Gifts Today

Supporting your industry for 28 years

Independently audited ABC circulation of 7,093 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2016

Month: May/June 2017 Issue: 6

Volume: 28

ONE STOP SH O P FOR P ERSONAL I S E D GI FTS W OMMQ

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www.personalisedmemento.co.uk The UK’s leading trade supplier of personalised gifts

Contents May/June 2017

Regulars 8 12 14 20 62 69 78

News Licensing News Exhibition News GA News A Day in The Life Ross Hewitt’s Social Media Julie Dodsworth

Retail 18

We Built This City Alice Mayor, founder of London’s alternative souvenir shop, reveals her creative alternative to the Capital’s traditional tourist offering

40 Retailers’ Panel Key gift shop owners talk customer service, competing with online retailers and the shows they’ll be attending before the year is out.

60 Trade Talk Leading figures in the gift industry talk summer trends, company news and shows

Gifts Today team

Home & Gift Preview p 34

23

Harrogate Sneak Peek We take a look at what’s in store at this year’s

Editor

Show

Sally Norton sally@lemapublishing.co.uk

26 Cleere Scamell

Advertisement Manager

The Show Director talks ‘Hygge’ in Harrogate,

Mark Horsnell markh@lemapublishing.co.uk

revealing what visitors have got to look forward to at this year’s show

Group Editor Mirella Cestaro mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

Profiles

Group Advertisement Manager Ryan Horwood ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

34 Heaven Scent

p 18

The Eden Project in Cornwall has launched a licensing programme that involves finding partners who share a similar ethos

Production Director

56 Himasal lamps

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

We chat with Bob Travers, the face behind the

Managing Director

fascinating range

Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

59 Sandy Bay London Stylish new home fragrance

68 Ackerman New life for traditional toys

Lema Publishing Ltd

PUBLISHING

1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930

76 Greetings Cards

Special Features

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Independently audited ABC circulation of 7,093 July 2015 to June 2016

p 42

42 63 70 72

Gifts for Women Games, Toys & Puzzles New products & Christmas gifts Exhibition previews

England DU: 01.03.2017

be first.

24 – 27. 6. 2017

From 2017, the latest international product ideas from the home and gift sectors for the autumn / winter and spring / summer seasons will celebrate their premiere in June.

new date

Further details at: tendence.messefrankfurt.com

info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

Tendance.indd 1

16/03/2017 09:16

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new seasons ahead.

Message from the Editor www.gifts-today.co.uk Twitter: @giftstodaymag

Page 26 It’s with good product in mind that thoughts turn to Harrogate Home & Gift and, in this issue, we take a sneak peek of what’s on offer. I Page 78

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

had a fascinating chat with Show Director Cleere Scamell. Cleere confirmed that this year’s show will have even more ‘hygge’ than usual. As a Dane he says he feels qualified to talk about this Danish idea of giving every day an extra glow. It seems to me that there’s no-one better than gift retailers when it comes to boosting the nation’s feeling of hygge – whether it’s a new notebook or fragranced candle, beauty product or family board game, gift shops can offer the lot.

Page 42

When I stumbled across a totally different type of souvenir shop in London, I was keen to learn more. We Built This City offers products created by local illustrators and designers to create an alternative to the traditional tourist offering. I spoke to founder Alice Mayor and I think there’s something we can all take away from her unique take on the gifts industry.

A lovely part of my job is the opportunity to see so many fabulous new products come to market. Some of my favourites Page 18 this month include Himasal Salt Lamps and the new home fragrance offering from Sandy Bay London - I can thoroughly recommend the Orange Amaro scent. I was also struck by the wonderful story behind Enesco’s involvement with Great Ormond Street Hospital, launching three very special Gund Peter Rabbit soft toys to support the charity. They really are gifts that do good.

“

Whether it’s a new notebook or fragranced candle, beauty product or family board game, gift shops can offer the lot

“

Y

ou’d be forgiven for thinking that, in this digital age, people were happy to buy a product without seeing it ‘in the flesh,’ so to speak.

However, everyone I speak to in bricks and mortar retail tells me a different story - how there’s nothing like touching, feeling, even smelling, a product to understand what it’s really all about. Indeed, something one of the official photographers at The London Stationery Show said really struck a chord with me. He commented that it really was one one of the easiest events he’d ever covered, because everywhere he looked, people were picking products up; real people interacting with real products make good images, it seems.

In this issue we take a look at Gifts for Women and the beautifully-packaged world of gift toys, games and puzzles. So much to inspire you here.

Finally, before I go, I would like to give a special welcome to our brand new columnist Julie Dodsworth. I’m sure the artisan designer’s name is a familiar one to many of you, working as she does with some of the best British manufacturers out there.

What you might not know is that she has also run, with her husband Simon, a hugely successful plant and display business for the last 30 years.

Julie is so friendly, down to earth and creative that I invited her to share some of her thoughts and stories with readers of Gifts Today in a regular column. She has many fascinating stories to tell and I’m sure you’ll find her as inspiring as I do.

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NEWS

Book your place at Besp-Oak’s June House Show The event runs at the company’s six-floor trade showroom from 19-25 June, featuring thousands of exciting trade gift, home and accessory products, plus hundreds of new lines exclusive to Besp-Oak. The 30,000 square foot showroom is 15 minutes away from the NEC and Birmingham International Airport and a 10-minute walk from Coventry railway station.

The company offers oak furniture, painted furniture, outdoor, lighting, signs, clocks, vintage crates, giftware and kitchenware. Many new collections will be launched, including Iron Kadai fire bowls, Steam Punk lighting and Vintage Shop fittings. Hundreds of additional lines have also been added to existing ranges, including beautiful new table lamps, retro models and glass art wall panels. On site facilities include free parking, wi-fi and refreshments. Book your appointment by calling Hanna Albrighton on 02476 632148 or visiting the website. besp-oak.com/events

SnapDragon to defend Harris Tweed marks Company will monitor ecommerce, social media and auction sites for misuse of the Orb brand and take action to help prevent online sales of counterfeit products.

The Orb mark is the oldest British certification mark in continuous use and may only be used on, or in relation to, genuine Harris Tweed cloth or products.

It guarantees the highest quality tweed, dyed, spun and hand-woven by islanders of the Outer Hebrides in their homes to laws outlined in the Harris Tweed Act of Parliament.

SnapDragon Monitoring helps small and medium-sized enterprises protect their intellectual property and tackle online sales of counterfeit goods. The rise in counterfeiting and other online intellectual property (IP) infringement is one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today.

ERA award for Maped Helix Company won the General Classroom Resources award at this year’s Education Resources Awards (ERA) with its popular Color’Peps Gel Crayons. The awards celebrate outstanding success amongst suppliers and teaching professionals.

The Gel Crayons are designed with a triangular shape for good grip and an innovative twist handle design to protect hands from colour marks. The soft watercolour gel crayons have ultra-bright, superpigmented colours for outstanding coverage and finish.

‘The award demonstrates our focus on producing the best quality stationery for creative learning and expression, and so to be recognised as one of the leading brands in the industry is a real honour,’ said MD Gray Richmond. mapedhelix.co.uk 8 gifts today

Potters Crouch add to sales team Nat Hitchcock joins Potters Crouch team of sales agents. Nat will cover the north Home Counties, adding to Neil Greenwood in the North-West, Rachel Williams in North Wales and Cheshire, Melanie Ashworth in the North-East, Ian Bradley in the Midlands, Rob Sellers in East Anglia, Maria McKenna in the South-East and Simon Williams in the South West.

The home fragrance specialists have been using their own artisan perfumer to create their products for more than 30 years, and now have their own shop at their St Albans’ base - with everything made in Britain. potterscrouchcandles.co.uk

NPD says adults spending more on toys… for themselves!

Adults are treating themselves to games and puzzles, building sets, action figures and other collectables, with one in every 11 toys sold in Britain in 2016 bought by an adult for themselves. This ‘kidult’ market’ has grown 65 per cent in value terms since 2012, increasing by 21 per cent in 2016 alone.

• Millennials (18-34 years old) account for 50 per cent of the spend.

• Generation X-ers (35-54 years old) account for around a third.

• Boomers (55 years+) account for 18 per cent.

• Men are more likely than women to buy toys for themselves.

• Adults without children spend more money on toys for themselves than adults with kids.

‘The trend for people aged 18+ buying toys for themselves is possibly a reaction against the stresses of our fast-paced lives. Toys are fun – and when you are having fun any stress you might be feeling goes away,’ says Frederique Tutt, Global Industry Analyst, Toys, NPD.

www.aromatize.co.uk Tel: 01254 300268 Email: sales@aromatize.co.uk

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NEWS

All wrapped up!

Turns out there’s a new use for beautiful wrapping paper – table décor. Rosanna Falconer, Business Director at Matthew Williamson, created a wrapping paper table runner from one of Museums & Galleries Collection’s designer foiled wraps. She chose the stunning Mint version of the Matthew Williamson Gift Peacock Hearts wrap, accessorising with magenta hydrangeas and decorative peacock figures.

The original Pink version of the wrap was the first foiled wrap M&G ever did, becoming the company’s bestselling wrap overall. So far, Matthew’s new Mint version has flown out and looks set to do even better than the original.

With foiled wraps retailing at £1.99 and unfoiled at £1.75, it’s definitely worth pointing out to customers that decorative, high fashion wrapping paper has many uses. museumsgalleries.co.uk

littleCONCEPTS Launch Online Ordering System The supplier of children’s products to the trade has launched an online B2B ordering system to help retailers easily place trade orders for four brands - PlanToys, Scribble Down, Avenue Mandarine and BrickStix.

‘We are delighted to have integrated this system into our operations,’ says Luke de la Mare, Co-Founder and Sales Director. ‘We are a small team, but we are constantly striving to increase our customer service level. The online system is simple to use, but also allows users to see order history and best-selling items.’ The system can be use on desktop, laptop and mobile devices, and registration takes just a few minutes. littleconcepts.co.uk

New Finance Director at Squire’s Garden Centres Mark Wilson joins the company with a wealth of experience, having worked for Unilever for nearly 25 years in a variety of finance, buying and corporate strategy roles, as well as working for ten years as Finance Director at Vitacress, a familyowned supplier of fresh produce to the grocery trade. ‘Mark joins Squire’s with extensive knowledge and experience, and we look forward to working closely with him to continue developing and growing the successful family business,’ said MD Martin Breddy. squiresgardencentres.co.uk 10 gifts today

Who needs tonic when you have jigsaw puzzles?

Gin and jigsaws have been added to the basket of goods used to keep track of inflation, meaning that jigsaw puzzles are now part of the nation’s modern shopping habits.

The Office for National Statistics updates the Consumer Price Index basket annually to ensure that it is representative of the types of products bought by UK households.

There have been 16 additions to the basket for 2017, including gin, non-dairy milk drinks and, of course, jigsaw puzzles, which are intended to be archetypal of adult-type hobbies - a category that until now has been under-represented.

‘We are thrilled to see that jigsaw puzzles are finally getting the recognition they deserve,’ says Kate Gibson, MD of British jigsaw puzzle and games company Gibsons. ‘Over the last few years, demand for puzzles has increased with all age groups taking up this therapeutic and relaxing past time. In a time of austerity, jigsaw puzzling is an affordable hobby and for many a welcome opportunity for some escapism.’

Ashleigh & Burwood’s Amora Scent Hubs feature on The Gadget Show The company’s high tech approach to home fragrance made a good impression on testers for the Channel 5 show, in a segment seeking gadgets and technology to help relieve workplace stress for two hardworking paramedics.

As shown in the programme, the Harmonia Scent Hubs aid relaxation and create a home spa experience in three ways: 1. Chromatherapy provided by the colour-changing LED lights.

2. Aromatherapy provided by the scents of Amora’s pure Essential Oil blends diffused by the Scent Hubs.

3. Soothing music that can be played through the Scent Hubs’ speakers.

After testing the Scent Hubs, the paramedics were impressed by the gadgets and their many features in comparison with traditional aromatherapy methods, while presenter Ortis Deley described the scents as ‘amazing.’ ashleigh-burwood.co.uk

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licensing news

Last call to enter licensed product awards Deadline is Wednesday May 31 for the Licensing Awards’ category sponsored by Brand Licensing Europe.

‘With all the exciting activity within the licensing arena in the year, the Licensing Awards 2017 are bound to be fiercely contested – we can’t wait to see the entries,’ says Ian Hyder from Max Publishing. Entry and nomination forms are available online. The awards evening will take place in The Grosvenor House Hotel, London, on Tuesday September 12. Over 1,400 retailers, licensees and industry suppliers will attend. thelicensingawards.co.uk

Roald Dahl Literary Estate partners with Lost My Name This is the first time the Roald Dahl Literary Estate has commissioned an entirely new story based on Roald Dahl’s characters, and the first time Lost My Name have worked with established characters and worlds.

Double win opens new licensing doors for Signature Gifts Signature Gifts’ Personalised Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups won Gift of the Year in both the Hot Novelty, and Branded & Character categories. Since then, more licensing agencies have approached Signature Gifts to harness the extra sales the personalised gift market brings. They have secured further contracts from Penguin Ventures, who also licensed Signature’s Highly Commended Peter Rabbit Little Guides Range in the Nursery category. New licenses include a brand-new story starring Eric Carle’s most famous character, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and further vintage children’s books from the Ladybird range. Other license agreements include Mattel’s Thomas the Tank and Enid Blyton’s Famous Five for GrownUps series of spoof books. Also secured are agreements for licensing with top brands such as Thunderbirds and the Beano. signature-gifts. co.uk 12 gifts today

Minted!

The Royal Mint have announced that four new designs will be added to the Beatrix Potter collection for 2017. The 50p coins, finished in full colour, will be released over the course of the year to supplement the 2016 collection that celebrated the much-loved author’s 150th anniversary. The 2017 collection includes Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, Tom Kitten and Jeremy Fisher.

New face at JELC Jane Evans, founder and MD of global licensing company JELC, has announced the appointment of Julie Michell as director and business partner.

Julie will bring to the role more than two decades of industry and commercial experience across many areas of licensing and branding, most recently for greeting cards giant Hallmark.

Widdop and Co partner with RSPCA Names have come together to launch an exciting licensed gift collection that embraces the rich heritage of the UK’s leading animal welfare charity.

Designed with a unisex appeal, the collection is aimed at animal lovers of all ages.

Its strong, traditional look is thanks largely to the wealth of archive material that the RSPCA has made available to the designers at Widdop and Co.

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exhibition news

SUMMER IN THE CITY Registration is open for NY NOW Summer 2017 Market. See stylish home accents, gifts, personal accessories and more at the Javits Center in New York City, August 19 - 23.

Members of the industry, including retailers and buyers, are encouraged to sign up now to ensure they have a front row seat to the latest design trends.

Leading exhibitors – both large-scale and boutique – will showcase their newest products and set the stage for an exciting holiday season and beyond. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to participate in a cutting-edge line-up of seminars, events and more – all under one roof and only available in New York City.

‘There’s no better place to be in August than NY NOW. With thousands of established and emerging brands to explore, NY NOW buyers are sure to find the perfect products to stock their shelves for the holiday season,’ said Randi Mohr, Vice President and NY NOW Director. ‘This summer’s market is on track to be one of our most exciting yet and we recommend that buyers looking to attend register today to make the most of their market experience.’

• Products on Display This year, more than 2,400 premier brands – established and emerging alike – are expected to showcase tens of thousands of on-trend products across hundreds of categories.

• Seminars and Events Designed to help attendees advance their careers or businesses, NY NOW offers a jam-packed agenda featuring dozens of sessions that provide new insights on the industry.

• Only in NY NY NOW will again deliver a number of special ‘Only in New York’ activities and promotions that will help attendees take advantage of all that this great city has to offer.

Register Today The easy-to-use online registration system is available anytime, anywhere, and provides access to hotel and travel reservations. In addition, credentialed attendees will have access to NY NOW’s Market Planner, which will enable them to personalise their Market experience by exploring the exhibitor directory, viewing product images and information, accessing press materials, and even contacting exhibitors and scheduling onsite appointments. nynow.com

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DID YOU KNOW? The Limca Book of World Records in India has recognized IHGF Delhi Fair as the world’s largest gathering of handicraft exhibitors under one roof. The 44th edition of the IHGF Delhi Fair – Autumn 2017 is scheduled from 13 to 17 October – featuring over 2,800 exhibitors at the plush India Expo Centre & Mart in New Delhi. epch.in/ihgf

STOP PRESS! Las Vegas Market to partner with home fashion magazine Luxe Interiors + Design and an elite group of high profile Western designers to present its influential Ahead of the Curve educational program at the Summer 2017 Las Vegas Market, running July 30 August 3.

