King Charles goods selling fast in Canada ahead of coronation
Global News
'People love a big event and the closer to the event, the more the idea of having something to remember it will ramp up,' said one marketing expert.
When Queen Elizabeth died in September, Carl Hulme happened to be in England – the perfect spot to scoop up commemorative fine bone china, tea towels and canvas bags to stock his Blimeys British Store and Gift Shop in Essex, Ont.
Most of it sold by the time goods marking King Charles’ May 6 coronation were arriving at his shop about 30 kilometres from the Windsor-Detroit border.
But with the new sovereign’s popularity lower than his mother’s and recent royals drama stirring up calls for Commonwealth countries to reject the monarchy, Hulme and others were uncertain there would be much of a market for King Charles memorabilia in Canada.
“With the queen, most of us grew up with her. That’s the only monarch that we ever knew and so with the passing of the queen, it kind of brought an end to an era, so I wasn’t sure,” Hulme said.
His doubts have since been dashed as Victoria Eggs cups and saucers with a coronation motif and Emma Bridgewater mugs celebrating the King’s reign have sold at a steady clip at Blimeys.
Elsewhere in Canada and online, one can find Charles- and coronation-themed coins, stamps, Nespresso coffee pods, McVitie’s biscuit tins, Royal Scot Crystal decanters and dresses, pyjamas, pillows, socks, makeup bags and crown-topped teddy bears from Marks & Spencer.
Joanne McNeish, a Toronto Metropolitan University professor specializing in marketing, suspects the array of products will delight Canadian monarchists, royalists, memorabilia collectors and many who just want something to mark a historical moment.
“People love a big event and the closer to the event, the more the idea of having something to remember it will ramp up, so within Canada… I definitely think there’s an appetite,” she said.
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