Nursery Today by Lema Publishing

The U.K. nursery trade’s no. 1 magazine

Month: April 15 Issue 7 Volume 18

www.nursery-today.co.uk

Independently audited ABC circulation of 4514 1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014

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Regulars

CONTENTS April 2015

April A Apri Ap prriiill 2 20 2015 015 5 Issu IIssue Is ssu sue 7 V sue Volume ollu o um me 1 18 8

5 6 10 14 18 38

Leader News Licensing News Retailer Profile Gfk Nursery Natter We spoke to a number of retailers during HINF

40 42 82

P20

Trade Talk BPA New Products

Contributors 16

David Fairhurst, Intelligent Retail A Look at Google Knowledge Vault

P44

Nigel Plested This issue Nigel focusses on the Ride Ons sector

Yasmin Ali, NSG Yasmin takes us through her highlights of HINF

the team

Profiles

Editor

Penny Franks penny@lemapublishing.co.uk

Assistant Editor

Tiny Love at home with Dorel Penny Franks

Paul Donnelley pauld@lemapublishing.co.uk

P52

Interview 51

Ad Manager Paul Donnelley

P58

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Features

Circulation

Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher

Christine Contreras

Ride Ons This issue we take a look at the benefit of stocking these in-store

Managing Director

Sun, Sand & Sea Looking for summer stock - we’ve got it covered

Mark Naish

Travel Accessories Out and about items are a mothers best friend

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

www.nursery-today.co.uk

Baby Carriers and Slings What’s happening the world of baby carriers/slings?

Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Baroo We caught up with Andy Payne, Baroo to find out what’s in the pipeline

Christine Contreras christine@lemapublishing.co.uk

Design Production Director

Tiny Love

P64

72 78

Christmas Gifts Baby Blues Don’t feel blue - now the new ‘pink’!

Paul Naish

REVIEW 20

Subscription per annum: UK £40, Europe £50 (surface), £60 (airmail)

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

Malcolm Naish

Harrogate International Nursery Fair 2015 Review 24 BANTA WINNERS 28 Stars of the Show

A world of bright ideas...

...making family life easier! With nearly 20 years‘ experience working with pioneering neering nursery brands from all over the world, we understand and what parents and retailers are looking for. Our passion is to deliver er innovative, award-winning brands that really sell.

New Click and Collect – bringing customers through your door. Easy Online Ordering – quick and convenient for you.

If you would like to become a stockist or have a new product idea, contact us on:

.co.uk

01730 895761 or sales@cheekyrascals.co.uk

message from the editor... Joie

www.nursery-today.co.uk Twitter: @nurserytodaymag

pring is now in the air and with it comes positivity. A little bit of sun always puts a spring in one’s step. Naturally, being April, it’s time to look back and bring you our review of the Harrogate International Nursery Fair. For many being in attendance proved incredibly worthwhile, with business being steady across the many nursery categories that were on display. From talking to exhibitors and visitors and running the Daily Newspaper, it would appear that many were content with the show this year. We saw a plethora of new product launches - and of course, we have to state that the Egg from BabyStyle was a huge draw this year (so much so, it was difficult to actually get to speak with Andy and his team whilst at the show!). My own personal feeling is that this product is set to become a High Street must have, with us soon to start spotting all those proud new parents pushing their new trophy item. Of course, it wasn’t just BabyStyle that launched a new product this year. I’ll try to cover as many as possible here, but there really was so many, it will be hard to do – so apologies to all those not mentioned. For example, MJmark launched their first travel system to mark their 10th anniversary. Joie showed visitors the i-Gemm – the new from birth car seat with i-Size and also their new travel cot (which incidentally was also a BANTA winning product). Over on the Redkite stand, visitors were offered demonstrations of their new Fusion Travel System GEO, and were also invited to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Graco proudly showed off 10 new products on their stand whilst over at Dreambaby we were treated to more than 20 new product additions being offered. Not to be left out, BeSafe launched their iZi Kidi X1-Size car seat, whilst over at Cuddleco we saw the unveiling of their new accessories range. Venicci introduced their new white special edition to their range of travel systems and for those who popped onto the Joolz stand saw the launch of the new Geo Studio collection. Babymoov had it covered with the launch of their Babycamera Zero Emission baby monitor and Little Green Sheep proudly displayed their new Snüz brand. Continuing with anniversary celebrations, We Made Me welcomed visitors to see their new re-brand and had superb baby wearing solutions on their stand (plus of course a wonderful champagne reception!), whilst Clippasafe showed off their latest additions - which included the Anti-Tip Straps for TVs and Furniture. We also saw iCandy introduce their two new designer collections to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of their iconic Peach pushchair. And that’s not all - there’s more! Halilit launched lots of

