Gifts Today

Independently audited

25

ABC circulation of 7,098 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015

Month: October 2015

Issue: 8

Volume: 26

O N E S TO P SHOP FOR P E R S O N AL I S E D GIFTS

est: 2004

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Contents

Regulars

October 2015

6

News

12

Exhibition News

14

Licensing News

16

GA News

76 Trade Talk 80 New Products

Retail

P28

20 Brian Wiseman A problem in the shop sparks difficulties for Brian

22

Ross Hewitt Be careful what you tweet or post online. A day or two’s silence won’t hurt you

Gifts Today team

78 Grass Roots

P48

We chat to attendees at Autumn Fair

Editor

Profiles

Penny Franks penny@lemapublishing.co.uk

18

Assistant Editor

58 Ancestors Group

Paul Donnelley pauld@lemapublishing.co.uk

Advertisement Manager Mark Horsnell mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Features

P53

28 Fragranced Gifts

Group Editor Mirella Cestaro mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

From candles to cologne,

Group Advertisement Manager

the smell is right

Ryan Horwood ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

48 Games & Puzzles

Publisher

Not just crosswords but nice ones

P60

Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

too that make you think

53 Gifts for Men

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

A few ideas for purchasing male gifts

60 Licensed Gifts

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

How a licence adds value to gifts

66 Fashion Accessories

Media Solutions Manager

P66

Bradley Mason bradleymason@hotmail.co.uk 1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930

photo frames set off a room

Show Reviews

Independently audited 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2015

Photo Frames From shabby chic to shiny metal,

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation ABC circulation of 7,098

Making a statement with accessories

72

Lema Publishing Ltd

PUBLISHING

Yankee Candle

P72

24 Tendence 70 Autumn Fair

Simon Pykett Director M +44 (0) 7967 209156

Paul Francis Southeast M +44 (0) 7795 536574 Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Central and Greater London, Channel Islands, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey & Sussex.

Nicola Atkinson Southwest England and Wales M +44 (0) 7802 313128 Wales, Staffordshire, Shropshire, West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Avon, Berkshire, Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Somerset, Dorset, Devon & Cornwall.

John Murphy Ireland M + (0) 353 87 2640065 Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man.

John Gibbons Scotland M +44 (0)7956 934059 Scotland

Chris McVey Northern England M +44 (0) 7795 484412 Northumberland, Cumbria, Tyne and Wear, County Durham, Lancashire & Yorkshire

Harriet Ayers

SIA Home Fashion Unit 7, The Votec Centre, Hambridge Lane, Newbury RG14 5TN

Website: www.sia-homefashion.co.uk Email: salesuk@sia-homefashion.com

Central areas M: 07714 656106 Merseyside, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk & Suffolk

Message from the Editor www.gifts-today.co.uk Twitter: @giftstodaymag designers from around the UK and 125 other countries worldwide – bringing an international flavour.

With the majority of independent retailers now buying little and often with specific occasions in mind, rather than forward planning 12 months ahead and bulk buying at the start of the year, the show has never been more relevant to the UK trade.

Speaking as the doors closed on another successful event, Autumn Fair Portfolio Director Naomi Barton said: “The feedback on this year’s show has been extremely positive and we’re very happy with the result. The majority of exhibitors have done very good business at Autumn Fair and we expect as much as £1.2 billion of orders to be placed by retailers as a result of their attendance here. The inaugural edition of The Light Show in particular was a resounding success, everyone was delighted to see such a stunning display of product lighting up the aisles. We would like to thank all our exhibitors and visitors for supporting the show and hope you found your time here to be well worthwhile.”

The event also proved worthwhile this year for the The GA who reported that five suppliers and two designers became members of The GA at Autumn Fair and 40 new retailer subscribers were also signed up. Furthermore The GA uses this show to launch their 2016 Gift of the Year competition, with the judges handing special business cards to exhibitors of products they liked to encourage them to enter. GA communications and events manager Luke Palmer reported that there was “lots of enthusiasm” from previous entrants and those introduced to Gift of the Year at the show.

To read more about Autumn Fair turn to 70 of this issue, or for information on the 2016 event visit: www.autumnfair.com News also just in! Henri Davis has chosen the man who will succeed her as GA vice chairman next summer when she steps up to become chairman. This will be Jeremy Corner, managing director of Blue Eyed Sun and Ivy Ellen, the successful greeting card and wedding stationery businesses which both have close involvement in the giftware industry through licensing partnerships with companies such as Widdop Bingham.

Jeremy - who will become chairman of The GA in

The views of the contributors expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Comments, letters and criticism are welcome.

“

Autumn Fair 2015 took place on 6-9 September at The NEC Birmingham and welcomed more than 1,400 exhibitors with approximately 150,000 new product launches at the show

“

O

ctober is the month where we see a plethora of autumnal colours coupled with, hopefully, the sun shining on crisp sunny mornings!

This is a time of year I am particular fond of - providing the season runs smoothly.

What does this issue of Gifts Today bring? Firstly, I would like to thank the organisers and exhibitors who were at Tendence, for not only their hospitality but also for making me feel welcome and ensuring that my visit ran smoothly.

From what I could see and having spoken to a number of people, this really is a great opportunity for companies in the UK who may not have exhibited at a European show previously, but are looking at perhaps exhibiting at a smaller venue than say Ambiente. Tendence is a superb platform that not only gives a great trend-spotting opportunity and buying experience for visitors within a more manageable environment, but to experience an exhibition that offers a truly German buying arena coupled with an international flavour. If you are for example a first time exhibitor looking at an overseas venue, then this is definitely for you. It provides a great insight and also acts as a springboard for those who then move forward to Ambiente later in the year. You can find our review of this show on page 24.

You can also visit www. tendence.messefrankfurt.com for further information.

Focusing back to the UK, Autumn Fair closed their doors to what could best be described as a very buoyant show this year. Autumn Fair 2015 took place on 6-9 September at The NEC Birmingham and welcomed more than 1,400 exhibitors with approximately 150,000 new product launches at the show secured Autumn Fair as the ideal place to source hot and trending merchandise for not only the prime Christmas season but also beyond into the first quarter of 2016. From speaking to Jeremy Corner those in attendance it proved extremely worthwhile.

This year saw an increase in the quality of attendees, with almost all of the top multiple retailers in the country sending buyers to the event alongside thousands of independent retailers and interior

2018 when Henri completes her two-year term – has a vision to transform the association through “network thinking” and help its members and the wider industry to thrive in what he describes as the “new age”.

He explains: “I am very excited at the prospect of helping The GA to become even more relevant over the coming years. We are living in a world that is shifting from institutional thinking – which is closed, selective and controlling – to network thinking which is open, random and supportive.

“This is led by massive changes in the internet and digital technologies which are disrupting industries globally. Our own, as a whole, will benefit hugely from a GA that is more in line with these changes - open to everyone; random and accepting of the variety of members’ needs, and supportive of growing and protecting the giftware industry.”

A member of The GA since 2003 – using most of its services to save his businesses money and to grow – Jeremy is a regular speaker on social media and export at industry events such as Spring Fair and Autumn Fair. He also runs his own blog and is a Sage Business Expert, working closely with leading social media experts around the world. You can connect with him online through most social media platforms.

For further information on The GA (and how to become a member) visit: www.ga-uk.org

NEWS

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Get your offer now Scentchips UK are offering a special deal for existing and new customers based on their Christmas Collection.

The Collection includes 12 carefully selected seasonal fragrances, a 12 fragrance display and a selection of Christmas Design ScentBurners.

For more information contact David or Lucinda.

Tel: 01259 751009 Email: service.uk@worldofscentchips.com

Mad Beauty wins ‘Best Licensed Brand Range’ Mad Beauty’s Kellogg’s Vintage Health and Beauty Range has been crowned Best Licensed Brand Range at The Licensing Awards 2015, hosted at Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Tuesday 15 September 2015. Competing in the Product Sector, against a diverse range of highly sought after licensed products including the Rugby World Cup Collection from Ulster Weavers, V&A Spring/ Summer 15 Collection from Oasis, Volkswagen Retro Housewares Range from Half Moon Bay, PlayStation Retro Range from Bioworld and the Historic Royal Palaces Baroque Gardening Collection from Briers. Mad Beauty’s Kellogg’s Vintage Health and Beauty Range came out top as the winner of this esteemed category.

Managing Director, Trevor Cash comments, “We launched Kellogg’s Vintage at the Autumn Fair in September 2014 and as this is our first major licence, to win this award at our first attempt and after just one year in the market place, is a tremendous honour. Our mission statement is “that we are serious about making cosmetics fun” and the Kellogg’s database of around a million images gave our designers the opportunity to bring that through into the range”. Together with their other broad range of designer led gifts with a cosmetic appeal is putting MAD Beauty on target for an increase of sales in this fiscal year in excess of 25%.

The UK’s only dedicated licensing industry annual awards programme was attended by over 1,000 retailers, licensees and industry elite whose integrity is unquestioned as an endorsement of excellence. As a company in the first year of licensing, the rigorous judging process highlights the accolade Mad Beauty have achieved in the award with over 100 different retail buyers including Tesco, Argos, Oliver Bonas, Sainsbury’s, Mothercare, Primark, Asda, River Island and Rymans assessing the excellence of design, innovation and originality; consumer targeting and quality of manufacture and packaging.

They are currently in discussions several top licensors and will expect to announce another major collaboration with just one of these shortly.

Tel: 020 8958 0555 Web: www.madbeauty.com 6 gifts today

Joe Davies Appointed as Official Distributor for Rose & Co Joe Davies are delighted to announce they have been appointed as official distributor for Rose & Co in the UK and Eire. The whole collection was launched very successfully at Joe Davies’ exhibition stand at the Autumn Fair.

The truly unique award winning collection of soaps, bath melts, bath bombs, hand cream and lip gloss are all from the ‘Patisserie de Bain’ and ‘No. 84’ collections. Each collection features the very best carefully chosen ingredients, amazing fragrances and all beautifully packaged. Everything is hand crafted and made in the UK too.

Also being distributed by Joe Davies is the ‘Amazing Zam-Buk’. Used as an antiseptic ointment for over 100 years Zam-buk is a highly acclaimed, traditional embrocation packaged in a tin based on the original Victorian design; it was even standard WW2 issue to soldiers!

Hard to come by yet loved by generations for its amazing powers to soothe cuts, sores, bruises, burns, rashes, insect bites, chapped skin and many more ailments.

Zam-Buk is essential kit for any self-respecting explorer, gardener, daredevil, festival goer or household! A great repeat purchase gift too.

Rose & Co will be supplied throughout the UK using Joe Davies’ trademark ‘Little & Often’ ordering system with a minimum order of just £100 and free delivery.

For all enquiries regarding the Rose & Co® range of bath and beauty products from Joe Davies please call: 0161 975 6300 or visit www.joedavies.co.uk

Noir et Blanc Wonderwick The Country Candle Company are delighted and unashamedly proud to announce the launch of their Wonderwick Noir Collection.

Wonderwick Blanc is a favourite with retailers and the Noir Collection gives the range even more style and glamour, targeting a wider consumer audience.

The black glass features gold lettering, giving the collection an air of sophistication that will stylishly and effortlessly accessorise consumers’ homes or provide the ultimate gift choice.

Available in the Classic Glass Jar complete with a Gift Box featuring an image of the fragrance it represents, the fragrances available are; Black Pomegranate, Coconut & Mango, Honeysuckle & Jasmine, Lotus Flower, Spiced Lime, Sea Salted Fig, Tonka Bean & Vanilla and Wild Fig & Cassis.

The Reed Diffuser has a smoked blackened glass holder with dark wood effect reeds to emit the fragrance into the air. The packaging again is black with gold lettering and representative images.

The candles offer the same Wonderwick technology with a comforting crackle sound effect.

Tel: 01225 794920 Email: sales@thecountrycandlecompany.com Web: www.thecountrycandlecompany.com

Opal London Re-Launches Successfully into Stores across the UK In 2014 Half Moon Bay acquired leading Bath and Body brand Opal London. Following the successful acquisition of Robert Opie Trading in 2007 the time was right for Half Moon Bay to add to their product offering. Peter Thompson, Managing Director of Half Moon Bay commented “The acquisition of Opal London enables us to expand our product offering into an area that complements our existing home and gift collection.

Our customer base is ideally suited to the brand and the addition of Opal London further cements us as the one stop shop for retailers across the UK.” Half Moon Bay soon recruited Laura Barnett to oversee the project and she has been working hard to get the brand ready for the re-launch.

In September 2015 Half Moon Bay successfully delivered their first wave of new Opal London display stands and new product ranges to retailers across the UK. The display stand has been created to provide visual impact in store and maximise the range of products across Bath and Body, Spa and Children’s Bath Time. Laura Barnett, project manager for Opal London commented: “It’s exciting to see the new displays and products in store. Our customers are delighted with how they look and we are already seeing re-orders for stock.”

The Bath and Body collection incorporates a wide range of bathing accessories using a stylish colour palette. The range has been designed to provide good quality essential lines items that appeal to a broad audience.

Opal London will be exhibiting at Spring Fair in February 2016. But in the meantime you can contact them on 01225 473873 or visit www.halfmoonbay.co.uk/opal_london.

Seasonal Decoration at its best 29. 1 – 2. 2. 2016

Your seat on the front row!

Keep a step ahead of the competition. Discover the latest trends and top exhibitors for your future business on an international stage. Start a successful year at the world’s leading trade fair for seasonal and festive decorations – with the best the industry has to offer.

Order your tickets now: www.christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

NEWS

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New figurine licences available from Marbel

Will you back a book to help children understand bereavement?

GA member Inspired Goodbyes is self-publishing a book to help children understand bereavement.

But the project will only be funded if Sophie Lucop-Leech and Helen Lawson, authors of It’s Not Fair!, raise £10,000-worth of pledges by 22 October to pay for it to be illustrated, designed, published and promoted.

They’re trying to do this through a Kickstarter fund and in return are offering rewards - which start at £5 – for those people who would like the name of someone they love and miss featured in the book.

Say Sophia and Helen: “We’re a small company, just the two of us, and we re-invest our profits to create new ranges of sympathy cards and attend trade shows to promote what we do. This is why we have created this campaign to help us get our book published.

“It’s horrible when someone we love dies. It’s hard enough for adults to comprehend – imagine how difficult it is for little ones.

This is why we’ve written It’s Not Fair!

“Our book is designed for younger children and uses appropriate jokes and language. It’s funny, silly, even a little bit daft in places but it gives children permission to let their feelings out as well as let them know it’s okay to have fun sometimes. It might even make they smile.”

If you are interested in contributing to the fund, go to: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1797123497/its-not-fairhelping-children-understand-bereaveme

Celebrate Alice in Wonderland with Bagabook Bagabook are happy to launch their latest special edition book bag as part of the 150th Anniversary celebrations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

Under licence with the British Library this exquisite design tells the story with the original illustrations by John Tenniel.

As publicity gains momentum, Alice is set to be amongst one of the hottest topics of 2015/16. Macmillan Books first published it in 1865 and has now produced a range of beautiful new editions to mark the occasion, so now would be a great time to get on board and offer your customers a book cover with a difference.

Bagabook stylish book bags fuse fashion and practicality, allowing different size and thickness of books to be carried, with a fast closing magnetic clasp and a discreet back pocket to keep small personal belongings. Bagabook can offer the book lover a cover that rivals many of the electronic kind. Also ideal for notebooks, diary and journals, it’s a gift for all ages and occasions.

Tel: 0782 189 5381 Email: info@bagabook.com Web: www.bagabook.com 8 gifts today

Following on from Marbel’s success with other licensed figurines they have now extended the range to include the popular characters from the film Maya the Bee. These cute little bees

by Bullyland are sure to be a success!

They have also added to their figurine portfolio other licences from new Marbel supplier, Comansi to include Shaun the Sheep, Gumball, Masha the Bear and Monsters High.

These are all in stock now and will make ideal stocking fillers for Christmas.

Web: www.marbel.co.uk

Widdop’s Winner!

The first winner of Widdop Bingham’s lottery was announced on 30 September.

The winner was Perfectly Peachie in Essex who went on their Facebook page to claim her winning prize of £100 credit to her account.

Launched at the Autumn Fair, the Widdop lottery is drawn monthly with a cool £100 credit given to one lucky customer every month.

All Widdop customers with an invoice on their account during the month are automatically entered into the draw.

The customer’s invoice number becomes the lottery number with winners announced at the end of each calendar month on the Widdop Facebook page.

To find out more visit www.widdop.co.uk/lottery.

Beefayre Launches InStore Beehive For Retailers Ethical home fragrance brand Beefayre is pleased to announce the launch of its stunning Beehive display stand. This innovative retail solution launched to the retail trade at the Top Drawer show in London.

The Beefayre Beehive as it is known, features hand-drawn designs from Beefayre’s founder and artist, Sharon Jervis. It has been introduced to help gift retailers present the company’s range of home fragrance products in a coordinated way more closely aligned with the changing seasons. The interchangeable backboard of the four-shelf unit is made from long-lasting melamine and will be refreshed each season with a new Beefayre insert to match the latest collection and season.

The colour palette of products included within the inaugural Beefayre Beehive has been carefully selected to compliment the pre-Christmas period and includes Beefayre’s top five selling fragrances from the Winter Garden and Bee Garden collections; Spiced Orange, Wild Fig, Winter Berries, Honey Lily, and Watermint and Rosemary.

There are four hero product lines across the five fragrances – which come pre-loaded into the Beefayre Beehive. Retailers will receive; tea lights, votive candles, large candles and room diffusers in sets of six.

The Beefayre Beehive comes pre-assembled and free of charge.

The total trade price is £587.70 (exc. VAT) and offers retailers a projected sales value of £1685.10 (inc. VAT) - based on Beefayre’s recommended retail prices.

Web: www.beefayre.com

VILLAGE CANDLE

www.villagecandle.co.uk Tel: 01254 300268

Email: sales@villagecandle.co.uk

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NEWS

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Newly launched Shuffle MONOPOLY JUNIOR commended in Card Games category Cartamundi, one of the world’s market leaders in playing cards and card games, has won a commendation at the Independent Toy Awards for Shuffle MONOPOLY JUNIOR in the Card Games category.

This fast and fun version of the classic game for a younger audience, only recently launched at retail in the UK, is also part of the groundbreaking Shuffle range — Cartamundi’s brand new product category that combines playing cards and digital technology for an enhanced way to play card games with support from tablets and smartphones.

Like the other MONOPOLY card games in the Shuffle range, the Shuffle MONOPOLY JUNIOR card game is about collecting properties and getting MONOPOLY money from your opponents. But this version, based on the popular MONOPOLY JUNIOR board game in which properties are fun places like a pet shop and sweet shop, is especially designed to appeal to younger children. A 20-minute game for 3-4 players aged 5-8, it simplifies the rules — but not the fun! And as with all Shuffle games, you can download a free app. This one brings the classic MONOPOLY Chance cards to life!

Trudi Bishop, Head of Marketing and Licensing, Cartamundi Group, says: “We are thrilled that Shuffle MONOPOLY JUNIOR has been recognised by an important and highly influential part of the national toy trade — independent toy retailers all over Britain. Shuffle MONOPOLY JUNIOR is already popular with both children and their parents and is likely to be an even bigger hit in the run-up to Christmas.”

Tel: 01268 511522 Email: retail@cartamundi.co.uk

And the winner is…

Well done to Pam and Roger Willis of Willow Ltd in Fareham, winners of Widdop Bingham’s Star Wars selfie competition at Autumn Fair. Competition was fierce with some innovative poses and unabashed dressing up taking place. £250 of Star Wars gifts will soon be winging its way over to Willow.

For those who entered the competition and didn’t win, there’s still the opportunity to be part of the exciting Star Wars experience. Star Wars giftware starts

arriving in Widdop’s warehouse at the end of this month with no shortage of choice from money banks to toy storage boxes.

Tel: 0161 688 1226 Web: www.widdop.co.uk

V&A pick up a Penguin across the Thames The V&A has announced an important partnerships with two respected publishers, Penguin Random House Children’s UK, and Thames & Hudson, to develop and expand its publishing activity.

Penguin Random House Children’s UK, will draw on their publishing expertise to create a bespoke children’s range in partnership with the V&A, marrying their imaginative storytelling, design and packaging skills with treasures from the rich V&A archive. From baby gifts to craft and activity and storybooks for older readers, the dynamic publishing range will engage children with art and design,

playing to the values of the V&A. Renowned art publisher Thames & Hudson will work with the museum on titles for adults, exploring the V&A’s unrivalled art and design collections.

High-quality co-branded monographs and books for makers will be created by distinguished designers, illustrators, photographers, artists and authors – including leading curatorial experts from the V&A. The co-published titles will launch in autumn 2016, with full ranges available from spring 2017.

