Christmas in January 2016 by Lema Publishing

Christmas in January

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only Christmas decoration trade magazine y2 uar Jan

J 016

10th-13th January 2016 Harrogate Christmas & Gift

7th-11th February 2016 Spring Fair International

Hall D, D11 Harrogate International Centre

Hall 2, Stand 2J30-K31 NEC Birmingham

Harrogate Christmas & Gift 10th to 13th January 2014 Harrogate International Centre 9am - 6pm Sunday - Tuesday, 9am - 4pm Wednesday

Harrogate Christmas and Gift 2016 It’s almost here

The best Christmas show in town Sunday 10th – Wednesday 13th Sun – Tue 9am – 6pm Wed 9am – 4pm

Pre-Registration now on www.harrogatefair.com

Seven halls of Christmas Hall A

Hall H

Hall B

A37

CGB Giftware

A01

Christmas in January

A16

DecoLum / Light Flurries UK

A40

Flame Homeware

A29

Florelle Import Co.

A33

Gaeltag Keltika Ltd.

A34

Global Journey Ltd

A38

I E P Wholesale

A25

Lemax-Europe BV

A26

Low's

A03

Luxa Flamelighting

A09,A22

NOMA Lights

A28

Padgett Brothers AtoZ

A06

B16

CARDINAL PLUS

Premier Decorations Ltd.

B06

CB Imports Plc

Premier Halloween

B36

Country Matters Ltd

Premier Summer Living

B1,5

Floralsilk Ltd.

B02

Giftworks Ltd.

B1A

Hogewoning B.V

B18

JVL Homeware Solutions

B11,21

KOOPMAN INTERNATIONAL BV

Hall M M12

Ascalon Design Ltd.

M14,M16

Gisela Graham Ltd.

M04

Jingles

Mister Tinsel

M02

Kaemingk BV

B15

National Tree Company

M22

Konstsmide (UK) Ltd.

B14

RSW International Ltd.

M06

Sagedecor

B04

Sifcon International Plc

M24

B13

Widdop Bingham & Co Ltd

The Original Winters Tale Ltd.

R J B Stone Ltd.

Triflora Decorations Ltd.

A18

Sincere UK Ltd.

M28

Weiste

A32

Sparkle and Light Ltd.

M25

A36

Suki Gifts Interantional Ltd

Willow Brooks Secret Christmas Ltd.

A30

The Giftware Trading Company

A02

The Milford Collection

A04

The Satchville Gift Company

A08

Thuringer Glasdesign (TGS)

A35

Walton & Co Ltd.

Hall D

Queens Suite QS61

Brand Masters Ltd

QS72

Christmas Charades Game

QS02

Fountasia International Ltd

Archipelago

QS20

Gardman Ltd

C21

BOXER GIFTS

QS05

Hamac Trading Co

C20

Casdon Toys

QS60

Hometown World Ltd

C04

Fair to Trade Ltd.

QS74

Jonart Design

C05

Felt so good

QS77

LBS Home & Garden

Festive Productions Ltd.

QS75

Lighthome UK Ltd

C15

Hallmark Seasonal Gifts Ltd

QS40

Nutscene (1922)Ltd

Hall C C3 C06

Anglo American Distributors Ltd.

Benross Marketing Ltd.

C37

Heaven Sends

QS03

PANACEA DECORATIONS

D08

Bonnington Plastics Ltd.

C19

Jette Frรถlich Design Aps

QS73

Porcupine UK

D02

CONCEPT MULTIBOX LTD

C18

Lotus Imports Ltd.

QS45

S & H Supplies

D05

IC Innovations

C17

Meridian Import Company Ltd

QS41

Terra Rossa

QS70

The Irish Fairy Door Company

QS15

THIS THAT & EVERYTHING ELSE

QS01

Vivid Arts Ltd.

QS65

WestburyGarden Products

QS55

Wombat Retail

D07

Powell Creative Products Ltd.

C41

Playwrite Group Plc

D12

Snowtime

C22

Puleo Asia Ltd.

D04

Tallon International Ltd.

C3a

Royal County Products Ltd

D10

THE BENWELL GROUP

C10

D09

TREE-LOCATE (EUROPE) LTD

Schulte Kunstgewerbe Int GmbH & Co. KG

C27

XYSTOS

26th Year of Publication

REGULARS

FEATURES

The Leader

News

USA Market Update

Love Christmas with Floralsilk They’ve been very busy up in Bourne creating plenty of new products for 2016

We only make lighting products An update on Konstsmide’s lighting ranges

An ABC of Christmas Piers Croke of Gisela Graham takes us through The Christmas alphabet

A bespoke Christmas experience at Premier I visit John Athwal to find out more

The Kingfisher Festive range - 500 plus products on show from Bonnington Plastics A much bigger range and far larger stand than last year

stories

The 17th Christmas in January

Jingles set the benchmark I visit Belfast to see for myself It’s all happening at Noma Lots of new product and new categories

G.C.A. Update

With Chief Executive Iain Wylie

Step Back in Time

Malcolm Naish revisits past news

golf day

Christmasworld preview

Ascalon – A supplier of Christmas decorations For the discerning buyer A treasure-trove of all that’s good at Christmas

Harrogate show introduction46

Gardman’s biggest ever Christmas Collection A larger stand and a bigger than ever range

Harrogate Exhibitors list

Nine themes await buyers at Widdop’s Christmas Collection Their biggest collection yet at Harrogate

A picture perfect Christmas by Festive Plenty to see on the Festive stand

Kaemingk Season decorations – a long Tradition 12,000 lines make up this 2016 range

Snowtime energize the Christmas category A new showroom in Coventry plus plenty of new products to check out at Harrogate

Last Word Carole Paris - Chief Executive of the H.T.A.

Harrogate editorial selection of exhibitors Publisher:

52 Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Features Editor: Production Director:

Freddie Hume Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Layout:

Rick Vickers rick@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation:

Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

RETAIL INTERVIEWS Published by: Lema Publishing Ltd 1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts. HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930 Fax: 01442 289950 Email: info@lemapublishing.co.uk

We all had Doctor’s papers A visit to the Old Railway Line

And now for something completely Different The Oasis department store

What no David & Olivia Freddie Hume visits Groves Nursery in Broadchurch

The views of the contributors expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the publisher. Comments, letters and criticism are welcome.

....

.................

....

NOW!

.................

....

CALL TO REQUEST YOUR NEW BROCHURE

................

2016

COLOUR R TRENDS

........... ....

....

. .... ........... . ....

....

................

. ....

..... ...........

PR REM MIE ER DE DECO CORA CORA ATI TION TION O S LI LIMI MITE ED • H HEA E D OF OFFI FICE ICE AN ND D SHO H WR ROO OM B ra r ain i ntr in t r eee R oaa d • Ru tr R iiss li l p • M Mii ddle dd d lee se s e x HA A 4 0E 0EJJ Prem Pr emie em m iiee r Ho H us u e • B w w. w.pr prem pr m ie i rd r ec ec.cc om m T l : 0020 Te 200 -862 -88 622 4 55 5555 55 • ww

H ar H ro ar g ro at ga e

VIEW ALL 8 STORIES AT HARROGATE, SPRING FAIR AND IN OUR SHOWROOMS - book your appointment now!

In hri te st rn m at a io s na a 10 l C nd Ja th en G nu 13 tr ift ar th e y

INTRODUCING OUR NEW CHRISTMAS STORIES

Leader

The Leader W

elcome to our 26th preview of the Harrogate Christmas & Gift show, a show brimming with everything festive and now by far the largest Christmas decoration exhibition in the U.K. Our front cover has a change of banner-head that I believe brings a new, more lively look to ‘Christmas in January’. Plenty of new exhibitors and a most encouraging sign that several companies who were new last year, are back again with increased stand spaces and much larger Christmas ranges to whet the appetites of our readers and other visitors to the show. One of those exhibitors were Bonnington Plastics with their ‘Kingfisher’ range. Sales Director Sergio Tartaglia had this to say about Harrogate “In 2015 we returned to Harrogate after a long break. We were delighted by the reaction to our Kingfisher Festive range. In fact the show was so successful we are returning in 2016 with an even bigger stand and over 100 new products.” It is interesting to note that we have a new exhibitor – Mister Tinsel – who are manufacturing quality tinsel in the U.K. They will be challenging the likes of Premier and Festive who also make in the U.K. together with a few European counterparts manufacturing tinsel in mainland Europe. Festive Productions are offering a range of Disney products that feature amongst other Disney characters – Frozen. The Frozen franchise has worked fantastically in, for example the toy trade and the

company are reporting strong sales for these established characters. In the past licensed characters haven’t worked particularly well, so I shall watch with interest how Frozen will work. The great thing with editing a magazine like ‘Christmas in January’ is that I begin to learn of the latest technology being applied to the Christmas market well before their introduction at the various shows. The latest innovations to be found at Harrogate are lighting products that can be controlled by the use of your iphone, ipad and other android devices. Consumers can now control not just the colours they want to feature, but having your lights keeping in time to the user’s favourite music. Just picture the scene around the Christmas table – God knows what Gran and Grandad will think! Phil Swainston recently left Noma and is looking for a fresh challenge. Phil would after 20 plus years like to remain within the Christmas decoration industry and is at home in both a marketing or sales role. Phil can be contacted on 07783 625037 or email at pswainston.ps@ gmail.com One of the very best events at Harrogate is the ‘Greatest Christmas’ awards. Now in their 7th year and held at the Hotel Majestic, it is a great night out celebrating all that is best in our garden centres. Once the awards have been handed out, you can boogie to your hearts content, or relax in the bar improving your networking skills. As we go to press, I’m told that the organisers have had a record number of entries and that the standard is the

highest ever, hence judging is still continuing. Contact Harry Sinclair for tickets that cost £84 plus VAT with table rates that much lower on 01733 775700. Puleo International’s range of trees will include a number of trees that their U.K. manager Adrian Yapp has had imput into. Adrian joined Puleo in China this year where his help was described as ‘invaluable’. Our annual golf day has a new date and a new venue for 2016. After several years at Staverton Park , we are moving to Puckrup Hall, near Tewkesbury. This is a Hilton Hotel course, beautifully maintained and will be held on the 28th June. Hopefully by then our National football team will still be in the European Cup and the date does not clash with any of the England games. Finally, can anyone tell me why the various lighting products that are battery operated always seem to have minute Philip’s screws that you have to unscrew before placing the batteries inside. Surely, with all this modern technology and design, someone could come up with a snap-together battery box. I’d love to know the reason and more importantly how this could be improved! Once again ‘Christmas in January’ will be located just inside the entrance to Hall ‘A’, so see you there.

christmas in january 5

Feature News

PHIL SWAINSTON

Elise Mercer

With over 23 years of experience in the Christmas and Gift trade with Noma and Premier Decorations, Phil is looking for a new challenge in the industry in 2016. Phil has an excellent background in Marketing and National Accounts with a broad range of skills. Phil can be contacted on 07783 625037 or by email at pswinston.ps@gmail.com

Elise Mercer has recently joined the team at Jingles as an area sales representative. Based in Norfolk she is responsible for the South West. Elise has recently graduated from the University of East Anglia in Norwich with a degree in Actuarial Science. Before and during University Elise has had several sales jobs including door to door sales. Elise has said ‘I am really looking forward to the challenge and since I started in July I have met some wonderful people. The Christmas industry appears to be a very happy one in which to work, which will suit me down to the ground.’ The Jingles Area sales manager, Danny O’Halloran, has said that Elise has hit the ground running and has blended in very well to the Jingles way of life.

LeisureGrow Group Enhances Sales Force with Four New Team Members 10 November 2015: In response to a growing customer base and increased brands within the group, LeisureGrow Group has increased its sales team, with five new industry Jacqui Sutcliffe specialists joining the LeisureGrow family. New to the team are three new Area Sales Managers who will be working across the LG Outdoor, Grillstream barbeques, NOMA seasonal decorations and Erin horticulture brands: Jacqui Sutcliffe in the Midlands, Lisa Brierley in the North West, and Catriona Exeter in Scotland. Jacqui Sutcliffe will be familiar to many customers having been in the industry for 15 years, and specifically working within Christmas for the past five years. Lisa Brierley joins from a market leading Lisa Brierley company with 7 years’ proven track record within the core gardening sector of the industry. Catriona is widely known to many garden centres in Scotland with over ten years’ experience in the gift industry. Joining to look after NOMA seasonal decorations are two new National Accounts Managers: Colin Armitage, who has been working with retailers in the gift industry for more than 30 years; and Lee Kennerley, who brings his 20 years’ experience of home, gift Catriona Exeter and seasonal decorations to the NOMA brand. Meanwhile Mark Nickerson, who has been with LeisureGrow for 7 years’ has been made National Sales Manager; and Stuart Warren returns to East Anglia from the North-West, servicing customers he previously looked after for many years. Colin Armitage Jody Grimmer, Managing Director of LeisureGrow said: “We want to ensure all our customers get the great service and reliability they expect from LeisureGrow, which is why we’ve picked the people who we believe are the best in the business to be a part of our sales team. As products and technologies across all our brands – NOMA, LG Outdoor, Grillstream and Erin – become more and more sophisticated we are ensuring our personnel matches this in expertise, product knowledge, and customer service that’s second Lee Kennerley to none.”

6 christmas in january

Mister Tinsel debuts at Harrogate One of a number of new exhibitors at Harrogate are Mister Tinsel. Led by Ian Norris, Ian has many years of experience manufacturing Britishmade tinsel and can be found on stand B7.

You can’t start them too young! 18 month old George Stokes-Rhys is pictured getting some early experience on the Ascalon stand at Harrogate last year. Dad Rhodri tells me that George will be taking orders from 9 a.m. on opening morning this year.

Christmas 2016... all wrapped up T’was the night before Christmas, when all through the house, Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse! But NOMA weren’t sleeping, their job wasn’t done, e, To create a magical range, to suit everyone. With mystical themes, across four vibrant trends, A tree range ﬁt for a King, the grandeur never ends. ds. Beautiful glass baubles and elegant displays, Shatterproof baubles and light sets in trays. Clusters and icicles so vibrant and bright A trip to our showroom is a wonderful sight! So when choosing your Christmas for twenty sixteen, en, NOMA’s exciting new range is a sight to be seen!

HARROGATE CHRISTMAS & GIFT HALL A A9, A22 & A24 10TH - 13TH JANUARY 2016 SPRING FAIR - BIRMINGHAM NEC S HALL 2 J32 - K33 7TH - 11TH FEBRUARY 2016 NO NOMA, LeisureGrow Group, Dewmead Farm, New Inn Road, Hinxworth, Hertfordshire, United kingdom. SG7 5HG. Uni +44 (0) 1462 744500 - www.noma.co.uk +4

Feature Stateside

Christmas in the States Tradition, technology, ease & practicality drive holiday buying in the USA. By Dorothy Creamer, Editor-in-Chief, Selling Christmas Decorations magazine (www.sellingchristmas.com

Wintergreen Corporation (855/942-7100) www.wintergreencorp.com

8 christmas in january

olidays are a time of traditions – a sentiment that is not specific to the United States, but the American consumer public in 2015 proved once again that the time-honored is a major factor impacting Christmas buying. As suppliers prepare to unveil product lines for the 2016 season, traditional themes are once again taking center stage, but that has not lessened the consumer public’s fervor for “new” in terms of style and technological advancements. In 2015 the holiday spending limped upward with average spending per person reaching $805.65, comparable with spending in 2014 holiday season ($802.45) according to the National Retail Federation (www.nrf.com). Overall sales were expected to increase 3.7% to $630.5 billion which is higher than the 10year average of 2.5%. Despite positive momentum in retail sales growth, NRF President & CEO, Matthew Shay predicted consumers would approach holiday shopping with optimism, tempered by a hint of caution as shoppers seek practical gifts. “Holiday styles keep evolving with the new generations of young adults as they start buying homes and start their own families and traditions,” says Danny McDonald, president of Regency International. “Traditional themes, however, are constant.” This sentiment was corroborated by a survey of 2500+ U.S. consumers conducted by Christmas Lights, Etc. (www.christmaslightsetc.com). The survey queried shoppers to find out

their decorating tastes specifically based on their personal preferences. In 2015, more than half (53%) of buyers described their style as traditional with 35.5% claiming traditional conservative and 11.4% citing traditional ornate. “Each holiday is festive and every year there are always new styles and themes to incorporate into homes, but I’ve often been seeing classic and vintage themes as the most popular,” Sarah Ankeney, marketing department for C&F Enterprises, says. “I think we’ve just evolved so much over time, especially with technology, sciences, and business, that we are kind of nostalgic about those times when it was all so much simpler.” Other macro trends have continued to gain steam for holiday – some emerging as perennial

Department 56 (800/436-3726) www.enesco.com

Celebrating over 20 years of helping to celebrate Christmas in style See all of our 2016 ranges online at www.ascalon.co.uk or at the following trade fairs; Christmas & Gift (Harrogate) - Stand M13 Spring Fair - Hall 1 (F30/E31) Email: sales@ascalon.co.uk Tel: 01432 340929

