday assortment earlier than before both in stores and online at joann.com. The company has also announced a robust hiring event to add an estimated 5,000 Team Members to its store fleet for the season.
Interim CEO Michael Prendergast commented, “We are ecstatic that customers have reacted so to our broad Halloween offering. As we look forward, we see this translate into early Holiday demand opportunities as well. With those signals, we have moved up expanded holiday assortments and will offer consumers the opportunity to purchase earlier than ever. We are committed to servicing the needs of our loyal JOANN customer base and hope these offerings help fulfill their crafting, sewing and creative needs. We are very excited to add over 5,000 Holiday employees to help support this initiative.”
For more on JOANN and to explore the full seasonal and everyday assortment, visit www.joann.com.
About JOANN
For more than 80 years, JOANN has inspired creativity in the hearts, hands, and minds of its customers. From a single storefront in Cleveland, Ohio, the nation’s leader in sewing and fabrics with one of the largest arts and crafts offerings has grown to include more than 800 stores across 49 states and a robust ecommerce business. With the goal of helping every customer find their creative Happy Place, JOANN serves as a convenient single source for all the supplies, guidance, and inspiration needed to achieve any project or passion.
Amanda Hayes Amanda.hayes@joann.com
