4 minute read
Marmalade of London
Hand poured indulgent luxury
Marmalade of London is a British brand that creates a little indulgent luxury for every home
Marmalade of London has a passion for fragrance and design, which is seen in its contemporary packaging. Fragrance is very personal, and different scents can remind us of a person, a place, or a moment in time, so Marmalade of London has created its fragrances to suit different tastes.
All the brand’s products are made in Britain. The candles are poured by hand and made of 100% soy wax with cotton wicks and essential oils, while the bath and body ranges contain natural ingredients including shea butter, vitamin E and aloe vera.
Founders Piers and Helen Flook, who are managing director and sales director respectively, said: “The nearest we get to animal testing is our family black labrador cross Pepper, who accompanies us to work and sniffs the occasional candle or reed diffuser. She seems to approve. Marmalade of London has an amazing team of staff who share our passion.”
A busy year
2022 has been another busy year for the team. UK sales have remained strong, with an increase in new customer account openings.
Marmalade has also opened two new permanent showrooms in North America. In January Las Vegas made its debut, followed by Toronto in August. These join existing U.S. showrooms in Atlanta, Dallas, and Los Angeles.
During a transatlantic visit earlier this year, Piers and Helen attended the new showrooms - and worked trade shows including Las Vegas Market - alongside their 100-strong team of US and Canadian sales reps. The couple reported that “the showrooms were very busy and there was a sense that everything is opening back up after the years of Covid-enforced closures”.
After Las Vegas Market they tagged on a road trip through Nevada, Utah and Arizona, visiting The Grand Canyon, Valley of Fire, Hoover Dam and Zion National Park. They also managed to spend a couple of evenings with their reps enjoying the bustling casinos and restaurants along the Las Vegas Strip.
Marmalade’s exports have grown alongside UK sales this year, with more than 100 new stockists across North America including five in the Caribbean in January, and an additional 10 in the islands in the summer.
Next year, Piers and Helen are looking forward to spending more time out and
about in the UK and overseas, supporting existing and new customers.
Eco-friendly factory
Marmalade’s new eco-friendly factory and product development centre at Cheltenham in the heart of the Cotswolds is ready for solar panels to be installed on the roof. All the company’s forklifts, stacker trucks and cars are now running on electric power. The firm has also replaced plastic packing tape with new water-activated fully biodegradable gummed paper tape.
In terms of products, the new refillable glass range of hand & body washes has expanded to include hand and body lotions. The current fragrance choices of Bergamot & Soft Rose, Pink Pepper & Plum, and Pacific Orchid & Sea Salt have increased to include Prosecco & Juniper. Plus, a range of room sprays is also now available.
Onwards and upwards
Moving forward, 2023 is already looking busy. There are new product launches planned for Spring Fair 2023 at NEC Birmingham, including a new Marmalade Ceramic Ultrasonic Aroma Diffuser and a new range of glass votives.
In the UK, a range of new point-of-sale furniture and fixtures will be available for retailers to update their Marmalade displays. 2023 will also see the completion and fit-out of the Marmalade Fragrance Library & Studio, which will become the new home to the company’s extensive library of essential oils and fragrances.
Piers and Helen explained: “It will be a beautiful new fragrance design environment. There will be a complete fragrance library, alongside a fully stocked cocktail bar and wine room, creating the perfect environment for designing new fragrances and a more intimate space for greater engagement with visiting retail customers.”
The pair wanted to create a welcoming space that reflected their love and passion for their brand and products, and a place to meet customers in a more social setting and enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine. Cheltenham hosts festivals for literature, jazz, food, and of course the Gold Cup horse race. So the couple are looking forward to inviting customers to join them over the coming years for an equal mixture of business and pleasure.
Finally, 2023 will see the launch of Marmalade’s new lifestyle photoshoots and brand-new website. There will be a campaign with key social media influencers, targeted at helping Marmalade stockists get greater traffic into their stores and to their websites.
