Meri Meri
Meri Meri is a privately-held e-commerce retailer of premium themed party supplies and children's gifts, operating regional Shopify-based storefronts in the US, UK, and EU to serve parents, event planners, and wholesale trade partners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersBurlingame, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Meri Meri does
Meri Meri is a privately-held, founder-led direct-to-consumer e-commerce retailer of premium party supplies and children's gifts, headquartered in Burlingame, California and founded in 1985 by Meredithe Stuart-Smith. The company operates three regional Shopify storefronts — merimeri.com (US), merimeri.co.uk (UK), and merimerieu.com (EU) — providing localized currency and shopping experiences across North America and Europe. Its catalog spans 30+ themed party collections covering paper and reusable tableware, decorations, party favors, baking supplies, greeting cards, and stationery, with unit pricing from approximately $5 for downloadable invitations to $899 for specialty items like bounce houses. Free shipping is offered on orders over $50.
The business model is built on one-time direct product sales, supported by wholesale accounts, trade partnerships, and an affiliate program. Marketing is driven by a content blog (party ideas, crafts, recipes), an email newsletter offering a 10% first-purchase discount, and social media. Customer segments include parents and families (primary), professional event planners, individual gift buyers, and wholesale/trade partners. The company differentiates through a distinctive premium design aesthetic, an expanding sustainable product line (reusable melamine and compostable tableware), and exclusive co-development collaborations with heritage brands including Liberty London, Molly Mahon, Chilewich, Wallshoppe, and Ladurée.
Operations are run with 51-100 employees under CEO Kelly Lees and President/Founder/Creative Director Meredithe Stuart-Smith. No funding rounds, institutional investors, acquisitions, or restructuring events are disclosed, and the company appears to operate as a bootstrapped, profitable private business with a 40-year operating history.
Meri Meri firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Meri Meri
- Legal name
- Meri Meri
- Website
- https://merimeri.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Meri Meri is a privately-held e-commerce retailer of premium themed party supplies and children's gifts, operating regional Shopify-based storefronts in the US, UK, and EU to serve parents, event planners, and wholesale trade partners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Meri Meri industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Party Supplies
- NAICS
- Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912)
- SIC
- Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail (CRALAJAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Seasonal & Holiday Gifts & Decor Retail (CRALAJAD), Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Variety Stores (CRAGAJAG)
Keywords
Where Meri Meri is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Burlingame
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Meri Meri business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct Product Sales: Primary revenue stream from selling party supplies, tableware, decorations, and children's gifts through e-commerce storefronts. Products are sold directly to consumers at listed retail prices. The company also offers downloadable digital invitations and printable party supplies as additional product lines.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual party supply products sold at retail prices |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Meri Meri product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Meri Meri designs, sources, and sells children's party supplies and gift products directly through its own e-commerce stores in the US, UK, and EU. The assortment covers tableware, decorations, greeting cards, gift bags, wrap, cake toppers, confetti, hats, blowouts, and piñatas, sold primarily to individual consumers and complemented by a wholesale channel serving retailers and department stores.
Product overview
Meri Meri is a party supplies and children's gifts company offering a unified portfolio of themed party products. The core offering includes paper and reusable tableware (plates, cups, napkins, cutlery, tablecloths), party decorations (garlands, lanterns, balloons, piñatas, hanging decorations), party favors and accessories (bags, hats, tattoos, stickers), baking supplies (candles, cake toppers, cupcake kits), and greeting cards/stationery. The company differentiates through branded thematic collections across 30+ party themes (Dinosaur, Unicorn, Fairy, Nautical, Animal Friends, etc.) and premium collaborations with Liberty London, Molly Mahon, Chilewich, Wallshoppe, and Ladurée. Key product lines include the Flora Collection (Indian block print-inspired), Kitten Club Collection (folk-inspired cats), reusable/compostable eco-friendly tableware, and digital download invitations. Meri Meri serves the US, UK, and EU markets through regional e-commerce sites.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Children's Party Tableware Plates, cups, napkins, and tableware sets featuring Meri Meri's signature illustrations, designed for children's birthdays and family celebrations and sold individually or as themed sets to consumer and wholesale buyers.
- Party Decorations Bunting, banners, garlands, balloons, and other decorative items used to style children's parties and events, sold through the DTC e-commerce stores and to wholesale partners.
- Greeting Cards and Invitations Design-led greeting cards, party invitations, and stationery produced under the Meri Meri brand for birthdays, celebrations, and gifting occasions.
- Gift Bags and Wrapping Gift bags, wrapping paper, tags, ribbons, and coordinating gift packaging products sold as part of the Meri Meri assortment for personal gifting and party favors.
- Cake Toppers and Confetti Decorative cake toppers and themed confetti products designed to coordinate with Meri Meri party ranges, sold individually or as part of themed sets.
- Party Hats, Blowouts, and Piñatas Wearable and interactive party accessories including hats, blowouts, and piñatas, sold to consumers for themed children's parties and to retailers as part of seasonal assortments.
- Wholesale Party and Gift Assortment Bulk and wholesale Meri Meri-branded party and gift merchandise sold to department stores, gift shops, and specialty retailers via the wholesale portal.
Companies that use Meri Meri
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Meri Meri technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Meri Meri partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- Liberty LondoncoreFlagship collaboration with iconic British department store Liberty London. Features Liberty artistic floral prints across reusable tableware, lanterns, candles, and party decorations. Products include melamine plates, cups, platters, trays, coasters, placemats, notebooks, and notecards. The collection blends Liberty's renowned artistic prints with Meri Meri's joyful style, appealing to all ages.