great new developmental toys from Taf Toys to celebrate 50 years in business, Golden Bear showcased their new My First Forever Friends nursery range and East Coast Products proudly unveiled their new Monaco furniture collection. Obaby also drew great visitor feedback to their inventive Bath Changing Unit and visitors were able to see their new Minnie Mouse nursery selection. It is little wonder that visitors this year were amazed at the level of new product, proving that innovation continues to grow within the nursery sector. These are naturally just an example of what you may have missed whilst either roaming the halls or by not being in attendance. Harrogate is also home to the BANTAS (sponsored by Nursery Today). What a fantastic night - a huge well done to the show organisers and also to Jason Manford, who was the headline act. Want to know who won these coveted awards or refresh your memory? Simple - turn to page 24. Huge congratulations to all the winners. I would also like to highlight the Concept and Innovation Awards winners. Omnio Rider by Samantha and Markus Warwick of Innovation Makers took the title for most innovative product for their fresh approach for getting about with baby. For the first time, the Concept and Innovation category was tied with the Post-Natal Cleansing Bottle by Laura Donnellan and Frances McCabe and Sphyx by Laura Meehan shared the accolade. Talking of winning - whilst running the Daily Newspaper, Nursery Today also ran a prize draw on the front page of each issue, quite simply headlined ‘Spot the Hack’ (yes, that would be me also!). We thought we would ‘test’ the attendees of Harrogate International Nursery Fair to recognise our reporting team - and win a bottle of champagne. All people had to do was spot myself, publisher Malcolm Naish, assistant editor Paul Donnelley or reporter Rhys Thomas and hand them a business card. The cards were put in a cookie jar and one lucky winner was pulled at random to take home the bubbly on the final day of the show. Rachel Payne from Shade Me was the winner - hope you enjoyed the ‘fizz’! For a superb roundup - to either refresh your memory, or to see what you missed, turn to page 20, where you’ll find all the information. Want more? We also have a number of product features for you to take a look at. We focus on Baby Carriers and Slings (page 44), Ride Ons (page 52), Sun, Sea & Sand (page 58), Travel Accessories (page 64), Christmas Gifts (page 72), Traditional Toys (page 75) and Baby Blues (page 78) - now that should keep you all busy! On a final note, anyone still confused about i-Size? It may be worth noting that the BPA have a great explanation of this on their website. Simply visit www.b-p-a.org

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Harrogate is also home to the BANTAS (sponsored by Nursery Today). What a fantastic night - a huge well done to the show organisers and also to Jason Manford, who was the headline act Little Green Sheep

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Leader 5

NEWS

sponsored by hardenbergco.co.uk 01785 503 305

Awarding winning night for Century Clever little things that keep baby socks on!

The prestigious SHD Logistics Awards were held on Thursday 19 March and Century Logistics were presented with the SME Operations Award. Hosted by comedian Romesh Ranganathan, at the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square, the awards celebrate excellence in the logistics industry, across eleven main categories. Century Logistics were chosen against five very strong contenders within the SME Operations category. The judging panel looked for the logistics company who demonstrated their operation is finely tuned to support its customers, provides excellence across all aspects of the supply chain and is flexible, future-proof, efficient and proactive. Truly best in class. Each shortlisted contender had to supply supporting data and testimonials from customers as part of the rigorous judging process. . The judge’s comments, read out by Romesh live on stage, said: “Century Logistics was described as ‘first class’, ‘proactive’ ‘professional’ and ‘entrepreneurial’ by its partners, who recognise this company as one which extends well beyond warehousing.” Stephen Basey-Fisher, Managing Director at Century Logistics, said: “If I’m honest I was slightly shocked we won given we were up against such strong contenders. We always strive to do the very best for our customers and delivering excellence is bred into everything we do. We’re particular proud of this award because this is our industry acknowledging our commitment and hard work. Web: www.centurylogistics.co.uk

Little Tikes appoints Azaria Little Tikes, has appointed Azaria to spearhead its UK PR activities. The family specialist agency Azaria, won the account after a three-way competitive pitch. Azaria will be working with Little Tikes’ UK Marketing Manager Michelle Lilley to implement an extensive PR and marketing plan. The key trade and consumer focus for 2015 includes product launches, unique growth driver activities and strong social media elements. Michelle Lilley says: “Azaria stood out as an agency with passion, enthusiasm and a real expertise in the nursery and infant/ preschool arena. Fundamental to the decision was their ability to think outside the box, presenting ideas which showed a clear vision for our brand which would drive growth.”

...Become a stockist of our award winning range...

info@sockons.co.uk 0208 451 1516 www.sockons.co.uk All products are supported by a comprehensive press and pr campaign.