Web: www.vam.ac.uk

exhibition news

Kick Start Spring with Wales Spring Fair!

17-20th January 2016

It’s that time of year again when Venue Cymru is busy preparing for its annual trade show, Wales Spring Fair 2016, which takes place 17-20th January 2016.

There is no better place to start planning for next season’s giftware as Wales Spring Fair offers a fabulous opportunity to exhibitors to showcase their latest best-selling products.

Now in its 36th year the show is growing from strength to strength attracting new exhibitors as well as the usual favourites. Situated in the heart of North Wales, Llandudno is a beautiful Victorian town that comes alive every January during the 4 days of Wales Spring Fair.

The Wales Spring Fair 2015 was as popular as it was in 2014 with a slight increase of buyers from the Cheshire area, cementing the show’s place as Wales’s premier home and gift show. This has been recognised by the exhibitors. In addition to nearly all of last year’s companies rebooking their stands, a quarter of all exhibitors will be new to the Wales Spring Fair. This means that there will be something fresh and exciting for the buyers, which travel from across Wales and the rest of the UK Buyers visiting the show will have the opportunity to discover all the fabulous new products, it also gives them a chance to see all the latest product from their favourite suppliers. Many of last years’ key exhibitors are set to return in 2016, including RBW group, Pendragon Wales, Richard Lang and Manav, plus many, many more.

In response to increasing demand from buyers searching for high quality products, The Wales Spring Fair team have taken the opportunity to carefully source new exhibitors. Theses Exhibitors which offer the more design-led, one of a kind type of products are hand-selected for their commercial appeal, quality 10 gifts today

and price. Whatever your retail focus may be, you can guarantee to find a whole host of new and innovative products to please your customers.

Wales Spring Fair is such a great opportunity for designer-makers who are interested in developing commercial trade opportunities. “I have had lots of re orders from this years’ Wales Spring fair. It is a lovely show, well executed and very supportive and friendly. Thank you, keep up the good work,” Becky Underwood Proprietor of Flourish.

Wales Spring Fair Event Manager Adrian LaTrobe explains: “Last year’s buyers specified a range of product areas that they would like to see more of at the Wales Spring Fair. One of the ranges that kept being requested were hand-crafted so this is where we have concentrated our focus.”

The mission to attract more of these key exhibitors has been a success with a host of new exhibitors coming on board, showcasing: handmade jewellery, unique artwork, hand-crafted shabby-chic accessories and design-led homeware.

Agencies including the Federation for Small Businesses and Grwp Llandrillo Menai will be offering FREE help and advice to retailers during the 4 days.

The Wales Spring fair presents an unmissable opportunity for buyers to stock up on the latest must-have gifts. To register for your free entry today visit: www.walesspringfair.co.uk Email: walesspringfair@venuecymru.co.uk Tel: 01492 879771

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exhibition news

Catch the wave at Giving and Living in 2016 The coast and tourism are huge driving forces for the South West economy, so it’s no wonder that Giving & Living has such a fine selection of products ideal for this market. It is undoubtedly the best show in the country for buyers keen to order coastal merchandise – every year launching a wave of new ideas which are eagerly snapped up by those who successfully target the holidaymaker market. Celebrating this in 2016, Giving & Living has created a special area dedicated to the Coastal market.

Visitors will also be delighted by a huge range of more general gifts & homeware.

From gifts that can be personalised for your venue, to those that reflect the UK’s unique heritage, there’s a wide variety on show - from 50p pocket money gifts to one-off British made gallery pieces. There’s a diverse range of exhibitors, including long established companies and familiar faces as well as the Newcomers, fledgling companies that have never done a trade show before. Whether a large tourist attraction looking for high volume, or a small independent outlet looking for that little something that is unique and different, Giving & Living has it all.

Giving & Living takes place at the Westpoint Exhibition Centre, Exeter, and runs from Sunday 17th January to Wednesday 20th January 2016. For more information about the show, to book a stand, or pre-register to attend, please call 01934 733433, follow @giving_living, or visit www.givingliving.co.uk

Success in Scotland Scotland’s Trade Fair Autumn has been another successful Show with strong orders, high quality products and an innovative line-up of exhibitors.

Held at the SECC from 20-21st September, this Show was the last chance for most retailers and buyers to make pre-Christmas orders. With a steady flow of visitors over the two days, exhibitors reported that they had taken good orders, had some excellent leads and enjoyed meeting with their retailers and buyers, both existing and new.

With a healthy mix of established companies such as Ladycrow Silks, Tartan Twist, Apple to Pears and Highland Stoneware and new companies such RJB Stone with its large selection of commercial gifts, Earth Squared, Hallmark Cards, and Helen Russell Creations, there was gifts, jewellery, fashion accessories and toiletries to suit all retailers.

The Launch Gallery for new, young companies attracted many retailers with some very innovative exhibitors such as Claire Baird’s delightful animal designed gifts, Mairead Hume Harris Tweed Golf Collection and Pop up Designs.

Mark Saunders, Director of the Show said: “We have had a positive reception from buyers and exhibitors alike with strong orders being written and quality leads being taken. There is a quiet confidence for the Christmas sales period and visitors were pleased with what was on offer at the Show.”

Web: www.scotlandstradefairs.co.uk

Toy Fair 2016 announce new charity partnership

Gifts galore – and not just for Christmas North Yorkshire is set for huge influx of visitors in January 2016 as Harrogate Christmas & Gift opens its doors to what promises to be another bumper event.

Once again the show is fully booked with many exhibitors returning after a hugely successful show last year and 30 new exhibitors presenting some exciting new ranges for the very first time.

Show organiser, Simon Anslow, comments: “Christmas & Gift goes from strength to strength as the word spreads about its success we have more new companies jumping on board. Visitor numbers have increased dramatically over the last four years and it is now the UK’s number one event for retailers and buyers seeking not only festive products, but home and garden gift ranges for the entire year.”

Amongst the new exhibitors, Harrogate is delighted to welcome Koopman International to the show with its offering of thousands of products from Christmas gifts and decorations to almost everything imaginable for the home and garden.

Also new is Fountasia, an innovative family run company which specialises in quality gifts for inside and outside the home; Boxer Gifts – innovators and creators of unique quality gift ideas, including novelties to make people laugh; and Global Journey with a diverse range of products including personalised fun signs, music and jewellery.

Simon concludes: “The show exceeded all expectations last year with numerous buyers attending from department stores, supermarkets, independent retailers, garden centres, visitor attractions and even museums and cathedrals as the offering of products is so diverse. Visitors can expect to see not only ranges for Christmas, but novelties and gifts for the home and garden the entire year round.”

For more information visit www.harrogatefair.com 12 gifts today

Organisers of Toy Fair, the UK’s only dedicated toy, game and hobby trade exhibition, the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA), today announced a new partnership with children’s charity, KidsOut for Toy Fair 2016.

“We’re delighted to welcome KidsOut as our official charity partner for Toy Fair 2016,” commented Majen Immink, Head of Toy Fair Operations and Sales. “The Trolley Dash is always a fun way to mark the end of Toy Fair for another year and it’s a fantastic opportunity for our exhibitors to support a worthy cause.”

The partnership will see KidsOut providing volunteers to take part in the annual Trolley Dash which takes place on the final afternoon of Toy Fair. Exhibitors are encouraged to donate any unwanted or excess stock to the charity’s volunteers who will be pushing trolleys through the aisles of Olympia.

All the toys donated will go to the KidsOut Toy Box programme which supports children who are victims of domestic abuse. Almost 20,000 children escaped abuse last year and stayed in a domestic violence refuge. After a period of around 6-12 months more than 8,000 of these children will eventually be relocated to a new home in an unfamiliar area. KidsOut provides them with a box of brand new toys to help bring stability and fun into their lives when they need it most. All the new toys collected via the trolley dash will become part of this programme giving something positive for these disadvantaged children to focus on.

KidsOut will also have a stand for the duration of Toy Fair 2016 which will be situated outside the organiser’s office.

+DUURJDWH &KULVWPDV *LIW

10th - 13th January 2016

Register to visit free online today!

Don’t miss the UK’s fastest growing trade show for the festive gift sector!

www.harrogatefair.com

licensing news

DRi announces cracking Centenary signings for Roald Dahl

Villager Jim – As seen on the BBC’s Countryfile Arora Design’s fabulous new licensing deal was launched at Home & Gift Harrogate and has received a fantastic response. Working closely with the talented photographer Villager Jim, seen on the BBC’s Countryfile, “The Villager Jim Collection” includes several of his stunning countryside images presented in various different mediums. Through the eye of his lens he captures the beauty of split second moments in time, from garden birds caught on the wing, endearing animals enjoying life, or the full glory of open countryside and stately parklands.

The first ranges to make their debut are Mug & Coaster Sets, Clocks, Melamine Trays, Tea Towels, Magnets and Mirror Compacts.

Perfect gifts for anyone with an interest in birds, animals or the countryside.

Tel: 01386 861666 Email: sales@arora-design.co.uk Web: www.arora-design.co.uk

Jumbo Games extend their Disney licence The Christmas box office sensation is set to be The Good Dinosaur from Disney Pixar and the items high on every child’s list will be Jumbo Games’ new range of Good Dinosaur puzzles.

The Good Dinosaur tells the story of a young dinosaur named Arlo as he embarks on an epic adventure with an unlikely human friend, that asks the question: “What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct?”

Jumbo allows fans to continue the adventure at home with five brightly coloured and entertaining puzzles, including a Giant Wall Puzzle, 100 and 50 Piece Puzzles, 4 in 1 Puzzle Box and a Giant Floor Puzzle.

Stewart Middleton, Managing Director of Jumbo Games, comments: “We are thrilled to announce launch of our Disney Pixar The Good Dinosaur puzzles as the latest edition to our fantastic Disney portfolio. The Good Dinosaur is expected to be Disney Pixars next big hit and we anticipate the new products will be must-have inclusions to every retailers Christmas plans .”

Web: www.jumbo.eu 14 gifts today

Leading into the 2016 Roald Dahl Centenary a host of exciting events are planned for the year ahead and a fantastic array of new licensed product is due to hit the high street.

A new licensing direction will focus on three key stories: Matilda, The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and new style guides just released will give all future products a fresh and contemporary look. 2016 sees the launch of the first products using these guides in current licensees’ ranges, as well as a host of other signings.

Spring will see UK Greetings launch a series of aged greetings cards featuring the eye catching new graphics and fonts and Aykroyd TDP have been awarded the license for children’s nightwear and underwear. Amidst an extensive range of both boys and girl’s designs, will be a range based on the whizz-popping dream worlds of The BFG, to accompany the film release next summer.

Also for Spring, Steiff will launch a collector’s edition plush bear based on the much-loved character of Willy Wonka and for high street distribution Rainbow Designs will release a children’s plush series, including The BFG, Matilda and Willy Wonka and a large ‘Whizzpopping’ feature plush of the BFG! Alicia Davenport, Director of DRi Licensing said “This is just the start of a monumentous year for the Roald Dahl brand. There is still a multitude of new signings to be announced as well as fantastic product launches on the horizon to support this fantastic brand through its Centenary year of events and celebrations.”

Penguin Ventures announces new partnership with Start Licensing Penguin Ventures is delighted to announce a new working partnership with licensing agency Start Licensing, starting on the 1st of September 2015.

Start Licensing have worked closely with Penguin Random House Children’s before – both alongside the publishing team on The Beano, as well as working closely with The Snowman and The Snowdog with broadcast partners Channel 4. Penguin Ventures are therefore thrilled to be welcoming Ian Downes and Karen Addison from Start Licensing on a wider brief to represent the groups wholly owned brands and IP during licensing executive, Jennifer Greenway’s upcoming maternity leave.

Start Licensing have a long record of working as consultants to companies in the licensing world having worked with companies like Guinness World Records, Sky Television and the National Gallery Company in this way. They will be specifically representing Penguin Ventures wholly owned properties, Ladybird Books: The Vintage Collection, Flower Fairies, Spot and Hairy Maclary and Friends.

Beatrix Potter, The Snowman and The Snowdog and Random House Enterprises will not be included in this partnership.

Ian Downes, Start Licensing, said: “Start Licensing is delighted to be working with Penguin Ventures. The portfolio we will be working on plays to our strengths and has a rich heritage which should appeal to licensees.

We are looking forward to working with Penguin Ventures and being proactive caretakers of such great properties.”

Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products and The Entertainer partner for exclusive range of licensed science and craft kits The Entertainer with Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) are delighted to announce a longterm partnership where the UK’s fastest growing multichannel high street toy retailer will develop, produce and retail a 26-strong range of Nickelodeon licensed products.

Licensing the Nickelodeon brand, the products in the range include craft sets, science kits, a magic box and joke kit. Incorporating the fun and brand essence of Nickelodeon, items within the range have names such as ‘Nickelodeon Glowing Gunge’, ‘Nickelodeon Explore The Body’ and ‘Nickelodeon Sock Monkey’. All lines within the range are suitable for kids aged 4 and above. The twenty-six SKU’s will launch exclusively in all The Entertainer stores and www.thetoyshop.com from 5th October and be supported by extensive PR and marketing activity to consumers across Q4 and the key Christmas buying season.

Rebecca Rees, Head of Marketing & Licensing at The Entertainer, comments, ‘We are delighted to be partnering with Nickelodeon and bringing this fun and interactive licensed range to market. We have developed a strong partnership with them over recent years and are delighted with the breadth of activities incorporated into these sets and the fun they will give to children.”

“We’ve seen tremendous success with the licensing of Nickelodeon properties but this range really speaks to the overall strength of the Nickelodeon brand as a whole,” said Marianne James, VP Consumer Products UK & Ireland & European Retail Sales & Marketing, Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products. “Incorporating the fun, humour and hands-on ethos of Nickelodeon, these products are a brilliant way to encourage children to explore their world and be creative.”

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GA news

GA widens search for chief executive The Giftware Association has begun interviewing candidates for the position of chief executive following the departure of Isabel Martinson.

Said GA chairman Michael Papé: “While we have already seen some good people, we are still looking for a standout candidate with the leadership qualities and attributes we believe are essential to take our dynamic organisation forward.

“As we believe that almost everyone in the gift and home

industry and many in the wider trade associations’ community are already aware that we are looking for a new chief executive, we are widening the search by not only using traditional methods of advertising but social media too.

“It is crucial that we appoint the right person, even though the process may take longer than we would like.”

If you think you’ve got what it takes to fill the post, go to http://tinyurl.com/op95trz

‘Don’t be daunted by retailing – it’s phenomenal,’ says Henri After holding an Autumn Fair seminar on setting up in retail, GA vice-chairman Henri Davis was told by a member of her audience: “Goodness me, that sounds a bit daunting!”

But she urged would-be retailers: “Don’t be daunted. I’ve been in the industry for 30 years and it’s phenomenal.” The GA was there to help those keen to open bricks and mortar stores or trade online, as were other experts and retailers.

During her well-attended talks on each day of the show she asked her audiences to consider why they wanted to become retailers.

Was it a lifelong dream? Did they know what they wanted to do? What did they need to get out of it? What were their strengths? And, most importantly, were they passionate about retailing.

“You need to be passionate because customers feel that passion,” she said, before going on to address who might be their target customers and the shopping experiences they wanted to deliver.

Henri, an independent retail advisor, urged them to consider location, their competitors and local plans - all of which would seriously impact on the businesses – as well as their product offer, be it high-end or volume.

Those setting up online should seek out the best website providers and not rush their preparation.

Would-be retailers needed to estimate their turnover and budget for rent and rates, appropriate shop fittings, a website, tills, stock, staff, insurance and VAT – and also consider using a bookkeeper and/or accountant.

There were issues to address concerning health and safety, music licences, Trading Standards and credit card compliance, while those trading online had to be aware of data and consumer protection laws and distance 16 gifts today

Business Boost Day The GA is looking to hold a Business Boost Day at its Birmingham headquarters next spring. The programme is expected to include seminars with its service providers on a variety of subjects of interest to suppliers including intellectual property and design protection and the legal implications when employing agents. GA events co-ordinator Chris Munns says it is also hoped to feature talks by its gift and home supplier members.

Joining the GA community Five suppliers and two designers became members of The GA at Autumn Fair and 40 new retailer subscribers were also signed up. selling and e-commerce regulations.

Although Christmas is the biggest selling season, she advised them not to launch a new store during the last three months of the year, but to open before September to allow for a less frenetic introduction to retailing.

“To find the right products at the right price follow the trends and attend relevant trade fairs,” said Henri. “And refresh your stock little and often.”

Displays had to be appropriate and with flexible fixturing, while shop flow, adjacencies and dead spots needed consideration.

And she emphasised: “Your shop window is seen 24/7 so make sure it is eye-catching, clean and well lit. Change it regularly and check last thing at night that nothing has fallen over and it isn’t full of dead flies!”

Gift of the Year The GA’s 2016 Gift of the Year competition was launched at Autumn Fair with the judges handing special business cards to exhibitors of products they liked to encourage them to enter. GA communications and events manager Luke Palmer reports “lots of enthusiasm” from previous entrants and those introduced to Gift of the Year at the show.

www.ga-uk.org

Yankee Candle

A Celebration of New Beginnings Yankee Candle is celebrating the start of a colourful new season, fresh beginnings and the trend for pastels with the launch of My Serenity fragrances, accessories and gift sets for spring 2016.

T

he exciting new collection consists of four definitive and contemporary fragrances which herald the start of the New Year and signal the start of springtime, moving away from the festive fragrances of Christmas and winter and refreshing the home for the new season.

Yankee Candle has expertly blended a selection of on-trend fragrance notes with classic candle aromas to create a range of stunning scents that embody the characteristics of a time of year filled with promise and new beginnings, complemented by a sense of calm, mindfulness and optimism.

Driven by in-depth consumer insight and the trends for the coming year, the new collection has been specifically developed for the UK and international fragrance market and will be available from January.

The ranges’ namesake – My Serenity – brings a sense of tranquility and calmness to surroundings. Top notes of mandarin, pear and golden pineapple mingle with middle notes of hibiscus and plumeria on a soft white musk base.

Moonlight contains a subtle blend of bergamot, figwood and bamboo on a base of woods and patchouli to create a deep fragrance which is as illuminating and captivating as shimmering moonlight reflecting on the surface of water.

The rich scent of one of spring’s most beautiful flowers, Peony contains enticing notes of sweet peony, pink peony and blonde woods, captured in a pretty petal pink wax which emulates the beauty of the bloom.

Lemongrass & Ginger is the final fragrance in this wonderfully relaxing, 18 gifts today

yet invigorating range. Layers of zesty lemon, gentle lemongrass and just-cut ginger rest on amber base notes, delivering a fresh, clean and refreshing scent which stirs and stimulates the senses.

The seasonal colourways ensure that each candle in this range is the perfect

collection of accessories for gifting or enhancing your own collection.

Consumers can match their favourite My Serenity fragrance to the colour of the wax, or create a contrast, with the new Pastel Hues Melt Warmers and Votive Holders. These clean, modern ceramics are available in five different

“During winter, and particularly at Christmas time, we see consumers start to move towards much deeper and warmer fragrances that comfort them during the colder months or enhance the festive atmosphere and family get togethers.”

Hannah Jenkins, Brand and Marketing Director home accessory to sooth and brighten throughout the springtime months and beyond.

New accessories, including shades, trays, votive holders and melt warmers, in a choice of four different designs and a selection of pastel hues will be available to complement the new fragrances for a limited time during the spring season only.

Serene Sandblast in Aqua combines sandblasted clear glass and frosted aqua to create a clean, modern look, whilst Lotus Flower features a decorative pink ombre lotus flower design against a plain frosted glass background.

Tiny individual beads of translucent glass have been captured and pieced together to produce Clear Glass Bubble Mosaic, a stylish and timeless

colours which perfectly complement the new fragrance range and are ideal for mixing and matching.

A selection of beautifully designed lotus flower inspired gift sets containing My Serenity fragrances will also be launched alongside the new range.

“This spring we’re anticipating more of a shift towards natural home fragrances that feature sophisticated blends of woods, notes of exotic florals and fruits, and other culinary-inspired creations.”

Hannah Jenkins, Brand and Marketing Director These chic and subtly coloured sets of Three Votives and Votive Holder, Three Small Jar Tin and Melt Warmer with Three Melts are perfect for birthdays, as a Mother’s Day gift or just a special treat to say ‘thank you’ to a friend or loved one.

Hannah Jenkins, Yankee Candle’s Brand and Marketing Director, said, “During winter, and particularly at Christmas time, we see consumers start to move towards much deeper and warmer fragrances that comfort them during the colder months or enhance the festive atmosphere and family get togethers. Food and drink notes, and hints of spice, become more appealing as the dark nights close in.

