Christmas in January 2019

2019 CIJ Front_cover_co_PRINT.pdf

1

21/12/2018

Christmas in January

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

019

C

y2 uar Jan

J i

14:07

The UK’s only Christmas decoration trade magazine

s Harrogate Christmas &

13th to 16th January 2019 Harrogate Internation 9am - 6pm Sunday - Tuesday, 9am - 4pm Wedn

Harrogate Christmas & Gift 13th to 16th January 2019 Harrogate International Centre 9am - 6pm Sunday to Tuesday. 9am - 4pm Wednesday

Kitchen Store

Organiser's Office

A4 Milford Collection

4.4

Hall A Entrance and Registration

Richard Lang and Son Ltd 66

11

A8

Padgett Bros (A-Z) Ltd 63

10.5

42

7

A9

Riffelmacher & Weinberger Gmbh

6

66

11

4.25

6

75

12.5

A1

2

5

1 2.95

RECEPTION

7

6

A34 Global

Florelle Import Co.

11

A35 18

A36 Suki

2

Gifts

35

13.75

A40

3

CGB Giftware

2 22

11

8

40

5

12.5

A22

2

Flame Homeware

I E P Wholesale

33

A37

12

6

8

A38

Walton & Co

Journey

7

2

Noma Lites Ltd

5

68.75

13.75

5

62.5

12.5

1.5

4.5

15

A26

60

60.75

13.5

A16

Noma Lites Ltd

4

M24

Access to Electrical Mains Switch is Required at all Times

4

Emergency Exit

7

Jeno Floral

90

28

Down

A18

FR

UP TO ROYAL HALL

2.57

22.5

A22

Lemax Europe

Low's of Dundee

Giftware Trading

2.5

A25

0.75

18

6

143

11

2.5

A30

Telephone Telephone Boxes Boxes

Sincere UK Ltd

2

2.5

Disabled Access to ROYAL HALL

13

2

A29

A18

2

Noma Lites Ltd

6

2

Christmas in January 2

EE

Flag Pole

20

5

A7

A6

The Satchville Gift Company

A2 The 4

Hall A

Emergency Exit

Business Centre

Cloak Room

Office A1

0.50

Sincere

7

5.5

38.5 Access to Electrical Mains Switch is Required at all Times

B2

EE

KEEP CLEAR

RAMP

M

B9

EE

Floralsil

4

DOWN

B1

Floralsilk

8

8

3.75

20 2

Royal Hall

Hogewoning B.V

12

B13

9

260

32.5

Widdop & Co.

2.25

Catering

RAMP

12

B3

45

9

B4

9

5 3

Davies Products Liverpool Ltd.

The Great British Card 3 Company

72

12 2

50

B17

0.5

13

B14

3.25

RSW International Ltd

4

108 85.5

UP

F.E

8

10

B6

PMS International

Pukator Ltd

SIFCON International

9

B5

1.5

5

35.25

6.75

EE

Access to Electrical Mains Switch is Required at all Times

Secure Store Area

UP

Regen Area

FR

UP

UP

22

M2/3

3

Kaemingk BV

86

21.5

9.5

11.25

LOW LEVEL WALL

Access Ladder

8

15 2.25

2.5 2.25

16

M12

M16

2.75 F.E.

88

Gisela Graham Ltd London

11.5

5.5

Link

2.5

3.5

5.75

Sage-decor

4.5 10.5

7.75

M24

UP

F.E.

4

19

123.62

21.5

2.5

149.5

13

2.25

M26

Culinary Concepts

Hall M

7 UP

Luxa 58

191.25 F.E.

4

up

2.25

14.5

M28

16.25

8

41

C1

Weiste

4

28 F.E.

19.25

89

C5

Felt so Good 12

4

5

6

C4 Fair to Trade

2

C3Anglo American

Ltd

346.75

Hall C

10

2

C22

4

Distributors Ltd14 6

10

2

5

C20

4.5 4

1

Casdon Toys 6.4 10

2

8

6 2

C37

36

Emergency Exit

C21 4

Twinkly

3 42.5

1

2

24

The Straits Trading Company Ltd

Festive Productions Ltd

C6

6

2

Royal County Products Ltd

C41

2 2

2

2.5

2.5

3

3

Konstsmide (UK) Ltd

319.5

2.5

WHEELCHAIR REFUGE

3 RECEPTION

DISAB TOILET

3.19

3

6

C2

Festive Productions Ltd

9

35.5

5.75

2.75

16

84

Sparkle & Light 0.45

WHEELCHAIR LIFT

11.5

M6

2.25

M22

3

T T T T

2.5

16

F.E.

Ascalon Design Ltd

5.5

6

1.75 F.E. FOYER/ CRUSH AREA

5.5

237

Hall M Entrance and Registration

T

4

13

2

C3a

C1

Gisela Graham Ltd London

Hamac

9

18

M14

F.E.

4

Catering

UP

M1 3

GOODS DOORS

Cold Room

1.5

F.E

T

14

2

A

SPRINGFIELD AVENUE 0.63

6.75

11.12

mas & Gift

1.81

0.63

10.52

H1

db cpd

12.38

0.34

Stair 1 3.85

Fire Exit

0.9

(Upper Level)

2.36

0.9

1.0

9

7.6

4

26.97

0.4

1

Cup'd

5.09

1.1

International Centre 4pm Wednesday

Lift 1

3.75

Premier Hall

0.2

2

3.8

7

Premier Decorations

FEMALE TOILETS

Goods Doors

(3.49m Wide x 5.085m High)

0.1

4

0.2

1

0.5

2

3

0.3

0.3

Loading Ramp

Access

Fire Exit

8.4

3

2

2.

26

0.7

7

0.5

MALE TOILETS

0.3

8

7.27

8

15

.6

0.54

3

4.3

Fire Exit

1.65

0.83

Fire Exit

3.15

3.86

Lift

1592.13

Below

4

2

0.95

5.5

0.1

0.55 0.5

0.2

4.09

H2

Service Road

1.23

2.46 2.65

0.19

H3

0.46

Goods Lift from

4

2

Premier Halloween

Foyer

3

Premier Halloween

1

124.66

1

4

3

3

3

Conference Centre (Level 4)

1 3 Platform Lift

179.15

Catering Hub Servery 1st AID

CLOAKROOM

Link Corridor Wheelchair Lift

First Floor Level

Springfield House

LIFT

To Level 5 To Level 5

GOODS LIFTS

Box Office Emergency Exit

3.75

Queen's Suite Foyer

Keel Toys

Emergency Exit

SPRINGFIELD HOUSE

17

2.08

1.75

KEEP CLEAR

FROM CAR PARK

Baltus

5

30

6

Conference Centre Entrance and Registration

STORE

BAR

Xystos - Flame & Fragrance-Bath & Body

70

6

RESTAURANT

KEEP CLEAR

40

D17

JayMark

5

2.51 FBG

Direct NEW Entrance

50

10

3.77

2

2

F.H.

EE

via. Conference Centre

42.25

D19

2

22.5

6

30

D16

5

12

LIFT

LIFT

HIC Desk

8

D8

Tallon International Ltd

4

2 LIFT

CONFERENCE CENTRE F.R.

2

D2

OFFICE 2

3

8.5

Vivid Arts Ltd

OFFICE 1

17.31

QS1

10

Main Entrance

2.76

22.5

6 6

D10

Lesser & Pavey

To Halls B & C

Fountasia Up from International Limited

EE

D7

18.75

5

8

4.1

1.5

2

15

4

D12

UP

ESCALATOR STAIRS UP FROM DOWN TO KINGS ROAD KINGS ROAD ENTRANCE EXIT

21

LIFT

18.75

D5

Escalator Link Conference Centre Escalator Link

Store

Snowtime

10

.52

3.25

QS2

D3

Cosmic Fireworks

2

Hall D Lobby

UP

2.43

D1a

Mr Tinsel 5

7.5

Halls ABCM

D1

3.75

Wheelchair Lift

5

11

Escalators to Lower Levels

1.5

6.5

9

Vivid Arts Ltd

QS1

75.61

5 393.5

Balcony

36.51

Hall D

(2.36m high x 3.454m wide)

Goods Entrance fire exit

Hall Q

fire exit

Q28 5

2

8.2

Q32

Twizzler 4

Playwrite Group Plc .25

B18

8

16

2

5

52

EE

4

3.5

Emergency Exit

26

13

Sasse and Belle

4.5

0.5

15

C4 Fair to Trade

1

2

C22

6

24

10

2

5

C20

4.5 4

e Straits rading mpany Ltd

18

C19

Ltd 10 4 Anglo American 2 C3 Distributors Ltd14

2.5

1

Casdon Toys 6.4

8

6

Puleo Asia Ltd

C27 Bailey 4

4

14

2

180

18

C37

C18

Emergency Exit

3

Primus (A Perry Ltd.) 30

C24

5

2.39

Goods Doors

9

Emergency Exit

2.23

To Halls

5

DOWN TO HALL C TEMPORARY LINK

42.15

Heaven Sends

3

Low Headroom 2.3m(h)

Heyland & Whittle 3

12

16.5

6

Low Headroom 2.3m(h)

Q12

Blue Roo Imports

2

2

7.6

Artcutts

12

4

7.5 2.75

7.5

Charles Taylor 17.25

Up To Hall D & New Hall

Lumens

Q6

2.75

4

Christmas Tinsel Company

Q8 Claire

Louise 5.5

Q10

2

Q65

4.5

4

Q68

4.5

2.32

S & H Supplies

13.5

4.5

4.5

6.5 1.19

4

3

Q85

5

9.5

Brown Trout

6

4

2

Bollywood Christmas

16

3

Q78 CK Supplies Ltd Q83

27.75

2

12

Q82 10

5

2.5

3

2.39

8

3

Q77

Q76 Q75 Gwynedd Confectioners

LIFT

3

13.5

Q79 3 19

6

4 24

6

2.5

Q94 3

2.09

Q90

7

3.5

Q92

Q93 7

7.5

3

CLOAKS

RAMP

ORGANISERS OFFICE FIRE EXIT

1.25

LOBBY

REGISTRATION

10

E

ESCALATOR

Q18

FA

Gaeltag

18.75

3.03

4

Q16

4.5

8

13 24

58.88

9

2 15

10

3

46.5

6

LIFT

Polar X

1 3

3

2.26

3

2

The Artfile

3

Steal a Deal 48

16

fire exit

6

Trendmania

FA E E

Q19

Rosanna Rossi

6

2.5

Q50 3

2.75

5

Emergency Exit

3.14

126.45

36

Q2

15

45

4

Q11

Q9

2.75

8.94

To Hall Q

Security arm 24

Anniversary House

6

UP TO HALL D

1

Low Headroom 2.3m(h)

Q7 3

SPRINGFIELD HOUSE

4.18m high X 4.82m Wide

6

100

DOWN TO CAR PARKS

C17

Transomnia

& Brooke 6

6

Lotus Imports Ltd

36

Smart Garden Products 10

3.27

1

4

Stands Out

2.24

HALLS D & H

LIFT 1

2

3

2.75

14

2

3

3

Pop Shots 3

STAIRS UP TO

2

2

3

6

Joe Davies Ltd

C21

Twinkly

10

2

3

2

5

2

6

1

Q17

Wildtouch

Q15

QUEENS SUITE

34.5

3

3Blossom Bakery 2 4

3.16

8

3

Amica and 5 Felt Work

3.75

2.5

18

C10

2

2 2.5

oyal ounty oducts Ltd

1

Archipelago

1 2.75

2.76

2.5

2.09

1.75

6

6

C2 4

Felt so Good 12

C6

14

Q1

4

3.16

14

2 9.75

Q20

Low Headroom 2.3m(h)

Lift Motor Room ESCALATORS UP TO QUEENS SUITE, HALLS D&H

C5

6.0

Hall Q

Emergency Exit

3.25

2

Q87

2 6

3

3

16

1.32

Design

5

Shatchi

3

3

Q39 Berni Parker

7

3

4

2

Q59

3.75

2.13

Q21

49

1.5

3

1.5

5 Cottage

lift

&

18

6 7

2.85

DISABLED CHAIR HOIST

Access Required for Light Switch

3a

1

DOORS 4.300M HIGH 4.800M WIDE

lift

13.12

Escalator to Hall D & New Hall

Q25

2

Wombat Retail3

3

Giftscribes Gifts Limited

Kilted Christmas Tree

Tildenet Gardenware 24.38

26

2

GOODS

Calico

4

B21

Adobe

1

2.16

8.5

6.5

B22

4.5

Candlelight Products

3

2

6.5

B16

RSW International Ltd

3.75

1.5

13

B14 4

3.75

2

50

3.25

3

160

20

40.84

5.25

4.75

96

12

House of Marbles

B20

5 3

ard

National Tree Company

8

8

4

3

3

4

1.75

3 1 Q55 Q53 Q51 Allsorted Q54 Mecodels 1 2 1Q63 Q64 Q52 Delight Imports

2

115.37

9.75

Q30 3

22

2.75

FR EE

4

4

3

5

1

3

3

Janice Q43Daughters Q42 Q44 Natural7 Partners ltd

1

1

Playwrite Group Plc

1

1

1.4

Widdop & Co.

8

tional

EMERGENCY EXIT

20

B15

RAMP

3

5

5

2

2

9.25

2.5

2

12

B13 260

8

8

Q37 Tomcat Cards

2.5

Ultimate Products

6

2

12.88

3

4

Catering

0.5

6

5

18

3

3

3.24

Art Nouvocative

17.75

Q26

4.5

24

2

Deva Designs

3

5.25

20

B12a

All About Christmas

Playwrite Group Plc

3.75

80

B12

History & Heraldry

The Original 4 Metal Sign Co. 20

0.75

Floralsilk

B11

3.48

Rossa

8

fire exit

Q35

2.75

1

24.75

2.75

Q27

B10

4

8

3

Hall B

B9

EE

Swole Panda Ltd 6 6

2.75

2.51

8

RAMP

M

Q33 Q34 Terra

9.5

VOID

3.5

2

Emergency Exit

CONFERENCE CENTRE ESCALATOR LINK

Hall Q Entrance and Registration

fire exit

Harrogate Christmas HARROGATE and GiftChristmas 2017 & Gift

It’s almost13th here to 16th January 2019

The best TheChristmas No. 1 trade show for retailers & buyers in gift, show ingarden, town & festive sectors Sunday 8th – Wednesday 11th & garden Sun – Tue 9am – 6pmHome Wed 9am – 4pm

ware, artificial floral Pre-Registration now on products & accessories, toys, gifts & greetings cards for www.harrogatefair.com all occasions - and everything CHRISTMAS! Free admittance for all trade visitors register online today www.harrogatefair.com

HITF Giftware Review Advert - Nov 18.indd 1

09/11/2018 12:32:13

Eight halls of Christmas Hall C

Hall A A37

CGB Giftware

A40

Flame Homeware

A29

Hall Q Anglo American Distributors Ltd.

Q53

Allsorted

C6

Archipelago

Q20

Amica Accessories Ltd

Florelle Import Co.

C27

Bailey & Brooke

Q7

Anniversary House

A34

Global Journey Ltd

C20

Casdon Toys

Q46

Art Nouvocative

A38

I E P Wholesale

C4

Fair to Trade Ltd.

Q12

Artcuts Ltd

A16

Jeno Floral Imports

C5

Felt so good

Q39

Berni Parker Designs Ltd

A9, A22

Leisuregrow Products Ltd (NOMA)

C1

Festive Productions Ltd.

Q51

Blossom Bakery

A25

Lemax-Europe BV

C37

Heaven Sends

Q11

Blue Roo Imports Ltd

A26

Low's

C19

Joe Davies Ltd

Q77

Bollywood Christmas

A7

Padgett Brothers AtoZ

C18

Lotus Imports Ltd.

Q85

BrownTrout Publishers Ltd

A6

Richard Lang & Son Ltd

C17

Primus (A Perry Ltd.)

Q21

Calico Cottage

A8

Riffelmacher & Weinberger GmbH & Co KG

C22

Puleo Asia Ltd.

Q2

Charles Taylor

C2

Royal County Products Ltd

Q78

CK SUPPLIES Claire Louise

C3

A18

Sincere UK Ltd.

C10

Sass & Belle

Q8

A36

Suki Gifts Interantional Ltd

C3a

Sparkle and Light Ltd.

Q47

Delight Imports Ltd

A30

The Giftware Trading Company

C41

The Straits Trading Company Ltd

Q18

Gaeltag Keltika Ltd. GIFTSCRIBES GIFTS LTD

A2

The Milford Collection

C24

TRANSOMNIA LTD

Q25

A4

The Satchville Gift Company

C21

Twinkly

Q72

Gwynedd Confectioners

A35

Walton & Co Ltd.