Feature Stateside

Kurt Adler (212/924-0900) www.kurtadler.com favorites, such as rustic, woodland, coastal, Nordic-inspired and luxe metallic. All of these styles are comprised of micro trends that have also emerged as popular aspects of holiday style. “The rustic look speaks to the upcycling country loving folk,” explains Ken Fetgatter, AIFD, CFD, Melrose International. “Chipped wood, rustic metal and galvanized tin serve as the basic elements. Retro styled block script adds to the casual collection.” Chalkboard looks have been particularly well-utilized in rustic themes, emerging as a premier micro trend for 2015 and only gaining traction for 2016. In the luxe category, metallics anchor looks with a high-end, sophisticated shine. Grasslands Road Festivity line invokes the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood with a contemporary palette of white, gold and black to deliver a stylish and refined take on holiday items. “We’ve expanded our use of reindeer this season by reintroducing them with a sophisticated makeover,” Valerie Federici marketing director for Grasslands Road says, describing the use of refined silhouettes to portray Santa’s sleigh team. Beyond the Ball: Ornaments Continue to Yield Strong Sales Bethany Lowe Designs (309/944-6214) www.bethanylowe.com

10 christmas in january

impression for their value.” Ornaments are always a strong component Ana Lopes, sales manager from ChemArt, of retailers’ holiday sales. According to the SCD agrees that shoppers are looking for quality in 2015 Readership Survey, 85.9% of retailers their ornament buys. “The biggest impact we named ornaments a “recession-proof” category. see is that our products are made in the USA This seems to extend beyond the confines of and have a higher quality, then what you see the holiday season, with year-round retailers being imported from China,” she explains. enjoying opportunities for bountiful sales of “People appreciate the high-end feel of solid ornaments. “Buyers are purchasing ornaments brass ornaments that are finished in 24 karat for other reasons than just holiday,” Ann gold and assembled by Dingwall, sales & marketing manager for Glass hand. They demand a higher Eye Studio, states. “We introduced a birthday retail sell price and evoke a stone ornament program that has boosted sales much higher standard than outside of holiday.” what’s currently flooding the With that confidence, retailers can embrace marketplace.” a wide variety of styles to complement any of the themes du jour. Suppliers indicate Modern Collectibles Seek Multithat key trends emerging for ornaments Generational Appeal in 2016 are going to coincide with One area that has been in the overall schemes that are transition for holiday buying in shaping larger décor patterns. the United States is the collectible “The woodland look will be market. Experiencing somewhat of a prevalent: birch bark, cork, midlife crisis, the holiday collectibles wood grain, and forest and market presents both exciting new woodsy elements,” products and thorny challenges to says Dietrich Bronner, vendors, retailers and distributors product development alike. manager for Bronner’s Department 56, an CHRISTmas Wonderland. Enesco brand, recently “Ornaments will often acquired by Balmoral feature LED lighting inside, Funds, has collectors’ clubs and dome or jar ornaments in every major city, a national with figures or scenes umbrella group that runs an annual inside of them will be convention, and sales growth of 7 to 11 popular.” percent annually. Maintaining Robyn G. Smalletz, Gallerie II/C&F Enterprises relevancy has required President & CEO of Gloria (888/889-9869) making major changes, from Duchin, notes that “value www.gallerieii.com cutting staff to taking on new is still the buzz word in the licenses such as Disney’s Frozen and PBS-TV’s marketplace, but when it comes to ornaments, hit series Downton Abbey, plus using social it doesn’t necessarily mean quantity or lowest media to promote product launches. price.” Smalletz says her customers are looking Another factor, says the company’s collector for keepsakes, something they can hang on liaison Melinda Seegers, is catering to newer their tree year after year that means something. collectors. “More people from younger “We continually see growth in our birthstone generations are nesting now,” she explains, collections and our ornaments with messaging, “and they want to start their own traditions.” both inspirational and whimsy,” she admits. Bethany Lowe, president and creative director The state of the economy has had an of her eponymous collectibles brand, agrees. impact on how consumers are shopping for That’s why, she explains, when collectibles and buying ornaments, but suppliers have seen in different ways. Bronner says the stabilizing of the economy and lower gas prices give consumers more confidence to enjoy spending some discretionary income. “Customers feel better able to rediscover the joy of shopping for Christmas décor in anticipation of and with excitement for the big event,” he says. “Still, shoppers appreciate impactful ornaments and Grasslands Road decorative items that (800/444-8887) deliver a big wow factor www.grasslandsroad.com or make a special, unique

The only stop for your Christmas shop

Christmas Decorations & Flameless Candles

Artiﬁcial Trees & Topiary

Indoor & Outdoor Festive Lighting

Doorstops & Doormats

Festive Wreaths & Wall Art

For 2016 Gardman will be showcasing an extensive range of festive lighting products at Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair and International Spring Fair…

Visit the Gardman stand: QS20

Visit the Gardman stand: 2G50-H51

So, why not come and join us for a post-Christmas mince pie DQG ċQG RXW ZKDW IHVWLYH VXUSULVHV ZH KDYH LQ VWRUH IRU \RX

7R ċQG RXW PRUH FDOO XV RQ (0)1406 372227 or visit www.gardman.co.uk

Feature Stateside

went out of vogue about eight to10 years ago, she wasn’t disheartened. “It used to be that with collectibles — something like Precious Moments — that everything looked the same,” Lowe says. “Now what works is actually the Hannah’s Handiwork opposite. (800/899-7009) www.hannahshomemadehandiwork. People want something weebly.com that’s uniquely different.” Kurt Adler has also noted the changes in the collectible market, mostly those due to younger generations being today’s collectors and consumers. “Older collectibles were painstakingly hand-made, and this appealed to past collectors,” Melanie Velez, marketing manager & accounts specialist, reveals. “Millennials, on the other hand, seem to be less interested in hand-crafted pieces, and are mainly concerned with finding pieces that are relevant to them.” It’s a change that dovetails with changing demographics. Most Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000) tend to have smaller dwellings and lead more itinerant lives. “Consumers are more limited in space, so they’re more discriminatory. There’s no excess. They come in and buy two or three things” — a change that she sees as inspirational. “It leaves you free to create new stuff that appeals to both longstanding customers and new consumers,” she says. Tech Innovations & Ease Drive Sales of Trees and Lights According to Christmas Lights Etc. consumer survey, more than half of the respondents (53%) revealed that they display two or more trees in their home during the holidays. The poll found that while nearly half (45%) of buyers still only display one Christmas tree, the numbers of consumers opting for multiple trees is a growing trend as smaller decorative trees are used as accent items as well as full-sized trees in entryways and common areas. Over a quarter (28%) display two trees, 12% display three trees and 5% admitted to setting up four trees within their home. Sal Puleo Jr., National Tree Vice President, believes that LEDs continue to be the hot item for trees, however, if the lights have multiple functions, that is even better. “Our Dual Color

12 christmas in january

LED tree bulbs change from warm white multicolor and include a switch to control nine different light actions,” Puleo notes. “The trend toward technology (like our Music Match system, using Bluetooth) and the manufacturers coming up with the ‘next best thing’ will generate interest and sales for trees in 2016.” The Music Match system is for use with National Tree Company trees pre-lit with low voltage LED lights. The system allows music to be streamed from a Bluetooth capable device

Melrose International (800/282-2144) www.melroseintl.com

Kaemingk USA (404/749-5059) www.kaemingk.com causing the lights on the tree to “dance” in sync with what’s playing. Light intensity raises and lowers together with sound volume. Many manufacturers are looking toward innovations to take trees to the next level. For the 2016 season Autograph Foliages will carry multi-colored LED lighted Christmas trees and lighted trees that sync and can be controlled through iPhones. While customers are looking for more functions, they still want the easy set-up they have come to expect from artificial trees. One plug trees, instant shape, and multi-function designs are top trends for 2016. “Today’s trees offer variety and simplicity for our customers’ busy lives,” said Nathan Gordon, CIO of Gordon Companies, which produces the Northlight brand. Basic holiday lighting — such as strings of incandescent bulbs — will always have their place. However, an increasing number of consumers and commercial establishments alike are gravitating towards more sophisticated and complex options. Evidence of this pattern lies partially in a trend towards intricate holiday lighting displays. Frank Skinner, director of marketing at Wintergreen Corp., cites as examples mainstream adoption of commercial laser lighting products, larger lit décor, and large projection displays. In keeping with such adoption, Wintergreen has rolled out the X1000 Laser Light. The product can project laser points and fill tree canopies more than 100 feet tall. It can be used to project laser light onto homes,

businesses, roof lines, and hedgerows, as well as down onto lawns. Similarly, Creative Displays now offers several residential versions of its top-selling commercial displays. The selection includes a ground-mounted Santa and reindeer team LED display, an LED nativity scene , and an LED Star of Bethlehem that is said to consume less electricity than a standard 60-watt bulb. Paul Sessel, owner, says the residential versions are built with the same materials and attention to detail as their commercial counterparts and carry the same six-year warranty. Interactive holiday lighting and lit decorations that may be controlled from smart devices are also gaining ground, report Skinner and Loomis. For 2016, Seasons 4 is working on an updated version of its Lumenplay app-enabled lights that will be “more intuitive and have more bells and whistles,” Jason Loomis, vice president, product development at Seasons 4, states. The Lumenplay app allows users the flexibility to choose colors and effects, play games, and visualize accompanying music for lighting displays. In a related vein, Loomis adds, there is a push for battery-operated light strings. “People [are coming to] like them because of the flexibility and convenience — you can illuminate a mantle; hang them outdoors around a tree, across a fireplace; jazz up the dining room, etc. — things it would be impossible to do with power cords,” he explains. “There has definitely been a shift, and we’re going to see more of that in 2016,” Loomis asserts. “People want better lights, and to do more with their holiday lighting.” Sage Floral Home & Garden (800/333-7178) www.sagefgh.com

Exhibiting at Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair Hall B - Stand B7 Spring Fair Hall 2 Stand F41

Mister Tinsel Ltd Call: 08453 19 20 46 Email: info@mistertinsel.com Web: www.mistertinsel.com Park View Nurseries, Theobalds Park Road, Crews Hill, Enfield, EN2 9BQ

Feature Floralsilk

Love Christmas with Floralsilk

s a family-run business, Floralsilk is a company that places people at the heart of what they do. They truly value both their staff and their customers. The company’s team spirit is evident when you see them in action, particularly in the run up to Christmas when it’s all hands on deck to ensure every single customer order is delivered in perfect condition just when the customer needs it. Their relationship with their customers is what sets them apart and their growing, loyal customer base understand this. It’s why they keep coming back for more. They know that the team at Floralsilk will go out of their way to meet their needs. ‘Here at Floralsilk, we see our customers’ business as an extension of ours’ says Managing Director, Liam O’Flaherty, ‘and we want to ensure our customers’ thrive.’

Love Christmas with Floralsilk ‘We adore Christmas’ says Managing Director, Liam O’Flaherty, ‘not only now, at Christmas time, but all year round: whether we are designing product; pulling together our themes; range building; creating our spectacular stand at Harrogate; or advising our customers on the best collection of products for their needs. So we decided that our marketing campaign for Christmas 2016 would say exactly that: Love Christmas with Floralsilk.’ Floralsilk now offer everything you need for the festive season. Their passion for design and quality has driven their customers to demand an even larger range for 2016. ‘The Collection has more tree trim than ever before’, Darren Broxup, Floralsilk’s aptly titled ‘Director of Christmas’ tells me, ‘including a new range of glass 16 christmas in january

ornaments with delicate finishes and patterns.’ ‘We have also expanded our table top decorations, perfect for coffee tables, mantelpieces & window sills. It means consumers can add a festive feel to every room in their house.’ Darren’s enthusiasm for the range is palpable. He has walked, talked and slept Christmas over the past few months while putting the collection together and he is understandably very proud. It does look fantastic. The evergreen woodland in Floralsilk’s showroom is also hard to miss and Liam tells me these are all brand new Christmas trees for 2016. These gorgeous PE & PVC mix trees have been designed exclusively by Floralsilk and are, according to Darren, ‘at unbeatably competitive prices’. ‘And if it’s wow factor you’re after, come and see our stunning displays on the Harrogate stand for inspiration, including white furry polar bears and pretty fairytale characters, ideal for window displays and events,’ Darren recounts. If you can’t make it to Harrogate then Floralsilk will also be exhibiting at the Spring Fair, Birmingham and they welcome visitors by appointment to their stunning showroom which displays their full collection of silk flowers, trees and Christmas products. And if all else fails, their new website launches in January 2016 to coincide with the Christmas launch, so you can browse their Collection and Christmas brochure from your armchair. It seems to me that Liam and Darren are right, there are many reasons for customers and staff alike to Love Floralsilk. Harrogate – Hall B – Stand B1/5 Tel: 01778 425205 Email: sales@floralsilk.co.uk

Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair

Stand C1, C02, C39 Festive Productions, Otters Brook, Ty Coch Way, Cwmbran, NP44 7EZ.

t: 01633 627 300 www.festive.co.uk

New packaging for 2016 The best speciﬁcation in the industry!

Bulb Spacing • Lead Lengths • P Price i M Match t h

• Weatherproof battery box • 8 different lighting functions • Will last the festive season • Timer 6 hours on/18 hours off

Mobile Phone Controlled Lights World wide patent App Controlled Light Set • iphone/ ipad / Apple Watch / Android Phone / Tablet • Control Function / Colour / 20 different speed functions • Karaoke and Disco Function • Colour Match Function

• Control up to 5 lights at once • Up to 30m range

• Bulbs last 25,000 hours

• Timer Control

LLED L O I R

P CONT P A

• Any song downloaded - lights dance to music

• IP65 - weatherproof

d App

nloa w o D 1. tall 2. Ins dy to Go 3. Rea

Festive Productions, Otters Brook, Ty Coch Way, Cwmbran, NP44 7EZ.

t: 01633 627 300 www.festive.co.uk Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair

Stand C1, C02, C39

Feature The Old Railway Line

“We all had Doctors Papers” E

By Freddie Hume

ntering The Old Railway Line Garden Centre in Aberllynfi for my first ever visit I was taken aback by a rather large Halloween presence, as having visited many Garden Centres over the years I had always been led to believe that it is not a terrifically good retail opportunity. This was actually borne out as soon as I met with Katie Eckley, who although first advising me that they have had a Halloween offer “for as long as I can remember” then told me that the selling space had recently been reduced from 8 metres to three. There was a very good reason behind the display though, as was soon explained, as the centre has a regular Wild Wednesday for their younger customers. Every Wednesday of every school holiday week there is a Kids Event, within which there’s even a Reward Card just like the parents. Examples are Chocolate Nest making at Easter, Sand Art in the spring, and Circus Skills in Summer; with the Halloween party being their last prior to the Christmas Events. Hence the display that caught my eye on arrival. Children are very important at The Old Railway Line GC, as with Mark & Christine Cleary starting the business in 1990, selling produce from their 20 christmas in january

shed at local farmers markets, their own kids Liam, Shaunagh and Katie have just helped them to celebrate 25 years in the industry. I chatted with Katie, recipient of a BSc in Horticulture who has of course ‘worked’ here

nearly all of her life, turning up on half-days from school, holidays & week-ends. She has been a proper full-timer for 11 years now, and along with the other 65 members of staff Katie confirms there is most certainly a real family feel to the place. Contrary to Halloween, Christmas has most certainly been a major contributor to annual sales growth, with the department being around for 10 years, though only becoming a real part of the store just 3 years ago when floor space was increased by 50%. Which obviously proved successful - as in the years since, sales of Decorations alone have increased by 300%, with Lights more than doubling. Lighting ranges are extremely important at The Old Railway Line with Lumineo being the most obvious brand, with their 360 Twinkle & LED lights consistently the first to sell out every year despite the continually increased stockholding. Christmas themes for the upcoming year are planned in the December, armed with theme boards prepared in house by The Core Team. This design, planning, purchasing & set-up team mentioned above comprises Katie, mum Christina, dad Mark, Huw, Matthew, Kate, Gwenda, Jill &