After Christmas is over and the year comes to an end many people start to look to the year ahead and starting

afresh. Some people like to spring clean, others might detox or decide to try a new hobby. The New Year is a time to relax and unwind, bidding farewell to the past and focusing on the future, perhaps spending a bit more time on ourselves after devoting the busy Christmas period to our families.

“This spring we’re anticipating more of a shift towards natural home fragrances that feature sophisticated blends of woods, notes of exotic florals and fruits, and other culinaryinspired creations – My Serenity has been developed with leading fragrance houses to suit this new trend. The popularity of home fragrance gifts also continues to grow, which is why we are developing more creative and appealing packaging ideas to showcase our products and offer consumers a perfect gifting solution.”

For further information please call the Yankee Candle Customer Care team on

0117 316 1200.

Web: www.yankeecandle.com

Did you know?

• Yankee Candle have a 46 year heritage of producing distinctive, high quality, affordable luxuries for the home and has become the most-recognised name in the global candle business.

• Today the company offers one of the world’s largest and unrivalled selection of scented candles, accessories and home fragrance products and operates in more than 53 different countries.

• The headquarters of Yankee Candle Company Inc. are located in Massachusetts, USA, where the company sells its products through a North American wholesale customer network, over 500 company owned and operated retail stores, direct mail catalogues and www.yankeecandle.com.

• Yankee Candle expanded to Europe in 1999 when it opened its first distribution centre in Bristol, and Yankee Candle Company (Europe) Ltd. was born.

• The UK’s first Yankee Candle retail store opened in 2002 and there are now more than 2, 000 stockists, retailers, outlets and concessions. gifts today 19

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Special - Brian Wiseman of Present Company

s ’ n a m e s i W n a i r r e B w o p s m e l prob

Brian Wiseman

G

reetings from India. It is sunny and hot at 39°C. We are mid-way through a buying trip which has naturally attracted the usual jolly jibes that we are in reality doing nothing more than enjoying a holiday.

Many of you will agree when I say that if anyone truly believes business travel to be holiday, then they have clearly not travelled on business. Yesterday evening we returned to our hotel at 9:25pm after completing a day of meetings. We don’t ask for sympathy. Neither are we likely to get it.

It is a privilege to travel on business, it brings a profound insight into those countries we visit. And we feel a responsibility to conduct business in an ethical spirit.

The month of September brought half decent sales to the shop and a respectable month on the net. But nothing special.

Many retailers and suppliers that we spoke to at Autumn Fair likewise reported a rather unenchanting year to date. For us, it certainly didn’t help when we lost one entire day of trading in the shop.

It was Tuesday 1st September and we were enjoying a lovely morning in Devon when the mobile rang. We were,

20 gifts today

We have an “all-inclusive” accommodation deal with our Landlord. This is a modern day arrangement increasingly seen in Britain’s crumbling town shopping centres to retain weary and shell shocked retailers

apparently, without electricity in our shop which also accommodates our offices, kitchen, washrooms and some stock storage. Our shop and two warehouses are located in Burgess Hill’s Market Place Shopping Centre, a fairly small and quite attractive town centre mall. For an hour, Flo tried to understand why our premises alone were isolated in the Centre while an early conversation with the Centre Manager’s office somewhat evasively alluded to, “an account issue.”

Yes, you’ve guessed it! Aeon Energy had sent a little man round from EDF Energy (their henchmen) to disconnect the power. Not my fault, I don’t pay their bills. Instead, we have an “all-inclusive” accommodation deal with our Landlord.

This is a modern day arrangement increasingly seen in Britain’s crumbling town shopping centres to retain weary and shell shocked retailers. Or to entice those new entrants courageous enough to give it a go. Our deal seems not untypical. It comprises the tedious and extortionate components of high street overheads: Landlord’s rent, service charge, Landlord’s insurance, business rates, electricity and water. And all those irritating little money-making wheezes with sneaky names like, “Insurance re-valuation fees.”

Yes, all included.

More significantly, these licenses require little commitment from the retailer. They are not to be confused with onerous, long term leases. So these deals are extremely popular with pop-up shops. You know the sort of thing. They move in with a ton of self-supporting chrome-plated grid merchandising units on 1st November.

The stock follows on the 7th November with vast volumes of boy band, beefcake and beefeater calendars to appeal to every citizen in the land. On 1st December the entire stock is half-priced. On 14th December it is half-priced again. On Christmas Eve, the remainder is cleared at 10p per piece. By 6pm, the grid merchandising has been dismantled and duly despatched in a white hire van.

But I digress. We went without power

all Tuesday and were unable to open the shop at all. We ran extension cables from our adjacent warehouses to power our I.T. equipment so at least we could trade on the internet. We opened the shop on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with minimal shop lighting powered by additional cables we ran in to our shop. Safety Warning: Don’t try this at home! Electrical overloads are potentially dangerous.

Our Centre Manager bore absolutely no blame for the disconnection and had tried his best to avert it. The management company had tried rather less hard. We were understandably upset and I did ask how we might be compensated for this unforgiveable state of affairs. We were made to feel that we are very fortunate to be allowed to rent these three units and that we are looked after very well. It might not be in our interests to agitate, it may be counterproductive. Gratitude was not entirely uppermost in my mind though it is true that we get a good deal and the centre management are extremely helpful to us.

It seems that power companies are rather quicker to sever supplies than reconnect them. Never before have I suffered the indignity of having my power disconnected, so I didn’t know that. When I have shouldered the responsibility for paying the bills, things have been done properly.

And then, just when all hope was fading that power would be restored before the weekend, the lights flickered back to life at Friday lunchtime. Leaving us deeply unimpressed with the whole shabby episode.

Brian Wiseman has owned home and gift shop Present Company in Burgess Hill, West Sussex for 28 years. Brian’s wife Louise is buyer. During Present Company’s recent power problems, she took to wearing one of those head torches, greatly adding to the shop’s well-deserved reputation for eccentricity. brian_presentco@yahoo.co.uk

Social Media - Ross Hewitt

Silence is Golden: Well Planned Content is Platinum “Better to remain silent and thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt...”

Written by: Ross Hewitt, Secret Mud Pie

T 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 393394 | Twitter: @ Ross_Hewitt

22 gifts today

hose were the wise words of President Abraham Lincoln and I am yet to find a more fitting historical quote that can be applied to social media activity.

What is this obsession for so many people and brands to always be on broadcast mode? It sometimes feels like the online equivalent of walking around a public place and constantly shouting out anything that pops into their minds. Moments of silence is often the smarter route as quantity does not result in quality… far from it.

A daily onslaught of meaningless and trite posts is likely to yield the same results as stepping out into the street and shouting at traffic. So let’s inject some real-world thinking into our social media content…

Have a look at your last five posts or tweets. Consider what sort of response you might get if you stood outside your office and shouted them or stopped a group of your customers and said them face to face.

Telling strangers how nice that soup was, or who you are rooting for in Strictly Celebrity Baking On Ice probably won’t have them following you around for the rest of the day hoping to hear more.

So what are your next five posts or tweets going to be about?

If you can already answer that then you probably have some sort of social media content plan in operation, and to you I tip my hat.

If you are not sure then take your foot off the gas and put some time aside to start a content plan as it

really will be time well spent.

You need to be driving your social media activity in a way that moves your business on by attracting new customers and helping to retain the existing ones. You will drive your social media activity off a cliff if you do not operate to a plan. This risk is also compounded if you try to take on too much activity across too many different platforms. Having links on your website to six different social media accounts does not work if only Facebook gets updated while Pinterest, Google+ and Vine are withering on the…erm…vine.

Be brutally honest and assess your available time and resources. What can you (or your team) definitely commit time to do, and enough time to do really well?

If you only have time to manage a Twitter account really well then just plan to do that. If you can manage a fortnightly blog article and a Facebook page really well then just do those.

Planning your activity does not need to be an arduous task. A couple of hours each month to keep the plan up to date is all that is required and it will save you time! You will approach your accounts on any given day with an idea about what you will be posting and why you are doing it.

You will also realise that it is OK to have days where nothing is planned.

I know, controversial, but I see no problem with an account being quiet for a day or two if a regular enough pattern of compelling content persists. Better to have a quiet day than a day where you have rushed the posting of a pointless update about how nice the sunshine is or what a

great film you saw last night.

In general I recommend pulling together a three month rolling content plan. Based on multiple client experience I have found that this period of time remains manageable and most businesses can plan content based around events or initiatives that are known to be occurring over a 12-week period.

You should be able to look at a calendar and pick out events that will be happening in your company, industry or marketplace that will inspire content to be created and campaigns to be planned.

An internal event might be the launch of a new product or service, or your attendance at a trade show or conference. Industry events could be a change in government legislation that requires new information to be passed on. Marketplace events would be things that mean your existing and potential customers might start to adopt a new pattern of behaviour or a seasonal pattern of activity might be coming in to play. For example, if you are a retailer/manufacturer of gifts or toys then the build up to Christmas is likely to be important to you, but so too is St Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween etc.

Such a plan doesn’t have to be confined to social media. Start to add in your email newsletter content, Google AdWords campaigns and website homepage updates. Pretty soon you will have yourself a nifty digital marketing content plan… and it can all be powered by a simple spreadsheet.

Right, that’s me done for this month. I’m off to stare at pictures of cakes on Pinterest…for some reason?

Tendence

Opportunities grasped at Tendence Retailers order innumerable new products for the winter, spring and summer from 1,106 Tendence exhibitors from 48 countries.

N

ew products, trends and impulses were on display this year covering around 95,000 square metres of exhibition space (gross).

The show this year closed its doors after a four day spectacular, with the retail trade taking full advantage of the many and varied consumer goods on display.

This year represented in total 1,106 exhibitors from 48 countries.

Exhibitors said they were pleased with the large number of orders placed during the show. Despite the grave process of structural change taking place in the retail trade and volatile economic conditions in Europe, most of the leading exhibitors and trade associations rated the course of business at the fair as having been good. Explaining, Stephan Koziol, Chairman of the European Lifestyle Association, said, “The standard on both the exhibitor and visitor sides has risen. Although fewer visitors may have passed through the turnstiles, the most important people came. From the sector’s point of view, it is a fact that the number of retailers is in decline.

I believe, however, that the majority of exhibitors are surprised just how 24 gifts today

good business has been at this year’s Tendence.”

The final figures are now in, with 29,000 visitors from 83 countries having made their way to this Frankfurt Fair on the last hot summer days with the summer holidays still ongoing.

The proportion of international buyers remained unchanged at 20

other venue for the sector in the autumn that is more important and more successful than Frankfurt. We can report a thoroughly good positive mood throughout the fair. There are signs of a trend towards fewer but better orders,” says Willo Blome, Managing Partner of Blomus GmbH. As well, Hamid Yazdtschi, CEO of

29,000 visitors from 83 countries having made their way to this Frankfurt Fair percent. The top 10 visitor nations were Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, China, The Netherlands, Belgium, Poland and Spain. The level of visitor satisfaction remained high at 88 percent. “Looking beyond dayto-day business, it is very important that Tendence is positioned above the – valued – regional fairs as a venue where German and European buyers come together with numerous interesting exhibitors,” said Thomas Grothkopp, Director General of the German Association for Tableware, Housewares and Home Accessories.

In particular, the majority of exhibitors gave a positive rating to the visitor standard, a decisive criterion from their point of view. “Tendence has once again shown that there is no

Gilde-Handwerk Macrander GmbH & Co. KG, was pleased with the course of business at the fair. “As a mirror image of the market, the fair is naturally affected by a variety of factors specific to the situation outside: high temperatures and a process of structural change. Despite the decline in the number of visitors, the order quality has been very good. In other words, the drop in visitor numbers has been compensated for by an increase in order value.”

Tendence 2016 Diary Date: 27 to 30 August 2016 Visit www.tendence. messefrankfurt.com for more information.

Talking Tendence Penny Franks visited the show this year and had the pleasure to chat with exhibitors to find out their thoughts on this year’s event.

Andrew Nettleton Managing Director, Ashleigh & Burwood

Andrew Wells Director of International Sales, Enesco How long have you been exhibiting at Tendence?

We have been coming to Tendence for many years, in fact going all the way back to when Lilliput Lane was an independent company, probably around 25 years - so, for us, Tendence is a permanent fixture in our yearly show calendar.

In recent years, this show has become more of a localised marketing platform, performing exceptionally well for us, with visitors attending from a radius of around 150 miles. For us, Ambiente is our International platform.

Which ranges do well for you?

The ranges that perform best for us here are similar to the UK. For example, Willow Tree is important to us and Disney Britto has really begun to become entrenched in the German market. The Disney Britto license is currently performing well for us across existing giftware channels as well as galleries and book shops - it now appears in areas where perhaps we didn’t used to have such a strong presence appealing to those who want the combination of the Disney license with the Pop Art look. They are also now being viewed as a collectible item and are becoming more and more popular in the German market.

Jim Shore is another range that performs well for us and traditionally comes through strongly in quarter three and four - with the main emphasis being Santa Claus and its associated dark red colours, allied to its carved wood look, we find this appeals to the German market.

Are you always located in the same place year on year?

We enjoy the same position each year as we feel that we are viewed as a destination stand for visitors and therefore our positioning is key to our success whilst at Tendence.

What is your main objective whilst exhibiting at Tendence?

We always like to support our agents here in Germany and by having a stand presence we are doing this. Tendence is by comparison a small show, so the draw from outside of Germany may not be so strong, but this enables us as a company to use some of the time at the show to hold meetings with many of our European distributors.

We have been exhibiting here for seven years, with our first German show being at Ambiente within the UK Pavilion. What’s lovely about this particular hall here at Tendence is the high ceilings and light and airy atmosphere whilst being housed amongst home décor exhibitors - so in my mind, a perfect location and the right mix of companies in one hall.

Each year we book with the aim to be as close to the entrance as possible and we traditionally launch the same products here that we display at Autumn Fair and at Home & Gift, Harrogate.

What has the footfall been like for you this year?

I have been really pleased - for example, yesterday it would appear that we doubled last year’s performance levels.

Sundays consistently tend to be the busier day for us, which I think is in general the same across many exhibitions, wherever they be.

For us, a huge reason for being in attendance is to continue to gain exposure for the brand. For example we have had the same visitor attend our stand over a few years, and although still not a customer, we expect this to change - for us it’s all about the visibility of the brand. We know it takes a while to gain confidence levels amongst potential new customers, especially when you are dealing across boundaries.

Would you say this is a seasonal show?

Most definitely, if you look around the show you’ll see a lot of rabbits for example!

Germans seem to love rabbits in pastel colours and at this time of year are very Easter focused. Of course, you’ll also see a lot of Christmas product ranges on display too, so it is seasonal in that aspect.

Will you be back next year?

Yes. However, if the show was performing under par in comparison to previous years, then we would have to rethink, but we know the show organisers have put in an awful amount of PR activity behind the scenes - for example placing key advertisements within the trade press. We most definitely can’t fault the organisers with their efforts on drawing visitors.

gifts today 25

Tendence

Matthias Hain Country Manager Deutschland, Yankee Candle How have you found the show this year?

We feel that it has been slightly quieter this year, which is new to me for this Frankfurt show. We feel that perhaps Tendence is now perhaps a regional show - however that said, this is still an important show for us within our yearly exhibition calendar.

Ambiente and Tendence are our two opportunities to present our new ranges within Germany, and also to an International market. For example we are currently presenting our Spring/Summer ranges, so this is a major marketing platform for us here in Germany.

We are always however in a fortunate position as Yankee Candle is a destination stand for many visitors - perhaps the old saying ‘if you build it they will come’ stands true for us.

The stand has received a continual level of footfall and our new ranges have been well received.

Would you say that visitors are altering the way they attend trade shows?

You have to understand that, for example, if a visitor is travelling say from Hamburg, then they won’t necessarily visit for one day, but the cost of staying and travel is quite high here in Frankfurt and for many independent retailers this can cause a problem with regard to whether they can attend. We are in a lucky position that many visitors come as they know Yankee Candle will be present and wish to visit to view and order our new ranges.

What is new on your stand here?

The biggest attention for us this year is perhaps our Scenterpiece. We have illustrated this strongly on our stand to demonstrate how simple it is to change the scent within these and how easy they are to handle.

So far, whilst being here, this has received a strong reaction - perhaps due to the fantastic advancement in technology within the wax melts category and their presentation.

Will you be back next year?

Yes, most definitely and we look forward to receiving and welcoming many visitors to our stand at Ambiente!

26 gifts today

David Van den Bergh Owner, Max Benjamin How many years have you been attending this show?

This is our fifth year and every year we feel that it gets bigger. Tendence for us is a good local show which has assisted us to gain momentum in the German market.

We have constantly opened new accounts whilst being in attendance. We have always viewed this as a great way of kick-starting our marketing activities before heading to Ambiente.

We’ve had good footfall and the hall has been reasonably busy (so far!), so we are happy with the results we generate for the brand.

Would you say that visitors are becoming more focused on what they are looking for whilst here?

Yes definitely at this show. For example, there are, for example, a few textiles companies exhibiting here in this hall happily exhibiting alongside other product categories, candles for example, whereas at Ambiente there is more of a separation. Here the halls are a bit more ‘mixed’ in their product offerings, which I feel is actually a good thing, making the halls more varied and perhaps interesting for visitors.

Do you have the same stand location each year?

We feel it is important to have a consistent stand location as many visitors walk to the same hall to find us year on year. Tendence for us is also a good branding exercise - so we need to support our brand as strongly as possible and feel part of this is also to have a continual presence.

Tell us a little about the brand..

We have established ourselves as a premium product, but at an affordable price point. For example, the brand is currently performing well across many stores in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavia - we have a lot of existing customers within Europe.

Have you offered a particular incentive for visitors who come to your stand this year?

We are trying to improve our point of sale within shops, so this year we have strongly focussed on this. Our point of sale material also ‘bolsters’ the brand further, so we try to help as much as possible with regard to this.

How are you currently finding the candles sector - some could consider this a saturated market, what are your thoughts?

We are a family business, making candles now for 15 years and one area that we have strongly focused on is our packaging, which we feel is excellent, which in turn makes our products a great self purchase of gifting item.

It is a flooded market for sure, but essentially I suppose you have different styles with each offering a different look. Our aim has been to create a quality range whilst keeping it at an affordable price point. As a gifting solution, we feel that we offer something that offers a much higher perceived value by the recipient of the gift.

How often do you refresh your ranges?

Every season. We have our core range which is our Classic Range, which is made up of 12 candles and reed diffusers. Last year, here at Tendence, we launched our Tea Collection, which consists of five fragrances - which is performing exceptionally well for us. On the basis of that success we have now launched the Coffee range.

Naturally we also have our Christmas ranges!

We try to ensure that the look of our ranges don’t ‘date’ and keeps on trend with consumer buying habits.

Can we expect to see you at Tendence again next year?

Yes, but our core show will be Ambiente as this is more of an International show, but this is an extremely good regional show and one which shouldn’t be overlooked.

Rachel Ellen

Rachel Ellen expands gift ranges Rachel Ellen Designs is a very young at heart greeting card, stationery and gift supplier based in the Sherwood area of Nottingham.

R

achel who was previously a professional ballerina, started the company while hand painting cards at her kitchen table in her London apartment. A year later her future husband Justin, also a former ballet dancer (they met in Phantom of the Opera in the West End) joined the company and they haven’t looked back since. Nearly two decades later Rachel Ellen Designs have become an instantly recognisable brand with a distinctive range of products. From small beginnings the company now employs 25 staff at their base in a Victorian print works near Rachel’s home city Rachel is quoted as saying “In the early days everything was a learning curve..... the rarefied world of Ballet could not be more different to the business world, but it does teach determination, hard work, and a will to succeed against all odds!”

But succeed she has, today Rachel Ellen products are sold throughout the UK in a select number of High Street multiples, small chains, department stores

and independent retailers as well as throughout the world in over 25 countries with particular success in Japan.

The company now has a small “design team” which has helped to diversify the company’s product offering; although highly regarded as a children’s brand the company has so much more to offer with classical wedding stationery and contemporary card ranges and adult colouring books to name but a few. The company prides itself on using the highest quality materials including special inks and flitter, all the cards are still hand finished with lots of love and care.

Over the last few years the company has focused heavily on expanding its range of gifts and 2016 represents by far the biggest and most exciting launch ever, incorporating brand new ranges like accessories and back to school products, as well as new shapes

of tin ware and additions to its stationery and wedding portfolio.

This multi-award-winning company also boasts some incredibly successful licensing partnerships which incorporates products such as party ware, gift packaging, calendars and balloons, details of exciting new categories will be announced shortly.

