Gifts Today October 2021

Gifts Today Month: October 2021 Issue: 1 Volume: 33

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Gifts Today October 2021

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Contents

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Regulars 5

Message from the editor

6

News

8

Exhibition News

Cover story 12 Marmalade of London New season offerings, new fragrances and more sustainable initiatives from the team at Marmalade of London

Retail 16 Twoodle Co A retailer whose journey started after an unfortunate accident, reveals his determination to create and sell ethical products. We speak to speak to Tim Rundle-Wood to learn more

Gifts Today team Editor

18 Retailers’ Panel

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Rachel King rachel@lemapublishing.co.uk

The latest members of our Panel – key gift shop owners – introduce their businesses and tell us what makes them so special. This month we speak to the Little Beach Boutique

22 Trade Talk

Publisher

ogistical issues, Christmas must-haves, potential L winter lockdowns and looking ahead to 2022, it’s all up for discussion this month

Mark Horsnell markh@lemapublishing.co.uk

Layout/Design

Rick Vickers rick@lemapublishing.co.uk

Special Features

Managing Director

19 At Home

Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Wonderful ways you can help your customers boost their living spaces and make them more comfortable than ever

Production Director

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

24 Fragranced Gifts

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Chairman

Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Candles, diffusers, accessories for the car, home or office, there is a fragranced gift for everyone in our bumper special feature. With plenty of new ideas from well-known brands

40 InStyle J ewellery and fashion accessory trends, products and must-buys in this exciting sector

46 Giftable Stationery Budding writers, note takers, journal keepers, scrapbookers and more will be thrilled with what we have in our Giftable Stationery special

Lema Publishing Ltd

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

www.giftstoday.media

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52 New Products Plenty of exciting new products and gift ideas to inspire from across every sector of the giftware industry

Opinion 10 Bira 14 The Giftware Association

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p46

p18

Message from the Editor

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www.giftstoday.media Instagram: @giftstodaymedia

I

t’s October and winter is most definitely products, but also set up shop in Shoreditch in the air – or perhaps that’s just the pinewhere customers can see for themselves the scented candle we’ve been burning? From handmade process of a variety of goods at what I’ve been hearing, many customers have Twoodle Co. Discover more about his journey in started their Christmas shopping already, leaving our interview on page 16. Meanwhile, Suzanne retailers and suppliers alike to be busier than ever O’Leary joins our Retailer Panel on page 18 for this time of year. as she provides an insight into her Little Beach Logistical issues are plaguing the retail Boutique in Brighton. landscape from the biggest majors through to The cover star this month is Marmalade the independents on the high street, as the costs of London who are eager to share their new of shipping remains high and a shortage of season collections. We spoke to owners Piers and lorry drivers causes delays. But our industry is Helen Flook on page 12 and they revealed the nothing if not versatile, as many suppliers have motivation behind their new Wellbeing collection done their best to avoid significant problems with and the continuing relationship with Mosney some clever forward planning and by carrying Mill. They are also pleased to be launching a more stock than they may otherwise. But the new sustainable initiative that was inspired by the mainstream press and some waste they spotted on industry heavyweights are their travels.

Customers have warning of shortages closer page 24 started their Christmas we From to Christmas, be it toys have a bumper or pigs in blankets, so it is Fragranced Gifts shopping already, probably best that people feature this issue that leaving retailers and are trying to plan ahead. includes a range of Although what fun will it ideas, big and small, suppliers alike to be be for those retailers who to inspire consumers busier than ever for might otherwise miss out this gift-giving season on spotting the bewildered and into the New this time of year customer, desperately Year. Fragranced Gifts searching for gifts on Christmas Eve – that can go beyond candles and diffusers and there is always gave me a giggle when I worked in retail something to suit every style, scent and budget. many years ago.

The regular feature of InStyle is back on page Our Trade Talk segment on page 22 sees 40, along with At Home from page 19. On the some of our industry experts reveal how they back of the hugely successful London Stationery have been attempting to overcome the logistical Show, our Giftable Stationery section on page 46 problems, meaning retailers won’t be left high highlights some of the lovely new products that and dry this golden quarter. Everyone remains make great gifts for Christmas, birthdays, new optimistic that another lockdown will be avoided baby and more. And for even more New Products, over the winter months, so here’s hoping that go to page 52, for some wonderful ideas for a they are correct. variety of gift-giving occasions.

Keen to make the most of the Christmas There is all this and more in this Autumn season buying season this year are the retailers we spoke issue. We hope you feel inspired by what you find to this month. Tim Rundle-Wood is a budding within the pages. Happy reading. entrepreneur who has a history in retail but has branched out to create not only his own

‘

‘

Rachel

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

p52

News

Back on the Road

Wax Lyrical’s New Factory

Wax Lyrical has completed the build of its new factory in Lindal-in-Furness and has also launched new hand care products in the hand and body care sector. Wax Lyrical owners, Portmeirion Group, invested £1.5 million to build the new production facility expanding capabilities at the Cumbria plant and heralding the new era.

Initiating the sequence of mixing hand care ingredients in the new state-of-the-art tanks, Chief Executive Jacqui Gale MBE said, “This is a huge undertaking and I could not be prouder of the design, science, engineering, production and office teams who made this possible. With testing and trials completed, I am honoured to officially commence the production of hand care, in 10 fragrances across our Made In England and Colony collections.”

Jacqui says the facility isn’t the only thing that’s new. “Beauty is a new sector for Wax Lyrical but our fragranced candles and diffusers have been making homes beautiful across the globe for 41 years. We know our customers will relish the opportunity to have our fabulous fragrances sitting in their kitchens and bathrooms and their hands feeling refreshed and moisturised.”

Jacqui says the investment reflects the Portmeirion longer term plans for growth, “By repurposing and restructuring our plant, we’ve built a new factory to accommodate six, 50 tonne storage tanks, several 36 tonne mixing tanks and a very clever filling, labelling and finishing line. We are surrounded by beautiful countryside and we’ve managed to significantly increase our capacity without increasing our footprint. We’ve also re-trained staff and restructured to maintain a competitive business in a financially difficult decade.”

Thortful supports World Mental Health Day thortful.com has worked with journalist and Mental Health Mates founder Bryony Gordon to create a series of positive affirmation cards written by Bryony and illustrator Frankie Rose. The campaign supports Mental Health Mates and Better Health - Every Mind Matters.

Mental Health Mates is a network of peer support groups run by people who experience their own mental health issues, meeting regularly connect and share without fear or judgement. With walks and online communities across the UK, Mental Health Mates is a community committed to growing to reach even more people in need of mental health support.

6 Gifts Today

Small Business Saturday is putting wheels in motion for a new nationwide roadshow to support small businesses across the UK. Setting off from the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, ‘The Tour’ will visit 20 British towns and cities to support, inspire and spotlight the 6 million small businesses across the UK, as part of the countdown to Small Business Saturday.

And for the first time it will showcase a fleet of eco vehicles that reflect daily life for small businesses and the sustainable switches many are making or considering. It will be a zero emissions Tour and this sustainability focus is part of a drive both to reduce environmental impact, and to highlight the important role small businesses play in getting the UK to Net Zero by 2050.

‘The Tour’ will for the first time deliver a hybrid format of online and in-person activity. This will include virtual workshops, webinars and mentoring on a range of small business topics, as well as on the ground visits and live-streamed interviews with local businesses in cities including Manchester, Belfast, Cardiff, and Edinburgh, as well as coastal towns like Whitley Bay and rural Hereford.

“We are so excited to get back on the road with this new Tour and put the spotlight on fantastic small businesses and their communities, as well as opening up skills and networking opportunities to millions of entrepreneurs using a new hybrid format,” said Michelle Ovens, CBE, director of Small Business Saturday.

Kicking off on November 1, The Tour will be on the road for a month, finishing in London shortly ahead of Small Business Saturday on December 4.

To get involved in The Tour and book one-to-one mentoring sessions visit the ‘My Business Section’ on the Small Business Saturday website.

Bira lobbies Chancellor Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, is expected to deliver his Autumn Statement on October 27, 2021, setting out the state of the nation’s finances.

Bira’s top request is that the Chancellor permanently cuts business rates to help support independent retailers still struggling to recover from the pandemic.

Bira also hopes a number of other objectives are considered including a continuation of tax incentives to encourage more investment in the sector, a review of the current apprenticeship scheme to make it fit for purpose in the retail sector, National Insurance contribution allowances increased, and more investment in the infrastructure of towns and high streets to improve footfall and accessibility.

Andrew Goodacre, Bira CEO said, “Now more than ever, independent retailers need support and we hope that the Chancellor is listening and will respond accordingly.”

Rebrand for Retail Centre

Gift of the Year Ramps Up

Over the course of its 45-year history, The Gift of the Year annual competition has produced thousands of happy faces from category winners, to highly commended and even those that were shortlisted. The accolade opens doors and raises your business profile to an audience that matters and boost your business on a successful journey.

Just by entering the competition you are guaranteed for your products to be seen by retailers and buyers and as previous years’ winners will attest, it is also guaranteed to boost your business and elevate your profile in the industry.

This year the GA are as excited as ever to welcome new products and see what everyone has been working on during the various lockdowns and are looking forward to see who will receive the crown of ‘Judges Choice’ as well as the ‘Peoples Choice’ award.

To enter your products, go to www.giftiftheyear.co.uk

First Grosvenor Sustainability Award Stephen Webster has won the inaugural Grosvenor Sustainability Award – a scheme celebrating and rewarding sustainability leadership in Mayfair and Belgravia. The award reflects the increasing opportunity for landlords and occupiers to partner to build a better, more sustainable future.

Stephen Webster is a contemporary fine jeweller located on Mount Street, Mayfair, known for its powerful aesthetic and its instantly recognisable collections.

For over 10 years Stephen Webster has been sustainably sourcing and repurposing materials and the business recently developed a target to halve carbon emissions by 2030.

Stephen Webster also holds its supply chain to the highest standards and procures renewable energy for its premises. In 2022, the business will launch Green Pensions, source IRMA recycled gold and increase the sustainability of its packaging.

The team take home one year’s supply of green energy worth up to £10,000 and £3,000 towards a digital advertising campaign which will be created with Grosvenor.

Second place was awarded to the Odd Chair Company which has addressed sustainability across its buildings, products, and services, including enhancing building insulation through greening, utilizing recycled materials in manufacturing, and consolidating deliveries.

Runner up awards were given to atis, the health food restaurant in Eccleston Yards which champions plant-based and seasonal produce and has a mission to reduce food waste, and My Wardrobe HQ, a platform to rent and resell luxury fashion items to reduce waste by 50% within the next five years.

The awards come as Grosvenor publishes its first annual update on its Net Zero Carbon Pathway which will see it become net zero by 2030.

A Tyneside retail outlet centre is celebrating its 25th anniversary by embracing change.

Royal Quays Outlet Centre in North Shields has rebranded to recognise the many small independent businesses that have moved in. Now known as the Royal Quays Independent and Outlet Centre, centre manager Matt Dawson is confident that the change will encourage more retailers and new customers looking for a fresh shopping experience.