Jayne who all get their heads together prior to the Kaemingk trip in January. Apart from the traditional range all themes are new every year and the theme boards are used during product selection in January & February. The (unwritten) Buying Rules state “if not matching you can’t have it”, so even if they find something LUVVERLY at, say, The Spring Fair, if it doesn’t correspond to the theme board it doesn’t get IN. Kaemingk colour schemes are referred to and used as a base, but are never duplicated exactly, as product selection decisions are always made by the Core Team. 2015’s Christmas Story was the Chronicles of Narnia with the various sections highlighted by different colour themes and magnificent Tapestries. I understand that 100 million copies of Narnia have been sold worldwide though not everyone is aware of the stories or the order in which they were published, so to assist visitors a couple of pages were displayed at the entrance to each section to help Mum & Dad tell the story as they strolled through…. So - are you sitting comfortably, for the briefest of precis, and can you work out what the theme headings were? The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was written by C. S. Lewis and published in 1950. It records the adventures of four ordinary English children - Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie – who because of the dangers of World War II were sent away from London. In The Old Professors House they found their way into the magical land of Narnia by way of a wardrobe that Lucy stumbled across while exploring the large old house. Upon entering Lucy found herself walking through trees, rather than the expected coats, yet pressed on until she found herself standing in the middle of The Ice Forest where she met Tumnus the Faun. He was planning to hand her over to the White Witch but later, feeling guilty for what he had intended, helped Lucy find her way back to the wardrobe, despite the risk that he would be punished. Lucy tried to tell her siblings about the strange land she had found, and they did not believe her, but during a game of hide-and-seek, she returned to the country in the wardrobe, and soon all four of them had visited Narnia. Although the more sensible of them wanted to return home, Lucy convinced them that they needed to help her new friend, Mr. Tumnus, who had been arrested. The four children were told of Aslan the Great Lion, and a prophecy that said when two sons of Adam, and two daughters of Eve, sat upon the four thrones, all Narnia would be put to rights. While they were talking Edmund slipped away so they decided to flee, having been advised that he would tell where they were to the White Witch. Turkish Delight was Edmund Pevensie’s favourite sweet, and a version of it was offered to him by The White Witch. Like all of her magical food, it was highly addictive, making those who ate it want more and more, thus making them easy for her to control. With it, she was able to get information about Edmund’s siblings from him, as

well as learn about Mr. Tumnus who had helped Lucy escape. The Kingdom of Narnia was guarded over by Aslan, and was a land of rolling hills rising into low mountains, and was predominantly forested – in fact, not unlike the Beacons. On their journey, the Pevenseys met Father Christmas, who gave Lucy a fireflower cordial that would heal others, and weapons to her siblings that would protect them. Lots of interesting stuff occurred, which you’ll need to buy the book to find out, but suffice to say there was a battle between the Witch and Aslan and when it was all over and the Witch was dead, the children were crowned as The Kings & Queens of Narnia. Thus, on commencing the Christmas walkway you entered through the door in the Wardrobe first, and then moved through the well-defined further ‘chapters’. I must advise here that the Hanging Banners which identified the areas were remarkably wellmade and designed, produced in-house too, and were of terrific quality. With the Christmas Retail area now reaching 250 sq m we have their undisputed Number One supplier Kaemingk achieving 60% of the business, ably supported by Snowtime, Premier, Festive & Yankee Candle. Battery-Operated lights had their BEST YEAR YET, despite purchasing nearly 3 or 4 times more than the previous year, with Lit tapestries having had a good couple of years; although lighted canvas prints seem to be overtaking them, as again even more were bought in 2015. Premier’s Dancing Flame Candle with timer had probably become the overall #1 best-seller, yet 2015’s single best line was probably the Water Spinner Tree. Of course at that stage I had to ask which was the worst-ever purchase and that was easily remembered as a cardboard greeting card holder that was FAR too cheap. The Christmas Display is usually opened to coincide with the national Macmillan Coffee morning but due to a late August Bank Holiday it was launched a week later than usual. In fact the bank holiday is crucial to the diaries as this is when they normally commence The Build. Set Up usually takes four weeks from startto-finish, with sections opening as they are completed, and they are always ready for the October Grand Opening when free mince pies and mulled wine are available for up to 500 visitors. Sales DOUBLED year-on-year on the night .. maybe it was a really good wine? Santa’s arrival is always the last Friday in November, with a Disco and Bouncy Castle as part of a free event, and two reindeer who then stay on site through to the New Year. REAL Christmas trees are also launched then, though sales have declined in recent years, with 600 in total sold, due in the main to the abundance of local Forestry Sites. I guess being surrounded by literally thousands of acres of woodland in the Brecon Beacons it would be a surprise if you were unable to buy some direct from the farms ! christmas in january 21

Feature The Old Railway Line

This does allow for more artificial trees to be displayed however, and the REAL Wreaths and Sprays are all made in-house. In 2015 over 400 were sold, all having been produced by Beryl, Nick & David. The Grotto also opened to coincide with Santa’s Arrival, and whilst you can stroll through any day when Santa is not in residence, it costs just £7.50 when he is there on the weekends, and every day in the week leading up to Christmas Eve. The Core Team buys all the presents, and giftwraps them in-house so that each visitor receives a gift selected by age and gender. They have a chat with Santa, eat LOTS of free sweets, and can have a photo too. There is an interesting age limit, apparently published as 9+ so technically even if you’re retired you can go see the man himself ! Pity he wasn’t there when I visited as I could have told him what a good boy I’d been all year ? There are four Santas on rota (plus Huw on standby) and all are available on-call too. If there is a request from a School for a class or two to visit midweek, The Old Railway Line is happy to assist – and one of the Santas comes in specially, presumably from the North Pole. And here is where the Old Railway Line team has been very clever – as prior to becoming the Grotto the area is used as a Halloween Walkway, with scary sounds and shrieks, and lots of monsters and ghouls. The masks and cloaks are actually dressed on the Christmas Animals, and when I was advised that the one that had just WHOOPED at me was in fact a penguin I hadn’t even noticed! Mind you, neither did the two other people who came in from the ‘wrong’ end just as I clapped my hands to start the motion sensors, prior to my turning the corner and frightening the life out of them! Just before the Grotto’s official opening the monsters are undressed so that they all turn back into snowmen, penguins, polar bears and reindeer! The Old Railway Line has an active Social Media presence, though Katie feels it doesn’t really affect the actual monies through the till. If a coupon is sent out it is not very often redeemed, but they are excellent conduits for News and Event advice. They have been on Facebook for 7 years, and Twitter for 4 so they are not exactly newcomers, nevertheless it is still seen as a recent necessary addition to the marketing operation. Customer numbers have improved dramatically of late, with 14,000 members of The Reward Club living within a catchment area of 250 square miles throughout South & East Wales. Having mentioned that I had seen 2 cars arriving from Shrewsbury Katie told me that they are about to embark on a Kington/Leominster targeted Leaflet Drop to increase a perceived limited awareness in that part of the world. As stated earlier even the kids receive benefits from regular visits, as the more events they attend the more likely they are to achieve and receive an award No TV or radio advertising is undertaken, relying instead on word-of-mouth and leaflet drops. Lots and lots of local magazine editorials are published, 22 christmas in january

though not just at Christmas, as Plant and Event guidance is offered on a regular basis. There are two places to get a coffee, so ‘no waiting’ is the norm, as both The Railway Restaurant and The Railway Tea Rooms are open for business with completely different menus in each. The former offers full hot meals and the latter offers a more snack based/light lunch menu. Total seating allows for 185 covers, though from what I learned and viewed if you want a breakfast on the weekend you’d better get in early, as with The Fat Controller at £7.99 and The Early Bird @ £2.99 it is a rare day when they do not sell at least 60. ‘Breakfast with’ and ‘Tea with’ Santa are always popular, being completely sold out by the end of November, even though served right through until Christmas week. There is also a full Christmas Turkey Dinner option within the Restaurant on Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout December – whereas the Tea Room is ‘only’ offering turkey and stuffing baps! Individual sales hotspots are also visible throughout the store – with especially good deals, not just 10% off, but real half-price offers for example on quality lines. Having said that however, discounts may not be needed, as the Food Hall is always open and very busy, with nearly half of all the available products being prepared locally, resulting in annual sales increases of 20% on average. Mind you, with 70% of the many alcoholic products on offer being brewed within a few miles, especially the Welsh-Only spirits e.g. Aberhonddu Five Vodka, Brecon Botanicals Gin and Penderyn Whisky I’m surprised there’s room for vegetables, beautiful organic bread and Turkish Delight. There are also six wonderful hampers available, and with names such as The Indulgence, The Family Treats and The Fresh Cheese & Biscuits Slate it is made even easier for you to shop. As well as the Kids Events there were also special evenings for Grown-ups during December. In 2015 there were just three Thursdays other than Xmas Eve, so one was Ladies Night, where only ladies are allowed, and with pre-booked tables for a two-course meal, extra-special one-night-only discounts on certain categories, and FREE bubbly this made for a very successful evening. Another was the Cheese & Wine evening, when men are allowed, and with wine-tasting, and an extremely motivating and easily understood talk being given on wines, the local taxi firms know to queue up outside at the end of the evening! Then there is the Final Night which is known as ‘Shopping Night’ where really good, specifically targeted discounts are on offer to all, with no booking required and of course the night that I think most late-planning hubbies should visit – if of course there is anything left that close to Christmas ! P.S. Did you ‘get’ the headline? If you’re Welsh you probably got it straight away, but if not you might have to google it to find the name of one of The Old Railway Line’s more famous regular shoppers?

W W W. K A E M I N G K . C O M

SEASONAL DECORATIONS • CHRISTMAS LIGHTING • FLORISTRY CHRISTMAS TREES, WREATHS AND GARLANDS • GLASS BAUBLES

Feature Konstsmide

We only make

lighting products K

onstsmide believe that they are offering something that no one else in the Christmas business can provide – a 100% concentration on lighting products. They do not make for any other brand and focus 100% in the products they offer. Their aim is simple, to be the best at what they do. Their aim and their belief is to make the best quality lights available on the market and this equally applies to all of their Christmas lighting products. Excellent service to their loyal retail partners and end consumers is also paramount. Konstsmide have to cater for many different countries and what they supply is a consistently high quality Konstsmide branded product, which can be seen not just in the UK but all around Europe. The company know from experience in lots of markets that there is a need for a leading consistent brand and that’s how Konstsmide keep growing the brand in Europe. In the UK this is really shown to be beneficial by having UK based employees, their own large showroom and warehouse situated in the Chesterfield area. Their strategy is to ensure and provide their customers with the best service and support possible, which is the reason why the Konstsmide brand has so much to offer retailers. The Konstsmide Group have invested extensively in these areas and they also go beyond the standard independent testing level to ensure their products are the best on the market. Their in house testing facility gives them the possibility of testing products in actual real conditions. M.D. Richard Jerrom told me “ Most testing ensures the product is safe and meets certain standards but Konstsmide make sure that they go further to give the consumer a positive experience. We do this to give our customers what they want, great products that work and are safe. We know from our commitment to lighting that consumer’s want a recognizable brand they love to use, that they can trust year after year and go back to retailers to look for the brand they believe in. “

24 christmas in january

Konstsmide manufacture products that help the consumers reduce their energy consumption. Again Richard takes up the story “We spend a lot of time ensuring products have a good lifespan and offer the best in terms of saving them money in the long term. Now over 1000 lights cost as little to run as one standard 60 watt bulb. Now that more and more LED technology is coming on to the market we are committed to bringing the best available technology to British consumers.” Konstsmide have a market view from all over Europe and can see that, when the key deciding factor in buying lighting products is price, the end consumer and the retailers are the ones who suffer. If the desire to be the cheapest and most competitive at the lowest end of the market is the driver, the product and/or service suffer. All the ingredients that go together in making a good product are compromised in some way to achieve a cheap throw away item that benefits neither the consumer nor the environment. Quality is paramount, long lasting product will have more benefits for all. The company are aware that to buy the best brand costs a little more but, in the long run, it’s well worth it. 2015 Review and 2016 Products:Richard told me that deliveries were so good this year that they were calling to ask customers if they wanted to take in deliveries early. Repeat orders from customers were shipped and delivered normally within 48 hours, perfect for customers wanting to make the most of the short Christmas selling period. Yet another reason why Konstsmide is a leading brand in the Christmas lighting market. More and more customers are taking time to visit their showroom near Chesterfield in Derbyshire - a pleasant day trip to see the whole range displayed in full. In the Candlesticks category, the introduction of the wood requiring FSC certification in 2015, Konstsmide were again leading from the front and ahead of the legislation. The basic entry level Welcome Light still has very strong sales and though many thousands of these are

manufactured every year, they believe they still offer the best specification at the best price possible Further additions to the ranges have included the very trendy copper look in various styles, new traditional items and some in new interesting designs and materials. This further enhances Konstsmide’s range of Candlestick or Light Sets in 2015, they introduced traditional candle tree light sets in new colour finishes to match the colour trends for 2015 and 2016. Traditional filament bulbs sales are still strong despite the domination of LED technology. The introduction a couple of years ago of the Konstsmide “next generation” replaceable LED version of these lights showed that this is still a strong market sector. In Outdoor Light Sets their IP67 moulded LED light sets are simply the best light sets Konstsmide have ever made. These really are awesome when it comes to quality in Christmas lights. The soft black or white cable stays more flexible for placement and is much easier to put away. The IP67 rating means these lights are made from a moulded dust tight construction and capable of taking all the British weather can throw at them. The connectable version of the IP67 lights was further enhanced with the addition of a larger 8mm offering. All year round sales of the Design Protected LED festoon sets continue to increase, the flexibility of being able to sell these all year is an attractive proposition for buyers and Konstsmide are keeping these in stock all year for extra sales. The introduction of new shapes in 2015 such as the pigmy bulb size and oval shape have added further to their success. Opal and connectable styles have also been added to this range’s appeal. The new collection of water filled Lanterns that made their debut in 2015 have been one of Konstsmide’s fasting selling lines, so much so that the company have introduced four new additions for 2016 and are confident that they will make further introductions within this product category in the future.

Scandinavian paper stars have always been a Christmas “must have” in Sweden, so it follows that with such a huge offering in their catalogue that the U.K. company should try the market here in 2015 by showing them at the 2015 exhibitions. The response was excellent with Konstsmide customers enjoying additional sales from their displays that resulted in excellent sales for them. With even more new designs there are plenty of opportunities for further expansion in this area. Konstsmide enjoyed impressive year on year sales increases with their decorative light sets that have enabled consumers to be far more creative in their homes, adding a lot more décor than just the tree in the corner. Creativity has been hugely improved with their gorgeous Moroccan style light strings, cotton balls and paper decoration light sets. These bring even more warm, inviting light to all areas of the home and a whole new look. If you want to be in vogue then these lights certainly set the trends. Plenty of new offerings in this category for 2016. Decorative outdoor acrylics continue to grow the sales as a very strong category. 2015 saw the introduction of five acrylic birds with outdoor battery operated figures further strengthening the range. New additions will feature in 2016. Their LED Light sticks and Snowflakes further enhanced outdoor decoration throughout Britain all made possible by Acrylics. Expect some exciting new additions for 2016. Konstsmide were one of the first companies to introduce the ‘Dusk till Dawn’ outdoor battery lights and their product developers believe they have made a very good electronic solution for these types of lights and claim they are brighter and last longer than other battery lights available on the market. As well as dusk till dawn function on many sets you can choose from 6 to 9 hours of operation with certain products lasting over two months of operation – more than enough for the Christmas season. The company claim that their outdoor battery boxes are probably the most robust available. The company are rightly proud of their achievements over the years that have seen

them trail-blazing the category. Here are just two of their ‘First to Market’ products. In 1983 a real landmark as the first company to develop and sell a transformer light set. 30 years on and they still set the pace in this important category. In 1995 yet another great product leap when they developed the very first LED Christmas light chain, leading the way to what is considered normal today. It’s hard to imagine Christmas Lights without LEDS today! With healthy year on year sales increases plus lots of exciting new products awaiting visitors to Harrogate and Spring Fair, readers can see for themselves at Harrogate on stand M22 in Hall ‘M’ and at Spring Fair Hall 2 stand F20. There’s plenty to whet your appetite! Tel:01246 852140 or email sales@konstsmide. co.uk

christmas in january 25

Feature Gisela Graham

An ABC of Christmas A shopping list for new Christmas Department Buyers spelt out by Piers Croke of Gisela Graham Limited A is for ADVENT CALENDARS: another festive borrowing from Germany high ticket, selling in November. B is for BAUBLES: shoppers always buy more baubles for the family. So Gisela Graham launches over 200 new baubles every year. C is for CRIBS: making a comback, an ideal family gift. D is for DESIGN: original, designed Christmas decorations help your Christmas department to stand out from the crowd.

E is for ELECTRICITY: which enabled candles to be replaced by safe, electric light strings. LED's arrival (see "L") means we can offer light strings powered by torch batteries. F is for FAIRIES: the prettiest things on the tree. Gisela Graham, famous for her fairies, always designs at least 80 new ones every year. G is for GINGERBREAD: with connotations of seasonal food and fairy tales, gingerbread is a must for every Christmas department. H is for HOLLY: evergreen and bright with berries in darkest winter, every home is jollier for holly, real or artificial.

I is for ICICLE: offset the roundness of baubles on a Christmas tree with the verticality of icicles. J is for JINGLE BELLS: originally harness bells, invented to warn of an approaching horse-drawn sleigh, now popular as treetrim or as seasonally jingly doorwreaths - with LED! K is for KRIS KRINGLE: an American alias for Santa Claus - and Santa by any other name, no department can have enough of! Santa/K Kringle is a gift for designers: a well-known icon one can take all kinds of liberties with. L is for LED: which really took off when the Y3A15O12Ce phosphor coating was invented in 2001. Now we can offer teeny lights for garlands, trees, table decorations, baubles, Advents and ridiculous party headbands. M is for MISTLETOE: real or artificial, this coolly elegant plant is a must for every Christmas dept.

N is for

NOSTALGIA: nostalgic ornaments and baubles are making a big comeback - inspired by museum collections

and lucky finds in antique shops and flea markets. priced and looking sumptuous on a tree.

O is for ORANGES and pears and apples:

metallised fruit, modestly

P is for PEACOCK: establishing blue as a popular tree trim colour, accented with

Q is for QUANTITIES: a wide variety is key to success. Which is why our range of 2,200 items is sold in small box quantities. R is for ROBINS: which don't flee the country like other birds when it turns cold, but stick around British gardens and sing their sweet song at Christmas time. S is for SHAPES: in moulded, hand-painted glass green, purple and gold.

nostalgic, sweet or quirky, and we have 70 to choose from.

T is for TREE TOP ANGEL: presiding over the Christmas festivities. Gisela Graham designs at least a dozen every year. U is for UNDER-THE-TREE: where often there's a tree skirt, a nice American idea to deal with needle drop. V is for VINTAGE: the design style of the 1940's appeals to our generation in its brash simplicity - funky typography, brash simplicity - funky typography, Bambi and Dreaming of a White Christmas. At Gisela Graham we love it! W is for WREATHS: a fairly recent import from Germany, now selling by the million here - artificial or DIY with greenery, fruit and ribbons. X is for XMAS: a handy and pious abbreviation that dates back to the Middle Ages, since you ask!

Y is for YULE:

from the Danish Jol , the Winter Solstice festival - a legacy the Danish invaders left us, along with a lot of Danish genes in our blood. Maybe that's why we're keen on Scandinavian Xmas decorations. Z in German stands for two popular Christmas tree decorations: ZIMT (cinnamon sticks) and ZAPF (icicles). And in English ? Well, Gisela Graham covers all your Christmas shopping needs from A to â&#x20AC;Ś. Z ? Gisela Graham will be showing all her 2016 Christmas collections on her stands at Harrogate Christmas & Gift, Jan 10-13 (Stand M16), and at NEC Spring Fair, Feb 7-11 (Hall 8, A20/B19)

26 christmas in january

Feature GCA

The GCA - The Garden Centre’s very own Association

Iain Wylie - Chief Executive of the G.C.A.