‘Las Vegas Market has become the West’s top destination for information about the hottest trends and one-of-a-kind design insights,’ said Karen Olson, Senior Vice President of Marketing, International Market Centers. ‘As the leading furniture, home decor and gift destination in the western United States, Las Vegas Market is committed to presenting cutting-edge fashions, designs and style information and product resources. This new partnership with Luxe Interiors + Design will offer Las Vegas Market retailers, designers and exhibitors comprehensive and compelling trend information.’ lasvegasmarket.com

New products.

Fresh ideas.

More reasons to visit than ever before Register now!

Find out more and register at homeandgift.co.uk/GiftsToday

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exhibition news

IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY…. ….to start planning for Christmas as the organisers of Christmasworld 2018 know all too well.

The preparations for the leading international trade fair – running from 26 – 30 January 2018 – are already well underway. As the world’s most important order venue for the international decoration and festive articles sector, the show is not to be missed. Held annually in Frankfurt, it presents the latest products and trends for all festivities of the year and provides innovative concept ideas for decorating large-scale and outdoor areas for the wholesale and retail trades, shopping centres, DIY markets and the green sector.

In addition, the new ‹Floradecora› from 26 to 29 January 2018 offers immediately available fresh flowers, plants and flower arrangements for seasonal decoration as an additional line – at an ideal time at the beginning of the year, right at the heart of the strongest sales market for flowers in Europe. christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com

SUPPLY & DEMAND COMES TOGETHER FOR TENDENCE Anyone wanting to purchase large quantities of innovative products for specific target groups will find multi-faceted sourcing opportunities in Hall 10.1 of Tendence from 24 to 27 June 2017.

The visitors to this section include buyers from chain stores, department stores, wholesalers, garden centres and DIY markets.

Covering the spectrum from home accessories and decorations to personal accessories and household articles, the Sourcing Hall offers a concentrated overview of all Tendence product groups.

Tendence is Germany’s most international order venue for the second half of the year. The wide-ranging product portfolio covers home, furnishing, decorating, gifts, jewellery, fashion accessories, home textiles and outdoor living. Special shows and a wide-ranging complementary programme of events are multi-faceted sources of sales-boosting impulses for retailers.

From this year, the focus at Tendence will not only be on the autumn, Christmas and winter seasons, but also the spring and summer 2018.

‘In view of the longer production times for very large quantities, the new, earlier time slot for the fair is a genuine advantage,’ says Tendence Director Bettina Bär, underscoring the growing significance of sourcing at the consumer-goods platform. ‘Moreover, the new time slot falls outside the summer holidays for most visitors.’ tendence.messefrankfurt.com

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SAVE THE DATE! Autumn Fair, the home and gift show, runs 3-6 September 2017 at the NEC, Birmingham. Register now. autumnfair.com

www.exclusivelyelectrical.co.uk

Retail Interview

Stocked with work by local artists, illustrators and designers, Carnaby Street store We Built This City offers a creative alternative to the traditional tourist offering. Sally Norton caught up with founder Alice Mayor to discover more.

London’s Alternative Souvenir Shop

P

icture a typical London souvenir shop and it probably won’t be long before you come up with images of Guardsman teddies, Union Jack fridge magnets and the ubiquitous ‘I went to London and all I got was this lousy t-shirt’ range.

However, as London basked in the glory of the 2012 Olympics, Alice Mayor had a lightbulb moment as she passed one of the many souvenir shops in the City, suddenly thinking ‘surely we can do better than that!’

This single thought was the inspiration for her business We Built This City (WBTC) on London’s Carnaby Street, showcasing work from over 100 London-based artists, designers and makers. What’s more, the shop is a creative hub in itself, offering regular events that have included paper-cutting classes, chocolate skull-decorating workshops, jewellery personalisation lessons and even a performance from a 40-piece male voice choir!

‘After starting out as a pop-up with little to no previous experience in physical retail, going permanent on Carnaby Street earlier this year has to be the biggest highlight,’ says Alice of her journey so far. ‘We’re incredibly proud of how far we’ve come in such a short time and how many artists we’ve been able to support as a result.’

18 gifts today

Alice’s early career, working in PR on accounts like The Arts Council’s ‘Own Art’ Scheme, provided her with the vital experience and inspiration she needed to start out. ‘After six years at the agency, I was itching to start a business of my own,’ she says. ‘So I decided to leave to get some handson business-side experience. I worked with a number of creative start-ups, continuing to work in PR and brand partnerships on a freelance basis until founding We Built This City in 2014.’

With London named that year as the most visited city on the planet with the annual tourist footfall figure at over 16 million, it was a brilliant time to launch a fresh take on the traditional souvenir shop. ‘All our souvenirs have been designed and – largely - crafted in London and the UK,’ she says. ‘We work constantly to offer souvenirs with a contemporary take on London, ensuring our range covers both the classic icons of London like transport, landmarks, royals, as well as the more niche and eccentric - but equally important - perspectives of the city such as bikes, beards, pigeons…’

For the original pop-up store, the company launched a collection of London-inspired art prints, homeware, stationery, jewellery, accessories and postcards from around 100 Londonbased artists and designers. ‘We worked with each of them directly to

stock our first store,’ says Alice. ‘Now we do a lot of scouting across the city as well as receiving a large number of submissions in store and via our website. We’re obsessed with finding new work and aim to curate collections on a quarterly basis. Our buying team go to great lengths to find new talent, scouring London grad shows, markets, galleries and trade shows - Top Drawer, Pulse, New Designers and Pick Me Up are all favourites of ours. Since launching, I’m really proud to say that we’ve worked with - and supported - over 700 London-based creatives in total. ‘

The team to date comprises buyers Katy Wheeler (Art & Cards) and Olivia Jackson (Souvenirs & Gifts), store manager Liv Barnes and Adam Shoemark who runs the marketing, PR and online, plus a team of seven retail assistants in-store.

Alice’s core objective was to create an accessible and fun space for customers to be able to discover London’s most exciting creativity - all set off against an urban, city-inspired backdrop. Inside you’ll find real London bricks, neon lights, monochrome chevrons and all decorated with the company’s famous flocked pigeons.

creating a pitch presentation to set out your vision and to share it with anyone who can help you make it happen. It’s easy to become scared of people stealing your idea, but I found it incredibly helpful to get early-stage feedback and access to new contacts - many of whom ended up becoming our artists, advisors, partners and even our shop team! Having a unique point of difference is also critical for a new brand or business - especially if you’re joining a competitive market. You need to work out the one thing that’ll set you apart and work out how you can tell that to your customer at every part of the journey - and even before when selling the concept to a landlord or investor.’

Plans For The Future

‘We commission our storefront out every three to four months to our creative community inviting an artist to use it as their bespoke art canvas and paint live on the street,’ says Alice.

‘As well as the enormous exposure this opportunity offers, we also host accompanying events with the artist in-store including bespoke prints, workshops and talks - so there’s always something creative going on! To date we’ve worked with both established and emerging names including Camille

seemed like a very long four months months, I finally tracked down a landlord on Carnaby Street who loved the idea and offered a two-floor 3,000 sq. ft. store on Carnaby Street. There was just one caveat… we only had three weeks to bring it all together and would need to launch for Christmas!

‘After our first eight weeks, we were invited back to the street in a different unit to prove the concept could work across an entire trading year, which it did! We’ve been very happy to be an

‘Trust your instinct and be ready to make – and learn from – your mistakes’ Walala, Rugman, Sylvia Moritz (aka The City Works), Alice Bowsher and most recently Supermundane’

Location, Location, Location ‘My overriding priority in bringing the concept to life was to find the right location for the store,’ says Alice.

‘I really wanted to avoid a scenario where we had the very best artists and designers on board but didn’t have the tourist footfall to prove it a success. I was determined it should be established in London’s West End. ‘I walked the streets on the weekends to try and identify the best location, but each time got more fearful about the barriers we were going to face with rents and rates. At the end of what

official part of the Carnaby family ever since.

‘Independents are crucial in keeping the retail landscape fresh and interesting - without them we’d end up with cookie cutter high streets where it’s impossible to find anything interesting, original or new. Carnaby Street is just one of a handful of forward-thinking retail hubs across London who encourage independent retail as a part of the shopping mix.

The inclusion of independents is a real draw for visitors and locals alike, resulting in increased footfall to the streets.’

Starting Out Alice says the biggest lesson she has learnt since setting up her own

business is not to overthink things things.

‘It’s completely normal in business to not know the next step to take,’ she comments. ‘Don’t let fear stop you from moving forward - trust your gut instinct and be ready to make - and learn from - your mistakes. That’s what business is all about - there’s no perfect journey to success!’

She also has advice for those thinking of setting up their own business in London. ‘I would highly recommend

While the company has no plans at the moment to move outside of the city, they have recently taken the concept online. ‘It’s a big priority for us this year having previously been a bricks and mortar only outfit,’ says Alice. ‘We’ve got some big product development collaborations lined up for later in the year as well as exciting plans to take our souvenir offering to a major London transport hub. There are a few other longer-term creative projects which we can’t mention just yet - but watch this space!’

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Who Will Buy?

Some of WBTC’s bestsellers include: • Artist Alice Tait’s London range, including tea towels, aprons, prints and mugs • Luxury Matchboxes featuring iconic London landmarks such as Big Ben, created from the archives of Archivist Press • Limited edition prints from Rugman (aka Anthony McEwan) including the Queen, David Bowie and John Lennon • Kate MiddleToe socks by Chatty Feet gifts today 19

GA news

Latest developments from The Giftware Association, the trade association serving the gift and home industry since 1947.

PICK UP THE PHONE!

GA MEMBERS’ VIEWS MATTER

Verifying financial requests and confirming payment details by phone rather than email is one of the ways companies can protect themselves against cyber-fraud, say the GA. Responding to a survey for the Institute of Directors that revealed almost half of UK businesses have no cyber security, The Association put together a list of ways small-to-medium companies can protect themselves. Other tips include: * Understanding the risks. Learning how hackers gain entry via everything

CEO Sarah Ward attends Bank of England Genesis Initiative meetings to ensure GA members’ opinions are taken into consideration.

Formed in 1999 to improve the quality of the debate on small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK and Europe to create economic reform, the Genesis Initiative is driven by such enterprises and supported by MPs. GA members have already had a chance to give their views through two surveys, one on the country’s export habits in the light of Brexit, and the other gathering data on issues such as price increases, skill shortages, and potential investment. The surveys revealed: • 59% of respondents expect to increase prices by more than 2% in the next year.

• 37% plan to invest more in the upcoming six months compared with the previous half-year.

• 3.7% believe skill shortages are extremely serious, 18.5% think they’re a very serious problem, while 40.7% say they’re not a serious issue.

• On the export front, 55.5% said demand will be more over the next six months, with just 7.4% believing it will be less.

• 59.2% think the number of people they employ will stay the same, with only 14.8% expecting to have fewer staff.

Alongside organisations such as the Food Standards Agency and the Energy Industry Association, Sarah will be sharing the survey results with the next Genesis Initiative meeting in March 2018, with the aim of informing and influencing Government decisions.

Sarah said of her first meeting: ‘It was an education for all parties – it’s great that we get invited so we can share our knowledge, and make our voices heard to the powers that can hopefully enact change.’ ga-uk.org 20 gifts today

from phishing to spoofing scams, malware to system hacking - and everything in between. * Developing a security policy that is ingrained in company culture. Where there is a risk, there is a way. Educating everyone in the company to understand how to prevent an attack, plus what to do if a breach occurs. * Keeping software up to date, as this is one of the simplest ways of protecting your data. * Having a contingency plan and making sure your whole company knows if there has been a breach.

Share your story with other members by sending an email to: enquires@ga-uk.org

SPOTLIGHT ON…BUY FROM Buy From is a Shropshire-based company that offers a wide range of services to help businesses grow – everything from website design to training, brand design to printing, social media to sales and marketing.

They recently became a member of the GA and CEO Sarah Ward joined them on a training seminar they were holding.

Said Sarah: ‘It was great to see so many eager people wanting to learn more. I enjoyed sharing my knowledge and I hope our relationship with the Buy From team leads to great things in the future.’

You can read more about Buy From on the GA website, or by visiting the company’s own website on: buy-from.com

www.ga-uk.org

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Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival

New reasons to visit an old favourite With more than a quarter of stands being taken by new companies this year, the 2017 edition of Home & Gift looks set to be extra-special as well as social. t’s no coincidence that Home & Gift in Harrogate is often billed as the ‘retailers’ favourite buying festival.’ For many in the gift trade it really does offer the chance to combine business and pleasure.

I

new products, meet new brands for the first time, and purchase from a range of trend-driven areas including gift, design-led gift, home & interiors, greetings & stationery and jewellery & fashion.

For, as well as thousands of new brands and products on offer, there’s also beautiful Harrogate to explore. What’s more, as the show runs from 16-19 July, there’s a fair chance the sun will be shining and the Pimm’s will be flowing.

The event is now in its 51st year and has built up a strong reputation amongst retailers, designers and manufacturers alike, providing a professional and friendly backdrop for sourcing products as well as networking and meeting industry leaders.

A key date in the retail buying calendar, this festival gives buyers the opportunity to discover gifts today 23

Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival

O

ver 1,000 brands will be exhibiting this year, with a record 25% of the stands being used by new companies, including Pignut, Sunnylife, Ginger Ray, Alessi, Grand Illusions, Nkuku, Giftisimo, Tif Tiffy Denmark and High Tide Jewellery, to name a few.

Says Cleere Scamell, Show Director, Home & Gift, of organiser Clarion Events: ‘We are very excited to welcome so many new companies to the show this year, as they provide a fantastic complement to the returning familiar brands. We also have a packed schedule of inspirational speakers being lined up and I can’t wait to share these with you nearer the time.’

The regular exhibitors include Wild & Wolf, NPW, Hill Interiors, Yankee Candle, Joe Davies, The Pop Out Card Company, Garden Trading, Treaty Jewellery and Zelly Manchester.

Adds Cleere: ‘The fact that these brands return time and time again is testament to the value of 24 gifts today

We the show - whether you are a large retailer or an independent trader, we offer a one-stopshop for sourcing great products in time for Christmas and further ahead.’

The event will include the Great Northern Retail Forum, which will cover the whole three days of the show, offering leading industry speakers, panels, advice and insights. More details on these are to be announced nearer the time.

To register for free or for more information, please visit the website. homeandgift.co.uk

Harrogate!

‘Selfridges has visited Home & Gift for over four years. We visit to hunt for exciting new Christmas gifts, stationery, greetings cards and wrapping, along with catching up with our current suppliers and talking through their new ranges. The new trend driven areas that showcase new brands are my favourite parts of the show.’

Eleanor Gregory, Assistant Buyer – Home Accessories, Stationery & Christmas, Selfridges ‘We find Harrogate especially good. There’s a wide range of good companies – small suppliers who offer something different. We always aim, or hope, to pick up a new line each year. We may contact the company later rather than waste time buying at the show. It’s well organised and you get fresh air.

It’s also a relaxed setting.’

Jill Nicholson, Chief Buyer, Gordale Garden Centre ‘Home & Gift is a fixture in our calendar every year as it’s where we launch our Autumn ranges. The customers like it, order value has been good and we’ve acquired quite a few new customers from across Scotland and the North of England.’

Marcus Price, Co-Director, SeaGems Cornwall

Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival

Festival Fever As the final details are made for this summer’s Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival in Harrogate, Gifts Today’s editor Sally Norton caught up with Show Director Cleere Scamell to discover what visitors have got to look forward to in the 2017 edition of the show.

W

hen I started as editor of Gifts Today back in September 2016, I heard a lot of talk about Home & Gift. Everyone talked about the wonderfully, sociable atmosphere, the sense of fun and, of course, the Pimm’s! People from all parts of the industry have told me about how much they look forward to a few July days in beautiful Harrogate, doing business in a relaxed atmosphere just before the schools break up for the summer. As I look forward to my very first Home & Gift, I thought it would be a good idea to talk to the man behind the name, Show Director Cleere Scamell. He told me a little of the story behind the show, the secret of its success and gave me a sneak peek of the 57th edition of the Festival.

‘There will be plenty of “hygge” at Home & Gift.

And as a Dane, I feel qualified to say that!’

26 gifts today

Q: Why do you think Home & Gift has such a special reputation?

A: ‘There’s a real spirit in Harrogate during the Festival. It’s one of the very few B2B events that people really look forward to. Everyone usually arrives in a good mood and we all just get on with it and do what we’re all about - which is buying. In terms of business, it’s the first show of the second season. We know a lot of people have samples

arriving first week of July, so the timing is perfect and It’s a real destination to see hot, fresh products for the first time and buy something special. Over 25% of our exhibitors are new this year and we should be in for a bumper attendance. I describe Home & Gift as the ultimate buying destination and, in many way, I think it ticks all those boxes.

