6 minute read
Ward’s Words
Creative categories
Giftware Association chief executive Sarah Ward highlights the creativity and innovation found in the shortlist for the Gift of the Year 2023 Awards
This is the moment that the gift industry has been waiting for - the announcement of the shortlist for The Gift of the Year 2023 Awards, organised by The Giftware Association.
Despite the challenges faced globally, the gift industry has shown no signs of slowing down, and this year’s competition is the biggest yet!
With an incredible amount of innovation and creativity on display, the judges had a tough time choosing their favourites for the first round of judging, which took place throughout December.
This year’s contest was judged by more than 100 retail experts, and the consensus was that it was the hardest to judge to date, because of the amount of quality on display.
As a result, the shortlist has been expanded due to demand from our panel, and to reflect the scale of some of the most popular categories, such as Ethical and Sustainable Gift.
We are hugely grateful for the time and expertise given by our judges, who worked though the Christmas break to select the shortlist in each category.
This year has been a fantastic year for us, as we have grown the competition, attracted new companies to the awards, and refined our categories.
Some of the products that have been entered are very exciting and we can’t wait ‘’This year’s contest was judged by more than 100 retail experts, and the consensus was that it was the hardest to judge to date, because of the amount of quality on display’’
to showcase this year’s shortlist to you and celebrate the incredible entries.
The shortlist reflects all the hard work and innovation from our industry, despite all the challenges being faced with staffing, logistics, rising costs and so on.
Our Gift of the Year blog (www. giftoftheyear.co.uk/blog) shares some of the stories from our entrants this year, as well as some of the success stories from past years’ competitions.
Congratulations to our shortlisted companies and a huge thank you to everyone who entered our competition this year. The next round of judging will be the live round, which will be held for the duration of Spring Fair, where the products will be on display at the NEC in Birmingham.
You can view the complete shortlist on the Gift of the Year website under category shortlists at www.giftoftheyear.co.uk/2023-entries.
In the meantime, here are the shortlisted entries for the Cards, Wrap & Stationery category:
• Painting with words, Nicole Elders • Dinkies, Paper Salad • Wildlife Botanical wiro-bound notebook organisers, Lola Design • Wonderful Fun, Citrus Bunn • Just to Say…, Cotton & Brown • VENT Refillable & Recycled Weekly Planners, VENT for Change • My Magical Journal, Essential Choice • Boxed Sterling Silver Jewellery Greeting Cards, Crumble & Core • Happy Birthday In A Matchbox - World Is Your Oyster Range, Marvling Bro • Eco Plantable Seed Paper Crackers, Little Green Paper Shop • Eco Plantable Seed Paper Calendar, Little Green Paper Shop • Nebula - Gift Wrap, Wendy Bell Designs • Fabulously Flat Paper Pens, IF • Acid Drops, Wendy Jones-Blackett • Miniature World pop up cards, Alljoy Design.
Sarah Ward is chief executive of the Giftware Association, which is at the heart of the gift industry supporting members by offering invaluable advice and assistance. Coming originally from a retail background, she then worked at Penny Kennedy gaining extensive knowledge in the card, wrap and stationery sector, and now uses these skills across a broader environment.
Tel: 0121 236 2657 Web: www.ga-uk.org
Name: Debbie Davis, Owner Shop: Cherry Cards Address: Upminster, Essex
Tell us about your shop. We are a small independent retailer selling greetings cards, handmade cards, balloons and gifts. Our demographic is middle-aged women and the older generation, although I do get quite a few young mums due to having two infant schools in close proximity. How did you get into greeting card retail? I grew up with a love for retail. My Nan and Grandad had a shop and I would often stay with them during the school holidays, and when I did this meant that I would go to work with them. They were very well known in the community and when people came to shop they would also stay and chat for a while; when customers knew I was there I’d often be brought cakes or a treat, which I thought was fantastic. I loved helping to restock the shelves and fetching things and, coupled with customers bringing me goodies I thought this was the best job ever!
I was a very creative child, always making something, drawing, sewing or crafting, and this carried through to my adult years. I studied fashion design, art and textiles at college and got into making handmade cards when I had my children. I would sell them at school fetes and shopping evenings the schools ran. Then when I was 40 I started a new big adventure and opened my card and gift shop selling my handmade cards along with many greeting card manufacturers’ designs. This enabled me to combine my two passions of retail and crafting. I had my first shop for around five years then changed location by moving up the high street. I’ve been at my current shop now for nearly nine years. What are the best and worst things about working in retail? The best thing about working in retail is that I get to meet so many people and I’ve made great lasting friendships with some of the people that have worked for me. The worst things about retail are definitely aching legs and cold tea! What’s selling well? As it’s Christmas obviously we are selling loads of Christmas cards at the moment but I always make sure I have Nigel Quiney pizazz in stock as that sells literally on a daily basis. I also sell a lot of Wendy Jones Blackett large cards and their Quicksilver range, Talking Pictures large cards and this year I discovered Rush Designs and my customers are loving their designs too. What’s by your till? My windows are jam-packed with gorgeous Christmas decorations and at the till we have a lot of pick-up items such as money wallets, pocket diaries and sticky tape, along with two stands of ceramic and glitter wooden sentiment hearts. The wooden hearts I buy in plain but make up and personalise myself.
My staff and I put a lot of work into the windows, which I think makes us stand out on the high street. They are always changed with every calendar event and we try to keep them vibrant and eye-catching, which helps draw people in. If you could send anyone a card from the past or present, who would it be and why? If I could send a card to anyone past or present it would definitely be my Nan and Grandad. They put me on this path and I’m grateful for all I learned from them. Their customer service skills and knowledge of their products were great lessons I carried forward. How do trade magazines like Greetings Today help you? I think reading the trade magazines is really important, especially as it’s often not possible to go to trade shows. They help you keep an eye on new trends and designs and what’s going on in the industry.