For more information, please call 0115 962 2862 or email sales@rachelellen.co.uk

Giving & Living. Ideas that sell.

A vibrant trade show – packed with a year’s worth of ideas.

Entry is free for trade buyers. Call 01934 733456 or register online.

Stands are selling fast – to enquire 01934 733433.

Exeter 17-20 January 2016 www.givingliving.co.uk

Gift | Coast | Home

This trade only event is organised by Hale Events Limited, Premier House, Old Church Road, Axbridge, Somerset BS26 2BQ Telephone: 01934 733433

gifts today 27

Fragranced Gifts

Fragrant times If there is one thing that we all appreciate it has to be a good fragrance. However, what smells good to one person, may not smell as sweet to another.

W

e have seen a huge movement toward fragranced items for the home, with many opting for alternatives compared to the perhaps more commonly known plug-in or those manufactured scents of air fresheners.

Trends and consumer demand now dictate that as a gifting category, home fragrance products are on the up and keeping in line with this we are seeing an abundance of products arriving into the fray. Not only scented candles holding strong in this category, but also reed diffusers, oil burners, wax melts…

The list is quite exhaustive.

With many consumers seeking aromas that perhaps bring back happy memories, or have a strong association to a certain time of the year – for example, Christmas, it is more important than ever that manufacturers and suppliers keep apace of trends.

Deborah Bettison of Ashleigh & Burwood spoke to us about why seasonal scents are so important.

“Seasonal scents are of course important for Christmas gifting, but equally they appeal to consumers who wish to create the festive atmosphere they desire, in the run up to the big day,” she said. “A lot of entertaining is done at home during December and often consumers wish to bring an air of festive scent into their home, to create a welcoming seasonal atmosphere, helping to put their guests in the mood for festive cheer.”

But is everyone keeping up with other days of the year? Tom Sykes, the general manager of Xystos, told Gifts Today: “There are of course seasonal scents – and over the years we have introduced them with great success.

But with hundreds and hundreds of products in our portfolio we like to think that we offer fragrances to suit the moods of end-users 24/7.”

Purchases in this category need to appeal to a wide consumer audience.

There is so much choice and 28 gifts today

consumers are looking at fragranced gifts as an extention to perhaps home décor and are seeking items that fill a room with a glorious aroma and are viewed as great gifting and of course self purchase items due to many wanting to create that soft and not overbearing scent within the home, thus creating a great opportunity for retailers who focus on this sector.

We asked Tom his thoughts on what has made fragranced products rise in popularity as a gifting item?

“The creativity of candle companies like Virginia Gift Brands, which make WoodWick, has been responsible for huge advances in the sector. And if you offer products that are irresistible people will always buy them. But it’s important to not only provide stunning scents but also vessels to match them that show off candles to their best advantage, as has been demonstrated with HearthWick.

“Candles are popular as gifting items because they are generally affordable and hit all the right price points – from the bottom to the top – and with products such as WoodWick, Kringle and Aquiesse there is a range of fragrances to suit everyone.”

Of course, it’s not just these items that are found attractive by the consumer. So many items can now carry a scent – whether it comes in the form of a plush product to even perhaps hair brushes.

One company who certainly knows this is Intelex, who provide a whole host of products aimed at the heatable scented plush sector.

Keri Williams told us: “There is now huge demand for fragranced gifts and retailers can significantly increase sales by meeting the demand for wellestablished key fragrance gift ranges.

“Consumers are looking for wider choice in the fragranced gifts market than ever before. Seasonal scents for example are a great way to meet this demand.”

It’s not only the fragrance that is bought onto when buying a branded

Pictures courtesy of Ashleigh & Burwood. product, consumers are drawn to brands that are known for quality and innovation in both the fragrances and the product designs. We are fortunate that we have many manufactuers and suppliers in this category that hold steady as a brand, which is no mean feat.

The look of the product is all important and highly decorative reed diffusers and fragrance lamps make for an attractive feature in the home.

Woodwick for example has fast become a known brand here in the UK. Tom told us: “We have enjoyed tremendous success with WoodWick because Virginia Gift Brands is recognised as a trusted, creative and innovative manufacture and I hope that we have helped to further enhance its fine reputation in the UK.” Retailer Susan Kerr from Harvey Willis told us: “The popular seasonal scents for us now are cinammon and berry fragrances – red berries, raspberries, spiced apple and the like.

“One of the most popular is spiced fruit and pink pepper.”

When asked what are the retailer benefits of stocking these products, Susan told us that her main concern

Did you know?

was “Satisfying customer demand.

It means they come back again and again. Fragranced gifts are useful, pretty to look at and they smell nice.”

Of course, don’t forget that all important packaging – this can really add to a product and often gives a higher perceived gift value. Deborah Bettison told us why for them, this is so important. “Across the whole gift sector the right packaging is a vital ingredient. For us packaging is an important layer of the product and gift experience and it is our aim to create something that is as effective for function, protection and merchandising as it is for consumer gift appeal and this is something we aim to apply to every product we bring to market” So to conclude, the last word goes to Deborah: “Fragranced gifts specifically, hold an extra appeal to consumers, because they can not only see and feel the product instore, but also experience the fragrance for themselves. Consumers enjoy spending time trialling the various testers in store and choosing their ideal scent.”

We live in a fragrant world – let it continue for many years to come.

• Clive Christian No. 1 Pure Perfume for Men is the most expensive in the world. It is packaged in a bottle made from crystal and its neck is made of gold. Price: $2,350.

• Early aftershaves included witch-hazel and bay rum.

• The word candle comes from Latin candla, from candre, to shine.

• Plug-in diffusers can last up 80 days if used 12 hours a day.

• Vanilla is the most common scented candle fragrance.

Easy to use • Change scents in seconds

New for Spring 2016

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Select

2

Choose

3

Enjoy

Fragranced Gifts

ScentChips - the original fragranced wax melts

ScentChips began as a small family endeavour in San Antonio, Texas in 1979 and has now blossomed into a product that is in demand worldwide.

ScentChips revolutionised the Home Fragrance Industry by creating the Fragrant Wax Melt concept.

Quality and consistency are the mainstay of the company and only the finest ingredients are used.

High Quality Paraffin Wax, Highly Fragrant Oils and Non Toxic Vegetable Dyes.

ScentChips are the strongest Fragrant Wax Melts on the market due to their extremely high fragrance-to-wax ratio.

ScentChips offer consumers a fun and interactive shopping experience for all ages.

With 90 fragrances and an abundance of choice in beautiful, stylish ScentBurners your customers are bound to find the perfect combination to suit their lifestyle.

ScentChips have a range of display stands to suit any size of store from 12 to 90 fragrances, with a selection of POS to promote ScentChips to your customers and offer excellent margins for the retailer.

As well as ScentChips and ScentBurners, the ScentChips range includes Catalytic Stone ScentLamps and ScentOils, ScentPearls and Warmers and their new innovation ScentCrush.

New products are being developed to make ScentChips a One-Stop supplier for the Home Fragrance Market.

For more information contact David or Lucinda

Tel: 01259 751009 Email: service.uk@worldofscentchips.com

French Lavender Scented Warmies for Calm and Relaxation at Bedtime

Intelex Group offer a superb selection of fun and functional fragranced gifts for retailers looking to fill their Christmas shelves with attractively priced, unique gift ideas this Christmas.

The Warmies range of fully microwavable soft toys make charming and convenient replacements to traditional hot water bottles with the added bonus of releasing the soothing scent of French lavender to help aid a peaceful night’s sleep.

Lavender has long been admired for its fresh smell and therapeutic benefits that help create calm and relaxation.

All of Intelex Group Warmies plush toys, heatable boots, slippers and licensed products including the fully heatable Bagpuss and Minions will release the soft fragrant scent of French Lavender when gently warmed in the microwave for 90 seconds. A brilliant gift idea that will provide hours of blissful warmth at bedtime for children and adults of all ages.

Tel: 01933 679 777 Web: www.intelex.co.uk 30 gifts today

Christmas Candles Tins bring seasonal Fragrances to every home

Best Kept Secrets seasonal range of candle tins have been a best seller for almost ten years, and 2015 sees the very best range ever available from the seriously scented business based in Morpeth Northumberland. From Auld Years Night which combines jasmine with notes of ginger, frankincense and blackcurrant, to fresh and floral notes of Christmas Garland, there is a candle to suit everyone at this time of the year.

Denise Edwards commented: “Our Christmas candles are recommended because they have exceptional scents and all our ingredients are sourced locally and hand poured at our facilities in Northumberland.”

Tel: 01670 512222 Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Web: www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

Fragranced Gifts

Fragrances for all!

Earlier this year American company Kringle Candle joined with Xystos – the home of flame and fragrance – and promised to provide a comprehensive range of candle formats that offered something for everyone. Their latest scents do just that and include Grey (pictured) which brings together a blend of citrus, florals, exotic woods and musk. Undertones of vanilla and Tonka bean provide an elegant base – and the packaging is highly distinctive. Kringle’s premium products are ideal for home use and gifting alike.

Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk Web: www.xystostrade.co.uk

Amazing fragrances with Rose & Co

Joe Davies are proud to announce a new partnership with Rose & Co. in the UK and Ireland. The truly special range of soaps, bath melts, bath bombs, hand creams and lip gloss are all from the Patisserie de Bain and ‘No 84’ collections.

Each collection features the very best carefully chosen ingredients, amazing fragrances and beautiful packaging making the perfect gift.

Everything is hand crafted and made in the UK too.

Rose & Co will be supplied throughout the UK using Joe Davies’ trademark Little and Often ordering system with a minimum order of just £100 and free delivery.

Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Web: www.joedavies.co.uk 32 gifts today

Yankee Candle gift sets for every occasion

Yankee Candle is launching an exciting new range of gift sets for spring 2016, giving consumers a choice of beautifully boxed gifts for every occasion.

There will be a new Large Jar Candle with Illuma-Lid and a Five Votive Set adorned appropriately with hearts for Valentine’s Day. Celebrate Easter with a pretty coloured Votive Holder and three Votive Candles, or a decorative Wax Melt Hanging Egg. And perfect for weddings, or just to say ‘I love you’, there is a stylish new gift set containing two Stemmed Votive Holders with Champaca Blossom votives.

Tel: 0117 316 1200 Web: www.yankeecandle.co.uk

KRINGLE CANDLE

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Fulfilling season’s wishes for one of anticipation, wonder and joy. With fragrant green floral and musk, incense, cedar and clove, a magical merry Christmas nears.

Email: sales@xystos.co.uk Tel: 0191 499 1570

Fragranced Gifts

Sets for the sophisticated

Parks, manufacturers of natural wax candles and fragranced products, have introduced some fabulous gift sets. Parks uses only the highest quality perfume containing essential oils sourced from all regions of the world.

Created for the more discerning and sophisticated, these are wonderful gifts to give and receive at any time of the year but especially at Christmas The Luxury Gift Set is comprised of four votives, Diffuser and Room Spray and is available in seven different aromatic fragrances. The Premium Gift Set consists of three Votives and Diffuser available in another seven exquisite scents. Amongst the 14 fragrances across the range there are the Christmas scents of Myrrh, Frankincense, Orange Cedarwood and Clove, Champagne or Wild Berries as well as the more delectable and popular scents such as Lime Basil & Mandarin or Wild Fig and Cassis.

Tel: 020 8830 6300 Web: www.parkscandles.com

Introducing the latest fragrance lamp gift sets from Ashleigh & Burwood. The clever home fragrance solution that cleanses the air whilst infusing it with delectable Ashleigh & Burwood scents, is available in beautiful gift sets which make the perfect present this Christmas. These ready-made gift sets take the fuss out of shopping; complete with Ashleigh & Burwood Fragrance Lamp and a lamp fragrance, they make a lasting and thoughtful gift that keeps on giving!

With styles for all tastes and budgets, Ashleigh & Burwood Fragrance Lamp Gift Sets are available with mosaic lamps or Natural Elements Collection lamps.

Tel: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk Web: www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk

A Christmas Classic

There are 40 products in the ever-popular Trilogy range from Xystos, which offers three scents in one candle, and 42 pieces in the Mini Reed Diffuser range. There is also comprehensive collection of Wax Melts. WoodWick’s new Trilogy candle is the perfect illustration of the creativity of Virginia Gift Brands. Its Christmas Classic gives consumers three evocative festive scents in one product – Cinnamon Cheer, Frasier Fir and Candy Cane Cupcake.

Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk Web: www.xystostrade.co.uk 34 gifts today

Festive Fragrance Lamp Gift Sets

Fragranced Gifts

New seasonal limited editions

Price’s Candles introduce to you three new seasonal Limited Edition jar candles.

As part of their best-selling Fresh Air range of odour eliminatores, these candles will be sure to light up any home this Christmas with bursts of fruit and spiced fragrances in the form of mandarin & ginger, vanilla & cinnamon, and apple & cinnamon.

These candles work in the same way as the rest of the range, employing exclusive-to-Price’s Odourfoyl technology which helps neutralise unwanted odours leaving your home smelling clean and fresh throughout the year.

Tel: 01234 264500 Email: sales@prices-candles.co.uk Web: www.prices-candles.co.uk

On A Wick & A Prayer

Exclusively distributed in the UK and Ireland by Arora Design Limited, On a Wick & a Prayer hand make all their candles and fragranced products in the beautiful county of Derbyshire.

The gorgeous China Garden range includes fabulous natural mineral wax candles and diffusers made with the finest fragrances, presented in beautifully decorated glass jars and bottles in subtle pastel shades.

Retailing at just £8.99 a superb collection of 16 different fragranced gift sets include a wax melter, tea light and innovative wax bar. Just two chunks of this bar will release long lasting fragrance for several hours.

Hand decorated Victorian baths form an inspirational collection of hand poured natural mineral wax candles with double wicks. Available in five beautiful colours, each one is hand decorated, individually fired giving them a unique finished pattern.

The perfect gifts made in the UK.

Tel: 01386 861666 Email: sales@arora-design.co.uk Web: www.arora-design.co.uk

36 gifts today

New Scenterpiece Easy Meltcup Warmers for 2016

Following the hugely successful launch of the Scenterpiece system in the UK this summer, Yankee Candle is introducing four stunning new Easy Meltcup Warmers for spring 2016 – Rosa, Lucy, Elizabeth and Heather.

Scenterpiece Warmers and Easy MeltCups simplify flameless home fragrancing into one easy process, allowing customers to quickly swap fragrances without the cooling, scraping and pouring normally associated with traditional melt warmers Yankee Candle’s new ceramic Warmers come in a choice of several on trend springtime pastel colours and different designs to suit any décor.

Tel: 0117 316 1200 Web: www.yankeecandle.co.uk

scented candles natural soaps fragranced gifts Just relax and see the Seriously Scented ranges from Best Kept Secrets.

COME AND SEE US AT

AUTUMN FAIR, NEC BIRMINGHAM // 6-9 SEPTEMBER 2015 // STAND 3G-40 SCOTLAND’S AUTUMN FAIR // 20-21 SEPTEMBER 2015 STAND D10 T. +44 (0)1670 512222 E. sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Best Kept Secrets, Coopies Field, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 6JT, UK www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

HANDM

IN THE ADE UK

Fragranced Gifts

Feeling festive with Village Candle

As the festive period approaches quickly Village Candle are overwhelmed by the demand for their Christmas wax fragrances and accessory collections. The novelty items are extremely popular at this time of year and the glass mosaic ranges are an absolute must have. The vast array of designs offered compliment the entire Village Candle wax offer.

These can also be used to accessorise other leading manufacturers candles as thousands of multi-brand stockists will confirm. To share in the success of these items contact the sales office for the latest catalogue or take a look on-line.

Tel: 01254 300268 Email: sales@villagecandle.co.uk Web: www.villagecandle.co.uk

New diffuser range a huge hit at Autumn Fair

Best Kept Secrets, the seriously scented candles, soaps and fragranced gifts specialist launched its new range of diffusers at Autumn Fair, and received significant interest and orders. The new range of 12 fragranced diffusers comes in distinctive gift packaging, with seven coloured reeds and a newly designed cube container.

Denise Edwards commented: “The recent exhibitions have been a fantastic launch-pad for the new reed diffuser ranges. We have something for every occasion and these are a fantastic gift option with a great price range.”

Tel: 01670 512222 Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Web: www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

Christmas Time with Ashleigh & Burwood

Joining The Scented Home collection this year is Ashleigh & Burwoods’ latest seasonal scent, Christmas Time. Available in some of the most popular products in the collection, this new delicious scent is set to kick off the season with a festive start.

The Scented Home is an Ashleigh & Burwood favourite, with strong sales throughout the year particularly during the festive season.

Due to their decorative nature, Scented Pomanders experience especially heightened sales during the festive period - they can even be hung on the tree. The new scent is available as a 200ml reed diffuser, room spray and scented pomander and will prepare you to unleash the festivities this year.

Tel: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk Web: www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk 38 gifts today

Fragranced Gifts

Fabulous Festive Fragrances Heart & Home’s new festive fragrances welcome in that most traditional of seasons with gorgeous aromas that really do encapsulate all that Christmas has to offer. “As this time of year holds such a special place in so many people’s hearts we work hard to ensure that we get just the right mix of scents... that will not only awaken happy memories of previous Christmases but also the joy of this crisp, snowy season full of winter fun,” says Jacquie Russo, Marketing Manager of Heart & Home. “This year’s selection I feel really does contain the consummate mix of festive aromas!”

Winter Berries features the crisp, iced fruits warmed by seasonal spices and will make even the coldest of days seem snug. Christmas Tree brings the outside in with the unmistakable fresh fragrance of evergreen fir trees with tinges of exquisite spiced wood.

The freshly-baked scents of delicious cupcakes with melting butter icing make Christmas Cupcake a delectable delight! Sugared fruits and spices represent the anticipation of Christmas Eve and Waiting for Santa. Available in large and small jars, votives, gift sets, tealights, wax melts and pretty coordinating wax melt warmers. In fact, with a whole range of matching accessories to complement the divine selection of fragrances your customers have even more choice – and it’s the perfect way to increase those seasonal incremental sales.

Tel: 01709 730700 Email: sales@heartandhome.com www.heartandhome.com

Colonial Candle – every season, every mood Colonial Candle is renowned for its unique range of high-quality, scented candles that have been burning brightly for over 100 years. With a wide range of fragrances including festive favourites such as Holiday Sparkle and Spiced Apple Toddy, the Colonial Candle range has something for every mood and every season.

Whether enjoying a dinner party with friends or bundling up for an indulgent night in, candles create the atmosphere and ambience that we feel most comfortable in. With Colonial Candle’s signature, patented oval glass jar, the candles extend an understated sophistication whilst providing the cleanest, most even burn possible.

Colonial Candle’s proud history ensures quality in all aspects of the design and manufacturing process of the finest possible candles. With sumptuous seasonal fragrances combined with a strong brand image, Colonial Candle is the perfect retail solution for candles all year round.

Colonial Candle is exclusively distributed throughout the UK by Widdop Bingham.

Tel: 0161 688 1226 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk Web: www.widdop.co.uk 40 gifts today

Fragranced Gifts

Journey into NIA’s world of luxury and style with fresh and modern fragrances

Launched in August 2015 by Christina Burden and Faye Plews, NIA Fragrances is a completely new concept.

A contemporary and stylish paper fragrance to hang in your car. Aimed at style conscious individuals looking to scent their car as they would their home.

Friends with a shared passion for style and fashion, Christina and Faye were unable to find a stylish product with, most importantly, a beautiful scent for the car. Faye’s background in the perfume industry and Christina’s background in media and design meant the two friends with their mix of talents, were perfectly placed to create a stunning collection of luxury paper car fragrances.

Inspired by nature and travel, NIA creates light and delicate fragrances for him and her unlike any other car air freshener product. Working with the most highly skilled perfumers, NIA combines the purest essential oil with natural ingredients to bring everyday indulgence and style to your car. NIA not only offers a completely new, high-end addition to the current car air freshener market, but also sits as a small, unique affordable gift, light enough to send by post.

NIA Fragrances are available in 3 luxurious scents [orange blossom, neroli & bay; sandalwood, sage & seasalt; juniper, bergamot & jasmine] with additional scents added seasonally.

Noir et Blanc Wonderwick Shamelessly glamourous! One of the leading British manufacturers of home fragrance are delighted and unashamedly proud to announce the launch of their Wonderwick Noir Collection.

Wonderwick Blanc is an unrivalled favourite with retailers and the Noir Collection gives the range even more style and glamour, targeting a wider consumer audience.

The black glass features gold lettering, giving the collection an air of sophistication that will stylishly and effortlessly accessorise consumers’ homes or provide the ultimate gift choice.