‘It’s a great opportunity for exhibitors to meet new people, the northern audience in particular, though we do draw from all over - the Irish come in great numbers, lots of people come down from Scotland and we also get people from the south and south west.

From an exhibitor point of view, you’ve got buyers you wouldn’t necessarily see at the other shows, you’ve got them at a time of year when they really are looking for that interesting new line, something that’s going to make a difference, that will be front and centre in the point of sale displays.

‘The social scene is something we’ve really actively tried to put back in in the last few years, which is why we added the word “Festival” to the name. There will be plenty of “hygge” at Home & Gift. And as a Dane, I feel qualified to say that! It’s a Danish concept, about the pursuit of good feeling, intelligent conversation and is all about giving life an extra glow. If an event was “hygge,” Home & Gift would pretty much be it, believe me!’

Lang’s are here with lots of exciting new products and in-house designs.

Pretty Purrfect for the feline lover, we have brought some on trend metallic gold onto these pieces which we think looks fabulous and yes we have to say again pretty purrfect!

Need we say more about our fabulous Prosecco range, customers just can’t get enough of this fun, on trend and bubbly in-house designed range Artist Kathryn Coyle created the pheasant range for Lang’s, which has been a massive success. Why not try some yourself? We can offer smaller quantities to customers who prefer to test a range for the 1st time.

Richard Lang & Son Ltd 1 Little Chester Park Alfreton Road Derby DE21 4AA T: 01332 340927 E: sales@richardlang.co.uk W: www.richardlang.co.uk

Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival

Q:: Besides Q B great buying opp opportunities, what else is on offer?

A: ‘W ‘While Home & Gift is definitely not the place to hold what you consider a traditional seminar with a PowerPoint trad demonstration and everyone sat in dem rows on benches, we launched The Forum three years ago and this will Foru continue. It will be opinion-based cont with lots of speakers who have some direct way of helping people with their direc businesses. Last year, for example, busi we had h Tom Kerridge last year along with our friends at The Great British Exchange, talking about his work with the last pan manufacturer in Sheffield creating the ultimate pan as he saw it as a chef.

‘There’s a full programme planned expect content that’s practical, informal and relaxed.’

Q: How confident do you think retailers are at the moment?

A: ‘Last year the show took place about a fortnight after the Brexit vote.

I remember talking to buyers and exhibitors and there was definitely a lot of uncertainty. While we still don’t 100% know how things will pan out, what I’ve really noticed this year is that everyone is just cracking on with things. The fact that the General Election will have happened by the time this year’s show takes place will be gr great, and good for us, I think. I have noticed that suppliers from outside the no UK are really interested in what’s going on here. So there’s a real upside to that. It’s good news for British-made tha product as well.’ pr Q: What trends have you spotted in the gifts industry? th A: ‘Personalisation seems to be the ever-growing sunflower in the middle of ev the garden, getting taller and taller and tal taller every year. Home accessories are also doing really well, too, with more als and more of our gift buyers looking at an th them. Having the likes of Nkuku and Grand Illusions in the Festival is a really G good reflection of that.’ go Q: What’s it like running a huge Q show like this? s A: ‘This is my fifth show as Director, though I have been involved in the tho 28 gifts today

show in a variety of guises for about 12 years or so. We really live and breathe Home & Gift here, starting the planning of one show within a week of the previous one closing; I’m already thinking about 2018. 2019 and 2020!

‘I’m a real event junkie. I fell into it as a career but I’ve now clocked up 30 years. I was the only student at the allboys’ school I attended to do an Art ‘A’ Level and then turned down a place at Central St Martins. I realised that while I was artistic – I still paint – I was drawn to doing something commercial.’

Q: How would you recommend a visitor shopped the Festival?

A: ‘Approach it in the same way as you would your dream holiday! Do a quick tour around when you arrive to get a feel for the type of products and the types of Halls – there are 16 different structures to explore. Once you’ve got your bearings, I suggest you just browse. We don’t force businesses to be in any one hall or area, so there is a range of products everywhere - perhaps that’s why lots of people compare the experience to shopping in a bazaar. The halls are all small, and you can easily see where you are; I would say there are no bad spots.

‘Home & Gift is a great place to build close relationships. The one thing I have discovered in this game, there are some lovely, lovely people. Passionate about what they do.’

Q: What are you looking forward to at this year’s Festival?

A: ‘We spend a year organising this event. It’s a bit like organising a wedding - you can’t put the date off and you definitely need everyone in the same place at the same time.

However, the thing I love most of all is about half an hour to an hour after the show opens when I’ll stand back and, for once in my life, listen! There’s that noise that people talking en masse make, I call it “the buzz.” It’s the event humming. You know conversations are happening and, if conversations are happening, that means business is being done and that makes me really happy. When the event is buzzing, I know that all is well. It’s the Home & Gift “hygge” feeling.’

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ORDER THOUSANDS OF PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 The interactive Besp-Oak website displays the entire product catalogue including giftware, accessories, lighting, indoor & outdoor furniture. We successfully supply hundreds of businesses nationwide and encourage gift retailers to extend their offering and profit.

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Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival

Happy days in Harrogate Xystos set to unveil new products at The Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival as they aim to make doing business a pleasure

T

he Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival is regarded by Xystos as one of the most important shows on the industry calendar.

And why not? Harrogate has seen the flame and fragrance company write record orders on a number of occasions as it strives to make doing business a pleasure for its customers.

Over the years, Xystos has welcomed returning buyers to its large stand and opened numerous new accounts. And as it has grown, so too have many of its trading partners. They have been quick to re-order sell-through brands such as WoodWick’s iconic candle with the crackling wick, which is at the heart of the north-east supplier’s success.

Before deciding if particular products will be popular with end-users across the land, it is in the happy position of being able to trial them in Collectables stores in the north of England. These belong to the Lewis family, which also owns Xystos.

Managing director David Lewis and his father Philip are familiar faces at UK trade shows, as is director Tom Sykes who, down the years, has seen Xystos move from specialising largely in collectables to become a leading supplier of candles and accessories, as well as bath and body products.

Tom says that it is crucial for the wellbeing of any supplier to know when to retire ranges. He adds that the company is always open to signing new agreements, but stresses that ‘there has to be empathy between the prospective partners for them to work.’

Xystos has rejected more proposed deals than it has accepted. But it had no hesitation last December in doing business with Paul Aldrich, president and

30 gifts today

CEO of Village Candle, USA, and becoming its new distributor for the UK and Ireland, tasked with sustaining the candle manufacturer’s rapid growth in the marketplace.

Village Candle fragrances have been launched in large, medium and small sized jars, as well as, wax melts, votives, reeds, car fresheners, drawer liners, sachets, and more. And although Xystos is keeping its summer product under wraps, Home & Gift visitors can expect to discover subtle new fragrances and colours to delight their customers.

In contrast, the new bath and body Woods of Windsor Gardener’s Range will be unveiled, which Tom Sykes describes as ‘ideal for gifting and selfpurchase.’

The fresh floral and refreshing Blackberry & Thyme range, which can be sold by retailers as part of the Woods of Windsor collection or on its own, comprises a hand wash, hand scrub, hand cream and hand balm/butter.

There is also a counter display which holds four hand washes; five hand scrubs; five hand creams and six hand butters.

Additionally, Xystos is introducing the new Ayr Gifting Range which complements the existing collections. The Shower Gel Gift Set comprises True Rose; Blue Orchid & Water Lily, and Pomegranate & Hibiscus. Woods of Windsor’s popular Lily of the Valley now has its own Bath & Body Gift Set, and there is also the True Rose Bath & Body Gift Bag of bath & shower gel, body scrub and body lotion.

New WoodWick fragrances will also be introduced at the show – both jar candles and the best-selling HearthWick – while the rise and rise of wax melts and Cello electric melt burners will also be reflected on the impressive Xystos stand.

Xystos stand number Q13 & Q13A&B/Q25B

Call: 091 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk Visit: xystostrade,co.uk

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Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival

Rosy Glow

Besp-Oak – Stand A4 Beautiful by day and sumptuous by night, the expertly crafted and cornice edged Rosa collection by British import and supply specialists Besp-Oak features Chalked Oak tops with Light Grey painted bases to create a sophisticated style and superior elegance. Each piece is finished with a delicate chrome knob. Chalked Oak tops are created by applying a light delicate whitewash to the oak surface revealing the depth of the grain, creating a softer alternative to golden oak. Bedroom, Dining and Occasional items are available to order on a container and wholesale basis with generous discounts available on wholesale collections and deliveries in England and Wales.

Besp-Oak stock over 6,000 trade home, furniture and accessory products including a very handsome collection of unique wooden crates and shop fittings. Crates are an understated and characterful addition to homes, offices and also commercial spaces.

Each individual crate is multipurpose and typical uses include produce display, planters, side tables and book storage. They are stackable and easy to reposition with the option of redecorating if required. Prices start from as little as £5 per unit. The full crates collection can be viewed at BespOak’s six-floor Midlands’ showroom that is open to trade Mon-Fri, 9am until 5:30pm.

Call: 024 7663 2148 Fax: 024 7623 1628 Visit: besp-oak.com

Melting moments Melt – Stand DP1-40

With a passion for hot wax and fine fragrance, melt have been creating candles of exceptional quality since 1999. Fragrance is known for turning your mood and creating the right ambience in your surroundings – and melt’s preferred choice is always elegant, sophisticated, and a tad refined, confident and slightly sexy – or as some splendid newspaper of note said ‘Recherché’.

All of their candles are hand poured – and working with molten waxes ensures the candle is fragranced throughout. Melt’s range has now grown to include 33 unique fine fragrances. Each range consists of six candle sizes. Three pillar and three container candles with burn times from 22 hours up to 160 hours, and Reed Diffusers.

Included in their exquisite collection is the Garden Range, where melt have followed in Nature’s footsteps to bring you her very best fragrances as faithfully as possible.

As usual with melt – it’s all about the fragrance.

Call: 01200 443377 Visit: themeltco.com

32 gifts today

Coastal Living, Country Style.

Pignut, Stand DP1-24

British designed, and incorporating craft techniques such as blanket and running stitch that speak of bygone days. All homeware and clothing items are manufactured abroad using modern techniques and under ethical conditions.

Email: hello@pignut.co.uk Visit: pignut.co.uk

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Sass and Belle by RJB Stone, Stand DP1-49 Offering an extensive range of pretty gifts and homeware, Sass & Belle are renowned for their unique, creative, and design-led collections. Established in the heart of London, Sass & Belle have a dedicated team committed to bringing you excellent value, on-trend products which put a smile on your face. Inspiring both the UK and international markets, the company is passionate about contemporary design and, most importantly, their customers. This season discover new AW17 collections all of which have been thoughtfully designed to make you happy. Sass & Belle is the trading name of RJB Stone Ltd.

Call: 0207 346 0100 Visit: sassandbelletrade.co.uk

HALL M: M18 WWW.CULINARYCONCEPTSLIVING.COM gifts today 33

Profile - Eden Project / Heaven Scent

A match made in heaven The Eden Project in Cornwall has launched a licensing programme that involves finding partners who share a similar ethos and whose products can be linked directly to Eden.

Gifts Today takes a closer look.

O

pened in 2001, the Eden Project in Cornwall has a worldwide reputation as a visitor destination and was voted the Best UK Leisure Attraction for five consecutive years to 2015, with a Silver Award in 2016. Nestled in a huge crater, massive Biomes housing the largest rainforest in captivity, stunning plants, exhibitions and stories, serve as a backdrop to striking, contemporary gardens, summer concerts and exciting year-round events.

An educational charity and social enterprise, Eden’s mission is to connect people with each other and the living world. Eden has always sourced its own products, with on-site retail now generating a turnover in excess of £4 million per annum.

Provenance is key, and Eden has five main criteria when it comes to product. They must be one or more of the following: 1) Locally produced 2) Made of plants 3) Promote sustainable living 4) Be fairly traded 5) Made from recycled materials Eden’s products are often inspired by the plants in its Biomes, with the beauty of their surroundings informing the colourful designs created by Eden’s talented in-house design team.

With sustainability at the heart of what the Eden Project does, the licensing programme is all about finding partners who share a similar ethos and whose products can be linked directly to Eden. What’s more, the Eden Project prides itself on its storytelling, so

34 gifts today

every product must have a story to tell. The Heaven Scent story is a perfect example.

EDEN & HEAVEN SCENT The company has been supplying Eden on-site retail for many years, so it was logical to approach them. It was evident from the start how enthusiastic Heaven Scent were about the commercial opportunity to create a licensed Eden Project range.

Heaven Scent’s naturally scented candles are ethically sourced and are all hand-poured in England.

Heaven Scent use sustainably sourced rapeseed wax, which needs no paraffin, additives or animal testing. Burning cleanly, the plant wax can effectively be infused with fine fragrances and essential oils.

Inspiration The plants of the Rainforest and Mediterranean Biomes and the Outdoor Garden were quickly identified as the inspiration for the scents, with an extensive range of plants to choose from. There followed a very pleasurable meeting with Heaven Scent providing a selection of scents to be sniffed and from which the final range of 12 scents was ultimately chosen. Initially this was to comprise of candles and reed diffusers, although fragrant room sprays were soon added to the range.

Design In recognition that the range would be launched into a fairly saturated market, the design of the packaging and the message it conveyed were a key part of the process. Heaven Scent had a clear idea of the type

of look they wanted to achieve, which needed to be striking and contemporary while reflecting the ethical nature of the range. This also had to fit with Eden’s brand values, including incorporating the distinctive red tag that appears across all the Eden Project licensed products.

The designs were created specifically for the new range by one of Eden’s talented in-house design team. Individual patterns were created to reflect the plants referenced in each scent so, for instance, the Tropical Flower design weaves together gardenia, orange blossom, tuberose, jasmine and white lily. The exquisite designs have now been incorporated into the style guide for other licensees to use.

Eden generally use bold and striking patterns that are cheery and vibrant, so a request from Heaven Scent for bright, vivid pastel colours fitted well with Eden’s colour palette.

Packaging The next question was how to incorporate these designs onto the fully recyclable packaging and find the balance between areas of patterns and blocks of colour. Another challenge was how to print onto the recycled glass containers, which took Heaven Scent an enormous amount of time to perfect.

Launch Heaven Scent’s Eden Project range was successfully launched at the Autumn Fair 2016, towards the end of a busy year for the candle company. As the Eden Project range was evolving, they were building a brand new facility close to their spiritual home in Bradford-on-Avon. With new, state-of-theart machinery for pouring candles and additional warehousing space, this new building will enable Heaven Scent to continue to expand.

Tracey Smith, the Eden Project’s Commercial Manager, is spearheading the development of the Eden’s licensing programme. With a strong commercial background, Tracey brings a keen eye and the commercial know-how that is essential when developing such an important programme for Eden.

For Tracey, licensing is an opportunity to reach a wider audience – people who might never come to the Eden Project.

Tracey Smith, said: ‘It’s really important that the Eden Project connects with as wide an audience

as possible and the development of the licensing programme will help us to do just that. As we increase our reach, it is crucial to the success of the range that all of the products reflect Eden’s values.’

As a social enterprise, Eden reinvests its profits into the charity’s educational projects. As well as extending the reach of the Eden Project brand, sales of the licensed products provide important income for Eden and help to finance transformational social and environmental projects both close to home and around the world. Eden’s design team is playing a key role in the development of the Eden Project licensed ranges.

EDEN’S LICENSING JOURNEY CONTINUES… The Eden Project recently appointed Nutmeg Licensing to help identify new licensees for the brand. Nutmeg’s June Kirkwood was already familiar with Eden’s licensing programme and is relishing the challenge to find new partners whose values and products reflect the ethos of the Eden Project brand. ‘Having spent many years in licensing, I’m really enjoying the opportunity to seek out licensees old and new, for whom sustainability is a guiding principle,’ she says.

Eden’s licensing programme includes eight licensees to date, with two new licences almost ready to sign and more under discussion. Key categories include gift and stationery, home and food.

Portico Designs have brought Eden’s beautiful designs to life with an eye-catching range of garden gifts, stationery and greeting cards. These high-quality ranges come from sustainable sources that are ethically and responsibly managed.

Inspired by the wildlife around Eden, Flame Tree Publishing’s 2017 calendars feature hand-drawn images of native and exotic birds, including the charming roul-rouls seen wandering around the Rainforest Biome. Produced on FSC certified papers, the 2018 calendars will see a stunning collection of hand-drawn flowering trees, all found in Eden’s Biomes.