Q9

Heyland & Whittle

Q43

Janice Daughters Artist & Illustrator

Q64

Lumens Homeware Ltd

Q55

Mecodels Eco-model kits maker

Q44

Natural Partners Ltd

Q79

PolarX Ornament & Gift

Q15

POP SHOTS

Q16

Rosanna Rossi

Q59

Shatchi

Q1

Smart Garden Products Ltd

Q19

Stands Out Ltd

Q66

Steal a Deal

Q34

Swole Panda Ltd

Q33

Terra Rossa

Q10

The Art File

Hall D Hall B

D8

BALTUS CANDLES

B22

Adobe

D1a

Cosmic Fireworks

B12

All About Christmas

D16

JayMark Products Ltd

B16

Candle Light Products

D2

Keel Toys Ltd

B5

Davies Products (Liverpool) Ltd.

D10

Lesser & Pavey Ltd.

B12a

Deva Designs Ltd

D1

Mr Tinsel

B2, B9

Floralsilk Ltd.

D19

Snowtime

B11

History & Heraldry

D12

Tallon International Ltd.

B1

Hogewoning B.V

D3

Thai Pride

B18

House Of Marbles

D17

XYSTOS

B15

National Tree Company

B6

PMS International Group Plc

Hall H

B4

Puckator Ltd

H1

Premier Decorations Ltd.

Q6

The Christmas Tinsel Co Ltd

B14

RSW International Ltd.

H2

Premier Halloween

Q26

The Playwrite Group Plc

B3

Sifcon International Plc

H3

Premier Halloween

Q37

Tomcat Cards

B17

The Great British Card Company

Q50

TREND MANIA LTD

B20

The Kilted Christmas Tree Company

B10

The Original Metal Sign Co.

B21

Tildenet Gardenware Ltd

B13

Widdop Bingham & Co Ltd

Queen Suite Foyer QS2

Fountasia International Ltd

QS1

Vivid Arts Ltd.

Hall M

Q32

Twizler

M12

Ascalon Design Ltd.

Q87

Ultimate Products

M24

Culinary Concepts

Q17

Wildtouch

M14, M16

Gisela Graham Ltd.

Q30

Wombat Retail

M2

Hamac Trading Co

M1

Kaemingk BV

M22

Konstsmide (UK) Ltd.

M26

Luxa Flamelighting

M6

Sagedecor

M28

Weiste

30th Year of Publication

REGULARS Leader page

FEATURES 7

38

Premier Decorations M.D. John Athwal reviews some of the Challenges of 2018 and looks forward to A most successful 2019

40

100 years and still going strong Joe Davies set out their stall for Harrogate

42

Retail Opinion – Buyer Update 20,22

Riffelmacher enjoy continued UK growth John King – Export Manager answers a number of questions on their UK success

46

Harrogate Christmas & gift Show intro 32

Planting Tree Roots to sales success Premier’s Danny O’Halloran sets the scene

48

Thank Heaven for Angels Gisela Graham’s Piers Croke give a historical slant on our favourite tree-top Angel

52

All will be revealed at Harrogate Konstsmide’s Richard Jerrom gives us an update on this specialist lighting company

54

All aboard the Lang’s steam train Lot’s of new product on display

58

Instagram Hotspots with Floralsilk You can trust Floralsilk to come up with Something original

60

Mystical Woodland and much much more From Cwmbran to Harrogate, Festive lead The way

62

All around the World

News

8,10

GCA Update

12

HTA Update

16

Spring Fair – Seasonal, Merry & Bright 18

Show Exhibitor List

34

Look Back in Time – 1989, 1999, 2009 and 2014 re-visited

36

A selection of new products to be seen at the show

45,47,49,71,74

A world of magic from Kaemingk

Publisher:

Malcolm Naish

64

Happy 80th Birthday – NOMA Big celebration for Noma’s 80th

66

A Smart move in Harrogate First Timers in 2018, This year a lot, lot more to see from Smart Products

68

Happy Glitter Christmas Keel Toys, the kings of plush at Harrogate

70

A very diverse offering from Giftware Trading A highly original Christmas offering

malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk Features Editor: Production Director:

Sarah Welsh Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Layout:

Rick Vickers rick@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation:

Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

Published by: Lema Publishing Ltd 1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts.

HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930 Fax: 01442 289950 Email: info@lemapublishing.co.uk

retail interviews 26

There‘s a lot riding on Christmas Wyevales Phillipa Willcox is an expert on festive shopping psychology

56

A perfect festive performance Interview with Rachel Gibbon of Buckingham Garden Centre

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

Tree_company_advert_co_PRINT.pdf

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

1

21/12/2018

12:31

Leader

The Leader T

his is our 30th year of publishing ‘Christmas in January’, but this is nothing compared to NOMA who celebrate their 80th year. Five years ago Leisuregrow bought this old-established company from the Capel family and have carefully nurtured and grown the brand.

In our first edition back in January 1989 we noted Noma’s 50th and subsequently in 1999 their 60th and 2009 their 70th. Move forward to 2019 and Noma’s 80th will be celebrated on the Sunday evening at Harrogate in the Royal Hall, where a fabulous evening is promised of fine food and drink coupled with lavish entertainment in the form of comedy star Dara O’Briain, whom many in the audience will recognize as host of the BBC’s ‘Mock the Week’. Dara is sure to prove a big hit with his fast, intelligent comedy style. A live band will follow with dancing into the early hours.

Plenty of hangovers to be sure on the Monday morning!

Did the long hot summer that helped many garden centres to clear out all their summer stock impact on suppliers’ deliveries of Christmas product? John Athwal – MD of Premier Decorations always has his finger on the pulse and this was his take on the situation.

There is no doubt as many suppliers have told me that quite a few small to medium factories in China had been closed down by the government, leading to a few problems with sourcing manufacturing over there.

Many believe that one positive resulting from the demise of some and the hard times suffered by High Street department stores has only benefitted garden centres, who remain a destination visit, even more so with the various woes of the High Street.

I’m equally sure that there will be those who refute this suggestion totally, so answers on a post card please!

If you haven’t been dealing with major manufacturers in China for some years, it must be difficult for newcomers to find reliable suppliers, which makes me wonder why more and more garden centres and retailers are reverting to ‘Own

Brand’ ranges. Surely, this gives them added headaches, when all they need to do is select ranges from established companies rather than have all that hassle of creating an ‘Own Brand’ range?

I’m told the reason they do this is so that the consumer can’t compare prices on a like for like basis if they are faced with ‘Own Brand’ ranges.

As a consumer myself, when buying groceries I was really hacked off when in a small branch of M & S in Tring, only had crisps on offer that were their own. I felt cheated, so I hope that a few more consumers may well feel the same way when visiting garden centres to buy Christmas products.

Harrogate Christmas & Gift opens its doors on the 13th January, closing on the 16th. Four days that gives buyers a marvelous opportunity to fill their order books with next Christmas’s exciting new lines.

There are over 30 new exhibitors that include a number of greeting card Publishers – a category that is finding increasing favour at the show. Most of the new exhibitors are showing in Hall ‘Q’.

Canny visitors plan their trip to Harrogate, many of them using the information in this edition to help them on their way. Stop off at our stand in the entrance to Hall ‘A’ to let us know your thoughts on the show.

Xystos has bought leading bath and body brand Di Palomo from owners Unex Designs. Xystos had been distributing Di Palomo for the last 18 months, so the acquisition made sense to all concerned. David Lewis M.D. of Xystos had this to say “We are delighted to own this prestigious brand and regard its acquisition as a natural development as we increase our own intellectual property portfolio.”

So finally, as we wind down to the Christmas and New Year period with the magazine being mailed immediately after Christmas we would like to wish everyone a trouble-free New Year and very much hope that the horrible word ‘Brexiti’ will soon be solved so that we can all get on with our lives.

Our stand is just inside the entrance to Hall ‘A’ where I look forward to meeting both old friends and new.

christmas in january 7

Feature News

Krinner opt for Scandinavian Purism Krinner are the kings when it comes to Christmas tree bases and have introduced a Scandinavian inspired base, where they have deliberately moved away from the traditional curved lines we have all come to expect.

They believe that they have created not only a Christmas tree base, but also a design object that will be very popular with both young and old. Anyone who is design-savvy will love this piece of kit.

Based in Bavaria, Germany they exhibit at christmasworld, where all will be revealed.

Their ‘Lumix’ cordless Christmas tree candle were another first for Krinner. They have improved the earlier models with their new ‘SuperLight’ that has a double flicker mode plus five dimming levels and a timer function. It also comes with a remote control button that enables the candles to shine brighter than any other candle available on the market today they claim.

Christmasworld stand C.28 – Hall 10 Email: office@krinner.com

Christmas Decorations built on solid family foundations Quality - Design - Service Weiste - a strong UK reputation over 30 years See the Exclusive Weiste 2019 Collections HARROGATE CHRISTMAS & GIFTS EXHIBITION 13th - 16th January 2019 Hall M - Stand 28 Enquiries UK: Morris May Ltd e: info@morrismay.com t: 0131 208 0247 m: 07774 493 594

^ÞǣOŸɚsNj ŎŸNjs Ǽ ɠsÞǣǼsǣÌŸƼʳʩ

8 christmas in january

Malcolm Naish hands over to Casdon’s Paul Cassidy as incoming Chairman of the Harrogate Christmas & Gift show at their recent AGM.

NOMA CELEBRATING 80 YEARS OF INNOVATION. THE LIGHTING SPECIALIST SINCE 1939 VISIT STAND A9, A22

1939

1950

1970

1987

2019

PART OF THE LEISUREGROW GROUP www.noma.co.uk Joining us for Harrogate 2019 are our friends at Petface, view their Christmas range stand A22 for Christmas Pet Accessories

Feature News

Twenty years with Puleo Asia

As many of our readers will know, Adrian Yapp is Puleo’s man to go to for all U.K. sales. This year Adrian celebrates twenty years with the company and has this to say “20 years with Puleo have just flown by and it’s been a pleasure working with this wonderful family-owned business.

I have seen the brand get stronger and the quality become a focal point of its sales strategy. I would like to thank all my customers for their loyalty and friendship and look forward to serving both Puleo and their customers in the coming years.”

Pictured left to right: Dan Twidle, Carl Beiersdorf, Louise Craven

Smart expands their Sales teams

Riffelmacher strengthens sales team

With U.K. sales enjoying healthy grow, Export Manager John King is pleased to announce that father and son team Richard and Nathan Foster have added Riffelmacher to their portfolio for 2019.

Both Richard and Nathan are already extremely well-known and well connected with the garden centres in the North East of England.

John looks forward to welcoming them both on board and looks forward to working with them both.

“Our tree was up within in ten seconds of being placed in the stand, which for me is something of a record! All those past years of struggling uggling and fighting are now thankfully fully past.“ Jonathan Dellar

With the business growing at an exceptional pace, Smart have invested further in expanding their sales teams.

Carl Beiersdorf joins as Key Account Manager with a wealth of experience in the garden trade and will be a familiar face to many customers.

Dan Twidle is joining the team as Area Sales Manager, working with Adrian Seber in the South West.

Louise Craven arrives with extensive consumer product experience which will be invaluable in her role as National Account Manager.

Jonathan Stobart, Managing Director, comments “As our dynamic growth continues, new opportunities are created in the company. Carl, Dan and Louise have all worked in our industry and can hit the ground running as we head into next season.

2019 promises to be a fantastic year”.

For more information, interviews or images please contact: Caroline Holford, Smart Garden Products Tel: 01235 424137 Email: c.holford@sgpuk.com Web: www.sgpuk.com

Visit us at: Christmasworld Frankfurt Hall 9.0 · Stand B 20 office@krinner.com

w w w.krinner.com 10 christmas in january

EVERY TREE AS PERFECT AS THE LAST NOMA CELEBRATING 80 YEARS OF INNOVATION. THE LIGHTING SPECIALIST SINCE 1939 VISIT STAND A9, A22

1939

1950

1970

1987

2019

PART OF THE LEISUREGROW GROUP www.noma.co.uk Joining us for Harrogate 2019 are our friends at Petface, view their Christmas range stand A22 for Christmas Pet Accessories

Feature GCA NEWS

GCA news From wild weather origins to the expansion of its Rising Stars programme and a great celebrity-packed annual conference to look forward to, the Garden Centre Association has had a hectic year. Chief Executive Iain Wylie fills us in with a round-up of the latest news…

F

orget Brexit – at the start of 2018 the challenges facing garden centres up and down the country were more meteorologically minded!

The beginning of the year was unusually wet and cold with extreme weather events like the ‘Beast from the East’ playing their part in a year of ups and downs for the industry. Easter came and went and it seemed like winter would never end. Consumers weren’t visiting garden centres simply because they couldn’t get out into their gardens. But then at the end of April the weather turned, and soon a long, hot summer was upon us bringing customers out in their droves.

After a few weeks many centres were reporting record sales and starting to make up some of the lost ground from March and April. There were pressures on some parts of the supply chain, but the sun continued to shine and the gardening season turned out well. Along with furniture and barbecues plants were the star performers.

Ironically in the latter months of the year the milder weather dampened the enthusiasm for Christmas goods at the start of the festive selling period but sales picked up in time for the peak weeks and once again garden centres proved popular destinations for festive shopping.

Continuing to GROW

Five years ago the GCA launched GROW – Garden Online Retail Workshops.

This innovative e-learning project enables member businesses to train staff with high quality materials, without the need for leaving centres to attend expensive courses.

This is a cost-effective way of improving product knowledge and customer service, and GCA GROW now has in excess of 10,000 employees at member centres learning from almost a hundred subject modules, including health and safety and food hygiene as well as core gardening topics.

Early this year we will be launching the final set of learning modules to complete our comprehensive Customer Service Programme.

12 christmas in january

Conference conversation

This month the GCA Conference will see delegates from around the country gather at Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire, with sights firmly set on a successful spring at the same time as determining product ranges for Christmas 2019. Held from Sunday, 20 January, to Wednesday, 23 January, the conference comes at the perfect time of the year and is an opportunity for retailers and suppliers to network, share experiences from the 12 months just gone and plan with optimism for the year ahead.

This year along with the excellent presentations from our team of inspectors and the announcement of our competition winners, we have some excellent speakers who will - through their hints, experience and market analysis - help members to fine tune their plans and preparations.

John Stanley will highlight trends appropriate to the gardening market from across the globe with insight into today’s (and tomorrow’s) consumer. Tanya Beckett, BBC Economics Correspondent and news anchor, will help us to find our way through the Brexit minefield and assess the economic outlook for the year. And excitingly we will be also joined by Kevin Pietersen, a top class, Ashes winning, former cricketer who is now helping with rhino conservation through his own charity. Kevin will share how to keep focused on success and achieving your goals as well as talking about his current mission with conservation work. Continuing the sporting theme, Sir Clive Woodward, the World Cup winning England Rugby Coach, will cover his many notable business successes and talk about his experience in team building and developing this to maximise the strengths of every individual in an organisation to collectively achieve goals.

Stand out from the crowd this Christmas WITH

Come and see this advert brought to life at Harrogate Christmas & Gift 13th-16th January 2019 Hall B, Stand þ[ ą Spring Fair 3rd – 7th February 2019 Hall 2, Stand F04

sales@floralsilk.co.uk Untitled-5 1

01778 425 205

www.floralsilk.co.uk 07/11/2018 11:06

Feature GCA Christmas Competition

Under inspection

Best of British

Standards at GCA centres are getting better and better year on year as the centres compete in an ever-changing retail world.

The GCA’s own inspectors visit every member centre each year and produce an in-depth report which enables retail teams to benchmark and improve.

This is a valuable business tool, and this year for the first time all of the Top 100 garden centres achieved a ‘Highly Commended’ status, scoring 75% or above. We’ve seen a 10% increase in numbers achieving this award and this numerical milestone illustrates the continued success of our inspection process.

Top to bottom: Bents, Perrywood and Poplars

Rising Stars

The GCA’s Rising Stars programme was expanded last year with the launch of ‘Catering Rising Stars’, giving young people working in restaurants and cafes in GCA centres the chance to complete a series of workshops and projects to support their career development.

We are very grateful to Creed Foodservice for their sponsorship and active involvement in the programme enabling Chris Brown of Turpin Smale and Ben Harrison of Haskins to deliver a really vibrant and interesting programme of events.

International ambitions

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.

We are proud to be hosting the 2019 IGCA Congress in England. The Congress will be based in Windsor in September and we expect to welcome 250 delegates from around the world. The event is already booking up ahead of expectations and we have a packed programme and are keen for both retailers and suppliers to get involved. Our suppliers will have access to decision makers from leading garden centres and it might be an ideal opportunity to boost, or tap into, an export market 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 sales figures from participating centres, is available instantly each month, and there are also annual competitions, area meetings and above all the ability to share information and experiences with like-minded individuals and businesses. *For more information on the Garden Centre Association, email: info@gca.org.uk, call: 0118 930 8918 or visit: www.gca. org.uk. You can also find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/ GardenCentreAssociation or follow the organisation on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/GC_Association.