6 nursery today

GOLDBUG APPOINT HEAD OF SALES Goldbug are delighted to announce the appointment of new Head of Sales, Stephen Williams. Stephen joins the team at a time of expansion for the London-based nursery distributor. With a strong background in FMCG, Stephen will oversee all national accounts working alongside MD Joseph Bodner to bring in yet more new lines. Joseph comments: “2015 was always going to be an important year for the company as we continue to evolve. We have exciting company and product news to announce imminently and the appointment of Stephen was key to us as we move forward. His impressive track record in sales will help us towards making this our most exciting year yet.”

A best buy with Cosatto Cosatto has once again been recognised for its high-quality products with the Noodle Supa recently receiving a Which? Best Buy. The Noodle Supa also took a privileged place on The Independent’s IndyBest list of top 10 highchairs earlier in the year too. The Noodle Supa scored full marks with Which? for most importantly; safety, and ease of feeding for parent and child. “We are extremely proud that the Noodle Supa Highchair has received a Best Buy with Which? Consumers are heavily guided by Which? reviews. Receiving this so soon after the listing in the Top 10 Highchairs by the Independent has re-affirmed Cosatto’s strong position in the market for Highchairs,” said Caroline Hardman (Marketing Director). RRP £110.

Lansinoh – triple award winners

Web: www.cosatto.com

Childhome celebrates 30th anniversary Childhome turned 30 years old on 1 April 2015. And to celebrate they sent out their Childhome Easter Bunnies on a special mission. Armed with chocolate Easter eggs, the bunnies hopped through Belgium with one goal: spreading 30 years of love. Stores from around the country got a surprise visit from the Childhome bunny. With this fabulous event, a series of birthday celebrations kicked off.

Lansinoh has been announced as a gold winner at the Prima Baby Awards 2015. The brand was given the accolade for its Lansinoh HPA Lanolin in the Hero Health Product for Mums category. They also walked away with bronze awards in the Breast Pump category for its Manual Breast Pump and the ‘Feeding Equipment’ category for its mOmma Cup with Straw and Dual Handles. Lansinoh’s senior brand manager, Lottie Haigh, said: “We are delighted to have been recognised not just once, but three times in the prestigious Prima Baby Awards 2015. Lansinoh HPA Lanolin is loved by millions of mums the world over for providing natural and effective nipple care during breastfeeding. Mums tell us it’s a must-have product for them and it’s fantastic to see the Prima Baby panel and consumer judges agree. Fantastic recognition for our new Manual Breast Pump too which was the only manual pump to win a Prima Baby award!” For more information about Lansinoh and its award-winning products visit Lansinoh.co.uk

nursery today 7

NEWS Time to talk export

Another Nod for SnüzPod

Christian Jones, Managing Director at the leading safer sleep brand The Gro Company this month talks about how products can capitalise on emerging parenting trends.

ith the budget high on the agenda and the support for UK business a hot topic the government has pledged £7.5m to UKTI to support British business both in the UK and overseas. This is something which all small to medium sized businesses should be aware of and take advantage of as the global market becomes more of a reality even for the smallest businesses. Having experienced the support of the Ministry for Trade and Industry in the recent Great campaign in Shanghai it is useful for any business looking to expand or gain partnerships overseas to engage the services of their local UKTI office. So what about the process? While some of the processes involved in procuring funding can sometimes be a little onerous the advice offered and ability to connect with the right people in a particular target market can often be priceless.

sponsored by

An example initiative is the Overseas Market Introduction Service which will connect your business with relevant commercial and/or manufacturing contacts in market both at a Ministry level and local service providers. This could be help in developing the optimum route to market strategy or in developing your key marketing initiatives i.e. digital leaders in a particular category space. However there is still a need to do the leg work as there is no substitute for a business or brand owner presenting their business with passion and commitment. It is also incredibly useful to speak to other businesses who may be further down the road in a particular market to gain advice and insight. Most businesses are more than happy to share experiences to enable others to learn from their mistakes and, or successes. So as we move inexorably towards the election let’s look at the support available and take advantage of the opportunities which that could potentially bring.

Having already scooped Gold at the Mother & Baby and Loved By Parent awards last year, the team behind the revolutionary SnüzPod, is thrilled to announce it has another impressive accolade to add to its name. SnüzPod has impressed once again taking home Bronze at the recent Prima Baby Awards. Winning another award marks an exciting start to what is set to be the biggest year yet for the nation’s favourite bedside crib. With significant developments to be announced later this year, the team is thrilled its beloved innovation has been recognised by the nursery industry again. Prima Baby is undoubtedly one of the most trusted voices in the parenting world, so to have won Bronze in the First Bed category is a great achievement.

