A LAKE District gift shop has had to stop selling Jellycats – after the viral popularity of the much loved soft toy had contributed to almost £1,000 worth of thefts from their store.
Once a niche favourite among independent toy and gift shops, Jellycats are now a viral phenomenon.
The news comes as the UK search interest has risen by 274% over the past year, and limited-edition designs are fuelling a booming resale market – research from small business insurer Hiscox found that one special edition, the “Curly Bashful Bunny”, sold on eBay for over £2,500 in April.
Libby Podmore, co-owner of The Orchid House, a home store in Keswick, Cumbria, who made the difficult decision to stop stocking Jellycats after persistent thefts.
Libby had been stocking Jellycats since 2015, well before the viral craze took off. However, in 2023, the business began to notice a pattern of theft – something Libby says was rare in their small town and ultimately led to the decision to stop selling them.
She said: “New releases and limited editions were the most commonly stolen, particularly ones that were trending on TikTok. The Patisserie range in particular was one that I remember being targeted by thieves.”
“As an independent business, it definitely had an impact. In total, we lost around 60 Jellycats, which I’d estimate to be worth about £900.
"The police informed us that another 80 had been stolen from other shops around town which is a big number considering what a small town we are in.”
James Webster, Head of Specialty Claims at Hiscox, said :“As demand for popular products increases, businesses can face a range of challenges, from managing stock levels to dealing with potential theft. These pressures can be especially challenging for small retailers who are already working with limited resources, making it important for them to stay proactive in protecting their stock and ensuring smooth operations.”
In the case of Orchid House, thieves were able to steal over 60 Jellycats by working in pairs.
One distracted a member of staff, while the other took the products. Such tactics are incredibly common, as Hiscox’s James Webster shares: “Shoplifters often use distraction, concealment, or other scams like receipt fraud to steal from small businesses without them noticing. This can be particularly threatening to small businesses with only a few employees who cannot always monitor potential shoplifters.”