14 christmas in january

Mister Tinsel manufactures and supplies the very

Want to add some sparkle to your visit?

best of Christmas Tinsel & Garlands

Come and see Mister Tinsel on Stand D1/2, Hall D 13 to 16 January 2019 Harrogate Convention Centre e: sales@mistertinsel.com t: 0845 3192046

www.mistertinsel.com Unit 2, Binbrook Technical Park, Binbrook, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire LN8 6HF

www.cosmicfireworks.com e: enquiries@cosmicfireworks.com t: 01283 520 771

Cosmic Fireworks is one of the UK’s leading wholesale suppliers of fireworks for trade and retailers. As one of the premium firework companies in the UK we provide retailers and traders all around the country with some of the very best fireworks available on the market.

Note: dis card black bac white log o on suitab kground and use le backgro und colo ur

We are pleased to be exhibiting adjacent to Mister Tinsel on Stand D2

Feature Horticultural Trades Association

HTA: Blooming good

for Business

The Horticultural Trades Association has been supporting its members for almost 120 years, as Sarah Welsh discovers as the organisation looks forward to a lush 2019…

W

ay back in 1899 the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) was established by a group of like-minded, green fingered enthusiasts – and some 119 years later its now more than 1,500 members still rely on it for innovative business support and advice on challenges facing the industry.

Quite simply the HTA helps members to bloom in business terms by providing vital services such as training, conferences and events, market information and research and crucial promotional ideas and schemes, such as the popular National Garden Gift Vouchers and Gift Card Schemes.

Last autumn the HTA’s Marketing Forum was held at Horticulture House, Chilton, on 17

October, where delegates learned about vital retail marketing tools that can help them ‘Stand Out from the Crowd.’

2018’s National Children’s Gardening Week (NCGW) was also a huge success from its launch on 26 May, 2018, with 300 garden centres taking part. This year, the event kicks off on Saturday, 25 May, running until 2 June, with members being encouraged to hold events to 16 christmas in january

mark the occasion throughout the week.

The aim of NCGW, which supports the Greenfingers Charity which builds magical gardens for children in hospices, is to get as many children and their families and schools involved as possible gardening and having fun in their gardens. Under the guidance of the HTA it turned out to be very successful in 2018 with gardening project ideas potentially catching the attention of 500,000 consumers and TV gardener Chris Collins signing up to be the event’s celebrity ambassador again this year.

New for 2019 is the HTA’s exciting new campaign ‘Gardening is Good for You’ – an evolution of its previous ‘Plant of the Moment’ promotion. This targeted monthly programme aimed at garden centre customers and keen gardeners alike not only promotes plants that are in season with a calendar of imaginative retail ideas, but also health and wellbeing activities.

Monthly articles penned by gardening consultant and journalist Adam Pasco will be available to provide both content and images in-store and online, with themed suggestions throughout the year that members can bring their individual creative strengths to and use to engage with their customer base to promote a huge array of products, accessories and landscaping ideas.

Not only this, but the campaign also aims to cover the full sensory value and experience of plants as well as helping consumers to connect with relaxation and mindfulness and experience the natural world outside their own back door.

For more news on these and other campaigns and the HTA in general, visit: www. hta-org.uk

Vanishing Gardens

A

new report has revealed that not only are gardens getting smaller in the UK, but now nearly a quarter of new homes don’t have any green space at all.

In fact the in-depth survey conducted by Oxford Economics for the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group, shows that by 2020 one million more homes won’t have a private garden, as compared to 1995. £24.2bn was the total GDP footprint of Britain’s ornamental horticulture industries in 2017, with almost 570,000 jobs supported by it. Yet still horticulture is hardly being referenced in the national curriculum or promoted as a valued career path.

Alan Titchmarsh, one of the nation’s best loved gardeners, has spokenly publicly on the issue calling on MPs to better recognise and invest in the industry.

“This report shows the huge value of ornamental horticulture to the UK’s economy,” he said. “Last year households spent around £7.5bn on garden goods, with manufacturers selling around £1.3bn worth of garden goods and products. That’s one in every £100 of household spending going on horticultural products and services.”

Halloween_A4_CIJ_ad_co_PRINT.pdf

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

1

21/12/2018

12:37

Feature Spring Fair

Seasonal, merry and bright For many involved in festive retail Spring Fair is quite simply the most important trade show of the year, as Sarah Welsh discovers…

I

f you can gather together an eclectic selection of some of the leading and most innovative seasonal designers and suppliers in the UK and create a dazzling, magical display that immediately transports visitors to that warm and welcoming festive mood – in early February, you know you’ve got it right when it comes to Christmas.

Over the course of five days, from Sunday, 3 February, to Thursday, 7 February, tens of thousands of trade professionals – around 56,000 to be precise - will be heading to Birmingham’s NEC to attend Spring Fair. And many of them will have a visit to Halls 2 and 3 – the sought after Christmas Gifts, Floral & Seasonal Decoration showcase – right at the top of their ‘to-do’ list.

Here you can find everything from festive tableware and gifts to life-size Santas, beautifully dressed trees and baubles so small and delicate that they have to be seen to be believed. And that’s the beauty of Spring Fair. As the UK’s largest home and gift marketplace, there is simply nowhere better to network, meet up with suppliers old and new, check out the latest Christmas trends, peruse inspiring festive product to your heart’s content and, crucially, take away a wealth of visual merchandising inspiration with you.

Valerie Kempster, Store Manager and Buyer for the Rosebourne Group, which has stores in Weyhill, Aldermaston and has also recently acquired another garden centre site in Hampton in Arden, says walking into the seasonal halls at Spring Fair is always truly magical.

“We get a lot of inspiration from how the suppliers have laid out their show stands and it puts you straight back into the Christmas spirit in February – that’s when you know a show is brilliant at what it does!” she says.

“In the same way that we take inspiration from the exhibitors in the seasonal halls, our customers also get creative ideas from our displays and that brilliant design flair filters down.

“I’ve been attending Spring Fair for almost 20 years and it’s always an important event in terms of planning for Christmas. Before we head off I think carefully about how I’m going to spend my time there and which suppliers we’ll visit.

It’s crucial to go with a plan as the show is vast 18 christmas in january

and I’m not just buying for Christmas but also giftware and stationery etc. I’ll spend a day and a half buying for seasonal and I can then turn my attention to other product areas.

“It’s a huge show for Rosebourne but also the garden centre sector in general because of its sheer size and breadth of suppliers and product.

You’ve got everything there and it covers every aspect of what you sell in a garden centre.

“All the big name suppliers are there but you also get smaller more individual companies which means you can find something that’s that little bit different and will bring something unique to your stores. It’s all about scouting out lovely product items.”

Spring Fair is made up of an amazing 15 carefully curated show sectors, and in the region of 2,500 exhibitors choose to showcase their ranges at the show with literally thousands of products launched at the event and countless deals done and relationships forged.

Louise Young, Spring Fair’s managing director, says: “As always at this year’s show we’ll be bringing together the most innovative products and the creative thinking of the trade, to have a real impact on the financial success of both retailers and exhibitors.

“The marketplace our show offers is something the internet can’t provide – a place to touch the products, feel their weight, speak to the suppliers and compare your options.”

Halls 2 & 3 promise to have a greater variety of seasonal products on display than ever previously seen at this year’s Spring Fair, from exhibitors who have travelled to the show from across the UK and all over the world.

Iconic festive company Kaemingk will present a wide range of Christmas lighting as well as a vast tree collection, alongside their unique Everland collection with wreaths, trees and garlands.

Other big seasonal names you can expect to see at the show include: Premier Decorations, Festive Productions, Enchante, Mercer Agencies, National Tree Company and The Creation Group – who join Spring Fair from Denmark.

This year’s show will also see a wide selection of companies offering Christmas-themed animatronics and animated figures, reflecting the

seasonal sector’s desire to embrace technological innovation. The likes of Seasonal Group and Hamac Trading will be on hand to talk visitors through the latest innovations in this specialist area.

This year floral exhibitors will include Swift Imports, Sincere, Florelle and museum-grade artificial plant manufacturers TreeLocate, as well as the renowned Sagedécor.

“It’s never too early to start preparing for Christmas in retail,” says Spring Fair’s seasonal event director, Alison Graham. “This year’s show will be an essential visit for all buyers needing to get a head start on their Christmas 2019 restocking and getting to grips with what will be driving sales through the 2019 golden quarter.

“As part of our commitment to newness and variety within seasonal, this year we’re very excited to be being joined by a number of new exhibitors, including some of the biggest suppliers of their kind from across Europe. Exhibitors from previous years will also be showcasing a raft of new products with something for every budget and size of retailer.”

“I’ve been going to Spring Fair for years and the first time walking through those doors I remember I was gobsmacked at the sheer size of it,” says Anna Mitchell, owner of Castleton Farm Shop, Aberdeenshire. “It’s great for planning.

“The timing of the show couldn’t be more perfect for us. We go there with knowledge from last Christmas fresh in our minds and there are so many suppliers on hand to talk to. Plus we can cover the gift and gift food side of things at the same time.”

So what are you waiting for? With a host of exciting theatre and workshop spaces at the show with a wide range of expert speakers on hand to deliver talks and events on their dedicated area of retail insight, you could also be heading home with some invaluable industry knowledge along with your festive deals. See you there!

Show stats What: Spring Fair 2019 When: 3 – 7 February Where: Birmingham NEC, B40 1NT Web: www.springfair.com

Feature Retail Ringround

Shop talk From Christmas comebacks following retail disasters to a wealth of colour inspiration and family traditions of festive buying – the Christmas season has never been more important to garden centres. Sarah Welsh spoke to a range of businesses to find out more…

Frances Kingham,

Manager, Jacksons Boutique Garden Centre, Trelawnyd, Rhyl (www.jacksonsgardencentre.co.uk) How long have you been involved with the business – and the seasonal side of things?

Jacksons is a family business and we celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2018. I’ve been working here on and off since I was a little girl, but I’ve been back on board properly for around 15 years and I buy all of Christmas alongside my mum Lorraine – as well as doing our major festive display with her. For the last three years I’ve been heavily involved with the Christmas side of things, but neither mum nor I are trained in festive visual merchandising. The expertise I now have has been passed down through the generations and we’ve won countless awards for our Christmas displays, which is lovely.

How important is Christmas to your business?

It’s very important. Our customers tell us they like to come and buy decorations and gifts here because we stock things they can’t get elsewhere. We try to be exclusive and unique with festive product and we buy things from a lot of different suppliers – not just the standard ones.

We have quite a large Christmas shop space that opens mid-October, but we’re famous for our festive displays that take six-seven weeks to put together. Our attention to detail sets us apart I like to think and customers say the displays are inspirational which is lovely to hear.

We change our themes every year and where

items are placed in store to keep it all fresh. For example, last Christmas we went for an all-green woodland theme, a luxury take on traditional colours with chandeliers and angels and swapped pastel pinks for fairies and unicorns.

“My festive expertise has been passed down to me through the generations and we’ve won lots of awards for our Christmas displays,”

What suppliers work well for you?

Kaemingk are always a pleasure to work with and their showroom is very inspirational. We also enjoy working Frances Kingham, with Gisela Graham and we do a Jacksons Garden Centre lot of Welsh Christmas decorations and Welsh produce in our festive food section. A new supplier we’ve recently started working with is Sophie Davies.

What colours and product sold well for you last Christmas, and do you have any predictions for 2019?

In terms of product our seasonal sales across the board were great in 2018, if there was a slow area it was children’s plush toys which was interesting. Green sold well as a colour which ties in with the popularity of foliage, and pink also sold well.

Next year I think crisp white and icy blue tones are looking likely to be big, and interestingly so is an Indian theme with bright jewel colours. I certainly want to do something interesting with that for our customers.

Valerie Kempster,

Store Manager and Buyer for the Rosebourne Group (garden centres in Weyhill, Aldermaston and Hampton-in-Arden – www.rosebourne.co.uk) How was Christmas 2018 for the business?

It’s been fantastic actually. We only opened our Aldermaston store on October 6th and the location has been brilliant for us. We smashed the budget in terms of the sales we expected to do there.

With Christmas we use the same model at both stores. It’s very much about looking at individual festive product and painstakingly putting it all together. We use our festive themes to create theatre within our stores and our customers really respond to that. Festive suppliers we love working with include Kaemingk, Enchante and Premier.

What festive themes did you have last year?

There were four. The first was ‘Winter Warmth’, centred around tones of blue, cashmere, white and glass, and this was our most successful theme. Then we had ‘Santa’s Workshop’ which was all about traditional colours, reds, greens, silver and gold. ‘Night at the Theatre’ was built around bold colours, dark blues, purples and reds – a real Aladdin’s cave if you like. And then finally we had ‘Winter’s Lodge’ with hues of oxblood, green and copper.

20 christmas in january

Funnily enough our Winter Warmth theme was really ahead of the curve, because Kaemingk have something very similar in their showroom for this year!

Are you looking forward to Harrogate Christmas & Gift this year?

Harrogate is always a lovely show, there’s a really great atmosphere and we find suppliers there who don’t show at Spring Fair. The show is really well done and gets you back into the Christmas spirit straight away – actually as soon as you drive into town.

There’s no doubt that for us it’s a very important trade event and we get a lot of our Christmas buying done there.

Harrogate Christmas & Gift Harrogate International Centre Stand C19, 13-16 JANUARY 2019

10,000+ lines to choose from Only £100 minimum order ‘Little & Often’ ordering system FREE next day delivery Award winning customer service

Christmas Cheery Ornaments

Christmas Cosy LED Houses

Neon Christmas

Country Christmas

Christmas Woodland Gold

Christmas Glass Art Baubles

Christmas LED Santa & Houses 16 Times Winners of the PG Greats Awards

Gold Award Winner 2018

BEST SERVICE TO THE INDEPENDENT RETAILER

Silver White Santas & Snowmen

Christmas Silver Glitter

Joe Davies 149 Broadstone Road, Reddish Stockport SK5 7GA Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

The ‘Little & Often’ Giftware Supplier &KULVWPDV LQ -DQXDU\ )XOO SDJH DG LQGG

Feature Retail Ringround

Paresh Raithatha,

Owner, Ansell Garden Centre, West Drayton (www.ansellgardencentre.co.uk) When did you launch Christmas 2018 in store?

It’s actually been a very challenging couple of years for the business.

In November 2016 we had a major fire with a hundred firefighters tackling the blaze, and the whole garden centre burned down. We made the national news and they were discussing closing Heathrow Airport, which is just down the road – we’re only a couple of miles from Terminal 3.

For the past couple of years – and Christmas seasons – we’d been operating from a couple of gazebos.

Our customers have been amazing but it was far from ideal. We had a soft launch for the new business and building on November 5, 2018, and we had to put Christmas together in nine days, as opposed to the six weeks it usually takes.

With all that’s gone on how were festive sales for you last year?

We did brilliantly with lighting and all the core Christmas products including crackers, wrapping paper and all greetings items.

Decorations are usually very big for us, and although we had a smaller selection they sold really well too. Traditional colour options, including red, green and gold were very popular. Real trees are always a massive draw for us – funnily enough in the weeks following the fire two years ago we sold 900, which was amazing. Interestingly we’ve found that artificial trees are less popular now.

How important is Christmas for you as a business generally?

It’s become more and more important in recent years. I think garden

Anna Mitchell,

Owner, Castleton Farm Shop, Aberdeenshire (www. castletonfarm.co.uk) How important is Christmas to the business?

December is always our busiest month – although we deliberately don’t open our Christmas shop until the 1st of November. People can get fed up if you go all festive too early, so it’s a fine line to tread trying to keep everyone happy!

We start planning Christmas at the start of the year – just before Spring Fair actually which we generally always attend. For us it’s an important show because there are just so many suppliers there and they also have festive food which is a big category for us.

Yes as a farm shop how important is festive food and food gifts to the retail mix?

Very important – we do about 50% gifts and 50% food related product.

We actually make a lot of items ourselves – mince pies, for example, and all the trimmings to go with the turkey. Food brands are also important though and we stock baking ranges and products from local suppliers, including Isabella’s Preserves and Ola Oil, which are based in Angus and Aberdeenshire. Alcohol gift sets are also very popular.

What festive suppliers do you enjoy working with?

Stoneglow Candles always sell well for us at Christmas, and this year we’ve also had some lovely pieces from a new Finnish supplier called Weiste that we made contact with at last year’s Christmas & Gift

22 christmas in january

centres are now seen as the retail sector that does Christmas the best – in terms of the theatre of it all, the build-up and dedicated staff. We dedicate about half the shop floor space to it – around 1,500 square feet. Being located near Heathrow is good for Christmas sales – and gift shopping in general actually. People like buying something from the UK to take home and there are so many hotels in this area that people often drop in on route to the airport.

