19 minute read
Harrogate Home & Gift preview
We talk to Harrogate Home & Gift Show Manager, David Westbrook about this year’s show
What makes Home & Gift different from other trade exhibitions in the buying calendar?
Home & Gift is a truly special event – in all my years of organising, visiting and exhibiting within the industry, I’ve never come across anything quite like it. Combined with the vast array of brands on offer, the unique, relaxed social atmosphere that we foster allows for both easy networking and (importantly!) successful buying – it’s just completely different to all the other events out there, making it a favourite for both our exhibitors and retailers.
How will you make this the best Home & Gift Show yet?
The show is more than 50% larger than it was in 2021, and importantly more than 25% of our exhibitors are new this summer too, supplementing all the returning suppliers that our retailers know and love, so there really is something for everyone to discover this July. In addition, for the first time ever we’re also giving our exhibitors and buyers the chance to start connecting before they arrive in Harrogate, on our networking platform Browse & Meet, where buyers are able to explore products and pre-book appointments with exhibitors at the show. This is an amazing opportunity to start the networking and sales process early, so that both sides can make the most of their time at Home & Gift!
If that wasn’t enough, as a result of the overwhelming feedback we received in 2021, this year we’re also delighted to be able to expand our home interiors offering by launching the Furniture Collection in Harrogate. This exclusive assembly of furniture and homeware brands will be showcasing beautifully crafted furniture pieces alongside stylish homewares, and the line-up of brands involved will be announced shortly.
With Home & Gift taking place in the heart of the British summer, our social events are always popular – and this year won’t disappoint as we’re bringing back all the fun elements that we’re known for; we have regular Happy Hours planned throughout the festival for our exhibitors and buyers, along with the Sunday Sundowner drinks and much, much more besides.
Is there anything new this year that visitors should look out for?
Well over 100 new suppliers will be showcasing their brands in Harrogate for
the first time, including the likes of Aery, Little Concepts, Albetta, House of Disaster, Do Something David, The Northern Line, Klean Kanteen & Opinel, QUDO, Butterfly Fashion, Ohelo, Okiki Skincare, Heart and Soul Studio, Kind Bag, and Jekyll and Hide – plus we welcome back a whole host of top exhibitors that were unable to join us in recent years such as Enesco, Container Group Buying, Richard Lang & Son, Orange Tree Toys, Depesche, Belly Button Designs, Tilley & Grace, Kikkerland, Charles Farris, Santoro, Wrendale Designs and Oli Olsen.
Alongside all these brands, buyers won’t want to miss our new Furniture Collection, where they can meet top furniture brands and source products
Harrogate Home & Gift
When: 17-20 July Where: Harrogate Convention Centre and Majestic Hotel Web: www.homeandgift.co.uk
to build their home interiors offering. We’ll also be running a virtual Shop Talk seminar stream in the lead-up to the show as well, giving everyone the chance to gain important industry insights and knowledge from top experts in the field.
Will there be any changes to the layout of the show this year?
This year we’ve introduced a new Design Point marquee as we expand again, and have blended our products across our design-points to help buyers shop multiple sectors with ease. Plus, the Furniture Collection will be taking over Hall Q and the Kings Suite in the Convention Centre as well, so there’s lots to see!
How many exhibitors and visitors are you expecting?
Following an incredibly successful 2021 edition of the show, this year there will be more than 450 brands to discover across our Halls and Design-Points, and with our visitor pre-registration already looking strong, we can expect a return to something approaching pre-Covid levels of footfall again.
What names – both returning and new – can you confirm will be exhibiting at the Show?
In addition to the all the new brands we have with us for 2022, visitors can still expect to see all their old favourites, including the likes of Gallery Direct, Joe Davies, Captivate Brands, Zelly, Inside Out Toys, By Molly&Izzie, The Art File, Forever England, Quail, Bomb Cosmetics, Steiff, LIGA, Heathcote & Ivory, CHALK, Lisa Angel, Talking Tables, Lagoon Group, Miss Shorthair, DCUK, plus many, many more!
Sustainability is a key focus for a number of trade exhibitions in different industries – is this the case for Home & Gift?
At Home & Gift we’ve always championed sustainable brands and this year is no exception. One of our many suppliers working towards reducing its brand’s environmental impact is One Hundred Stars, who pride themselves on manufacturing their products in a sustainable and ethical way, using AZO free dyes for the bold prints featured on their beautiful collection of kimonos, loungewear and fashion accessories. Along with utilising recyclable packaging for their online orders, they also repurpose fabric offcuts into headbands to reduce their wastage, too!