Available in the classic glass jar complete with a gift box featuring an image of the fragrance it represents, the fragrances available are; Black Pomegranate, Coconut & Mango, Honeysuckle & Jasmine, Lotus Flower, Spiced Lime, Sea Salted Fig, Tonka Bean & Vanilla and Wild Fig & Cassis.

The Reed Diffuser has a smoked blackened glass holder with dark wood effect reeds to emit the fragrance into the air. The packaging again is black with gold lettering and representative images.

The candles offer the same Wonderwick technology with a comforting crackle sound effect.

Tel: 01225 794920 Email: sales@thecountrycandlecompany.com Web: www.thecountrycandlecompany.com 42 gifts today

Tel: 07884172417 Web: www.niafragrances.com

Woodlander Collection launches

Reminiscent of their undeniably stunning English woodlands, this range offers consumers a touch of the forest to feed the trend for nature inspired products.

Woodlander is evocative of the English countryside and woodland during the autumn months; this quirky collection comprises of three classic fragrances from The Country Candle Company with new edgy designs and comes in three bold colourways, plus new a new tin design and gift set option.

Perfectly timed for the change in season, Woodlander is available in Balsam & Berry, Black Pomegranate and Sparkling Spice with the choice of a candle in a glass, in rich red, dark racing green and midnight blue plus a new Candle in a Tin shape and design, the bauble tin.

Also available is the ever popular Reed Diffuser with the new Woodlander design on the packaging.

A Woodlander Votive Gift Sets also launches offering one of each fragrance in a Votive Candle with cute woodland animal outlines.

Perfect as retailers change the look and feel of their stores with the seasonal changes.

Tel: 01225 794920 Email: sales@ thecountrycandlecompany. com Web: www. thecountrycandlecompany. com

Fragranced Gifts

Take a look at these great fragranced gifts from NPW •

Scented De-Tangle Brush

The Scented De-Tangle Brush releases your locks from tangles and keeps your hair smelling luscious.

Whether it’s after a long shift at the office or after a tranquil dip in the pool, the pineapple scent means your hair can smell fresh throughout the day. The brush de-stresses your tresses, meaning you can swish your mane in the wind and let it tumble to the floor without a care in the world. It keeps tears and tangles at bay, and with a tantalising tropical aroma – who could ask for more?

•

Days of the Week Nail Polish

These colourful nail polishes give you colours and fragrances to suit your mood every day of the week.

Feel sassy on Saturday and wake up on Wednesday with a mix of vibrant colours and scents that match your day perfectly.

•

Scented Pen Set

These Scented Pens are sure to add a fruity twist to your day. Cheer up with cherry or party with pineapple, the pens lasting scent brightens even the dullest of days.

•

Sketch & Sniff Pencils

Enjoy the smells of success as you create your artwork. The Sketch & Sniff Pencils make the page come alive with your drawings and add an extra edge to your creations.

•

Fingernail Friends Fruits

These Fingernail Friends add fruity characters to little fingers, putting play time right at your fingertips. The cute companions smell just how they look – delicious and nutritious.

Tel: 020 8735 2888 Web: www.npwgifts.com

Max Benjamin launch Coffee Candle Collection

In line with international trends and building on the phenomenal success of its Tea Collection, Max Benjamin is introducing a new Coffee Candle Collection.

The Coffee Candle Collection features five candles, each with a coffee base note and top and middle fragrances from a range of other spices. The five fragrances are: Coffee & Amber, Coffee Patchouli, Pink Pepper Coffee, Dark Coffee Absolute and Coffee & Cardamom.

“Coffee has always been one of the favourite aromas in the world. These new candles feature a hint of dark roasted coffee in the fragrance, it is quite subtle so as not to overpower the senses. The spices such as Amber, Cardamom and Patchouli perfectly complement the coffee aroma” says Mark Van den Bergh of Max Benjamin.

The Coffee Collection candles are packaged in elegant rose gold/copper tins, a very fashionable colour for interiors this season.

“Last year we introduced our Tea Collection and have been blown away by the response to it, it has exceeded all of our expectations. Hopefully our customers will have the same response to our new Coffee Collection!” added Mark.

Web: www.maxbenjamin.ie 44 gifts today

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beefayre iinspired by nature in Visit our stand S58 at Top Drawer, Olympia.

NEW FOR 2015 •beemine rose t 01858 434492 e sales@beefayre.com www.beefayre.com

Joe Davies in partnership with Rose & Co® in the UK Tel: 0161 975 6300 Fax: 0161 975 6301 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

Fragranced Gifts

Beefayre continues to expand its collection

Beefayre is doing so with a combination of designs, fragrances and themes - to specifically target gifting seasons and calendar dates throughout the year. Alongside this date-centric approach, a clever use of words within Beefayre product names, is increasing shelf appeal and longevity of products for retailers. For example, the successful ‘Mummy Bee’ collection fulfills multiple gifting opportunities during the year for mums, mums-to-be, new mums and also Mothering Sunday.

New for Valentine’s Day 2016 is the stunning ‘Bee Mine’ collection. Which introduces a striking red rose design on the large candle, bringing an innovative twist to Beefayre’s signature glass prints. Ideal for lovers and loved ones alike, these stunning candles evoke the senses with the warm and sensual fragrance of Morrocan rose.

Tel: 01858 434492 Email: sales@beefayre.com Web: www.beefayre.com

Unique scents by Caroline Gardner

Caroline Gardner has created a modern and luxurious collection of home fragrance with eight unique scents. Each fragrance has been created with expert perfumers from some of the world’s most established fragrance houses. The art of these fragrances is based on Caroline’s reputation of contemporary designs, and her passion for the simple pleasures derived from using the finest, most beautifully designed products. The boxes have luxurious on brand version of the iconic geometric print in colours relevant to the scent.

Each glass encompasses with the geometric print and Caroline Gardner logo in a soft colour. Fragrances include, pomegranate, rose, fig & mandarin and lime, all gorgeous fragrances have the ability to lift spirits, change moods and evoke memories. Retailing for £24 and £26 respectively these candles and diffusers are set to take the market by storm.

Web: www.carolinegardner.com 46 gifts today

Three new fragrances

Heaven Scent Incense has introduced three new fragrances; Black Oud, a rich musty, woody scent that recreates the sultry ambiance of the middle east. Morrocan Rose promises the hint of femininity mixed with woody base notes of this sophisticated take on the garden rose. The fragrance Incense is a rich scent of wood, amber and smoke.

As always their fragrances are blended with their natural plant wax, which not only throws the smell beautifully and cleanly but hardly produces any soot when burned.

Tel: 01225 868788 Email: contact@heavenscent.co.uk

Home fragrance redefined MADE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

Gifts Sets from Wax Lyrical With Christmas just around the corner, gift packs are always a best seller, which is why Wax Lyrical have branched into gift sets for the first time this year.

“The response to our gifting solutions has been amazing – some sets sold out even before we’d taken our Christmas ranges off pre-order,” boasts Sales & Marketing Director, Shane Crawford.

With a range of options from the 12 Days of Christmas Fragrance Cabin to the Advent Calendar and more traditional gift packs, the range of price points and designs cover many different sectors. As Wax Lyrical’s products are British made in the heart of the Lake District, it’s a great selling point for the savvy shopper who likes to support home grown companies.

“It’s been a great learning experience for all involved, from our in-house designers to our factory team and we have a lot to take on board for the future. After the astounding success of this year, we’ll certainly be broadening our gifting options for Christmas 2016,” concludes Shane.

Select gift packs for Christmas 2015 are still available. To order, call the Wax Lyrical Customer Care Team on 01229 461111 for the last remaining stock.

Tel: 01229 461111 Web: www.wax-lyrical.com

Exceptional fragrances and designs.

Outstanding value and right on-trend for 2015’s gift and home fragrance market.

Request our brochure: t 01225 794920 e sales@thecountrycandlecompany.com www.thecountrycandlecompany.com The Country Candle Company · Aroma House · Unit 10 Hercules Way Bowerhill Industrial Estate · Melksham SN12 6TS gifts today 47

Games & Puzzles

Name of the game In what is now a technical world, how is the games and puzzles category performing at present – are we seeing a trend heading back to the more traditional products that are available, especially when we look at gifting?

G

ames and puzzles are making somewhat of a comeback and are also extremely popular around Christmas time as they make superb gifting items. But we have to ask what is currently driving this category? We spoke to those in the know to find out more.

Tanya Ross of giftware solutions provider Solo Ltd believes that games and puzzles provide a great retro aspect, which is extremely popular at the moment and an area where we are seeing a rise in interest from the consumer. “Games themselves are often traditional and the styling and packaging can also play on the retro feel,” she said.

What about features, what are people actively seeking at the moment? Holly Taylor, Fizz Creations, feels that these “have to offer something fun and different, 3D puzzles and the more quirky games are definitely in full force at the moment.”

But what makes these so popular amongst not only consumers but also within gifting stores? Holly told us: “Our customers are catching on to the puzzles and games trend which is ever present, especially with the holiday season creeping up on us the classic family activities are always great to have in stock.“ Independent retailer Ewe & Me stock products that fall within this product category. Janet Hartree told us: “I find older people are buying games and puzzles maybe for grandchildren. Good 48 gifts today

for bringing families together, keeping children engaged. Games and puzzles seem to be in vogue at the moment.

“Traditional games sell well with some of them being updated to keep them fresh. Monopoly, I Spy, Mini Trivial Pursuit, Snakes and Ladders and compendium sets.”

Janet takes advantage of the festive season when looking at stock. She said: “I sell many more games and puzzles coming into the Christmas season. I look for low cost games and puzzles to suggest as secret Santas.”

Of course as we live in a technical world we see so many people gaming or puzzling on their mobile phones, iPads or computers. Is this having any negative effect on this sector at present? Tanya told us: “I think mobile apps are driving an increased interest in all things gaming and so traditional games and puzzles are seeing an upsurge basking in the afterglow of their digital counterparts. A real-world gift is always welcome and now because of digital games and puzzles appeal is now more unisex.”

Holly agrees: “Apps are definitely hugely popular, but so are the classics.

I think we are seeing an emerging trend which creates a blend between the two.”

There are huge benefits to those retailers who currently stock these products and display them correctly in-store. “If used on display, puzzles and games have great customer engagement, and they’re good filler presents. They’re also good men’s gifts which are often hard to find. There is

“I think mobile apps are driving an increased interest in all things ‘gaming’ and so traditional games and puzzles are seeing an upsurge basking in the afterglow of their digital counterparts” Tanya Ross, Solo Ltd also the added benefit of these being great gifts for men. Everyone loves a puzzle or game, especially guys who are notoriously difficult to buy for.

They’re not necessarily interest/hobby specific which makes them a good general gift,” commented Tanya.

This is also a category where licences

come into play – literally! “Licences are always quite a popular choice, when you are a fan of something I don’t think it matters so much the item. But you can see with the licensed board games that they make great gifts for fans and are a wonderful choice for a niche market,” stated Holly.

Did you know?

• John Spilsbury, a London cartographer and engraver, is credited with commercialising jigsaw puzzles around 1760 • In the early 1960s, Tower Press was the world’s largest maker of jigsaw puzzles. It was acquired by Waddingtons in 1969 • The name “jigsaw” came to be associated with the puzzle around 1880

INSPIRED

TREASURES

“Inspired jewellery created from the world’s greatest treasures”

Sometimes socks are just not enough!

For our full range of cufflinks please contact the sales team

Ancestors® Group Bowles Well Gardens, Dover Road, Folkestone, Kent, CT19 6PQ T: +44 (0)1303 857200 F: +44 (0)1303 857201 E: sales@ancestorsgroup.com www.ancestors.co.uk

Ask a member of the sales team about our full range of themed chess sets

Games & Puzzles

Roll with it

After years of requests from retailers and consumers alike, Gibsons have released their brand new Puzzle Roll, a must-have for all avid puzzlers!

Suitable for any jigsaw size up to 1000 pieces, The Puzzle Roll is a high quality jigsaw puzzle mat that can be rolled up and transported with ease.

The hollow drum not only keeps the roll from creasing, but with tight-fitting lids at each end, any spare pieces can be tucked away safely during travel. The Puzzle Roll is sure to be on the wish list of many puzzlers this Christmas and with an RRP of £9.99, it has an attractive price point for savvy shoppers.

Tel: 020 8661 8866 Web: www.gibsonsgames.co.uk

Perfect Children’s puzzle

PMC’s product feature of games and puzzles includes a personalised wooden farmyard puzzle perfect as a child’s first jigsaw. These farmyard puzzles in a personalised wooden box are great for supporting pre-school learning of animals and the countryside, as well as hand eye co-ordination and problem solving. The child’s name is engraved on the sliding lid of the wooden box which features four puzzles of a dog, pig, cow and horse. Wooden puzzles make practical learning tools for young children by engaging in sounds, bright colours, tactile shapes and most importantly lots of fun. The Personalised Memento Company have a huge selection of modern and traditional gifts, many of which can be delivered next day, visit their website to find out more about their service as the one stop shop for personalised gifts.

Tel: 01782 744 900 Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk Web: www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

SAC themed chess sets

Ancestors Group, having recently taken over SAC Themed Chess, are pleased to announce that for the first time in almost 12 years the chess pieces will now be made in the UK. The high skill of the designers, sculptors and craftsman of SAC shines through in their collection of handmade chess sets and chess boards. The richness of finish and attention to detail contribute to the success of the beautiful products from the SAC range, which are appreciated around the world.

This new improved collection is presented in a newly designed UK made Studio Anne Carlton presentation box, complete with a parchment story sheet, ideal for presentation as a gift. Still time to order stock for Christmas.

The range will have the firm favourites such as Isle of Lewis and Sherlock Holmes but also the re-introduction of previously made sets such as Robin Hood and Alice in Wonderland.

Tel: 01303 857200 Web: www.ancestors.co.uk 50 gifts today

Should this be of Interest please contact Howard at Brand Select (UK) Limited on: 07834 771224 or: info@brandselectuk.com www.brandselectuk.com

Games & Puzzles

Signature Puzzles

With over 50 pages crammed with a wide range of headscratching conundrums, this is the ideal companion for your favourite puzzler. From wordsearches and coffee break crosswords to codecrackers and tough-nut sudokus, this handy little book offers brainteasers for every level. Not only does the cover include their name, but there’s even a quiz based on the year chosen by you and space for your own personal message on the opening page. An ideal gift for someone who’s hooked on challenges to complete on their daily commute, or loves to ponder puzzles on an evening. Choose between a handy ring-bound travel size version, and a deluxe cloth hardback which comes gold embossed with the recipient’s name.

RRP from £9.99.

Tel: 01582 464 809 Web: www.signature-gifts.co.uk

Fingerboard Rugby

Fingerboard Rugby is the newest addition to our Fingerboard Games. Shoot the ball at the posts and compete with friends.

These Fingerboard Games are easily portable allowing you to play anywhere!

Tel: 020 8735 2888 Web: www.npwgifts.com

World of puzzles

Are you a puzzle master? Well, these puzzles from PHILIPPI will have your mind boggled from start to finish. The stylish globe is magnetic and holds the individual pieces in place. With a combination of bright and matt finish, the chrome plated puzzle pieces are beautifully finished.

This globe is the ultimate puzzle activity that can keep you entertained for hours (and hours) and is perfect for any desk or office.

Will you be the one to solve this puzzle?

The full range of PHILIPPI gifts and interior products are available exclusively from Solo.

Available in two sizes.

RRP: £79 (large globe)

Tel: 01789 262900 Web: www.sololtd.com 52 gifts today

Gifts For Men

Manly gifts What do you buy for the man in your life?

W

e often think that it’s only women who spend ages choosing gifts for people – their children, girlfriends or, even whisper it, men friends.

It may be a birthday, an anniversary, Christmas or just a present to say that you are appreciated.

Women put in the effort.

And on the whole that is true but what about the men in their life that they are buying for?

What sort of presents for men are available out there? How do men want to be spoiled – if indeed they do?

We spoke to those with a vested interest in the men’s gifts sector to find out exactly what is occurring.

David Gee of Music Gifts knows what

on the market suppliers and retailers must keep up with the latest trends.

Retailer Laura Kitching of Brambles in North Yorkshire told us: “We carry a good selection of gifts for men.

The items we most get asked for are toiletry sets and aftershaves.

Shoeshine kits are really popular at the moment and manicure kits as well. We sell quite a few of those. Plus of course the old staples like pens.

“Although some of the gifts could be considered rather old-fashioned, it all comes around because the packaging is quite modern and contemporary.

“It is also younger men who are buying especially the shoeshine kits.

“Their mothers have taught them well.”

David Gee tells us: “Even though we’ve been selling men’s gifts for more

“New stockists are often surprised to learn that there are trends in walking sticks.” makes a good manly present: “Any gift in this sector needs to have an instant appeal so that it is appreciated by its recipient. A gift really needs to be eyecatching and unique.”

A gift that is worthwhile and perhaps not one that would immediately spring to mind is a cane or, to some, walking sticks.

Charlotte Gillan, the managing partner at Classic Canes, told us: “People buy different types of walking sticks as gifts for different reasons.

The brightly coloured and patterned walking sticks and folding canes sell as cheerful accessories and are popular because they are height-adjustable, so there is no difficulty fitting them to the recipient.

“Individually made natural wood sticks sell as gifts because people want something unique that can’t be bought in every high street multiple; a characterful cane implies a lot more thought and care on the part of the giver.

“Finally, the practicality of walking sticks always appeals. People want to receive useful presents instead of ‘dust catchers’, so a leather seat stick, a hearty hiking staff or even a tippling stick with a glass vial for whisky hidden inside, are examples of sticks that are always well received.”

And there’s the rub. Whatever comes

than a decade, this has always been limited to music. Therefore, we are new to this sector with our complete men’s range (Element), but we feel we are setting a trend with the bold designs of our mugs.”

Even in the area of canes there are constant changes in trends. Charlotte Gillan said: “New stockists are often surprised to learn that there are trends in walking sticks. The old classics have probably changed very little since man first walked on two legs, but the contemporary walking stick is a different matter.

“We launch new products each spring and autumn, to reflect changing accessories fashions. Leopardprint, Swarovski and velvet canes are all recent examples. We keep up to date by reading the top fashion magazines and following leading commentators and brands on Instagram.

“By the time a new trend has become mainstream enough to be viable, we are usually ready with corresponding walking stick designs. We also work with some excellent product designers and manufacturers who will ensure we are the first to know about new technologies and materials.”

It used to be a cliché – what to buy dad for Christmas? Fob him off with a pair of socks or slippers? Well now, there are so many fab and funky socks

On trend, quirky and fun Buying perfect gifts for men has never been so easy: RJB Stone, the home of Sass & Belle, have a huge variety of on-trend fun and quirky gifts for all ages and tastes. The new Best Dad range offers fun sayings in cool blues and white: Perfect for homeheroes. From vintage Map to Party Animal, RJB Stone have designed hip flasks, cushions and stationary among their extensive collection of unique gifts that men will love and for best boys, discover dinosaurs and dumper-trucks alongside retro inspired home accessories and nursery decorations.

Tel: 0207 346 0100 Web: www.rjbstone.com out there that dads are really pleased to be given a pair.

“Socks are so incredibly popular,” said David Gee. “The market wants quality as well as designs which is why we only make 95% cotton socks.”

Sports goods always have an appeal when buying gifts for men.

“Many people imagine walking sticks are just for the elderly or infirm, but in fact we have many models that are for the fit and hearty,” said Charlotte Gillan.

“Hiking staffs and trekking poles are used by all serious walkers because they considerably reduce the repetitive strain placed on the knee and ankle joints. We also have a sporting brand

ambassador in the person of Natasha Baker MBE, the double gold medalist in the dressage event at the 2012 Paralympics. Natasha has a wide wardrobe of our canes, which she uses prominently in public, including a Union Flag cane for her international competitions.”

So it looks far from there being a dearth of goods, the men’s gift market has never looked healthier.

Did you know?

• A collector of walking sticks is termed a rabologist.

• The invention of a knitting machine in 1589 meant that socks could be knitted six times faster than by hand.

• The hip flask began to appear in the form recognised today in the 18th century.

• The Polo shirt as we know it with the emblem of a polo player was introduced in 1920

by Canadian Lewis Lacey. gifts today 53

Gifts For Men

Bold British bracelets made by BOING Unlike any other

Inspired Treasures, as part of the Ancestors Group, have over the years amassed a wide variety of cufflinks. Inspired from museums and historical themes this range is unlike the normal choice of cufflinks. Each piece has a significant story behind the design with the added touch of also having a license to use Swarovski Elements.

Something Ancestors are very proud of is the quality of their cufflinks, they can also offer a bespoke service and have a range of options to fulfil your targeted budget.