Chief Executive Iain Wylie reports on their year

015 proved to be a steady year for garden centres with the weather not giving us too many seasonal surprises until the abnormally mild November and December. This ensured that plant sales once again improved in the spring and the really bad springs of 2012 and 2013 were behind us. It might not have been a record breaker but people did get back out into their gardens and the customers came to garden centres to buy plants. With better news on the economy too centres went into the Christmas season with some degree of optimism and sales in November and December ensured the year ended on a high. There were lots of changes in both the supply and retail sectors with consolidation in both, however independent garden centres seem to be flourishing and investing for future growth.

There’s been lots going on at the Garden Centre Association (GCA) in 2015 too and this is set to continue in 2016.

ur annual inspections continue to be one of the most valued benefits of GCA membership. Our inspectors are independent consultants who visit all the members’ centres each year to ensure that members maintain their status as Britain’s best garden retailers. The inspection process is an invaluable management tool with each centre receiving detailed feedback on their standards on the day of the visit. Having completed the 2015 inspections, Liz Hutson has stepped down and we are pleased to announce that Alyson Haywood will be joining our team of inspectors for 2016. Spring 2016 will also see improvements on how the inspections are completed and delivered to members. We are introducing a new on-line system which will see the inspectors using the latest tablet technology to complete the inspection itself enabling quicker and more accurate delivery of the completed forms to members. The inspectors will feature at the GCA’s annual conference on Monday 25 January 2016. We will be announcing the winners of the annual Ruxley Rose competition, which is awarded to the garden centre with the best plant area and presenting the winners of our Christmas competition with their trophies, on the same day. The conference is being held at The Grand Hotel, Brighton, from 24 to 27 January 2015 and as always it has an impressive line-up of speakers. We are featuring John Herbert and Ken Hughes on Monday too. John will be known to many in the industry after a successful career in retailing in the USA and Europe. As Europe’s leading Consumer and Shopper Behaviouralist, Ken Hughes blends his vast expertise in consumer psychology, social anthropology, behavioural economics and neuromarketing to answer the question to which he has dedicated most of his career: Why do shoppers buy and how can we make them buy more? 28 christmas in January

On Tuesday the line-up will include leading economist Martin VanderWayer. Also featuring on Tuesday will be Lucy Adams, the former HR Director for the BBC who will be giving tips on people management and development as well as telling delegates about her experiences managing some of the biggest crises the BBC has ever seen. The day will be rounded off by Olympic medal winner Roger Black MBE. He has some fantastic insight into motivation and team work. Full details of the conference including how to book are available on the GCA website or by contacting the GCA office. The GCA launched GROW – Garden Retail Online Workshops, three years ago. GROW is an innovative e-learning project to enable member businesses to train their staff with high quality material, without the need for leaving the centres to attend expensive courses. This is a cost effective way of improving product knowledge and customer service. GCA GROW now has in excess of 10000 employees at member centres learning from 70 subject modules which include the topics of health and safety and food hygiene as well as the core gardening subjects. In January 2016 we will be launching the first set of modules from our comprehensive Customer Service Programme, with more to come throughout the year, there will be around 30 modules in all when they are all completed. The GCA’s Rising Stars programme which is sponsored by Westland is an opportunity for young people working in GCA centres to complete a series of workshops and projects during the year to facilitate their career development. 2015 saw a record number of applicants and participants in the programme and applications are now being sought for 2016. The GCA is the only association dedicated to representing the garden retail sector in the UK. The association has links to similar international bodies through its membership of the International Garden Centre Association (IGCA), which organises an annual congress in one of the member countries which members of the GCA are able to attend. Last year Denmark hosted a very successful congress and the 2016 congress in Switzerland will be a great opportunity to visit more of Europe’s leading gardening retailers. There are a host of benefits available to GCA members; the ‘Barometer of Trade’ which is the most accurate and up to date picture of trading available, using the sales figures from participating centres, available instantly, each month; the annual competitions; area meetings; plus, of course, everything mentioned above. Above all, the greatest benefit is sharing; information and experiences; with like-minded individuals and businesses. To find out more information, email info@gca.org.uk or call 0118 930 8918. Alternatively, please visit www.gca.org.uk, log on to www. facebook.com/GardenCentreAssociation or follow the organisation on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GC_Association.

thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much to see in widdopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s christmas collection. nine themes, over 600 new lines with some real show-stoppers.

make a date with us to see our entire collection: in our showrooms from monday 7th december.

harrogate christmas & gift. 10-13th january.

stand b13

nec birmingham 7-11th february hall 4

WIDDOP BINGHAM

Widdop Bingham, Broadgate, Broadway Business Park, Chadderton, Oldham OL9 9XE tel: 0161 688 1226 | fax: 0161 682 6808 | email: sales@widdop.co.uk | web: www.widdop.co.uk

stand G10-J11 new location

Feature Premier

A bespoke Christmas experience at Premier I

always look forward to visiting John Athwal’s Ruislip H.Q. At the beginning of December it’s a hive of activity with Premier’s 2016 catalogue well on the way to finalisation in good time for Harrogate. Premier Decorations are synonymous with Christmas and as a leading supplier of nearly every product imaginable for the festive season, I know there will be plenty of stunning new items within the 2016 ranges to see. However, whilst retailers and buyers are familiar with the Premier brand, it is surprising how few realise just how specialised the company’s products are. The majority are not simply mass produced for international markets, but are designed and created exclusively by Premier with the UK consumer in mind. John Athwal, Premier’s managing director, explains: “Because we have such a large offering of very different ranges, many people don’t realise that almost every product we present is actually the inspiration of our team of highly talented designers. They look at latest trends and colours in the UK, see the type of products which are selling well and come up with exciting new ideas with complementary ranges to offer an all round coordinated concept.” In addition to these beautiful bespoke ranges, Premier also has a team of very experienced buyers who scour the world seeking innovate items which are totally new and guaranteed to add a buzz of excitement when introduced to the UK market. John continues: “UK consumers have very different tastes when it comes to Christmas and tend to follow a distinct path from their European counterparts. Our designers and buyers are aware that a ‘one cap fits all’ approach doesn’t work when presenting products to British consumers and take this on board and consequently present unique products specifically to appeal to this market.” So what makes Christmas so different in the UK than elsewhere in the world? Great Britain

30 christmas in january

is steeped in history and Christmas is hugely significant to the majority of families with many traditions passed down from generation to generation. Generally wrapped up with fond childhood memories, yet still wanting to follow the latest fashions and trends, the majority of UK consumers seek to add an element of nostalgia and tradition to their celebrations. Jo Marsden who leads Premier’s design team, explains how the company embraces this culture: “We understand that for the majority of families in the UK, Christmas is much more than one special day in the year. It is a lifestyle experience and the chance to bring families and friends together and because of this the atmosphere and ambience created in every home is very personal and important. “Consumers are keen to buy into the entire Christmas experience and to make this easy and accessible to them; we have created a catalogue of Christmas Stories. Each Story includes a completely co-ordinated colour scheme. For example, Silver Dreams is modern and stylish with a traditional sparkle including shades of shimmering silver combined with celestial blue and the decorations in this category ooze class with sparkles and glass. In contrast, Jolly Holly combines traditional tones with berry reds and leafy greens beautifully joined with subtle caramel shades to provide the perfect family Christmas scene. Ornaments include time-honoured pieces such as holly, poinsettia, glittery baubles, jolly plaques, angels and of course Santa himself.” Premier’s Christmas Stories not only make life easy for the consumer but allow retailers to create stunning, eye-catching colour co-ordinated Christmas displays with very little effort. With eight stories to choose from they can simply collate products from their chosen stories to guarantee a classy, harmonized showcase. This in turn encourages sales as customers strive to recreate the scene within their own homes. Visitors to Harrogate Christmas & Gift will be able to experience Premier’s stunning 2016

Christmas Stories first hand as the company transforms Hall H of the Harrogate International Centre into its own exclusive showcase. Amongst the numerous new products on display will be the latest in indoor and outdoor lighting including LEDs, candles and accessories; rope lights, nets and projectors; and guaranteed best sellers, Premiers fibre optics with floral displays, twig lights and trees. One of Premier’s most popular lighting ranges this year has been its LED multi-action TREEbrights™ which are designed to professionally light up trees in minutes. Each string of light is specifically designed for the size of tree and has up to four times more lights per metre than regular lights. Because of demand Premier has created POS to further encourage in-store sales. Another best selling range and exclusive to Premier is its LED lit canvases introducing some new wintery and festive designs to make an eyecatching statement in any room. Once evening draws in, what appears to be an ordinary scene transforms as the depth of the canvas comes alive with twinkling lights. In addition to this hugely successful range are the new framed three dimensional LED lit photos – first introduced by Premier and the latest innovation to be presented at the exhibition. Anything that sparkles appeals at Christmas and nothing more than fibre optic trees and flowers. Fibre optic flowers, which were first introduced by Premier back in the 90’s and made a must-have household product, has been seeing a renaissance in the last few years. The success of the range has been the distinct design element captured by Premiers design team, which is now introducing the next generation. Aimed at the higher end, these arrangements are suitable for commercial use as well. Premier’s lit vases and bottles, have been joined by jars and other shapes. New designs and upgraded packaging will be on show at Harrogate and now available in pallet deals. These are proving to be a perennial product range. The softer side of Premier’s range has long been recognised as the leading collection.

The traditional Christmas hats and suits are still there, but more personal wear is in demand. First introduced last year, the Christmas range of personal wear has been revisited and new products introduced. Not only Christmas jumpers, but T-shirts and polo shirts as well are amongst the already successful, Christmas socks, boxer shorts and ties. Premier’s new Nostalgia Edison Filament collection has all of the features of modern day light bulbs but is aesthetically pleasing to anyone who loves a traditional touch to their home. With retro shapes and sizes, these subtle bulbs are perfect for conventional lamps and shades giving a truly time-honoured atmosphere. Finally, Christmas is a prime time to stock up on cuddly toys and plush characters as these make ideal gifts for children and adults alike and Premier has an exciting collection guaranteed to appeal to every taste. Deluxe plush Santas have a truly traditional aura straight out of a Victorian picture scene, whilst modern woollen and plush Santas, snowmen and reindeer have the cheeky charm and appeal of a modern day theme. Premier’s pocket sized plush range including hugely popular owls, penguins, snowmen and Santas are presented in a rustic wooden counter POS display guaranteeing a flurry of impulse purchases. Check out the latest prices which promise to be really competitive. Whether you are looking for Christmas trees and decorations; lighting, home accessories and gifts; or something with that extra special shelf appeal; Premier Decorations has Christmas totally wrapped up. Visit the team in Hall H at Harrogate Christmas & Gift from 10th to 13th January 2016. Alternatively, visit one of its huge showrooms in Ruislip or Wrexham. Call 020 8624 5555 or email sales@ premierdec.com to arrange an appointment.

christmas in january 31

Feature Step Back In Time

Step Back in Time Malcolm Naish looks back to 1993, 2003 and 2013

JANUARY 1993

his was our fourth edition and included a re-design. Looking back over 1993 there had been definite improvements in sales during 1993. The most popular colour was gold with moon, stars, sun, cherubs and angels much in vogue. Previewing the 1994 show, Harrogate was becoming a five day show for the first time. Artifical trees had overtaken natural trees in the affections of the garden centres. British companies who had traditionally shown at the Nuremberg Toy Fair have for the first time switched to Frankfurt with their forerunner of Christmasworld, named as ‘Premiere’. A certain young Mr. Ian Jones is appointed sales director at Porth. Mr. Graham Pielow, having left Seasons International has created his Christmas Consulting Group to develop highly original British-designed Christmas products. Meanwhile Gisela Graham Ian Jones are offering ten new ranges including mouth-blown glass balls in a box costing just £1.93 – German quality. The ’94 show also heralds the first showing of Paragon. Still going strong I interview Ron Bent who in 1993 had been selling Christmas products in his garden centre for 20 years.

2003

t is clear that 2002 saw later than ever deliveries into garden centres, caused mainly by them having terrible summer weather, causing a

32 christmas in january

knock on effect of 2/4 weeks later deliveries. Suppliers are complaining that settlement payments are slower than ever, effecting their cash flow. Wyvale buy Woodland Nurseries based in Hinckley. Some suppliers are quoting freight charges from Hong Kong as being up to 50% more than the previous year. The Harrogate show has a change of name to ‘1st Fair Harrogate’ and the Royal Hall at Harrogate has had to close due to the dodgy state of the building, so all those companies that would normally be in the Royal Hall have to de-camp to Hall ‘Q’. Darren and Andrew Broxup of Peter Harvey advertise their new generation ranges with their recently arrived family. Our pic shows Darren with daughter Charlotte and Andrew’s twins Nathan and Connor.

2013

o make me realize my age, my Leader page picture is updated to show a slightly more weather-beaten countenance! It is our 23rd year of publication. Widmanns is bought by Festive and I’m pleased that the name survives. It is amazing that suppliers are still complaining that their customers are placing orders far too late, a common cry when I first published back in 1991! Ron Freeman - ex of Porth and Festive retires after 37 years in the Christmas business and another gentleman of the trade who also called it a day was Martyn Bromley of Snow White, Christmas division of PMS – a true Gent both of them. We interview David and Elaine Thompson of The Christmas Shop, Hays Galleria whom we first interviewed back in 1991 – still going strong today.

Konstsmide – 1983, the ﬁrst company to develop the transformer light set.

KONSTSMIDE (UK) Ltd Hardwick View Road, Holmewood Industrial Estate Holmewood, Chesterﬁeld, Derbyshire, S42 5SA, United Kingdom

Tel. +44 (0)1246-852140 Fax +44 (0)1246-854297 E-mail: sales@konstsmide.co.uk www.konstsmide.se

Feature Golf Day

xxx

xxxx

17th Christmas in January golf day Staverton Park

s the only golf day in the Christmas Decoration industry, our 17th tournament that was shared with two of our other titles was once again a fantastic day. Always well supported by the Premier boys and Harrogate Christmas & Gift

xxxx

xxx 34 christmas in january

show. It was also great to have Phil Swainston taking part. With a change of venue for 2016 I hope to attract more of you to Puckrup Hall on the 28th June. Following Britain’s warmest day that saw temperatures soaring to 37 degrees, thankfully as the players began our morning nine hole Texas Scramble the weather had dropped 15 degrees or so to a more manageable temperature that saw some excellent scores. The boys from Premier came in with the winning Texas Scramble score of 27.4 with a net three under. Team Smiffy’s were second on 29.1. With the weather getting warmer, the afternoon individual Stableford, team four-ball and yellow ball got underway. Team four-ball was won by Smiffy’s Simon Smithers, Ross Johnson, Phil Hewlitt and Sam Bucknell with 123 points. Second on 119 points were Premier’s Rolf Hunt, Scott Pollock, Nick Crispin and Eddie Brady. The individual Stableford has been held by a Babystyle team member for the last few years

and so it proved to be again with Kim Rollinson playing off 10 winning with 40 points, a close second was Jon Tilley also off 10 and 3rd Phil Hewitt on 38 points. Nearest the pin on the 12th was won by Rolf Hunt, nearest the pin in two on the 18th went to Kim Rollinson and the monster longest drive to Ross Hewitt. With a complimentary bar throughout the day, the evening barbeque was eagerly awaited for our famished golfers. Some non-golfers may feel that golf days don’t feature very highly on the mustattend Richter scale, but for top networking opportunities and industry camaraderie these days can’t be bettered. 42 golfers on the day totally agreed! My thanks to Ian Jones for his help in scoring all of the cards and the meticulous way in which he presented the winners. The date for 2016 is the 28th June and we have chosen a new venue – Puckrup Hall near Tewkesbury – A Hilton course, just off the beginning of the M5.

xxx

xxxx

Konstsmide – 1995, the company developed the ﬁrst LED Christmas light string.

KONSTSMIDE (UK) Ltd Hardwick View Road, Holmewood Industrial Estate Holmewood, Chesterﬁeld, Derbyshire, S42 5SA, United Kingdom

Tel. +44 (0)1246-852140 Fax +44 (0)1246-854297 E-mail: sales@konstsmide.co.uk www.konstsmide.se

Feature Bonnington Plastics

The Kingfisher Festive range - 500 plus products on show

onnington Plastics Ltd will once again be exhibiting their Kingfisher Festive range on Stand D8. With more than 500 products on show, this year’s showcase will be bigger and better than ever before. Sales Director, Sergio Tartaglia, says “In 2015 we returned to Harrogate after a long break. We were delighted by the reaction to our Kingfisher Festive range. In fact the show was so successful we are returning in 2016 with an even bigger stand, and over 100 new products” Trading since 1967, Bonnington Plastics Ltd import and distribute the Kingfisher range of home and leisure products. Their portfolio covers everything from gardening tools, outdoor furniture, homewares and camping equipment, to solar lighting, heating and Christmas products. The company has ambitious expansion plans for the future, and the Festive range will play a big part in this. Christmas buyer Kate Smalley says “Our Christmas range experienced substantial growth in 2015, following the success of the Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair. With the new additions being made this year, our lighting and tree range is stronger than ever. Providing both great quality and pricing, I know this category has great potential for 2016.” Amongst the new products being launched at Harrogate will be remote control multi action LED lights, 6ft fibre optic trees, traditional plush items and giant inflatables. Visitors to the Kingfisher stand will receive a warm welcome from the sales team, who will 36 christmas in january

be offering discounts on all 2016 pre-season orders and special show only offers.

