By Sunayana Prabhu
Bringing a hint of royalty to the aisles, Carole Middleton paid a visit to Two River-area ShopRite stores recently to promote Party Pieces, the British party supply and decorations company she founded in 1987 on the fifth birthday of her daughter Catherine, the Princess of Wales.
Middleton, whose son-in-law is the future King of England, visited stores in Middletown, Shrewsbury, Hazlet and Aberdeen as part of the U.S. launch of the business.
“It’s very exciting to see our Party Pieces Collection expanding into the U.S. starting with Saker ShopRites, a leading retailer in New Jersey and family-owned business with a long history of commitment to the customers and communities its stores serve,” said Middleton. The Party Pieces Collection features a variety of ecofriendly product ranges for children and adults, from plates, napkins, cups and hats to balloons, treat stands, table runners and decorations. The collection is designed with themes such as “A Very English Rose,” “Shooting Star” and “Dino the Explorer.”
According to the Party Pieces website, the genesis of the product dates back to 1987 when Middleton was a young mother looking for inspiration for her daughter Kate’s fifth birthday party. She realized there was a gap in the market for time-pressed parents like her, who wanted to create imaginative parties for their children. Since then, the focus has always been on curating products which are simple, fun and which look lovely, too: from the brightest balloon arches to the most tasteful table decor.
A year after its e-commerce launch in the U.K., Middleton has launched her business in the U.S. at Saker ShopRite locations in New Jersey, in Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, Middlesex and Mercer counties. Middleton’s partyware collection at ShopRite stores in New Jersey marks the brand’s first retail partnership outside of the United Kingdom and is the beginning of larger expansion plans in the United States. “We plan to introduce the line at other ShopRite locations in the coming months,” said Pat Mooney, vice president of health and beauty care and nonfoods at Wakefern Food Corp., the retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey that serves as the logistics, distribution and merchandising arm for ShopRite stores.
Saker ShopRites, Inc. owns and operates 39 ShopRite supermarkets, 30 pharmacies and the Dearborn Market & Garden Center in Holmdel. The fourth and fifth generation family-owned company employs over 9,000 associates and is the largest member of Wakefern Food Corp. As holiday season approaches the company wanted to serve “memorable moments” to their customers with products from Party Pieces, said Richard Saker, president and CEO of Saker ShopRites, Inc. “We are thrilled to be the first U.S. retail partner for British heritage brand Party Pieces. We know our customers are coming together again to mark special occasions in their lives and they want to make their parties spectacular.”
Party Pieces discovers, designs and curates party supplies from around the world to provide customers with a range of products for celebrations.
The article originally appeared in the October 20 – 26, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