Since taking over management of the centre at the height of COVID, Matt has had to cope with forced shop closures, lower than average footfall, competition from online sales and a decline in the popularity of brand-based stores.

There were 17 empty units in the centre in October 2020 but with careful planning and creativity, Matt has reduced this to just four and footfall has risen considerably.

“Retail has been battered and we have anticipated, embraced, and supported the many new businesses here.

We’ve rebranded because we want to highlight the changes we’ve made and lead the way in showing our support to the many businesses we have here.” said Matt.

Gifts Today Team News Lema Publishing are pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Horsnell as publisher for Gifts Today. Mark has worked on the title for 15 years as its advertising manager, growing the quantity and calibre of the advertising clients throughout this time and helping to increase the reach of magazine’s readership and subscription base.

His new role will see him continue to be closely involved with Gifts Today’s valued advertisers as well as taking on a leadership role as the magazine moves into its next stage of growth.

Speaking about his changing role, Mark Horsnell said, “After 15 years at Gifts Today working alongside a talented editorial and production team to create a magazine I believe to be the leading Gifts title in the UK, I am honoured to be offered the position of publisher.”

Mark Naish, managing director of Lema Publishing said, “Mark has done excellent work as advertisement manager of Gifts Today and this promotion is long overdue and deserved.

His first concern has always been his clients and the high quality of the magazine and its content for readers. In this new this role he will be able to deliver more in this regard and continue to develop the magazine and the website to the benefit of everyone in the industry.”

Gifts Today 7

Exhibition News BLE Retailer Content

Brand Licensing Europe has announced exclusive retailer content for this year’s event including five live sessions in the Retail Trends Lounge. The event takes place in person from November 17-19 at ExCeL London and visitors can register for free at www.brandlicensing.eu.

All five sessions, plus the live final of the Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition (which is open to all), will be recorded and available to all attendees to watch on-demand as part of the BLE virtual follow-up running from November 30 –December 1.

The sessions include A Future Forecast 2022 by Nick Richardson, Founder and CEO The Insights Family which will provide a practical perspective on the opportunities and challenges family trends pose to retailers. Saphia Maxamed, Founder, Black Lives Matter Licensing Movement will discuss the importance of diversity and inclusion in Licensing. Catrina O’Brien, Retail Development Director, UK, Europe & Asia Licensing, and Jade Snart, Sustainability and Compliance Expert, George at Asda will talk about the ‘Plant with Peppa’ programme that’s teaching children about the importance of trees in the world. Peppa and Asda are pledging to plant 10,000 trees in the UK to help to rebalance the Earth’s atmosphere.

The Agility and Creativity in Omni-Channel Retail session will look at what retailers need to focus on to maximise potential, and how to embrace the use of new technology to benefit both online and offline presence and profit. And finally, Gary Pope, CoFounder and CEO, Kids Industries will share original and never seen before data to explore how families like to shop now and how these behaviours have amplified following the pandemic.

Anna Knight, VP of Licensing, Informa Markets: “BLE is hosting brilliant content for retailers both in person and online. For those attending in-person, we invite them to discover What’s Next in retail by joining the trend sessions, visiting the Sustainability Activation and also walking the show floor to gain inspiration from the thousands of products on display and see how brands could fit into their future product ranges.”

Stationery Community Reunites Both visitors and exhibitors alike were reunited with much-missed friends, colleagues, and clients, at the recent London Stationery Show and it didn’t take long before stationery buyers were placing orders, keeping up-to-date with trends and getting hands-on with new products.

“It’s great to be back seeing our clients again. Being able to present products, not over video calls, but at the show where visitors can touch and feel the products”, commented Glenn Bowen of Pukka Pads.

In place of the Stationery Awards for 2021, the Buyers Choice Award was introduced.

Visitors viewed and voted for 100+ hero products put forward by exhibitors in order to win ‘best in show’. Despite a close battle, there was a clear winner with Nice & Graphic and their handmade letterpress print picking up the inaugural Award.

The Retail Matters live talks returned and proved a big hit yet again, with Martha Keith, Founder of Martha Brook mentioning “I had such positive feedback on the presentations and visitors seemed to take away a lot of advice”. Martha’s presentation focussed on how stationery and gift retailers can build their brands through effective use of social media.

Whereas Catherine Erdly, Founder of the Resilient Retail Club, gave all the latest information on how retailers can move on from the disruption caused by COVID. “We’re so thankful for all those who were involved in this year’s show. We’re excited about what London Stationery Show 2022 will bring and can’t wait to get stuck into the planning for another stand out event,” said Alex Butler. The show will return next year on its more traditional dateline, on May 17 – 18, 2022.

8 Gifts Today

Julie Driscoll and Karin Houseman

Julie Driscoll talks Autumn Fair Just six weeks after restrictions were lifted, Autumn Fair opened its doors to exhibitors and buyers keen to get back to business.

We chatted with Julie Driscoll, Managing Director, Hyve Retail, Fashion & Digital Marketing about the event and the new launches that took place.

“Six weeks ago, it was Freedom Day and look at what we’ve achieved in that time. It’s been pretty phenomenal in terms of all of the customers that are here. The density is a big thing we are focussing on and the visitors to square metres and the density is significantly up.

We have had so many exhibitors say it has been their best trade show ever. More international exhibitors are here than we thought because of the travel situation. Even three weeks ago there were so many more restrictions in place, so those international exhibitors that could get here have done a marvellous job and we feel so proud that we’re really leading the industry. And I think its that sense of community that you can feel on site.

It’s that real omni channel approach, that we are a company that is investing in digital to in order to facilitate and magnify what we’re doing on site. All the investment that we’ve done, really feels like it has come to fruition.

We’ve launched Curated Meetings, which was a big investment in technology to drive efficiency of the physical event. The App has been a phenomenal success. Plus, one of the things our customers were asking for was a 24/7 year-round trading platform and that is why we’ve launched Online Marketplace – to be a continuation of the brilliant trade that you see people doing here. There are absolute peaks in the trading year, but people want to top up in between and that is where the online marketplace steps in.

Some retailers, they’ll only ever shop here. Some retailers will do both. Some retailers will mix the integrated meetings, the online marketplace and the physical event. Ultimately we’re a marketplace whether its on or offline. It’s about giving people choice and flexibility.

We’ve really focussed on the customer experience for both the exhibitors and visitors. We really, really tried to ensure that the first show back is a really positive experience.”

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GT CONTRIBUTOR BIRA

Picture credit Pixabay.com

Net Zero Ambitions The government has set out a strategy for net zero emissions by 2050 with businesses and others encouraged to do the same. Bira is aiming high to be the first business association to achieve the goal but there are concerns for many of the schemes being introduced across the country as CEO Andrew Goodacre reveals.

CEO Andrew Goodacre

10 Gifts Today

seen to mirror this agenda.

However, while Bira – itself aiming to become the first business association to become net zero – is supportive of many of these efforts, we are also concerned about their impact on the high street.

Measures being steam-rolled through in the attempt to reduce an authority’s carbon footprint include drastically reducing town centre car parking spaces; pedestrianisation of high streets; and installation of cycle lanes, amongst others. Many of these schemes, it seems, have been implemented without much consultation between councils and local businesses.

Our members have been in

touch with their stories from towns across the country including Shaftesbury in Dorset, Clifton, and Thornbury in Bristol, and Perth in Scotland. And many are reporting reduced footfall as a result of these measures.

As I have said, Bira supports a more environmentally-friendly

‘

Bira supports a more environmentallyfriendly high street and is helping members to become sustainable retailers

‘

T

he race is on. For once I am not talking football and the race to secure a place in next year’s World Cup. Instead, I am referring to the race to net zero; a challenge which some local authorities seem to be taking with more zeal than the England team with the Coupe de Monde in sight. And because of the Government’s own eco strategy of achieving net zero by 2050, these efforts are pleasingly

high street and is helping members to become sustainable retailers. We’ve got our own Sustainability Hub, and are also signposting indies towards Green Street, a new website full of ideas on how retailers can reduce their carbon footprint. However, as many of our members have rightly pointed out, net zero goals of local

authorities rarely equate to more shoppers in shops.

As part of the Covid restrictions we experienced traffic reduction schemes and ad hoc pedestrianisation – all resulting in less parking and less access to the high streets. On the one side such plans may encourage people to come to town for a coffee or a bite to eat – but it is difficult to carry shopping home on a bike!

We need planners to talk to retailers about the plans and share ideas for reducing carbon whilst retaining use of the high streets for everyone. As an association we will continue to campaign for open and transparent consultation between businesses and council planners.

Details of Bira’s Sustainability Hub can be found at bira.co.uk/ sustainability.

If you would like to discuss any of this article with us, or would like to find out more about our association and the support we give independent retail business, then please contact our membership team on 0800 028 0245 or visit bira.co.uk

explore the world s’ favourite brands in our incredible range of gifting + homeware products

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GT COVER STORY: Marmalade of London

A sense of

well-being The dedicated Marmalade of London team used the time during lockdown wisely to help create several new collections to complement their existing Marmalade home range, as well as continuing to develop their environmental initiatives. Gifts Today spoke to owners Piers and Helen Flook about the new ranges and the steps they’ve taken to promote well-being and the environment.

It has been a crazy couple of years presented in coloured glass that will glow with a comforting ambience as it burns and releases the but you haven’t stopped. What new ranges are you releasing this scents our expert perfumer has skilfully created. season?

It has been a busy lockdown for us and the fantastic team of dedicated staff at Marmalade of London. This winter there are three completely new collections to complement the ever-popular Marmalade home range. We’re launching Marmalade Well-being, Marmalade Mosney Mill Autumn/Winter and the very exciting, Marmalade Refillable collection.

Self-care and well-being have become important pursuits to many people during the pandemic, and your Marmalade Wellbeing collection taps into that. Tell us more about the range?

The Marmalade Wellbeing collection has three fragrances Calm, Balance and Energise. The three fragrances all come in a 30Cl luxury glass candle, 200ml Reed Diffuser and 10ml refresher/ burner oil. Our candles are hand-poured in the UK and made of natural 100% soy wax with cotton wicks. The collection is beautifully 12 Gifts Today

“Our motivation for the Marmalade Wellbeing collection was the pandemic and the long period of lockdown”

Our diffusers and refresher oils are also handpoured and presented in coloured glass.

Calm is designed to calm your mind with our soothing and relaxing blend of essential oils with top notes of Bergamot and chamomile. There are also middle notes of Lavender and ylang-ylang, plus base notes of sandalwood and amber.

Balance is a restorative blend of essential oils with top notes of White flowers and cassis. Middle notes of violet and eucalyptus and base notes of cedar wood and vanilla.

While Energise is our recharging blend of essential oils with top notes of mandarin and lemon, middle notes of cardamom and geranium and lovely base notes of patchouli and oakmoss.

What was the motivation behind the Marmalade Wellbeing collection?

Our motivation for the Marmalade Wellbeing collection was the pandemic and the long period of lockdown. Helen and I both had Covid in March 2020 and it was a grim time. We were both ill for over 6 weeks and the post viral was horrible.

We felt it was a time for people to start taking better care of their well-being.