The search is on Founded in Telgate in 1976, Okbaby is a family-owned company with forty years of manufacturing experience and partner distributors in more than 50 countries. Okbaby has been helping parents in their demanding task by creating high-end and state of the art Made in Italy baby baths, potties, toilet reducers and bath accessories. Over the last decade Okbaby has collaborated with Mamas and Papas selling Okbaby products under Mamas and Papas brand. The time now has come to find a distributor with whom they would like to enter the UK market on a long term basis. Email: silvia.erli@okbaby.it Website: www.okbaby.it

Lansinoh launches new consumer website The website has a clean and fresh look with simple and clear navigation, and responsive design makes it easy to access and use on mobile and tablet devices. Product pages have been redeveloped to give clear and practical information with lots of imagery and new features, such as ‘ask the expert’ where visitors have immediate access to a qualified midwife, health visitor or breastfeeding expert to answer their questions or concerns. Online reviews and social sharing direct from the website also means that customers have the opportunity to communicate with the brand in more ways than ever before. Web: Lansinoh.co.uk

Baby Brands Direct appointed by Dorel Baby Brands Direct has been appointed by Dorel U.K. as a preferred wholesaler of Tiny Love products to the independent nursery trade. Keith Belch, the Territory Sales Manager at Dorel commented: “We have had great feedback from the trade on the coveted service provided by Baby Brands Direct and are very pleased that they will continue to carry the range and also take on additional Dorel brands including Safety 1st and Baby Art.’

Prima Baby Awards 2015 Success for Halilit Christian Jones is the Managing Director of The Gro Company who recently underwent a company MBO after just 24 months of Christian being at the helm. For more information about The Gro Company please visit www.gro.co.uk

In the Prima Baby Awards 2015 Best Toys categories, Halilit scooped three awards and a ‘shortlisted’ for the four toys entered: Silver in ‘Best Pre-School Toy 3+’ for the Imaginabox, Bronze for the new Taf Toys Cot Play Centre in ‘Best Newborn Toy’, Bronze for the Halilit Baby’s 1st Birthday Band in ‘Best Toddler Toy 1-3yr’, while the Taf Toys Car Wheel Toy was shortlisted in the same category. Web: www.halilit.co.uk

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LICENSING NEWS

Licensed plush trends ... an inside take on this growing nursery sector Anthony Temple, Managing Director at leading licensed character baby soft toys manufacturer Rainbow Designs talks about the advances within the nursery plush market.

ot more than a decade ago nursery plush toys were purely just that, beautiful, soft and cute toys for babies to cuddle but today they really are much more. Across the toy industry in general there is a plethora

East Coast Nursery expands range The Fisher-Price range from East Coast Nursery is bright, fun and functional, and it’s due to expand over the summer! The range was very well received at Harrogate, with customers commenting that they loved the new, more colourful designs of the Signature Style prints. The range includes changing mats and a temperature change bathmat, to keep bathtimes safe and comfortable. For fun and function at mealtimes, the highchair insert cushions offer additional comfort and support to smaller babies, while the matching splash mats keep floors protected from splashes and spills. For babies on the go, East Coast Nursery offer a choice of Fisher-Price sunshades and sunblinds, and a baby on board sign. Tel: 01692 408802 Web: www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk

of plush toys available for just about every occasion and lifecycle play stage but over the last few years we have seen significant advances in nursery plush. The boundaries have been widened even further ensuring a greater range of plush products are available for parents to choose from. These products ensure that baby is offered both educational elements and sensory development stimulus on top of the cuddle factor. Licensed soft toys will always play a key role in the plush sector, largely due to the familiarity and core values of the childhood characters that parents have grown up with. These ranges are predominantly inspired by literary classics such as Peter Rabbit (and Guess How Much I Love You). However, there is a new trend of licensed plush emerging in the nursery sector and these are born of entertainment brands that are primarily driven by television such as the iconic Peppa Pig brand. In both cases, parents and grandparents feel they are in safe hands with these trusted brands.

Go nuts! New for 2015, GUND is expanding their successful range of plush by introducing a brand new character — Squirrel Nutkin. This adorable plush features the mischievous red squirrel holding an acorn and is set to join Mr. Jeremy Fisher, Hunca Munca and Baby, Peter Rabbit, Flopsy, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, Jemima Puddle-Duck and Benjamin Bunny, which were launched last year. Tel: 01228 404040 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk

Over recent years we have been witness to vast improvements in the availability and use of different fabrics to create even greater tactile offerings with materials that provide texture, crinkle, reflect and sparkle that all contribute to stimulating babies’ touch and feel senses as well as providing the visual stimulus. However it is the ability to provide added value to a soft toy that is fundamental to its success on the shelf. Interactive features such as voice and music chips that stimulate recognition and learning are certainly on the increase and coupled with educational components such ABCs, 123s or a peek-a-boo surprise they provide key ingredients. These blended with the cuddle factor of a soft toy create a winning combination. High quality products that combine multiple features are seen in the signature Fisher Price Learn & Play Puppy and in our own new Developmental Activity Peppa Pig for Baby range encouraging discovery and educational play that help develop babies’ fine motor skills. These feature plush baby toys will always be highly sought after by parents and continuous advances in technology, the availability of new material and fabrics coupled with innovative product design make it a truly exciting time for the future of nursery soft toys. A Baby Soft Toy is certainly not what it used to be.