“We had to put Christmas together in just nine days last year – rather than the six weeks it usually takes,” Paresh Raithatha, Ansell Garden Centre

What colour themes do you think will be big for Christmas 2019?

Crisp colours do well for us – whites, icy blues and clear tones.

They look really good with warm lights.

What festive suppliers do you enjoy working with and what trade events are important for you as a business?

Yankee Candle and Smart Garden, who have been building up their Christmas range, plus Premier Decorations who are only based down the road in Ruislip. We have a great relationship with Premier – so much so that some of their guys came to help us with pricing up before we re-opened!

In terms of festive trade events, we always go to Spring Fair and spend two to three days there, and we visit Premier, Festive and Kaemingk showrooms.

show. They make beautiful decorations and we also ordered some of their lovely, fleecy blankets. In terms of gifts, we sell a lot of women’s accessories from a company called Powder. They make gorgeous scarves, gloves and socks.

What colours tend to sell for you?

Traditional colours, reds, golds and greens sell well for us. Colour is always important for us in terms of visual merchandising.

Prepare Source the latest traditional and unique Christmas products at Spring Fair 2019.

56,000+ visitors 2,500 exhibitors 16 show sectors springfair.com

SS002921 SF CHRISTMAS IN JAN PRESS AD 210X297AW2.indd 1

16/11/2018 16:06

A3_battery_op_microbrights_ad_co_PRINT.pdf

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

1

21/12/2018

12:23

Feature Wyevale

‘There’s a lot riding on Christmas...’

Dressing stores and windows for the most wonderful time of the year is quite simply an art form. But Wyevale’s Philippa Willcox is also an expert in festive shopping psychology, as Sarah Welsh discovers…

E

ver wondered why you popped into a garden centre’s Christmas shop for some tree lights but came out with presents for the whole family? Step forward visual merchandising and retail design expert Philippa Willcox.

Philippa, who has worked as the visual merchandising manager for garden and leisure for the Wyevale Group for almost five years, admits being ‘utterly fascinated’ by consumer behaviour and what makes retail customers buy certain products. And it’s this expertise in shopping psychology and ‘subtle persuasion’ that ensures people that visit any of Wyevale’s numerous stores wend their way around all the beautifully staged Christmas themes

that Philippa and her team dream up at the company’s visual merchandising labs based in Twickenham and Chiswick.

But then you’d expect nothing less of someone who knew they wanted to design how a shop looked from the age of just 14!

What’s your personal business background and when did you first start specialising in visual merchandising?

I’m one of those super lucky people who knew what I wanted to from my early teens – I just didn’t know what the job was called! I grew up in Taunton and remember walking down Gandy Street in Exeter one day whilst shopping and looking at all the shop windows. It was then I knew I wanted to make retail spaces look beautiful. I started working in shops at age 16 around my schooling and worked for Fat Face for three years and got really involved with window displays and dressing the mannequins. I then went on to study visual merchandising and space design at Bournemouth University and interned at Robert Dyas and had a job working for Cath Kidston before coming to Wyevale.

There’s a lot that goes into visual merchandising – especially for Christmas. What does VM mean to you?

I always wanted to be involved with the strategy and visualisation side of VM – the design side of it all if you will. I’m really interested in consumer behaviour and why people buy certain things and that plays a big part. For Wyevale I manage the VM side of the garden centre stores. I come up with a design concept, working closely with the senior buying team, and set everything up so the product fits, the retail story is correct and it sits well with all 26 christmas in january

relevant promotions. I head up a team of four, including myself, and we work with a range of store sizes – around six to be precise. We devise

“During the festive season visual merchandising is all about shopping psychology and subtle persuasion.” what’s called a ‘planogram’ – a pictorial set up of what the stores should look like at Christmas and this is then collated into documents that are sent out for our individual garden centres to follow.

During the festive season VM is all about shopping psychology and subtle persuasion.

We want customers to get a glimpse of the next theme as they walk around our shops – a festive teaser if you like. This then encourages them to flow around all the Christmas themes and that ups the basket spend – both in terms of impulse buys and ‘link sales’, for example, buying a lantern and then a candle to go in it. Through clever VM we interrupt the customer’s journey to get them thinking about whether they have enough tape for wrapping, whether they have enough decorations and perhaps tempting them into the festive food section.

Why do you think the garden centre sector ‘does Christmas’ so well?

From my perspective Christmas is the most exciting and challenging time of the year – there’s a lot riding on it! I think as a customer you get the total festive

experience within a garden centre, because of the space available. With a high street store it’s more structured and less about the experience.

Garden centres are now viewed as a magical onestop shop when it comes to Christmas, and the eventing side of things and product ranges are only getting stronger. Garden centres can have festive grottos and breakfast and tea with Santa and also sell everything from a spade to tree lights, plus gifts for everyone. And garden centres tend to be more relaxed and family orientated in outlook, which is so important.

Can you tell us more about how Wyevale’s visual merchandising labs work?

vibrant jewel shades, and there’s plenty more mileage in these.

We tend to have five festive themes, and then there will be some others for bigger centres.

We have two labs based in Twickenham and Chiswick. They’re basically blank box floor spaces and we fill them with our fixtures and create a mock Christmas shop there. It’s not glamorous at all until everything is in place and you reach the final stage, then it all comes alive.

From a buying perspective our team will get samples the December before the Christmas we’re working on – so we received them at the end of last year looking ahead to 2019’s festive season. The VM side picks up from mid-January and we’ll look at how different product areas have performed, where we may need to up space for next Christmas and what the buyers want to push. We then start putting our festive themes together and the store managers will come to the labs for training in how we want shops to look around late April and into May. We then build our implementation documents and these go out to stores at the beginning of August to set up the Christmas shops ready to launch in October.

“At the moment we’re seeing huge growth in outdoor and garden festive lighting and pocket money pieces and stocking fillers.”

Where do you take festive inspiration from?

What are your ‘don’t miss’ trade events in terms of Christmas?

It can literally be from anywhere – from direct and indirect competitors to a restaurant décor catching your eye. I keep an eye on fashion trends and social media – and also what product trends look big for the following year. At the moment we’re seeing huge growth in outdoor and garden festive lighting and pocket money pieces and stocking fillers.

In terms of colours red, silver and gold are always core hues, but we put a spin on them in terms of subtle changes in tone – so we might have a champagne gold as opposed to a bright one. Where it comes to accent colours pink has been massive for a couple of years, as have 28 christmas in january

For me it’s about doing a few of them incredibly well, rather than trying to squeeze everything in.

For Christmas 2018 we had a red traditional theme, silver and white, gold and pink, ‘Aurora’, which was all about the night sky, birds and butterflies, and then for bigger centres a Gisela Graham capsule collection.

I head off to Holland with our buying team to visit the Kaemingk showroom. It’s a wonderful place to take inspiration from and we do take a lot of ideas from there and cascade them through our garden centres. We also always go to Harrogate Christmas & Gift show, but we don’t go to Spring Fair because we have our internal spring show for staff at exactly the same time.

*What does Christmas mean to you on a personal level?

For me it’s all about spending quality time with my family and every year we head to my grandparents’ house in Guilford. I have two sisters but my mum is one of six and Christmas in our home is usually around 25 to 30 people. I love playing board games with the children and even donning rubber gloves to help out in the kitchen!

Decorating my own house also fills me joy and I never grow tired of Christmas, but professionally it doesn’t get better than that moment in April when all the VM labs are laid out just as I want them. That ‘ta da’ moment is really amazing. *For more information on Wyevale’s stores visit: www.wyevalegardencentres.co.uk

Come and see us at: Harrogate Christmas & Gift

Stand C1

13 - 16th January 2019

festive.co.uk For more information, follow us on:

Come and see us at: Harrogate Christmas & Gift

Stand C1 13 - 16th January 2019

festive.co.uk For more information, follow us on:

Feature Harrogate Christmas & Gift

Planning is everything H arrogate Christmas & Gift will once again open its doors to the festive industry in 2019, straight after the Christmas holidays – from 13th to 16th January 2019 – promising a wealth of exciting new products for the Christmas 2019 season.

The show, which is perfectly timed for festive buyers – while fashion and trends for this Christmas are fresh in their minds – has grown steadily in popularity over the last five or six years and encompasses seven halls of the Harrogate Convention Centre. Last year, the show attracted over 5,000 buyers from a diverse range of sectors including department stores, independent gift retailers, garden centres, visitor attractions, cathedral and heritage shops – in fact any outlet at all that aims to offer its customers something a little special as a keepsake or gift for Christmas.

Simon Anslow, show organiser, explains: “Because of its name, everyone expects Harrogate Christmas & Gift to be just about Christmas – and of course, to an extent it is. You will find everything imaginable right up to Santa himself, from tinsel and crackers, trees and ornaments, lights and floral displays,

32 christmas in january

to toys, books and festive gifts. However, there is also a huge element of year-round ranges which are suitable for all retailers including garden products and lighting, greetings cards and toys, fragrance and aromatherapy products, fireworks, Easter and Halloween ranges – in fact if you are looking for something a little bit different to tempt your customers, you are pretty much guaranteed to find a product or two to catch your eye at the show.”

This year, as well as all of the visitor’s favourite companies such as Premier Decorations, Widdop & Co, Gisela Graham, Snowtime, Vivid Arts, Noma, Joe Davies, Floralsilk, Kaemingk, Festive productions, Sagedecor and Heaven Sends (to name just a few); the 2019 show offers over 30 brand new companies exhibiting for the first time. Many of these are located in Hall Q – so retailers looking for exciting new gift ranges should certainly head for this hall.

New companies include: Claire Louise with greetings cards, homeware and beauty products; Mercodels Eco-model kits maker with popular themed model crafts; Artcuts with seasonal gifts and decorations; and Ultimate Products which develops new, innovative concepts to bring sought after products to the market.

Visit the website at www.harrogatefair.com

for a full list of exhibitors and product search, free online registration and details of how to get to the show.

There is plenty of affordable accommodation in Harrogate and with so many new products to see it is worth extending your visit to the full four days so that you have plenty of time to consider your purchase options.

Konstsmide ’Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten’

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

ads_uk_2019.indd 1

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

2018-12-13 11:37

Feature Harrogate Christmas & Gift

Eight halls of Christmas Hall A

Hall C

Hall Q

A37

CGB Giftware

C3

Anglo American Distributors Ltd.

Q53

Allsorted

A40

Flame Homeware

C6

Archipelago

Q20

Amica Accessories Ltd

A29

Florelle Import Co.

C27

Bailey & Brooke

Q7

Anniversary House

A34

Global Journey Ltd

C20

Casdon Toys

Q46

Art Nouvocative

A38

I E P Wholesale

C4

Fair to Trade Ltd.

Q12

Artcuts Ltd

A16

Jeno Floral Imports

C5

Felt so good

Q39

Berni Parker Designs Ltd

A9, A22

Leisuregrow Products Ltd (NOMA)

C1

Festive Productions Ltd.

Q51

Blossom Bakery

C37

Heaven Sends

A25

Lemax-Europe BV

Q11

Blue Roo Imports Ltd

A26

Low's

C19

Joe Davies Ltd

Q77

Bollywood Christmas

A7

Padgett Brothers AtoZ

C18

Lotus Imports Ltd.

Q85

BrownTrout Publishers Ltd

A6

Richard Lang & Son Ltd

C17

Primus (A Perry Ltd.)

Q21

Calico Cottage

A8

Riffelmacher & Weinberger GmbH & Co KG

C22

Puleo Asia Ltd.

Q2

Charles Taylor

C2

Royal County Products Ltd

Q78

CK SUPPLIES Claire Louise

A18

Sincere UK Ltd.

C10

Sass & Belle

Q8

A36

Suki Gifts Interantional Ltd

C3a

Sparkle and Light Ltd.

Q47

Delight Imports Ltd

A30

The Giftware Trading Company

C41

The Straits Trading Company Ltd

Q18

Gaeltag Keltika Ltd. GIFTSCRIBES GIFTS LTD

A2

The Milford Collection

C24

TRANSOMNIA LTD

Q25

A4

The Satchville Gift Company

C21

Twinkly

Q72

Gwynedd Confectioners

A35

Walton & Co Ltd.

Q9

Heyland & Whittle

Q43

Janice Daughters Artist & Illustrator

Q64

Lumens Homeware Ltd

Hall D Hall B

D8

BALTUS CANDLES Cosmic Fireworks

B22

Adobe

D1a

B12

All About Christmas

D16

JayMark Products Ltd

B16

Candle Light Products

D2

Keel Toys Ltd

B5

Davies Products (Liverpool) Ltd.

D10

Lesser & Pavey Ltd.

B12a

Deva Designs Ltd

D1

Mr Tinsel

B2, B9

Floralsilk Ltd.

D19

Snowtime

B11

History & Heraldry

D12

Tallon International Ltd.

B1

Hogewoning B.V

D3

Thai Pride

B18

House Of Marbles

D17

XYSTOS

B15

National Tree Company

B6

PMS International Group Plc

Hall H

B4

Puckator Ltd

H1

B14

RSW International Ltd.

B3

Sifcon International Plc

B17

The Great British Card Company

B20

The Kilted Christmas Tree Company

B10

The Original Metal Sign Co.

B21

Tildenet Gardenware Ltd

B13

Widdop Bingham & Co Ltd

Queen Suite Foyer QS2

Fountasia International Ltd

QS1

Vivid Arts Ltd.

34 christmas in january

Q55

Mecodels Eco-model kits maker

Q44

Natural Partners Ltd

Q79

PolarX Ornament & Gift

Q15

POP SHOTS

Q16

Rosanna Rossi

Q59

Shatchi

Q1

Smart Garden Products Ltd

Q19

Stands Out Ltd

Q66

Steal a Deal

Q34

Swole Panda Ltd

Q33

Terra Rossa

Q10

The Art File

Premier Decorations Ltd.

Q6

The Christmas Tinsel Co Ltd

H2

Premier Halloween

Q26

The Playwrite Group Plc

H3

Premier Halloween

Q37

Tomcat Cards

Q50

TREND MANIA LTD

Hall M

Q32

Twizler

M12

Ascalon Design Ltd.

Q87

Ultimate Products

M24

Culinary Concepts

Q17

Wildtouch

M14, M16

Gisela Graham Ltd.

Q30

Wombat Retail

M2

Hamac Trading Co

M1

Kaemingk BV

M22

Konstsmide (UK) Ltd.

M26

Luxa Flamelighting

M6

Sagedecor

M28

Weiste

Konstsmide Quality is never compromised as consumers deserve better

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

ads_uk_2019.indd 2

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

2018-12-13 11:37

Feature Step Back In Time

Step Back in Time Malcolm Naish looks back to 1989, 1999, 2009 and 2014 January 1989 Having had a chat with the M.D. of Por Textiles Klaus Benedict (then the largest manufacturer of Christmas Trees employing over 1,000 staff in the Welsh ValleysI decided that the Christmas decoration industry should have its very own mouthpiece to be heard by their custoers.

In that first issue a fledgling Premier Decorations who were then based in Wembley were offering from their stand down in basement, that throughout most of the year was a car park a range of foil garlands and lanterns in red/gold, green/gold and a very striking blue/silver.

They told us back in January 1989 that their lights conformed to the very highest British standards, offered in a variety of styles.

Noma were celebrating their 50th back then and proudly boasted that they were the only light manufacturer who had never had their kitemark suspended, with their involvement with the BSI going right back to the early sixties.

Move on thirty years and Noma will be celebrating big time in Harrogate 2019.

Ti-Well were another established company, having launched into the party business with their ‘Party Concept’ collection.

Tom Baker of course was soon to leave Ti-Well to launch his own company.

Other names no longer in the business in my first issue include Anglocentrop, Damio, Christmasworld representing French company Droguet, Pifco, Artek and Porth.

We also ran an interview with the Christmas buyer at House of Fraser. A lady answering to the name of Janet Saunders – I wonder where this lady is now?

January 1999 This particular year marked the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair. Snowtime were on our front cover with their fibre optic rainbow Christmas tree.

One of the topics under discussion then was ‘Should suppliers when describing their products in their catalogues give the size in inches of centimetres?

I confirm that fibre optics are still big sellers, as indeed they are today.

I also urge buyers to keep an eye open for Millenium lighting and other Millenium products just right for the big build up to New Year.

Widmanns were another company celebrating 50 years of continuous exhibiting at Harrogate and a few years later they celebrated their 100th year of trading. Sadly, they are no longer with us now, but what a great company to work with, I’m referring of course to Vernon Butler and Andrew Widman.