Your collaboration with Emma at Mosney Mill continues with the new Autumn/Winter ranges, what makes this partnership work so well?

We work well together with Emma. The illustrations and fragrances are created harmoniously through dozens of zoom and telephone calls. Not all creative people work well together but our relationship does and continues to go from strength-to-strength. We are looking forward to launching the Marmalade Mosney

Mill range in the USA and have had a very positive response to the samples from our US sales agents.

What can we expect from the new Marmalade Mosney Mill range?

Marmalade Mosney Mill Autumn/Winter features beautiful illustrations from Emma at Mosney Mill as you would expect, but we have also upgraded the coloured glass with a new precious metal foiled logo. There are four new fragrances in medium tin candles, Luxury Glass candles and reed diffusers.

Nature is once again at the forefront of all of the scents and fragrances, be it woodlands, the garden or just smells of the countryside. The fragrances in this season’s collection are Autumn Leaves with top notes of tomato leaf and fresh cut grass resting on green fig and cassis with base notes of creamy sandalwood and musk. Hedgerow Walks is reminiscent of ripe blackcurrants, fresh green leaves with a hint of clove and jasmine. Midnight Woods is an intoxicating blend of black lilies, violets and vanilla with base notes of vetiver and sandalwood.

And finally, Winter Fir features top notes of snowcapped fir, pine needles and crisp eucalyptus along with middle notes of leather and smoky woods and a hint of musk.

With the success of your collaboration with Emma, do you have any other collaborations in the pipeline?

No there is nothing in the pipeline, we are focussing on building the Marmalade Mosney Mill range for the next few years and expanding the product range to include some bath and body products and some limited editions. So, watch this space.

Your new Marmalade Refillable range is another sustainability initiative for your organisation, do you think this is something that all businesses need to be looking to do?

I think it is certainly something we should all be doing and it’s something our customers are asking us for. There is a growing awareness of climate change and the need for all of us to do our bit.

Tell us more about the range and how it came about?

During our travels backwards and forwards to the USA, staying in dozens of different hotels in different cities we are always amazed by the number of complimentary bottles of soaps and shower gels in little plastic bottles that are being consumed.

They gave us the idea to produce our alternative which we call simply, Marmalade Refillable. The range features a printed 250ml dispenser glass bottle and accompanying 500ml, “MARMAPAC”, which refills the glass bottle twice. The lovely thing about Marmapacs is they are far more sustainable than millions of 30ml rigid plastic bottles.

You are at the Las Vegas Market, how do you find the American trade shows and events compared to the UK? We have had a fantastic response to Marmalade in the USA, our permanent showrooms in Las Vegas and Los Angeles have been incredibly busy. We have a fantastic dedicated team of sales agents here in the UK and the USA team are equally enthusiastic, we’ve missed seeing them all during the no fly times, but are looking forward to doing all the shows with them next year. The diary is already packed with trips booked to Las

Have all of the environmental initiatives at your new factory gone as well as you had hoped?

It’s lovely to see the 1000 sapling trees we planted behind our unit are starting to grow nicely, popping up from within the protective tubes. Pepper (our dog) goes out every morning and runs up and down, loving the green space. The new factory has been a real inspiration and we have moved out of our own home in Cheltenham for 6 months while we have extensive works completed which include solar panels and an Eco smart home system installed along with having a new fragrance

library built (just in case there’s another lockdown we will still be able to design new fragrances).

Vegas, LA, New York and San Francisco. We are also hoping to get to see our agent who covers Hawaii for the first time in 2022.

Do retail buyers in America look for different things than buyers in the UK/Europe?

Good service and supply lines are essential and freight caps are important. We can send a pallet to most parts of the UK for around £40 whereas in the USA because the distances are so vast freight can cost hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars. To help we have a wellstocked warehouse in New Jersey with a US customer service department to deal with customer queries. The only problem at the moment is sending containers to the USA has become very expensive and there’s the shortage of UK lorry drivers to contend with. It means often we’ll send two 40 foot containers on the same day which can be tricky.

Do you have any plans to attend any other trade shows in the coming months?

Our next show is Las Vegas in January followed

by Spring Fair in February which we are really looking forward to.

Get in touch!

Visit: www.marmaladeoflondon.com

GT CONTRIBUTOR: The Giftware Association

The Return of Trade Shows The Giftware Association has been busy keeping in touch with members at a number of trade shows this season as Chris Workman explains.

H Chris Workman

‘

It was great to meet members face-to-face after so much time apart

‘

14 Gifts Today

ere at The Giftware Association, we have experienced a very successful trade show season over the past few months where we saw trade show organisers stepping up to the mark to open their doors to exhibitors and buyers to really kickstart our industry back into business. We have thoroughly enjoyed visiting all the shows starting off at Harrogate Home and Gift, Autumn Fair, The Scotland Show through to Top Drawer and finally The London Stationery show at the start of October. It was great to meet members face-to-face after so much time apart and to talk to them about the trials and tribulations over the last year and half, and also hear their success stories from being back out there exhibiting again, and some have reported to us that they have had some of their best shows ever. It was equally as encouraging to hear how a lot of brands have pivoted during lockdown and proven that we belong to a very resilient and creative industry open to change and quick to adapt with clever solutions.

It was also great to catch up with the Trade Show organisers to see how they have also diversified and created a

safe space for visitors, from launching partner apps and digital offerings so a visitor, or exhibitor, can catch seminars which they might have previously not been able to get to. Trade Shows have never felt as connected to their audience with the launch of 24/7 marketplaces linking their exhibitors with the audience that matters the most, buyers and retailers.

What was physically noticeable around the shows was the wider aisles and the further spacing out of exhibitors, which allowed the shows to breathe more. It also meant buyers and retailers had a more enjoyable and convenient shopping experience with smaller brands allowed to be discovered rather than hidden away. Credit also goes to the show organisers for the edit of the shows and how well they have pieced together the different categories in our industry to make it a more natural shopping experience.

We also noticed from the increased presence of sustainability among many of the various exhibits, which is something we have talked about a lot on our seminars as well as the Gift Stop. For example, at

The London Stationery show in October we noticed that a lot of the products available had some level of sustainability to them from either being recycled or minimal packaging, but sustainability was also present in elements of the show such as the seating in the seminar areas which was made from recycled cardboard as well as cardboard bins dotted round the show.

We know from speaking to organisers that they are taking the big steps they need to make to ensure the shows are environmentally-friendly and have a less of an impact on the local environment and the environment as a whole. We look forward to what shows have to offer to us in the future.

As we look forward to the last quarter of the year and peak season such as Black Friday and Christmas, our industry has some hurdles such as the shipping crisis and the impacts of Brexit to overcome. We hope we can impart some knowledge to aid and advise on these topics with our upcoming webinars and informal chat sessions.

Visit www.ga-uk.org for more information.

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RETAIL INTERVIEW:

Twoodle Co

Tim Rundle-Wood

For A Man’s Best Friend An unfortunate accident with his pooch Henry, led Tim Rundle-Wood to establish Twoodle Co. Using the experience he’s gained in many areas of retail, the entrepreneur is helping to protect man’s best friend and the environment with a range of home fragrance products and other gifts.

How did you get into retail?

How I got into retail goes way back to 2000 when I decided to drop everything and move from the small countryside town in Somerset where I grew up, to London, in search of a more exciting life. I really landed on my feet as I got a job with Clinton Cards in Putney. This was how I fell into retail and as it turned out I was really good at it. I was store manager within a year and then became a trouble-shooting manager, helping ‘fix’ stores that were losing money. I developed a knack for what Alan Sugar says is the ability to ‘smell what sells’. I went on do something similar with Black Leisure Group, becoming the manager of their flagship Millets store in Kingston - setting a still unbroken sales day of £1,000,000. I then moved into luxury retail with Whittard of Chelsea, managing their Regent Street store, where I also started working with the buying and merchandising team, helping develop new products and make improvements to old products. This is where I really cut my teeth in how you take a product from concept to market and I will be forever grateful for being given that opportunity. Without that experience, I doubt I’d be fortunate enough to have my very own store today.

16 Gifts Today

How did your store come about?

I started developing the Twoodle Co brand back in 2016. My concept for the business was to have collections of handmade soft furnishings that co-ordinated, after seeing a gap in the market when trying to find these kinds of products for myself. I did a test launch on Etsy in the summer of 2017 and shortly after that was the incident that would change the course of the business and my life. After moving into a new place that hadn’t been lived in for some time, I purchased some reed diffusers.

My dog Henry was one year old at this point and he would always want to see (and sniff) what I was doing, so as I was putting out one of the reed diffusers, I held it down to him to let him sniff it. The reaction was almost instant, he froze on the spot and had started frothing at the mouth. I rushed him to the vets where they induced a coma, ultimately saving his life - just. Henry had a reaction I later found out is called inhalation toxicity. This led me to creating my own natural version of products that had a focus on safety, being ecofriendly and kind to animals. After working with a CLP consultant, I created a collection of over 20 scents - each one based on my happiest memories, I re-launched the business as Twoodle Co: Natural Home Scents in the

summer of 2018, selling natural diffusers, candles and gifts.

I began with an online store and attending various craft markets around London.

Then I was invited to take part in Enterprise Nation’s Click & Mortar project. For three months, I managed the stores in Manchester and Cardiff, while working with many other small upand-coming brands, all looking to test high street retailing. This gave me a unique opportunity to really understand how a store would work for me and gave me to confidence that a physical store was the way to go. I came up with a plan as to how I would open my own store. I set up permanent pitches in well-known weekly craft markets around London, beginning with Piccadilly Market. My plan was to establish a presence in London and eventually open a store.

Just as these markets were taking off, the pandemic hit. Overnight, everything I’d been working towards had to stop and I essentially had to go back to the drawing board, like thousands and thousands of other businesses at the time.

My tenacity took over and I came up with my pivot plan. I re-focused on my online store and moving back onto online market places like Etsy and Folksy. This really paid off and as we came out of lockdown in June 2020, my little team and I started looking for a small store. One of

the things I learnt from my time with Whittard of Chelsea was that customers expectation of what retail has to offer is changing - retail is becoming experiential and the old business model of ‘customer comes into store, picks up what they want, pays and walks out’ is a broken model.

Customers want an experience. One of the ideas I was able to test in the Clicks & Mortar shop was my ‘Bakery for candles’ idea, where customers could watch products being made while they shopped. So, this is exactly what I implemented when I opened my first store at 10 Cheshire street, Shoreditch, just off Brick Lane, near Liverpool Street Station in August 2020. The back half of the store is a workshop and the front half is retail space. This means customers can see products being made and has the added benefit of removing any doubt that everything is handmade in London!

How is trade going now that summer is over and the temperature is dropping?

We’re now in Pumpkin Spice season, this is the time of year when people want to surround themselves with warming candles.

Our current best-selling scents are: Autumn Trees, The Fire Hearth and of course Pumpkin Spice. Trade is naturally picking up as we move towards Christmas. London was hit with a triple whammy this summer, as the life blood of London remained largely gone as international tourism still hadn’t returned, city workers still hadn’t returned and internal tourism to London largely stopped because of the Delta variant.

