Before Labubus, Jellycats were the next big “thing” for collectors. Cute, aesthetic, and (very) squidgy, it didn’t take long for Jellycats to develop a cult following.
Despite being such a well-known brand, Jellycats are also known to be dotted around in more obscure, independent stores throughout the UK. Undoubtedly, the hype around Jellycats was invaluable to these independent stores. But like all good things, this has come to an end.
As reported by the BBC, Jellycats are being removed from some independent stores in order to manage the supply and demand of the plushies.
“We’ve had to make some tough decisions and reassess our relationship with some stores, as we can’t support every business which wants to stock Jellycat,” the brand said in a statement.
The Jellycat fandom speaks out
In light of this decision, fandoms are fighting back. As numerous small businesses make the announcement that they’ll no longer carry Jellycat on TikTok, commenters are showing that they aren’t taking this lying down.
@bopeepboutique Last week after stocking Jellycat for nearly 10 years we found out that we don’t fit in with Jellycats “Brand Elevation Statergy” and our account is closed. We are so sorry to all our loyal customers. #jellycat #breakup #jellycatstockist #jellycatshop #fyp #jellycatuk #jellycats #jellycatcollector #jellycatshopping #smallbusiness #plush #jellycatcollector #jellycatlondon ♬ original sound – evey 🎀⭐️🍓
“What’s so crazy is that Jellycat is about to go bankrupt,” one wrote. “The amount of people that are not gonna buy it anymore because of this will cause them to go under.”
“This is the second small business I’ve seen this happen to!” another added. “This is such a bad look on Jellycat!” While a third noted that it is “so sad to see the way JC treat small indie businesses.”
Over on X, users also shared their outrage, with one writing that Jellycat “stopping their contracts with independent stores will be the reason the fad ends.”
“Goodbye Jellycat,” they added. “I loved you.”
While a second echoed that they were “very shocked to find out Jellycat are no longer allowing small businesses to sell Jellycats anymore! They are limiting their stock to larger stores like Harrods and Selfridges! Heartbreaking for small businesses who are already struggling to make a living.”
Why is this happening?
A retail insider told Reddit that Jellycat has implemented “unit caps” for stores trying to order the product. However, this Redditor argued that this tactic demonstrates that rather than abandoning certain stores, Jellycat is merely ensuring that its products remain high quality.
“No matter what Jellycat did, stores would be losing access to inventory; they just decided to take the decision of which stores into their own hands,” the Redditor explained.
Moreover, the Reddit user, who claims to work in an independent store, noted that this change can actually be beneficial for some stores. “All last year, we fought to maintain an inventory because larger companies could order 500+ of each item and distribute to their stores,” they added. “Now we are able to maintain an adequate stock level, and it’s been wonderful.”
In other viral toy fandom news, a TikToker went viral for crashing out over the Labubu craze. You can read the full scoop here.
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