Obaby A brand new addition to Obaby’s comprehensive licensed Disney collection, this adorable Minnie Mouse Nursery Selection is ideal for those searching for cute and cosy finishing touches to their tot’s room. The stunning and stylish quilt and bumper set is suitable for children over 12 months and will easily fit cots and cot beds. The quilt features an exquisite design which incorporates delicate and charming patchwork and appliqué techniques to create a delightful Minnie Mouse image surrounded with a beautiful heart, while the bumper mixes a range of printed floral fabrics. Tel: 01652 649 538 Web: www.obaby.co.uk

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Advertorial: Tiny Love

Tiny Love at home with Dorel Dorel has added Tiny Love - the multiple awardwinning baby and toy products company that puts special emphasis on baby development - to its portfolio of global nursery brands.

n becoming part of Dorel, Tiny Love joins much loved market-leading brands including Maxi-Cosi, Quinny, Safety 1st and Baby Art. Founded in 1991, Tiny Love has always thrived on innovation, creativity and the development of groundbreaking new products that support a baby’s development from birth, and offer smart solutions to parents’ genuine needs. Today, its products are available in more than 50 countries worldwide, helping babies and parents enjoy quality moments together and individually. By becoming part of Dorel, Tiny Love will beneﬁt from enhanced service from a global group, ranging from improved distribution and delivery to logistics and marketing. Andrew Ratcliffe, Managing Director of Dorel UK,

said: “Tiny Love ﬁts the Dorel bill as a great, multi-award winning premium nursery brand committed to innovation and quality. “We look forward to really giving the Tiny Love brand the boost it deserves, enhancing service and distribution levels, and extending its reputation for creating excellent innovative toys and nursery products that offer real value in terms of baby skills and development.”

7 Elements System Part of what helps make Tiny Love unique is its famed 7 Elements System. The 7 Elements System, created by Tiny Love’s child development experts, is a benchmark for various baby development milestones and a tool for helping parents grow with their baby. The Tiny Love 7 Elements System is a great help in helping customers choose stimulating games, baby toys and activities that support their baby’s development and encourage the baby during their ﬁrst years of discovery.

Pioneering innovation Innovation lies at the heart of the Tiny Love brand, and it has a strong R&D heritage with a focus on baby development through observational studies of baby and toddler behaviour and the use of third party experts like universities. The clear strength of the brand is in satisfying both babies’ developmental needs and those of their parents. This enables Tiny Love to create 12 nursery today

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By becoming part of Dorel, Tiny Love will beneﬁt from enhanced service from a global group, ranging from improved distribution and delivery to logistics and marketing

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smart, innovative baby products and toys. Tiny Love has a great passion and reputation for pioneering industry-ﬁrst concepts and products that are innovative, safe, stimulating and genuinely help aid children’s development. Tiny Love’s comprehensive product offering addresses the entire spectrum of a baby’s developmental milestones, including: sensory stimulation; cognitive and motor skills; growth of emotional development; and more. Tiny Love’s continuing success is built upon a clear understanding of the development and needs of babies, expertise in product development, an innovative design approach, a commitment to quality and an extensive knowledge of the nursery market. Retailers can be assured that, as far as Tiny Love is concerned, compromise is not an option.

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Tiny Love has a great passion and reputation for pioneering industry-ﬁrst concepts and products that are innovative, safe, stimulating and genuinely help aid children’s development

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A fantastic portfolio The Tiny Love product portfolio consists of the following categories: Activity Mats; Bouncers & Rockers; oy ys. ys Mobiles & Soothers; Baby Carriers and Toys. Activity Mats Its Activity Mat collection includes the popular Gymini range. This portable, collapsible sensory mat for ﬂoor playtime is widely regarded as Tiny Love’s ‘ﬂagship’ product. The innovative, award-winning Gymini series offers babies plenty of fun and stimulation while helping enhance their skills and development. The Activity Mat collection also includes the Tummy Time range, which incorporates supportive pillows to encourage head lifting and helps develop babies’ motor skills through play.

Rockers & Bouncers The 3-in-1 Rocker has an innovative Easy Switch option, which allows parents to convert the product from a seat to a soothing napper in one easy step. This innovative product soothes the baby with gentle rocking movements in three different reclining positions, including a middle position which can help babies suffering from reﬂux to digest their food more easily. Also in the Rocker / Bouncer range are Take Along Bouncer and the Gymini Bouncer.