Stand D8 www.bonningtonplastics.com Tel: 0115 985 4119

Konstsmide The Innovators and Christmas Lighting Specialists

Visit us at: HARROGATE CHRISTMAS & GIFT 10th–13th January 2016 Stand M22 BIRMINGHAM NEC SPRING FAIR 7th–11th February 2016 Hall 2 Stand 2F20

KONSTSMIDE (UK) Ltd Hardwick View Road, Holmewood Industrial Estate Holmewood, Chesterﬁeld, Derbyshire, S42 5SA, United Kingdom

Tel. +44 (0)1246-852140 Fax +44 (0)1246-854297 E-mail: sales@konstsmide.co.uk www.konstsmide.se

Feature Oasis

“And now for something Completely Different...”

rior to my visit to Oasis in Brading on the Isle of Wight I understood it to be predominantly a furniture store, but on arrival it was immediately plain to see that this was also a true department store. I have always enjoyed seeing the familiar on my travels, marvelling at how creative many retailers can be, especially when sourcing from many of the same successful market leaders. It is sometimes difficult to find totally diverse articles, which made it particularly exciting to come across some totally new suppliers. Inside the front door of the Oasis premises there is always a seasonal display, so as I arrived in winter, guess what - this one included a reindeer! I had arrived too soon for the December display though, so I had to rely on Neil Southwell’s sending me a follow-up picture of the wonderful Advent Calendar which replaced the Winter Scene. And it was at this point that I knew I was going to enjoy the visit, as when I asked Neil the dimensions of the calendar I was told it was 84” high and 2.3 metres across. I loved that, as I am always mixing metric and imperial too ! With each door of the calendar having a Special Offer of the Day and being situated at ‘the front of house’ – an interesting way of describing the entrance, reminiscent of a hotel or restaurant – you were guaranteed a special offer before you started shopping! Within the Front of House Showcase there were three display tables and a half dozen cabinets which ALWAYS have new products on show. If you lived nearby you could just pop in regularly and check out ‘the front of house’ before going for coffee in the café located alongside. Except, goodness me, I couldn’t use this place as my regular coffee shop, as it would cost me a fortune with my wife seeing new stuff every time we visited. I reckon my Skinny Latte would end up costing me a tenner or more per cup at least! 38 christmas in january

Having said that, one of the first things that did catch my eye on arrival was not even a Christmas item, but a fantastically vibrant range of Porcelain Money Boxes from a Belgian company called Pomme-Pidou. On offer here also, were in-house designed, gift-wrapped hampers, priced from just £2.75 to £20, and some terrific L.E.D. Christmas lanterns for just £9. Getting a serious bash over the head whilst working as a Prison Officer proved to be a lifechanging event for Alan Southwell and his wife Bridget. Having already been knocked out twice previously – once during his Naval career and once at Pentonville Prison, he was again bashed by an inmate, this time at Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight. Realising that he needed a change of direction, and having heard of something called a ‘plant rental’ service in the U.S., he and Bridget set up Oasis Interior Landscapes, sourcing and maintaining plants in hospitals, waiting rooms and offices – “creating a little calm in busy public areas”. However, by the second half of the 90s it was becoming clear that a recession was forthcoming and they could see the need for change. Visiting the Island of Bali for their Silver Wedding anniversary, Isle of Wight born & bred Alan, and Bridget, who had been on the island since her 9th birthday, found that they liked and could identify with the mind-set of the Balinese people, most of whom worked in small family cottage-industries. This gave them an opportunity to design their own furniture and have it custom-made. Dealing direct with the makers, and knowing them personally allowed them to buy competitively but fairly, and, packing their containers without an inch of wasted space, allowed for extremely keen retail prices back in Blighty. There were lots of canvas prints on offer at Oasis – all being made in house, and can be

produced from their photography or yours, which is as good a time as any to bring Neil’s photography into the conversation as he was the one showing me around. Now General Manager, having been appointed in the month that we met, Neil is actually a photographer and designer by trade. Deciding to specialise in photography he is now involved with Wightlink filming the Bestival as well as producing in-house videos. Nonetheless he is certainly qualified to manage this place, as he grew up learning the ropes - cleaning the toilets, stacking the shelves and driving the delivery truck. Mind you, ALL staff are allowed full creativity and freedom to try things - the fulltime staff, part-timers and students. In all areas, if staff wish to set up a display of their choice with their own ideas they can go ahead. I was told that ‘all staff are equal’ and the floor is ‘free to all’. “If they see a gap they fill it”! Viewing the videos prompted me to ask Neil how he got into videotaping, with the surprising answer being that he was with his parents in Bali and got caught up in the 1998 riots, ending up in the local police station for his protection and safety. From this potentially life-changing event Neil has continued to capture special occasions with his camera close to him at all times, and which can be seen by checking out https://www. facebook.com/oasisiow/ My find of the week was Our Own Candle Company offering wonderful mason jar candles with handles and amazing fragrances. This is an American soy-based candle company and having no knowledge of why to use soy rather than paraffin I checked it out and there are 5 main reasons for use:Soy candles are natural since they’re made from vegetable oil. Soy candles burn 50% longer Soy candles burn cleaner Soy candles are non-toxic

The scent from soy candles is stronger Fantastic names too – although I nearly described them as flavours rather than fragrances! I particularly liked Black Raspberry & Vanilla, Chocolate Peppermint Sticks and Lavender Chamomile; though the best seller is Lime & Coconut - which immediately confirmed that I would be looking for a Thai restaurant that evening. For Christmas they don’t offer themes as such, rather they split offers by warm and cold, though for this article I did use colour names to differentiate within the feature. In-store they talk more about locations and product content, and seem to offer an Understated Christmas, though a beautiful Christmas nevertheless. Seven trees were on show, decorated by staff members, each of whom is left to their own devices. No-one tells Jane, Bridget, Josh or Charlotte what to use, only the base colours, like silver/white, natural & gold or red & green. And all floral and festive wreath displays are also designed and made by the same team. Gamal bowls were new to me – lovely, shaped clear glass suitable for Christmas sweeties, fruit, nuts and chocolates - which were literally moulded into logs and driftwood –quite remarkable. Deer Heads were good sellers, though I think they were actually Moose rather than reindeer, and were very interesting and Quirky, which I think was Neil’s favourite word. Visiting on a Wednesday, which is normally their quiet day, the place was buzzing and with everything on show for sale, even if it’s displayed on a tree, it genuinely makes for a fully involved shopping experience. Other new names (to me anyway) with exciting products, appeared on the shelves, such as Enigma from Scotland and Adpal from Poland. Ark Toys is another that Neil pointed out as they offered a lovely range of plush animals. The most shopped combination in 2015 was a

frosty blue rustic and there are no best and worst Christmas lines, as all sell through fully. Nothing is carried forward from year-to year, their January sale is really such, and they start sourcing again each year. A November trip to Indonesia starts the process, followed by Alan & Bridget attending the Spring Fair. Neil has also been accompanying them since 8 years of age, but he will soon be buying too - ‘bringing the next generation of retail know-how to bear’. Neil could remember the quirkiest Christmas item – a leather-clad Santa singing Rocking around the Christmas Tree (!) - and he says that multi coloured glass, rather than clear, can be a problem on the island. Festive and Kaemingk were name checked, as well as those newer ones mentioned above, but I think Neil also harbours ambitions to work with Heaven Sends and Stone The Crows, so if their staff read this they’d better google his number. There is no grotto here but a wonderful Kids play area within the Christmas displays, with a toy kitchen crèche for the children to play in while Mum & Dad continue shopping. For 2015 Neil introduced for the first time a happy, welcoming, friendly Santa Claus just walking around the store, mingling with shoppers, and proffering sweets on every weekend in December. There is of course the coffee shop, and I felt here the real meaning of coffee ‘break’. There was so much to see, and so much that was unique that a genuine break was needed, to stop and have a coffee before starting again. Everything on sale in the café is produced inhouse and nothing is bought in other than the raw materials and milk! The Oasis Loyalty Card has been available for just 2 years and already has 5000 members, but as I suggested, it is all low-key at Oasis – no pushy sales people here, and though special offers, double points and discounts are offered to members, and on Facebook and Twitter, they

are not overpowered. Customers are welcome to browse, in fact they wish them to browse and make sure their purchases are right for them. Indonesia is visited twice a year, with the November visit signalling the start of the next Christmas. Stock arrives in July and a gradual build up starts immediately, for a September launch, prior to going full-on at the start of November. Forty-foot containers are being shipped 16,000 miles every couple of weeks, packed with product from 178 suppliers – which is a hundred more than it was just 10 years ago. Some of the Bali families are featured on a video loop in the furniture area, showing them at work, and with predominantly four only shades of wood - Rustic, Dark, Natural or White - 2015’s big seller bucked the trend with the remarkable success of the multi coloured Javanese Boatwood, which was not only offered for sale, but used for all the tables within the café. This really individual, and quite distinctive reclaimed wood, is sourced from unrepairable traditional wooden fishing boats in Indonesia, and that is true recycling! Christmas has seen steady growth year-onyear and the average spend has doubled too, from around £10/15 in 2005. There is a certain seasonal split to purchases, bearing out the holiday attraction of the island, with summer seeing sales split 60/40 in favour of visitors, with a complete reversal in winter. Around 60% of all items on sale are probably from Bali, so UK suppliers need to work hard to have their products included….but there are opportunities. Oasis’s retail website was created in 2002 with great success and shipments are despatched throughout the UK, where remarkably there is one town which features above all others. No-one seems to know why, though as it is all presumably not being bought by Kate Moss - and she is the only famous person I could think of from Croydon – maybe you can come up with a better reason? christmas in january 39

Visit us - donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair Spring Fair International PREMIER DECORATIONS LIMITED

Harrogate International Centre NEC Birmingham

HEAD OFFICE AND SHOWROOM

Premier House, Braintree Road, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 0EJ

Fabulous new and exclusive lit vases . . . Premierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lit vases were bestsellers last year, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve increased the range; come and see our new and exciting, exclusive designs.

IN THE WHOLE OF HALL

Stand

H03/H04

Tel: 020 8624 5555

Fax: 020 8624 5678

Hall

Sun. 10th - Wed. 13th January 2016 Sun. 7th - Thurs. 11th February 2016 E-mail: sales@premierdec.com

www.premierdec.com

Feature Christmasworld

Christmasworld

Sparkling future found in Frankfurt

e all know Christmas is just around the corner but there is something far bigger beyond it! Taking place from 29 January to 2 February 2016 Christmasworld annually attracts a whopping 36,000 visitors including wholesale and retail trades, shopping centres, DIY markets and the green sector to Frankfurt am Main. And there are some distinct reasons why it is the leading international trade fair for seasonal and festive decoration… Visitors will see designs for the future showcased and shared from over 910 international market leaders. Offering a selection of fresh ideas and unconventional products to spice up your retail collection, Christmasworld is the international order platform for the year. Held over five days, visitors see nine exhibitor halls designed to lead them directly to the product groups of interest. Although named Christmasworld, whether for weddings, birthdays, Easter, christenings or any celebration, there is something to meet every requirement. The product selection includes florists’ requisites & garden decoration, ribbons & wrapping, candles & fragrance, seasonal decoration & gifts, Christmas & advent, Asian Christmas & decoration, visual merchandising & light, Christmas & advent. At Christmasworld 2016, buyers will find a broad spectrum of creative ideas and materials for artificial flowers, plants, artificial trees, wreaths, sprays, vases and for garden decoration. But that’s not all: in 2016, the range to be seen at the fair will be supplemented for the first time by fresh flowers in the form of seasonally decorated sprays. Christmasworld Director Eva Olbrich explains why: “On the basis of discussions with the sector, we have ascertained that there is a genuine demand for supplementary sales channels for fresh flowers as decorative elements, and therefore plan to establish a special area for this in Frankfurt in the future.” See it all in Galleria 0. Accompanying the additional fresh flower provisions, for the sixth time, Rudi Tuinman and Pascal Koeleman from 2Dezign are set to present their special show, “design by modern nature” in Galleria 1. Transforming the hall into a modern and atmospheric decorative forest using products from the exhibitors such as copper and gold articles, forest figures such as owls, stags and foxes, visitors will find inspiration from the festive luxurious display for large areas, shop-windows and shop interiors. 42 christmas in january

Christmasworld is the unrivalled source of inspiration for new assortments, shop window presentations, market information and invaluable business contacts. As a way of offering new business potential, Christmasworld focuses on new market opportunities and builds a complementary programme of events for visitors. The Christmasworld Trend show seen in Galleria 1, is the most helpful way to source the 2016/17 colours, patterns, shapes and materials. Using the products from 2015 exhibitors, four different worlds of style under the motto ‘Creating atmospheres’ are created; ‘surreal laboratories’, ‘boho treasuries’, ‘quiet harmonies’ and ‘playful possibilities’. Based on the fields of fashion, architecture and interior design, the trend prognosis seeks the most current festive articles for all occasions for 2016/17. The Decoration Star Innovation Award will be announced at the show in Foyer, Hall 11.0. Awarded in three different categories; Christmas Star (products for the Christmas festivities), Seasonal Star (products for seasonal decorations and gifts) and Promotion Star (advertising, sales promotions, PoS activities and campaigns). Aimed at international decision makers for the procurement of indoor and outdoor decorations for shopping centres, shops

and municipalities, as well as Christmas market and leisure park operators, innovative designers and decoration agencies, the exclusive networking and lecture programme will be held on 29 January 2016. The agenda includes best-practice lectures and panel discussions with renowned experts focusing on how the retail trade can take advantage of digitalisation, lighting and PoS presentations to attract more customers. The Partner of the Premium Business Programme is the German Council of Shopping Centres. Registrations are invited up to 12 January 2016 on the website at www.christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com/ premium. The neighbouring Paperworld and Christmasworld fairs offer valuable synergetic effects for Christmasworld visitors. Find everything from gift-wrapping materials and paper, via greetings cards and calendars, to office supplies, stationery and writing utensils at Paperworld. At Creativeworld, the trade fair for hobby, handicrafts and artists’ requisites, retailers will find a complete spectrum of products for making festive decorations at home. See all three trade fairs with one ticket. It’s an industry opportunity not to be missed! Buy your tickets now: www.christmasworld. messefrankfurt.com

Feature Jingles

Jingles

set the benchmark T

his was my third visit to Iain Mercer’s Belfast showrooms, a visit that more and more mainland as well as Irish buyers have been making during 2015. Iain is happy to fly out customers to Belfast without obligation and arrange overnight accommodation plus some good old Irish hospitality. Flights are simple to arrange from most U.K. airports. Sales success means that Jingles have had to increase their floor space by 50% since last year’s visit, now totaling an impressive 28,000sq. ft. Heathrow to Belfast is a mere 55 minutes – I hardly had time to complete the crossword! The extra display space has been well utilized with a very clear layout that brings the visitor easily through the various sectors to view the 4,500 items making up the 2016 offering. All key sectors are catered for and Iain told me that he was particularly pleased with the sales growth in lighting and trees, much helped by their bright new packaging. Another important sales aid has been their increased use of display units that are offered free of charge to customers, thus increasing sales in the process. By using light boxes inside the display units, these have considerably enhanced their presentation. Digital is a word that crops up in our conversation several times particularly where their lights are concerned, resulting in impressive year on year sales increases. Acrylic Blossam Trees feature strongly this year with a number of new developments

44 christmas in january

in their design and colourways. Some also incorporate a colour controller that enables the user to change the colours to suit the mood plus a time controller. I asked Iain if there was anything he would like to change within the industry to help improve the smooth running of Suppliers’ businesses. His answer sums up what seems to me to be a perennial problem. “Too many buyers believe they can order late and expect the stock to be delivered within a few days. If they could only appreciate the lead times required then this would make everyone’s life a lot simpler and result in better business all round!” The Christmas industry feeds off original new offerings and on my guided tour I found plenty to whet the appetite. Jingles have found some most novel wooden twig trees in both natural and white wood. There are five sizes in four different styles to choose from and to complement these are a family of three Deer from baby up to Mum and Dad. The Nordic natural look is much in evidence for 2016, so do check out their Cone and Birch trees. One reason for their popularity must be TV series such as Countryfile and The Hunt. We spoke a lot last year about Jingle’s ‘Time Smart’ lighting sets that continue to impress. Six hours on and 18 off in eight different sizes, impressively housed in a display unit that shows them programmed in both display units and pallet deals. Plush has always featured and this year striking Santas and snowmen both traditional

and contemporary are displayed. Appealing wooden churches in several styles, some as very cute bird feeders also catch the eye. Iain has noticed that year on year their high glaze ceramic figures, beautifully detailed featuring some with musical options have sold really well having become collectibles for many people. Therefore lots of new designs to continue building on this category. Christmas tableware has always been popular and 2016 sees new designs up to a 24 piece dinner set for that big family Christmas get together. Another category close to ceramics are their large furniture pieces, both musical and featuring lights. Tree trim is yet another category demanding increased display space within the showroom and supplied in glass and a number of other materials. Plenty of variety and colourways here at very keen prices. Modern technology has now come to animation. The 2016 ranges can be controlled by Blue Tooth from your mobile phone or Ipad, streaming your favourite music. 24 different designs make up the animation range. As with animation, Jingles have a light bulb that also operates via Blue Tooth on mobile phones and Ipads. If you’re in to buying buildings, then their lit Dickensian acrylic village offering 12 highly detailed buildings not only displays well, but offers great value for money. Jingles have invested heavily this year in

much improved packaging across their ranges and never more so than with their various acrylic ranges. Airblown figures can sometimes suffer from loss of air. Not so with Jingles as their latest figures incorporate a fan that immediately tops up the air supply to guarantee a firm figure at all times. Christmas ornaments in many different designs and scenes, also Spinners – those waterfilled ornaments – with ‘try me’ packaging. Candles have been big business for Christmas decoration suppliers and never more so than 2016 for Jingles. Their dancing flame candles are just right for Christmas and again to make it easy at the point of purchase the ‘Try Me’ packaging makes this very simple.