Okiki Skincare is another example of our brands following a sustainable and ethical manufacturing method – in this case, for their organic skincare products; their soap bars have a smaller carbon footprint than liquid soap, making them a favourite with consumers, plus, they utilise organic ingredients rather than palm oil in them as well. Additionally, they don’t test their products on animals and they also use recyclable packaging, which is a big plus for retailers.
For our audience, we know sustainability is increasingly important, so we want to encourage more brands to follow the lead of suppliers such as these and play their part in this sea-change.
What product sectors can visitors expect to find at the Show this year?
In addition to the new Furniture Collection, the Harrogate Convention Centre plays host to Jewellery & Fashion, Home & Interiors and Gift. Across our four Design Point Marquees retailers can explore Design-led Gift and the Food Emporium.
Home & Gift is known and loved for being a social show and a great place to meet friends and network. What are your plans for social events?
Our buyers and exhibitors will be able to enjoy Happy Hours daily from 3pm, as well as the Sundowners party from 6pm on the Sunday. We will also soon be releasing our full calendar of events, with an increase in the number of buyer networking opportunities, so watch this space! The sociable atmosphere of Home & Gift is what makes it our buyers’ favourite trade show, with the relaxed summer setting ensuring networking remains easy and unpressured, allowing buyers and exhibitors alike to enjoy the sunshine and the bubbles!
Although the government has removed remaining domestic Covid restrictions in England, do you have any plans in place for visitors and exhibitors to still follow basic safety measures eg masks, hand sanitiser, social distancing etc?
Last year Home & Gift took place as a Government pilot event with no restrictions, and had no Covid outbreak reported, so we’re confident we’ll be able to run another successful show for 2022. We respect peoples’ choice to wear masks and use hand sanitiser if they wish, and the Harrogate Convention Centre will have these both available for everyone at the event.
What is your fondest memory of Home & Gift?
Personally, in one guise of another I’ve been at Home & Gift almost every year since 2006, and the show just keeps getting better and better! Having such a successful edition last year was a definite highlight for me, but it’s always great to see the industry unite like this in beautiful, sunny Harrogate. A huge part of Home & Gift’s charm is its unique combination of social and business atmosphere, which is why it’s the show our buyers and exhibitors actually want to attend, rather than just have to.
Harrogate hints
We asked suppliers about their thoughts on the show…
What do you enjoy about the show? “It is many years since I attended the show but I always loved the overall ambience of the show, Hopefully the sun shines, business is brisk and then the socialising will begin!’’ Helen Cottrill, Enesco
“I have actually been attending Home & Gift for many years as a buyer for both the National Gallery Company and for the RHS but 2021 was my first time as an exhibitor and I really enjoyed it. It always seems to be lovely warm weather and people just seem to be happy to be there! I think the online shows have been really useful but you cannot beat seeing things in person and talking to the creative people behind the products.’’ Stephen Lennon, owner, Umbellifer Any tips for newbie visitors? Enesco’s Helen Cottrill says: “Prepare for the heat, take water, I do think it’s important to walk as much of the show as you can, and do not go with any pre-conceived ideas,. Visitors will be surprised by the Enesco stand, which is not only small but does not include any Disney! Gifts for Card shops is a growing category and Enesco has adapted its space and offering to specifically service this channel at Home & Gift.’’ “I think it’s a hard thing to do but you have to engage with the retailers and buyers walking by - otherwise they will do just that,’’ says Umbellifer’s Stephen Lennon. “It doesn’t come naturally to me at all and everyone must find their own way, but eye contact is definitely important. At the very least relax, enjoy it and remember that buyers are there to find new suppliers as much as you are there to find new stockists. Chat to your neighbours as it helps to ease your anxieties and you absolutely need a tall stool to perch on otherwise four days of standing is brutal!’’
Any show offers we can tell our readers about? “Enesco will be offering launch packs with display solutions and discounts across many new collections,’’ says Helen Cottrill. “Visit our stand for details.’’
Belly Button Designs
Stand: DP1-D47
Belly Button Designs is expanding its giftware and stationery offer with a gorgeous, inspiration-packed selection of designs and product at this year’s Harrogate Home & Gift.
With an ethos rooted firmly in a desire to spread joy, share love and create smiles through connecting people, Belly Button’s new offer builds on the success of a design portfolio that is always inspirational and captures the moment.
The extensive collection includes candles, mugs and stationery items including ceramic pen pots, pen sets, sustainable notebooks and weekly planners. Some of Belly Button’s eye-catching signature designs including Elle, Electric Dreams and the hit of PG Live, the new Meadow, are picked out in a combination of all-over designs or subtle motifs. The full range of new giftware and stationery covers To Do Lists, A4 Padfolio, ceramic pen pot, sustainable notebooks, weekly planners, spiral notebooks, two pen sets, candles and mugs.