For the home, Heaven Scent have been joined by licensing

partners Turtle Mat, whose excellent, cottonpile doormats have been engineered to actively absorb moisture and dirt, and are backed with anti-slip rubber. All of the mats in the range are made in the UK. The Turtle Mat mats combine cotton-rich pile made from recycled cotton with PVC and vinyl-free backing, using recycled rubber from industrial offcuts that would otherwise be wasted.

Leading Eden’s food range, Somerset Cuisine signed the first licence in June 2014 to create a unique collection of Eden Project preserves, handcrafted in Somerset. Fresh Coffee Co Ltd, who launched the initial Eden coffee range at Waitrose last year, are currently developing a new range of single-source coffees from Guatemala, Costa Rica and Columbia, alongside an Espresso Blend, all Rainforest Alliance certified.

Olives Et Al, a long-standing Eden partner, is soon to join them with a fabulous range of olives, dressings and snacks, to be sold both individually and as part of an innovative collection of food gift sets. The gifting offering will include Mini Dressing Box Sets, Tagine Kits and Olive Oil Kits, all inspired by ingredients found in Eden’s Biomes.

With the emphasis firmly on ‘from seed to plate’, Eden has also collaborated with Franchi Seeds of Italy to create an Eden Project seed range. Inspired by the herbs and vegetables grown using Franchi Seeds which surround Eden’s Mediterranean Terrace

restaurant in the Mediterranean Biome, it comprises thirty-two unique and hard-to-find traditional varieties of flowers, herbs, vegetable and salad seeds. Plans are also afoot to incorporate seeds from Franchi Seeds of Italy into Portico’s garden gift range.

The Eden Project’s licensing programme is gathering momentum, with those products already available at retail soon to be joined by a wealth of products currently under development. Discussions with new partners for kitchen textiles and glassware are also at the advanced stages, with plans to launch these new ranges for 2018. While gardening and outdoor living are a natural focus for developing new partnerships, there is still plenty of scope for more licensees across all categories.

With the Eden Project visitor numbers exceeding one million annually, and new projects constantly evolving, it’s an exciting brand to work with. A case in point is Eden’s recent announcement that it has been granted planning permission for an £8.5 million, 109-bedroom hotel to be located on-site. For a dynamic organisation such as Eden, this means that the right licensing partners may also have a role to play with the development of the hotel, which will provide an amazing showcase for those partners who share Eden’s values

edenproject.com If you would like more information about the licensing programme or becoming an Eden licensee please contact the Eden Project team: licensing@edenproject.com gifts today 35

Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival

Scentsational

Aromatize Ltd; Stand A19a Aromatize are all set to introduce a host of fragranced goodies at Home & Gift this year. Highlights include: • Goose Creek Plug Ins in a host of fragrances, comprising: Burlwood & Oak, Dark Vanilla Bean, Strawberry Jam, Old Time Lemonade, Soothing Coconut, Citrus Lavender, Sunset Sparkle, White Coral, Cucumber Rain, Black Amber Plum, Cherry Cobbler and Soft Linen Breeze.

• Goose Creek Perfumes & Colognes. The range features: Aqua 41 for men, Aqua 41 for ladies, Moonlit Coast, Dark Waters, New York and Midnight Kiss.

• Aroma Accessories. There are 20 new collections, incorporating Christmas and contemporary designs.

• Goose Creek Christmas fragrances.

• Goose Creek Core Fragrances comprising: Salted Caramel Cupcake, Staying Home, White Chocolate Buttercream, Brown Butter Pistachio, French Toast, Home Made Brownies, Luau Sorbet and White Lime & Bamboo.

• Goose Creek Pumpkin Candle Jars in Salted Pumpkin Pretzel, Pumpkin Molasses and Pumpkin Pie.

Call: 01254 300268 Email: sales@aromatize.co.uk Visit: aromatize.co.uk

Get set to sparkle Culinary Concepts, Stand M18

Best known for their unique and timeless collections, Culinary Concepts’ reputation for producing quality and inspirational wares is well established and 2017 has seen the introduction of over 400 new, beautiful pieces that both complement and enhance their increasingly impressive catalogue.

Their best-selling lighting ranges have grown to feature more on-trend pendants and lamps including magnificent geometric framed chandeliers that create a dramatic look with real atmosphere.

The Christmas decoration range is simply stunning and very new to Culinary Concepts, having never before offered a Christmas collection.

A delightful mix of contemporary and vintage styles including LED ornaments, gorgeous beaded fabric decorations, delicate glass baubles and elegant candle holders. Each piece is beautifully hand crafted and thoughtfully designed to bring an understated, luxurious twinkle and magical touch to the home.

Distinctive barware invites you to take a walk on the wild side with the fabulous new Elephant collection along with further additions to their show-stopping Octopus series.

Harrogate will see the exclusive unveiling of their brand new Crocodile barware, plus additions to their Art-Deco range that complement the newly launched collection that proved so popular earlier this year. Visit their spectacular stand to discover this must-have brand.

Call: 01252 852235 Email: trade@culinaryconcepts.co.uk Visit: culinaryconceptsliving.com 36 gifts today

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Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival

All pheasant and correct Richard Lang, Stand B18

Make sure you visit Lang’s first, to take in over 500 new and exciting products (with the majority being developed in house) and discover something different.

Highlights include a new Pheasant range from watercolour artist Kathryn Coyle.

Sure to be popular, the range includes textiles, ceramics and plaques.

Also check out the fabulous Prosecco range. It’s all about the fizz, a fun, on-trend collection - perfect for all those prosecco princesses in your life.

Call: 01332 226891 Visit: richardlang.co.uk

Fall in love this Autumn Yankee Candles, Stand Q23

Every woman will ‘Fall in Love’ with the latest range from Yankee Candle. Launching this Autumn, any one of the fragrances from the new range is the perfect gift for a special woman. From the deliciously spicy scent of Vibrant Saffron to the mellow Autumn Glow, fabulously fruity Mulberry & Fig Delight and the subtle sensation that is Warm Cashmere, there is a fragrance for every preference and will add warmth and atmosphere to any living room as the nights begin to draw in and will be a gratefully received gift as the weather begins to change. Launching in August 2017, the Yankee Candle ‘Fall In Love’ range is available for retailers to order now alongside a huge choice of accessories including jar holders and candle shades that make a lovely additional gift.

Call: 0117 316 1200 Email: sales@yankeecandle.co.uk Visit: yankeecandle.co.uk

38 gifts today

SIMPLY GORGEOUS

JEWELLERY AND ACCESSORIES

Home & Gift Stand DP3-8

Buy online at missmilly.co.uk or call: 01905 622 509

Forgotten Treasures Grace and Favour, Stand DP4-44

Established in 2010, Grace & Favour are a textile and homewares company based in Devon. Focusing on the often forgotten and overlooked, inspiration is taken from the collections of found objects and travel ephemera of partners Rachael Rowe and Steve Jones, to create handmade, quality products to enhance your life and your home.

One of their key principles is the importance of making by hand and sustaining British skills and industry. Grace & Favour Home are passionate about sourcing materials from within the UK, so many of their items are made in their Devon workshop and, when they need a little help, they use UK companies for printing and a small team of wonderful seamstresses, dotted around Devon. They will be debuting brand new products and a new fabric collection at Home & Gift 2017.

Call: 01626 437676 Visit: graceandfavourhome.com

gifts today 39

Retailers’ Panel

Gifts Today Retailers’ Panel Key gift shop owners around the UK talk customer service, competing with online retailers and which shows they’ll be attending before the year is out.

INTRODUCING… JACK SIMPSON Nook, Stoke Newington, London N16 What’s the story behind your shop?

Nook was set up by myself, my girlfriend Gemma and my sister Kate. A series of events -including myself being made redundant and a friend of the family vacating a shop on our preferred street in the area we all lived - made it a ‘do it now or forever be silent’ scenario.

We do an eclectic mix of both well-known design brands mixed with harder-to-find, more practical traditional makers. We find a lot of our products whilst on holiday so they are less well known maybe in the UK.

better off paying the extra money. Secondly, know your area where you are setting up, to be sure there enough potential customers that will get what you are doing.

Thirdly enjoy it. The satisfaction of someone buying something you have selected still gives me joy five years on.

Any selling tips you can share when it comes to helping someone buy a gift?

Know the history of the product as it’s always good to add a bit of backstory.

How price-sensitive do you think retail is right now?

KAREN GREIG

It’s getting tricky with the exchange rates since Brexit. We are lucky to be in a street full of independents with lots of good restaurants, cafes and shops plus a park so people come to this area for a day out.

Destined For Home, Edinburgh, Scotland

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself when setting up your company?

What shows will you be attending in the second half of the year?

The single biggest thing if you are opening a shop is location. You may see a shop which is £5,000 less a year because it’s down a side street, but you’d be much

nookshop.co.uk

ALISON CHAPMAN Wonder Stuff Ltd Treorchy, Rhondda, South Wales What’s the story behind your shop?

After graduating with a degree in law, I decided to pursue a career in retail and opened Wonder Stuff in March 2000.

The shop is named after the band ‘The Wonder Stuff’ one of my favourite band from the 90s. We won Progressive Gifts’ Independent Retailer of the Year 2010, Retailer Initiative 2012 and Rhondda Business Club Independent Retailer of the year 2011 and 2014. Over the years Wonder Stuff has slowly turned into a shop that is at the heart of the community. We re-arrange the shop each week so there is always something new for customers to see. We also have a little cosy retro-style tearoom at the back of the shop and this has become a little hub where people meet, have a coffee and a piece of homemade cake, then have a look around the shop. I have also recently become a business mentor for Business Wales, where I can pass on my knowledge to new and established businesses in Wales.

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself when setting up your company?

In the beginning I thought if I bought ‘nice things’ then people would buy them, but I finally realised that to be a continued success you need to go above and beyond for your customers and the business, that you need to work at it by offering promotions, organising events and

40 gifts today

We’ll probably do Pulse in May and Top Drawer. We also do Maison & Objet in Paris

competitions to make sure you stand out from the crowd. Another major piece of advice I would definitely have given myself is to invest in an EPOS system.

This has totally transformed the business since 2014, by enabling us to know what stock we have, our finances and reports on our takings. Wish I’d bought one years ago!

Any selling tips you can share when it comes to helping someone buy a gift?

Take an interest in the customer, listen to what they want.

People love to talk about their friends and family and, by listening, you can learn a lot about the recipient. I firmly believe people buy from people and because we take an interest in our customers they return to us again and again.

How price-sensitive do you think retail is right now?

I find the majority of my customers don’t really enquire about the price - if they like something they will buy it as long as they feel the gift is suitable. This is a service that can’t be offered by online retailers.

What shows will you be attending in the second half of the year?

At the moment our plans are to attend the Autumn Fair in September. wonderstuffgiftshop.co.uk

Any special news you’d like to share?

It’s coming up to my first anniversary since opening the shop. I’ve really enjoyed meeting and assisting customers, some of whom I’ve got to know really well.

Any selling tips you can share when it comes to helping someone buy a gift?

I do love when customers ask for help or ask questions about certain products – I know the maker/suppliers personally so there is always a story to tell. I find it best to ask a few key questions, then point out half a dozen different products explaining their benefits or uses before leaving the customer to ponder which gift would best suit.

How price-sensitive do you think retail is right now?

Customers who shop local can gauge the worth of a product and its quality this isn’t as easy when buying online.

You may feel you are getting a bargain online but sometimes it’s not what it seems and you may be disappointed.

Shopping local allows you to touch, feel and smell products.

What shows will you be attending in the second half of the year?

I am looking forward to visiting Harrogate, I always find something different there. destinedforhome.com

JENNY MORRISON Top Drawer, St Andrews, Scotland Any special news you’d like to share?

The shop was selected as a finalist in the Independent Gift Retailer of the Year – Scotland at the Greats Awards, which I’m absolutely over the moon about!

Any selling tips you can share when it comes to helping someone buy a gift?

The more questions asked, the more likely we can tailor an ideal gift suggestion. People do appreciate advice and like to know what the current trends are.

TABI MARSH Heritage in Thornbury, Thornbury, Bristol Any selling tips you can share when it comes to helping someone buy a gift?

We ask them about the person they are looking for and their home to help them find a gift that the recipient will truly like. My favourite is helping children find the right present for their mum, as it means so much to the child and the parent.

How price-sensitive do you think retail is right now?

The two key things for me against online retailers is customer service and the ability to touch the product. It’s so hard to see quality and texture online. Ensuring staff know about the products and can assist the customer is so important.

What shows will you be attending in the second half of the year?

Top Drawer is always a must for me and I will probably do Autumn Fair too. During the summer I like Pulse for its excellent talks as well as Progressive Greetings. heritageinthornbury.co.uk

How price-sensitive do you think retail is right now?

Most people’s perception is that they can get a better price for any product online. However, this isn’t always true and there is still nothing better than seeing and touching exactly what you intend to buy. Shopping should be a good, fun and enjoyable experience -not a chore!

What shows will you be attending in the second half of the year?

I try to get down to Harrogate every year as it’s a great show – especially for some last minute Christmas orders. topdrawergifts.co.uk

BERITH LOCHERY Broc-Mor, Aberystwyth Any special news you’d like to share?

We just held a Mother’s Day event to celebrate our newly refurbished shop.

Any selling tips you can share when it comes to helping someone buy a gift?

Don’t be afraid to ask your customer what their budget is. This immediately helps you take out some of the guess work. I also find it helps to know which product category customer is potentially interested in.

How price-sensitive do you think retail is right now?

While we make a point of being competitive with on-line prices, it is not a priority. Customers come into our shop for the experience and social interaction. We also offer exclusive products that online retailers can’t compete with. Some products, like our Welsh blankets, are currently not price sensitive but smaller purchases cards and mugs are.

What shows will you be attending in the second half of the year?

I will be attending the Autumn Fair at the NEC. brocmor.co.uk

JOIN OUR RETAILERS’ PANEL! Fancy having your say about the gift industry? Want to share news about your business? Just drop editor Sally Norton an email at sally@lemapublishing.co.uk. Look forward to hearing from you! gifts today 41

Gifts for Women

Gift ideas for women It makes sense to stock a wide range of gift ideas for your female customers – or those who are buying for them. We turned to some leading names in the industry for inspiration, trends and details of their latest offerings…as well as asking members of our new Retailers’ Panel what’s selling well for them.

BLING & BUY The smallest shop can stock a range of jewellery guaranteed to catch the eye of your customers and suit a variety of tastes. Time to refresh your offering with something that bit different…

‘We are doing particularly well with our selection of brooches,’ says Stephen Thurlow from wholesale fashion jewellery company, Alexander Thurlow. ‘We have developed some new ideas to bring the brooch back in fashion with a slightly more modern flair.’

Meanwhile, Equilibrium jewellery

continues to be a key category for Joe Davies. ‘The hottest trend for feathers is currently very strong,’ says sales manager David Cree. ‘The Equilibrium Dreamcatcher collection features elegant pieces mirroring the true origins of this traditional American charm of protection.’

When it comes to colour, the designers at Miss Milly have it covered.

‘Sales of our Miss Milly Floria Collection jewellery continue to grow each season, says Sarah Watmore, ‘Earlier this year Gok Wan highlighted pink in all its shades as a principal colour for this season and we have certainly done well with it, from baby pink to salmon and the bright fuchsias and cerises.’

IT MAKES SCENTS… Scented products for the home and personal use can be an easy buy for feminine gifts.

Consider expanding your home fragrance offering to include beautifullypackaged reed diffusers. They’re one of the fastest growing formats, as there’s no flame to worry about, no soot, no risk of fire. ‘Our summer range of Limited Edition reed diffusers are very popular with retailers at the moment,’ says Richard Wood from Bolsius. Available in four different summery fragrances - Tropical Cooldown, Sunny Beach, Love in the Air and Summer Light –they’re a 42 gifts today

perfect warm weather treat.

Wax melts are a good, affordable entry point for home fragrance, too, and Bolsius report an increase in demand. ‘These new Wax Melts allow customers to create their very own signature and individual scent in the comfort of their homes,’ says Richard.

With an estimated 27 million gardeners in the UK, a range for green-fingered customers can be a good bath and body choice, too. Tom Sykes at Xystos says products from the company’s Gardener’s range from Woods of Windsor are not only being bought as presents by women but for self-gifting too. There’s a hand wash, hand scrub, hand cream and hand balm/butter to help aching fingers look and feel better after a busy time spent gardening. The company is also introducing a new Ayr Gifting Range which complements the existing Woods of Windsor collections.

