News

Gift Universe

acquires Prezzybox

Gift Universe, the parent company of gifts and gadgets retailer Menkind, has officially completed the acquisition of Prezzybox, an established brand in the gifting industry and the creation of founder Zak Edwards.

The deal, which was made for an undisclosed sum, will enable the company to extend its reach into the female gifting market alongside Menkind’s male focused proposition, and follows Gift Universe’s recent acquisition of Hawkin’s Bazaar, which furthers its strategy to develop specialised highly targeted offerings.

Family-run Prezzybox was founded in 2000 with the mission to ‘to create moments of happiness by delivering the extraordinary’. The acquisition will see no significant change to Prezzybox, with the company maintaining its brand name, identity, ethos and value proposition. Gift Universe will look to use synergies in terms of buying, marketing and finance to the benefit of the company and its customers.

Prezzybox commercial director Barney Edwards commented: “We’re pleased that the business is going into Gift Universe’s capable hands and look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength in the future. As a family, we have put a huge amount of effort into building the business and we are happy to pass it on to a company that can help it achieve its potential.

“We are thankful to all the external stakeholders we have worked with and, most importantly, would like to thank our many

team members from over the years. Despite growing into a big operation from a small family business, we have always felt like one big family.” Gift Universe CEO and founder Paul Kraftman added: “We are excited to continue the growth of our business through the acquisition of this well-established family brand. The acquisition of Prezzybox provides further opportunity to develop and grow our offering and increase our foothold in the gifting industry, enabling us to continue to expand our customer base.” Gift Universe is a “We’re pleased multi-channel business sourcing, developing that the business and selling products in the novelty, gifting is going into and gadgets market. Gift Universe’s Founded in 2002, the company operates an capable hands expansive network of Menkind stores across the and look forward UK. Under the direction of Paul Kraftman, Gift to seeing it go Universe has grown organically as well as from strength to via several successful mergers and acquisitions strength in the since its inception. With future” an in-house product development team, it is able to offer a diverse product range spanning several gifting categories, with 70% of revenue generated from original products designed in-house. Channels include 50 permanent stores (expanding up to 70 at peak trading through seasonal pop-ups), and B2B distribution to blue-chip and independent retailers, and ecommerce platforms and marketplaces.

Miss Milly

means business!

Miss Milly recently took part in the inaugural Sustainability Basics course offered by Small Business Britain.

A six-week course run with Oxford Brookes University, Small99 and Sustainable Pathways, the programme began with an introduction to sustainability and how to caalculate your carbon footprint, and then looked at different areas in more detail such as energy, transport, supply chain, and carbon offsetting.

Miss Milly owner Sarah Watmore said: “With interactive webinars and an engaged Facebook group, the course was - and continues to be - a great help in our aim to be more sustainable. We have already made some changes, but now have several other projects ongoing, and will be including information on what we’re doing on our new website, which launched in June.”

Small Business Britain is running a second course from September 6 and Miss Milly would encourage other businesses in the gift industry to get involved. Sarah commented: “Sustainability is a minefield, and many of the smaller wholesalers and independent retailers would struggle with B Corp certification. But this course gave us lots of suggestions and advice on where we could improve and how. Every positive change you can make at work and home, no matter how small, really is worthwhile.”

Licensing update from Love Country

Love Country has announced a licensing partnership with Tracks Publishing.

The company said: ‘The lovely people at Tracks fell for the heartwarming designs by artist Sarah Reilly and have licensed Sarah’s entire design collection. These are available as greeting cards and packs, which feature a story on the reverse written by Sarah.’

A new licence for this summer includes the new 2022 Seed Card Collection, which received a Highly Commended accolade in The Giftware Association’s Gift of the Year Awards 2022. With 24 designs, the collection features wildlife and flowers and is 100% plastic-free.

More festive products have been developed and you can find Sarah’s work on advent calendars and advent cards available for pre-order now.

Countdown to Scotland’s Trade Fair Autumn

Scotland’s Trade Fair Autumn returns to the SEC in Glasgow on September 18 and September 19, with a diverse array of around 120 exhibitors across the gift, greeting cards, homeware, stationery, jewellery, food and textiles sectors, including established names such as Barrhead Leather, Glen Appin, Pocket Mountains, Shearer Candles, Pink Pig, Ness and Urban Outline.

In The Launch Gallery, companies such as Christine Allan Art, Fiona Matheson Studio, Joy Nevada, Christine Gilbert Art and Surya Luna Naturals will be exhibiting for the first time at the Autumn edition of Scotland’s Trade Fair. And the Speciality Food area is once again in high demand, featuring companies such as Och Vegan, Cold Town Beer and Scotia Spice Foods.

Show director Mark Saunders said: “Nothing quite beats meeting suppliers and negotiating orders that can only be done face-to-face at trade shows, especially as many of our exhibitors will only be at this show. However, our Autumn Show is more than just buying. It gives retailers the chance to find out what’s on-trend in the marketplace and discover new exhibitors. It also offers the opportunity to network and catch up with suppliers - and it’s a welcome day out after what we hope will be a busy summer season.”