We took this time to refocus on wholesale and delivering the best service. For us, like many businesses, June-August this year was actually the hardest three months of the whole pandemic, as government help drew to a close, business rates restarted and people’s attentions turned to the hospitality industry and to take long overdue holidays.

“ media hSaocial much m s become ore story-tel ling andabout helping people b y a d d value wi th helpifnug l content”

What is the mix of merchandise in store?

We very much focus on anything scented and have a full range of ways to scent the home naturally, including Room Diffusers, Candles (in various sizes), scented pouches (for drawers etc), wax melts and our unique scented ornaments: handmade from coconut wax, decorated with natural botanicals, biodegradable glitter and scented with our unique essential oil blends. We are now starting to move into cosmetics, with the successful launch of our unique gel hand soaps last year, we have just launched lips balms and have plans to launch bath bombs and bath salts in 2022. Last year for the first time we started putting our products together in gifts sets and these really took off, so we have improved the range this year.

Do you have a typical customer?

Our main customers are those looking to be more eco-conscious. Having removed all plastic from our products and having had all our products certified cruelty-free and vegan

by PETA, customers are becoming more and more aware about eco-friendly products. All our candles are made from our unique hemp wax.

It’s made using hemp seed oil sourced locally from an independent farm in Warwick.

How have you been sourcing new products this year?

This year we really focused on sourcing all our material from UK suppliers and manufacturers.

Pre-Brexit, most of our glassware came from either Ireland or Germany - now we are almost 100% British made and in the long run means we won’t be affected by the continual challenges and changes caused by Brexit.

How important is social media to your business?

Social media has changed beyond all recognition over the past decade and the way people use it has changed so much - particularly in the past two years.

For us it’s become a place where we can interact and have conversations with our customers, as opposed to selling to them. It’s become much more about story-telling and helping people by adding value with helpful content. As we learnt with Facebook and Instagram going down recently, if these are your main selling channels as a business, then you are not holding the keys to your own destiny. I would now describe social media as complementary, not critical.

How does your online offering do?

Our online store is just as important as our physical store, every platform complements the other. This was highlighted greatly during the various UK lockdowns, particularly during the lead up to Christmas last year, where our store became a beacon during the darkest days of December and we were able to implement things like Click and Collect.

Any special plans for trading up to Christmas?

This year is all about steadying the ship - focusing on doing what we do best and doing it extremely well. Being there for our customers when they need us has become our most important focus this year, as well as being an example to other businesses on how you can be truly eco-friendly. https://twoodleco.co.uk/ Gifts Today 17

Gifts Today

RETAILERS’ PANEL

The latest member of our panel started out as a glassmaker before diversifying and moving into a bigger gift shop. Located in Brighton, Suzanne O’Leary tells us what makes her store so special as she juggles the wants of the locals and tourists that make up her customer base.

Little Beach Boutique Brighton How did you get into retail?

I originally got into retail as a glassmaker, first. I started selling my creations in a former fisherman’s arch on Brighton Seafront before moving to a larger retail space in central Brighton and widening my offerings.

18 Gifts Today

How is trade going now that summer is over and the temperature is dropping?

We had our best summer ever, (possibly thanks to the trend of staycationers) but sales have dipped a little - just temporarily hopefully.

There aren’t as many people about now as it gets darker and colder, but we hope by Halloween they will be out again in the lead up to Christmas.

‘

Do you have any special plans for trading up to Christmas?

We are doing our popular late night shopping event, which involves discounts, giveaways, prosecco and a lively atmosphere! Unfortunately, we didn’t get to do it last year thanks to the lockdowns and restrictions, so it will be good to be back and have our customers in store once more and having a great time.

What is Social media is very important to the mix of merchandise us, especially Instagram, because of in your store? the interaction with customers, other I like to have makers and small businesses. It’s a range of handmade a supportive and encouraging jewellery, environment and we sell lots of products ceramics and homeware, base that includes tourists and including glass that is made inreturning locals. But our most house. There are also accessories, frequent customer is typically a gifts, prints and cards, which are woman treating a loved one, or mostly all sourced from UK based picking up a little something for designers and makers. themselves.

What are your popular brands or How have you been sourcing items this season? new products this year?

This season handmade botanicalSourcing new products has inspired jewellery by Mica Peet has largely been done via Instagram been doing very well and funny and some new third party animal prints featuring original websites that host small calligraphy by Tipperleyhill have also businesses looking for new trade been popular. partners. I haven’t managed to go Do you have a typical customer? to any trade shows like I normally We have a very diverse customer might to source new things.

‘

Suzanne O’Leary

What trade shows do you generally visit?

I usually go to Top Drawer in London and also Spring Fair, but not this year.

How important is social media to your business?

Social media is very important to us, especially Instagram, because of the interaction with customers, other makers and small businesses. It’s a supportive and encouraging environment and we sell lots of products that we show on there by direct click-throughs.

How does your online offering do?

Our online presence makes up about a quarter of our sales now. It has been bigger since lockdown, when everything went online. And I am anticipating that this area will grow even more in the colder months when people are less likely to be out and about. www.littlebeachboutique.com

SHOWROOM NOW OPEN Address: Bourton Industrial Park Bourton-on-the-Water Gloucestershire, GL54 2LZ, UK

Opening Times:

Monday - Thursday: 8:30am-5:00pm Friday: 8:45am-4:00pm

The Light & Living Group is a house of brands. We are proud to present our new showroom! Each of our 5 brands is represented here with its own distinct character. Our mission is to make designer furniture and home accessories accessible to everyone. Make sure to make an appointment and have a look at the collections of Light & Living, Pt, Leitmotiv, Karlsson and Parlane. Visit the showroom with all our brands in Bourtonon-the-Water.

Address: Bourton Industrial Park Bourton-on-the-Water Gloucestershire, GL54 2LZ, UK

Opening Times: Monday - Thursday: 8:30am-5:00pm Friday: 8:45am-4:00pm

PRESENT TIME Present Time is delighted to present its new A/W collection with 500+ new items! All items are recognizable for their modern looks, Scandinavian nod, daring colours and an element of fun.

KARLSSON Karlsson is a world-renowned Dutch clock brand. The Karlsson brand is synonymous with high quality, stunning graphics, aesthetic shapes and innovative design.

PT, Pt, features colourful, trendy, functional and “must have” home accessories with a Scandinavian nod for the modern look.

LEITMOTIV Leitmotiv lighting and small furniture are items with strong and timeless design elements.

Contact: lf@presenttime.com

PARLANE Parlane’s high-quality home collections are designed in the world-famous Cotswolds. Here, contemporary trends are combined with traditional craftsmanship, all with a British personality & style.

If you like what you see and would like to soak up the full experience of the entire collection and pick up merchandising display tips found in our showroom in The Cotswolds, then please contact us to arrange a visit Contact: sales@parlane.co.uk

LIGHT & LIVING We are Light & Living, a dynamic wholesale company with a passion for light & interior.

Our mission is to create exclusive designs and to inspire, because we know the importance of elevating a home by creating your own sanctuary.

The main theme this autumn/winter is ‘Brave’. Brave radiates warmth and comfort, which is exactly what the autumn/winter of 2021 entails. Fill your home with ambient lighting and enjoy the cold winter days from the comfort of your home.

We would love for you to have a look at our collection in our showroom. Get in touch by e-mail to make an appointment! Contact: alison@light-living.nl

Product Focus

At Home

Transparent Treasures

Present Time

Have you spotted the Transparent Treasures by Present Time yet? These transparent vases and candle holders are known for their beautiful colours, special shapes and patterns - a real feast for the eyes! They are perfect to combine with a wild bouquet or a trendy swirl candle. But even without the added floral arrangement or candle, these treasures make an eye-catching statement to any interior.

More colours and shapes Following the success of the release of Transparent Treasures this year, the collection has now been expanded with new colours, shapes and patterns. This winter you’ll see more natural tints, a larger variation in sizes and on some models, you’ll find stylish detail embossed in the glass.

Perfect to combine The Transparent Treasures collection is completely on trend and perfect to combine with the interior trends of the moment. Don’t be afraid to experiment with these must have items as they look great in almost every interior.

Would you like to find more in this style? The Treasures from this collection are a perfect match to the Present Time theme: Natural Nirvana.

Visit: www.presenttime.com

Visage Collection Joe Davies Joe Davies introduce their new contemporary Visage face collection of home décor items and vases. Inspired by the drawings of Picasso, this range has been designed by Joe Davies in the UK. The face design is embossed onto a simple textured background and is available in two different colourways, champagne and gun metal grey, to match current home décor trends. There are four modern vase shapes to choose from, matching planters, round décor ball, tea light holder, and the new addition of an oil burner.

Call: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Visit: www.joedavies.co.uk Gifts Today 39 19

Product Focus At Home

New Season Style

The Orangery Collection PTMD’s AW21 season is styled in their signature rebellious luxury aesthetic. Presenting thousands of distinctive designs across their home accessories collection, PTMD’s AW21 edition is a tribute to the free-thinking energy of amorphous design. Amorphous design is a modern tribute to organic design, standing against structure and prohibitions. This aesthetic is characterised by free form, contrast and energetic colour palettes with a future oriented energy.

PTMD’s houseplant pot collection is a collision of contrasts.

PTMD have been creating unique houseplant pots since 1992.

This season, their irresistibly tactile collection embraces utilitarian angled faceted pots in matted neon pastel shades meet polished candied reactive glaze vessels offset amongst minimalist brushed steel planters and metallic reptilian imprinted surfaces. PTMD’s Jux houseplant pot collection celebrates the inherent beauty of nature with its leaf pattern surface. This waterproof pot is made of fine ceramics and can be used in both indoor and outdoor settings. The Jux collection presents six vase and pot sizes and is available in subtle candied blush and caramel tones.

This season PTMD’s lighting design influences draw from botanical and organic origins. They debut pieces formed of natural wicker materials and metal botanical light sculptures. From hanging lamps capturing the effortless elegance of horticulture, to statement table lamps with rough and raw architecture and playful monstera leaf desk lamps. PTMD’s grand Mellis collection is inspired by biophilic design. The Mellis collection presents a characterful hanging lamp, desk lamp, standing lamp and wall lamp whose iron

Call: 07872606299 Email: sales@theorangery.org

20 Gifts Today

surfaces play with tone with their lightly oxidised surfaces.

Showcasing the best of Dutch Design, PTMD work in partnership with award winning Dutch floral artists to develop their best-selling faux botanical catalogue. In a seasonally evolving collection of over 500 dried and faux designs, their floral artists utilise their wealth of horticultural expertise to develop a selection that reflects the true form of each plant to ensure convincing pieces. Their botanical collection is designed to aid the creation of no maintenance botanical displays for retail, hospitality and residential projects. From large potted bamboo trees which are constructed using natural branches, to delicate cherry blossom stems with interior wires, you could be forgiven for doubting the faux nature of these designs.

PTMD’s assortment of home accessories seeks to create positive interior spaces with designs inspired by the soothing colour hues and sculptural forms of nature. Their collection of interior creations celebrates powerful representations of precious flora and fauna.