CHRISTMAS TREES An even larger selection of trees than last year with EZ-UP leading the way. These instant trees when removed from their box, immediately spring into perfect shape in sizes up to 15ft. Customers are provided with an impressive video to place by the trees that clearly explain to consumers how easy they are to erect. Around 60% of the tree collection are traditional Christmas trees with around 50% supplied as pre-lit trees. With the increased showroom space the trees really benefit from this. There are also promotional models available in eye-catching packaging. The 6ft. tree includes 100 LED’s and the 7ft. 150 LED’s. Jingles must have one of the largest tree

collections available and their frosted outdoor twig trees really caught the eye. If you thought that Fibre Optics might be losing popularity, Iain Mercer has certainly not found this to be the case. 2015 saw big increases in this particular category over 2014 and this gave the company the confidence to invest in many new designs for 2016. Many of these are digital giving the consumer the chance to control the colours, light mode and speed. Connectable is yet another buzz word this year with Jingles offering connectable nets, curtain lights, cluster and string lights. Digital running lights were yet another lighting innovation that caught the eye. Available in 11 metres and 22 metres they have 12 different functions including static. There is so much of the Jingles offering that needs to be viewed in their showroom to appreciate the variety that’s on offer. For example in Christmas Trees alone they have ten different sizes across all of their various designs. With 80% of the 2016 ranges totally new there is much to see and only so much can be viewed at Harrogate and Spring Fair. Finally, the low voltage, multifunction connectable lights that can connect up to ten light sets giving 2,400 lights spread over 240 metres working from just one transformer are due to make their debut in the New Year. Linked together, just one controller able to select eight different functions.

How’s that for efﬁciency? Based in Belfast, you would expect Jingles to have a big selection of Nativity Sets and of course, they sell very well across all of Ireland, but interestingly, Iain told me that more and more mainland customers are stocking them and doing very well in the process. I flew out of the George Best International Airport having spent an enjoyable day being shown the range that Jingles have created for 2016. It’s now your turn to see for yourselves at both Harrogate and Spring Fair and of course their showroom in Belfast exactly what Jingles have to offer. This article is but a snapshot of what they have.

christmas in january 45

Feature Harrogate Christmas & Gift

Let the Christmas festivities

begin - Again!

arrogate will be everything Christmas come the 10th January. Plenty of new exhibitors, plus the regulars, all itching to show you their new ranges for 2016. With footfall well up last year, the show organisers are expecting great things for the 2016 show – so see you there! Whilst the majority of the country will have packed away the tinsel and baubles – the town of Harrogate remains a beacon of lights and decorations as the festivities continue for the duration of the show. Once again, the event is fully booked with all of the industry’s favourite, well-known brands attending as well as over 20 brand new exhibitors. Regular participants include Premier Decorations which will be filling Hall H in its entirety with its extensive range of products from Christmas gifts and decorations, home and garden ware, to its latest 2016 Halloween collection. Ensuring that they have catered to every taste from en-trend contemporary designs in the latest fashionable shades to timehonoured traditional colours, Premier’s highly experienced designers have created a unique range of 2016 Christmas Stories with collections of top quality products chosen specifically to complement each other. In fact, many of the company’s beautiful products are actually designed in-house and created specifically to appeal to the UK consumer. With this in mind, retailers can use its exclusive brochure to produce spectacular colour coordinated displays to capture customer’s imaginations and encourage them to purchase more. Jette Frölich has a tradition of introducing new collections at Christmas & Gift and in the 2016 selection it introduces a new and exclusive product line. The theme for the collection is the Flower girl, available in gold plated 18 Ct. and in Sterling silver and the inspiration comes from Jette Frölich’s childhood memories and symbolises the mother surrounded by her flowers. Widdop Bingham also returns to the show and will be launching its ‘Coton Colors’ celebration baubles which tell the story of each collector’s life as major events are celebrated with a different keepsake bauble. As well as the traditional Christmas baubles, ‘Coton Colors mark every occasion from love and marriage to the baby carriage and beyond. The collection is made up of over 70 different bauble designs and there’s an attractive display and merchandising

46 christmas in january

in-store solution with a co-ordinating gift box for every design. An easy-to-use paint pen kit is available for stores to personalise the baubles encouraging collectors to tell their story, one bauble at a time. Anglo American brings its range of really useful ‘must have’ products to the show each year and 2016 is no exception. Check out the company’s Haute Decor ‘Original Mantel Clip’ for Christmas stockings available in a plain shiny or brushed finish as well as holly embossed designs in antique brass, oil rubbed bronze, nickel and pewter. Also, its Adams candle light holders and Adams candle light clamps which enable single candle lights to be safely attached to a window using Adams world’s best suction cups which don’t yellow, deteriorate, or lose adhesion over time. Gardman returns to Harrogate but with a new enhanced location in the Queen’s Suite which offers a great platform to present its fabulous new range of products. In addition, Gisela Graham’s stand which is always one of the busiest at the show and we expect the same in 2016 with the unveiling of her new collection comprising hundreds of unique, brand new products. This includes more than 200 different glass balls at prices to compete with the keenest in Europe with 13 co-ordinated themes. Amongst some exciting new companies exhibiting at Christmas & Gift this year is The Irish Fairy Door Company which guarantees to inject some magic to UK families wishing to welcome a fairy into their homes. The company’s exquisite fairy doors are handmade in Ireland in a variety of colours and styles with add-ons such as fairy doormats and washing lines with either male or female clothing. This, that and everything else is an arts and crafts centric brand aiming to preserve, nurture and promote the unique crafts of India and showcase them around the world. The company will introduce its handmade Channapatna wooden Christmas tree ornaments, nativity sets and tea lights; a selection of fabric tree skirts, table mats and cushion covers; plus handmade

terracotta Christmas tea lights, garden lamps and coir door mats. Also new is MIC which has invested heavily in design and product quality offering a wide selection of gift bags and boxes suitable for all occasions at competitive prices. The company has expanded its very successful collection covering Mother’s Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas and provides a bespoke service in gift bags and boxes. Whilst visitors to the show will be spoilt for choice with hundreds of exciting products from these and many more new and returning companies; they will also have a greater variety of hospitality options this year with the introduction of additional restaurants in Halls B and the Queen’s Suite. Simon Anslow, show organiser, explains: “The Harrogate International Centre already has a number of catering outlets on offer during the show, but comments from visitors in previous years suggested that they would welcome a greater selection of refreshment options and these new facilities also offer a place to sit and peruse catalogues and reflect on buying options.” Once again, Garden Trade News will be hosting the Greatest Christmas Awards at the Majestic Hotel on Sunday 10th January and this ticketed event offers a fantastic night of celebration and entertainment. Also, the Monday night’s entertainment takes on a new format for 2016 with an after show drinks reception in the Royal Hall of the Harrogate International Centre from 6pm to 8pm with free drinks and nibbles. All exhibitors and visitors are warmly welcomed to attend. Entry to Harrogate Christmas & Gift is free and the show offers the perfect platform to view the latest new industry launches for everyone in the Christmas, gift, garden centre, retail and visitor attraction sectors. If you haven’t already, pre-register online at www.harrogatefair.com and you will also find details of MICE Concierge which offers extremely competitive hotel rates in Harrogate.

Web: www.harrogatefair.com

Gisela Graham: FUHDWLQJ D SRLQW RI GL̆HUHQFH

From ‘Old Time Christmas’: one of 14 new designer collections for 2016

See her 2016 collection at: Harrogate Christmas & Gift Jan 10 - 13 Hall M, Stand M14/16 NEC International Spring Fair Feb 7 - 11 ‘Summerhouse’ Hall 8, Stand A20/B19 Gisela Graham Limited www.giselagraham.co.uk 12 Colworth Grove, Browning Street, London SE17 1LR Contact sales@giselagraham.co.uk or call 020 7708 4956 for showroom appointments or sales person’s visit

Feature Harrogate Christmas & Gift

Exhibitors List 2016 Hall A

Hall B

A37

CGB Giftware

A01

Christmas in January

A16

DecoLum / Light Flurries UK

A40

Flame Homeware

A29

Florelle Import Co.

A33

Gaeltag Keltika Ltd.

A34

Global Journey Ltd

A38

I E P Wholesale

A09,A22

Leisuregrow Products Ltd (NOMA)

Hall H CARDINAL PLUS

Premier Decorations Ltd.

B06

CB Imports Plc

Premier Halloween

B36

Country Matters Ltd

Premier Summer Living

B1,5

Floralsilk Ltd.

B02

Giftworks Ltd.

B1A

Hogewoning B.V

B18

JVL Homeware Solutions

B16

B11,21

KOOPMAN INTERNATIONAL BV

Hall M M12

Ascalon Design Ltd.

M14,M16

Gisela Graham Ltd.

M04

Jingles

Mister Tinsel

M02

Kaemingk BV

B15

National Tree Company

M22

Konstsmide (UK) Ltd.

B14

RSW International Ltd.

M06

Sagedecor

B04

Sifcon International Plc

M24

B13

Widdop Bingham & Co Ltd

The Original Winters Tale Ltd.

Triflora Decorations Ltd.

A25

Lemax-Europe BV

A26

Low's

A03

Luxa Flamelighting

A28

Padgett Brothers AtoZ

A06

R J B Stone Ltd.

M28

Weiste

A18

Sincere UK Ltd.

M25

A32

Sparkle and Light Ltd.

Willow Brooks Secret Christmas Ltd.

A36

Suki Gifts Interantional Ltd

A30

The Giftware Trading Company

A02

The Milford Collection

A04

The Satchville Gift Company

A08 A35

Queens Suite QS61

Brand Masters Ltd

QS72

Christmas Charades Game

QS02

Fountasia International Ltd

Archipelago

QS20

Gardman Ltd Hamac Trading Co Hometown World Ltd

Hall C C3 C06

Anglo American Distributors Ltd.

Thuringer Glasdesign (TGS)

C21

BOXER GIFTS

QS05

C20

Casdon Toys

QS60

Walton & Co Ltd.

C04

Fair to Trade Ltd.

QS74

Jonart Design

C05

Felt so good

QS77

LBS Home & Garden

Festive Productions Ltd.

QS75

Lighthome UK Ltd

C15

Hallmark Seasonal Gifts Ltd

QS40

Nutscene (1922)Ltd

Hall D D1

Benross Marketing Ltd.

C37

Heaven Sends

QS03

PANACEA DECORATIONS

D08

Bonnington Plastics Ltd.

C19

Jette Frรถlich Design Aps

QS73

Porcupine UK

D02

CONCEPT MULTIBOX LTD

C18

Lotus Imports Ltd.

QS45

S & H Supplies

D05

IC Innovations

C17

Meridian Import Company Ltd

QS41

Terra Rossa

QS70

The Irish Fairy Door Company

QS15

THIS THAT & EVERYTHING ELSE

QS01

Vivid Arts Ltd.

QS65

WestburyGarden Products

QS55

Wombat Retail

D07

Powell Creative Products Ltd.

C41

Playwrite Group Plc

D11

Snowtime

C22

Puleo Asia Ltd.

D04

Tallon International Ltd.

C3a

Royal County Products Ltd

D10

THE BENWELL GROUP

C10

D09

TREE-LOCATE (EUROPE) LTD

Schulte Kunstgewerbe Int GmbH & Co. KG

48 christmas in january

C27

XYSTOS

Seasonal Decoration at its best 29. 1 – 2. 2. 2016

Your seat on the front row! Keep a step ahead of the competition. Discover the latest trends and top exhibitors for your future business on an international stage. Start a successful year at the world’s leading trade fair for seasonal and festive decorations – with the best the industry has to offer. Order your tickets now: www.christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

Feature Noma

It’s all happening

at Noma

t was my first visit to Noma’s headquarters last year to their new H.Q. in Hinxworth. With a splendid new showroom, my second visit was even more impressive. Lots of new goodies to tempt the buying senses of those buyers coming to both Harrogate and Spring Fair. Following on from a most successful 2015, NOMA are moving into a totally new category for 2016 with the introduction of baubles and table top decorations into its Christmas range. NOMA has a 75 year history in creating beautiful Christmas lights and trees, and now their experience will be applied to the wider Christmas decorations market.

New Categories New categories for 2016 include: traditional Polish blown glass baubles complete with intricate designs; shatterproof baubles in classic colours; tree decorations; table top decorations. Each of the new product areas has been selected with NOMA’s key values of quality, innovation, and reliability in mind, and will offer customers something different to existing products in the market.

Perfect Christmas Themes 2016 will also see the introduction of more distinct themes within the NOMA range. The five themes are designed to help customers with merchandising and in-store design, and to encourage bigger sales as consumers buy into a theme. The themes for 2016 are: • Deck the Halls: Traditional style with classic shapes and colours; red, gold, green, and tartan • A Golden Christmas: Sophisticated theme with gold, and rose gold • The Ice Palace: Glamorous silver them with silver, ice white, ice blue, champagne gold • Nordic Winter: Scandinavian theme with white, red, gingham and gingerbread • NOMA Naturals: Woodland theme with felt, wood, berries and pine cones in natural colours 50 christmas in january

Frank Kaminski, marketing director for NOMA said; “Since taking over NOMA in 2014 we’ve concentrated on listening to customers, and we’ve brought in new technologies and designs to ensure our lighting and tree products are second to none. We now feel confident that we have an excellent core range of products, and can now expand into other areas of Christmas decorations. We’ve always been ambitious about what we can do with the NOMA brand, and it’s now really exciting to be able to start to expand the NOMA offering.”

NOMA Christmas 2016 Showroom Buyers had been visiting the Noma showroom since early December. Those who came to last year’s showroom will remember being taken on a journey into a stunning Alpine Christmas lodge and this year’s visit will be even more exciting –Trust me! All will be on show in Harrogate on stands A09- and A22. To visit the showroom please call the NOMA sales team on 01462 744 500 or sales@ leisuregrow.com.

Feature Harrogate

Puleo International Hall C – Stand C22

Lemax Europe

Stand A25 – Hall A More than 25 years in the lighted village business! It was back in 1990, that Lemax produced its first holiday-themed building and from there the passion for providing fans with an engaging, magical world of make-believe has continued to grow. Part of the Lemax success rests with their young graphic artists and designers who continuously look to keep up with the latest trends in LED lighting and mechanical advancements. This new technology continues to improve the story-making experience whilst never sacrificing the hand-crafted quality that collectors have come to expect. All across the globe people have discovered the fun and fulfilment of decorating their homes with their own Lemax village. The company’s selection of enchanting houses, animations and accessories offer something for everyone, from the serious village collector to the casual holiday decorator. 2016 will once again see new and exciting products launched to enthuse their many devotees as well still providing a traditional and affordable entry point range for all their new followers. Lemax look forward to meeting everyone at Harrogate on their stand in Hall A – A.30

Puleo is excited to present many new and beautiful tree styles in 2016. You will find an expanded range of full size and slim trees, traditional and natural looking, potted trees, as well as matching wreaths, garlands and swags. Furthermore, LED trees are also on display. With more than 50 years experience in the industry, Puleo has built a very strong reputation for providing a complete package to its customers; excellent service, on-time delivery, marketbeating product design and quality - and all at very competitive pricing. Puleo is not just a vendor to its customer, but a partner that you can trust.