Men do use cufflinks and prefer them to socks.

Tel: 01303 857200 Web: www.ancestors.co.uk

BOING have been manufacturing stunning bracelets made from genuine climbing and sailing ropes for four years and have 160 UK and EU stockists. Gifts Today are delighted to introduce this successful brand to retailers within gift, jewellery & outdoor markets. What we love about BOING is how refreshingly unique the product is. BOING bracelets are unisex but score highly as a male gift - a tricky market to stand out in but BOING really offers something new. Their rope and steel range RRP hits the gift sweet spot of £30 to £40 encouraging repeat and family purchases. The luxury range is beautifully made and includes leather braid with silver, ruthenium and rose gold clasps with an RRP from £85. Their quirky tin packaging comes with every bracelet as does a two year guarantee. BOING offers highly effective POS stands to new stockists.

“These bracelets are tough, vibrant, tactile and customers just adore them!” says Charlie at BOING, “We’re excited about the year ahead.”

Tel: 01628 789999 Email: kerry@boing-inc.com

Great fix

Men At Work from PMC is a fun and quirky design for all those expert men who love to fix everything around the house and is also a great choice for those men who are amateurs at DIY. Each gift is made to order with an individual personalised name and message, perfect for Uncle Dave’s Man Cave or Grandad Joes Garden Shed. The gifts in the Men At Work range features on a metal sign, wooden hanging sign, slate plaque, ceramic mug, personalised hammer and a travel mug with prices starting from just £9.99 RRP. There are no minimums, everything is personalised to your orders as you receive them. Contact the team for information on how to start selling personalised gifts in a way that suits your business.

Tel: 01782 744 900 Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk Web: www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

Walking tall

“Practicality is all-important with presents for men,” says Charlotte Gillan, Managing Director of walking stick specialists, Classic Canes. “Our range comprises hundreds of useful items such as shooting sticks, umbrellas and trekking poles, as well as novelty canes that feature, for example, a concealed glass phial for whisky, which are all popular men’s gifts. Country sticks such as those featuring gundogs or wild animals are also unusual and thoughtful gifts for men.”

Tel: 01460 75686 Web: www.classiccanes.co.uk 54 gifts today

Gifts For Men

Men’s ultimate golf set Equilibrium Men’s Leather Bracelets

Jewellery for men is becoming a progressively popular market and giftware importers Joe Davies report an increase in sales in the run up to Christmas. Their fashionable Equilibrium Range for Men supports a diverse collection of bracelets, pendants and cufflinks with wallets and scarves among the best sellers.

Their unique designs and contemporary style has seen Equilibrium grow from strength to strength and the collection has more than 1,500 items of Jewellery and fashion accessories. All are beautifully package in their own branded boxes for an attractive retail display

Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Web: www.joedavies.co.uk

Struggling to find the perfect range of Men’s Gifts? This golfing set is a must have for any golf enthusiast! PHILIPPI’s Alegro men’s golf set is the perfect gift for a golfer of any level.

Sporting a sumptuous soft dark grey leather, the set is equipped with four golf balls, divot tool with a ball marker and of course a freshly sharpened pencil to keep track of those scores.

With a magnetic fastener at the front, access is quick and easy. This brilliant set offers everything for an eager golfer and with Christmas round the corner, it’s the perfect gift.

The full range of PHILIPPI men’s gifts are available exclusively from Solo.

RRP: £59

Tel: 01789 262900 Web: www.sololtd.com

Hello Handsome Muscle Miniatures Say hello to these Handsome Muscle Miniatures, shortlisted for the Pure Beauty Awards 2015. Oil up those abs, rub those pecks and gel up the guns with these luxurious sandalwood scented skincare products. Buy as a gift for the handsome man in your life or to treat your beautiful bod to what it deserves. Refresh and relax with this shower gel, body oil and moisturiser trio that is sure to put a spring in your step and bring your skin back from the brink.

Tel: 020 8735 2888 Web: www.npwgifts.com

Gentlemen’s Grooming

Now available with brand new covers Signature’s exclusive football newspaper books are a must have for your favourite footie fan. They update their best-selling books each year to include up to date reports of each club. This deluxe hardback gift shows the history of their club through newspaper reports from the time. With over 100 years of history and 61 teams to choose from they have the perfect football book to suit any taste. Bound in a range of high quality hardback covers, each book is foil embossed for a premium look and feel with the option to add recipient’s name. They even now offer the option to include full-colour pages.

Specialising in gifts for men, Sarome UK have recently seen a significant rise in their gentlemen’s grooming range. The contemporary range is fast becoming a gift shop staple, particularly popular with younger gentleman. They have recently taken on distribution of Dear Barber shaving products which include beard oil, moustache wax and shaving oil. As distributors of Taylors of Old Bond Street shaving accessories and creams, they pride themselves on British style and reliability.

Sarome UK have excellent trading terms and conditions with minimum orders of £50 and £150 for carriage paid orders (subject to location).

RRP from £39.99.

Tel: 01582 464 809 Web: www.signature-gifts.co.uk

Tel: 01943 872778 Email: sales@sarome-uk.com Web: www.sarome-uk.com

Signature Gifts For Him

56 gifts today

In your element E

LEMENT is a brand new range created by The Music Gifts Company.

Launched this summer, the range hopes to fill an important gap in men’s gifts market. David Gee stated: “From the outset, we wanted to use our strengths and experience we have gained during the past 20 years. This has meant working closely with our craftsmen in order to produce wonderful gifts.�

The mugs are all bone china and have been specially commissioned by a local illustrator. The series of 10 designs capture speed and motion across a variety of sports, with matching coasters and birthday cards. There is a strong sports theme across the entire range. “Cycling is already proving to be the most popular sport, but we aim to cater for the wide variety of events throughout the sporting calendar, including from the Rugby World Cup, British Open Golf, Wimbledon, The Ashes and of course next year’s Euro 2016 and Olympics. Products include

English pewter keyrings and pin badges, twin-pack handkerchieves as well as socks and cufflinks. The six designs of socks are made from 95% ring-spun cotton and are available on a rotating display stand, while the cufflinks all come in bespoke giftboxes. “We know how popular men’s gifts have become within our music-themed gifts and Element aims to broaden our appeal still further.â€? There is a separate catalogue for Element and The Music Gifts Company to show their individual identity. Importantly both ranges come as part of one supplier account, with free carriage over ÂŁ250.

Tel: 01202 57 00 57 Email: info@elementgifts.com or enquiries@musicgifts.co.uk Web: www.musicgifts.co.uk/www.elementgifts.com

Vibrant rope and stainless steel bracelets for men and women

BOING

Telephone: +44 (0)1628 789999 Email: kerry@boing-inc.com

www.boing-inc.com

gifts today 57

Ancestors

Quality British made products Ancestors Group was formed in 1992, initially as a firm of professional family historians. By using their skilled artists they produced their first gift item the following year, the Royal Chart, followed by a pack of medieval playing cards. Using design skills learnt from designing Coats of Arms, the founder, Nicholas Humphery-Smith, continued to use his history knowledge and that of his colleagues to produce initially a large range of children’s items suitable for heritage and tourist shops under the brand Timeline, a brand that is still going strong to this day. Of course, it didn’t stop there and the company has now grown and expanded considerably since those early days.

H

oused in an 11,000 sq. ft. factory in Folkestone, Kent, the team at Ancestors concentrate on research, design, development and manufacture of services and products for the heritage industry.

The company focusses strongly on designing and manufacturing products from their own premises, with the help of dedicated outworkers, for names such as Harrods, Hamleys, The Victoria and Albert Museum, English Heritage, Historic Royal Palaces, Historic Scotland and many other famous clients both large and small. You could even consider their products ‘the gems with a celebrity status’ as they have even hired out their replica Crown Jewels to production companies filming, to name a few, Johnny English, Young Victoria and The Madness of King George. Furthermore, Ancestors have also developed a large range of 58 gifts today

Ancestors have been casting in fine English lead-free pewter since 1999. During their production process it is essential to their quality control levels that no other metal is allowed on the premises so you can be assured of a product with no lead contamination jewellery under licences with the V&A, Historic Royal Palaces, RHS, Royal Ballet and Natural History Museum.

Ancestors have been casting in fine English lead-free pewter since 1999.

During their production process it is essential to their quality control levels that no other metal is allowed on the premises so you can be assured of a product with no lead contamination. “We cast all our own metal products such as miniature crowns, keyrings, miniature figures, rings, pendants, pencil toppers and vast majority of our jewellery, producing quality products,” stated Nicholas Humphery-Smith.

The company has a policy of continually investing in new designs and projects learning many new skills along the journey of building their business, they are recognised as specialists in lead-free pewter casting producing many 100,000s soldiers, bracelets, crowns and rings each year.

And now the company have gained over 15 manufacturing processes.

• Lead free pewter casting being able to cast almost any 3D model up to a maximum size of around 12cm • The very best in laser engraving and cutting almost any material. Both metal and organic. This is great for personalising leather, shot glasses

• Enamelling used for enamelling Xmas decorations and various jewellery • Micro-Soldering to fix cufflinks and brooch parts to cast pewter • Foil blocking for short run boxes and cards • Wiro-binding for making notepads and calendars

and jewellery and cutting shapes • High definition Resin doming/ encapsulation • High Definition ink jet printing – perfect for flexible fridge magnets • Digital printing up to 300gms card for most packaging requirements • Crushed marble resin casting processed used for making SAC Themed Chess Sets • Hand painting – for painting miniature crowns and chess sets • Stoning of Swarovski crystals for miniature crowns and jewellery • Pad printing for personalising their now famous Goose Feather Pens • Frame making so custom prints from the company database of surnames and Coats of Arms can be made to order

Customisation for clients is a big strength of the business, being able to offer most products with own label packaging and designs. Brands owned such as TimeLine, Crowns & Regalia, Heraldic Express, The Quill Store, Historic Image, Winter Reproductions, Hollywood Greats and most recently Sac Studio Anne Carlton Themed Chess Sets are mainly produced in their factory here in the UK. Something that they are incredibly proud of as current trends are fiercely heading toward Made in Britain product ranges.

Gifts produced are vast including

Themed Chess sets, Foam Swords & Shields, Royalty jewellery and miniature crowns, Genuine Feather pens, Colour in Poster sets, many statues ranges from Gothic, Fantasy to culture and their legendary Roman and Greek Gods ranges. Nicholas is also proud to state, “Many personalised gifts are produced for mail order companies and drop shipped from our factory for them with us using our inventory. Ancestors is always moving on, keeping steady

the products that have helped build the business ensuring we always move with the times but never stopping to bring new innovative products to the market.”

Why not visit their website to view their vast array of product ranges – you’ll be amazed at what can be produced here in the UK!

Tel: 01303 857200 Web: www.ancestors.co.uk

The Company has a policy of continually investing in new designs and projects learning many new skills along the journey of building their business

• Mug, t-shirt and hat presses for small runs • Laminating for making coasters and other items gifts today 59

Licensed Gifts

Licensed to thrill

The products have been develop and created. They are in the shops.

Need to make more money? Get those licences out there…

Y

ou switch on the television or go to the cinema and you see a film or TV programme. It might be Rocky 6 or Thunderbirds or Dr Who. You go to a football stadium and watch Arsenal wallop Manchester United 3-0 in a match where the Red Devils are lucky to get nought.

As you leave the stadium, you see a piece of crockery or a scarf or a beanie. Each item contains the crest of the club.

You go into a toy shop or a supermarket and you spot a Thunderbirds game.

You don’t give much thought to the items. They are just there, brands like thousands of others in the shops.

Except that they are not brands like others. They are licensed goods and they probably cost a tidy sum for the manufacturer to include the image of Scott Tracy or Arsenal’s iconic badge on their product.

In the wake of the Brand Licensing Europe show at Olympia in London (see review in the next issue) we decided to take a look at licences and licensing.

What licence is hot at the moment in gifts? Anthony Temple of Rainbow Designs told us: “Baby gifting is one of ongoing hot trends in the gift sector. It is the nursery brands that possess longevity and heritage that are able to continuously deliver those trusted quality values and ultimately build consumer confidence.”

Gearing towards the more adult market, Nick Morley of CID noted: “Obviously Companies that licensed the Star Wars is huge at the moment with the anticipation of the new movie. Also Virgin brand exceeded £13 for us we have had a fantastic year with billion in 2011. our DC Comics range without a major film this year so next will be massive due The world’s biggest licensor is to Batman v Superman and the Suicide Squad. As we are owned by NECA we Walt Disney. have been able to get some of their Kid The top British licensor is BBC Robot brand into certain sectors and these have performed unbelievably well.

Worldwide at number 35 in the Adventure Time is still performing well for us as well.”

Top 150 brands.

It has been long established that if there are two near identical products on sale in Doctor Who made more than a shop, the consumer will gravitate to the $100m in sales for the BBC in one that has a recognisable branding, or licence. In other words, the item with the 2014. licence is more commercially valuable.

Anthony Temple has a view on why this is the case: “In baby gifting it is the classic brands such as Peter Rabbit and Guess How Much I Love You that deliver a higher level of perceived value in the consumer’s eyes and they are often anchored by traditional publishing heritage.

“These classic brands traditionally have book heritage at their core, which provides an authority and reassurance and enables manufacturers to deliver sought after treasured gifts for both babies and their parents.”

“There is a new trend of licensed nursery plush emerging and it is born of entertainment properties that are primarily driven by television such as the iconic Peppa Pig brand. This year saw the year launched of our new Peppa Pig for Baby Collection.”

Retailer Tony Scott of The Toy Store in Lincolnshire has found that licensing adds to his income. “We have done a bomb with the most recent version of Thunderbirds.

“I must admit I didn’t think it would be as popular as the original – I grew up watching that – but we have done very

“Right this minute there is nothing bigger than our Christmas jumpers, which have sold unbelievably well opening a number of major accounts”

Did you know?

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60 gifts today

well and in the run-up to Christmas that is very welcome.”

Nick Morley has an idea of why licensing adds higher perceived value to an item: “People want what they want and like to identify with a brand, whether it be a band, character or film.

“From a merchandising point of view a good licence is one that makes people want to buy stuff. Any licence needs a hook to get the public to buy into it coupled with great artwork.”

Indeed, almost any product can be licensed and sold including the human physique, which is why sports and music stars are so careful to protect their image rights.

“Right this minute there is nothing bigger than our Christmas jumpers, which have sold unbelievably well opening a number of major accounts.” said nick Morley.

“Leading the way has been Batman, Superman and Harley Quinn. For us, rock bands continue to sell not only to fans but a lot of the classic rocks bands such as AC/DC or Pink Floyd have become fashion brands now.”

So it seems if you want to make a fortune, create a product that companies will want to license…

Toys t f o S e l b H e at a

The perfect bed-time companion.

Warm in a microwave to soothe, relax and comfort

visit www.intelexgroup.com

Licensed Gifts

Celebrations with PMC Jigsaw delights with Gibsons

Capturing hearts for over 60 years, the immediately recognisable Love Hearts packet lends itself perfectly to Gibsons’ delightful new gift puzzle. Inside the tin packaging is a heart-shaped 250 piece puzzle featuring all the favourite, corny captions - the ideal gift for sweet lovers but without the calories! What’s more, the tin can be kept and treasured long after the puzzle is complete.

Three more iconic puzzles will be joining Love Hearts in the Iconic Brands Collection, Mr Grumpy and Little Miss Sunshine tins with 250 piece puzzles inside and a 500 piece Marmite puzzle in a screw-top replica jar. All are set for release this November.

Tel: 020 8661 8866 Web: www.gibsonsgames.co.uk

Half Moon Bay presents Peanuts!

Peanuts first appeared in 1950 and is one of the most influential and popular comic strips of all time. Now for the first time ever, Snoopy, and the gang from Charles W Schulz›s timeless classic «Peanuts» will be making its way to our cinema screens in December. In anticipation for the success of the film, what better time to get your hands on our fantastic Peanuts range. It’s already proving to be one of Half Moon Bay’s top selling licences for 2015 and it’s easy to see why. The range consists of some great gift ideas, which truly capture the nostalgic and charming characters we all remember from the original comic strip. With over 15 different product formats, from tin totes to boxed mugs, you won’t be limited for choice in making a unique and appealing display. With the full product range now in stock and the film attracting a new generation of fans, make sure you don’t miss out!

Tel: 01225 473 873 Email: sales@halfmoonbay.co.uk Web: www.halfmoonbay.co.uk 62 gifts today

Last year PMC announced the launch of Me to You personalised gifts and it has been a sensational seller with the gift lines outselling expectations across all genres for Christmas, Wedding, gifts for girls to everyday gifts.

New to the collection is the celebration range with the famous Tatty Teddy featuring among celebratory balloons and champagne. Personalised with a name, occasion and number, perfect for a Birthday or Anniversary event.

The collection includes; photo albums, guest books, mugs and decorations amongst other personalised gifts.

PMC are long established in attracting well known licences to their repertoire with the addition of Hello Kitty personalised gifts earlier this year. PMC know what is important to their customers offering a wealth of choice in products, design and an industry leading service no matter what size your business.

Ask the team for details on how to make personalised gifts work for your retail business.

Tel: 01782 744 900 Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk Web: www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

Villager Jim – As seen on the BBC’s Countryfile

Arora Design’s fabulous new licensing deal was launched at Home & Gift Harrogate and has received a fantastic response. Working closely with the talented photographer Villager Jim, seen on the BBC’s Countryfile, “The Villager Jim Collection” includes several of his stunning countryside images presented in various different mediums. Through the eye of his lens he captures the beauty of split second moments in time, from garden birds caught on the wing, endearing animals enjoying life, or the full glory of open countryside and stately parklands. The first ranges to make their debut are Mug & Coaster Sets, Clocks, Melamine Trays, Tea Towels, Magnets and Mirror Compacts.

Perfect gifts for anyone with an interest in birds, animals or the countryside.

Timeless licensed gift stationery

Tel: 01386 861666 Email: sales@arora-design.co.uk Web: www.arora-design.co.uk

Tel: 01373 462165 Email: sales@mgml.co.uk

www.museumsgalleries.co.uk gifts today 63

Licensed Gifts

Microwavable Minions available soon!

Intelex Group has announced that they have signed a license agreement with Minion’s creators Illumination Entertainment, to create heatable Warmies versions of the incredibly popular Minion characters Kevin, Stuart and Bob. Intelex Group (est. 1995) has a long history of manufacturing fully heatable licensed plush that can be warmed in a microwave to provide soothing warmth and comfort for adults and children alike. The company currently lists heatable licensed designs such as Bagpuss, Gromit, Boofle, Shaun the Sheep YooHoo and Friends and Bob the Builder and the new Minions licence seems to be a natural progression for this company that continues to dominate the increasingly popular heatable soft toy category.

Children adore Intelex Group’s fun and functional Warmies heatable plush designs which provide the perfect warm, soft and cuddly bedtime companion. Adults love them too because they bring a real fun factor to bedtime routines.

Intelex Group’s fully heatable Minions are available to order now for October delivery by visiting the Trade Area at www.intelexgroup.com. Supplies of Warmies Minions are limited, so early ordering is recommended to avoid disappointment.

Tel: 01933 679 777 Email: sales@intelexgroup.com

The Softer Side to Museums & Galleries

Museums & Galleries added a new range of Softcover Journals to their successful Licensed V&A Gift Stationery range in 2015 to build on the strength and popularity of their existing line of Elasticated Journals.

The new Softcover Journal range adds eight beautiful designs into a slightly slimmer, more textured and tactile format, featuring an accent colour bookmark ribbon instead of an elasticated closure.

The range features a mix of bestselling and exclusive new designs, including an Indian print Palampore, a striking colourful floral on black by William Kilburn and a more masculine Victorian Wonders of the World print.

MGL’s V&A Softcover Journals have a trade price of £2.91, and a competitive retail price of £6.99.

Web: www.museumsgalleries.co.uk 64 gifts today

It is far too easy to accept the lure of the Dark Side…

At Fizz Creations they have a collection of Star Wars lighting which is as vast as the galaxies. From licensed lava lamps to the ever popular, classic LookAlite range, you will never have to face the dark side alone!

If you want to really encapsulate the Star Wars iconic imagery there is no better lighting than the Darth Vader and Storm Trooper Mood Lights, which are designed to replicate the helmets themselves and create the perfect ambience with their soft glow.

New to the Star Wars lighting range is the Lava Lamps which branch out with characters from the Jedi rebel alliance, with Chewbacca and the most famous little green guy on any planet – Yoda. These amazing lava lamps create the perfect retro feel with the familiar floating lava and beloved characters from one of the most epic film series and franchises which has spanned decades.