This seasons Luxe Safari trend presents the luxurious divinity of the natural world into home interiors. Polished hand-painted animal print pots meet gilded polyresin predatory figures and vibrant print cushions, offset against opulent gold ceramic pots and grandiose accessories to create a chic home oasis.

PTMD have thousands of unique designs in stock now ready for delivery in 10-14 working days. For all enquiries, please contact The Orangery Collection.

Trade talk

Supply chain issues and looking ahead to Christmas and beyond, we see what our industry experts have to say this month

Sarah Watmore Owner, Miss Milly

Are you facing any logistics or supply chain issues at present? How are you dealing with it?

All our shipments this year have been delayed at least once due to logistics issues. I think we have fared better than many because we don’t ship full containers and have managed to find space somewhere. But let’s not talk about the cost increases!

Some of our new AW21 stock has been delayed from midSeptember until late October, and we have our fingers firmly crossed that this third delivery date change is the one that happens. Knowing this was likely to happen, we ensured that our factories sent one sample of everything by courier in time for Autumn Fair so that we could show customers the full range and explain that the goods wouldn’t be shipped to them until late October.

Any predictions for must-have Christmas gifts?

From the Miss Milly range, it is definitely our magnetic brooches, which are already selling through quickly with most of the new stock backordered too. They’re a great price point, work with clothing, scarves, bags and hats, leave no pin holes and make a lovely gift-boxed present for women of all ages.

Are you concerned about any potential winter lockdowns?

My personal belief is that we shouldn’t have any more lockdowns; so many of us have done everything necessary to avoid that, and continue to do so. I do think that mask enforcement in public areas may well come back but much of the economy can’t take another golden quarter hit like last year and neither can our children’s development. If there is a lockdown, however, we will do the best we can to get through it.

It’s very noticeable that consumer Christmas buying has started early as people do have this at the back of their minds and it has led to an increase in sales for us for this time of year.

Paul Hooker

Commercial director, Joe Davies Are you facing any logistics or supply chain issues at present? How are you dealing with it?

Deliveries are taking longer to get to us, both on ships and then from the ports, luckily we placed big orders early in the year and have stock now arriving daily. We are fortunate at Joe Davies too, with such a large spread of product our Little & Often order system has been great for keeping stock on our customers shelves.

Any predictions for must-have Christmas gifts?

Fashion gifts and accessories are selling really well.

Our snoozies collection of slippers is repeating strongly already, and there is high demand for Equilibrium boxed hats, gloves and scarves.

Are you concerned about any potential winter lockdowns?

The reports seem to show that the vaccine program has been a massive success and no one wants to see a return to lockdowns in retail. We are geared up for a very busy shopping season and our customers report that consumers are already well underway with their Christmas shopping.

Looking ahead, any plans to exhibit at any Spring Trade fairs?

Looking ahead, any plans to exhibit at any Spring Trade fairs?

We will be at Spring Fair and are very much looking forward to it already. Exhibiting at Home & Gift was a risk but one that worked out well for us, and Autumn Fair was also a good show, both with lots of new accounts coming on board. I think a lot of retailers who have been cautious this year for whatever reason and avoided the shows, will be chomping at the bit to see ranges in person next Spring.

We have supported trade shows and our customers as soon as exhibitions recommenced. Our space is booked for Spring Fair and for the first time we have an Equilibrium stand booked for Top Drawer.

22 Gifts Today

Lawrence Savage

UK marketing manager, Exacompta-Clairefontaine Are you facing any logistics or supply chain issues at present? How are you dealing with it?

Despite all of the challenges that covid-19 and Brexit have provided to the industry as a whole, we are excited about the opportunities shaping up as we move towards 2022. The past year has certainly enabled us to review our operations, whilst enhancing our dealer interactions. In responding to the obstacles, we’ve definitely become more dynamic in regards to our order processing and we have developed more flexible distribution logistics to accommodate the increasingly varied customer delivery requirements that has been influenced by the pandemic and recent driver shortages.

Thankfully, as we manage many manufacturing facilities across the UK and Europe, we’ve been able to minimise the impact of these upon our operations, compared to other companies who are more reliant on manufacturing in the Far East.

Any predictions for must-have Christmas gifts?

Trends such as journaling and the rising number of people working from home, especially during the pandemic, has seen a continued rise in premium stationery items such as notebooks. This has also influenced the impact on the demand for more crafting products, with people having an increased desire to communicate with friends and loved ones by giving gifts with a more personal touch.

With this in mind, our new range of Décopatch Christmas items is proving popular. These include a pretty hanging flower wreath that comes with brass fasteners and can be decorated to suit individual tastes. Perfect for small table gifts, the new box crackers can be reused year after year, with the added bonus that they can be decorated to co-ordinate with the table dressing.

The Graffy Christmas Advent Calendar from Avenue Mandarine, features 24 pre-drawn shapes made from premium-quality Clairefontaine card paper. Each of these unique, pre-cut house shaped designs are numbered from 1-24, making them ideal for colouring in with pencils, felt-tips or paints. When assembled, they can be hung from Christmas trees as baubles or used for room décor - perfect for small items such as sweets and coins to be placed inside in the run up to Christmas Day.

Keren Dicken

Sales & marketing director, Personalised Memento Company Are you facing any logistics or supply chain issues at present due to driver shortages or shipping delays etc? How are you dealing with it?

Our supply chain has been under pressure all year. The lack of containers has added weeks into the lead times from our far east suppliers not to mention the huge increase in cost which doesn’t look like it will improve any time soon. We decided to be optimistic, ordering well in advance with high stocks which has luckily paid off so our autumn/winter stock has nearly all arrived in time for the season.

Are you concerned about any potential winter lockdowns?

We have all learned a lot of lessons from the past year or so and both businesses and people are much more adaptable, so if we did encounter a new lockdown period over the upcoming winter months I believe we’ll find any impacts are nowhere near as adverse.

Looking ahead, any plans to exhibit at any Spring Trade fairs?

We’ve just got back from the 2021 London Stationery Show, which was our first UK event since the pandemic.

It proved very successful and so we’re already looking forward to the 2022 show, which has been scheduled for May. We’ll have plenty of exciting new and exciting stationery collections and crafting items to display, so pencil the dates into your diary!

Any predictions for must-have Christmas gifts?

Light up products are proving very popular and our much awaited LED glass jar will be much in demand.

Are you concerned about any potential winter lockdowns?

We hope that another lockdown is not needed but if it happened we are well placed to benefit from the increased activity online.

Looking ahead, any plans to exhibit at any Spring Trade fairs?

We are exhibiting at the Spring Fair at the NEC next year. We can’t wait to see customers new and old and to share our latest products.

Gifts Today 23

Product Focus

Isle of Skye

Fragrance Gifts

Signature

Scents

Ashleigh & Burwood

What we think smells nice varies from person to person, so how do we choose a scent for the home when there are multiple people to please?

We’ve all spent a lot more time at home over the past couple of years thanks to a pesky pandemic, and for some that has meant we’ve wanted to climb the walls, while others have turned their homes into an oasis. Beyond the DIY projects, new furniture, reorganizing the layout of a room, or picking up some new décor items, home fragrances have become a boom industry as we try to establish a sense of calm among all the chaos – and fragranced gifts have become

St Eval

24 Gifts Today

more popular by default, as we try to help our loved ones enjoy the benefits as well.

But how do we pick the right scent for our home or a gift? What one person likes might evoke terrible memories in another, scent has a peculiar way of reminding us of many things from our past, both good and bad. Whether it was grandma’s delicious cooking, or the unpleasant odour of a school sports changeroom, we can be transported back in time

with just a whiff of something familiar.

Then there may be allergies or health conditions to consider. Are there pets or small children which might find some aromas offensive – plus the vessels used to spread the scents need to be safe for them to be around as well, and it will help if the candles or diffusers have the added bonus of looking nice too. How long with the smell last and ultimately what mood are you trying to create?

The principles of aromatherapy are a good place to start. Do you or the gift recipient want to relax, feel energized, create a sense of cosiness, or simply make the home smell clean and fresh?

Different notes can aid in establishing any of these moods, whether its lavender, pine, citrus or something else.

If you’re new to the concept, start simple with a few small candles or even some lovely smelly soap until you settle on fragrances that work.

As much as a giant statement candle makes for a wonderful centrepiece on a table, it won’t benefit anyone if the scent doesn’t appeal to those in the home. But then experiment with other products be it diffusers, incense, sprays, pot pourri or any other of the spectrum of scented items made for the home.

It’s about balance. Gradually you will be able to mix and match not only the scents that appeal to your nose and sense of well-being, but also the right mode of delivery for each room and your family or loved ones.

Add fresh elements to complement any other items. Fresh flowers or a pot plant can bring in another dimension – and make great additional gifts too.

But whether it’s your house, or a loved ones, let’s hope everyone remembers to keep any nasty odours away by minimising any garbage, emptying any cat litter or other pet items regularly, keep on top of the cleaning in rooms like the bathroom and kitchen and try not to have a plethora of dirty laundry detracting from your otherwise pleasant-smelling home. Fragranced gifts can change the ambience of a room, but don’t expect the impossible when it comes to ridding bad smells in a teenager’s bedroom.

These simple steps may take a little time to fine tune, but once you’ve figured it all out, your home will be smelling fantastic and you’ll have a fool-proof method for choosing fragranced gifts for your your loved ones so they can create their own sense of serenity at home.

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Available to ORDER NOW +44 (0)117 316 1200

hfcustomercare@newellco.com

Please note that our Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel is a biocidal product which falls under the Biocidal Products Regulation (EU) 528/2012 (“BPR”). As per the BPR, our Product is only compliant in certain countries. Accordingly, you must only sell our Product in the following countries where it is authorized to be sold: United Kingdom; France; Germany; and Ireland.

Should our Product be sold outside of the listed countries, you assume responsibility and liability for any non-compliance.

Product Focus Fragrance Gifts

The season

of candles Isle of Skye

As the days get shorter, we all enjoy a cosy night in. And there isn’t anything that can elevate the experience more than a great scented candle. Be it for the ‘hygge’ pursuers, festive season enthusiasts or all-around gift shoppers.

Autumn/Winter really is the season of candles.

The Isle of Skye company is passionate about creating beautiful home fragrance products at an attractive price, made from sustainable ingredients that won’t cost the planet! They are committed to staying true to their name, keeping all the manufacturing processes to the Isle of Skye, placing the island community to the core of the company values.

The Isle of Skye Candle Company offer a variety of soya wax candles and reed diffusers. Divided into two collections, the Signature Range offers a seasonal favourite fragrance in Winter Warmer. This gorgeous blend combines cinnamon, orange and cloves and creates a smell as comforting as a nice cup of winter punch. The collection is available in 4 candle sizes and a reed diffuser, which effortlessly dispenses the scent for up to 10 weeks.

The second collection that Skye Candles offer is the luxurious Scottish Collection, a selection of unique fragrances authentic to the Highlands including the latest addition, Wild Mountain Thyme. This is a herbal blend of thyme and petitgrain where base notes of orange and rosemary are balanced out with galbanum and woody notes of pine, perfectly capturing and complementing the moodiness and wilderness of the Scottish Mountains.

