4 minute read
75years of festive experience
Ji
- EST. 1947 -
75 Years of
Festive Expertise!
This year Davies Products marks an important anniversary, but the core values this family business was founded on are still central to its huge success. Christmas in January spoke to sisters Gemma and Sophie Davies as they prepare for Harrogate Christmas & Gift…
Tell us a little about the history of Davies Products...
Davies Products was founded in 1947 by our grandfather Alec and his brother Sol, who started importing household products, toys and Christmas decorations. Sophie and I are the third generation to work in the business following our dad, Alan, and his cousin Neville. Together, the family have developed the seasonal specialism you see today, with fantastic ranges for every celebration. We’re proud to have earned an unrivalled reputation as one of the industry’s most reliable and well-respected suppliers of Christmas, Halloween, Floristry, Easter and celebration products.
What factors do you think have contributed to your longevity in business?
Being a family business is essential to our success. Our family ethos has always been to make every effort to give our customers the best possible experience. We pride ourselves on our personal approach and our history of success is in no small part to our relationships with our customers. We listen to them, try to understand their needs and develop the ranges they want, with a unique emphasis on providing quality and value.
Our customers operate in a fast changing, ever-demanding retail environment and we strive to provide them with the products that meet the expectations of the retail consumer – on trend and attractively priced.
You have hundreds of new items every year. How does it come together?
How are you and Sophie feeling looking ahead to Christmas & Gift and Spring Fair?
We’re really looking forward to coming back to the shows in our 75th year! It will be so lovely to see customers and introduce our 2022 ranges in person. With our show stands we aim to make it easy for our customers to navigate the ranges. This year we have great themes and our products are laid out to facilitate both inspiration and easy buying for the 2022 season.
The last two years have been challenging for the entire sector. Why has Davies Products done so well during this time?
Strong relationships have successfully brought us through. We have strong and very longstanding relationships with manufacturers and logistics companies alike, which has ensured the prompt supply of our merchandise in challenging times.
Our in-house designers and buyers are constantly listening to our customer needs, as well as following trends to ensure we produce exciting ranges specifically for the “Customers UK market. We create goods that offer great style and love visiting value, that are truly exclusive our extensive to Davies Products. showroom, Have you welcomed and it features a lot of buyers to your Liverpool all our ranges” showroom? Customers love visiting our extensive showroom, and it features all our ranges. With thousands of products and great displays, customers can take their time and experience everything at leisure, and we also offer virtual appointments.
Harrogate as a show has now become more about calendar celebrations – including Halloween – which must work well for you?
Davies Products has become a true seasonal specialist, so it’s great for us. We cover all four seasons, starting with Spring and Easter, with Floral and Party products available all year round – and then as the nights draw in our Fall Floral, Halloween and Christmas ranges have all the key seasonal elements to celebrate in style.
Our Halloween range is well known and easily recognisable under our Scream Machine brand. The range offers customers a wide range of fun items, perfect for all ages and events. We’ll be showcasing our full Halloween range at Spring Fair.
You mention Floral Décor, another growth area at Harrogate. Which products will you be showcasing in this category?
Our floral ranges form a key element in all our seasonal themes. You’ll find lots of new items, across all seasons, and see the launch of our Fall selection, featuring garlands, wreaths and stems.
What festive pieces sold really well for you in 2021, and what trends are you predicting will be big with customers for Christmas 2022?
As well as some wonderful new themes for 2022, we’re also building on last year’s key themes of Candy Cane, Frosted Naturals and Celebratory Champagne as well as the rich gemstone hues of our Opulence range.
Our wonderful co-ordinating ranges of baubles, floristry and decorations provide the key elements needed to create wonderful inspiring displays for 2022.