HOME STYLE SENSE Gifts for the home are perfect for those who love to entertain friends and family with everything from prosecco to afternoon tea. Helen Shield from Enesco reports great sales on the company’s Lolita Glassware, in particular the new stemless glasses.

‘Our new Flower Fairies collection is also proving very popular across all demographics, from wedding gifts to gifts for those who remember this license with fondness,’ she says. ‘For us it is all about creating a lifestyle, so making your house beautiful and unique then spending time entertaining those you love with style.’

LICENSE TO THRILL Lots of women love licensed goodies and the creative products from Groovy UK can really fit the bill. ‘Harley Quinn, from Suicide Squad, is the best-selling women’s range,’ says Monique Scott.

SHOP TALK

What’s selling well for women in store? We asked some independent retailers for their observations…

‘With Spring having sprung, the weather getting warmer, we are all thinking about holidays – light-weight dressing gowns and kimonos are a big hit, as they feel amazing on the skin but also are great for travelling.’

Karen Greig, Destined For Home, Edinburgh ‘Powder scarves sell all year round as does Rodney Holman Jewellery. Our own branded candles and diffusers are another consistent seller for women. Women make up most of our demographic in the shop, but with a huge age range.’

Freepik.com

Tabi Marsh, Heritage in Thornbury, Bristol

‘The range sold out very quickly and we are finding it hard to keep up with demand.’

Monique also reports a trend for black, white and gold in products for women’s ceramics, stationery and

future,’ she says.

‘Vintage Boutique has been a great addition to Sophia, our ladies gifting brand.

Floral prints and vintage styling with a modern twist is definitely a trend that is here to stay so expect to see some great additions. Designing product for ladies gifting is as diverse as our target audience.

The personality of our Sophia ladies brand needs to reflect the relationship we have with our customers and ensure that we have product to fit every sector of our target audience whether it be young or old, modern or traditional, instagrammers, online or high street shoppers.’

GETTING PERSONAL beauty – ‘basically anything sparkly goes.’

Superheroes are big too and, especially with the new Wonder Woman film out in June, Groovy have added to their WW retro range by creating a collection that includes a bathrobe, slippers and a duffle bag in her new outfit colours.

At Widdop and Co, designer Helen Riley-Ditchfield (above) reports that By Appointment has been the company’s bestselling female licensed range. ‘On trend graphic styling and colour combined with Pigment Production’s excellent humour and quality has proved a winning combination. Expect to see lots more home accessory style product in the

Talk to anyone in the gift industry and it’s not long before the word ‘personalised’ comes up. PMC have a great offering, with their personalised LED lanterns, jewellery and leather purses all performing well. ‘We find that the demand for unique and original personalised gifts for her is always on the rise, so it’s important that we offer gifts in a variety of styles to suit all tastes,’ says Keren Dicken. ‘Combining personalisation with strong typographic designs and slogans is on trend this summer, particularly typography that is accompanied with a natural, botanical style. We have found that natural designs which primarily use gentle greens are also on trend, due to green being the Pantone colour of the year.’

‘Cadenza cashmere blend wraps are selling really well along with jewellery...in particular Joma’s ‘A little’ series gift bracelets and more trend-led jewellery like Big Metal London. Women are my sole focus - our main customer falls in the women 40plus age bracket who likes to treat herself on a regular basis as well as occasion purchasing...for example birthdays, new home, new baby.’

Berith Lochery, Broc-Mor, Aberystwyth ‘The handmade ceramic hearts by Jamali Annay have been really popular and suitable for so many occasions.

Also the fabulous, Prosecco flutes in the Signography range by Widdop and Co - we sold out of our first order within a couple of weeks! They have some great quotes on them and the gold glitter detail on the base of each flute has been catching customers’ eyes.’

Jenny Morrison, Top Drawer, St Andrews, Scotland ‘Our best seller for women has to be Joe Davies’ Equilibrium range, especially their scarves and jewellery range. We have stocked this range for a number of years now and it’s still one of our best sellers. Because it is so vast, customers know that there is something for all occasions or if they just want to buy it for themselves for a night out.’

Alison Chapman, Wonder Stuff, Treorchy, Rhondda, South Wales gifts today 43

Gifts for Women

And ducks might fly

New from Classic Canes is this entertaining character cane suitable for collectors and anyone who wishes to give an amusing gift. The handle features a cheerful duck dressed in aviator goggles, mounted on a beechwood shaft. Classic Canes stock a wide range of everyday and collectors’ canes, suitable for a wide range of occasions.

Call: 01460 75686 Visit: classiccanes.co.uk

Seeing red

‘Paint the Town Red’ is the latest bold range of accessories and stationery from Caroline Gardner for AW17, for the girl about town who loves colour and print.

The inspiration comes from the successful card range ‘Jumble’ which features all over floral prints in clashing bold colours. We saw red all across the catwalks for AW17 and love the confidence this colour exudes. The same can be seen coming across in these latest products with rich colours of burgundy, pink and pillar-box red.

The range is bold, on trend and should be paired with a flash of red lipstick. Key products include: the Jumble print Canvas Clutch, a must have to brighten any outfit and take you from day to evening; the Essential Case, perfect for pencils or make up and the little jotter, ideal when you’re on the go. Fabulous gifts for a special occasion or just to treat yourself.

Call: 0208 288 9696 Email: luca@carolingardner.com Visit: carolinegardner.com 44 gifts today

And relax…

A new collection from the Creative Tops label developed especially for relaxed and casual dining, Drift styles organic patterns of lush foliage and smoky effects with detailed prints and hand-painted elements.

This new collection perfectly captures the latest lifestyle trend of the search for the authentic experience, focusing on a fusion of influences from around the world and embracing simple, organic homewares that are minimalist in their nature.

With an earthy colour palette and hand-printed patterns, Drift takes us wandering out into the wilderness. Tribal mark-making, tropical cacti and ombré effects are styled in inky blue, with accents of grey and green. Rustic terracotta highlights finish this organic-inspired collection for authentic casual dining.

The Drift collection features ceramic dinner and side plates, salad and dip bowls, serving platters, large and small jugs, and mugs, with trays crafted in willow wood, making this collection ideal for dining and sharing in the comfort of the home.

Call: 01536 207710 Email: sales@creative-tops.com Visit: creative-tops.com

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Gifts for Women

Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an impulse purchase or an add-on, little till-side treats can really give your profits a boost. Check out our ideas for female-friendly gifts.

Keep them by the till!

Fresh Air odour eliminating tins from Priceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s prices-candles.co.uk

s from Joe Davies

Equilibrium Sentiment Key-ring joedavies.co.uk

Pusheen Surprise Plush Mystery Box Series 3 From Gund enesco.co.uk

Wonder Woman Clip-On Look-ALite

by Groovy UK Ltd

Modern Floral Hand Sanitizers from Mad Beauty madbeauty.com 46 gifts today

groovyuk.com

Folklore Emery Boards from Wild & Wolf wildandwolf.com

Gifts for Women

10 Years of Manor House

Manor House is proud to launch its 10th anniversary collection of 21 stunning fragrance collections, consisting of hand blended pot pourris, hand poured scented botanical candles, room diffusers & sprays, drawer liners and sachets and luxury hand washes.

All products are produced by hand in their Suffolk workrooms, using mainly British packaging and fragrances and the finest quality botanical from around the world. They also work with leading companies to create private label collections for bespoke clients.

Please telephone or e-mail for a copy of the new 2017 catalogue and price list, as the web site is now being constructed.

Call: 01359 250720 Email: darren@manorhousehomefragrance.co.uk Visit: manorhousehomefragrance.co.uk

Splash of colour

A leading British brand for costume jewellery and scarves, Miss Milly has added to its range e with a limited edition collection of striking beauty bags and pursess in eye-catching colour block combinations that have a retro feel and a hint of playfulness.

Made with soft, high quality PU, the two new beauty bags are suitable for make-up and overnight or weekend mini toiletries. The pair of purses feature zipped coin sections, card slots and a photo window. Well-priced, they are an attractive addition to the current product range, the beauty bags and purses come in three colour combinations designed to coordinate with the company’s jewellery wellery and scarf collections.

Tantalising turquoise lies with teasers of luscious lime whilst hot pink shares space with dashing orange and fiery red in two stunning, eye-catching tropical mixes reminiscent of the seventies. The third combination of strong lilac with dove grey and baby pink sits within the pastel spectrum.

All Miss Milly products are available online. The company has a strong belief in its products and makes it easy for retailers to try them for little investment with a £50 minimum order and the opportunity to buy in singles. Sales agents are available for some areas.

Call: 01905 622509 Email: hello@missmilly.co.uk Visit: missmilly.co.uk

Country Diary style

The Personalised Memento Company are expanding their range of licensed Country Diary gifts with the introduction of their twelve new personalised Country Diary Flower of the Month mugs.

Each month is beautifully illustrated with one of Edith Holden’s original drawings. Amongst them are March, which features delightful Daffodils and April, which is decorated with beautiful Bluebells. The month and seasonal flower are combined with personalisation that includes the recipient’s name on the front and a short message on the reverse. This makes these mugs ideal for birthdays, Christmas and Mother’s Day. With over 7,000 personalised gifts available through their trade website, all personalised and dropshipped to order; it has never been easier to add personalised gifts to your product range. Visit PMC’s website to sign up for your trade account today.

Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk Visit: personalisedmemento.co.uk

48 gifts today

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Gifts for Women

Sparkling style

Peace of Mind want you to join them in an indulgence of sparkles this summer. Their latest collection is a celebration of all things shiny and new – it’s fresh, clean-cut and unashamedly feminine. PoM’s new sterling silver is super cute and bang on trend with daisy earrings, heart-shaped pendants dipped in gold and simple rings and bracelets beautifully hand crafted and polished to perfection.

Gift jewellery packs a little more of a playful punch while remaining glamorous to its core. Cut crystals and an eclectic array of silver, gold and rose gold-plated charms and beads give a laid back feel to this gorgeous range.

With each piece designed to complement each other, your customer can choose the look they want to achieve.

Worn alone or multi-layered, gift jewellery is a great way to update a summer look and, with PoM’s unique point of sale and their own branded packaging, it will make it easy for you to create an eye catching display that your customers will love.

Scarves are a sure way of boosting sales too, with all PoM’s designs selling strongly throughout the year, especially metallics. Again, it’s all about the sparkle, with hearts, spots, birds, dandelions and even dogs getting the glitter treatment. If bling isn’t your thing, then they have a host of other designs to woo you. Did you know that PoM now sell bags and purses? They launched their new accessories range earlier this year and buyers love it, and it isn’t hard to see why. Velvet purses, embroidered, exceptional quality, clutch bags made with soft metallic leathers and for this summer, Moroccan inspired totes, perfect for beach life and beyond! What’s not to love?

Call: 01225 777749 Email: sales@pom925.com Visit: pom925.com

Harry Potter magic

Add a bit of Hogwarts inspiration to your jewellery offering with some official Harry Potter merchandise from The Carat Shop. There’s a new Cutie Collection launching in June, consisting of charms, bracelets, necklaces and pin badges. The range includes Hagrid, Malfoy, Ron, Hermione, Hedwig, Dobby and Luna, as well as the main man, Harry.

Email: info@thecaratshop.co.uk Visit: thecaratshop.co.uk

Going down a bomb

Thanks to the hustle and bustle of daily life we all need a little break and a bit of pampering from time to time and this year Puckator are proud to say they’ve really upped their relaxation game. They’ve combined their most exciting bath bombs with their favourite designs to bring you the gift of tranquility.

Treat your customers to these calming luxury products in fun whimsical packaging for a totally unique bath time experience. With dreamy fragrances ranging from tropical inspired exotic fruits to enchanting magical aromas there is something to please every scent palate.

The bath bomb collections are currently available in flamingo pinks, pugs & kisses, botanical gardens, and enchanted rainbows and available to order right now!

Call: 0800 011 6969 Email: customerservices@puckator.co.uk Visit: puckator.co.uk

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Tropic Cooldown

Love in the air

Sunny Beach

Summer light

Summer Limited Edition Evoking memories of holidays and sun kissed sands. Tropic Cooldown, Sunny Beach, Love in the Air and Summer Light are available in frosted glass candles, reed diffusers and melts.

T +44 0800 169 5126 sales@uk.bolsius.com www.bolsiusaromatic.com

Gifts for Women

Julie’s candles spell success

Britain’s favourite artisan Julie Dodsworth has gathered all her passion for fragrance and gift into her lovely new candle tin and greeting card collection.

Trialed in North Yorkshire shops and with selected trade counter clients, the candles have topped out as one of her number one bestsellers. The candle tins are a quality soy, gently fragranced, British made content, each tin decorated with Julie’s unique floral alphabet.

Trade counter clients enjoy a starter pack of 54 with extra spare labels to keep the range complete. Daughter Beth Dodsworth told us of the trial: ‘ The most popular sales were for single candles to give as a gift or a self-buy. A product that seems to work for ladies and gentleman alike. Some purchase was to spell longer words (family names, home, family & love) with two initials and the & sign for couples proving incredibly popular.’

The candle tins retail at £10 and are supported by a beautiful greeting card and coaster collection.

Call: 07940 540428 Email: studio@juliedodsworth.co.uk Visit: juliedodsworth.co.uk

Animal lovers

Widdop and Co are proud to announce their partnership with the RSPCA with this exciting licensed gift collection that embraces the rich heritage of the UK’s leading animal welfare charity. The collection is aimed at animal lovers of all ages. Its strong, traditional look is thanks largely to the wealth of archive material that the RSPCA has made available to the designers at Widdop and Co. The range of wall prints, drinkware, stationery, and pick up gifts reflect the originality of the distinct design style and are all packaged in premium quality, branded gift boxes. Stephen Illingworth, Product Development Director at Widdop and Co. is enthusiastic about the range: ‘Gifts for 52 gifts today

Scented treat

Women don’t just love floral candles – they like more unusual and subtler ones, too. Xystos have been introducing some subtle new additions to their WoodWick and Village Candle ranges in 2017, along with more pastel shades such as powder blue. They are more aesthetically pleasing for discerning end-users who might buy a powder blue or sage green candle rather than just having those that are simply blue or green. Shown here is Village Candle’s Rain scent, a refreshing blend of fresh rain, bergamot, lily and amber.

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

animal lovers have always been an important part of our offering at Widdop and Co. Working with the RSPCA adds a rich vein of beautiful heritage designs that lend themselves ideally to our products and packaging.’

Ellen Camillin, Licensing Manager at the RSPCA is delighted with the partnership commenting: ‘Widdop and Co have sympathetically used illustrations from our archives to produce a range of very special gift items.’

Call: 0161 688 1226 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk Visit: widdop.co.uk

Gifts for Women

Wonderful for women

Superheroes are big for women and, with the new Wonder Woman film out in June, Groovy have added to their WW retro range by creating a collection for the new revamped heroine, which includes a bathrobe, slippers and a duffle bag in her new outfit colours, including that shiny gold we all love!

Call: 0844 372 7820 Email: info@ groovyuk.com Visit: groovyuk.com

Light up her life

Sandy Bay London’s high quality home fragrance ranges are perfect for women who like a bit of luxury in their lives. Beautifully packaged and using only the finest fragrances, they make a great addition to your fragrance offering.

Call: 01992 579949 Email: enquiries@sandybaylondon.com Visit: sandybaylondon.com

Cuddle up for charity

If you’re planning on giving a soft toy to the woman in your life, you couldn’t do better than a classic Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter’s most famous character. Gund’s Peter Rabbit soft toys make enchanting gifts but importantly they also raise vital charitable funds to support the incredible work of Great Ormond Street Hospital. GOSH brings together the broadest range of dedicated, children’s healthcare specialists under one roof in the UK. The hospital’s pioneering research and treatment gives hope to children from across the UK with the rarest, most complex and often life-threatening conditions.

Call: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk Visit: enesco.co.uk 54 gifts today

Treasure Trove of Cushions and Throws Room Set Ltd is the UK and Ireland exclusive trade distributor for FS Home Collections.

With a large portfolio of over 1200 products, all manufactured in the EU, there is plenty of choice for all retailers and interior designers.

The cushions are all woven and come complete with duck down inners to add an element of luxury. Also in the collection are woven throws and draught excluders to compliment the cushions.

FS Home Collections have the exclusive rights to distribute the covers of The Beatles albums worldwide. They also produce for The Royal Historical Palaces here in the UK.

020 8953 7059 info@roomset.co.uk

Himasal Salt Lamps

Introducing Himasal Salt Lamps Himasal are fast becoming one of the biggest direct importers of Himalayan salt products, offering handcrafted salt lamps from the company’s very own joint venture salt mine in Pakistan. Bob Travers, the face behind the range, shares his passion for the benefits and beauty of his products - and explains why your customers might love them, too.