Tel: Adrian Yapp 07766 140386 email: a.yapp@sky.com

Email: lemax.europel@btint.com Tel: 01732 454477

The Irish Fairy Door Company Queen Suite - Stand QS70

Designed to bring the magic of the Irish Fairy Doors to life even more in 2016, The Irish Fairy Door Company will be showcasing an exciting new collection of items on their stand at the Harrogate Christmas & Gift Show in January. Aimed at children whose fairies have green fingers or who simply need a space to relax after a busy day of magic, the new Garden Accessory Set comprises a wooden garden bench, potted plant, rake and watering can. For more playful fairies, there’s the new Playtime Accessory Set, which contains a fairy-sized see-saw, swing, ladder and bicycle. Both Accessory Sets are designed to complement the original Irish Fairy Doors and have an RRP of £12.99. The Irish Fairy Door Company – whose award-winning products are sold through distributor Ackerman International in the UK – will also be displaying the red, blue, pink and purple arched wooden doors, as well as other official accessories including a revamped fairy washing line with female fairy clothes, tiny bottles of fairy dust and an extended collection of colourful vinyl decals – including a colourful new wall-art featuring a rainbow and hot air balloon. Introduced to the UK only last year, The Irish Fairy Door Company lets people create memorable family moments by inviting a fairy into their home with a real wooden Irish Fairy Door. The doors can be installed just about anywhere, such as bedrooms, classrooms and gardens. Once in place, the creative team at Fairy HQ ensures direct access to Fairy Valley, so the magic continues long after the fairy has moved in – with 52 christmas in january

ongoing magical messages, play ideas and stories delivered to children and parents who register their fairy’s name on the website, via email and an app. The Irish Fairy Doors (RRP £20) open up a brand new world of imagination and creativity for parent and child alike, allowing them to explore the magic together, and provide a beautiful and unique way for adult and child to interact and play through the power of belief. The range is distributed in the UK exclusively by Ackerman International. Email: enquiries@ackermanintl.co.uk

Tel: 01279 408 208. For further information, visit www. theirishfairydoorcompany.com

Feature Ascalon

Ascalon

- A supplier of Christmas

decorations for the discerning buyer

s one of Harrogate’s most established exhibitors in Hall ‘M’, Ascalon Design Ltd started in 1992 as an importer supplying the giftware and floral sundries trade, taking their name from the street in Battersea where they first began. They relocated and developed through the 1990’s into a niche supplier of traditional festive decorations - in particular using ‘natural’ materials - and wrought iron garden products and since 2000 Ascalon has been at the very forefront of design and development of wrought iron garden furniture and garden giftware in the UK garden market, leading many to forget the company’s festive roots. Family owned, Ascalon operate from their own 45,000 sq.ft warehouses in rural Herefordshire, allowing them to maintain comparatively high stock levels and effective QC procedures, combined with in house re-finishing to maintain standards. The company’s recently upgraded web site remains directly linked to their database and automated stock control system offering full details on products and availability to the trade (password protected). Sadly their location not ideal for a showroom visit, however they do also have a team

54 christmas in january

You can see for yourselves in Hall ‘M’ – stand M12. The new ranges for 2016 include: ‘Nickel Noel’ - Continuing the success of our Champagne, Crystal and Silver ranges of sales agents across the UK to support new and existing customers and they will be at both Harrogate and Birmingham in the Spring. So Ascalon have been selling their wonderful ranges of Christmas decorations for over 20 years, becoming known in particular for their wide selection of door wreaths and natural garlands, -using many dried forest products and also their beautiful hanging tree trims made from natural materials, fabric, painted metal and glass….plus a huge range of decorative candle rings. Recently hand painted tin has now given way to more felt/fabric novelty as the tastes have changed and the costs of hand painting have spiralled. They have worked with more than 50 factories in the Far East, building up close working relations and matching products with skills (and capacity) as factories have developed and declined in the fast moving market, and they supply to a wide customer base of Garden Centres, groups, and independents. For the UK and Eire market ranges have always maintained a traditional romantic/ antique look to which their hand made products lend themselves. Ascalon have always resisted plastic and flashing lights in favour of hand painted tin and maybe just a hint of glitter. Email: sales@ascalon.co.uk Tel: 01432 340929

in 2015, a new selection of EPN coated table top and hanging decorations. more modern pieces with a nickel silver finish bringing a more contemporary feel to Christmas.` ‘Winter White’, ‘Whiter Shade of Pale’ and ‘Rustique’ Introducing a stunning collection of white and white washed decorations, predominantly wood themed and wonderfully textured, along with complimentary ranges in natural, frosted and rust colours. ‘Christmas Craft’ Wonderfully tactile novelty figures in felt, wool and fabric, where humble Robin steals the show. Pallet of Wreaths from the Berry Red range Introducing a winning new ‘pallet deal’ on a selection of eight Christmas wreath designs, exceptional price on a classic range of wreaths in two sizes. Sure to be a hit with customers old and new.

Feature Groves

What, No David & Olivia? V isiting Groves Nurseries in Broadchurch I fully expected to see Alec Hardy or Ellie Miller shopping, until it was pointed out to me that Broadchurch is fictitious and I was actually in West Bay, Bridport where the series was filmed ! Current Managing Director Charlie is the 6th generation Groves as his great, great, great grandfather started the business as a Nursery back in 1866 in the nearby village of Piddletrenthide. The name is derived from its position on the River Piddle and now has a population of just 647, so goodness knows how he made the business pay back then, when it only had 70 households in total. Moving to the current site in the 1960s they were actually helped in their expansion by a compulsory purchase order on part of their land – to build the A35 – and this allowed them to increase size quite dramatically. I guess Charles William Groves didn’t think for one minute that nearly 150 years later there would be more than 50 employees. Craig Wrixon started Work Experience at 15 years of age, and continued as a Saturday Boy, yet despite qualifying as a Precision Engineer he ended up back at Groves, becoming responsible for the unusually welcoming and tranquil Christmas area. Unexpectedly peaceful was achieved by the calming jazz music that was played up until the last two weeks of Christmas, when carols took over. Uncommon, yes, but research had found that Jingle Bells and Frosty the Snowman were a real turn-off for their customers and when changing to jazz in 2014 it was really appreciated, and commented upon by lots of customers who felt early festive tunes were offputting. Groves has always had a flexible walk-through store with ranges intermingling, but for the first

56 christmas in january

time they actually built theme bays. Only three to start with which offered ideas designed in house like Deck The Halls traditional, I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas (guess what was in there) and A Partridge in a Pear Tree. The latter needs no real explanation other than to advise that Groves has always had a massive retail success with birds. Generally any animals sell well here, but birds, especially red-breasted robins and long-legged owls ‘fly off the shelves’ ! In fact the last spread peacock was sold while I stood there talking to Craig, which wasn’t a real surprise to him as they actively sell from all displays, and we saw them being eroded as we watched. Actually it may be that shapely legs are the thing in Dorset, as any sort of those shelfdangling decorations both display and retail extremely well. As well as some supplier names to be mentioned later in this article I also found that Triflora, Gisela Graham and Creative Collection were featured strongly and that Noma received a showroom visit. Anything acrylic is a winner and though light-up pics and tapestries didn’t work because of price, Premier’s LED canvasses really sailed off the shelves when offered @ £4.99 rather than £10.99. Keen pricing seems to be very important here on the South Coast, but as an immediate contradiction I was told that they sell plenty of Steiff plush toys, which are priced from £16 to way past £100. There was even a very expensive and exclusive Paddington Bear. Candles had received a sharp increase in sales, shifting almost twice as many as the previous year. The advent candle was possibly the biggest seller within the range and the Timer Blow Outs were especially good as they could be left in kiddies rooms knowing they would extinguish.

An interesting fact is that they never buy more product once suppliers have reached the requested delivery cancellation date. If let down by a manufacturer they may possibly look for a replacement, but once the Christmas area is open, and even if an item has sold out quickly, they forgo until the following year. A lesson here for suppliers is to ensure your deliveries are in on time! Another curious observation is that the younger customers bought traditional and the older bought more trendy and unusual items. They used to fleece the ceilings but it tended to get too hot, so now they use a black net which not only darkens the experience, but is useful for hanging decorations. Lots of reflective mirrors are used to increase display size, allowing customers to view from different angles and from other perspectives. No Gingerbread products are on sale at all, and though Craig saw them in every sales catalogue last year it was definitely not on offer here! This is a gingerbread free zone. Real glass baubles are extremely popular, with over 100 individual designs, ranging from £1.20 to £6.99, making for a very colourful and welcoming touchy/feely display. Picks are big business too, and they can even be split by the customer. Singing Straws and Christmas Stickers had sold well, and Scentsicles improved on 2014 with the new packaging. The Colour Your Own ranges from Premier were very popular, and massive was the word used by Craig for uptake by parents, grandparents and schools. Topi Christmas designer toilet paper sales had gone through the roof, which I guess is better than down the toilet, and the range of Lit Robin Glass Bowls had nearly sold out with weeks to go. Something I hadn’t yet seen anywhere else on

my travels was a complete display of Festive’s Frozen, and Premier’s Christmas Drape had sold twice as much as the previous year, selling out again. Not doing too well at the time of my visit was Tinsel, as they hadn’t sold a piece, though I hope and suspect that this changed from the week commencing 7th December, which is of course the weekend when most people erect their tree, with tinsel being an integral part of the build. The number one tree was a 6’ Snowy Colorado Spruce and a steep upward curve had been seen in artificial tree sales, though when REAL trees arrived there was also expected to be an increase, due in the main to the many secondhomers on the Jurassic Coast. Interesting too, that usually when I hear the name Noma the next word mentioned is lights, but here it was in fact trees, and as noted earlier was the only manufacturer visited at their Show Room rather than at a Trade Show. Record sales had been achieved of LED Disco Light Bulbs, which fit in any light socket, and those on display had them dancing in the aisles - selling out within two weeks. Projector lights had seen a sales increase, with LED lights achieving 90% of sales versus 10% for traditional bulbs. Personalised Tree Spinners had a good offtake, as did Festive’s bauble garlands, which also sold out completely. Also successful was the Snowman on a Trapeze Wire that I’d not seen for a while, merrily flying through the ‘dark net sky’ and selling extremely well. Battery lights from Premier & Noma had reached record levels, both shaped and on timer, and the Noma Easy Timer which was clearly signed had been well received. Cherry Blossom trees had achieved a resurgence, even the 2.5m heights which had to be displayed in the outer garden area due to their

size, but where they also looked terrific. The Christmas set up had started with a twoweek build by carpenter Stuart Lovell around the 25th August, followed by displays being dressed by Charlie, Craig, Sue and a couple of old-timers! The Opening Launch was on 15th October, when five hundred invitations were sent out, and as well as Mulled Wine there were also mince pies and sausage rolls, with Double Points for Loyalty Card holders. Father Christmas arrived on November 28th, journeying on a Carnival Club float and for 4 hours the kiddies were entertained by Ozzy D, a local magician, and balloon modeller Holly who is actually a former employee. Former employees are indeed valued here, as the ‘old-timers’ referred to earlier are in fact retirees Peter Wilcox and Mike Tancock who return every Christmas season to help with the display build. About 100 children are usually expected to show up, and as well as the entertainment there was a Bouncy Castle and of course some donkeys, though unfortunately not from the beach, so you can’t get a ride. The Grotto was open every weekend and for just £4 all received an age and gender specific gift which has been wrapped in-house, with Santa chatting to each and every individual. Actually, if you know of a Santa please get in touch as their chap is due to retire so there may well be a vacancy in 2016. That is, unless Mike & Peter fancy adding another string to their bow, as a little bird tells me that they already answer EVERY letter to Santa that is received at Groves Nurseries Adjourning to the coffee shop my eye was caught by an interesting sign in French – as apparently Charlie had recently received a request from 25 Johnny Onions who were

christmas in january 57

Feature Groves

landing at West Bay, and which 2 days prior to their arrival had increased to 75. Ordering breakfasts in advance they actually had 100 turn up for le petit dejeuner before they dressed les oignons for a 3 day market at the nearby Palmer Brewery. The café also advertised the Late Night Shopping calendar, with The Anonymous Travelling Market (theatm.co.uk) setting up for an early and unusual spot of Christmas shopping, followed by Scallops & Veg for Christmas where chefs from the award-winning hivebeachcafé.co.uk offered a cooking demonstration. A charity wreath making workshop was next, where Pauline from www.highwayfarm.co.uk gave simple tips for making stunning wreaths and then it was the turn of Christmas Cocktails & Canapes - a masterclass from dorsetcherries. co.uk and leakersbakery.co.uk. Putting the Icing on the Cake was up next, where award-winning cake maker Heather Upham from fancythatcakes.net demonstrated how to turn your cake into something special…… Leaving the café, and prior to departing, I then took a stroll through the new Gift Section

58 christmas in january

where lots of cake decorations and cake cases from Batley’s NJ Products were featured. My favourite was the Buffin, and I trust you don’t know what it means either. I maybe could have worked it out, as it is in fact ‘more than a bun yet not quite a muffin’. CB Imports are new to Groves and along with Otter House from Exeter, and Forfar’s Nutscene they offered lovely mugs, decorative garden twine, and other terrific gifts for the gardener. The Eat Me section included some fabulous biscuits from the local Moore’s Bakery, which has been around since 1860, and offered some terrific flavours. Pride of Place in the display was The Dorset Knob, a unique savoury biscuit that has a manufacturing process taking eight to ten hours! I have to admit to buying some Butter Biscuits and some Brazil Nut cookies, but I declined the Dorset Knob when the locals said they don’t buy it “coz it’s ‘orrible”. Not that it doesn’t sell though, as they ship hundreds of tins nationwide. So off I went, into the thick fog on the A35, having discovered there is no Broadchurch effect at all, as they’ve never seen any of the cast, although Doc Martin does pop in occasionally.

with

We adore Christmas and offer everything from our exclusive range of authentic Christmas trees to individual foliage and decorations. With a passion for design and quality, over 35 years' experience as a family run business, and our largest ever launch of new seasonal products, there's lots of reasons to Love Christmas with Floralsilk.

Come and meet us at Harrogate Christmas & Gift Harrogate International Centre 10th – 13th January 2016 Hall B, Stand B1/B5

International Spring Fair The NEC, Birmingham 7th – 11th February 2016 Hall 2, Stand F04

sales@ﬂoralsilk.co.uk

01778 425 205

www.ﬂoralsilk.co.uk

Feature Gardman

Gardman’s biggest ever Christmas Collection

igger and better than ever, Gardman will be showcasing over 250 products at two key trade exhibitions – Harrogate Christmas & Gift in January and the International Spring Fair in February. Gardman’s 2016 Christmas range sees fantastic additions to lighting, doormat and decorative categories and will also be launching a brand new range of 50 artificial trees! Gardman’s decorative festive range is showcased in four beautiful collections; Red Berry, Rustic Rattan, Sparkling Silver and Novelty. Each collection includes a variety of baubles, festive cushions and prelit decorations, perfect for creating a great Christmas offering. With 50 artificial trees to choose from, customers can Pick ‘n’ Mix from a choice of standard, premium and luxury styles to create a mixed container of any combination, making Gardman the only stop for the Christmas shop.

Email: enquiries@gardman.co.uk Tel: 01406 372222

60 christmas in january

Giftware Trading Co. Ltd. Stand A30 Hall A

Since it was launched in 1994, Giftware Trading has gone from strength to strength, with 2015 seeing a move to new, larger premises. It will be an exciting start to 2016 with the opening of their new showroom, perfect for showcasing the new Spring and Christmas collections. Giftware Trading was founded by Keith Jeffery, who sadly passed away in 2008. Keith’s son Ben had always been a big part of the business, and along with a strong team and his eye for buying and design, Ben has taken the company forward, sourcing fresh and exciting ranges each year. Ben adds “2015 has been a fantastic year with strong sales and repeat orders. The new premises will help take the company forward, and will enable us to display our ranges in a much improved showroom for customer’s to visit”. Customer feedback for 2015

was very positive, with customers reporting strong sales and an eagerness to see what is on offer this year. Giftware Trading pride themselves on finding different and distinctive products at realistic price points. Every season sees a high percentage of new and innovative lines to the range. Although Giftware Trading have become synonymous for their Christmas collection, they also have strong every day and Spring/ Summer ranges, which will be shown at the Spring Fair. Giftware Trading supply a wide and diverse customer base, and with such a wide ranging and extensive collection, there is something for everyone. Giftware Trading will be showing at Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair, Spring Fair, Home & Gift and finally Autumn Fair.

Email: ben@ giftwaretradingco.co.uk Tel: 0117 972 0506

Christmas Decorations built on solid family foundations Quality - Design - Service Weiste - a strong UK reputation over 30 years See the Exclusive Weiste 2016 Collections HARROGATE CHRISTMAS & GIFTS EXHIBITION 10th - 13th January 2016 Hall M - Stand 28 Enquiries UK: Morris May Ltd e: info@morrismay.com t: 0131 208 0247 m: 07774 493 594 christmas in customers january 61 Webshop ordering available for approved

Feature Widdop

Nine themes await buyers at Widdop’s Christmas Collection

hristmas 2016 at Widdop is packed with innovation, stunning designs and inspirational themes. The collection is made up of nine eye-catching Christmas themes across a wide range of home decorative accessories, tree decorations and Christmas candle holders. With over 1000 lines to choose from, you can rest assured that every product is competitively priced with sensible minimum quantities. This is the second year that Widdop have exhibited at Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair and they can be found in the same location as last year in Hall B. “Coton Colors” is a collection of 70 celebration glass baubles which tell the story of each collector’s life as major events are celebrated with a different keepsake bauble. As well as the traditional Christmas baubles, “Coton Colors” baubles mark every occasion from love and marriage to the baby carriage and beyond. Each line is hand decorated and beautifully packaged in a bespoke box that also provides robust protection to the bauble. The collection has two display solutions – a white wooden Christmas tree for displaying the products and a second solution for displaying stock. Based on the film, The Snowman and the Snowdog, an update of the classic Christmas film, this is a unique licensed gift range with an appeal that spans 62 christmas in january

across the generations. The magic and excitement of the film are captured in enchanting Baby’s first Christmas gifts and collectable figurines. Each item has been hand finished with a high level of detail to ensure a faithful rendition of the endearing nature of the two characters. Brand new for 2016 is the pink, sparkly and very pretty Princess themed collection. It’s a real show-stopper of a theme providing a high impact instore display. As well as tree decorations, there are some great light-up home accessories which would not look out of place once Christmas has been and gone. Following on from the very successful Love Life collection, make way for Love Christmas, a collection of Christmas themed plaques and baubles. A floor standing display is the ideal in-store solution for the entire range. The rest of the themes include the magnificent Golden Grandeur, Silver Sparkle and Winter Wonderland. Look out for German inspired nutcracker figures, innovative advent calendars and count down to Christmas blackboards, lots of choice for baby’s first Christmas, and Santa and Me photo frames, ideal for every Santa’s grotto. Water balls, Christmas stockings, light up plaques and houses – oodles of choice is definitely the name of the game. The deadline for placing your Christmas order is Friday 1st April with delivery from 1st September.