Also on show will be the new Luxury Eco Gift Wrap packs for 2023 as well as other products launched this spring including notelets and box-off-three notebooks.
0161 902 0200 www.bellybutton.cards “With an ethos rooted firmly in a desire to spread joy, share love and create smiles”
Umbellifer
Stand DP4-79
This year Umbellifer will unveil two new Christmas ranges at Home & Gift, with 10% of profits going to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. Owner/designer Stephen Lennons explains: “The Wildlife Trust is a wonderful organisation that looks after more than 2,300 nature reserves in the UK. Its work is essential in preserving wild spaces and improving biodiversity in a way that means all of us can still access it and enjoy it. It’s never been more important to preserve and improve these natural spaces so that they are still there for future generations.’’
Umbellifer will also be exhibiting a new range of 12 cards called Songbirds & Seedheads, which is already proving very popular, and is a bit of a change of style direction. A sign of things to come maybe?
The everyday botanical ranges continue to expand and Stephen has added a Bluebells design, a card showing the connection between the Small White Butterfly and Red Campion, and a card called Three Poppies, which celebrates the beauty of the unmistakeable red Poppy. 07510 874363 stephen@umbellifer.co.uk
Enesco
Stand: A3
The Enesco team will be at Home & Gift to answer all your second-half stock dilemmas. Its stand will be packed with proven best sellers - all available this year - and many with in-store display solutions.
The company says: ‘In an economic crisis, we understand the need for affordable, quality, functional gifts, and our 2022 launch is just that.’
Visitors can view the highly successful Demdaco Portfolio Collection: a stunning range of decorative bells, planters, glass, and leather home décor, plus a delightful games selection for those times spent at home with loved ones.
And, having launched Allen Designs at Spring Fair, visitors can check out these quirky clocks, planters, water bottles, home, kitchen, and ladies (or men’s) accessories.
Lolita drinkware will be on display too. These items are gift boxed, with a style and price point for everyone. Lolita designs are all hand-painted and hand-embellished, with Instagram fans all over the world!
Gin drinking shows no sign of going out of fashion and the Ginology collection is testament to this. Designed in the UK, the Copa glasses are decorated with simple and pretty florals for all seasons. Each one is supplied in an eco-friendly fully recyclable box: the perfect gift for this summer season.
Finally, everyone loves something in miniature, and the sheer level of detail in the Kloche collection is outstanding. Little scenes, florals, animals, and birds, are all expertly cut from sustainably sourced wood, hand assembled, coloured, and then protected by a glass dome. 01228 404022 uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk
Joe Davies
Stand Hall B, Stand B66
The Harrogate Home & Gift show is a firm favourite with the award-winning Joe Davies team. The company has been trading for over 100 years and has one of the largest ranges of gifts in the industry. Add to that the hugely popular Equilibrium jewellery and fashion accessories collection and more recently the SugarLane sustainable fashion brand and this really is a stand you will not want to miss.
Snuggle in snoozies!
Gonks galore
Gonks continue to be hugely popular and Joe Davies has a whole world of gonks for you to choose from. New for this season is the rustic Woodland Gonk collection; charming country style characters in woodland tones of green and hazel brown, dressed in knitted and natural style fabrics. These quirky gonks will sit perfectly with current home décor colour trends and add a unique touch to any home as well as making ideal gifts.
To add to the woodland theme there’s a new collection of Magical Mushroom Gonks; these eccentric little fellows wearing ornate curly mushroom hats come in warm autumnal colours that sit perfectly alongside the subtle greens of the Woodland Gonks. If you’re looking to create an eye-catching display in-store, combine the Woodland Gonks with the Magical Mushroom Gonks, add a sprinkling of autumn leaves and you are onto a sure winner! Snoozies! are cosy little foot coverings.Dubbed the original and the best, they have been one of Joe Davies’ best-selling ranges for over 10 years with in excess of two million pairs sold. New for 2022 are the luxurious Frosty Fur ladies snoozies!; these super-soft, snuggly snoozies! are so soft and comfortable you will never want to wear anything else again! Also debuting are the stylish new Wild Side snoozies!, fashionable animal print snoozies! that are right on trend as animal print is back with a force. Add to this 11 new snoozies! pairables designs including specific dad, grandad, mum, nan and best friend captions to go with this popular range. What’s more there’s an attractive and practical free snoozies! spinner, which is available with any order of 144 pairs.
