When Queen Elizabeth died in September, Carl Hulme happened to be in England B次元官网网址� 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 CharlesB次元官网网址� May 6 coronation were arriving at his shop about 30 kilometres from the Windsor-Detroit border.
But with the new sovereignB次元官网网址檚 popularity lower than his motherB次元官网网址檚 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.
B次元官网网址淲ith the queen, most of us grew up with her. ThatB次元官网网址檚 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 wasnB次元官网网址檛 sure,B次元官网网址� Hulme said.
His doubts have since been dashed as Victoria Eggs cups and saucers with a coronation motif and Emma Bridgewater mugs celebrating the KingB次元官网网址檚 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, McVitieB次元官网网址檚 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.
B次元官网网址淧eople 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 CanadaB次元官网网址� I definitely think thereB次元官网网址檚 an appetite,B次元官网网址� she said.
She suspects most of that interest will come from older shoppers, who have more of an attachment to anything historical, but said Gen Z is becoming increasingly fond of nostalgic items too.
She estimates collectors of memorabilia or people who pick items up now in hopes of selling them for a profit years later will only make up five per cent of buyers.
Between celebrations, memorabilia, books and tourism, the Centre for Retail Research in Norfolk, England estimates more than 拢1.4 billion ($2.3 billion) will be spent on the coronation by U.K. consumers.
The centreB次元官网网址檚 director, Joshua Bamfield, estimated B次元官网网址渙verseas enthusiastsB次元官网网址� will generate 拢79 million ($132 million) in sales.
B次元官网网址淢ost of this will be U.S., of course, but I would have thought that spending by Canadians on coronation merchandise would be around 拢8 million ($13 million) naturally,B次元官网网址� he wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.
B次元官网网址淐anadians will come as tourists to see and engage in the coronation, but I would not have thought the Canadian delegation would be greater than 2,000 to 3,000.B次元官网网址�
ItB次元官网网址檚 hard for McNeish to predict how strong Canadian sales tied to the KingB次元官网网址檚 coronation will be or how it will compare to interest in memorabilia tied to his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth took the throne in 1953, many watched the spectacle on newly-purchased televisions and commemorative tchotchkes might have seemed inappropriate.
Since then, television has lost its novelty with the dawn of livestreaming anywhere and on any device and itB次元官网网址檚 seldom that a big event is not turned into a marketing opportunity that is milked for profit.
But the queenB次元官网网址檚 death stirred up fond sentiments for many who saw her as a grandmother-like figure.
B次元官网网址淭he queen was different in that the queen was finite and there was a coming to an end,B次元官网网址� McNeish said.
B次元官网网址淲hen people are going to die or even after their deaths, there tends to be a bigger explosion in acquiring something (linked to them).B次元官网网址�
The queen remains the most popular royal with 80 per cent of British respondents to YouGov polling completed in the first quarter of the year having a positive opinion of her.
She is followed by her daughter, Princess Anne, then her grandson William, the Prince of Wales and his wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales.
King Charles is the fifth most popular royal, with 55 per cent of people surveyed saying they have a positive opinion of him.
The breakdown of his marriage to the late Princess Diana and her assertions that his second wife, Queen Consort Camilla, was to blame spurred much of the public dislike of the King. His son, Prince Harry, who recently departed royal life, levelling mistreatment allegations at his family, did not help the KingB次元官网网址檚 appeal.
However, Hulme said consumers are sympathetic to the King.
B次元官网网址淭he majority are buying because they feel that Charles has been somewhat put in such a bad light by Harry and (Duchess of Sussex) Meghan. They feel they want to support him in some way.B次元官网网址�
While Little Taste of Home, a British and Irish shop near Calgary had yet to receive its order of King Charles spoons, cups, mugs and plates by mid-April, patrons had been asking about when theyB次元官网网址檇 arrive for weeks.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a lot of people that are from England who want to do what they can at this side of the pond for celebrating his coronation,B次元官网网址� said worker Diane Dennis.
B次元官网网址淭hen, thereB次元官网网址檚 a few people who collect things just because itB次元官网网址檚 once in a lifetime.B次元官网网址�
Asked whether the royal drama was putting off shoppers at the New Horizon Mall store, she added, B次元官网网址淥h, no, no, definitely not.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址擳ara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
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