Tel: 01903 327006 Email: sales@fizzcreations.com Web: www.fizzcreations.com

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Fashion Accessories

Courtsesy of Boing

Fashion is a statement – a statement of personal style. With so many trends coming and going it can be a little difficult to really know and understand what’s going on.

Fast forward to fashion

F

rom jewellery through to handbags, this really can be considered a women’s gifting arena.

Women tend to spend hours focusing on

currently performing well? Can we safely say this can encompass belts, bags, scarfs, bracelets, etc?

Sarah continued: “We always used to sell many more necklaces than any other jewellery but now our customers

“We always used to sell many more necklaces than any other jewellery but now our customers are wanting matching sets more and more” what’s hot and hwat’s not, whether it be all about colour co-ordinating, how many bangles should be worn together at one time, what is the latest in neckwear through to buckles and belts – it’s a minefield out there.

Here we speak to some of the leading companies who represent the world of fashion-driven products.

We asked Sarah Whatmore of Miss Milly for her thoughts on what is currently driving the fashion accessories sector? “This is getting wider every year and I would say it currently encompasses jewellery, scarves, ponchos and shawls, bags, hats, gloves, socks and tights, belts, bag and key charms, shoe accessories, hair accessories, anything that is about how you look except for the clothes and shoes themselves.”

Okay, but what about the jewellery sector? Is there anything specific women are seeking out – what’s 66 gifts today

are wanting matching sets more and more, whilst bracelets continue to sell really well as affordable, standalone pieces.

“When it comes to colourways that are very fashion focused, then I would have to say that for us here at Miss Milly, blue is consistently our best-seller but we are selling a huge amount of grey this season in line with clothing trends.”

Jewellery and charms are just one of the many products available within the fashion accessories market, with scarves becoming a high runner in products to gift someone with.

Retailer Susan Kerr from Harvey Willis told us: “Winter colours are popular because we are coming up to Christmas – reds and browns and russet colours are in demand. The November stone that is coming in is topaz.

“We sell items that are good quality

that people can wear all the year round.”

Fashion Accessories have become a major part of the gifts market over recent years and are considered a mainstream gift for people of all ages, it is also reported that jewellery in particular has become a self-purchase item, especially given the affordable price.

Tirion Davis at Carrie Elspeth told us: “We have just launched a new product called My Colourband. They are doing very well for us and they only came on

the market on the first of the month.

“They are unique hair bands for the hair or they can be worn as a colourful accessory for the wrist. The consumer decides and there are twenty-one different cards, more than fifty colours available.

“When it comes to colours, our hematite necklaces are quite popular.

We have delicate miniature beads that pop with personality, as well as sultry designs and hot new colour combinations which will tone perfectly with the new season’s wardrobe.”

Did you know?

• The British fashion industry is worth £26 billion to the country’s economy.

• The most popular colour in the world is blue. The second favorite colours are red and green, followed by orange, brown and purple.

• In 2013, the UK jewellery industry sales based on retail selling prices totalled £3.57 billion

Simply gorgeous jewellery and scarves Telephone: 01905 622509

•

Online: missmilly.co.uk

The Walking Stick Specialists Traditional and contemporary walking sticks, seat seats and umbrellas for ladies and gentlemen

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Please contact us for a trade catalogue: Warren House, Hinton St George, Somerset TA17 8TQ Tel +44 (0)1460 75686 www.classiccanes.co.uk Also on Facebook and Instagram.

Fashion Accessories

A bit of sparkle

Manchester based giftware importer Joe Davies report record sales across their Equilibrium collection.

Demand for their Sparkle Brooches in particular is very strong.

With over 30 different contemporary designs all beautifully packaged to make both giving and receiving a pleasure, there really is something to complement any look! Equilibrium Scarves and fingerless gloves are also proven winners and come in a variety of styles and designs – perfect for when the weather turns cold.

All Joe Davies 8000 + items are available in small quantities and carriage is free on orders of only £100. This is all backed up with the best customer service in the trade.

Classic canes for everyone occasion

For the first-time cane buyer, whether for themselves or as a present, it comes as a pleasant surprise to discover that walking sticks can be elegant fashion accessories in their own right. Walking stick specialists, Classic Canes, launch new models every spring and autumn to keep pace with changing trends. “This autumn/winter we have new designs in autumnal floral and abstract patterns, which are perfect with the new clothes in the shops and allow stick users to have fun with their accessories choices,” says Charlotte Gillan, Managing Director.

Tel: 01460 75686 Web: www.classiccanes.co.uk

BRIGHT EYES

This illuminated racing mouse from PHILIPPI will definitely become #1 when you’re scrabbling round in the bottom of your bag or can’t get into your house at night because you can’t find the right key or can’t even find the lock. With bright LED lights, your mouse with shining eyes will guide the way, finding what you’re looking for within a flash. This is a perfect fashion accessory for you to carry round on your keyring for those fast racing moments wherever you are…and it’s so cute.

The full range of PHILIPPI gifts and interior products are available exclusively from Solo.

RRP: £19.90

Tel: 01789 262900 Web: www.sololtd.com 68 gifts today

Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Web: www.joedavies.co.uk

Beautifully handcrafted jewellery Hazel Atkinson Jewellery has become a by word for innovative, unique handmade British designer jewellery.

Autumn 2015 sees Hazel add the new Linear range of striking black and multi coloured stripes to her successful collection. Cheeky, sophisticated, fun and not too serious, Hazels’ jewellery is worn by women of all ages and for all occasions. A leading proponent in the alchemy of hand dyed anodized aluminium, her work can be seen in hundreds of galleries and independent retailers.

A free ring with every order over £100.

Tel: 0115 9411110 Email: info@hazelatkinsonjewellery.co.uk Web: www.hazelatkinsonjewellery.co.uk

Glitter Henna Tattoos

These glitter henna tattoos are easy to apply and add sparkle to your look. With templates to make sure your henna is on trend and a brush to add the glitter, you can’t go wrong.

Tel: 020 8735 2888 Web: www.npwgifts.com

Receiving fantastic response

It’s easy to create striking in-store displays with Miss Milly’s beautiful and reasonably priced jewellery and scarf collections. Blue is key this season along with greys and dark cranberry reds. The current collections have received a fantastic response from retailers backed up by a high level of quick re-orders. Choose from a wide range of colourful jewellery sets perfect for Christmas gifting. Miss Milly supplies branded packaging and display stands for all its accessories. Order online at www.missmilly.co.uk or sales agents are available in some areas. Hard to resist with a low £50 minimum order, no minimum order quantities and a quick turnaround.

Tel: 01905 622509 Email: hello@missmilly.co.uk Web: www.missmilly.co.uk

Simplicity is key

This season simplicity is key for Peace of Mind. Simple colours, shapes and designs compliment the warmer tones of autumn and winter.

Combining smooth organic shapes with natural matte finishes, gold and rose gold. Their latest collection of sterling silver and silver plated jewellery is stylish, tactile and laid back. With Christmas upon us, finding presents around the £10 mark for teachers, work colleagues or family members can be hard. Silver-plated jewellery is perfect for this tricky price bracket, a lot of luxury at a very small cost.

PoM’s must-have scarf collection comes in a glorious range of colours, in super soft fabrics. Styles range from knitted snoods through to bold and bright patterned cottons. Touches of gold and copper detail add a touch of sparkle that will keep spirits high and creates a welcome feeling of comfort, warmth and luxury.

Tel: 01225 777749 Email: sales@pom925.com Web: www.pom925.com

Alexander Thurlow pays tribute On trend features

RJB Stone, the home of Sass & Belle, are offering a comprehensive range of fashion accessories for A/W2015. Presenting unique, quirky and classic finishing touches, they have created an exciting selection of products to suit a variety of styles and budgets. Designed as on-trend features that add pretty touches to this season’s fashions, retailers will discover gorgeous floral and geometric print scarves, knitted gloves, satchels, cute foldable shopping bags and pretty purses among RJB Stone’s wonderful collection. Ideal as gifts or for retailers looking to expand their ranges.

Tel: 020 7346 0100 Web: www.rjbstone.com

With the forthcoming Remembrance Sunday next month Alexander Thurlow have added this beautiful poppy scarf to their growing range of poppy lines. This is proving to be a best seller at the moment.

Matching items are also available such as scarf clips brooches and lapel pins. All lines plus many new autumn jewellery ideas are available via their web site www. alexanderthurlow.com.

Tel: 020 8766 6466 Web: www.alexanderthurlow. com

gifts today 69

Autumn Fair Review

Show success at

Autumn Fair

Thousands of retailers attended Autumn Fair 2015, where they refreshed their stock from 1,400 UK and international suppliers presenting new ranges at the show.

A

utumn Fair is one of the most important transactional trade events taking place in the UK, with an estimated £1.2bn of orders placed as a result of attending the show.

Eighty–five per cent of visitors state that the festive period is the most important trading time, with the majority stating it is worth up to 40% of their annual turnover.

Over 150,000 new products were launched at the show, making Autumn Fair the ideal place to source hot trending merchandise ahead of the prime Christmas season, with many suppliers offering fast moving stock that’s ready for immediate delivery.

Hundreds of new companies joined even more regular Autumn Fair exhibitors including Two’s Company, which has been at the show since it was launched. General Manager Patrick Newton commented: “Retailers have been buying more and placing really good orders. They are very aware of trends and fashion – more than ever before – and buying accordingly.

Everything you see on our stand is on stock and ready for delivery, and we’ve seen a lot of independents restocking for Christmas.”

Paul Hooker, Joe Davies, stated that there are so many reasons why they chose to exhibit each year. “Autumn 70 gifts today

Fair continues to be one of the most important events in the Joe Davies calendar and is the perfect showcase for getting our 2500 new lines in front of our customers, we also open a tremendous amount of new accounts.

The other great advantage of the show is its timing, with customers wanting stock immediately, for us it really marks the start of the busy season and 2015 has been no exception.

“There really seemed to be a buzz on our stand and it was great to see so many of our regular customers enjoying themselves at the show.”

Continuing the positivity that Autumn Fair offered this year, Andy Walters, Chairman, Arora Design told Gifts Today what made it a good event for them this year: “Following an extremely successful response to our launch of the new mid-year ranges, we headed to the Autumn Fair at the NEC full of optimism and confidence. This positive feeling continued at the Autumn Fair, one of the most important in the UK trade show calendar and I have to say, it delivered what it promised and more.

“For us our new sentiment based ceramic gift sets and tealight holders led the way with continued growth being accelerated by the distribution of the fragrance line of On a Wick and a Prayer from Derbyshire and Walther Glas. The exciting ‘Villager Jim’ collection was previewed and the

Countryside images range was met with excitement.

“All in all, a very positive Autumn Fair that sets Arora Design on a strong course in the busy Christmas trading period.”

Autumn Fair saw an increase in the quality of attendees, with almost all of the top multiple retailers in the country sending buyers to the event, including: Tesco, Blue Diamond Group, Toys R Us, Laura Ashley, Card Factory,

and Jewellery and British Made Products. The trend charts are based on the most clicked website products in the lead up to the show.

In all, over 30,000 clicks created the charts across key show sectors, receiving widespread coverage across the UK’s media. Furthermore, buyers are still able to use the charts, which are updated live all-year-round, giving a unique snapshot of popular products at any point.

Autumn Fair saw an increase in the quality of attendees, with almost all of the top multiple retailers in the country sending buyers to the event BHS, Beales, Bentalls, Debenhams, Mothercare, John Lewis, Lakeland, Scribbler and The Entertainer.

Thousands of independent retailers and interior designers also attended from all around the UK and 124 other countries worldwide.

This year Autumn Fair launched Europe’s first trade event Top 100 product charts, giving buyers valuable insight into which products are trending at the show and covering: Home, Gift, Contemporary, Children’s Gifts, Toys and Gadgets, Fashion, Accessories

Autumn Fair also launched the ‘Wish List’, a new website function giving buyers the chance to create a shopping list of their favourite products ahead of attending the event. The Wish List, a first for trade events in the UK, has proven a highly successful launch with over 2,000 buyers using the function prior to attending Autumn Fair.

Buyers can now compile a list of their favourite items throughout the year from a vast database of new products.

One of the major new exhibitors at this year’s show was Danish

Cross-over buying options were abundantly available to visitors, with show sectors that included: Contemporary Gift & Home, Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets, Volume Gift & Home, Table & Kitchen, Body & Bath, Retail Shop, Brands of China, The Summerhouse and – new for 2015 - The Light Show home interiors and lifestyle brand IB Laursen, which chose Autumn Fair as its launchpad into the UK market.

Spokesperson Karen Westegaard was very enthusiastic about their venture into new territory, saying: “We’ve had a very warm welcome from people in the UK, everyone has been really friendly and we’ve had great feedback on our products, people are very much into Scandinavian style.”

Retailers were also enthusiastic about the show. Lisa Blatch and Fenella Katsoris of Scape Interiors, which has stores in Leigh-on-Sea and Bournemouth, plus an online shop, were attending Autumn Fair for the first time to source furniture, gifts and hot trending products for Christmas.

Says Lisa: “We attended the Autumn Fair to make sure we’ve got the latest on-trend products and all our stock is completely topped up. We are especially talking to suppliers who’ve got stock ready for delivery as soon as we order, that’s really important.

“I also think the seminars are fantastic, it’s a really good learning opportunity, I am considering sending some of our junior staff members up here for some fast-track learning.

Our time at the show has been very productive indeed.”

Cross-over buying options were abundantly available to visitors, with show sectors that included:

Contemporary Gift & Home, Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets, Volume Gift & Home, Table & Kitchen, Body & Bath, Retail Shop, Brands of China, The Summerhouse and – new for 2015 The Light Show.

The inaugural edition of The Light Show provided an exciting opportunity for specialist retailers in this sector to source new products at the optimum time of year for the lighting market.

Paul Carter and Daniel Attenborough of Illuminati commented: “We’ve already seen a lot of the customers we hoped to see here and have had meetings with major stores, independent retailers, interior designers, cruise liners, department stores and hotel groups, we’ve won some significant new business. I also like the fact it isn’t a London show. Some people think design only happens in London but that’s a pretty narrow view and Autumn Fair offers a great opportunity to get people to Birmingham.”

Nicholetta Massoura-Townley of BeeARTisan agreed, saying: “It’s been a fabulous show, beyond my expectations. We’ve taken a lot of orders and have also got a lot of leads for new business, it’s lovely to see how people have embraced The Light Show.”

In the Contemporary Home and Gift section in Hall 3 business was also

booming. Joyte Brown from gift and homeware supplier RJB Stone said: “We’ve exceeded our targets, people have been placing orders and the whole atmosphere has been really upbeat and positive. Even now on the last day it’s been constantly busy, I think it’s going to be a smasher, we’re very pleased!

Canadian visitor Barbar Rupac of Danbar Distribution regular attends Autumn Fair, saying: “I come here to find out what the trends are and it’s the ideal place to meet with existing and potential suppliers”. Acknowledging that retailers no longer tend to bulk buy in spring, Barbara added: “retailers don’t stockpile products at one time of year anymore, they need to be more on trend.”

Speaking as the doors closed on another successful event, Autumn Fair Portfolio Director Naomi Barton said: “The feedback on this year’s show has been extremely positive and we’re very happy with the result. The majority of exhibitors have done very good business at Autumn Fair and we expect as much as £1.2 billion of orders to be placed by retailers as a result of their attendance here.

The inaugural edition of The Light Show in particular was a resounding success, everyone was delighted to see such a stunning display of product lighting up the aisles. We would like to thank all our exhibitors and visitors for supporting the show and hope you found your time here to be well worthwhile.”

Dairy Date 2016: • September 4 – 7 2016 • Venue: The NEC (Volume Hall opens one day early on Saturday September 3).

• Web: www.autumnfair.com

Autumn Fair Facts •1,400 UK and international exhibitors • Over 450 new brands participate • 82% of buyers with direct purchasing power • 84 countries in attendance making the show a truly international event gifts today 71

Photo Frames

You’ve been framed!

Dig out those favourite family photos and stick them in a frame

E

ver since the days of Julia Margaret Cameron, people have wanted to display photographs.

After all, what is the point of taking a photograph if no one is going to see it?

Yes, we all stuff photos in albums and then put them in drawers and cupboards and rarely, if ever, take them out.

So the best thing to do is to choose your favourite photographs and put them on display in a lovely frame where the picture and the complementary frame can be enjoyed day after day.

We put interested parties in the frame and quizzed them.

What are the most popular styles at present we wondered.

“Traditional silver plated photo frames with little or no decoration remain a firm ever-green favourite,” said Susan Grant of Widdop Bingham.

silver frames and have been repeating at a rapid rate.”

However, that view is not shared by retailer Sarah Lightfoot from Bywater Gifts of Castleford who told us: “I would say it is the shabby chic frames that are most popular. Greys are very in at the moment.

“For me, it is the old-fashioned style frames that do well.”

Of course, tastes vary around the country as Susan Grant explains: “The demand for contemporary designs is always there running alongside the more traditional frames. Many homes have been styled using contemporary colours and finishes and photo frame designs tend to follow the same trends.

We are currently finding that vintage and distressed wood and painted frames are seeing a spike in sales.”

David Cree agreed. “Contemporary frames have always had a niche market appeal but if you hit on a winner then they can really fly,” he added.

“I had a customer come in whose in-laws were expecting a baby and they bought two frames for the scan pictures.”

“They are a smart solution for any photograph, the design doesn’t date and they look as stylish in any home setting be it contemporary or traditional. Photo frames celebrating a special occasion or a special person never go out of date only requiring regular updates to keep them looking fresh and relevant.”

David Cree, the sales manager at Joe Davies, revealed: “At Joe Davies we have probably the largest collection of photo frames in the UK covering every event and occasion as well as a fabulous collection of Home décor and classic photo frames.

“At the moment we are experiencing tremendous sales of our classic frames in the on-trend colours of copper and white frame,” he added. “They are a refreshing twist on our best-selling 72 gifts today

“Contemporary frames such as our metallic collage collection are strong at the moment and we envisage that carrying on into 2016.”

Photo frames make great gifts because they tick a lot of boxes. Every home has them, meaning they are a popular gift for almost anyone.

“With a frame at every price point across a huge range of different designs and finishes, whatever the budget there’ll be a frame that’s just right,” said Susan. “A photo frame is the ultimate personalised gift allowing the recipient to do their own personalising. And finally now that we’re producing better and more photos with our phones and using software to enhance our photos, there are more photos that need a home.”

David Cree is in agreement. “Frames

Putting frames in the picture Discover RJB Stone’s stunning range of picture frames and holders. Catering for all styles, occasions and budgets, RJB Stone, the home of Sass & Belle offer over 250 on-trend and unique options. Among the 104 new A/W15 frames now available, retailers will be charmed by a wide selection of rustic and classic wood ranges, dazzled by the season’s hottest colours and patterns and delighted by inspired concepts, including photo frame boxes, mini hanging frames and magnets. From mother of pearl to warm metals, RJB Stone put frames in the picture this season!

Tel: 0207 346 0100 Web: www.rjbstone.com make the perfect gift as they are the ideal personal present. To receive a frame with a photo of a loved one or a memory is a gift unique to the giver and receiver and demonstrates the added thought that makes a truly special present.”

Photo frames can, of course, hold pictures that are not your standard portrait.

Retailer Sarah Lightfoot from Bywater Gifts of Castleford revealed: “They are very popular for gifts. Last week I had a customer come in whose in-laws were expecting a baby and couldn’t think what to buy so they bought two frames for the scan pictures.”

It seems the traditional frame wins hands down over the more technical digital frame.

“Digital frames have not hit the popularity yet of traditionally manufactured photo frames – that is not to say they won’t in the future,” said David Cree. “At the moment the price of the items are a little prohibitive for that important impulse purchase.

As the popularity and the designs improve and the price reaches a more commercial level then sales will surely increase.”

So in at least one aspect of our lives it seems that the good old days are here for a while yet.

Did you know?

• Picture frames have traditionally been made of wood although other materials are used including silver, bronze, aluminum and polystyrene.

• Plique-à-jour picture frames, made of enamel by Bulushoff, are among the most expensive frames in the world.

• One of the earliest frames was discovered in an Egyptian tomb dating back to 2nd century A.D.

Putting the style into lifestyle

Supplying the photographic & gift trade for over 40 years T: 01793 615836 F: 01793 530108 E: sales@kenro.co.uk www.kenro.co.uk

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Home Based (Southern England)

Snowon Christmas Day

The Company The Original Poster Company is a leading supplier of greeting cards to the convenience retail market, established in 1991.

The Role You will be responsible for leading and developing a team of franchisees that supply our products to convenience stores, post offices and card shops across a given region. You will motivate, mentor and coach each of your franchisees on all aspects of the business, in particular prospecting, merchandising, journey planning and above all else, business development to maximise the franchisees sales.