Serenity scents
Latest designs
The Equilibrium Collection from Joe Davies offers up-to-the-minute designs; great quality, luxury branded packaging and affordable prices - all hallmarks of this highly successful collection. The new Equilibrium Bubble collection showcases stylish necklaces, bracelets and earrings with fixed ‘bubbles’, which give a modern expression to a look that is really fresh on the jewellery scene.
Equilibrium Fashion Accessories are a real must during the runup to Christmas and Autumn/Winter is all about cosy accessories that keep you snuggly and warm. Luxurious colour-blocked scarves, elegant faux fur crossover scarves, soft suede-feel gloves, modern cable knit scarf & gloves sets and more will all debut at Harrogate Home & Gift. Many pieces come complete with a luxury branded Equilibrium gift box, making them easy to display for the retailer and the perfect gift for the customer; a win-win situation all round!
Room fragrance is experiencing something of a boom right now as more and more people are working from home, and curating a pleasant home ambience has become increasingly important. Joe Davies is launching the stunning new Miranda B at home collection of Serenity Garden luxury scented candles and reed diffusers.
This sophisticated collection is available in six vibrant colours and fragrances, each colour carefully selected to coincide with current home décor trends and includes fuchsia pink, hunter green and indigo. Fragrances include lemon basil and mandarin, orange and bergamot, cotton linen and sandalwood. Aromas can arouse pleasant memories that will be remembered forever - just a few of the most popular essences on offer in this captivating range.
Joe Davies is well known in the industry for its ‘little and often’ ordering quantities, which enable customers to order a very small quantity of each item selected each time they order, therefore allowing a wider selection of products without breaking the bank! What’s more the minimum order value is just £100 for carriagepaid orders, enabling customers to place small orders more frequently.
Joe Davies’ friendly, helpful team looks forward to welcoming you to their stand.
The Art File
Stand: DP1 C5
The Art File is once again exhibiting at Home & Gift. Acting as a perfect launch pad for any mid-year launch of product, on its stand you’ll find three new greeting card ranges, as well as a number of range extensions from current popular and highperforming collections.
Among the new collections being launched, The Art File says it is delighted to be working with acclaimed artist Emma Turner, who has created a beautiful art range called Richmond Park. The range of 12 large blank cards are heavily inspired by the lovely Richmond Park, and its contents. These cards are to be finished with tasteful embossing, and utilise a bright, summary colour pallet.
Alongside Richmond Park, after getting asked on numerous occasions from both trade customers and members of the public for a music-inspired range, the Art File is thrilled to launch Maestro. Designed by its multi award-winning in-house design team, this musical collection contains eight designs that celebrate the world of music, instruments and of course the extremely talented people that play them. Each design is finished with a tasteful embossing, and gold foiling - with a mustard envelope to differentiate the range.
Finally, there’s the new range called Pollen; a delightful range of 12 new designs inspired by both the animals and insects that carry pollen, as well as the aromatic plants and flowers that create the pollen. This range is finished with debossing.
Alongside these three new collections, you’ll find several range extensions from popular and highperforming ranges. These include nine new designs from the wonderful SnowTap (launched only last year), alongside popular collections such as Natural Phenomenon, Soul Mates, Bear, our Peace & Blessings Religious card collection, Nature Trail by Kate Heiss, and much more!
The Art File will have four new Everyday Gift Packaging collections being launched. The gift bags come in six different sizes and are known for their quality and design originality. Introducing four new colourful and fully recyclable designs for 2022: Soulmates, Major Oak, Sakura Heights, and Maestro.
The Art File will also have its award-winning Christmas 2022 collection being showcased - packed with must-haves for the upcoming season, such as back-to-back award-winning Luxury Boxes, in smart fully recyclable packaging, the hugely commercially successful Charity Pack collection, and the showstopping Gift Packaging collection. 01158507490 | sales@theartfile.com www.theartfile.com
Ceramic Heritage Designs
Stand: DP5 B12
Ceramic Design Heritage’s focus has always been on producing bespoke fine bone china, and working with other UK firms to provide matching melamine and textile products focused on the heritage sector. It offers a bespoke design and production service with flexible minimums.
It currently creates fine bone china ranges for artist brands Robert Fuller, Katie Cardew, Tim Hall Powderhound, Aurina Lambert, Alice Peto, and The Tale of Ballard and Hill. Ceramic Design Heritage has worked with renowned wildlife artist Robert Fuller for more than five years and has developed the Katie Cardew range over the past three years. But it’s not just mugs: the supplier’s range encompasses cups and saucers, plates, teapots, jugs and giftware including trinket boxes, thimbles and clock boxes. 07909 539574 sales@cdheritage.com | www.cdheritage.com