Wang’s International had purchased Porth back in 1995 and whilst they had closed the manufacturing shortly after the acquisition, they were now trading as Wang International. It wasn’t to last sadly, yet another Christmas name in Porth bites the dust.

36 christmas in january

Bert Wood had just celebrated his 70th and was still going strong at Puleo.

The very first Christmas Trades golf day occurred in the June organized

by John Hughes aty Hill Valley golf club in Whitchurch. Over 40 attended including such luminaries as Colin Eccleshall, Carll Raysun, Julian Stein, Ron Bent, Ian Jones and Tracy Cannon from Spring Fair.

Christmas companies who still appear within our columns 20 years later include Premier Decorations, F.D.L. Puleo, National Tree, Festive, PMS, Spring Fair, Gisela Graham, Krinner, Weiste/Morris May and Noma.

January 2009 As the state of the banking industry affects us all, I begin my Leader page with attacking those greedy bastards in the City. I worry about the dollar that has plunged to $1.55. How we would like that exchange rate in 2019!

For the first time Hall ‘A’ is being used as a Christmas decoration hall. During the show two companies celebrate their 50th anniversaries including Peter Harvey Ltd., and Christmas Concepts.

Both no longer trading, but with family members still very much involved in the Christmas business.

The show also celebrates its Diamond jubilee and according the show organisers are giving away plenty of goodies to mark the milestone.

Wholesaler Abbey Cards are celebrating 25 years and feature in a two page article where Harry Rai gives us the history of his company. Whilst a card wholesaler first and foremost, they do big business in Christmas decorations.

We also interview Fermoys Garden Centre in Ipplepen, near Totnes Devon. A thriving garden centre.

January 2014 Festive create a ‘Suppliers’ charter in China that over 70% of their suppliers have signed up to which stipulates that as long as Festive give their orders early enough, that they will guarantee to deliver on the promised date.

Noma Lites are acquired by the Leisuregrow group with Frank Kaminski heading up sales and marketing.

We also salute Weiste who are celebrating their 90th year.

Harrogate Christmas & Gift continue to grow their numbers when it comes to Christmas Dec., exhibitors with quite a number of new exhibitors.

Festive had our front cover and were in the pink highlighting their ‘Kirsty Allsopp’ range. Our Editor visits three well-known garden centres All-in-One, Snowdonia Nurseries and Armitage Penine Garden Centre.

Konstsmide THE brand for all your quality Christmas Lighting

Visit us at: HARROGATE CHRISTMAS & GIFT 13th–16th January 2018 Stand M22 BIRMINGHAM NEC SPRING FAIR 3rd–7th February 2018 Our New Larger Stand Hall 2, Stand 2H30

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

ads_uk_2019.indd 3

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

2018-12-13 11:37

Feature Premier

John Athwal, managing director of leading Christmas supplier Premier Decorations talks about the successes and challenges of 2018 – and looks forward to introducing some exciting new ranges for 2019.

38 christmas in january

T

his has been an interesting year for several reasons and not least the extraordinary weather we experienced here in the UK. The summer was long and hot extending well into September and October giving many of our customers the opportunity to clear residue summer stock much later in the season. This had the knock-on effect that deliveries of Christmas stock were squeezed into a smaller window and Premier’s distribution staff rose to the challenge going into overdrive to ensure that goods went out on time as our customers required.

Fortunately, the far east proved less problematic than last year and whilst factory inspections were still taking place, a lot of smaller operators were forced to close.

Certainly, a year for sorting out less scrupulous vendors leaving a hard core of responsible factories.

Much the same is happening in the UK market, not least the high street where there have been a raft of closures and downsizing, giving garden centres a wonderful opportunity to capitalise on the new sales opportunities created.

The Premier team has been keeping a close eye on the situation, but the market place is constantly moving, and no sooner do we think a situation is under control the Brexit debate opens an entire new can of worms. We can only wonder what further challenges this will

bring and of course, like many responsible suppliers, we have been putting safeguards into place against the worst scenario – whilst quietly hoping for a better outcome.

‘New’ seems to be the buzz word this year and once again the Premier team has stepped up to the game travelling the world to seek the latest innovative trends and consequently has a brilliantly fantastic range to show its customers.

Lighting products continue to be the flagship offering for Premier and the well-established Treebrights™– which make it easy to dress a tree in minutes – proved a major hit again in 2018 with many customers running out of stock early. “If we had more, we could have tripled sales of these” was a quote heard from all directions. Therefore, customers will be delighted to know that we are introducing a similar version of this product in the Microbrights™ pin wire product range.

Microbrights™ – first introduced by Premier many years ago – is one of our best-selling categories with the affordable price point boosting sales. They are available in both battery operated and plug in transformers, silver and green pin wire cable, in popular sizes including clusters, door garlands, waterfall lights and tree nets as well as a brand new item in the Treebright family. Customers are advised to check out the expanded range for 2019 which is guaranteed to be a ‘must stock’ item.

Battery-operated Timelights™ have also sold well beyond expectations. Powered by a set of batteries lasting up to 30 days, this product opens up the added sales of batteries. Again, customers are urged to check out the latest prices and be sure to add Premier batteries to their shopping baskets.

Decorative lamps have remained best-sellers with the much sort after Glitter Lamp range introduced by Premier a few years ago excelling in sales for 2018 and now an established staple Christmas item. Popular additions include a BT telephone box shape (available in red for the mainland market and green for the Eire market) and a red London double decker bus. A wood grained lamp has also been released, whilst sales of our train shaped water spinner remain buoyant.

These battery-operated lamps have seen a major uplift in sales since the introduction of a jack plug and customers are advised to stock the

matching transformer. This is suitable to be used on any 4.5V (basically 3AA or 3AAA batteries) with the same jack plug connection.

In addition, new lamp shapes for 2019 include a modernised hurricane lamp with a new flat lamp shape, and a merry-go-round with horses. This has got to be seen to be believed.

Customer designs and exclusives are also available, and all are suitable for side tables and children’s bedrooms with several designs being appropriate for year-round use.

The flame lamp also became prominent on displays and shelves in 2018 and once again Premier has expanded its offering of this range.

Lamps, fireplaces, wall mounted torches and path lights have all been subjected to new technology – so expect to see more of these in your stores.

Lit diorama scenes are taking over from the very successful lit canvas product and introduced to our range in 2018, our customers reported big sales from the beginning. This range has been expanded and own designs are also welcome. Finally, 3 lit parcels make an eye-catching feature placed under the Christmas tree, in porches or other sheltered areas and we will be introducing some brand-new concepts and fresh designs.

The Flickabright™ range of realistic batteryoperated candles have seen big sales reported by customers and as you would expect Premier has added quite a few products using this technology. Candles have also been added to lanterns for added value.

Moving outside, you can hardly fail to see that lasers and projectors are very much part of the Christmas scene this year with houses and buildings bathed in stars and random shapes, but also cascading flurries of snowflakes. It is even possible to project Santa walking across windows with Premier’s projectors and with a whole magnitude of such products available, we have homed in on our offering to make customer choices simpler to understand.

To see more of what Premier has to offer for next year’s festive season, including some outstanding offers and deals, visit us at Harrogate Christmas & Gift from 13th to 16th January 2019 – or contact the Premier Decorations team on 020 8624 5555 or email: sales@premierdec.com christmas in january 39

Feature Joe Davies

Joe Davies100 years

and still going strong Harrogate Fair 13th – 16th January 2019

F

ollowing last year’s success Joe Davies are delighted to be once again attending the Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair (Stand C19) and look set to get the season off to a bang!

The show is perfectly timed to meet the needs of the seasonal buyer and gives exhibitors the perfect opportunity to present their collections before the Spring Fair rush. It allows forward thinking customers the chance to secure their stock and to plan their themes for the key Christmas period in a relaxed and yet focussed environment.

Joe Davies are showcasing over 750 items from their Christmas selection at the fair with hundreds of new lines making their debut.

They will be displaying their full seasonal selection on their exclusively Christmas stocked stand. Highlights include new exciting gifts, stunning Jewellery collections and excellent décor pieces and accessories, all beautifully merchandised and clearly priced for easy selection. The company is rightly famous for the breadth and uniqueness of its Christmas collection.

Items featuring LED have been a huge and successful theme in Xmas products for a few years now and the trend shows no sign of abating in 2019. Joe Davies have a huge range of products to meet the expected continued demand and all will be on show at the fair.

They are particularly excited about their ‘Xmas Rattan’ collection of Décor Christmas light ups which they expect to be a great seller.

This collection marries on trend Rattan with LED - a great mix of modern and traditional.

Their brand new collection of ‘Xmas Glow porcelain’ promises to be a real winner. With elegant scenes covering traditional Christmas favourites from Stags to Santa’s and with retail prices starting at just £7.99 they should be on every retailers shopping list Joe Davies’ Equilibrium Collection continues to be the UK’s hottest Jewellery brand. Last year the range was amongst the company’s bestselling Christmas product and there are new additions to meet that demand. The collection includes Brooches, Necklaces, Earrings and Scarfs and is competitively priced to hit the key price points. Each item is beautifully boxed making it the perfect Christmas gift or a great impulse self-purchase.

Children and adults alike want to be wrapped up in the Christmas spirit and Joe

40 christmas in january

Davies have a number of items to make the most of the magic of Christmas. With Christmas Eve becoming increasingly important the company has a range of fantastic Christmas eve boxes, designed to hit the key price points. To help decorate the tree they have a great new range of “Glass Art” LED baubles of festive scenes and all at great prices. For the adults fun LED bottle stoppers, complete with a Perspex stand for ease of display, make the perfect stocking filler. Finally for the Gin drinker in your life the ‘Gift of the year’ Sunny By Sue collection of Christmas Gin glasses promise to be strong into 2019.

Joe Davies’ customers have reported fantastic sales of the company’s range of Glass Christmas Trees for the seventh year in succession. They are available in four sizes and in a variety of styles and designs. The company even has LED glass Christmas trees to make the most of that winning theme.

Further additions to their Woodland Christmas collection are joined by a huge amount of new décor pieces. These include craft style items, message plaques, Christmas hangers and many many more and all are in the most current colours and designs.

As the largest Distributor of the Leonardo Collection from Lesser and Pavey, Joe Davies will be showing the best of their new Christmas lines as well the established favourites. All will be available to buy in small quantities for affordable ordering.

Joe Davies celebrate their hundredth anniversary this year and since the company’s establishment in 1919 customer service has been at the forefront of the company’s ethos.

To make ordering as simple and easy as possible carriage paid orders are just £100, and delivered on a date to suit their customers’ requirements. All items are available in sensible ‘little and often’ quantities to make repeating winners trouble-free. The company website is amongst the best in the business and the Joe Davies Staff have won the Greats award for customer service 16 times.

All at Joe Davies look forward to welcoming customers, old and New, to their Harrogate Christmas and Gift Stand, Hall C stand 19.

For Further information call 0161 975 6300, email info@joedavies.co.uk or visit the website at www.joedavies.co.uk

Come and see the new collection from Riffelmacher.

Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair.

Hall A Stand 08

FASCINATION CHRISTMAS collection 2019

Feature Riffelmacher

Riffelmacher

enjoy continued UK growth

A

s one of Germany’s fastestgrowing suppliers of all things Christmas, Riffelmacher have been steadily building their U.K. business with more and more garden centres and stores appreciating both the quality, service, competitive price points and deliveries in time with 98,2 % delivery!

Harrogate Christmas & Gift continues to be an important show for them to display their ranges, but of course a far bigger stand awaits visitors to Germany’s Christmasworld show at the end of January.

As I found out when visiting their Bavarian headquarters in Roth, not many miles from Nuremberg, they have for many years been at the forefront of tinsel design and technology, where they are able to provide an amazing variety of colour-ways, thicknesses and lengths to impress even the most discerning of buyers and of course can also handle individual requests for bespoke own-brand selections. All their tinsel are for outdoor use as well !!!

Having witnessed the manufacture of their

tinsel, it is impressive to say the least! Again, the U.K. has seen big increases with tinsel sales with customers most impressed with its quality and quick delivery from Germany in beautiful condition, immediately ready for on-sale.

Riffelmacher must also have possibly the largest selection of glass baubles available in a huge multitude of colours and available to the customer in many different sizes and configurations.

As one of the oldest German companies in the Christmas business, following Frank Marchl’s appointment as CEO in 2001, they have grown to become a major influence in Germany and have a healthy export business that sees growth across Europe.

Spearheading the U.K. sales is John King, now enjoying his 5th year as Riffelmacher’s export manager. With his many years of experience in the Christmas decoration industry, John’s input has seen U.K. sales increase dramatically since he joined the company. 2018 saw the UK and Irish team double their turnover. John King tells me that their delivery record in the U.K. was ‘Impeccable’ – the best he’s achieved in over 25 years, this coupled with personal service also saw them increase sales all over Europe, opening with new agents in Italy, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

“Knowing the problems that all suppliers faced in 2017, we put in place additional systems to ensure the smooth flow of product to our customer with on-time and accurate deliveries.”

Added John.

M.N. I hear from a number of suppliers that quite a few

42 christmas in january

of the medium /smaller factories have had to close down as they didn’t meet government requirements? Did this effect your choice of suppliers for 2019?

JK It wouldn’t be true to say we weren’t affected by those changes because I would say it affected most companies in our industry.

That said, we have had a long term plan to make changes in our buying habits and have recently brought in excellent products from, for example, India and Vietnam. We also believe the ‘Made in Germany’ brand is becoming more and more important and as German manufacturers we have bolted onto the Riffelmacher brand with our sister company who produce the Glass Baubles and also new for 2019 are our SNOW items including snowballs, snow blankets, Icicles to name but a few items and most of 480 items then “Made in Germany” M.N. Your U.K. sales have shown a fantastic increase for 2018, are there any particular categories that seem more popular in the U.K. compared to the rest of Europe?

JK: Generally speaking the whole collection sold equally well in the U.K and Ireland as it did on the continent and that is a credit to our buyers.

Sometimes there’s a particular colour scheme that sells better in a certain country. We are certainly seeing an increase in the need for more Fashion colours than the traditional. Gold for example was such a small part of the colour range in 2018 with Silver sales outstripping Gold sales three to one, but coming back in 2019 M.N. I know that in addition to your in-house design team, you use trend analysis to give you ideas on new and exciting colour blends.

Last year you told us that natural materials including wood for traditionally made

Christmas ranges had been big sellers in 2017 and were once again going to be big in 2018.

Has this been the case?

I believe that the public increasingly across the world are embracing natural materials, as they are continually being made aware of the perils that plastic waste has made to the oceans of the world.

J.K. Yes, in 2017 the wooden items we sold were fantastic for us. Wooden villages with LED lights were the big hit in 2017 and we increased that collection into 2018 due to demand. To stay aligned to the global trend of the need for natural products our wooden ranges of figures and table top decorations in 2018 were extremely popular and successful.

Again in 2019 we have expanded this category further and we just can’t wait for our customers to see the new offering.

M.N. Riffelmacher are able to customize their bauble business and back at home our Swarowski bauble will take pride of place on our tree this Christmas, so might we see another NEW bauble to complement your Union Jack bauble for the U.K.?

Maybe a Megan and Harry design?

J.K. We are always looking for ways to bring innovation to our collection. The Personalised bauble business has grown significantly over the last few years and we are as busy as ever in the Logo / Personalised area. We work on baubles for Garden centres which have been used for Marketing or for decorating the garden centre or for a give away in the Santa Grotto. For regular sales we now offer our customers a complete spinner display with many different bauble slogans and images. As you say we had the very special Swarovski bauble in the showcase on the stand last year. What will it be for 2019? we invite you to come and have a look!

M.N. Returning to your personalized bauble business, what might possibly be the cheekiest message that you supplied to a customer that can appear in print in Christmas in January?

J:K: Erm....Ha!...no comment..next question ;) M.N. I’ve noticed you’ve started to bring out a Trend brochure, tell me about that?

J.K. Yes, the Trend catalogue is brought out in September each year. This brochure is not only an important selling tool for our sales executives but also an early insight for buyers as to what the new colour trends will be the following Christmas. This brochure has become a ‘must have’ for industry buyers, in fact this year I’ve been asked dozens of times to send one out prior to the fair. This document contains not only information about the trends but also data about market studies and the end buyer.

Who is buying what colours? how much do

they spend and so on. The brochure is available in printed format or as a PDF, just send me an email and I’ll get one out to you.

M.N. Having seen your excellent showroom in Roth near Nuremberg, do you get many buyers visiting from the UK and Ireland and what service do you offer?

J.K. Yes our showroom is in constant use from first week of December and this year will be no exception with bookings at record levels. We offer the full service, Airport pick up, transfer to hotel or showroom depending on the time of the flight. If there’s time in the evening then we offer a tour to the Christmas market in Nuremberg, this market is one of the best in Germany with it’s natural backdrop of the old town of Nuremberg. The showroom experience is a really lovely way to mix business with pleasure and get a head start on your buying.