The Person The ideal candidate will have experience within the greeting card, convenience retail or related FMCG industries and possibly have previous management experience.

The Benefits In addition to a competitive basic salary, bonus, company car, mobile phone and other benefits, you will be offered an opportunity to become part of an excellent team working with a strong and supportive management team.

Give the gift of a White Christmas - with or without snow! GiftScribes offer a beautiful selection of high quality 6” x 4” photo frames. Every themed design allows for personalisation at the point of sale, with family names or a short message; making each one as unique as our range of personalisable hanging Christmas decorations.

Capture a special moment or create a lasting memory for display either as a free-standing frame or to adorn any wall around the home.

Proven demand • Good margins Small minimum orders • Personal service

WE ALSO HAVE FRANCHISE TERRITORIES AVAILABLE IN VARIOUS LOCATIONS AROUND THE UK FOR THOSE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN RUNNING THEIR OWN BUSINESS.

Contact: andrewc@originalposter.com

Christmas

by GiftScribes Gifts

www.giftscribes.co.uk

eMail: sales@giftscribes.co.uk Call: 01584 811 190

Photo Frames

Unusual request? No problem!

Personalised to perfection

The GiftScribes range of beautiful, high quality photo frames maintain an all-important desire to provide a wide choice of gifts to the trade that are personalisable - with family names or a short message - at the point of sale.

Every themed design accommodates a 6� x 4� picture and most celebrate the festive season, whilst perfectly complimenting an extensive range of personalisable hanging Christmas decorations and table tops.

GiftScribes offer lines with proven demand, good margins, small minimum orders and a personal service; to make business easy.

Tel: 01584 811 190 Email: sales@giftscribes.co.uk Web: www.giftscribes.co.uk

Framed in a variety of materials

Namaste always have a large range of photo frames in a variety of different materials.

Current best-sellers include vintage finish and hand painted wooden frames, carved mango wood with owls and elephants and a great range of aluminium frames. New for autumn are the pictured recycled aluminium frames with foiled enamelling. Contemporary and subtle colours with deep lustrous enamelling applied by hand results in a beautifully understated elegance. They are fairly traded and environmentally friendly, produced by their fair trade partner in India.

Namaste have many new ranges for this season, all traded fairly as ever. The company’s very substantial collection offers gifts, jewellery, clothing, accessories, soft furnishings and furniture, all with a generous discount structure to suit all retailers. Give them a call for free colour catalogues or visit their website for lots more great gift ideas.

Tel: 01756-700790 Email: sales@namaste-uk.com Web: www.namaste-uk.com

Stylish black and white

Kenro are excited to launch their new Bergamo Series of photo frames. The new styles will feature stylish black and white frames available as singles, triples and larger multi frames that hold 9 pictures.

The new Bergamo Series also features a vintage grey finish. These frames are able to hold either one, three or four pictures.

The popular Senator Series has also been extended with larger sizes as well as triple and square frames. All frames are available in either black or white.

Finally a collage frame has been added to the Milton range. It is available in either black or white and displays four 6x4 pictures.

Tel: 01793 864345 Web: www.kenro.co.uk 74 gifts today

The photo frame and mirror specialist, Homsquare, is the UK arm of a Chinese factory capable of producing over 2.5 million pieces per month. The rationale for the office being here in the UK is to provide clients with a local service, on the same time zone, but with access to Chinese pricing. The company also has a design resource in the UK to provide clients with bespoke and unique frames, if they desire.

The factory has been producing high quality frames for about 20 years, so is highly experienced. Through their factory, Homsquare can deliver frames in any material or finish, all done in-house including making the cardboard boxes. The people at Homsquare welcome challenges, so if you think you have an unusual request give them a try, they may just be able to find a solution for you. Based centrally in Milton Keynes, with a showroom containing most of the catalogue frames, Homsquare would love to show you just how easy they can make buying photo frames (or mirrors!).

Tel: 01908 976443 Web: www.homsquare.co.uk

Modern Copper Frames

Joe Davies are proud to offer one of the largest, most up-to-date selections of Photo Frames in the UK and the company has introduced a huge number of designs this year. Right on trend the Modern Copper Collection (pictured) have performed particularly well and join over 1,000 different frames all available, little and often. The company has frames for all events and occasions as well as a stunning collection of everyday frames to suit all tastes.

As with all Joe Davies 8,000+ frames and gifts, everything is available in sensible quantities, with free delivery on all orders over £100 The full range can be viewed at the Company’s spacious South Manchester Showroom.

Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Web: www.joedavies.co.uk

Picture perfect

The new Garden Bloom personalised range from PMC is a perfect gift for any occasion. The personalised frame in the collection makes a unique thank you gift for a wedding guest, teacher, godmother or a special token to a mum or grandmother. The Garden Bloom design is the creation of PMC’s in-house designers, taking on soft feminine tones and delicately drawn floral elements. There is also a complimenting male design; Shining Star. PMC has over 2000 personalised photo frames in a huge choice of sizes from 2”x3” right upto 10”x8”. With more and more of us taking photographs these are the perfect way to capture dates, memories and places not just a snapshot of the photo itself. The majority of PMC’s photo frames are personalised and despatched for next day delivery.

Tel: 01782 744 900 Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk Web: www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

Memories are golden

The Artisan photo frames from Solo are a classic revisited. With a “Past-Modern” style, these dark-luxury Gold Crackle effect photo frames are the perfect Christmas gift and would look great in any interior, especially during the festive period.

The Artisan range is hand-made in India from recycled aluminium and features radiant enamelled resin colours. Available in two sizes and in four colours; Midnight Blue, Ivory, Red and Gold. The colours are at once both vibrant and natural which combined with the soft cast aluminium sheen are perfect for contemporary interiors.

Other home accessories in the Artisan range include table items such as heart dishes, salad bowls, tea-lights, and even a set of plant pots.

RRP: £17.95 (small) RRP: £22.95 (Large)

Tel: 01789 262900 Web: www.sololtd.com gifts today 75

Trade talk

Gifts Today loves to hear your views. This month we speak to key wholesalers and suppliers to learn what’s on their minds.

This issue we question the industries finest to find out their thought on current trends Paul Hooker, Commercial Director, Joe Davies Trends are a hot topic at present, why do you think this is?

How best to respond to developing trends is definitely a regular discussion point at Joe Davies and a hot topic for most other import businesses. There is some clear competitive advantages for our customers if they can latch on to an emerging trend early. Our job is to develop product for our customers to help them stand out from the crowd, but be right where the market is. It’s not easy, you always have to be trying something different, that’s why we launch over 5,000 brand new lines every year.

What trends are you noticing at present?

Animals are definitely on trend at the moment; our Visage Dog Cushions, Clocks and Paperweights are a hot line and our Funny Felt Animal heads really took us all by surprise, selling out of the first delivery very quickly. On the home front sentiment family messages are performing very well on the likes of our Apothecary and Watchword Ceramics. Fashion and Sentiment Jewellery also continues to develop and grow very strongly.

Do you think trends in gifting patterns alters quickly?

Trends have always been very important in gifting, although generally at a much slower pace than in other industries such as fashion (Jewellery being the exception). Luckily within our industry trends still develop over time, but it’s certainly speeding up. Social Media continues to develop, with celebrities and the general public able to tweet their latest ‘find’ or gift. New applications like Pinterest is really moving things on too. It’s so much easier for people to search, share, collate and pull together trends just as they are emerging. That all helps to create demand.

Any suggestions for next year with regard to trends (2016)?

Vintage is far from finished, with floral and vintage chic accessories tipped. The

Deborah Bettison Ashleigh & Burwood Trends are a hot topic at present, why do you think this is?

With the industry thriving on new ideas as it does, trend watching has become an all important part of the planning process for buying and merchandising. Reflecting seasonal trends with the in-store offering, injects life to displays and clever merchandising that draws inspiration from trends can make product relevant throughout the year.

What trends are you noticing at present?

Gadgets are creeping into evermore unexpected market sectors. Tailored products that consumers are invited to customise are becoming increasingly popular too.

Do you think trends in gifting patterns alters quickly?

I believe it takes genuine product innovation to alter gifting patterns significantly and this doesn’t happen too frequently in the fragrance sector.

We have launched recently our Amora Scent Hubs which utilise ultrasonic technology to deliver fragrance to the home, whilst simultaneously offering other features such as music and light.

I would say is an example of product innovation that has the potential to alter gifting patterns within the fragrance sector. Additionally, there is always newness in terms of fragrance trends, so it is always a constantly evolving market segment in one way or another.

1950’s and 1970’s are hot in fashion right now so some of that could start to come through in gifting. Coppers and golds on home décor is developing, keep an eye for this on animal themed items. There is also a big trend in the US on initials and monograms, where they are on everything from cushions to jewellery. This is just starting to show up commercially in the UK and could be much bigger in 2016.

76 gifts today

Any suggestions for next year with regard to trends (2016)?

In terms of fragrance trends, white florals teamed with precious warming notes will be leading the way along with fresh watery scents.

Sarah Watmore Miss Milly Trends are a hot topic at present, why do you think this is?

Within the fashion accessories industry in particular, trends are incredibly helpful as they provide designers and suppliers with some guidance as to which styles and colourways should prove popular in future seasons.

This isn’t to say that they determine every product a company will launch as we all have an understanding of our customers’ requirements and our own brand style as well as the desire to be different and occupy our own niche of the market. I think trends have a greater impact during and following a recession as companies can’t afford to make costly mistakes so they can help both suppliers and retailers to play it safe with their product selection. And in general, trends are interesting to read about.

What trends are you noticing at present?

At Miss Milly, the over-arching current trend is for strong and simple designs. Retailers are looking for jewellery that is different, unusual and will stand out without being too much of a statement piece or alienating the mass market.

Do you think trends in gifting patterns alters quickly?

No, in general, the trends in gifting have staying power! There are

obviously exceptions, for example, neon colours can come and go for a season (but with cyclical regularity) but on the whole, they have durability.

Good examples of this are the popularity of woodland animals, owls in particular, and the continuing presence of shabby chic.

And if you think that unless you know somebody really well, you are likely to stick with a safe gift option, this may help explain it. Within fashion accessories, more and more people are aware of the colours that suit them best and they stick with these regardless of current trends. At Miss Milly we will never not stock blue or purple!

Any suggestions for next year with regard to trends (2016)?

The two key trends we are seeing for next year are those of very bold patterns including, stripes, florals and abstracts, and the sea; involving the blue and green colour tones, marine patterns and reflective, foiled and mirrored finishes.

Cara Beech, New Product Manager, PMC – Personalised Memento Company Trends are a hot topic at present, why do you think this is?

Using ‘Trends’ is a good way of making the consumer look ahead rather than just at the here and now, they don’t want to miss out so steering them towards trends helps both the manufacturer and savvy shopper. It gets them inspired and also gives them confidence in what they are buying as it is current. Our customers ask us what the best sellers are, and we look at who they are selling to and what will help them boost their range.

We go through trends more rapidly than people did in the past. The internet and the increased speed of communication can make it tougher to hold on to a trend but we are leading the industry as the Personalised aspect of gifting is growing and growing as a trend in itself.

What trends are you noticing at present?

A trend that is huge at the moment is back to nature, in print and material. Natural products are a huge hit with our customers. Slate and wood work well for us in both design and finish, these natural textures are a dream to work with and look stylish in the home. By bringing influence from both flora and fauna, we can expand ranges

for children through to great grandparents. This isn’t just a trend for women either as earthier tones and patterns are perfect for males.

Do you think trends in gifting patterns alters quickly?

Gifting trends definitely move at a fast pace, but we have a team of product developers and designers that are hot on the heels of the evolving market. There will always be a space in the market for traditional gifts, but as personalised giftware has become more accessible, the consumer is able to put their hands on a bespoke item that can be enjoyed for themselves and not always gifted.

Any suggestions for next year with regard to trends (2016)?

We’ll see trends that are at the opposite ends of the spectrum, from clean cut geometric repeated patterns to softer hand finished vintage designs. We will still be surfing this vintage wave well in to 2016. Prints from the orient and repeated patterns will be high on the fashion and homeware radar. As for products, we know that homeware will continue to expand beyond the basics and we are developing our personalised range in preparation.

gifts today 77

Grass Roots

This issue we spoke to a number of independent retailers whilst at Autumn Fair to find out what they were looking for whilst visiting

Chloe Harrison

Hilary Anderson

Mud and Cupcakes, Solihull

Caru, Portstewart, Northern Ireland

What have you seen here that has appealed to you?

I’m into the LED lights.

Which companies have you been to visit?

I’ve been to see Angelic Hen, Lisa Angel, I forget the names of them all, Heaven Sends, RJB Stone and some of the more independent ones.

The items and products that you are seeing and buying now at Autumn Fair, is that for mainly Christmas or the New Year?

A bit of both – I’ve been looking at stuff for Christmas and next year. Things like the LED letters sell all year round but they are a good Christmas gift as well.

Do people just want initials or their whole name?

Again, a bit of both. I get orders for initials and then surnames. They are a good seller.

Who have you seen?

We have been to Pilecraft, Peter Pauper, Talbots, Global Designs, Padblocks, Tweetmill, Seagems, and Ferguson’s. Junction 18 for handbags and Shruti.

What products have been of interest?

General giftware. Bits and pieces for

our retail shop.

The items and products that you are seeing and buying now at Autumn Fair, is that for mainly Christmas or the New Year?

I am mainly buying now for Christmas and to see me through to Spring Fair.

Have you enjoyed the show?

Yes!

Nicky Brown UK Interiors, Kent What have you seen today that’s been of interest?

For us its new suppliers for cushions, interior design activity that sort of stuff.

Have there been specific products that have made you think, “Oooh that’s good”?

Christmas products, cushions, tapestry cushions – they are the sort

of thing we usually retail.

The items and products that you are seeing and buying now at Autumn Fair, is that for mainly Christmas or the New Year?

Mainly it’s Christmas as that’s the coming season so that’s what we are looking at for the moment. And then just the usual items that we stock up on all the year round.

Sophie Draper Sofika’s, Lyndhurst

Mike Harwood Harwood Holmes, Hertford

Who have you seen so far?

I haven’t really come to see any companies.

I have come for inspiration.

What products have been of interest to you?

I have a clothes shop so I am looking for accessories and perhaps candle products or face products to expand our product offering to put in store as well.

Then it becomes a whole package.

The items and products that you are seeing and buying now at Autumn Fair, is that for mainly Christmas or the New Year?

Christmassy bits and bits you can put in store that are little add-ons. Customers then make their purchase; they buy jewellery but may also purchase something else. We offer the gift bag as well. They buy the whole package; stick a bit of inspiration on the sale. Funny things normally tend to sell, a bit of humour for Christmas always goes down well. You can wander round here and see some products that you could fill your whole house with.

78 gifts today

What kind of stands have you seen here?

Fur throws, lots of candles, accessories, and furniture.

What products have been of interest to you?

Specifically throws, photo frames, ideas for Christmas and also ideas on how to decorate our showroom for Christmas.

The items and products that you are seeing and buying now at Autumn Fair, is that for mainly Christmas or the New Year?

Very definitely for Christmas, just to change the window shop around.

Donna Barrett Nicholas John Interiors, Kent Who have you seen?

We have seen a range of lighting and furniture. The lighting stands we have been to include Illuminati, Dar and Searchlight. On the furniture side we went to McGowan, Coachhouse, CIMC, Roost; we found Voyage, which is a new one for us. We also went to see Light and Living.

What products have been of interest?

The products of interest for us have definitely been items we can sell for Christmas as well as looking at new ranges of furniture and lighting; they are the

biggest items we sell.

The items and products that you are seeing and buying now at Autumn Fair, is that for mainly Christmas or the New Year?

The gifts side of things and the smaller bits – we found someone who distributes scented candles and other items that’s specifically for Christmas – but we are looking for the new ranges to sell throughout the year. We do a lot of interior design work so we are on the lookout for new products there.

New Products

Extension to gift range

A long awaited collection of illustrated art prints, created from original Caroline Gardner archive designs, has been launched this September just in time for Christmas gifting. Each design has been carefully selected by Caroline herself, making sure bestselling designs, with special captions have been used. A selection of the prints have the added detail of luxurious popular gold foil finish, seen across many of Caroline’s most successful ranges. The gorgeous prints are the perfect extension to the Caroline Gardner gift range! The prints are supplied in a unit of 4, each individually cello wrapped with a supporting hard back board.

Rustic Style

Right on trend the new Rustic Style range from Joe Davies makes the perfect addition to any fashionable home. Comprising of elegant frames, practical tea lights and exquisite décor pieces the series blends best-selling messages with an up to date contemporary design. With retail prices starting at just £2.99 the line looks set to be a winner Like all Joe Davies 8,000+ items the Rustic Style Collection is available in small quantities and minimum orders across the range are only £100 with free nationwide delivery.

Tel: 0161 975 6300

Tel: 020 8288 9696

Email sales@joedavies.co.uk

Email: katie@carolinegardner.com

Web: www.joedavies.co.uk

Roaring gift range

This really Rawr-some tin is a brand new addition to the Rachel Ellen tin ware range and makes the perfect gift for any little dinosaur fan who needs help in keeping tidy. It measures 195 x 158 x 71mm and retails for £6.95.

Tel: 0115 962 2862 Email: sales@rachelellen.co.uk

Lighting up time!

Xystos now has its own stylish range of Flame & Fragrance Lighters to complement its beautifully fragranced candles from WoodWick. The vibrant, eye-catching colours are perfect for the modern home and, with an RRP of just £2.99, buyers will be able to afford to have a different lighter in every room.

Tel: 0191 499 1570; Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk 80 gifts today

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New Products A Christmas Bouquet

With its rich colours and striking design, the new flower jewellery from Miss Milly, British supplier of jewellery and scarves, is the perfect ‘for her’ gift purchase for Christmas.

Available in Christmas Red, Aubergine Purple and Dark Blue, the jewellery has a very tactile, smooth, powder-coated finish, almost velvety to the touch. And the shiny, silver-coloured stamen add light to lift the piece.

The necklace is a standard 16” or 41cm length with extension chain whilst the bracelet uses Miss Milly’s popular hinged clasp. And the co-ordinating earrings are a real statement worn with the set or as standalone jewellery.

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.

Tel: 01905 622509 Web: www.missmilly.co.uk

Festive Fragrances with Max Benjamin

Max Benjamin has introduced three new festive fragrances for Christmas 2015.

‘Christmas’, ‘Frankincense’ and ‘Frosted Fig’ are available as three wick candles in seasonal red tins.

Christmas is a classic Christmas fragrance with warm winter notes of Orange Spice, Amber and Musks.

Frankincense features Incense and Oud filled with eastern Christmas promise Frosted Fig blends woody cedar with sultanas frosted with Christmas figs and apricots.

“These large three wick candles in red tins make the perfect table centre piece for the Christmas season. Or leave on your hall table to infuse the house with festive fragrances thoughout December” says Mark Van den Bergh of Max Benjamin.

Web: www.maxbenjamin.ie

PMC Launch ‘Hello Kitty’ Personalised Licensed Gifts

The Personalised Memento Co is delighted to announce that they have teamed up with Sanrio to offer Hello Kitty as one of their most recent licenses for personalised gifts.

With fans all over the globe she is a well-recognised brand which seamlessly incorporates personalisation into the new gifting range. PMC’s designers have been working closely with the branding team to ensure the simple and concise characteristics remain in line with Sanrio’s philosophy of “Big Gift, Big Smile”.

There’s a huge amount of lines on offer for the launch; school supplies, mugs, confectionery, baubles, decoration and much more.

Each gift is personalised

by PMC and delivered direct, offering an industry leading service from design to despatch. Visit www. personalisedmemento.co.uk to see the latest details of the Hello Kitty personalised products plus many other personalised gift ranges Tel : 01782 744900 Web: www. personalisedmemento. co.uk

82 gifts today

Luxury nights in

Perfect for pampering, the Lila Grace Bath & Body collection from Widdop Bingham offers an irresistible indulgence and includes everything you could possibly need for a luxurious night in.

The range includes body scrubs, lotions, soaps and shower gels in sumptuous fragrances of Vanilla Rose and Honey Almond to revitalise you from top to toe.

Nail varnish and lip gloss finish the range in beautifully packaged gift sets that are perfect for birthdays and Christmas alike.

Tel: 0161 688 1226 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk Web: www.widdop.co.uk

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Made in

the UK

@signaturegifts

@Signaturegifts P^[3 www.signature-gifts.co.uk M^e3 01582 464809

Price's Fresh Air limited edition range of Christmas candles contain Odourfoyl â&#x201E;˘ technology to neutralise unwanted odours leaving your home smelling clean and fresh.

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