UK retailer Sainsbury’s is setting its sights on the £400 million children’s furniture market with the launch of Habitat Kids, the Retail Brand’s first-ever comprehensive furniture range designed and crafted specifically for children. The new range is part of a wider relaunch of the iconic British brand, which has been styling the nation’s homes since 1964.

The range includes hand-drawn alphabet wall art, rainbow rugs, tropical leaf garlands and ‘hide and seek’ bed canopies, all created by Habitat’s 20-strong team of in-house designers and focusing on fun, education, and practicality for customers and their children.

The new range comes as Sainsbury’s relaunches the entire Habitat private brand as part of a renewed focus on the £23 billion furniture and homeware market. Sainsbury’s has big ambitions for Habitat and plans to grow it to become a £1.5 billion business by 2025. The launch, which takes place from this month, centers around a new brand commitment – make your home a happy habitat. It will include Habitat’s first TV ad and a new marketing campaign to position the brand as affordable and accessible for all, while showcasing its heritage and design credentials that customers know and love.

Habitat is Sainsbury’s main homeware and furniture private brand and is a key component of Sainsbury’s ‘brands that deliver’ strategic priority. Alongside Argos, Nectar, Tu and Sainsbury’s Bank, the brand must contribute positively to the business in its own right and support Sainsbury’s focus on putting food first.

Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive, said: “We’re really excited about all that is happening to relaunch Habitat as our main home and furniture brand. Our plan to put food back at the heart of Sainsbury’s only works if our other brands deliver in their own right and so Habitat is an important focus for us. It’s an iconic British brand that has been helping customers transform their homes for almost 60 years and the new campaign will ensure it becomes more accessible and affordable for everyone.”

Paula Nickolds joined Sainsbury’s as General Merchandise & Clothing Commercial Director in June. She is responsible for the commercial success of Sainsbury’s general merchandise and clothing business, covering Argos and Tu clothing, as well as Habitat.

Commenting on the new range, Paula Nickolds added: “I am delighted that we are able to bring more of our Habitat ranges to more customers in our stores and online. It’s really exciting to be working with colleagues to launch the new brand campaign and to launch the next phase of the iconic Habitat brand. I am proud of how hard the teams have worked to launch Habitat Kids and I am sure customers will love the range and enjoy creating magical little spaces where their children can play and learn.”