M.N. If a buyer works with Riffelmacher, what can they expect.

J.K. Firstly they can expect a very friendly, andpersonal service.

We like to work with a smile on our face and customers who have worked with me over the last 25 years know this. Service is the driving factor and is absolutly key to everything we do. The Christmas selling window is one of the smallest selling windows for most retailers but also one which brings in a high percentage of turnover for the year. For these reasons when a buyer puts their trust in us to deliver on time with a good quality and a second to none back up service then we have an obligation to make this happen. Buyers will always find innovative products using the latest colour trends across a wide array of mediums. Riffelmacher are really truly different.

Riffelmacher’s stand at Harrogate Christmas & Gift will be a totally new design and the company will be running a special preview on the Saturday evening prior to opening day

on the Sunday. German themed drinks and nibbles available from 5 until 7pm. This will be repeated again on the Monday evening from 5-7pm.

Look out for Riffelmacher’s extended range of Plush Santas in all sizes and a MASSIVE brand new SNOW collection mostly made in Germany. This collection consists of artificial snow, icicles, snowballs, snow garlands, big snowflakes and so much more. For this collection alone we’ve added an extra 30 square meters to our Frankfurt stand at Christmasworld.

A new tinsel display stand is also set to wow customers when they arrive on their stand. Part of the Riffelmacher group is TGS (Thuringer Glas Design). Increasingly, TGS work hand in hand with their colleagues at Riffelmacher, bringing together some great new ideas for 2019 that work seamlessly within the Riffelmacher company.

Brand new colour themes include Ultra Violet, Cherry Blossom, 21st Century Life, French Elegance, Water and Royal Silver to name but a few. christmas in january 43

Come and see the new collection from Riffelmacher.

Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair.

Hall A Stand 08

Make every Christmas A White Christmas with the Snow Collection From Riffelmacher!

R

W

COLLECTION

2018

Morris May/Weiste Hall M – Stand M28

Tel: 07774 493594 Email: info@morrismay.com Vi Visitors to their stand will be impressed with a totally NEW im stand layout that according to st Christopher May is far more C user friendly. u Displayed on the stand aare NEW ranges of ‘Fashion’ tinsel and brilliant boxed ti sshatterproof baubles at aamazing prices.....

Great NEW themes iincluding Opulent ‘Opera’ aand of course ‘Unicorn’.....

Talking to Christopher May, he believes that Weiste have found ‘A better way of doing things’.... d Retail or Display?

‘Off the Shelf’ or ‘Bespoke’?

Talk to Sam or Christopher very soon – they have all the answers.

Weiste are probably the largest manufacture of tinsel and shatterproof ornaments in Europe.

Internationally, Weiste exports Christmas to over 30 countries worldwide and have been a recognised brand in Europe since 1924 with over 30 years of trade in the UK! Many of you will know that Weiste have built up a reputation not only for quality products with a Scandinavian design edge, but also for reliability with the best retailers, display companies and on-line operations throughout UK. During this time Weiste have expanded purposefully with their Villa Weiste Collection offering Glass baubles and decorations, Furry Friends featuring felt mice, one of this year’s tipped ‘hot seller’, and Textiles, throws and cushions along with NEW imported boxed shatterproof baubles.

These exclusive products echo today’s trends with strong emphasis on colour and fashion.

christmas in january 45

Feature Premier

Planting tree roots to sales success W

hilst visiting Premier’s very smart offices and recently revamped showrooms in Ruislip, I was delighted to meet Danny O’Halloran who heads the company’s trees and Floristry division and – as a major supplier of artificial Christmas trees for many years – he was keen to wax lyrical about the latest range.

Premier has recently rebranded its tree division to The Tree Company and is building on the huge success of its 2018 collection of trees and floristry which, if sales were anything to go by, certainly catered to consumer trends. Fashion trees such as the Fairmont Fir proved a revelation with matching wreaths and garlands; whilst its Natural Look collection proved more popular than ever-expected. This range features 360-degree PE tips giving a lovely, realistic look and Danny explained that they are expanding this offering for 2019.

However, it’s not just the products that have seen an overhaul, but the entire company concept. Danny believes that consumers are increasingly prepared to trade up in terms of quality compared to 10 years ago, and like Premier’s market-leading lighting range renowned for its value for money, it has added a new dimension which will help to drive up margins for its customers.

Danny explains: “I have brought forward our entire ranging process therefore allowing our customers to view our range earlier than ever before, with our first customer in the showroom in early November. The range is much better focused and in line with market requirements and we provide an image library of contemporary lifestyle imagery showing the trees in modern settings for customers to use on their own websites and catalogues.”

Presentation is hugely important and all The Tree Company’s packaging

46 christmas in january

has been upgraded to high quality wood grain cardboard boxes which are suitable for any courier delivery system. Customers will also be pleased to learn that trees can be supplied ex-warehouse in any quantity, or in full containers. The Tree Company are also offering the chance for customers to mix both fibre optic and artificial trees at competitive prices in either Sterling or FOB in Dollars.

Danny stressed the importance of quality and whilst all The Tree Company’s trees are fire retardant, and comply with UK and EU Legislation, the manufacturing plants they have been working with for over 20 years are constantly updating quality control procedures. This includes tilt testing, sharp points testing and full inspection of stock before shipment.

So, the question on the tip of our tongues is: ‘what products are selling best?’ Danny responds: “Green forest traditional trees remain hugely popular, but the demand for fashion-led hues such as blue/green, silver glitter and flocked trees are catching up fast. Also, people are into coordination and we now offer a variety of trees with matching wreaths and garlands to enhance the ‘put together’ effect.”

Those of you who have worked with Premier Decorations will know that the company prides itself on being flexible with its customers. Danny was keen to stress that they will try to accommodate what might, in the scheme of things, appear to be an outrageous request. He laughs, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get – and most things can be achieved.”

Buyers visiting Harrogate Christmas & Gift can look forward to viewing The Tree Company’s latest collection (Hall H of the Harrogate Convention Centre) and talk to Danny and his team about how trading up can help them to move margins forward for the 2019 Christmas season.

House of Marbles Hall ‘B’ – Stand B18

Tel: 01626 835358 Email uk@houseofmarbles.com If you’re looking for a massive selection of pocket-money toys, retro games and festive books that will make wonderful grotto gifts and stocking fillers this Christmas, then head to the House of Marbles stand at Harrogate Christmas & Gift show.

Their popular collection will be packed with plenty of newness to appeal to all age groups during the biggest trading season of the year.

Retailers wanting to make an impact with their Christmas grotto gifts this year can choose from a quirky selection of affordable toys and novelties along with personalised grotto bags available in a design of their choice. There will also be an exclusive range of Christmas games, including the company’s hilarious Stuff the Turkey game.

A best-seller from the collection, players race to shoot brussels sprouts through the turkey using a glitzy party blower!

If that wasn’t tempting enough, they offer a next day delivery service and carriage paid orders start from only £150. So make sure you pop by and see what House of Marbles have to offer for Christmas.

Website: www.houseofmarbles.com/tradeuk

christmas in january 47

Feature News

48 christmas in january

Launching at the Harrogate Christmas Fair, are two great new Christmas ranges from Global Journey.

Lesser & Pavey Ltd Hall ‘D’ – Stand D10

Tel: 01322 279 225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk

Eco Friendly Bamboo Travel Cups

As well as a gift range that covers many categories, Lesser & Pavey’s Christmas offering has been increasing year by year. Below are just two of the many stunning items to be seen on their stand in Hall ‘D’ – Stand D10.

Following on from the instant success of this on-trend product, we have created a new Winter/Christmas range for 2019 featuring 8 stunning designs.

The Christmas Robin The tiny bird of Christmas is always a firm hit with buyers as it harps to nature; a cheeky, colourful red bird that has featured throughout history as a sentiment of this once a year festive time.

Lesser & Pavey introduce the MacNeil licensed Christmas Robin range for 2019. This range will include the fine china mugs, coasters, placemats and melamine trays. Complimenting the main range are fine china jug, salt and pepper as well as ceramic candle, glass candle plates, tea light holders and quality oil burners.

An ideal gift or for one’s own use, these new Bamboo Cups, together with Christmas caption sleeves will certainly be popular from September onwards.

Angels in all their glory Buyers looking for spiritual inspirqtion for Christmas 2019 need look no further than these must have angelic dolls.

Available in silver, gold, red and white, these Angels have beautiful porcelain faces and hands with magnificent colour-changing fibre optic wings and intricately detailed dresses. In each colour, they offer a 16” tree top Angel, an 18” doll and 24” and 32” musical moving Angels that play eight different Christmas songs.

Both of the above Christmas ranges can be seen along with many more at Harrogate and Spring Fair.

Christmas Hand Sanitisers Due to customer feedback and following on from the popularity of our Hand Sanitisers, we have created a new Christmas range for keeping those winter germs away. Made from recyclable materials, this great new fun product retailing for only £2.99 will have massive appeal from September to December, and will most certainly enhance your Christmas sales.

A display measuring only 35cm width is available.

To see these new products and more, please visit us at the...

Stand

A34 0161 872 0333

www.global-journey.com

christmas in january 49

glitter warter spinners_co_PRINT.pdf

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

1

21/12/2018

12:18

Feature Konstsmide

All will be revealed

at Harrog K

onstsmide are world famous as specialists in all forms of lighting and whilst Christmas in January concentrates on Christmas related products, their other lighting division that specializes in house lighting both indoor and outdoor also enjoys a very good reputation.

Any company that has a long history such as Konstsmide (founded in 1942) and one that has never deviated from its core products must be doing something right!

In their case, it has been their unfailing commitment to quality, both in the use of the materials and the service they provide their customers.

Richard Jerrom – U.K. Director – joined the company in 1992 and has seen the steady growth they have enjoyed in the U.K. Never prepared to cheapen the product spec., one of Richard’s major disappointments with some garden centres is that so often they will go for a cheaper competitor’s lighting product that falls well below Konstsmide’s commitment to top quality as he believes this limits the end consumers choice . They lead the way in promoting quality rather than the cheapest price available. Sadly, this scenario doesn’t just apply to Christmas decorations and lighting!

The Swedish parent company have carried out many tests on LED light strings that have shown the Konstsmide brand LED loses minimal brightness over time whilst competitors LED’s can lose more than 30% brightness before Christmas is over !

52 christmas in january

Despite this, Konstsmide occupy an enviable position within the Christmas decoration industry and as our headline states ‘All will be revealed at Harrogate’.

They now have a new, all singing and all dancing, website that provides both customers and the consumer with an easy to use site that gives full information on both the range and history of the company. Designed in Sweden by the Volvo car company’s website designers, it obviously has an excellent pedigree and the UK company has benefited hugely from its creation. It’s both user friendly and most informative.

The company hope that via their website they can give both ideas and also educate the consumer on indoor and outdoor lighting.

As we all know only too well, normally the first question asked when visiting a stand at any show is “What’s new”? In Konstsmide’s case PLENTY, all of which will be revealed at Harrogate.

Virtually founded on their ‘Welcome’ lights, Konstsmide’s wooden and metal welcome lights come in all shapes, sizes and price points. LED continues to lead the way, although their filament bulb still remains very popular. Antique White light or Amber as they call it, has been a big success in Sweden and Richard believes that this will also be the case in the UK. My November visit was far too early for Richard to reveal the new products, preferring to wait until Harrogate to reveal all!

One development that’s

be d

ogate growing in popularity is Konstsmide’s App to control all lighting functions.

There will certainly be more App., controlled lighting sets for 2019. Whilst I’m a bit of a Dinosaur when it comes to technology, I can see the sense in controlling everything from your phone.

It’s called progress and I’m sure the Millennials and younger will appreciate this technology.

As I can lay testament to, Konstsmide’s acrylic characters has been gaining popularity over the past 5 years and this range will be further increased for 2019. I loved their 2018 addition of the Flamingo – this will take centre-piece in my own Christmas lighting at home.

Konstsmide have a great stand location at Harrogate in Hall ‘M’ just as you enter through the main entrance, but at Spring Fair they have moved slightly in Hall 2 and at the same time have a slightly larger stand.

A worrying trend highlighted by Richard is that a growing number of garden centres are creating ‘Own Brand’ ranges, that we assume are to stop consumers being able to price compare

on the various brands. This has led Konstsmide to embrace on-line business with the likes of Amazon and Wayfair with excellent results.

On my stroll around their showroom in addition to all their lighting products, I was impressed with their Animation and in particular their collection of aeroplanes.

Each item is packed with movement.

Water lanterns are another range that caught the eye with their church really standing out from the crowd. They can be programmed to come on at the same time each day you want and have a 5 hour timer which ensures the lantern will survive well over the Christmas period. Konstsmide lead the way in this category as well as being one of the first to recognize sales potential.

There are over twenty Water Lanterns to choose from with several new items for 2019.

It is heart-warming to find a company prepared to keep to their strict values on quality and service, something they’ve been doing for over 75 years.

Tel: 01246 852140 Email: sales@konstsmide.co.uk

christmas in january 53

Feature Langs ngs

All aboard the

Langs steam train!

I

t really has been full steam ahead these last few months at Lang’s offices in Derby! Their design team has been busy creating all of the new Christmas collections ready to be launched at the Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair! They have twelve brand new collections ranging from traditional reds with a twist to soft glittery pinks - Langs have got it all covered.

‘Midnight sparkle’ is a beautiful, sophisticated collection featuring deep navy blue which is very much on trend for 2019! Mixing it with hues of gold makes a very striking colour combination and it wouldn’t be Langs without being finished with lots of glitter!

‘Have a Mooey Christmas’ - after the great

54 christmas in january

success of our ‘Down on the Farm’ collection earlier this year, their hand painted cow had to feature in the new festive ranges! With a play on words this is fun and a little quirky which is what Langs is all about!

‘Christmas time is Family time’ - as all of Lang’s customers loved the hand painted bear which featured on their very popular Mum collection, they have extended this lovely character to other family membera and have also introduced a Christmas Eve box that the whole family can share – sure to become a treasured keepsake to be enjoyed for years to come!

These are just a few highlights and they have so much more to share with you. Langs have over

25 new collections for spring/summer 2019 all designed in Derbyshire by their talented team!

“We are here to look after our customers and where we can help we will, we do offer bespoke artwork to help the indie have something a little bit different!” quoted a company spokesperson Langs will be exhibiting all of their new collections at the following shows and look forward to seeing you there!

Visit our new website www.richardlang.co.uk Richard Lang & Son Ltd Tel:01332 340927 Instagram lang_and _son Facebook Richard Lang and Son Ltd @ langandson Twitter @Langandson

Christmas in January.indd 1

14/12/2018 10:50:26

Feature Buckingham Garden Centre

The perfect festive performance

People have their photo taken with our displays

For Buckingham Garden Centre’s shop manager Rachel Gibbons working with plants was a childhood dream, but these days part of the magic of her job is creating Christmas theatre throughout the entire nursery – as Sarah Welsh discovers…

R

achel Gibbons’ retail team say she’s the boss who comes in most mornings saying: ‘I’ve had an idea.’ But then Buckingham Garden Centre’s shop manager and chief buyer can be hit by retail inspiration at any time of the day or night.

In fact Rachel has been thinking visually since her days growing up in Sheffield, when she tended a corner of her parents’ garden, growing daisies and strawberries and dreaming of becoming a landscape architect.

To her Christmas planning begins way over a year in advance of the sales season, and she loves nothing more than reinventing it each year, bringing it to life through ambitious decorated displays and a broad and original product selection. “Christmas is about selling

the store experience as well as the products,” she says. “We need to get people to buy into our ideas and the theatre of Christmas we put on throughout the garden centre.

“Some of our customers like to recreate what we do at home and that’s wonderful. Some even have their photo taken with our displays!”

What’s your personal business background and how did you come to work at Buckingham Garden Centre?

From quite a young age I knew that I wanted to do a job where I spent a lot of time outside.

Originally I wanted to be a landscape architect, and I studied horticulture and then land management technology, first at the specialist Askham Bryan College in York and then Leeds University. It soon became clear that I was more artistic though.

I did a mid-year college placement at Strikes Garden Centre in Leeds, and became assistant manager by the age of 23. It was there I got my first taste of the design side of retail, buying and visual merchandising. I then worked at Doncaster’s branch of The Range, and then at Blooms of Bressingham Garden Centre in Bicester, until it was bought out by Wyevale.

Personally I enjoy the process of seeing the buying process from start to finish that you get working for an independent garden centre, so I joined Buckingham as shop manager back in 2009 and haven’t looked back. I’m responsible for everything here – from the warehouse to the buying side to overseeing the whole shop floor, and I love it.

What’s the back story to Buckingham Garden Centre and the Brown family who own it?