All the Isle of Skye Candle Company products are designed in a chic eyecatching packaging, without any single use plastic, making it the perfect environmentally-friendly gift that everyone would be delighted to receive.

Email: enquiries@skyecandles.co.uk

New look Manor House

The smart and stylish look of Manor House’s re-branded packaging covers their widest collection of home fragrance items yet. Their extended offering of 28 home fragrance collections has had some new additions throughout the year, offering great choice for consumers.

The company pride themselves on producing all their products by hand in Suffolk and all of the fragrance collections include their signature Pot Pourri, Scented Botanical Candles, Gift Boxed Candles, Diffusers and Room Sprays along with Drawer Sachets, Liners and more.

Manor House have relaunched a new collection of Luxury Hand Wash and Moisturising Lotions to complement each of their 28 fragrance collections. All products use mainly British packaging and fragrances, the finest botanicals from around the world, recyclable packaging, fabrics, hand woven silks from Suffolk silk mills and ribbons mainly from British companies thus creating a true Handmade in Great Britain Home Fragrance Collection.

Call: 01359 250720 | Visit: manorhousehomefragrance.co.uk

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Product Focus Fragrance Gifts

Cheers!

Ashleigh & Burwood

This season, home fragrance experts Ashleigh & Burwood have added three new scents to their collection. The new additions, which will be available as Lamp Fragrance as well as Reed Diffusers and Reed Diffuser Refills in The Scented Home collection, draw on the popularity of boozy gourmands with fruity cocktail and aromatic gin-inspired fragrances.

Passionfruit Martini bursts with exciting fruity energy - this new cocktail of scents is fizzing with exotic citrus notes, juicy peach, tropical passionfruit and finished with a hint of sweet vanilla. Meanwhile Rhubarb Gin blends exquisitely aromatic notes of cassis, neroli and mint with sweet-smelling rhubarb and rose to create a scent which captures the refreshing effect of a glass of rhubarb gin. Rounding out the AW21 additions is Pink Pepper & Tonka, a luxurious scent of aromatic pink pepper and sparkling bergamot, complemented by rich base notes of honeyed tonka bean and spicy patchouli.

Each of the three fragrance is available in 250ml and 500ml Lamp Fragrances which can be used with Ashleigh & Burwood's Fragrance Lamps, which are proven to reduce air pollutants such as dust mites, mould spores and bacteria, to reduce unwanted odours like pet and food spoilage smells, and to reduce airborne and surface coronavirus.

The new Lamp Fragrances were a hit with visitors to Autumn Fair, but if you missed out, the company’s full range can be viewed and purchased 24/7 on their virtual showroom, www.TheHouseofAB.com. A progression on a regular digital showroom, Ashleigh & Burwood’s custom built show space is designed around a beautiful home that is an expression of the style and aspirations of the brand. Ashleigh & Burwood have an answer for sampling their fragrances too and scent cards newest scents are available on request.

Call: 01932 267060 Email: COT@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk Virtual showroom: www.thehouseofab.com

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www.aromatizetrade.co.uk

Tel: 01254 300268 *LIWV 7RGD\ LQGG

Email: sales@aromatize.co.uk

Product Focus Fragrance Gifts

Huge

portfolio Aromatize Ltd

With their vast portfolio including brands such as Aroma Accessories, Woodbridge and Village Candle, Aromatize cover every element that is required in the home fragrance market. With an unparalleled range of designs or variations of electrical wax melt burners, electrical diffusers and non-electric accessories at competitive prices. Their showrooms are available to visit five days a week and every measure has been taken to offer a safe and enjoyable visit for all customers.

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

The smell of

Tinsel?

Wax Lyrical

Tinsel? Not really, but according to six of the one thousand people asked by fragrance experts Wax Lyrical UK, the smell of tinsel makes them nostalgic for Christmas. Dr Will Locke, Head of Research & Development at Wax Lyrical UK knows why. “There is an intimate connection between smells, memories and emotions as they are intertwined in the same regions of the brain. Fragrance enters our body through the olfactory bulb and takes a direct route to emotion and memory.

Our most nostalgic scent?

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

9% said the aroma of mulled wine.

10% named spiced apple and oranges.

Of all the sweet treats, gingerbread was the favourite, receiving 6% of the vote.

Christmas dinner, winter spices, berries, nutmeg and chestnuts together accumulated 6% of the vote.

In second place, 27% said pine needles/real Christmas trees.

But the most nostalgic fragrance for Christmas, with 42% of the vote, was cinnamon.

Respondents also highlighted natural scents such as peppermint, sandalwood, frankincense, patchouli and eucalyptus. Dr Will said, “This resonates with our consumer trends. Our Colony Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh has been an annual best seller since it was first launched 20 years ago and the five fragrances in our Baby it’s Cold Outside range include jasmine, cedar wood, snow lily, amber, peppermint, zesty bergamot and Deck the Halls includes the most popular, cinnamon!”

Whatever your nostalgic or favourite scent, 41 years of science, wrapped up in total fragrance and made in England is why Wax Lyrical is celebrated at home and around the world.

Email: customerservice@wax-lyrical.com 30 Gifts Today

Product Focus Fragrance Gifts

Serenity and style Widdop and Co

Widdop and Co take delight in being able to distribute the most relaxing and therapeutic scents that New Zealand has to offer to their UK-based customers.

The Aromatherapy Company produces home fragrance products that ooze luxury and tranquillity. With sleek packaging and naturally deodorizing scents, these candles and diffusers offer a perfectly therapeutic option that suit many different consumer preferences.

The bespoke brand Serenity by SOPHIA® is one that is inspired by the notions of health, wellness and therapy. With scent options that aim to complement or counteract a variety of different moods, stress relief has never been so aromatic.

Promoting mindfulness through a collection of high quality and affordable candles and diffusers, Serenity insists on the need to be present in everyday, an essential gift collection perfect for the modern go-getter.

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If your home fragrance preferences rely on stylish and trend-led products as well as welcoming aromas, HESTIA® makes an ideal option. HESTIA® soy-wax candles melt to release an aromatic mosaic of intricate and elegant scents, whilst also having a sleek and stylish appearance that would be perfect in any living space, whatever the decor.

Frida by SOPHIA® provides colourful, vibrant, and cheerful home fragrance options that would work perfectly as gifts for variety of preferences. With scents that encourage happiness, positivity and joy, the floral packaging perfectly complements the bright and exuberant aromas on offer.

Visit: widdop.co.uk

Product Focus Fragrance Gifts

Sustainable

Scents St. Eval

Nestled on a farm in the heart of North Cornwall, St. Eval craft candles and home fragrance inspired by nature and the beautiful coast and countryside surrounding them. Their products are made with an emphasis on sustainability, and were recently honoured with a Queen's Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development.

St. Eval’s enchanting Christmas Collection is home to new whimsical designs for their festive tins and tealights each with a beautiful illustration telling a different story and special silver and gold adornments for added sparkle. Discover the comforting winter delights of sweet and fruity Figgy Pudding, spicy Inspiritus, warming Orange & Cinnamon and earthy, herbal Winter Thyme. Bring festive cheer into your home with their elegant Winter Woodland pots; inspired by winter wildlife and home to a charming trio of Reindeer, Robin and Hare candles each with a unique St. Eval fragrance. Adorn your home with St. Eval’s Winter Star candles, featuring a soft grey pot with twinkling stars resembling a clear winters night sky; perfect to add a festive touch to the home. Plus, new for 2021, their White Christmas candles are more dazzling than ever with an enhanced gold finish to beautifully complement your festive home décor.

New for 2021, St. Eval’s Lavender & Sage Botanical Hand Care range is perfect for nature lovers. Made with a unique blend of 100% naturally derived ingredients and pure essential oils for calming, balancing, and healing effects, this range is vegan-friendly and paraben-free with recyclable packaging. The perfect gift for Christmas, for you or your family.

Call: 01841 540 850 | Email: info@st-eval.com | Visit: www.st-eval.com

Sussex beauty The English Soap Company

For over 20 years, The English Soap Company has been making sustainable soaps, candles and toiletries in the heart of the Sussex countryside. At their headquarters, nestled just outside Waldron on Silveroaks Farm, the company is continuously working on creating new, exciting and innovative products.

Launching this Autumn, a lavish new hand and body range - the Radiant Collection, and the latest Kew Gardens product release - Luxury Hand Care Set Collection.

Focused on sustainability, they produce plastic-free soap bars and use aluminium tubes and PCR recycled plastic bottles where possible. They have won Sustainable/Ethical Manufacturer of the Year 2020 (Insider – Made in the South East Award) and have been shortlisted for Best Rural Innovation Award 2021 (The Rural Business Awards - East Region – Finalist).

The English Soap Company is a family run business and are committed to making beautiful, quality products for their customers.

Call: 01435 813849 Email: sales@theenglishsoapcompany.com Visit: www.theenglishsoapcompany.com 34 Gifts Today

CYPRESS & FIR e ĀĹå üų±čų±ĹÏå ƵĜƋĘ ĹŅƋåŸ Ņü üųŅŸƋåÚ Āų ĹååÚĬåØ ƵĘĜƋå åƚϱĬƼŞƋƚŸ ±ĹÚ ÏųƚŸĘåÚ ŞĜĹå ÏŅĹåŸØ ĜĹŸŞĜųåÚ ÆƼ űƋĜƴå ÏƼŞų域 ƋųååŸØ ÏŅDŽƼ ĀųåŞĬ±ÏåŸØ ±ĹÚ ƋĘå üååĬĜĹč Ņü ƋŅčåƋĘåųĹ域ţ )±ÏĘ ŞĜåÏå Ņü Ņƚų ÆåŸƋŸåĬĬĜĹč ƵĜĹƋåų ÏŅĬĬåÏƋĜŅĹØ üųŅĵ ʱĹÚěÆĬŅƵĹ čĬ±ŸŸØ ƋŅ ĵ±ƋƋå ƋåƻƋƚųåÚ Ïåų±ĵĜÏŸØ ĜŸ ÚåŸĜčĹåÚ ƋŅ åƴŅĩå ± ŸåĹŸå Ņü ƵĜĹƋåų ÏĘååų ƋʱƋ ϱųųĜåŸ ƋĘųŅƚčĘŅƚƋ ƋĘå Ÿå±ŸŅĹţ

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Product Focus Fragrance Gifts

Lavender lullabies The Wheat Bag Company

The Wheat Bag Company is an established company manufacturing Microwavable Wheat Bags and other unique items in the UK. The Wheat Bags come in a variety of designs to suit all tastes including a bespoke range of fabrics which include Rainbows, Highland Cattle, Donkeys, Swimming Penguins and Bumblebees. Each Wheat Bag is filled with cleaned English wheat and optional Lavender buds. Lavender does not only smell delightful but is well known for its natural aromatherapy qualities of helping to aid sleep and relaxation. They are an all over body pillow which simply heats up in the microwave to provide soothing warmth, relaxation and creates an overall sense of wellbeing. Paired with the company’s new essential lavender oil they make a wonderful personal gift.