- WallshoppesecondaryCollaboration with Los Angeles-based design house Wallshoppe, known for artful wallpapers and joyful prints. Creates a collection of premium gift wrap featuring playful Meri Meri themes including Dinosaur Kingdom, Happy Icons, Safari Animals, Fairy Garden, and Toybox designs.
- Molly MahoncoreCollaboration with British designer and printmaker Molly Mahon featuring her iconic bohemian block print patterns. Products include paper plates, hanging lanterns, trays, placemats, melamine shell plates, and coasters. The reusable range showcases eight of Molly's beautiful block prints.
- ChilewichsecondaryCollaboration with Chilewich featuring placemats inspired by block printing aesthetics. Products include Periwinkle Scallop Placemats in pink, Marigold Scallop Placemats in yellow, and Jasmine Scallop Placemats in multi. Each features hand-drawn floral designs with scalloped edges, ultrasonically sealed for durability.
- LaduréesecondaryOngoing collaboration with French patisserie and macaron makers Ladurée. Bestsellers include Marie Antoinette rose print partyware, sorbet-hued plates and cups, and macaron-shaped surprise balls. Collection evokes Parisian elegance and patisserie charm.
- Camp HollowminorPorcelain cake topper vendor featured in Meri Meri collections. Products include T.Rex, Hippo, Pink Goose, and Blue Goose porcelain cake toppers. Sold as part of Meri Meri's party accessories offerings.
- Heather Taylor HomeminorVendor of textile products including Matador Gingham tablecloths in various sizes and colors. Products featured in seasonal and party collections.
- Wild and RaeminorVendor of western-themed children's boots including 4th of July Patriotic Firecracker Cowgirl Boots and Red Hearts Cowgirl Boots. Featured in seasonal party collections.
- Mama's PiñatasminorPiñata vendor featured in Meri Meri party collections. Provides traditional celebration piñatas for birthdays and parties.
- Babiators SunglassesminorChildren's sunglasses vendor featuring heart-shaped frames in sizes for babies, toddlers, and kids from 6 months to 6+ years. Products include polarized, mirrored lens options.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves1 record
Expansion highlights5 records
Meri Meri competitors and assessment
Company assessmentPeers
Direct peers
- Party City: Party City is the largest dedicated party supplies retailer in North America, offering tableware, decorations, balloons, and costumes across physical and online channels. Direct competitor in the same product category serving the same parents-and-families segment, though positioned at a lower price tier than Meri Meri.
- Rifle Paper Co. Rifle Paper Co. is a lifestyle brand known for its floral, hand-painted aesthetic across stationery, gifts, and home decor. Comparable to Meri Meri in design-led party and gift positioning and in serving parents seeking styled, premium celebrations.
- Oriental Trading: Oriental Trading is a major online party supplies and crafts retailer selling bulk and themed party goods, decorations, and favors. Comparable to Meri Meri in core category and audience, with a focus on value-oriented assortments rather than premium designer aesthetics.
- Paperless Post: Paperless Post is a design-driven digital invitations and stationery platform serving the same milestone-event use cases (birthdays, weddings, showers) as Meri Meri's Download & Print invitations line. Direct peer in the digital party-invitation category.
- Minted: Minted is a design-led stationery, cards, and gifts marketplace featuring independent-artist collaborations. Closely comparable to Meri Meri's design-led greeting cards, stationery, and gift categories, sharing a premium-aesthetic and artist-collaboration model.
Broad incumbents
- Anthropologie: Anthropologie is a lifestyle retailer spanning apparel, home, gifts, and seasonal/party decor with a distinctly design-led aesthetic. Comparable to Meri Meri in premium gift and party aesthetic, though operating at significantly broader scale and category breadth.
- Crate & Kids (Land of Nod): Crate & Kids is the children's lifestyle extension of Crate & Barrel, offering premium kids' furniture, decor, party supplies, and gifts. Comparable to Meri Meri's gifts-for-children segment, with overlapping premium positioning and milestone-occasion use cases.
- Target: Target is a mass general merchandise retailer with a deep, expanding party supplies and kids' gifting assortment both online and in-store. Comparable to Meri Meri as the dominant mass-market benchmark in the same party and children's gifting categories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Meri Meri social profiles
Digital presenceMeri Meri financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Meri Meri leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Meri Meri funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Meri Meri M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Meri Meri
What does Meri Meri do?
Meri Meri designs, sources, and sells children's party supplies and gift products directly through its own e-commerce stores in the US, UK, and EU. The assortment covers tableware, decorations, greeting cards, gift bags, wrap, cake toppers, confetti, hats, blowouts, and piñatas, sold primarily to individual consumers and complemented by a wholesale channel serving retailers and department stores.
Is Meri Meri a public or private company?
Meri Meri is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Meri Meri founded?
Meri Meri was founded in 1985. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Meri Meri based?
Meri Meri is headquartered in Burlingame, United States, in the North America region.
How does Meri Meri make money?
One revenue line is on record: direct Product Sales.
Who are Meri Meri's main competitors?
Amazon is listed as a peer. Direct peers are Party City, Rifle Paper Co., Oriental Trading, Paperless Post and Minted. Broad incumbents are Anthropologie, Crate & Kids (Land of Nod) and Target.
Does Meri Meri have an API?
No public API is recorded for Meri Meri.
What industry is Meri Meri in?
Meri Meri's product category is Party Supplies. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRALAJAE, Greeting Cards, Wrap & Party Supplies Retail, with a secondary code of CRALAJAD, Seasonal & Holiday Gifts & Decor Retail. Its NAICS code is 459420 and its SIC code is 5940.