I

fell in love with salt lamps when looking for alternative healing for fluid-based illnesses that were impacting my family. A great friend of mine recommended salt lamps to help with breathing and sleeplessness - I thought she was barking at the moon to be honest! However, within three months of us putting lamps beside our beds, we stopped having to use inhalers at night and, within six months, didn’t need to go to hospital for any nebuliser intervention (these are a heavy-duty version of an inhaler.) That made me look into how salt lamps work and why they work. They are not a cure and should not replace traditional medicine or treatments, but they help me and my daughter.

I decided to get into the business myself.

Himalayan crystal salt lamps make an attractive feature in any living space. Real Himalayan lamps are handchiseled solid blocks of ancient crystal salts. They have a beautiful pink colour, often pinkish-orange, due to the high concentration of trace minerals contained within the salt.

Understanding how Himalayan Salt Lamps work. Water vapour is always circulating in the air of any room of your home. This water vapour carries along with it allergens like dust, pollen, pet dander, smoke particles, and even bacteria and viruses. Salt is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts water molecules from the surrounding air. A large block of rock salt, like a Himalayan crystal salt lamp, is especially attractive to water vapour and its attached pollutants.

Once attracted to the salt lamp, these microscopic compounds remain on the salt rather than floating in the air where you could breathe them in.

As Himalayan salt lamps slowly become saturated with the water they attract from the air around them, 56 gifts today

the heat from the lamp inside dries them, thus continuing the hygroscopic effect for as long as the light is on.

While the heat re-releases water vapour back into the air, any airborne contaminants attracted to the salt lamp remain trapped there and will not become airborne again.

Occasionally, perhaps every few weeks, it’s good to turn off your salt lamp for an hour, let it cool and then gently rub it with a damp cloth to clean away trapped dust and particles. The rest of the time just leave it on and let it work to clean the air in your home. Never leave it on when you are not at home, obviously.

Many customers have told me they find the lamps a great comfort. They look beautiful in the home, too. It’s best to consider negative ions from salt lamps as an added benefit and position them accordingly.

I believe in the product so much we guarantee it for ten years. We offer a no-quibble replacement if a lamp loses its colour or shape…both of which are impossible unless you drop it!

We have special offers for new retailers. We are offering a special buy for set-up, with a full merchandise visit to train them and their staff in the potential benefits and how to display them to their best advantage. We have a range of start-up packages so please call our sales team for more advice or to arrange a visit

Call: 0333 7331264 Visit: himasal.co.uk

Guest Books for any Occasion.

Agents Required Locations:- South East, East Midlands, East Anglia & North West Due to a substantial increase in recent sales, The Original Metal Sign Company is looking for well established agents within both the gift and garden centre trade.

We are a progressive company that designs, creates and manufactures all of our ranges here in the United Kingdom.

We produce Metal Signs in a ranges of sizes, Fridge Magnets, Boxed Mugs, Melamine Coasters, Slate Chalk Boards, Wooden Signs, Marble Coasters, Marble art tiles and Magnetic Memo Pads.

All of our agents are provided with full back office support, national marketing and trade shows, an extensive list of current customers, along with catalogues and samples.

Part of the 2017 Gift Stationery range featuring Address Books, Notebooks, Journals & Pens, Diaries & Calendars, Notecards and Gifting.

For more information, please contact: Richard Tams mobile: 07788 236317 email: richardt@originalmetalsigns.co.uk

sales@mgml.co.uk Tel: 01373 462165 www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

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Gifts for Women

Prickly customers

Vintage Style

Creative Tops celebrate the eccentricity of bohemian lifestyle mix-match colour, shapes and Scandi folk art patterns with their new Festival Folk collection.

Northamptonshire-born lifestyle designer, Katie Alice, weaves her colourful story across beautiful tableware collections. Katie’s homeware and tableware designs are inspired by her love of English country gardens, vintage heirlooms and antique fabrics.

Harmonising the vibrancy of outdoor festivals with vintage Katie Alice style, her bohemian-inspired Festival Folk is an eclectic collection for casually elegant evenings spent al fresco. Katie styles folk florals and pretty scalloped edges with sparks of colour on a fresh white canvas.

Katie says: ‘I’ve always felt drawn to bohemian and folk décor and lifestyles and wanted to create a mix of the two. This story has a vibrant Scandi style, inspired by my love of travel and colourful festival vibes.’

Creative Tops is a leading tableware, kitchen and home décor company, specialising in the creation of trend-driven products for the home. They create collections to craft a desired lifestyle and complete experience for the consumer: from food and drink preparation to serving at beautifully-dressed tables.

So far 2017 is without a doubt the year of the cactus and these stylish succulents don’t seem to be dropping off the radar anytime soon. Lucky for you guys Puckator have got it covered with their large and varied collection of cactus gifts.

These prickly plants have created a storm in the world of interior décor and people just can’t get enough. Puckator have endeavored to create a vast range that suits every cactus enthusiast, big and small.

Following the trends in home fashion, their first collection Cactus Time features cool muted tones and chic geometric shapes. Covering mugs, storage bags, candles and statement compacts, to name a few, it’s easy to immerse your environment in this classic collection.

On the more whimsical fun side they have fiesta time and el succulèntes complementary ranges. Featuring bold colours, stylistic designs and fun characters they bring a smile to even the grumpiest of faces. The company particularly likes the ‘cactercise’ water bottle - we all need something to smile about in the gym and this exercising cactus gives you all the motivation you need. Take a look at the collection today and get stimulated to let them supply your store with some truly succulent stock!

Call: 0800 011 6969 Email. customerservices@puckator.co.uk Visit: puckator.co.uk

Call: 01536 207710 Email: sales@creative-tops.com Visit: creative-tops.com

HEAVEN SCENT CANDLES

Based in the beautiful countryside of Wiltshire, Heaven Scent created a clean burning plant wax candle and other natural products to offer people an alternative to products that use strong chemicals and paraffin wax.

Another great service that Heaven Scent offers, and has done for over 15 years, is a bespoke labelling service. Today’s retailers are responding to their customers and want to offer something unique and not mass produced and that tells a lovely story.

Shops are able to have their own labels designed and created for them with a small minimum order. With their stamp on the product, shops can introduce an aspect of localism to their business.

Call: 01225 868788 Email: contact@heavenscent.co.uk Visit: heavenscent.co.uk 58 gifts today

Sandy Bay

Fine fragrances from Sandy Bay London With candles hand-poured in the UK, this luxurious range will really breathe life into a room.

S

andy Bay London was born from Director Sandy Burns’ love of interiors and home décor. ‘I wanted to place a product on the market that was an accessible luxury without cutting any corners on quality,’ says Sandy. ‘A product for both male and female alike, a beautifully packaged product with the finest fragrances that would captivate a market and be affordable to all.’

Sandy Bay’s ethos is: ‘It’s all about… the fragrance.’ They use only premium ingredients in all their fragrance blends, so the quality of the fragrance shines through when the candle is both lit and unlit.

All products are produced at the company’s premises in Epping by their team of skilled candlemakers. Being a Heritage brand, quality is key - where

possible they source materials from the UK so they have total quality control. The candles are made with Sandy Bay’s own exclusive natural wax which is blended on site, and contains coconut wax. This offers an exceptional burn quality and a very good fragrance throw.

Sandy Bay London carry two core ranges - Home Collection and Gentlemen’s Club Collection. Both Collections feature the stylish new Sandy Bay branding, on both the product and packaging. The candles will fit beautifully into any décor, whilst the stunning packaging merchandises well instore.

Each range features six gorgeous fragrances, such as firm favourites, Pomegranate Rouge, Persian Rose and Orange Amaro. The Gentlemen’s

‘It’s all about the fragrance’

Club range offers something completely different and features six fine fragrance blends which have been designed for men – though the ladies love them too.

The range includes The Charmer, City Boy and The Boss.

As well as the branded Sandy Bay range, Sandy Bay are also proud to offer a specialist bespoke service through their sister company SBL Technology. SBL Technology has established itself as a provider of

premium home fragrance products to discerning customers requiring quality and attention to detail.

The own brand service offers a chance for customers to buy into stock glasses, fragrances and packaging for as little as 36 candles per fragrance.

Call: 01992 579949 Email: enquiries@ sandybaylondon.com Visit: sandybaylondon.com

mail Please e for new ue Catalog

Manor House Home Fragrance Ltd

T 01359 250720 www.manorhousehomefragrance.co.uk gifts today 59

Trade talk

Gifts Today loves to hear your views.

Leading figures in the gift industry talk summer trends, company news and shows.

MONIQUE SCOTT MD, Groovy UK Top trends this summer?

STEPHEN THURLOW Alexander Thurlow Co Top trends this summer?

I think there is a definite feeling for more natural finishes, whether it be type of materials used or the finish of the jewellery having a more worn look. Long pendant necklaces using leather and fine beads are showing good sales for the Summer season. Floral patterns and 80s fashion are looking strong on trend for this season - so bold bright colours and bold pieces could be the order of the day.

What shows will be you be exhibiting at in the second half of the year?

We will be showing at Harrogate this year on Stand C24

Well at the moment it’s Harry Potter all the way! We also have Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them which is also very on trend. We have also seen a surge in interest in Marvel across the globe and are busy creating our new Marvel ranges which include new products for our best sellers Ironman and Captain America.

Any company news to announce?

RICHARD WOOD Sales Director UK and Ireland, Bolsius Top trends this summer?

Outdoor entertaining is huge for Summer 2017. Our new citronella candle tins make great additions to summer tables, adding pops of bright colours and surprising scent combinations with Tomato Leaf, Basil and Rosemary.

Following our restructure we have expanded our sales team to 11 covering the UK and Ireland. Since the restructure at the end of last year, we have secured over 300 accounts in the UK and Ireland and we’ve had our strongest growth period ever in the UK, which is set to continue into the second half of 2017 and beyond.

In these times of uncertainty, people spend more time at home and on their homes, so home décor, pretty functional accessories will be big. I do have a ‘thing’ about creating plate walls - I love this reinvented trend and I believe it is here to stay.

hospital means. It is a very emotive experience and one that I am very proud to be involved in.

Any company news to announce?

The highlight so far has been the amazing response to our Great Ormond Street Peter Rabbit collection. Aylish and Emma from the Enesco marketing team spent a day at the hospital, meeting patients, their families and of course the staff to give away some product and just really see what our work with the

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LAUREN WOODSFORD Trade Marketing and Online Manager, House of Marbles

HELEN SHIELD Top trends this summer?

What shows will be you be exhibiting at in the second half of the year?

We will be attending the NEC Autumn Fair.

Any company news to announce?

Director of Marketing, Enesco

Groovy’s speciality bag range is growing. We have a new Harley Quinn ‘Property of the Joker’ metallic shoulder bag, Wonder Woman Duffle bag, washbag and make-up bag and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them ‘Newt Suitcase’ messenger bag.

What shows will be you be exhibiting at in the second half of the year?

We will be showing at the Autumn Fair International, where we have a stand both in the contemporary gift Hall 3, and a separate Pusheen dedicated stand in Hall 5.

Any company news to announce?

We’re launching an exciting collection of midyear products this summer - customers can expect a quirky range with some really good gift margins. One to look out for is our Little Pig & Red Riding Hood Shadow Puppets Kit. Available in a beautiful gift box, children will be able to make their own spectacular shadow show with the puppets and fun torch.

What shows will be you be exhibiting at in the second half of the year?

We’ll be at Harrogate - it’s by far the most social buying event of the year. We’re also looking forward to seeing all our customers at the Autumn Fair in September.

SARAH WATMORE Owner Miss Milly Top trends this summer?

Our focus for summer is on bold products in bright colours. As the days warm up, the delicate pastels will fade to be replaced by ‘look at me’ jewellery in fashionable pinks and ever-popular blues, and some eye-catching combinations of pink and orange alongside turquoise and lime.

What shows will be you be exhibiting at in the second half of the year?

Yes, we’ll be at Harrogate on DP3-8.

TOM SYKES Director, Xystos Top trends this summer?

In the flame and fragrance market there has been no stopping the growth of wax melts and electric melt burners from Cello and we expect that trend to continue throughout the year.

What shows will be you be exhibiting at in the second half of the year?

Xystos will, of course, be at the Harrogate Buyers’ Festival in July as we regard it as one of the key shows of the year.

DAVID CREE Joe Davies

PHOEBE GOODCHILD Creative Assistant and Marketing, Orange Tree Toys Top trends this summer?

Licensed toys are certainly on the increase in the preschool toy market, and with the rise in popularity for traditional wooden toys, the combination of both is always going to be a winner.

Any company news to announce?

We are all very excited to have agreed a new licence with Disney, which we are predicting to fly off the shelves! We are in the process of designing a beautiful wooden toy range for Disney; our first collection will be based on a very classic and well-loved group of characters, so watch this space. We are in the process of renovating our very own, and much bigger premises, which we will be moving to in the summer. This will allow us to have the capacity to carry out much bigger orders, have a quicker turnaround, and expand our business in general.

Top trends this summer?

What shows will be you be exhibiting at in the second half of the year?

Summer 2017 sees a massive trend for embellishment on fashion accessories.

The Equilibrium scarf collection from Joe Davies follows this style perfectly and features stunning metallic prints and beautiful scarves with glittered accents.

KEREN DICKEN

Any company news to announce?

The Equilibrium poppy collection from Joe Davies continues to be a resounding success, and 50p from the sale of each piece is donated to a forces related charity. Support over the past year has resulted in £21,462.50 being split between two very worthy causes: Scotty’s Little Soldiers and ‘Soldiers off the street.’ Stunning new pieces are constantly being added to the collection and we hope to raise even more for charity over the next twelve months.

What shows will be you be exhibiting at in the second half of the year?

Harrogate Home and Gift on stand Q50 and NEC Autumn Fair, stand C10/D11.

We will be at Autumn Fair.

Sales and Marketing Director, PMC Top trends this summer?

We have been developing our personalised travel items, including our back packs, new metal flask and mug and also our travel document holders.

Many of these designs are inspired by everything from mountain climbing to weekend European city breaks. Getting ahead of the game for Christmas is also essential. To help our retailers do this, we are planning on launching a selection of new personalised Christmas designs this summer too.

Any company news to announce?

We have new license projects underway, which will be unveiled at the Autumn Fair in September. We are also in the process of trialling a tool to help our retailers convert even more orders for personalisation. Watch this space!

What shows will be you be exhibiting at in the second half of the year?

We will be exhibiting at the Autumn Fair at the Birmingham NEC.

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A day in the life

A day in the life...

Recently awarded Ashleigh & Burwood’s Agent of the Year 2016, Geoff Hutchins tells us about a typical day.

I

started at John Lewis in Oxford Street from school and started as a rep when I was 19 for Eveready batteries, I went on to Walkers Crisps at 21 and came into the gift trade as a rep when I was 22 in 1992. They gave me the chance to be an agent at 24 in 1994 and I still have that agency today.

This is my twenty fifth year on the road in the gift trade and this year was my 24th Spring Fair.

I set my alarm between 5am and 6am in the morning depending on where I am going. I have the bad habit of using my phone as my alarm so I can start looking at emails from the moment I wake up.

There can be a three-hour drive at the start of the day and a three hour one at the end. I drive a Jaguar S Type which is the most comfortable car I have ever had. If the appointments can be made, it makes sense to stay on the road and see as many calls as possible.

I have known most of the retailers I visit for a good number of years now. Growing up in London I do have favourite routes and appreciate the countryside and the lovely views. Coming off the A3 onto the Hogs Back to Farnham always impresses me. I also look forward to going down to anywhere near the coast.

I enjoy all that I sell, I choose my agencies based on the agencies I already represent and the retailers I visit. I currently have the best mix of companies and products I have ever had.

I have the general catch up and appointmentmaking phone calls I need to do listed at the start of each week. I try to chip away at these as the week goes on. The day in the office is when I try and do the bulk of these and clear the list.

Pam Watson my administration assistant has been with me for over five years now. We have systems in place which helps to ensure the right people are seen at the right time and we know exactly how we are performing for each company we represent. Eighteen months ago, Clare Tibble joined us to help grow the business and she made an immediate impact.

I try and get a day during the week in the office.

This allows me to meet with the other members of the team Pam and Clare to review and talk through anything we need to. I also spend at least a day a month out with Clare so we can look at what we are coming up against on the road and ideas for merchandising in store. It also gives us a chance to bounce ideas around.

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‘The freedom of organising my own time effectively and being in a different place every day is something I have always enjoyed’ The planning is one of the most important parts of this job. Clare and I were in the office for a week at the end of December planning for the whole of 2017 with the emphasis on spring/summer. We looked at the new products coming through and where we felt they fitted. Get the planning right and the selling becomes easier.