Mobiles & Soothers Mobiles and Soothers are a core category for Tiny Love, with the brand the ﬁrst to launch a developmental electronic mobile 12 years ago. Tiny Love developed its unique product range alongside musicians and psychologists to attain maximum developmental beneﬁts for customers. The brand has a huge range of products in this category, including the Talk

Along mobile, the Classic Developmental mobile and the Double-Sided crib toy: the only crib toy on the market that turns into a soother.

Carriers The Tiny Hug Carrier is an innovative and stylish one-piece baby carrier which has redeﬁned simplicity in the Baby Carrier market. The product features an easy clickand-go mechanism and front and back carrying options, making carrying a baby easy and simple. The simple 2-strap 2-buckle structure simpliﬁes the process of placing the baby in the carrier, and the three ergonomic leg positions suitable from newborn to toddler make the Tiny Hug Carrier one of the most comfortable carriers on the market.

Sales enquiries: S W Warren Lindley Dorel UK Sales Manager. Email: w warren.lindley@dorel.eu T Tel: +44(0) 7768 842 832 PR enquiries: Lexicon Public Relations Ltd, Rory ffoulkes Email: rffoulkes@lexiconpr.com Tel: +44 (0)1943 830 626

On the Go & Toys The brand also has a range of On the Go stroller toys to keep little ones entertained while out and about. This range includes the Musical Nature Pals Stroll - which aids children in their early sensory exploration, and includes pull toys for cause and effect learning from 5 months onwards - as well as a variety of mobiles, wind chimes and teething rattles for developmental learning. As well as the On the Go collection, Tiny Love works hard to develop a range of baby toys which support crucial milestones in children’s development while also encouraging fun and bonding between parent and child. These include crawling toys, double-sided books and a range of exploration toys.

nursery today 13

Regular Retail Proﬁle

The direct route With so much history behind the name and over the years continuing to grow and evolve, Penny Franks decided it was high time she had a chat with Manager, Andrew White to ﬁnd out more about this established nursery retailer. Find out what Andrew had to say, how they operate and their exciting plans for the future. Tell us a little about the store? Listers was born in 1870 as a furniture store in Workington, a family ran business in Cumbria and is still a family run business 145 years on, the furniture store is now on its third site in the town, there is also the baby shop in town and a large out of town store in Cockermouth called The Lakes Home Centre. This store has a garden centre, tea room and sells everything from an electric drill to bathrooms to fine china. Upstairs you can buy beds, sofas sideboards etc. It really is a store you could walk around for a couple of hours.

Listers is a heritage store, with so much history - at what point was it decided to enter the nursery sector? No one really knows the answer to this question, we were selling prams in the late 1800s from the furniture store and it was in the early 50’s that it stood on its own. The store we trade from now is much bigger than the first but only four doors away from the original site (which

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We are opening a new store in Carlisle in the coming weeks. Once Mothercare closed there last year we knew it was time to expand, it’s taken a while to find the right site which we think we have

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is now an undertakers)! I have seen an advert from 1905 with a competition offering a free pram to the first baby born in August – which demonstrates how long we have operated in the nursery retail sector.

Is there currently just the one Listers Baby Shop, or can we see more in the future? I am pleased to say that it is soon to be two. We are opening a new store in Carlisle in the coming weeks. Once Mothercare closed there last year we knew it was time to expand, it’s taken a while to find the right site which we think we have, which is out of town with free parking. We are all really excited about the new challenge.

What product category currently performs well for you? Wheeled goods are a given but furniture, moses baskets and car seats all do well, other items tick over and seem to peak and trough throughout the year.

Do you have a ‘hero’ product at the moment that parents just can’t get enough of ? Two way car seats and bases, the dualfix from Britax is a cracking seller as is the 2way base, pebble+ and the 2way pearl, after years of banging on about reward facing the penny has well and truly dropped in these parts. It’s strange that ‘you tube’ helps in this with videos etc., mums and dads are so much more clued up on car seats these days.

Do you think nursery suppliers/manufacturers keep in line with current trends? I think nursery is bang up to date with trends and has been for years, hence the new colourways every six to twelve months.

Would you say there is sufficient innovation at present with nursery? Yes it’s everywhere from all kinds of different companies. From prams to a Gizmo that heats breast milk as it passes

over it, so not to waste the milk mum as expressed (very clever).

What about trade shows – which do you attend? The only trade show I attend is Harrogate. However I do go to the ever increasing list of company previews. This is a bit of a pain given the number of days now required out of the store. As a retailer and from my perspective, it would be simpler if some of the brands were to have been at Harrogate.