Call: 01747 840499 Email: sales@thewheatbagcompany.co.uk

More than quirky Joe Davies Poo Pourri® has gone from a quirky stateside gift, to a worldwide phenomenon. The toilet spray is supplied in smart sassy packaging, and has won multiple awards for its humorous marketing. This season sees the introduction of two new Christmas fragrances Oh Spritzmas Tree and Berry Bum Bum.

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

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Product Focus Fragrance Gifts

Inspiring

special moments Henry & Co Home Fragrance Henry & Co Home Fragrance is an exciting, new to market, range of highly fragranced Candles, Reed Diffusers, and Wax Melts, all lovingly hand-poured in the United Kingdom.

Created by the dedicated Henry & Co Home Fragrance team, the dream is for this wonderful range of products to inspire special moments for each and every customer. The family run business has developed the range to capture the imagination, evoke emotions, and create wonderful memories through a range of familiar and comforting fragrances such as fresh linen, red raspberry, woodland retreat and sun-drenched orange.

With sixteen core fragrances across Candles, Reed Diffusers and Wax Melts, each product looks effortlessly good, fits seamlessly into any home setting, and is packed full of fragrance to deliver hours of consistent aromas that have been chosen for their ability to create a personal sense of wonder in the home…be it the memorable aroma of a family holiday or a comforting aroma that helps to create new memories.

Each fragrance will have its unique place in a customer’s heart.

Launched at Harrogate Home & Gift, the range is now available to stockists.

Aroma oils and Christmas fragrances launching soon, and range extensions planned for Spring 2022.

Visit: www.henryandcofragrance.co.uk

36 Gifts Today

It’s only natural Dandelion Stationery Dandelion Stationery’s brand new soap collection has landed and it smells great! Choose from 19 designs which have been handmade in Nottingham with essential oils and other natural ingredients. These high quality cleansing and moisturising soap bars create a rich lather and contain no artificial colours or preservatives. Whether it’s for a computer geek, someone outdoorsy, or a yoga lover, there is a bar for everyone.

Call: 01332 504940 Email: info@dandelionstationery.co.uk

Wellbeing in the palm of your hand Inspired by wild Cornwall, our Botanicals hand wash and lotion harmoniously blends 100% naturally derived ingredients with the therapeutic benefits of pure essential oils for calming, balancing, and healing effects.

E S S E N T I A L O I L S | PA R A B E N - F R E E V EGA N F R I E N D LY

Honoured with a Queens Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development, 2021 01841 540 850 | info@st-eval.com www.st-eval.com

With over 50 Warmies® Plush characters to choose from, the options are endless.

SHOP OUR NEW COLLECTIONS AT www.warmies.co.uk

Warmies® Full Sized Plush

Warmies® Supersized Handwarmers

Warmies® My First

Warmies® Sentiments Bears

Contact us at: E: sales@warmies.co.uk | T: 01933 679 777 It’s no secret that Warmies® are loved around the world.

Warmies® Luxury Wellness

instyle

Birds of a feather

Inspired by

Nature

As an ever-blooming business, Alexander Thurlow continue to delight customers with their exciting Love Nature, Love Flowers range of jewellery. With the past year opening our eyes to the beauty of the outdoors, this new, nature-inspired collection has ensured that Alexander Thurlow’s products remain as in demand as they have been for their last 72 years in business.

Recognising the importance of going green, the company have also begun to take climate positive actions. With compostable packaging, carpooling and a partnership with tree planting initiative Ecologi.com, loving nature has never felt more of a priority.

For their significant meaning, gift-worthy beauty or the intricacy of their design, Alexander Thurlow’s arrangement of flower products are a bouquet you’d be a fool not to invest in.

Call: 020 8766 6466 Visit: www.alexanderthurlow.com

It is estimated that 75% of UK households feed garden birds, so as winter approaches, our native feathered friends are a great subject for gift products. Walking stick specialists Classic Canes have produced an elegant heightadjustable folding cane featuring robins, blue tits, wrens and great tits interspersed with feathers on a grey background. Managing director Charlotte Gillan notes, “British garden birds are much-loved and many walking stick users are particularly fond of them if their mobility issues mean they can’t easily keep pets. We all enjoy seeing these little birds on our feeders and they make a very cheerful and colourful pattern for a walking stick. The robins add a Christmassy note, but this is a stick to sell well all year round.”

Call: 01460 75686 Email: info@classiccanes.co.uk

‘Tis the Season Help your customers embrace the festive season in style with the Katie Loxton Christmas collection! The ‘So Very Merry’ collection continues with stunning keepsakes that are beautifully boxed for the perfect presentation, while an assortment of festive sentiments can be found nestled within this seasonal collection.

Finished with glistening golden snowfall print, this festive collection in bold red, uplifting pink and white, creates an eyecatching and beautifully bold collection to display which feels both festive and classic.

The finishing touch? Complimentary gift packaging available with all orders, the luxe gift bags make for the prettiest present to mark the occasion!

Call: 01295 250879 Email: enquiries@katieloxton.com Visit: wholesale.katieloxton.com 40 Gifts Today

instyle

A Magical Christmas Find the perfect Christmas present with Joma Jewellery’s new festive collection.

From big gesture gifts to Secret Santa trinkets to thoughtful stocking fillers, this collection has something to celebrate every magical Christmas moment.

‘A Littles’ are also available with Christmassy styling, decorated with tiny elves and shooting stars.

While those looking for more extravagant gifts will fall head over heels for the Christmas Occasion Boxes, which present three gorgeous bracelets nestled inside a soft suedette pillow.

To make things even prettier all of the treasures are accompanied by gorgeous complimentary gift bags.

Call: 01295 250879 Email: enquiries@jomajewellery.com Visit: wholesale.jomajewellery.com

Simply Charming The Xmas Sleeve collection features an adjustable silver plated bracelet with beautiful charms. Packed in elegant white gift box and removable silver foiled sleeve making it time proof.

While the Occasion Gift Boxes have three silver plated bracelets – one adjustable bangle bracelet with engraved sentiment and two beaded bracelets with silver charms wrapped around a plush cushion. Packed in elegant white gift box with pink ribbon. Just ready to share with someone special this Christmas.

Call: 02034882656 Email: info@lifecharms.co.uk Visit: www.lifecharms-trade.co.uk

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instyle

Top to Toe

Spotted!

Delayed thanks to the pandemic, Miss Milly have finally launched its innovative new magnetic pendant gift sets.

Owner Sarah Watmore developed the final concept having seen the success and popularity of the brand’s magnetic brooch collection. The same strong magnet and enclosure is threaded on to a snake chain and supplied in a gift set with three pendants that the wearer can easily swap around depending on their mood and what they’re wearing.

Plus, any of Miss Milly’s magnetic brooches can be attached to the chain.

There are two different sets supplied in an attractive branded gift box with silver hanging ribbon. The first set comprises three coloured resin pendants in red, blue and grey with different backings to the resin creating a variety of textural appearances. The second gift set contains three metallic pendants using silver, gunmetal and rose gold in matt and shiny finishes.

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

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Brand new for Autumn/Winter 2021 is the Equilibrium branded bamboo socks. Super soft and comfortable, they are available in a range of pretty designs such as bees, hedgehogs, owls and many more.

Not only do the socks themselves look amazing, they have been packaged in a luxury rose gold and pearlised gift box with a pull-out draw that holds two co-ordinating pairs of socks. The socks will also be packaged and sold individually. Let your feet feel the difference in these relaxed and stylish socks whilst also reducing your carbon footprint.

Also, this season there is an extensive range of new fashion and sentiment jewellery, plus a variety of fashion accessories in The Equilibrium Collection.

The new range of jewellery gift sets, are beautifully packaged in a delightful box that looks like a mini wardrobe with a slide-out draw to hold earrings and magnetic doors that hide the surprise of a matching necklace.

There are necklace and earring sets and sets of three earrings in a silver or rose gold plated finish. Choose from kissing heart, tree of life, love knot and many more popular icons such as bees, stars and moons. With the luxury pearlised and rose gold box they make a lovely finished gift, perfect for the busy Christmas selling period.

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

Agents required for a new home fragrance brand.

SIMPLY GORGEOUS JEWELLERY AND ACCESSORIES X

MAGNETIC

Enchanted Love is an exciting new brand with a bold & fun range of home fragrances. We love creating scents that fill our homes with powerful fragrance & uplifting nostalgia. Our products are handmade in the UK by our family-run business, using locally sourced materials and cruelty-free ingredients.

Our HQ in Glossop, Derbyshire will provide you with all of the support you need including samples & marketing material.

Take a look at our website to browse our range www.enchantedlove.co.uk Location - UK-wide Contact: Mathew Thomasson | mathew@enchantedlove.co.uk

BROOCHES AVAILABLE ONLINE

BUY ONLINE ONLINE BUY www.missmilly.co.uk www.missmilly.co.uk or tel: tel: 01905 01905 622 622 509 509 or

FIND FINDUS US

Product Preview Focus Giftable Stationery

Successful New Start VENT for Change

VENT for Change were pleased to be back at the London Stationery Show this year with plenty to shout about, following the successful launch of the SUCSEED collection.

The brand new SUCSEED range of notebooks is made using reclaimed coffee beans, lavender, cherry and kiwi husk, plus 100% recycled paper. Supplied as standard with a page marker made from reclaimed corn pulp. Aimed that those who want to make their notes, lists and scribbles in one book the SUCSEED range comes with lined, plain and numbered notes pages throughout.

“We are loving the use of these new reclaimed and recycled materials to deliver a stunning tactile finish that reflects their origins,” said Evan Lewis Founder of VENT for Change.

The collection is aimed at a slightly different market from VENT’s brightly coloured or more minimalist ranges, yet it is another example of VENT’s sustainable style and ethical philosophy.

Visit: www.ventforchange.co.uk

Keeping

Memories Alive ExaClair Limited

ExaClair Limited, the UK subsidiary of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine group, has expanded its collection of premium quality photo albums and guest books with several new introductions to the range.

Combining a comprehensive selection of traditional designs with a contemporary twist, they offer quality products at an affordable price point, ideal for displaying precious memories for all life’s special moments.

Highlights of the new additions include spiral albums with a retro flamingo design and the Milano range that features textile effect covers in a choice of eight colours. For new arrivals there are the adorable Teddy Bear and Rabbit albums, which feature heart shaped windows for personalisation. While the Me and You album is perfect for couples telling the story of their relationship. Additionally, a scrapbooking kit provides everything you need to create a fashionable keepsake, profiling your hobbies and adventures. It includes a 32x22cm album with customisable cover, filled with 70 sheets of premium 250gsm black paper, 48 photo corners, 12 metallic ink markers, 4 sticker sheets and 2 stencils.

Lawrence Savage, Marketing Manager at ExaClair, said, “These new additions offer a greater choice for those who are looking to display photos of precious memories safely in an attractive album. Many of the Exacompta photo albums also contain FSC® Certified paper, making them the perfect purchase for ecologically conscious consumers.”

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Call: 01553 696600 Email: sales@exaclair.co.uk Visit: exaclairlimited.com

NEW WINTER COLLECTION Seed Cards Introducing our new Christmas Seed Card Designs Order 120 cards & receive a free display stand

Send winter wishes then plant in the Springtime for the bees!