I enjoy being the link between the companies and retailers, and I learn so much from the retailers I visit. They are men and women of all ages in various positions within their company in different parts of the country, they are full of ideas and good interesting knowledge. The freedom of organising my own time effectively and being in a different place every day is something I have always enjoyed.

The busier the day, the more paperwork you have.

You need to balance longer trips with shorter trips over the course of the week. It is very rare to be finished before 7.30 – 8pm in the evening.

My partner June would say I don’t manage the work/life balance very well but when you are doing something that you love it doesn’t feel like you are working long hours.

Freepik.com

Toys,Games&Puzzles

With research showing that low-tech and no-tech toys are more than holding their own in sales, it’s a good time to stock up on some traditional toys, puzzles and games for the new generation of customers to enjoy.

Playtime Classics F

igures for the British toy market released by global information company the NPD Group at the end of last year revealed that traditional toys are more than holding their own against digital products. In fact, last year, games, puzzles and dolls were among the fastest-growing categories tracked by the company. Retro brands seem to be especially popular, especially when they’re reinvented, repackaged or reintroduced with a fresh new look.

For parents and grandparents who are looking for ways to entertain small children or ‘unglue’ older children from their screens, traditional toys are a great purchase. They’re also a brilliant opportunity for adults to reminisce about the toyshops of their childhoods, places that overflowed with exciting toys and pocket-money treats – taking them back to the time when toys were packed with real play value.

There’s also the added pleasure of being able to teach their youngsters the rules of playground games like hopscotch, marbles or jacks.

In the NPD report, Frederique Tutt, Global Toy Industry Analyst, commented: ‘Everywhere we look, anyone above the age of 10 is glued to a screen.

Depending on their age, they could be playing Pokémon Go or Candy Crush, updating Facebook, looking for directions on Google Maps or booking a meal with friends on a restaurant app.

‘So in an era when the appeal of anything digital is racing ahead, the strength in the toy world of traditional building sets is a welcome surprise. Just as some adults still enjoy the analogue habits of reading printed newspapers and books – and some are even rediscovering vinyl – there is a strong analogue flavour to the toys that

children enjoy most.’

All this is no surprise to Lauren Woodsford from House of Marbles, the company that manufactures and supplies traditional games and classic toys, with over 4,000 wholesale customers across the UK and around the world. ‘Our traditional playground games are hugely popular with customers,’ she says. ‘Timeless classics like Cat’s Cradle and Hopscotch are doing particularly well – they provide excellent value for money and have the educational benefits which customers really love, too.’

Phoebe Goodchild from Orange Tree Toys, a company which offers traditional wooden toys suitable for babies, toddlers and young children, agrees: ‘Skittles are a constant favourite with customers, in particular the Animal and Peter Rabbit sets.’

The educational aspect is definitely a factor, as traditional toys like wooden train sets and dolls actively encourage children to use their imaginations.

They can create their own scenarios rather than being limited to pre-determined patterns of play. What’s more, many adults like their children playing with traditional toys because they’re more likely to invite

others into the play scenario, rather than following a solo ‘press the button’ type of activity.

There are some wonderful traditional toys that can really help children learn their colours, shapes, numbers and ABCs. Phoebe from Orange Tree Toys comments: ‘As always, our Alphabet Crocodile puzzle is one of our best sellers. The number puzzles are also very popular, especially in the Lion and Pink Mouse design.’

Of course, what’s great for the retailer is how fabulous many of these gift-able toy products look in-store, with their high quality materials, stylish packaging and retro feel. ‘Strong packaging is key,’ says Lauren from House of Marbles. ‘It is so important to make sure your range really stands out from the crowd to help encourage those impulse buys, especially during crucial trading times like the summer holidays. Many of our products come in good quality and lively counter displays, making them incredibly appealing and very easy to retail.’

So if you’re looking to attract parents and children into your store, it may be time to stock up on some traditional or retro toys and pocket money buys, and pass on the joy of traditional play to the next generation!

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Toys,Games&Puzzles

Wooden it be lovely?

Orange Tree Toys have a variety of educational toys with a large range of wooden puzzles including alphabet, number, and mini puzzle sets. The colourful puzzles are ideal to help children learn their letters and numbers in an exciting and engaging way, whilst helping to encourage hand to eye coordination and develop fine motor skills. All the products are beautifully hand-painted, with wooden pieces that are perfect for little hands.

There are several additions to the collection of puzzles, including mini puzzles for the Puppy Collection and Peter Rabbit range, a Peter Rabbit alphabet puzzle, and number puzzles in both a Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle Duck design.

Visit: orangetreetoys.com

Cheatwell treat you well

Cheatwell are offering a tranche of new titles to appeal to both the toy and the gift markets. Cheatwell’s games for gifts line is very strong this year with two brand new games: • What’s in the Box? From renowned designer David Snow, this game is beautifully executed – a solid wooden box with the games cards inside. Simply find an object, place it in the box then invite your players to guess what it is, using a limited number of careful questions and guesses.

• Quirky invites you to make it up as you go along – but be ready to fight your corner because if anyone thinks you’re wrong they will challenge your answer and you have to bluff and bluster your way out of it!

For trivia fans there are three terrific new lines for 2017.

At retail of £2.99 the total trivia range is a perfect pick up line – great as party bag favours, wedding guest icebreakers or for if you fancy a spontaneous pocket pub quiz. If you prefer your Trivia a bit more structured, then how about the QuizMaster Range? Three titles in a challenging format – roll the dice to see how many questions you need to get right to win the card. Finally for trivia wizards how about the ultimate trivia challenge – 4,500 questions.

There are new puzzles, too – a brand new range of brainteasers at a fabulous pick up price of £2.99 – each little box is packed with challenges to train your brain.

For fans of traditional dexterity and reasoning puzzles The Great Zucchini range will delight – starting with chunky metal puzzles from £3.99 up to elaborate wooden logic problems at £9.99 - the classic retro packaging looks great on the shelf – and even better as it goes through the till!

Finally – for fans of our Build-your-Own 3D model series, there’s the

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Supermarine Spitfire – it joins iconic (and best-selling) models including The Flying Scotsman, The Mallard and The Titanic. No tools or glue required – simply push the pieces together. In store displays are available subject to MOQ. Get in touch for a 2017 catalogue.

Call: 02392 524098 Email: sales@cheatwell.com Visit: cheatwell.com

Toys,Games&Puzzles

Good night Games for every generation

House of Marbles offer a fabulous range of high quality games and puzzles, many of which have been inspired by original games of generations past. From retro-inspired board games to classic family games, there’s something for everyone in this bestselling range.

Rainy Day Games is brand new for 2017. Packed with over 40 traditional games and tricks, including old favourites such as Jacks, Pick-Up-Sticks and Tiddlywinks, it contains everything you need to entertain the whole family on those rainy summer days! This incredibly fun set comes presented in a gorgeous vintage-style gift box making it excellent value for money.

Also new this year are nostalgic Hopscotch and classic Backgammon games, as well as an assortment of brain-teasing wooden puzzles. Each has its own unique packaging designed by the House of Marbles team.

This popular range is the perfect choice for game and toy retailers, garden centres and museums. It is just a small part of the House of Marbles collection - they also offer a full range of toys, gifts, novelties and books that can be seen online. Use promotion code GIFT5 online and receive 5% off your first/next order over £150.

Call: 01626 835358 Visit: houseofmarbles.com/tradeuk

As we know children calculate time scale by counting the number of ‘sleepzzz until…’ Following the success of The Good Elf last year that helped excited children count down how many ‘sleepzzz until…’

Christmas, the range has been developed to include Reward Charts, Wooden Countdown Calendars and Christmas Eve Boxes.

Ackerman acknowledge just how many events children get excited about and for 2017 have now introduced Birthday Buddy, Holiday Buddy and even Big School Buddy. Each set includes a cuddly toy that makes a perfect companion at bedtime, a hanging calendar with tear off slips from two weeks before the occasion or 24 days for Christmas. Stickers are also included to reward extra special behaviour.

• Birthdays must be one of the most anticipated occasions for children (and some adults!). Birthday Buddy, which is available in a boy and girl version, will help children understand how long they have to wait until their special day and may even encourage good behaviour in expectation of receiving a Birthday Buddy reward sticker.

• Holiday Buddies dressed in their snazzy holiday clothes bring the whole family together as they count down to their well-earned break.

• Big School Buddy – starting school is a milestone in both children and their parents’ lives. Big School Buddy can help manage the excitement and, perhaps, the trepidation. The bear is dressed in its own school uniform and helps count down from two weeks before the big day.

Call: 01279 718807 Visit: ackermaninternational.co.uk

Puzzled?

Gibsons have released six new puzzles, including 500-piece Afternoon Angling, that shows a father and son fishing in a stream whilst a Steam Foden trundles by, filled to the brim with freshly harvested wheat. Also, Heading Home, painted by Dominic Davison and depicting a carthorse ambling home through the village after a long day at the market.

Visit: gibsonsgames.co.uk

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Profile - Ackerman

New life for traditional toys & gifts The Ackerman name has been known in the toy trade for decades. Brother and sister team Paul Tuck and Phillipa MacDonald are responsible for building its reputation for the next generation with their traditional and retro toy offering. We spoke to Paul about the company’s history and plans for the future.

Q: How did you come to own Ackerman International?

A: It stems from a company called Ackerman Group who had been trading for over 100 years. My father was the Sales Director for nearly 50 years and both myself and my sister Phillipa worked there for many years.

In 2012 the Ackerman family decided to wind the business down and enjoy their retirement. Phillipa and I were far too young to retire and so we decided to set up our own company selling toys and gifts. We asked the Ackerman family if we could use their name as it had such a fantastic reputation in the trade. The directors at Ackerman Group were a huge support to us as we set the business up and, at NEC Autumn Fair 2012, we took the leap of faith and launched Ackerman International Trading Ltd.

product they remember from their childhood whether it be a set of marbles, a yo-yo or one of their favourite games. Adults remember these toys but children still love playing with them today. I think some of these classic toys bring families and friends together and teach children skills that perhaps aren’t possible on their electrical devices.

Q: What are your bestselling products/lines?

these toys but children still

love playing with them today’

Q: In this digital age, why do you think traditional and retro toys are still so popular?

A: However old you are, I believe you still have fond memories of the toys that you played with as a child. When we present our traditional and retro ranges to buyers, almost without fail they focus in on a 68 gifts today

A: We have certain products in our range that Ackerman Group used to sell and are still as strong now as they ever have been. But then we are always looking for new items to add to the Let’s Learn, Retro and Wooden Toy ranges to keep the collection fresh. Paw Patrol, Trolls, Shimmer & Shine licensed Bubbles will be strong licenses for us this year. And then we are very excited about our Sleepzzz Until range which help children count down sleeps until Christmas, birthdays, holiday and even first day at school. Fairy Friendship is also a key range new for this year which includes Tooth Fairy Sets, Fairy Writing Sets, Money Banks and Fairy Dust.

We also work with a number of charities supplying them with new goods either from our current range or working with them to source product that is right for their charity. It’s an important part of our business and an area that we are very proud to support.

‘Adults remember

Q: Where do you source your products?

A: Most of our products are made in China, except for licensed Bubbles which are manufactured in Italy, but we do keep an open mind about sourcing from other areas. Product and packaging design is paramount to the

success of our range, so we work very closely with our designers to ensure that when our toys reach our customers - whether they are being sold in store or on-line - they have maximum impact to the consumer.

Q: What are your personal highlights since taking the company on?

A: I love the whole cycle that we work through - from having a product idea, to sourcing the product, working with the designer and factory, it arriving in our warehouse, selling it to our customer and then the ultimate buzz of being out shopping on a Saturday afternoon and seeing it on sale and even better watching a consumer taking it up to the till and buying knowing that a child will get to play with it sometime soon. The toy trade is a fun industry to work in, we are not changing lives but hopefully putting smiles on faces.

Q: What’s next for Ackerman?

A: The company has seen a steady growth and we’d like that to continue. No one has that crystal ball to look into the future, but we like to think it will stay a family-run business. We have four children between us so maybe one day some of them might like to join the exciting world of the toy trade.

ackermaninternational.co.uk

Social Media - Ross Hewitt

A snappy introduction to Instagram Instagram is primarily an app that you access through your mobile phone or tablet. You can look at accounts and edit your profile on a computer, but content can only be shared to your account through a mobile device. It is free to download and use and you can set up an account as a person or a business.

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hen you take a photo on your mobile (or save a photo to it from an email) you can share it on Instagram. The main feature of this app is that you can choose from a number of ‘filters’ to make your image look far more fantastic than the original. Each of the filters adds different effects and softens or sharpens colours, shadows, contrast, brightness and more. They have different names and X-Pro II, Mayfair and Rise are my personal favourites but it’s best to choose the one that makes your photo look best.

You can add paragraphs of text to your photos and this is where you need to be descriptive or try to tell a story. You can do this in a sentence or you can write a whole chunk of text, just make sure it is interesting.

You can add links to your website but they do not show up as clickable links in Instagram posts.

Hashtags are more important on this social media platform than on any other as they are the main searchable things that exist here.

Adding keywords to your text will not get you found in Instagram searches, but adding hashtags will.

In your description, if you want people to find your post when they search for ‘gift’ then writing ‘Love this new gift idea by Acme’ will not work. Changing this to ‘Love this new #gift idea by Acme’ will help to get you found. Without already having a large following in place, posting pictures without the use of hashtags is as useful as

emailing yourself the picture – hardly anyone will see it and you need to do everything you can to start to build a following from day one.

You can use a maximum of 30 hashtags on Instagram. If you try to use more than 30 then your post will appear without any hashtags showing at all. As you type a hashtag into your

‘

Adding keywords to your text will not get you found in Instagram searches, but adding hashtags will

’

post a list of similar tags will appear and you can see how many posts have that particular tag attached to them across Instagram as a whole. This is a good way of gauging the popularity of a word across Instagram. It is also a good way of avoiding hashtags that are saturated with content as some of them are just too competitive.

For example, if you want your new gift idea to be found by relevant people then avoid relying solely on

#gift in your list of tags. At the time of writing, it has been tagged to over 23 million posts and is too much of a general phrase for you to get noticed by the right people. Think about what the gift is and look for tags related to that with a smaller volume of posts associated to it. If it is an idea for a Father’s Day gift, then the tag #giftfordad has just over 13,500 posts so you have a better chance of being found by your target audience by using that. Add in #fathersdaygifts (just over 85,000 posts) and #fathersdaygiftideas (7,000) and you are starting to build up the potential to be found in thousands of different consumer searches. Now go and find up to 27 more tags in that vein and you are posting like a pro.

It’s not just photos that work on Instagram any more. Last year they increased the length of videos you can upload from 15 seconds to one minute which now makes the platform far more viable as a video marketing tool, so your business should explore that capability also.

Finally, as with all social media platforms, make sure that you share a wide variety of content to get the maximum engagement. Just knocking out product photos and prices will not grow a decent following. Mix it up with lifestyle images, humour, products and people and bring your business to life through every image you post.

Have fun with it and please follow me on there at @secretpieuk and I promise to follow you back…pinkypromise.

Ross Hewitt, Managing Director of Secret Pie and author of ‘Savvy Social Media’. Ross began his digital marketing career in 1998 when social networking was something you only did in a pub. He set up Secret Pie in 2010 and has been helping clients get found and loved online ever since. www.secretpie.co.uk | Ross@secretpie.co.uk | 01904 410027 | Twitter: @Secret_Pie gifts today 69

New Products

Angels and Golden Sentiments from Joe Davies The Joe Davies’ gorgeous ‘Golden Sentiment Box Plaques’ are bang on trend and proved very popular at Spring Fair, where they joined over 2,500+ brand new gifts at Joe Davies. The plaques build on the Joe Davies’ hot selling, Golden Sentiment Series and ensure the current desire for gold typography product is met.

The company’s Equilibrium Guardian Angel Collection is worth checking out, too. Equilibrium is one of Joe Davies’ most successful collections to date, so it’s no surprise that their new Guardian Angel bracelets launched at the NEC Spring Fair have been such a phenomenal success. The Guardian Angel collection is one of the Equilibrium core ranges and as such is always in high demand. This stylish new counter display unit offers a new dimension for those retailers with limited space, enabling them to maximise sales at the till point. There are nine

British Summer Time

Have a Strawberry Summer with Lesser & Pavey’s brand new tabletop range called Strawberry Fayre.