It was founded by John Brown, who returned from World War II to find his greengrocery 56 christmas in january

business had been lost to bombing and so turned his passion for growing alpine plants into a new venture. His son Richard moved the

“We need to get people to buy into our ideas and the theatre of Christmas we put on throughout the garden centre.” business to Buckingham to an 11-acre plot just west of town in the early 1970s, and it is now being run by the third generation of the Brown family.

The store is known for both its broad gift offering and food hall, but how important would you say Christmas is to you as a business, and how much of the shop floor do you devote each year to the Christmas shop?

Christmas is really important for us, and this year we’ve given over some 616 square metres of the shop floor to it – that’s 43% of the total space. I collaborate with a team of three seasonal buyers on our festive planning, and it works well as we’ve been together for a long time and really bounce off each other.

Working in this business I love the fact that every year is seasonal, and I’m trusted with the job of reinventing the seasons in store. Nothing gives you more of a buzz than being involved with the buying process from start to finish, from picking something unique that fits the store’s vision, displaying it in an eye-catching way and

seeing people purchase it.

This Christmas is particularly special to me as it’s the first time I’ve bought for the festive season for three years. I was away having my daughters, Grace, three, and Emily 24 months, for two years and last year I came back just in time for Christmas. I wanted to make this year grander and bigger than ever before!

Which trade shows do you never miss?

How far ahead do you begin planning for Christmas and do you tend to work from anything specific, such as colour or product trends, previous best sellers or favourite suppliers?

“On a personal level before I had children Christmas was partly about having a perfectly decorated tree – but things change!”

My preparation for Christmas 2019 is already well underway! This year we decided to spread Christmas throughout the shop floor so we’ve decorated whole areas, extending the theatre of it all. Putting the festive production together is a big operation – the schedule lasts something like 11 weeks, starting with the arrivals of calendars and greetings cards in the summer, but it’s constantly evolving.

In terms of visual merchandising we have four themes this year; A woodland one that is always very popular and combines berry reds, browns, greens and whites with a lot of animal accessories, one with the working title ‘glamour’ that combines metallics, copper and pewter, a candy cane theme with red, white, dark green and dark blue and finally a gold, cream, champagne and turquoise blue mix of tones.

Putting it all together involves me picking out key colours, following fashion trends and doing a lot of research on what others are selling. I also love checking out the theatre of Christmas at locations like the National Trust’s Waddesdon Manor.

I like going to shows with my buying team, and we always attend Harrogate’s Christmas & Gift.

We’ll have all our display ideas put together before the show and that’s where everything gets firmed up. We never buy on the first day as

first we like to do our research and see how our themes fit with suppliers.

We also go to Spring Fair and generally visit Widdop’s showroom as well.

What suppliers have you worked with for years when it comes to Christmas stock and are there are any new suppliers on your list this year?

We love working with Floralsilk, Gisela Graham and Walton & Co for tableware. Last year we started working with a small company with great tableware ideas, Retreat Home.

Festive food is also really important for us and we expand the food hall at this time of year, decorate it beautifully and mix in tableware.

We have a mix of favourite brands and more

unusual things, so you’ll find the Mrs Bridges and Cottage Delight but all of our beers are local.

In terms of product categories - lighting, decorations, real trees, artificial trees, stationery, homewares, candles and gifts - what sells well for you?

Tableware always sells really well for us, especially in the last three weeks of the year, and I think we excel where it comes to decorations. We try to have a slightly different range from other stores, and our displays are amazing. This year we have 10 foot trees in our woodland and candy cane areas, with one metre candy canes, and eight foot trees in the other two themes, as well as four metre display walls.

So far for 2018 what have been the best-selling items and have there been any surprises?

We had a quirky reindeer advent calendar, where you had a fence with dates and had to move the reindeer along that sold out in midNovember!

Finally, on a personal level what does Christmas mean to you?

Before I had children Christmas was partly about having a perfectly decorated tree – but things change! I think your perception of the festive season changes when you become a mum and now I love nothing more than buying for my two girls. Plus it also means I understand the buying process for children’s products in store that much more. *www.buckinghamgardencentre.co.uk

christmas in january 57

Feature Floralsilk

Instagram hotspots

with Floralsilk

I

n this day and age, social media is such an integral part of everyday life for more or less every person. With the rising popularity of apps such as Instagram and Snapchat, it is easier than ever to share our thoughts, experiences and reach a huge amount of interested people at the mere click of a button. This is obviously great for business as it is a very cost effective and fast acting exercise, allowing companies to communicate with their target audiences immediately and regularly and is a great way for getting your products out there.

Floralsilk are wholeheartedly embracing this fact at Harrogate this year, with the majority of their ever more creative displays being ideal Instagram hot spots. With a display for each new Christmas theme, there will be plenty of opportunity for visitors to capture the perfect picture. Love it or hate it, the world is selfie mad and businesses can only benefit from getting involved.

Floralsilk have always prided themselves on being innovative and creative with their products but also with their Christmas displays at Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair. Each one is carefully thought out and designed to provide inspiration to their customers in terms of product combinations, visual merchandising, top trend themes and, this year, enticing Instaworthy opportunities.

With 9 new Christmas themes, Floralsilk have really given thought to ensuring that there is the breadth of range to suit all tastes and markets incorporating traditional themes such as ‘Classic’ and ‘Rustic’ collections through to more novelty themes like ‘Believe In Santa’.

58 christmas in january

To name a few of our favourites, there is ‘Christmas Luxury’ which fulfils everyone’s dream of having a cosy home bar. Pull up a pink sheepskin stool and relax in front of a chic grey bar. ‘Christmas Luxury’ is gloriously retro with a contemporary twist - think warm pinks and peaches, rose gold, silver and cool soft greys. The theme ‘Forever Green’ is wonderfully atmospheric with deep greens and metallic copper and gold where you can strike a pose sitting on velvet in front of a feature wall. One of the largest and most striking displays is for Floralsilk’s ‘Winter Wonderland’ theme where visitors can immerse themselves in a snowy scene akin to visiting Narnia and finally, one of our personal picks, the ‘Pop Art’ display promises to be particularly striking and is one that readers may recognise from the Floralsilk advert within this magazine!

All in all there are some great opportunities to get up close and personal with Floralsilk at Harrogate, with something for everyone whether you’re a garden centre, retailer, visual merchandiser, interior landscaper, hotelier or Instagram lover.

“We are really happy that our Christmas range is continually growing, allowing us to offer our customers an unrivalled selection of complementary festive tree trim, ornaments, fine wreaths and garlands, wintery foliage and authentic Christmas trees and we look forward to welcoming customers new and old at Harrogate” says Amy Thorley, Marketing Manager at Floralsilk, “and maybe taking a selfie or two!”

TEL: 01778 425205 Email: darren.broxup@floralsilk.co.uk

We welcome visitors to our Showroom in Holland and we will also be exhibiting at Harrogate, Hall A, Stand A25 and Christmasworld, Frankfurt Hall 9, Stand A55

Contact lemaxeurope1@btinternet.com Tel: 01732 454477

Feature Festive

Mystical woodland

and much much more

I

t doesn’t seem like a full year since I last wrote my editorial piece about Festive but in the busy world of Christmas time really does seem to fly.

As I made my way to their head office and showrooms in Cwmbran I had a heady air of expectation about what I was going to see as they seem to surpass themselves each year.

The main trend for 2019 is ‘Mystical Woodland’, as you enter the main reception area you are invited to take a walk through this Mystical Woodland scene up the garden path into their Skandi influenced, rustic world. Jo Thomas, Creative Manager for Festive tells me that the idea is to make the customer feel tiny as they enter by using oversized props such as toadstools and large garden tools. She adds ‘we have used thousands of Firefly Lights, one of our best-selling lines from 2018 to make the

60 christmas in january

whole theme cosy and magical’.

The effect is amazing, the colours used are traditional reds and greens with accents of gold and blue with just a hint of mustard yellow, mixed with Festive’s signature Swedish Santas or Gonks this is a really commercial and versatile option for those customers wanting to put a new twist on a traditional colour palette.

The Firefly lights follow you all around the showroom, past Festive’s other collections such as Season of Snow and Gatsby Glitz all the way to the Festive emporium a shop within the showroom filled with on trend collections featuring Sloths, Mermaids and of course Unicorns! Senior Designer Danielle Vaughan explains ‘we use long range forecast trend data to help us plan and develop our collections so that they are right when they launch, the 2019 range was planned in December 2017, a year

and a half before it hits the stores!’

Key display props are something which Festive has become famous for and these are featured heavily in the new collection. There is a new bright red mail van for the Deer Santa theme and a ‘Bubble Booth’ tuk tuk for the Festive Fizz theme based on the currently very popular trends for Prosecco and Gin, I just hope that they are serving plenty of Prosecco at their stand in Harrogate!

Another big development for 2019 is the partnership with Puleo Trees, long known in the UK for supplying selected retailers with high quality artificial Christmas trees in full containers, but until now not having the facility to sell in smaller amounts – despite persistent requests.

Marketing Director, Jon Hughes tells me ‘I have known UK agent Adrian Yapp and the Puleo family for many years and I knew that Festive and Puleo could find a way to work together supplying a selected range of Puleo’s best-selling trees and some exclusive items through our warehouse in South Wales’.

It seems that Festive and Puleo have been working on this collaboration since both companies met at Harrogate Christmas & Gift in 2018 and were proud to launch their partnership to their sales team and selected customers in December.

The full range of Puleo trees by Festive are shown at their UK showrooms and will also be launched to the wider trade at Harrogate in January, both Adrian Yapp and the Festive team will be on hand to help with all enquiries.

In 2018 Festive launched their own brand Fragranstix collection, scented sticks to hang on artificial trees in four Christmas themed fragrances. The team in South Wales tell me that they were hugely successful and will be adding a floor standing display unit option for 2019.

Puleo is not the only collaboration which Festive has embarked on in the last 12 months, the other being the hugely successful distribution deal with Duracell Batteries, the largest battery brand in the world. Sales Director James Marshall tells me ‘we looked at other branded opportunities and even

considered selling our own battery brand, but when an opportunity like Duracell comes along, you really can’t turn it down’. He continues ‘from day one the sales growth has been very encouraging, our customers like the fact we’re offering them full retail solutions in the form of planogrammed metal displays as well as ‘in season 5+3 offer packs’ in FSDU format’.

When you consider how many battery powered items are sold by Festive and stocked by retailers in general, it seems like the perfect partnership, the Duracell battery stand is featured within their lighting showroom, alongside Festive’ s best-selling Battery Timer Lights, they’re never ones to miss an opportunity I must say!

The Festive lighting showroom has changed dramatically since I last saw it, their core lighting is prominently displayed via full retail racking – replicating the look and feel in-store.

This year’s range has been strengthened by a larger collection of ‘Dewdrop’ copper wire lights, with many items featured with ‘Try Me’ PDQ’s, perfect for retailers’ shelves; Not to be left out, the Dewdrop range also features large display pieces from 60cm twinkling ball lights to 118cm lit stars and trees.

The full range of Festive Firefly lights is also shown here, a very simple but effective concept (every other bulb flickers), these lights only have one function, a gentle shimmer creating the now famous ‘Firefly’ effect. Customers loved the effect so much, further sizes and colours have been added to their range for 2019. This range is available in single items or quarter pallet dump bins, something that Festive highly recommended to me, given the strong rate of sale.

Retailers have reported mixed results for projectors in the last couple of years, but Festive tell me that their Snowfall Projector which they were first to market with in 2017, is bucking the trend. They report that sales / sell through have remained strong in 2018 and they’re introducing an exciting new version which is being officially unveiled at Harrogate, remember you heard it here first!

Another category which Festive have done well with in recent years is plush animation, the ubiquitous walking dog and unicorn have been joined this year by a whole host of other characters which will be on show at Harrogate.

Festive’s colour of the season this year is Frosty Spruce, a mint green colour used in their Season of Snow theme which is reflected beautifully against the contrasting white and silver, in recent years Festive has always tried to promote a key colour trend and this year’s really stands out and is of course, bang on trend.

It’s clearly been a busy year of development for Festive and now that customers are starting to visit their showroom they are starting to get valuable feedback just in time for the Harrogate show. ‘The customer feedback helps us to tailor our offering and identify opportunities that we may have missed’ James explains.

He continues, ‘the market is changing and suppliers also need to adapt to the changing retail landscape, Festive is working more closely with its customers to develop bespoke designs and packaging to help them stand out from the competition, this is something we see as being key to the growth of our business and welcome discussions with new partners’.

Festive certainly know how to create an impression, to see first-hand their new collection visit their stand, C1 at Harrogate Christmas and Gift.

christmas in january 61

Feature Kaemingk

Kaemingk All around the world 2019 Christmas collection

W

hether it’s freezing cold and everything is covered in a thick layer of snow or whether it’s hot enough to grab your swimming trunks and head for the beach, Christmas is celebrated, all over the world. And we all have our own Christmas traditions; beautiful trees are decorated, houses are lit up like fairytale

palaces, the most delicious delights are cooked and Christmas carols fill the air. Gifts are bought and season greetings sent. One thing is certain: at Christmas, the world is full of glorious decorations!

On 3 December, Kaemingk’s inspirational showroom measuring 5,500m2 reopens. We have realistic artificial Christmas trees, Christmas ligh lights for indoor and outdoor use and glass or sha shatterproof baubles. Here you’ll find anything an and everything you need to put together a co complete Christmas collection. You can extend yo your range with colourful candles, genuine Lu Lumineo Christmas Village houses or floristry ite items. We have more than 13,500 home de decor and gift items for you to choose from.

O Of course, they’re all displayed in fabulous ssettings with eight unique themes featuring th the latest trends.

SShare the cosiest of times W What says ‘Christmas’ more than a landscape of snow and ice. Outside, huskies are waiting to take you on a sleigh ride through tthe fresh snow. Inside, it’s warm – the log fire is burning. The floor is strewn with magnificent hides and the furniture is m ccovered with thick, warm throws and pretty decorative cushions. Delicious wintry treats d are on hand, served on delightful tableware ar while hot chocolate is poured into unique, w earthenware mugs. ea

Fabulous music & classy drinks Fa Br Bright-red table runners, candlesticks and colourful velvet chairs in yellow and purple. co The dining table is surrounded by vibrant decorative bouquets in contrasting colours, set dec 62 christmas in january

on high pillars. The warm light of the candles is reflected as a shimmer on the gold cutlery. On each plate there is a lovely, fresh flower and cut greenery, waiting for his or her special Christmas visitor.

A cosy family weekend in the woods Dusk is falling; soon the family house in the mountains will be surrounded by complete darkness. A large, modern basket of logs is ready next to the crackling fire and a wonderful, natural-looking garland has been slung over the hearth. The kitchen bustles as dinner is prepared.

Fresh herbs in pretty pots brighten up the kitchen counter. Slowly, the scent of a stuffed turkey rises from the oven and fills the house.

Where fantasy comes to life Enter an enchanted palace and discover a glittering treasure chest; the treasure chest is guarded by nutcrackers. In the background, there is a life-size snow dome with an elf riding on the back of a Pegasus.

The palace also contains soft, velvet furniture, folding screens, mirrors and cloches featuring fairy-tale flowers and animals. This year, we’re going to have a glittering, white Christmas with a special shimmer.

Come and visit, you’ll find boundless inspiration. You are cordially invited to our showroom in Aalten in the Netherlands or visit us in Harrogate from 13-17th July. www.kaemingk.com

Feature Noma

Happy 80th birthday NOMA! Celebrating 80 Years of NOMA Christmas ‘Christmas in January’ first published in 1989 and in that first issue helped to celebrate Noma’s 50th, celebrating their 60th in 1999, their 70th in 2009 and what will be their biggest celebration for their 80th. Below Noma give everyone information on their plans for the 80th Gala dinner.

S

ince its beginnings in the UK in 1939, the name NOMA has been synonymous with top quality Christmas lights, and 80 years later the brand is still going strong and still living up to this promise. NOMA is the oldest Christmas lighting supplier in the UK, and owners LeisureGrow are delighted to be celebrating this iconic brand’s 80th birthday this year.

NOMA 80th Year Gala Dinner LeisureGrow is determined to make sure the 80th anniversary celebrations go with a bang, and what better way to celebrate than with a spectacular Gala Dinner which promises to be the highlight of this year’s Harrogate Christmas and Gift Fair.

Guests at the NOMA 80th Year Gala Dinner will be treated to an evening of entertainment, gourmet dining, and a whole host of celebrations. Headlining the entertainment on the night will be comedian Dara O’Briain, who attendees will recognise as host of TV’s Mock the Week. O’Briain is sure to prove a hit with the audience with his intelligent, fast-talking comedy style.