Only £1 each

Embedded with flowers specifically beneficial to bees 10p from each card goes to support the Bumblebee Conservation Trust Printed on 225gsm biodegradable card supplied with compostable packaging

Wide range of products also available 2022 Calendar

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Product Focus Giftable Stationery

Range Extensions The beautiful cards can be planted in soil to grow plants in the Spring. They offer a bit of fun as well as great value to customers

Love Country Notebooks

New designs have been added to the lovely range of Hardback Notebooks on offer by Love Country. This popular artwork range has a wonderful choice of designs and joining these on Notebooks are the bestselling Pip and Poppy the loveable donkeys, Pollyanna - the guinea pig who likes to wear flowers in her hair, and firm favourite, Highland Harriett the pretty cow. Each A5 Wire bound Hardback Notebook is lined, with a handy elastic band and features the accompanying story on the reverse, written by the artist. The notebooks are proudly made in Britain and the designs are also available on matching items across a wide range of products.

Stationery

After proving so popular this summer, Love Country have expanded their range of plantable seed cards. They now offer a fabulous festive collection featuring 10 charming animal winter designs. Each card is printed on quality 225gsm biodegradable card along with a recycled envelope and fully biodegradable cello bag. Each card is embedded with a variety of flowers especially designed to support bees and wildlife.

The beautiful cards can be planted in soil to grow plants in the Spring. They offer a bit of fun as well as great value to customers and also come with a free display stand when you order 120 cards on your first order. With 20 watercolour designs to choose from, they can be sold all year round. Love Country donate 10p from every card to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Call: 01502 507352 Email: support@lovecountryuk.co.uk Visit: www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

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Product Focus Giftable Stationery

Designers

for all Museums & Galleries

Journals are an evergreen gift idea, and there are well over a hundred different titles in M&G’s journal and notebook collection, in various different formats and sizes. Journals are a core strand of M&G’s offer and the beautiful selection of notebooks and journals offer something suitable for all tastes and budgets. Journal covers feature designs from the UK’s leading museums: the V&A, British Museum, Natural History Museum, Tate, British Library, Transport for London as well as design stars like Matthew Williamson, Cressida Bell, Zandra Rhodes and new additions Sarah Campbell, Catherine Rowe, and Helen Ahpornsiri’s Wild Press. Also, worth exploring in this collection are interesting photographic journals from BBC Earth, and more character-based licenses Paddington Bear, The Tiger Who Came to Tea and Roald Dahl.

New this season are a quartet of beautiful luxury notebooks, part of M&G’s launches from two major British design talents this year: Sarah Campbell and Catherine Rowe.

M&G’s premier format notebooks are A5 in size, with 160 lined pages, soft-touch cover, foiled or colour paper edging, coloured endpapers, and lay-flat binding. The journals have branded belly bands. Suggested retail price is £9.99 per notebook.

Leading designer Sarah Campbell has an amazing portfolio of bright, fresh and beautiful prints dating back 50 years, and is still very much working today. What sets Sarah apart from others is the colour, joy, and commercial appeal in her work. It channels the positivity which appeals to consumers now.

Cote D’Azur Sarah’s most recognisable design, features strongly in the M&G collection on greeting cards, gift wrap, tissue paper, as well as on one of the new luxury notebooks.

It is an amazing pattern, both uncompromising and versatile, and in its life has been used on wallpaper, textiles, luggage and even a deckchair! The second notebook features a sophisticated and lively seaside pattern, Sandpipers, that is a joy for bird and beach lovers alike.

Youthful designer Catherine Rowe’s career exploded when she won the Liberty Open Call competition in 2018. Always a retailer favourite in M&G’s card ranges, this year sees two new luxury notebooks from Catherine. She has a very distinctive scraperboard technique, with bold patterning of florals against wildlife motifs. Drawing on fantasy, heraldic, and traditional styles, her beautiful sense of colour and composition is both contemporary and desirable. Her Lobster notebook is a distinct splash of colour and fun, whilst Bees is beautifully inspirational.

Call: 01373 462165 Email: sales@mgml.co.uk Visit: www.museumsgalleries.co.uk

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Contact us today for more details on all of our exciting ranges: www.exaclairlimited.com • enquiries@exaclair.co.uk • 01553 696600

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New products Lovely Licensed Lines Enesco Enesco have a range of licensed gift lines to suit young and old and even those in between, check out some of the lines they have this season.

Disney Baby Collection

The Disney Baby Collection is perfect for parents, little ones, and those looking for gorgeous and practical gifts to celebrate the arrival of a new bundle of joy. Featuring some of Disney’s most beloved characters in their child-like form including Simba, Dumbo and Thumper, the new collection includes a range of items such as blankets, hooded towel, bibs, muslin squares, changing mats, bottle bag, backpack and more.

Presented in a soft gender neutral shade of warm grey and accented with pretty pastel colours of lemon and mint green, each piece in the new Disney Baby Collection is as stylish as it is versatile.

Harry Potter Collectables

Enesco in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products is proud to present a new addition of must-have collectables for all Wizarding World fans.

Perfect for witches, wizards, and Muggles, each figurine is brought to life using the hugely popular Japanese ‘Manga’ style. With an enlarged head, over exaggerated eyes and dainty features across the nose and mouth area, the Harry Potter charm figurines showcase Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, and Professor Snape as fans have never seen them before.

Our Name is Mud Mugs

Enesco have added quirky new mugs into its cool homeware collection. The range of ontrend mugs from ‘Our Name is Mud’ features cool colours and quirky sayings that are sure to raise a smile, and innovative design details that makes a cuppa a totally unique experience.

New into the collection is the dry eraser range. With mugs including To Do, whereby people can write out their list of the jobs for the day, and Today’s Mood, allowing tea and coffee drinkers to tip-off those around them as to their emotions of the day, each piece is superbly tongue-in-cheek, full of personality, yet totally practical too. Also in the dry eraser range is a selection of countdown cups including I Do Wedding, Parenthood, and Days Until the End of School, letting people tick off the days as they go by, edging closer to major milestones in life.

SnowGnomes

Enesco launch new range of fun and festive gnome figurines. Designed exclusively for Department 56, SnowGnomes is the ideal gift during the season of giving for those with a playful nature. Brightly coloured in festive hues of warm reds, crips whites and forest greens, these delightful SnowGnomes perfectly capture to the spirit of Christmas. Small in stature but with big personalities, each piece is sure to make you smile this yuletide. From hanging ornaments for adorning the tree, to standing pieces to help complement the décor the home, these cheeky chappies are the perfect addition to any festive figurine collection.

With slogans including Home Sweet Gnome, Up to Gnome Good and Gnomie or Nice, the collection will set the season off with a bang.

Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk Visit: www.enesco.co.uk

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Over 700 models in stock.

Please contact us for a trade catalogue: Tel 01460 75686 www.classiccanes.co.uk

New products Amusing Mugs Mclaggan Smith Mugs

Mclaggan are delighted to introduce a new range from award-winning greeting card brand, Dandelion Stationery. Featuring designs to appeal to both men and women, the range of eight screen-printed bone china mugs was unveiled at Autumn Fair.

Stuart Williams, Mclaggan marketing manager, said, “Dandelion’s fun and quirky cards first caught our eye at Harrogate Home & Gift and we knew we had to work with them on a range of mugs. Bright, colourful and humorous, we hope customers love them as much as we do.”

Call: 01389 755655 Email: stuart@msmugs.com

Get Your Game On Gibsons New for Autumn 2021, Gibsons have a range of new games for family fun. Out of Order is an exciting new trivia game. The quirky quiz sees you whiz through just five questions a card. So, what’s the catch? You always must give the answer from the question before…

With hilarious results!

Back for the fourth year running is Gibsons jigsaw puzzle in a bauble. Inside the gorgeous gift is a 200 piece Sugar and Spice puzzle that features gingerbread treats, Christmas tree decorations and lots of lovely presents. The innovative, bauble-shaped packaging features luxury silver foiling, making it the perfect addition to any tinsel-laden Christmas tree.

Finally, Gibsons have launched a third game in their Transport for London licensed range. Connecting London is a strategic, tile-laying game, where players build the iconic Zone 1 London Underground Map, scoring by connecting famous mainline stations and London landmarks.

Call: 020 8661 8866 Email: sales@gibsonsgames.co.uk Visit: www.gibsonsgames.co.uk

Bringing People Together Gift Republic

This time of year, is all about bringing people together so what better way to do that over a board game night! This Christmas have stacks of fun with your friends and family with Cat-astrophe, Awesome 80s Board Game and Age Gap. Cat-astrophe is the puuurfect gift for any cat lover and is great for all ages. Simply stack these cute cats as high as you can but whatever you do, don’t make the tower tumble or you’ll be meooowt.

The 80s board game will transport you back to the decade of big hair and bigger shoulder pads, travel around the board collecting cards as you answer fun trivia. Feel free to put on an 80s playlist to set the mood.

Age Gap is a great game for children and adults to battle each other in a quiz off to discover who is the smartest. This game will prove if you’re a golden oldie or a boomer that needs to move with the times.

We also offer smaller trivia games that are great fun and cover a wide range of topics such as golf, gaming, music and movies.

Visit: www.giftrepublic.com 54 Gifts Today

Good Gonks Joe Davies

Following on from the success of the Xmas Gonk range, Joe Davies have developed a fun range of Busy Bee Gonks. These quirky bright yellow and black characters will look good all year round and are sure to cheer up any dull wintery day.

The Gonks are dressed in yellow felt costumes with fun yellow and black stripy knotted fabric hats and legs with a sweet little bee perched on a flower to complement the bee theme. Choose from small, tall, and fat Gonks, as well as dangly leg shelf sitters.

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

Two For One Fizz Creations

New Mug and Puzzle Gift Sets from Fizz Creations provide two gifts in one this festive season. Mug gifting goes to the next level with its brand-new collection of gift sets that combine iconic characters featured on a uniquely shaped ceramic mug accompanied by a 100-piece jigsaw.

From festive favourites such as The Grinch and The Snowman through to movie great like E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and JAWS – there is the perfect Mug & Puzzle set for everyone.

Call: 01903 327006 Visit: www.fizzcreations.com

Let there be light Personalised Memento PMC have launched an exciting new range of homewares in 2021, including this personalised LED glass jar. With nine designs to choose from, ranging from Christmas to Valentine’s Day, they are perfect for adding a little bit of sparkle to your home!

Featuring a built in battery and delicate LED lights, these brand new glass jars create a beautiful warm glow. This means they also make an ideal nightlight and unique nursery decoration.

Each one is personalised with a name or a message and available as part of their huge range of giftware covering all occasions.

Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk Visit: www.personalisedmemento.co.uk Gifts Today 47 55

Brand new and available now with instore POS

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www.enesco.co.uk ENESCO LIMITED, Brunthill Road, Kingstown, Carlisle, Cumbria, England, CA3 0EN. UK Customer Services Telephone: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk Overseas Customer Services Telephone: +44 (0) 1228 404066 Email: eurosales@enesco.co.uk © Disney

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