Behind the Scenes: An Interview with Mr Wonderful

Mr Wonderful, a stationery and wholesale gift brand that originated in Barcelona, put their consumer’s happiness at the core of their belief system. The brand makes products that look good, but that also communicate happy messages, so people can really connect with the products.

The Spanish brand began in 2011 selling a few mugs hosting inspiring and optimistic messages. Daniela Saenz De Sicilia, UK and USA manager said, “We had great initial feedback when we posted our idea on Facebook, so we produced a limited amount and then sold out. We knew there was a market for our products from them on. Our brand is all about having an optimistic outlook on life and inspiring creativity.” Mr Wonderful now has over 3 million social media followers and is stocked in 4000 retail stores globally.

A lot of their sales are made through the internet now, but it originally took off from people recommending the product to each other. After seeing huge success across Europe and Latin America, the stationery and gift brand is coming to the UK. Daniela said, “In July we are going into Selfridges and soon after we will be going into Urban Outfitters and a couple of other retail stores as well.”

CEO Patricia Cabal’s, favourite early memory of Mr Wonderful is when she saw it in a retail store for the first time. She said, “It was a large department store, Corte Ingles, they were the first retailer to really believe in our products and they put it on a huge display, so when we went in and saw our products on five metres of store space it was an amazing memory.”

One of the brands most successful products is the one very few people outside the company had faith in. Daniela said, “When we first ever designed the paper day planner the sales in paper diaries had dropped, everyone was moving onto iPhones and tablets so there was a lot of speculation. The first printers we approached about making them told us it was a guaranteed failure and that there was no way we could sell them. We went on to produce 20’000 of them, and they sold out in less than 24 hours. In that same quarter we made two more productions and they both sold out. It was a very proud moment for us.”

Innovation is key to Mr Wonderful’s success and they are constantly looking to expand into new categories, “We have a department dedicated to trend prediction that researches where we should next put our focus. We listen to our audience a lot, we have a huge following and they’re very vocal about the products they like or dislike. Currently, we are really focused on home, we are trying to reflect the lifestyle of Mr Wonderful but into consumer and wholesale homewares products.”

Mr Wonderful is exhibiting at Autumn Fair this year, it will be their first ever UK trade show. Daniela said, “We’ve done similar shows throughout Europe, but the UK is a new market, so we are very excited. The main thing we want to get out of the show is to build brand awareness. It’s been such a huge success throughout Europe, so it’s exciting watching it expand into the UK.”

Looking to meet wholesale gift brands like Mr Wonderful? Visit Autumn Fair this September and start networking with the best brands in retail.  Alternatively, you can exhibit at Autumn Fair and look for similar success.