The celebrations will begin with a champagne reception, followed be a three course meal. Throughout the night there will be an array of entertainment including music and magic to help get proceedings underway, with some surprises along the way! Following the meal and Dara O’Briain’s performance it will be time for party-goers to dance the night away with a live band serving up a huge helping of music.

LeisureGrow Marketing Director Frank Kaminski said: “We’re 64 christmas in january

looking forward to celebrating NOMA’s 80th birthday in style! It’s a great brand and we’re proud to be part of its recent history and also its future. We’ve got great ambitions for NOMA Christmas and NOMA Garden Lighting and we’re excited about the innovations and designs we’re bringing in for 2019 and beyond. The Gala Dinner is a chance to celebrate the brand’s history and to say thank you to all our customers who continue to support the NOMA brand and make it the success it is today.”

80 Years of Design and Technology from NOMA NOMA’s success over the years was very much built on their filament bulb sales which allowed them to create a wide variety of Christmas lighting, all to the highest standards of safety.

Under LeisureGrow’s careful guidance the NOMA brand is always evolving, with cutting edge technology like its 1,2,Tree system, its patented EasyTimer, and the NOMA Add-A-LongPro system.

As well as the old favourites, the NOMA design team keeps things fresh with new products each year, in line with the latest trends. The 2019 NOMA range is no exception, and includes the latest technologies like its new dual power festive outdoor lighting range that can be operated by both mains power and battery; a USB lighting chain collection; and solar-powered pillar candle range featuring NOMA’s patented Solar 365 technology.

New designs and products for 2019 include: stunning floating Magical Christmas Candles; water fountain candles; a new pre-lit natural rattan collection of garden animals including a full size stag; and fun acrylic characters that include an on-trend 3 foot free-standing flamingo.

There are also new pre-lit Christmas door sets and wreaths and new tree scents to fit all trees - giving NOMA’s ultra-realistic artificial trees a true pine fragrance for Christmas.

Showrooms in Hertfordshire and Scotland Now Open Customers who can’t make it to Harrogate are

invited to visit LeisureGrow’s extensive showroom in Hertfordshire to view the NOMA Christmas 2019 range and join the team for a celebratory BBQ lunch in their cosy cabin. To book your appointment call 01462 744 500. Or for those customers further North the LeisureGrow showroom in Killearn near Glasgow is also open – to arrange a visit call Catriona Exeter on 07803 515 352.

Feature Smart Garden Products

Smart move

in Harrogate

A

s experts in garden lighting and décor, it seemed only natural for Smart to create a Christmas range, starting with a modest collection which was launched at the Harrogate Christmas and Gift Show in January 2018.

Jonathan Stobart, Managing Director, comments on the launch “We were absolutely delighted with our retail partners’ positive response to our inaugural launch under our new Three Kings brand last year and even more pleased that the range has sold so well in-store this Christmas season. We are still finding our feet in this dynamic category and have spent the last year seeking out and developing an exciting, innovative new range for 2019 with stunning new collections across Festive Lighting and Décor, all priced for maximum impact in store”.

The popular Festive Folk and Santa Stakes ranges have new additions, ensuring a warm welcome at the door, joined by the brand new In-Lit Statuettes, a collection of elegant, illuminated figures which will bring the Spirit of Christmas into every household.

The Elvedon Christmas Collection remains a best-selling collectible range, with a delightful selection of battery lit houses, ideal for creating festive ambience around the home.

Squeezy, cuddly and irresistible, the Gonk Gang family of festive characters come in all shapes and sizes – fairies, snowmen, deer and our lovable “Gonkerts” – not to be missed!

Our Rattan and Faux Décor 66 christmas in january

collections have also had an upgrade, and now include illuminated versions of our bestsellers. We continue to light up our collection with new Faux Fire Lanterns – complete with incredibly realistic flickering flames. Accompanying these are some fabulously Festive Lanterns and Woodland Lumieres.

Topping the tree is our beautiful Bauble-Esque range – gorgeous glass baubles containing delicate firefly LEDs, and atmospheric Alpine scenes. We’re really excited about our range of 80 LED Meteor Shower baubles which are a must-range item for 2019. With a Try-Me function on every box, these will make a spectacle in-store as well as in homes all around the country!

Our Galaxy Mirrors and NeonEsque style décor are given the Christmas treatment with festive options available as tabletops as well as striking wall mounted motifs in two sizes. We’ve also added striking strips of neon flex guaranteed to make a bright and bold festive statement!

Classic String Lights continue to sell well, now priced even more competitively, whilst the ever-popular Firefly LED String Lights and new Glo-Globe options are a sure winner all year round.

Finally, we encourage you to check out our lighting string section where we have transformed the humble battery string light with our patented SP-i Eco String Lights that not only deliver great battery performance over Christmas but can then be “solar-enabled” to work all year round – how eco-friendly, convenient and Smart is that?!

Feature Keel Toys

Keel Toys Happy glitter Christmas

T

here have been some great new emerging colour schemes and fabric trends which will grow further in 2019.

The demand for sequins has grown during 2018 as they feature predominantly in stationery, craft, furnishings and fashion.

New for 2019 are Christmas Glittermotsu’s, finished in iridescent sequins in a range of your favourite Christmas Characters. Simply stroke the sequins to reveal the contrasting colours, in 20cm and 30cm sizes Glittermotsu will be a must have for Christmas 2019!

Pugsley the beloved pug will once again feature in 2019 with a NEW standing style dressed for the season in Christmas character outfits. These fabulous designs will be sure to keep this pooch top of the breeds in 2019.

Our classic promotional style soft toys for 2019 include a NEW Gingerbread Man and Blue Penguin in a variety of sizes to hit key price points. If we do not have the design to suit why not talk to us about a bespoke toy just for you? With a design team of 6 we can manage your soft toy project from design to delivery with minimum orders starting from just 1200pcs.

Keel Toys Christmas range is wrapped up with a variety of soft toys including Elves, fairies, dangly characters and Winter Animotsu ideal for

68 christmas in january

stocking fillers and decorations.

Puppy eyes are adorable and heart melting to the point where you cannot help but love them.

With those sad eyes you just want to cuddle, protect and love them.

New adorable puppy eyes in Keel Toys Signature Cuddle Puppies make them a breed apart. Each eye is bespoke to the breed of dog in size and colour including blue, green and brown variations. With weighted paws and a floppy body, they simply loved to be hugged. Without doubt we have put the Play Value and Ahh Value into the Signature Cuddle Puppies. There are 12 designs in the 25cm size presented in a floor display which also features fabulous collars which are purchased separately. The breeds include old favourites like the Labrador and Husky and are complimented with New including French Bulldog, Labradoodle and Wheaten Terrier. Larger versions are available in 32cm, 37cm, and 47cm sizes. To complete the Signature Cuddle Puppies there are 12 Standing Puppies with Lead which have always been a toy favourite. As a nation of dog lovers Signature Cuddle Puppies are the ideal toy/gift to support your Christmas Departments.

Keel Toys offer a variety of Retail Solutions so you can make the most of your sales space with a range carded and MDF display stands with stock packages. www.keeltoys.com sales@keeltoys.com 01233 506363

Christmas Fair Harrogate: Stand D02

cell

ÂŽ Perfect for the home, these beautiful decorative pieces make a stunning centrepiece.

These gorgeous graduated smoked glass candle holders have a translucent mirror finish that creates a striking, sensuous ambience and an illusion of depth as the reflection of the candles go off into infinity, further enhancing the candle flame.

See the full range at...

Christmas & Gift Spring Fair Harrogate Convention Centre NEC Birmingham 13 - 16 Janaury 2019 3 - 7 February 2019

Stand D17

Hall 4 Stand 4H50 - J51

For more info, contact our Customer Service Team Email: sales@xystos.co.uk or Tel: +44(0)191 499 1570 www.xystostrade.co.uk

Full Page 2019.indd 1

21/12/2018 10:57:34

Feature Giftware Trading

A very diverse offering from Giftware Trading

N

ow in their 11th year of exhibiting at Harrogate, Giftware Trading could now be considered as regulars at Harrogate, where their stand in the entrance to Hall ‘A’ will once again be showing this company’s most original and sometimes quirky collection of Christmas ranges.

There will be a lot of new products alongside some of the company’s most popular items from last year.

Managing Director Ben Jeffery comments “I am thrilled with the diverse and commercial collection that we have created for Christmas 2019. Despite some of the challenges retailers are facing many of our customers have been ordering and repeating regularly in the run up to Christmas, with very positive feedback reporting strong sales and confidence going forward into the New Year.”

Having moved into new office and showroom in 2015, this investment has really paid off with customers enjoying being able to view the entire range in a most relaxed atmosphere.

70 christmas in january

Harrogate has been instrumental in regularly attracting quality visitors who have found Giftware Trading’s highly original take on Christmas to their liking.

Easter continues to be an important part of Giftware trading’s offering and once again they will be showing a small selection of their current Easter collection. Ben told us “Easter has once again proven popular and any decorations which can be used on an Easter tree have been good”.

Whilst Easter might be fairly new to Giftware Trading, and Ben believes it will never compare with Christmas turnover, never the less the Season of Easter eggs etc., is a growing market.

With a growing product range and sales heading in the same direction Ben looks forward to welcoming both old and new customers to their stand in Hall A. For those visiting Spring Fair, the company are in Hall 5.

National Tree Company Hall B – B15

Tel: 001 908 709 4141 Email: Kimberly@nationaltree.com National Tree Company is a leading manufacturer and wholesale supplier of the highest quality and most realistic designs in artificial Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, and holiday greenery. Our product line consists of more than one thousand items enabling us to offer a diversity of products to satisfy a wide variety of consumer tastes.

We have been at the forefront in the creation of new technologies in design as well as lighting, including our firmly established Dual Color® LED light sets, now improved to a 10-function version, as well as offering exciting LED light choices that include Infinity Lights® and Cosmic Lights(TM).

Please visit us at Booth Number B15 where we will be exhibiting a wide range of new products all exclusively from National Tree Company.

Also look for us at the upcoming Birmingham Spring Fair.

Cosmic Fireworks Hall D – Stand D1A

Tel: 01283 520771 Email: gurmail@cosmicfireworks.com Cosmic fireworks return to Harrogate with a big bang plus an exciting new range of selection boxes, which will be exclusively revealed here at the show. Their new catalogue will both the new selection boxes, along with a variety of new fireworks that will offer innovative effects and vibrant colours. As one of the leading U.K. wholesalers of Fireworks, Cosmic are looking forward to discussing how best to fulfil you requirements.

No longer are fireworks just for Guy Fawke’s night, they enjoy yearround enjoyment for a whole host of outdoor celebrations.

christmas in january 71

A3_FLICKERBRIGHTS_advert_co_PRINT.pdf

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

1

21/12/2018

12:25

Feature Harrogate

Global Journey Stand A34.

Lemax Europe Hall A – Stand A25

Tel: 01732 454 477 Email: lemax.europe1@btinternet.com Now showing for their third year at Harrogate, Lemax are the world leaders in Christmas Collectibles. Founded in 1990 their miniature buildings and villages have an ever-expanding customer base and the U.K. is no different.

2018 has been a most successful year with their Carousel and Ballroom leading the way. Much of the Lemax success story is attributable to their young graphic artists and designers, who continuously look to keep up the latest trends in LED lighting and mechanical movements. As new technology continues to improve the story-making experience whilst never sacrificing the hand-crafted quality that collectors have come to expect.

Buyers visiting their stand in Hall ‘A’, can once again expect to see a wonderful centerpiece along with a big range of both new and current items.

Lemax consumers are a mix of collectors and those of us who buy on impulse when we see one of their houses or village settings.

I have to say of the two I’d far prefer collecting a Lemax village setting, particularly an Alpine one, compared to those model railway enthusiasts who have their layout normally hidden in a loft-room setting – much better on display in a lounge during the festive period.

Arie Vuijk and Amanda Clark look forward to showing buyers around the 2019 Collection.

74 christmas in january

0161 872 0333 (Ext 703) www.global-journey.com Launching at the Harrogate Christmas Fair on the Global Journey stand in January, will be, not one, not two, not three, but four exciting new products. We know its all about quality and not quantity, so our promise to our customers, is that in 2019, we will have available four very exciting, great quality, new gift products.

On the back of the success of our Bamboo Travel Cups and personalised sleeves launched in 2018, we have produced a new Winter/Christmas range with stunning designs,and Christmas caption sleeves. These will make a great gift from September onwards, with our humorous captions being all the rage in the cafes in the run upto Christmas.

Following on from our very popular new Hand Sanitisers, and listening to customer feedback, we are also launching a wonderful new range of Christmas Hand Sanitisers with Christmas slogans. These are a great fun product, will help to keep winter germs at bay, and retailing for only £2.99 are certain to be a massive success in 2019.

Also on show on the Global Journey stand in Harrogate will be a fantastic new range of Car Air Fresheners. Bright, vibrant colours blended with along lasting fragrance, this is yet another great gift idea retailing for only £4.99. Our Colour Therapy Car Fresheners, consist of six different categories and sixty-four captions, with eight fresh scents. A small double sided floor display measuring only 35cm is available free of charge.

New product number four for Global Journey is a stunning range of A5, Retro Notebooks, with 200 lined pages and motivational quotes on each page. Also included inside are Doodle pages, Goal Setting pages, and To Do list pages. A product that would normally retail for between £9.99 - £12.99, this is certain to be a big seller at only £7.99 RRP. You can find all of these exciting new products on the Global Journey stand A34.

Splosh set to make a splash Xystos D17

Call: 0191 499 1570 Email sales@xystos.co.uk Visit: xystostrade.co.uk Xystos will introduce eight new Splosh ranges at Harrogate Christmas & Gift. Hamptons features a variety of coastal homewares that incorporate soft white washed wood and deep blue coral reefs that capture the essence of beachside living, while the Magnolia homewares collection brings the simplistic elegance of magnolias into the home mixed with organic textures and trending tones of off-white and olive green.

The Splosh Mushrooms range features caring messages – such as ‘you are the sunshine that lights up my life’ – while Travel Maps enable the adventurous to ‘pin’ where they’ve been and want to go.

There are new Mini Change Boxes for savers and hanging Loving Hearts with sentimental sayings. And Message Boxes enable wellwishers to leave their kind thoughts on special occasions such as birthdays and weddings. Little Boxes of Love, bearing inscriptions such as Our Friendship, Our Love Story, Mum and Dad, complete the new introductions.

Call: 0191 499 1570 Email sales@xystos.co.uk Visit: xystostrade.co.uk

Mister Tinsel

Premier Halloween

Tel: 07736 032272 Email:ianirnorris@gmail.com Mister Tinsel are back at Harrogate with plenty of new ideas and designs in Tinsel production. As ever their products are designed and manufactured right here in the UK and continue to be the most quality conscious and competitively priced and innovative tinsels in the marketplace according to Ian Norris.

With Ian’s infectious approach to his customers’ requirements they approach 2019 in their 5th year with probably their biggest collection of tinsel product ever.

A new catalogue as well as a brand new and beautiful floor standing tinsel display unit is introduced for the first time.

Ian would like to give a BIG THANK YOU to all his customers who have supported and encouraged Mister Tinsel to date and is looking forward to welcoming them to their stand in Hall ‘D’ – stand D1 His final words “Happy New Year from ‘Team Tinsel’.”

Premier Decorations Limited are delighted to launch its 2019 Halloween Collection which is packed with a selection of exciting new products.

In response to customer feedback, they have expanded their family friendly ranges and reintroduced some of their spookier collection; with close to a 1000 products, there is plenty within the 2019 range to cover a wide variety of tastes and markets.

As reported in trade press, Halloween 2018 was a one of the most successful years where retailers reported an unexpected increase in demand, leading to many lines being sold out entirely. It is without doubt that the Halloween Festival is becoming ever increasingly popular event.

The visual impact of merchandising and the dramatic effect of in store Halloween displays fuel customer excitement to participate in the festival, be sure to check Premier’s Merchandising solutions which include Gondolas, Stands and pre-merchandised FSDU’s.

Premier hope to see you at Harrogate Christmas & Gift and Spring Fair (3rd -7th February 2019, Hall 5 Stand E112/ F113) where you can view the entire range in its full glory. Alternatively, showrooms visits are also welcomed in Ruislip, Middlesex or Wrexham, North Wales – call 020 8624 5555 to arrange an appointment.

Hall D – Stand D1

Hall H

Let us

amaze you !

Seasonal decorations Christmas lighting Floristry Christmas Trees, wreaths and garlands Glass baubles CHRISTMAS & GIFT FAIR 13 - 16 JANUARY 2019 HALL M | STAND M1 BIRMINGHAM | UK

SPRING FAIR 3 – 7 FEBRUARY 2019 HALL 2 | STAND C04-D05 + C30-D31 BIRMINGHAM | UK W W W. K AEMI NG K . C OM