The range is of the highest quality and consists of: • glass cutting board • laptray • tea towels and napkins • shopping bag • two different shaped fine china mugs • cup and saucer • breakfast mug • sets of two mugs and four mugs • teapot and tea for one accompanied by a jug and sugar/ cream • coasters and placemats • three sizes of melamine trays • teabag tidy • spoonrest • scented candles to bring the summer fragrances into the home.

The displays have feminine colours and themes and offer the quality of products and packaging that is expected of Lesser & Pavey.

Call: 01322 279225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk Visit: leonardo.co.uk

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captions in total and, as with all Equilibrium jewellery, each bracelet is finished to the highest quality and plated with real silver and rose gold. This and the addition of a meaningful verse to accompany each caption ensures there is something for everyone.

Both ranges are available to buy in the Joe Davies’ trademark ‘little and often’ quantities with a minimum order value of only £100 for a carriage paid order.

Call: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Visit: joedavies.co.uk

New Products Perfection in reflection

Retro-styling, exquisite quality and enduring performance, Charles Mallory products are perfect accessories for beauty on the move.

Handbag mirrors are as relevant today as they have always been and the growth in mineral foundation and bronzers makes the powder compact a ‘must have’ accessory.

Quintessentially British, a Charles Mallory compact reflects the nostalgic values of vintage glamour in today’s modern, fastpaced world.

The tactile cases feature a blank panel on the base, perfect for engraving a name or initials. The Dual Mirror is magnified on one side and the Powder Compact features a lift-up inner lid to keep loose powders in place beneath the sifter. The Powder Compact can also be used for solid foundation tablets supplied by many leading retailers. Luxury packaging and a soft travel pouch complete this beautiful gift collection.

Email: office@charlesmallory.com Visit: charlesmallory.com

Help for Heroes licensees on parade

Help for Heroes (H4H), has built an innovative licensing campaign across a number of very diverse categories.

Corincraft. A designer, developer and manufacturer of fine and home fragrance, worked with five H4H beneficiaries to develop Help for Heroes XTREME, The Fragrance for Men, to raise funds for their fellow wounded.

XTREME has raised over £20,000 for H4H in the first year since its launch.

Otter House. One of the UK’s leading giftware, greetings cards and stationery wholesalers, launched a brand new range including notebooks, pens, address book, magnet, key rings and ceramics.

Carousel Calendars has been working with H4H since 2009, raising over £350,000 from the sale of calendars and diaries.

Noel Tatt Group, one of the largest suppliers of greeting cards to quality independent retailers, has been working with Help for Heroes for over two years and in that time has raised over £80,000 with its popular range of greeting cards.

Bianca a leader in home and fashion textiles with a substantial market presence, has developed a new Help for Heroes-endorsed bedding range. helpforheroes.org.uk

Table talk

Recognised as one of the world’s foremost producers of tableware, barware and decorative accessories, LSA International products display innovative design and quality craftsmanship.

Tactile combinations of mouth-blown glass, natural wood and soft leather are central to the London based brand’s SS17 collections – complemented by coloured, textured and iridescent finishes.

Launched for SS17 is the company’s Sorbet collection, inspired by the delicate colours of the range’s namesake. Each tumbler is hand-painted with iridescent lustre and encircled with gold at the rim. Available in pairs, choose from sophisticated metallics for elegant dinner parties or soft pastels for spring entertaining.

Visit: lsa-international.com gifts today 71

Exhibition Preview

The annual trade show takes place at London’s Business Design Centre in London on 13 and 14 June.

Exclusively Housewares 2017 A

imed at all types of houseware retailers, the Show represents the largest number of housewares brands and suppliers brought together under one roof for any trade show in the UK. The sister trade show Exclusively Electrical runs alongside Exclusively Housewares, focusing on small kitchen and domestic appliances.

Visitors can move freely between them.

As well as plenty of product to see, there’s also a full seminar programme designed to inspire and inform. From taking a close look at technological changes in our kitchens to the wider issues facing the homewares and small electricals retail market, the programme will share key trend information and thought-provoking data for visitors. Taking place in the new ‘Tomorrow’s Kitchen’ on the Wednesday of the Show, highlights will include: • Phil Pond, trend translator at Scarlet Opus, will identify three key trends for suppliers and retailers to focus on for the coming seasons. In addition, Victoria Redshaw, their lead futurist, will share some of the work the consultancy undertakes for one of the UK’s leading housebuilders, looking at how current technological advances will affect future house design, the

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way people use their homes and the spaces in them – particularly the kitchen.

• Steve Collinge, managing director of retail consultancy Insight Retail, will take a wider look at the retail market.

His presentation - ‘How the fourth industrial revolution will transform our industry’ - identifies the key strands affecting the way customers will be shopping in five-years’ time, and considers how this will affect the housewares and SDA markets for both retailers and suppliers.

• ‘Kitchen of the Future’, presented

by Mandy Saven of Stylist, will explore how kitchens have become fluid, multitasking spaces that bend and flex to better suit splintered schedules, shifts in family dynamics and compressed urban living.

If you’re interested in attending, register online.

exclusivelyhousewares.co.uk exclusivelyelectrical.co.uk

giftag

The new home and gift fair for London will run from 10-12 September in London’s stylish East End.

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he Show will offer retail buyers the chance to source products and services that are vetted by the organisers as being designed or manufactured in the UK or Ireland. Giftag organisers will accept exhibitors who manufacture home and giftware items produced in the British Isles. Exhibitors will benefit from the database of buyers who want to buy British product (15,000+) that has been built up by the organisers.

The good news is that the Show’s website and booking system are now fully functional, meaning that booking a stand at this unique trade fair could not be simpler… just visit the website, click on register and follow the link to the online booking form.

Giftag has been launched alongside the highly successful British Craft Trade Fair London and will offer the buyer a unique buying platform to view, order and buy British only home and giftware.

There is no doubt that, with the onset of Brexit and all that it stands for, UK consumers will continue even more to support ‘made in Britain’ and that is a message that will continue to be part of government and commercial campaigns.

The new trade fair will take place at The Old Truman Brewery in East London’s Brick Lane. The area is recognised as London’s art quarter and is an area of huge growth situated right next to the city and Canary wharf, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious business hubs.

giftag.london

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AUG 19 - 23 ALL COLLECTIONS NOW ONE LOC

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REGISTER NOW AT NYNOW.COM

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PG LIVE 2017

Global Greetings from PG Live 2017 The only UK trade show dedicated to the global greeting card industry, Progressive Greetings Live 2017 takes visitors on a creative journey to the very heart of the greeting card world.

Famed for its relaxed, creative atmosphere, PG Live is the ideal place to focus on cards and uncover the newest collections.

Join in, be inspired and have fun!

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hether you carry a large range of cards already or are looking to expand your offering in the greetings arena, a trip to PG Live is the perfect way to pep up your greeting card offering. With over 280 exhibitors of all shapes and sizes, the small-but-perfectlyformed show offers everything from fabulous fashion ranges and cracking Christmas collections to some of the funniest humour lines and most creative artistic creations around. Now entering its ninth year, Progressive Greetings Live 2017 is an inspiring celebration of an exciting and lucrative industry.

As the only UK trade show dedicated to greeting cards, PG Live is the perfect launchpad for exciting new collections and thousands of original designs.

The two-day show offers buyers the unmissable opportunity to source fresh product, discover exclusive show offers and browse inspiring portfolios.

The jam-packed exhibitor list includes the very best publishers, artists and designers from around the globe, with leading greeting card names such as Hallmark, UK Greetings, The Art File, Belly Button Designs, Five Dollar Shake, Jonny Javelin, Carte Blanche and many, many more. PG Live will also be the only trade show of the year for a number

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of leading greetings names, such as Hallmark, UK Greetings, Gemma, CardMix, Paperlink and Icon Arts.

Elsewhere, the ever-popular Springboard section – which is dedicated to fanfaring new and emerging talent – offers a real treasure trove of undiscovered and eclectic publishers. It has been expanded for 2017 thanks to high demand and will see a host of ground-breaking newbie publishers such as Pickled Cat, Alicord Card, Drawn To The Moment and Field & Fur making their show debut, while Tache Crafts, Jelly Armchair and Go La La will be making a welcome return to the show floor.

‘Once again we are so excited to be bringing hundreds of talented card suppliers together under one roof,’ says Warren Lomax, joint show director.

‘This year’s offering is simply outstanding in terms of originality, imagination and quality, and there are some amazing new ranges that we know retail buyers will love.’

Famed for its great energy, artistic vibe and warm atmosphere, PG Live 2017 has also become wellknown for its personal, friendly service and added extras. These include free refreshments throughout the show, a complimentary hot lunch (which is perfect for networking!) and even a fantastic free drinks party on the first night of the show.

• ‘I love PG Live and would never dream of missing it. Last year’s show was the best ever! I visited both days and sourced some great new suppliers,’ says Mark Turner, buyer, Fenwick Colchester.

• ‘We love visiting PG Live! It’s a great show to really focus on cards, as it’s big enough to offer lots of choice without being overwhelming. The show has soul; everyone there is so enthusiastic about the industry,’ says Lauren Keen, manager, Sentiments, Burnham-on-Sea. • ‘Last year’s PG Live lived up to its reputation as the most sociable trade show in the business! The show is wonderful for building relationships with lots of great greeting card publishers, both new and old!’ says Matt Shearing, partner, All Good Gifts, Battersea.

Show Essentials • Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 June 2017.

• Business Design Centre, London • progressivegreetingslive.com • +44 (0) 1635 297070 • @PGLiveLondon

With so much fresh new talent on display and so many card companies together in one place, Progressive Greetings Live is ideal for building relationships, getting involved and – of course – placing lots of orders.

Don’t miss out on the largest global gathering of the greeting card industry – register now to make sure you are part of the fun.

progressivegreetingslive.com

DID YOU KNOW…?

• In 2015 the UK public spent £1.7 billion on greeting cards (more than ever before) with 880 million single cards sold during that year – a 5% rise on 2014.

• Most greeting cards are bought in bricks-and-mortar stores, and they remain an important, low-cost, highprofit product, and with one in every six retailers carrying greeting cards they also have a wider reach than any other product. gifts today 75

PG Live

Calling cards The British are a nation of card-buyers and, with their good margins, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth stocking a selection. Here are some of the best, all showing at PG LIVE on 6-7 June.

BEXY BOO Stand 160 Call: 01565 830546 Visit: bexyboo.co.uk

CATH TATE CARDS

Stand 307 Call: 020 8671 2166 ds.com Visit: trade.cathtatecar

ABACUS CARDS Stand 300 Call: 01638 569050 Visit: abacuscards.co.uk

CHERRY ORCHARD PUBLISHING Stand 239 Call: 01684 295500 Visit: cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

HOTCHPOTCH LONDON Stand 122 Call: 01243 792600 Visit: hotchpotchlondon.com 76 gifts today

DANDELION STATIONERY Stand 820 Call: 01332 864990 Visit: dandelionstationery.co.uk

THE ART FILE Stand 200 Call: 0115 850 7490 Visit: theartfile.com

PIGMENT WENDY JONESBLACKETT

Stand 313 Call: 01423 520098 Visit: pigmentproductions.com

Stand 235 Call: 0113 288 8468 Visit: wendyjonesblackett.co.uk

GRASS ROOTS INTERNATIONAL Stand 321 Call: 0151 541 0448 Visit: writefromtheheart.co.uk

UK GREETINGS Stand 240 Call: 01924 465200 Visit: ukgreetings.co.uk

CLARE MADDICOTT Stand 300 Call: 01638 569050 Visit: maddicott.com

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES Stand 218 Call: 0116 230 4197 Visit: museumsgalleries.co.uk

CINNAMON AITCH Stand 231 Call: 0121 773 6833 Visit: cinnamonaitch.co.uk

Julie Dodsworth

Introducing Julie...

Hello and welcome to my first column for the lovely folks at Gifts today. Sitting with Sally the editor, drinking coffee in a cozy Berkhamsted coffee shop, it is fantastic to chat about our shared love for our industry. Sally asks me for my perspective and I feel flattered that she loves my values, humour and passion.

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Julie Dodsworth is an artisan British designer who works from her narrowboat Calamity Jane. At the age of 50 Julie started her ‘third age business’ - leaping into the unknown to follow her heart. From a tiny beginning Julie has launched an international-selling home and gift business working with the very best of British manufacturers. Gift today have invited her to share with us her experience, her passion for the industry and some of the great advice she feels she has been given along the way.

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his year I will celebrate 30 years of the national plant and display business I share with my husband Simon, and the adventures of my first five years in home and gift. For sure so many lessons learnt, so many changes to embrace, so many trends and styles!

So back to that plant display business where folks always used to ask me ‘who pays for someone to service plant displays in their office?’

The short answer is…successful people. And it is from those successful companies that I have seen, admired and learnt so much.

For 30 years me, my team members and apprentices have gone through their back doors, their back of house and seen first-hand what successful companies have to do to be the best.

Even when we were a fledgling little company back in the late 1980s, I soon picked up on these highly-effective habits of the amazing companies we have served.

The comforting truth was I saw they need not be a million miles better than their competitor. Just a tiny bit better would do. After all a racehorse can win by a photo finish. Making little adjustments and aiming for improvements of just, say, 5% is achievable in anyone’s book. Simply putting a front-of-shop paint work cleaning rota in place or popping a ‘come again’ voucher in shop carrier bags could be your 5%.

In our display business we for some time had a good uniform, name badges and so on. Work boots were also provided. To keep everything looking good, I introduced a shoe cleaning policy - it must have been my 5% idea that week! So best foot forward, I provided the team with

a shoe cleaning kit with a backup supply of polish and brushes in our stores. In my mind, clean shoes were equal to clean and tidy display work. After all I always wonder

“

Making little adjustments and aiming for improvements of just, say, 5% is achievable in anyone’s book.

”

when there is a coffee stain on the airplane flip tray - have they serviced the engine properly?!

My little idea was no more than that until I was told by one of our biggest clients that it was him seeing my team give their shoes a quick brush-up in his car park that was the ‘clincher’ of why he chose between us and our competitor. You can imagine I was so encouraged to

keep finding my race horse finishes and to open my eyes to see the small differences everywhere.

So saying goodbye to Sally and walking back down the busy high street I saw chalk boards reading ‘amazing shop this way,’ a florist with a lovely smile for me as I admire her window, easy-to-grab artisan wicker shopping baskets by the door and a coffee shop with free taster platter - who could resist? For sure, racehorses winning everywhere.

Christmas Gifts

The scent of Christmas Plan ahead for the festive season with some new home fragrance offerings…

The Price is right All aboard with Aromatize

Goose Creek have some fantastic new fragances for Christmas 2017. The range comprises: Christmas Cakes, Christmas Magic, Classic Christmas Tree, Frozen In Time, Jingle Bells, Moment In Time, Night Before Christmas and Sparkling Woods.

Price’s Candle Gift Set contains three fragranced jar candles – Pine, Winter Berries and White Christmas - and ten tealights.

Also check out their Mulled Wine limited edition odour-eliminating candle, designed to freshen your home as well as give it a festive scent. Also new are Warm Mandarin and Spiced Vanilla.

Call: 01234 264500 Email: sales@prices-candles.co.uk Visit: prices-candles.co.uk

Call: 01254 300268 Email: sales@aromatize.co.uk Visit: aromatize.co.uk

Ashleigh & Burwood’s Scented Home

Classic Christmas with Bolsius

Bolsius introduce a brand new Classic Christmas Collection of filled fragranced candle glasses, helping to create a festive feel in a retail environment. Available in two warm seasonal designs - Christmas Star or Gingerbread - customers can choose from two delicious flavours: vanilla or amarena cherry. Perfect for sweetening the air and encouraging sales.

These small glass candle designs work well combined with the Bolsius Rustic Metallic Candles to create a group interior display.

Call: 0800 169 5126 Email: sales@uk.bolsius.com Visit: bolsius.co.uk

The Scented Home was created to bring simple, yet beautifully evocative fragrance at an accessible price point to every house, transforming it into a scented home.

The brand is set to debut a fresh, revamped look for Autumn/Winter 17 as part of a wider rebranding project for Ashleigh & Burwood.

The brand’s packaging has been modernised with softer colours and a new fresh logo, whilst retaining the attention-grabbing imagery and complementary colours perfect for merchandising displays.

Inside the colourful packages are a collection of equally vibrant fragrances, crafted in the UK, to brighten the home. The relaunch sees the inclusion of four festive scents; best sellers Christmas Spice and White Christmas are joined by two new additions of Christmas Tree and Sparkling Prosecco.

Ashleigh & Burwood want everyone to experience their passion for fragrance and believe The Scented Home is the perfect place to start.

Call: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk Visit: sshleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk gifts today 79