You also have an online presence, how does this operate alongside your store? We have a web site and are on the face’ache’ sorry ‘book’! We use the website just to let customers know where we are as we took the decision not to sell online.

‘hero’ product Two way car seats and bases, the dualfix from Britax is a cracking seller as is the 2way base, pebble+ and the 2way pearl, after years of banging on about reward facing the penny has well and truly dropped in these parts. It’s strange that ‘you tube’ helps in this with videos etc., mums and dads are so much more clued up on car seats these days.

What about consumer spending trends, what are you noticing at the moment?

What about product demonstration - how important is this to you?

This might sound daft but we cannot sell SALE items, i.e. prams etc. Full price is what folk in West Cumbria like. We do really well on Silvercross, iCandy, BabyStyle, bugaboo, Bebecar and Quinny - none of which are cheap. This is a proper working class area and folk like to be seen with a nice pram.

It’s everything pure and simple. Get it right and a sale should follow. You will always get a time waster and experience the people who are going to buy on line because they perceive it to be ‘cheaper’ – which often is just not the case. But giving strong demonstration of product and chat with customers, trust and confidence in you are achieved – which is so very important.

Do you feel well supported by your suppliers, or is there more they could be offering?

And finally, what do you think will be the next ‘must have’ by mums?

We are very well supported but I also like to think that at the same time we support them well too, it’s got to be a two way thing.

I only wish I knew Penny! I’ve been in nursery 17 years now and can still be taken aback with what sells and what does not, oh for a big crystal ball!

Red Kite 2015 collection 01454 326 555 www.redkitebaby.com

Retail Technology

Back to the Future A look at Google Knoweledge Vault By David Fairhurst

It’s hard to imagine the online World without Google. Globally acknowledged to be the mosttrafficked website on the World Wide Web, the Google search engine has surpassed all others to be the go-to destination when searching for something online. Yet Google probably would not have been so popular if one innovation hadn’t been used early on, that innovation being PageRank.

16 nursery today

ageRank was the idea put forward by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the mechanism being named after Page. Prior to this use of external linking of pages as a ranking factor, earlier search engines relied on the content within a page to determine ranking within a web page alone, with the number of instances of keyphrases on a page being used as the primary determining factor. The use of external linking is used by Google even to this day as a measure of popularity of content on the World Wide Web, with more links being better for rankings. Over the years, Google introduced quality signals for external links to further refine the ranking of pages, however external link volume is still a major ranking factor and has been shown to be, up until very recently, massively open to abuse. http://goo.gl/stCH

The Trouble With Links For many years, Google has been fighting a losing battle with spam, both link spam and content spam. This is not at all surprising to be brutally honest, because in any system where a set of rules are applied, you generally get someone trying to get round those rules. In Google’s case, the use of external linking as a ranking factor for search results means that if you wanted a website to rank well then you need lots and lots of external links coming into pages within that website. This requirement for external links has promoted the growth of an entire industry of spammers Worldwide, creating junk content and websites in order to generate links which in

turn can be applied to promote other websites in Google’s search results. Many online retailers will be very familiar with calls from companies offering link building services! Even worse, the requirement for external links has massively increased attempted break-ins on a wide range of web properties in order to nefariously gain links. Despite many re-writes of the Google search engine over the years, Google still struggles with the quality of search results. A new approach is required and that approach may be looking to the past, with an eye on the future.

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specifically in this way – the computing power, database architecture and data transfer rates required are absolutely enormous and require the resources of a Global multinational with a large budget. Step forward Google Knowledge Vault and the birth of the Fact-Based Search model. http://goo.gl/FBZJ1M A team of researchers at Google have been beavering away on creating a search model where correctness of content, not external links are the strongest determining factor for rankings and this model utilises the vast array and growing

This new approach is going back to the mantra of ‘Content is King’, where top quality content wins the day, everything else is secondary Google Knowledge Vault and Fact-Based Search What if you could determine the quality of a page out there on the World Wide Web based on the truthfulness of the content it contains? That way, only the very best, well written pages with the most accurate information would naturally float towards the top of search results and all others would get demoted. This new approach is going back to the mantra of ‘Content is King’, where top quality content wins the day, everything else is secondary. This type of search requires a vast array of pre-qualified information in order to determine ‘what is right’, which is why until now, no company has attempted to determine rankings

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pool of information obtained automatically from Google’s crawl of the World Wide Web. http://goo.gl/ Qcc6ZB We could in the future be in a World where there will be no room in search results for spammy, low quality pages and as a web marketer I can’t wait. Moving forward, even more than before, I would advise all online retailers to create genuinely useful, unique and enticing content for real people, ignoring what you think Google wants because at the end of the day, Google wants to be treated as just another visitor to your website. We really are going ‘Back to the Future!’