He added: “With many Brits opting to holiday at home now, plus many foreign visitors returning to Scotland, shops are hoping to have a good summer and will be ready to reorder in September.”

Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring returns to its normal timing in January and will be held at the SEC in Glasgow from January 22 to January 24, 2023.

Moda gets set to sparkle at Autumn Fair

One of the UK’s longest standing fashion trade shows, Moda is now an integral destination at Spring Fair & Autumn Fair, with the next edition taking place at Autumn Fair from September 4 to September 7 at NEC Birmingham.

Visitors will discover new designs and collections within Jewellery & Watch and Fashion Accessories from Sea Gems, Big Metal, Lisa Angel, Suzie Blue, Amber Hall Jewellery, Cavendish French, Kali Ma Designs, Lido Pearls, Shrieking Violet, Midhaven, Ping Ping Jewellery, Scream Pretty, Silver Jewellery Cavern, Reeves & Reeves, Ronin Jewellery, Siren Silver, Spoke 925, Bluelily925silver, The Old Farmhouse Jewellery, Clementine Jewellery, Icon Watches, Paradise Jewellery, Eliza Gracious, Gracee Jewellery, Pura Vida, and many more.

Attendees will also uncover the latest handbags, hats, scarves and statement pieces, making Moda the perfect place to find those finishing touches to your collections. Look out for new brands such as Annie with Alex, Esoteric London, and Weartrade, and returning favourites including Miss Milly, Glen Appin of Scotland, Nova Leathers, Yvette Collection, Talbot Fashions, Flick Fashions, Miss Shorthair, Ashwood Leather, House of Shen, Zelly UK, Berber Leather, Mag Mouch Sophos, Miss Sparrow, Black Yak, Earth Squared, ENVY, Peace of Mind, Nomads, Mala Leather, Angelababy, Thistle Gem, Passion Accessories and Moca Fashion.

Simon Lau, event director of Moda at Autumn Fair, commented: “Moda has been the key fashion destination at Spring and Autumn Fair for two incredibly successful seasons, and returns to Autumn Fair in September with an ever-growing portfolio of inspiring and trend-led designers and brands.

“With its long-standing heritage as a leading womenswear and footwear show, Moda still provides an essential hub for creativity, collaboration and trading, while claiming its place as the new fashion destination at the UK’s largest marketplace for home, gift and fashion, with visiting retailers benefiting from the vast cross-buying opportunities and inspiration. We look forward to welcoming all our returning and new brands and delivering another brilliant show for our visitors.”

Curated Meetings at Autumn Fair has announced its first round of confirmed brands selected to showcase products to buyers in pre-scheduled, one-to-one 15-minute meetings. The line-up so far includes Clarity Blend, Giffi Creations, Esoteric London, iBeani, The Jewel Jar, Kidzon, Kingfisher Cards, Alex Clark Art, Huboo Technologies, Erda Ally, Yoshi, Kingsley Ryan, Lichfield Leather, The Old Farmhouse Jewellery, Àníké TLC, Fox Under the Moon, Upper Canada UK, Aroma Home, Dojo, Body Jewellery, Annie with Alex, FLB Group, Vespucci Adventures, Shifa Aromas, Feel the Glow, Shu Da Living, and Beevive. Approved buyers can apply for a financial contribution to cover expenses and international buyers could receive £350 and 2-nights’ accommodation at The Moxy Hotel at NEC Birmingham. For further information, visit https://www.autumnfair.com/curated-meetings.

GA appoints new chair and collaborates with the Creative Industry Association

Gert Schyberg and Louise Welsby

The Giftware Association (GA) hosted its AGM on June 22 and announced details of the new officer selection for the next two years.

Louise Welsby, managing director of creative agency Buy-From, was appointed as chair. She succeeds former chair Gert Schyberg, founder and managing director of luxury candle supplier Sebnini, who has stepped into the deputy chair role. Mark Jones, commercial director of gift supplier Gisela Graham, was named vice chair.

Louise said: “It’s an honour to be the first service provider in the association’s 75-year history to take on the chair role. I’m looking forward to continuing the excellent stewardship of Gert and I’m keen to get to work on supporting the GA with new initiatives, including the development of its digital marketing and educational benefits.”

The GA also welcomed two new members to its national committee: Tabi Marsh, owner of Papilio At Heritage gift shop in Bristol and Stephen Illingworth, senior vice president of gift supplier Widdop Bingham & Co. Jeremy Corner, managing director of greeting cards distributor Blue Eyed Sun, stood down from the national committee and was thanked for his service and support over the years.

The GA has taken over the operational, management and memberships activities of the Creative Industry Association. Both bodies have huge synergies which will benefit their respective members. GA CEO Sarah Ward will also take on the CEO role of the Creative Industry Association. Craig De Souza, CEO and founder of the Creative Industry Association, will become an ex officio member of the GA national committee.