5 minute read
BabyStyle
Be BabyStyle ready!
Hall M, Stand: M6
BabyStyle will be leading the charge again at Harrogate Nursery Fair this year with another jaw-dropping stand that promises to be choc-a-bloc with a whole host of new products across the Oyster, egg, Charnwood and Prestige ranges.
The countdown to Harrogate is always a hectic few weeks at BabyStyle, but the blur of activity is focussed on adding the precise finishing touches to product developments that have been in the works for months and years.
“It’s my favourite date on the calendar,” says Andy Crane, Managing Director. “We all work so hard to stay fresh and innovative with our products and Harrogate is where we get to display those labours to the other really hardworking people in the industry, retailers, and hope that they enjoy where our hearts and souls have been for such a long time.” Why visit BabyStyle?
Luxury-seeking parents will be tempted by fresh fashions for the egg stroller which will be on display with a raft of new fabrics being presented alongside two brand new special edition models which offer unique adventures in knitted metallic hex prints. New chassis finish modes are also promised, as well as a few additions to the popular accessories range, including a stroller organiser, clutch bag and an egg-specific ride-on-board and seat.
For the first time ever, parents will soon be able to bring those stunning egg curves into their homes as the team will also be previewing the hotly anticipated egg highchair and the team at BabyStyle can’t wait to see that one themselves too (if it gets through customs on time)!
The Prestige range of traditional prams has been through an evolutionary phase that leans into modern trends with a design tweak to the presentation of the chassis and a new approach to the fabrics on offer.
Also debuting at Harrogate
You will get the opportunity to see two new furniture sets from the Charnwood brand which are absolutely on trend for 2023/24 and beyond, and we especially love the curved features of the set pictured above. Taking centre stage
As if all of that is not enough already, it is the Oyster brand that takes centre stage at this year’s event and not just for the obvious reasons based around new product launches…
Andy Crane has been considering the signs of the times that we are all experiencing and has evaluated how the Oyster brand can offer more for parents and retailers going forward. This has culminated in a considerable number of enhancements to the Oyster stroller range that will help to position it closer to luxury stroller options whilst maintaining its existing mid-range value
price tag. In short, the Oyster3 now looks even more premium without punishing parents’ wallets.
Two key enhancements have made the biggest difference; firstly, the plastic back panel is being replaced with a fabric treatment which raises the cosmetic feel of the stroller instantly as far as sight and touch goes. Secondly, the Oyster logos have been toned down and muted to better blend in with the chassis features and fabrics that they embellish, and the adage of ‘less is more’ is certainly true here, as featured on the front cover with the ‘Orion’ Oyster3 coming soon.
Andy explained that as everything in life becomes ridiculously expensive many expectant parents may be forced to turn away from the more aspirational and costly premium strollers that they may have had their hearts set on five or six months ago:
“Our Oyster range has always sat in the middle of the market and provided terrific value and premium features. We are now adding an extra dose of premium look and feel to the Oyster to match the luxury features it already enjoys. If a parent has to compromise on price, then we now offer no compromise on style, quality and premium feel with Oyster3.”
Even against a backdrop of falling exchange rates BabyStyle have continued with this upgrade process as they see it as adding the crucial extra touches that will help stores to make a sale where parents might have been considering turning to the pre-loved marketplace as an affordable place to get their luxury hit.
“We never sit back and say ‘that is good enough’ at BabyStyle,” continues Andy, “And experience and technology constantly evolves and helps us to find better ways of solving parents’ problems. It is in our DNA and it is an approach that is going to be very helpful for our retailer partners, and our own business, over the next couple of very bumpy years.”
This combined thinking of evolution and value is also taking Oyster into the home instead of just leaving it as a brand that gets used only when shoes are put on…and Harrogate will see the reveal of the Oyster 4-in-1 Highchair and an innovative sidesleeper/playpen product.
The 4-in-1 has a big clue built into the name and is a product that can be used as a seat, highchair, table, and chair adding months, if not years, of extra usefulness to parents after their initial purchase rather than it being yet another highchair that baby quickly grows out of. The side-sleeper/playpen is a product that is used for the first few months next to the parents’ bed and then takes on a new lease of life as a playpen after baby is 6 months old.
Products such as side-sleepers that have a fixed timespan of 6 months can be viewed as a tax on parenting by some consumers and BabyStyle are bringing that Oyster value thinking into new categories to help parents get more for their money and you can find out all about it and a whole lot more, at Harrogate Nursery Fair.
