Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE:MSO) announced the Martha Stewart Crafts(TM) line will debut on May 1, 2007. The line features more than 650 SKUs, including a wide array of materials for paper crafting and scrapbooking, with exclusive paper designs, beautiful embellishments, smartly designed tools every crafter needs, as well as convenient binders and storage systems that help keep everything organized.
Debuting exclusively at more than 900 Michaels stores in the U.S. and Canada and at marthastewartcrafts.com ( http://www.marthastewartcrafts.com/ ), the Martha Stewart Crafts line will be a complete crafts destination, including products, inspiration, and educational materials, all arranged to create a "store-within-a-store" feel.
Martha Stewart Crafts products have been designed by MSLO and manufactured by EK Success, one of the country's leading scrapbooking and creative consumer products companies. This is MSLO's first foray into the $30 billion arts and crafts marketplace. The crafts market has broad-and growing-appeal: according to the Craft & Hobby Association, nearly 60 percent of U.S. households participate in crafts and hobbies.
"This line is an expression of my passion for crafting, a pursuit I have enjoyed throughout my life," said Martha Stewart, Founder of MSLO. "At MSLO, we are steeped in the development of crafts, and all the products reflect our understanding of what crafters want and need because it is what we ourselves want and need-practical tools, as well as a wonderful array of beautiful and inspiring materials."
"Martha Stewart has been developing crafting ideas for more than 15 years, as featured in our magazines and on our television shows. This introduction of the Martha Stewart Crafts line is a natural extension for the merchandising segment of our business," stated Robin Marino, President of Merchandising at MSLO. "Our new high-quality, beautifully designed products manufactured by EK Success will inspire and delight consumers." Ms. Marino added: "With broad distribution throughout North America and a reputation for being a leading retail crafts destination, Michaels is the ideal partner for this national launch."
"We are very excited to be offering the Martha Stewart Crafts line, and are confident that this relationship will significantly benefit the crafts consumer, who looks to Martha Stewart for inspiration and new products, and who counts on Michaels stores to provide the materials they need for their projects," stated Gregory Sandfort, President/COO of Michaels Stores, Inc.
"We are proud to be a part of creating this unique product line that embraces a lifestyle as well as a craft," said Chris Skinner, CEO of EK Success. "The Martha Stewart Crafts line combines the power of the Martha Stewart brand name with the product expertise of EK Success, offering unique features such as how-to tips, craft project ideas, recipes, and creative inspiration."
