Update! The new https://anchorcrafts.com/ website is now live after the acquisition. They say you can purchase all of their products via their website under the Anchor Crafts brand. Shipping is from France.
What happened to Anchor Crafts the brand for tapestry wool and threads? That’s a great question especially since there hasn’t been a lot of information forthcoming from any of the companies involved. And the answer will depend on where you live.
Anchor in Europe
Quietly released via a LinkedIn post from over a year ago, DMC Group announced that it had acquired the European brand of Anchor. DMC CEO Justin Wraight said: “Anchor will sit independently alongside the already impressive stable of DMC, Rowan, Sirdar and Wool and the Gang.”
Additionally, the LinkedIn post relayed that DMC and MEZ Craft Group (the European owner of Anchor) began a transfer of intellectual property rights etc. which would take up to 12 months. Now that time has apparently come to a close because the Anchor Crafts website says it is launching soon.
See this post from the English blog of artist and stitcher, Lord Libidan, who first wrote about the deal.
Anchor in North America
Here in the US, Anchor has a different but similar story. In 2019, Coats Group sold its North America Crafts business to Spinrite a Canadian company. That sale included brands Red Heart, Coats & Clark, Aunt Lydia and Susan Bates with Anchor licensed for varying terms. I have no idea what that means, but to make things even more confusing for stitchers is the fact that Spinrite produces both branded and private label products.
Anchors Aweigh or Drop Anchor?
Spinrite buying Anchor is certainly old news, but with the recent transition of the European Anchor brand and their website going dark, things have many stitchers and designers wondering what to expect. Are the fibers and dyes really going to stay the same? What about quality and price? Should we go ahead and move onto to other thread collections?
You can still find current incarnations of Anchor tapestry wool and threads at online and local needlework shops, but I would get what you need sooner than later to finish up any projects.
Thankfully there are already some great Anchor to DMC conversion charts out there just in case.
Embroidery floss conversion charts:
- Anchor to DMC floss conversion chart by YarnTree
- Color Conversion Chart for Anchor Embroidery Floss by Yarnspirations
- Anchor to DMC Thread Conversion by Lord Libidan
- DMC Anchor Floss conversion: Embroidery by Annie’s
Tapestry wool conversion charts:
- Anchor To DMC Wool Conversion Chart by Gitta’s Charted Petit Point
- DMC Tapestry Wool to Anchor Tapisserie Wool Conversion by Willow Fabrics
- Conversion Anchor Tapestry Wool – DMC Tapestry Wool by My Stitch World