Exhibition News

What a difference a year makes

CEO Andrew Greenacre from the British Independent Retailers Association explains that, while he welcomes the measures pledged during the Budget, he would like to see the Government go one step further

CEO Andrew Greenacre

It is hard to believe that when Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his fi rst Budget in March 2020 we were on the cusp of a year like no other in history. At that point - as he pledged a £5 billion emergency response fund to support the NHS in England, and abolished business rates for a year - we had no idea quite how much coronavirus was about to disrupt ‘normal’ life.

Twelve months on, more than 124,000 people have lost their lives, billions have been borrowed, the UK economy has shrunk almost 10% - its largest annual contraction since 1709. Many non-essential retailers are still closed after lockdowns prevented them from opening for eight months of the last 12. Sta have been furloughed, bounce back loans taken, local authority support grants awarded.

Witnessing this year’s Budget was somewhat different as members of Bira’s Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee (LPAC) gathered via an online Teams call - a mode of communication that 12 months ago wasn’t the go-to choice for most people I know.

As I have made it clear over recent months, Bira wanted a clear message from the Treasury that it was prioritising the independent retail sector in aiding its recovery.

I have personally spoken to Business Minister Kwasi Kwarteng on a number of occasions, lobbying for extra support for the hard-hit sector; one in five indies did not reopen after the first lockdown, research tells us.

And, broadly speaking, the LPAC members welcomed the measures pledged during the Budget statement. We were pleased there will be discounted rates relief for the next year; restart grants of £6000 per retail business; an extension of the furlough scheme until the end of September, as well as other initiatives.

We would, however, like to see the Government go one step further in extending the rent moratorium for three more months, and abolishing business rates until 2022 – following the example of Wales and Scotland. Financial certainty is what indie retail needs right now and removing these burdens would aid recover over the next 12 months and beyond.

After all, a lot can happen in a year.

If you would like to discuss any of this article with the team at Bira, or would like to find out more about the association and the support it can give independent retail business, then please contact their membership team on

0800 028 0245 or visit bira.co.uk

Bira wanted a clear message from the Treasury that it ‘ was prioritising the independent retail sector in aiding its recovery ‘

Q&A with

Phil Atherton

We catch up with Enesco’s new Sales Director to discover what plans he has for the company in the coming year

Phil, what’s your career journey before joining Enesco?

I’ve been in a sales role for some thirty-fi ve years in three di erent industries - alcoholic beverages, textiles and latterly home and gifts before joining the Enesco team. I’ve been in a sales leadership role for the past twenty three years, and all the experiences and challenges I’ve had through my career will allow me to see things through a di erent lens and hopefully assist Enesco with doing things di erently where required. We are always looking to add value to our customers and having this experience will allow me to guide the team to do this through our activities.

What is it about this well-loved gift supplier that attracted you to the role?

It was the great range of brands and products combined with the strong customer base that the business services. Once I had met the people and understood the culture I felt Enesco o ered exactly what I was looking for in a new role that would allow me to grow personally as well as helping to grow the business.

How have the past fi ve months been in your new position?

Very exciting, very busy and very productive. We have a real sense of purpose to grow the company and solidify our relationships with our customers.

How do you feel about the lack of trade shows?

Enesco have always had very successful trade shows with signifi cant numbers of range launches and good sales orders achieved, so we have missed them in 2021. We have, however, been one of the fi rst businesses in our industry to launch a virtual showroom and the business has embraced technology to make sure we maintain our customer relationships and to launch product with as much success as usual. We have trade shows planned in Europe for later in the year, depending on what the Covid situation is like at the time.

What will your focus be for the coming year?

Delivering great product at great value and with great service to all our customers throughout 2021. We already have a strong order book for the year and we are planning on spending as much time as we can to support our customers once lockdown comes to an end.

Special plans you have in the pipeline?

We will be releasing some limited editions signed pieces of Willow Tree in 2021 for the fi rst time, to support the 21st birthday of the evergreen brand. We also hope to hold some virtual consumer workshops where we will be doing ‘meet the artist’ sessions to support our retailers. In 2022 Peter Rabbit celebrates his 120th anniversary so we will also be planning how we celebrate this during the latter half of 2021.

What homeware ranges have done particularly well for you?

We’ve seen an increase in demand for any accessories that relate to home entertaining such as glassware, mugs, bamboo dinnerware, and so on. Our Ginology collection has performed particularly well with significant growth year on year, along with Lolita glassware that appeals to a modern thirty something who is looking for good quality fun glassware.

Why should a gift retailer consider stocking Enesco?

Enesco offers a unique range of gifts that appeal to all age and demographic groups and have self-purchase and giftable items that always please. Our ranges cover figural, glassware, ceramic ware, bamboo, baby products, as well as some of the world’s most favorite brands – Harry Potter, Disney, Marvel. The list goes on.

As people emerge from lockdown with a different mindset gifting will remain a key demonstration of our love for family and friends and ranges like Willow Tree or our new Licensed Facets range will have real appeal.