Mister Tinsel Mister Tinsel is founded on the bedrock experience of its managing director Ian Norris, possibly the UKs most experienced tinsel manufacturer with over 240 million metres of bespoke tinsel/garland designs under his belt. Having supplied the vast majority of UK tinsel to an enviable and unparalleled retail base from the essential wholesale market to niche clients Harrods Ian feels that the ability to provide unique design solutions to any price-point enables his exciting new company to stand out from the crowd. Of tinsel itself and of which Ian is hugely fond of he comments: “Tinsel has been a tradditional family favourite for generations, we have almost all grown up with it but today the colours and finishes are a very long way from the limited but still fun options of yesteryear. Also it has become increasingly popular to use sophisticated high

quality luxury garland designs to compliment the most discerning home or commercial décor.” But whatever your viewpoint, if you are a business having 2nd thoughts about tinsel you should simply ask yourself the question - can literally millions of people/families/homes be getting it wrong every year?” At the exhibition Mister Tinsel will be presenting it’s exciting 2016 range of premium and mid-to-cost effective designs to its new audience in anticipation of a very warm welcome.

www.mistertinsel.com info@mistertinsel.com ian@mistertinsel.com t 0845 3192046 m 07736 032272

christmas in january 63

Feature Festive

A Picture perfect Christmas by Festive!

have been visiting Festive for more years than I care to remember and have always been struck by their ability to excite and inspire with their range and showroom displays and this year was no exception. The collection theme for 2016 is ‘A Picture Perfect Christmas’ and on entering their offices I was confronted by an ‘Elfie Selfie’ display including a full size Santa sleigh with Elves plus a picture frame for customers to take photos. As most retailers now use social media to great effect this is a perfect ready-made display idea that will encourage consumers to take pictures and post online, therefore virally marketing the business.

64 christmas in january

Once again I met with Marketing Director Jonathan Hughes and Creative Manager Jo Thomas who showed me around the new collection including more ‘framed’ displays in each theme, “with A Picture Perfect Christmas we wanted a concept that brought our whole collection together along with giving our customers inspiring display ideas which will encourage sharing on social media sites”, Jon said. Jo continued “we have 5000 products in our 2016 collection of which 50% are new items, many of which have been designed by our in house design team” Included within this collection is Festive’s Disney licensed range which was put together

by Cassie Hedlund. In 2015 Festive signed the Disney license for Christmas decorations and supplied a range of items based on the Disney film Frozen, due to the huge success of these products they have expanded the collection for 2016 to include more Frozen items as well as decorations for Disney Princesses and Disney Classics. Having seen Festive’s new decoration collection I was eager to see what they had developed for Christmas lighting and again I wasn’t disappointed. “We have completely re-designed our core lights packaging to make it more upmarket in line with our customers development from purely garden centres to out of town department stores.” Jon said. Not one prone to exaggeration, he continued “we have the best price, best specification, best quality, best delivery record and now the best packaging in the market” In addition Festive is launching new innovative products in 2016 such as Zaplites, which are a range of lighting products controlled from your iPhone, iPad, Android device or even an Apple Watch. It is incredible to think that you can now sit on your sofa and change the colour and function of your lights as well as using the karaoke or disco mode to

make your lights beat to either your voice or your music. Apparently that is not even the best feature according to Jon, “you can use your phone camera to colour match almost any colour, if you have co-ordinated your decorations to your home furnishings you can now even colour match your Christmas lights”. For those who are not as tech savvy Festive is launching a Zaplites Basic range which covers string lights, clusters and icicles and has more limited functions but still allows you to control your lights from your phone, its seems like there is something for every customer. Look No Plug, Festive’s timer lights range which lasts up to 60 days on one set of batteries has also had a packaging upgrade as well as the addition of 4 new quarter pallet displays covering the best-selling items from 2015. “We have a brand which consumers are aware of and which has market leading packaging and technology, we are finding that our customers are getting requests for Look No Plug by name and where it is sold alongside other brands it is outselling them due to that brand awareness”, Jon said. Leaving Cwmbran and heading up the M4 I thought to myself ‘I’ve been publishing Christmas in January since 1991 and been involved with Christmas decoration companies

since the mid-sixties. I am continually amazed at the seemingly endless array of new designs and innovation that the Christmas industry seems to come up with each year and not surprisingly, Festive are at the forefront of this innovation just as they have been for over 30 years.” If you would like to visit Festive at the Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair (and take an Elfie Selfie), they are located in Hall C, Stand C1 Tel: 01633 627300

christmas in january 65

Feature Harrogate

National Tree

Hall B – Stand B15

Morris May/Weister Hall M – Stand M28

K.A.Weiste Oy was established in Helsinki Finland in 19244. Weiste is the only manufacturer in the Nordic Countries and has probably the largest selection of shatterproof ornaments, tinsels and garlands made in Europe. Weiste Christmas Legend –collection is produced in factories owned and managed by the Weiste family, and it is completed by an amazing, imported range – the VillaWeiste collection – for your home…. which grows in importance every year. Both the Christmas Legend and VillaWeiste ranges are carefully created by Weiste’s design team which has decades of experience for fashionable, highly commercial winning lines. These are exported to discerning customers in over thirty countries worldwide. Weiste demand and use only the very best and highest quality raw materials, enabling them to make their well priced collections which distance themselves, in quality terms, from the “same old” suppliers with their “same old” products from China. VillaWeiste covers-white wood, trendy rustic and country style furniture, lanterns and household textiles, throws and cushions and accessories such as little furry friends, as well as Christmas lines including glass decorations, selling to large department and chain stores and fashionable boutiques alike , all year around. The 2016 Christmas Legend Collection includes trendy colours and themes like glowing copper, luxurious silver highlighted with elegant black and then sophisticated and petite decorations in powdery romantic colours. And totally NEW Weiste have introduced a range of lovely illuminated decorations and unbelievable unique scented balls as a ‚first‘ this year. And, if that wasn‘t enough, in their capacity as probably the largest manufacturer in Europe they are proud to offer their biggest garland selection ever! Weiste offer something different...You can feel it as soon as you walk on their stand. Christopher May from Morris May Ltd, the U.K. Agent says….. “There is always a better way to do Christmas…We think we have cracked it!” One of the very first exhibitors at Harrogate over thirty years and still going strong! Check out Hall M – Stand 28Don’t miss Weiste, making a difference in Europe since 1924!

Email: info@morrismay.com Tel: 0131 2080247 68 christmas in january

National Tree Company, a family business now in it’s 59th year, continues to bring innovative products and technologies to market, including Memory Shape® Christmas trees with no shaping necessary, Dual Color® 9 Function LED light sets that are multi-functional and change from warm white to multicolor lights with a touch of a foot pedal, as well as our most recent innovation, the PowerConnect™ light system which features the electrical connections for the light sets inside the center pole creating a no fuss Christmas tree that will illuminate by simply putting the tree sections together. National Tree Company is also introducing the Woodland Collection of artificial trees for 2016. The trees in this collection feature a faux bark center pole and may be our most realistic trees yet! These trees are available in multiple styles and sizes; pre-lit, unlit and with flocked-branches. Also new for 2016 is an extensive line of hand-painted fiberglass figurines and other indoor/outdoor decorative items that are brightly colored and lit with LED lights for added sparkle. National Tree is well known in the industry for the highest quality construction standards of our trees, wreaths, garlands and related holiday decorations. Along with our UK distributor, Norfolk Leisure, we continue to strive to meet our customers’ every need and take great pride in not only the quality of our products but our exceptional customer service as well!

Email: Kimberley@natonaltree.com

Hogewoning BV Hall B - Stand B1A

Returning to Harrogate after a gap of a few years, Hogewoning BV can boast of a family owned company stretching back over 90 years. The company design and distribute a wide range of natural decorations and products for the home – all inspired by nature. Based in Holland with large showrooms in Rijnsburg just 15 minutes from Schipol airport, The Hogewoning design team travels the world to gather natural decorations that will enhance the décor of every lifestyle and season. With 3000 items in the range they source and deliver to major chains in not only The Netherlands, but also Germany, Japan plus a growing number of U.K. companies. Their products are manufactured in Holland, India, China and the Phillipines. For further information check out their digital catalogues at

www.hogewoning.com

Feature Kaemingk

Kaemink Season Decorations - a long tradition

aemingk is famous for its Christmas products and with its exceptional showroom of 54,000 sq ft. buyers will yet again experience the latest trends and find their new display ideas for their 2016 Christmas displays. The showroom has undergone a complete transformation as you may well expect from Kaemingk. All to ensure customers are thrilled by the innovation, as if it’s their first time in the showroom. Every effort to surprise the customer is taken time and again. The staircase is completely transformed into a magical winter wonderland setting by using products from the new range. The scenery features aspects such as music, light effects and even a misty morning dew. It actually makes you feel like taking a walk outside. Each year it’s a remarkable achievement by Kaemingk how they manage to present over 12.000 lines in such a fresh and different way, bearing in mind that a stunning 65% of the range is totally new which makes a showroom visit even more essential. For next year you will find 9 different styles for the festive season. So to get you in the true Christmas spirit for your Harrogate trip here are just a few theme highlights.

Misty Lake Imagine a beautiful house completely decorated for Christmas in a serene winter scenery with a view over the lake. It’s going to be a peaceful Christmas, to slow down from all the hustle and bustle and enjoy the crisp, winter scenery.

Christmas Time We are at a family estate up in the hills. Here you will find a remarkable, traditional country barn. The red shining sleigh next to the barn, fully packed with presents, indicates where the family will gather for its Christmas celebrations. It’s that time of the year again……..It’s Christmas Time!

Into the Woods A winter barbecue in a country holiday retreat located in a forest. Enjoying the most wonderful dishes prepared with care and love. A perfect combination of enjoying the good live with your closest friends and family celebrating the best time of the year…..Christmas.

Pure and Warm The house, an old ranch with rough elements such as plastered walls, wooden beam ceiling, concrete columns and an old authentic wooden floor overlooking the wild meadow grasslands. Elements of Navajo Indians are evident in the contemporary , robust home decorations. Warm candlelight, long pile plaids and a natural tree create an entirely new look for Christmas. Kaemingk willbe delighted to welcome you to their stand and present the new themes to you. 10 - 13 Jan 2016 Christmas & Gift Fair Harrogate stand Hall M | Stand M02 M08 29 Jan - 02 Feb 2016 Christmasworld Frankfurt Hall 8.0 | Stand K90 A+B 07 - 11 Feb 2016 ISF Birmingham Hall 2 | Stand C04-D05

christmas in january 69

Feature Snowtime

Snowtime energize the C

he great thing about our

products, media and entertainment,

wonderful Christmas

Mike believes that the the industry must

industry is that it

strive continually to bring to market

culminates on the same

new and stimulating items to spark their

date each year and is

customer’s imaginations.

mostly unaffected by weather. This makes planning the selling season much

which juxtaposes traditional products

easier than, for example, the garden

(trees, tinsel, baubles etc.) with cutting

furniture business, for which we and

edge technology, LEDs, fibre optics,

many of our customers rely on good

laser lights, motion sensors etc.

weather to drive sales. Certainly, 2105

Mike continues “SnowTime has

will not be regarded as a vintage year

always been at the forefront in

for sun-loungers, parasols etc. as we

developing ideas and introducing new

barely had a summer at all. This, I am

products to the market. From fibre

aware, was most keenly felt by those

optic trees to fibre optic tapestries, via

residing north of Birmingham, who can

led lights, canvases, illuminated vases,

be forgiven for viewing the season as a

where we lead others follow.”

wash-out. Christmas though presents its own

70 christmas in january

Christmas is a fast evolving trade

Licensing has been instrumental in SnowTime’s success in recent years. The

challenges and in a world which offers

Snowman and The Snowdog grows in

more and more exciting and innovative

popularity each year and was boosted

e Christmas category by Channel 4’s commitment to a new

furniture will be displayed. In addition

contract ensuring that the film will be

to the northern showroom in Blackpool

aired annually for the next 20 years.

the new premises, situated 15 minutes

The Disney license signed last year

from the NEC and one hour by train

saw the introduction of many products

from London, will be more convenient

themed on the spectacularly successful

for customers in the south of England to

film “Frozen” and sales of lit canvases

visit.

and musical doormats have been equally stellar. This year SnowTime is launching a new licensed range of high-quality

It has been said that running a business is like riding a bicycle, if you stop moving forward you will fall off. Harrogate 2016 will be the company’s

battery and solar powered lights under

21st and it shows no sign of slowing

the the well known “Energizer” brand.

down, much less stopping. With many

This extremely popular and trusted high

new products and ideas to show

street name is expected to boost sales in

their customers they look forward to

a fast growing category.

continuing the success of the past 21

Mike Withers, Managing Director at

years and wish everyone involved in

Trans-Continental, announced this week

our wonderful industry a happy and

the opening of a new showroom in

prosperous 2016.

Coventry, where the company’s market-

Tel: 01772 708930 Email: sales@transcon.co.uk

leading ranges of Christmas and garden

christmas in january 71

Feature Last Word

H.T.A. Update by Carol Paris - Chief Executive

t certainly has been an incredibly busy festive season for our members not only with Christmas sales but also a whole plethora of additional events from grottos, tea and breakfast with Santa, wreath making and ice rinks. This year Planters Garden Centre even ran a Christmas grotto for pets which proved to be extremely popular! There certainly seems to be a huge appetite for these Christmas experiences which of course are backed up with innovative displays and merchandising, Christmas offers and most importantly, sales. Events and experiences give the retailers a great opportunity to drive footfall into the garden centres and help to counteract the steady growth of online sales. With Christmas sales starting increasingly earlier planning is imperative and that is why Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair is so important for HTA garden retail members. The show provides the perfect opportunity not only take stock of what worked well in 2015 and view and plan for the new ranges, themes and innovations available for 2016. Many retailers will already have made pre Xmas visits to key suppliers and started to plan

72 christmas in january

their themes. However, Harrogate is traditionally where suppliers launch their new products and retailers start to plan their Christmas layouts and promotions. There will also be some suppliers exhibiting that are new to the industry and provide good opportunity for incremental sales. 2016 promises to be a really exciting one for HTA and its members with the unveiling of our refreshed look this month. Since 1899 the HTA has been working for the horticulture industry and many achievements have been made in the years following. The world is an ever changing place though, and particularly in today’s marketplace, the image of an organisation often precedes its actions. Therefore the HTA brand refresh reflects our ongoing modernisation and desire to embrace and demonstrate the vibrancy of our industry. Our new look provides the HTA with the opportunity to present the industry effectively across many different media, including our new website which goes live during 2016. It is also designed to sit comfortably alongside the logos for the Association of Professional Landscapers and the National Garden Gift Vouchers, HTA’s primary consumer brands. Many of you may have seen the new look being showcased at the HTA Marketing Forum and at GLEE, and we were pleased to receive lots of positive feedback about its crisp, clear and modern look. The HTA Events team looked incredibly smart in their uniforms presenting a fresh professional image for all our increasingly popular events. I hope that you can take the time to join us in 2016 and benefit from the top notch events that we have an offer. We are also really excited about the newly launched Plant of the Moment campaign 2016 which builds on the success of Plant of the Month. Working with former editor of BBC Gardeners World Magazine Adam Pasco this initiative highlights plants that are looking good at a certain time. Using themes rather than individual plants this will hopefully appeal to the media and also help to drive plant sales instore. With images and copy to download

(and POS available to purchase from Floramedia and Hortipak) from www.the-hta.org.uk/ plantofthemoment it is a great free resource to use on a year round basis. The industry wide Love the Plot You’ve Got initiative continues in 2016 and the Garden Industry Marketing Board have appointed Holly Garland and the team at Garland PR as project co-ordinator. Look out for more information in due course as the activities ramp up. It is so important to get as much of the industry as possible involved in this!

Carol Paris – HTA Chief Executive

HTA dates for your diary 17 Feb

HTA Plant Health Conference, National Agri-Food Innovation Campus, York

17/19 Feb

HTA Garden Retail Experience Study Tour, Boskoop, Holland

24 Feb

HTA Technology Conference, Cranmore Park, Solihull

4 March

APL Awards, The Brewery, London

7/8 June

HTA Catering Conference, The Belfry, Sutton Coldfield

21/22 June

HTA National Plant Show, Stoneleigh Park, Coventry

12 Oct

HTA Garden Futures, Heythrop Park, Oxfordshire

Nov date tbc HTA Marketing Forum, Midlands To register your interest for HTA events, please email events@hta.org.uk

Mor e

£95

ork W

L ess f l o G

ay d s e Tu th 28 e Jun 6 201

GOLF

CLASSIC

FOR THE DAY

1998 - 2015

£95 FOR THE DAY

E A Y R S 8 1 Puckrup Hall Nr Teswkesbury, Glos .

AN EARLY REMINDER We want more of you to enjoy a brilliant day’s golf next year at Puckrup. Quite frankly, trade support for what is the only trade golf day now on the calendar has been pretty pathetic. I appreciate that business is tough and we all have to work hard, but

COME ON! Just one day in your diary out of 365 for a sport you enjoy playing can surely be managed? Either give me a call on 01442 289930 or email malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk for full details

Malcolm Bubba Naish

6 COLOURS & 5 LENGTHS AVAILABLE

TREEbrights™ 2015 BEST SELLERS Specially designed light sets to fit specific height trees!

• Professionally light your tree in minutes • 4 times as many LEDs per metre as regular lights • Indoor and outdoor use

1000

LEDs

(2.1M)

needs

7ft

H ar H ro ar g ro at ga e

In hri te st rn m at a io s na a 10 l C nd Ja th en G nu 13 tr ift ar th e y

Optimum number of LEDs per tree diagrams on side of retail box

PREMIER DECORATIONS LIMITED • HEAD OFFICE AND SHOWROOM Premier House • Braintree Road • Ruislip • Middlesex HA4 0EJ • Tel: 020-8624 5555 • www.premierdec.com