David Fairhurst, Head of Creative Online Marketing, Intelligent Retail. David has been involved with Search Engine Optimisation and web development since 1999 and has spoken at many different retail and SEO conferences including Spring Fair and SES London. Tel: 0845 6800126

Made in Italy

Hi There! We’re

We’re Growing! and we’re looking for the best and the brightest to come grow with us. We’re a global design business, with ooodles of experience in every mum, dad, baby, toddler and parenting category. We’re proud to partner with some of the brightest and best baby brands from all around the planet and we’re looking to take on some new faces. So if you’re a fledgling bundle of ideas, a climbing creative or a design influencer in the nursery industry (and up for something new) then grab a device and get in touch. We have teams specialising in brand expression, product ideation and innovation as well as pattern print and fashion in both our London & Manchester studios. In Manchester: We’re currently keeping seats warm for mid weight to senior wheeled goods and equipment designers. We have a big desk awaiting a big persona to inspire the product team and wow our clients. We also have room for some textile loveliness. Please send an email titled: “Fledgling”, “Climber” or “Influencer” to jobs@narrativestudio.com

Focus GFK

Journey to the £1Billion UK Nursery Market

About GfK GfK is one of the world’s largest research companies, with around 13,000 experts working to discover new insights into the way people live, think and shop, in more than 100 markets, every day. GfK is constantly innovating and using the latest technologies and the smartest methodologies to give its clients the clearest understanding of the most important people in the world: their customers. In 2012, GfK’s sales amounted to €1.51 billion. To find out more, visit www.gfk. com/uk or follow GfK on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GfK_en 18 nursery today

here are 3 million babies and toddlers (up to 4 years old) in the UK which means that parents are buying an equivalent of 25 units of nursery products per child per year. The Nursery sector has had strong growth in 2014 especially in the last quarter of the year. A strong value growth rate of 5.4% has been supported by positive growth in the average prices across various product categories within the sector. With over 10% volume growth, Feeding & Bathing have emerged as strong growth categories. Innovation was on trend in 2014 as new products introduced performed much better than in previous years. Baby Monitors, Highchairs and Strollers led the way but there is still room for improvement as manufacturers focus on what parents really want. Parents also trust Mother & Child retailers to provide the first Stroller, Car Seat or Highchair for their child as the specialists slowly but surely grow their share in these categories. Interestingly, despite being a heavily promoted sector, Black Friday did not have significance in the Nursery calendar. Even though the sales in November 2014 were up as compared to 2013, the value growth was minimal. This should be a consideration for the industry as Black Friday starts to emerge as a popular event in the consumer calendar. Sales across product categories and across online/offline increased significantly across other home & living categories. As the Nursery Industry looks ahead in 2015, there is good news. Consumer confidence is up, inflation is at its lowest level in modern times and that suggests that

consumers have more disposable incomes for big ticket & impulse purchases. The mood is tempered though with the looming elections and the households struggling to emerge from the recession. Some Tullika Bhalla of the key drivers to growing this industry would include a focus on online for higher basket values. Innovation in products like Frame only strollers, lightweight strollers, ISize car seats, Breast shaped teats and wide neck bottles are some of those. According to Erol Sukan presenting at Harrogate, it is time for the Nursery industry to externalise its focus and recognise the value of providing customers a convenient way to shop and the freedom of choice in features as well as pricing. Parents are savvier, better connected and heading towards a connected smart home with a smart Nursery.

i-Gemm™ infant seat ECE R129/00

i-Anchor® child seat ECE R129/00

gemm™ and juva™ infant seats ECE R44/04

suitable from birth rearward or forward to approx. 4 years

i-AnchorFIX® base

Focus Harrogate

At home in

Harrogate

The doors closed on yet another successful Harrogate International Nursery Fair in March and, as the only UK’s only baby trade show with a track record going back 40 years, proved once again the highlight of the calendar year for the majority of the nursery sector.

Hippychick In 2015, Hippychick is celebrating a fantastic 15 years of trading. To mark the milestone, the team had bubbles on the stand to thank everyone that has supported them. Co-founder Jeremy Minchin told the Daily News: “I always love coming to Harrogate each year. It’s our best trade event and I’m really excited to be showing our latest products to everyone. We’re thrilled to be celebrating our 15th year in business, and to be sharing the occassion with the rest of the industry — it really is great to have been doing this for 15 years. I’d like to thank our friends, the retailers, suppliers, customers, everyone for working with us and supporting us over the years.”

Hardenberg us, especially “The show was fantastic for x. Lots of with launching Sassy and Duu show gave us the so re people know Angelca great exposure.” ive

Selina Jones, Sales execut

20 nursery today

“

It was also notable that exhibitors with fresh new product ranges, attractive show offers and proactive sales teams, who prepared well in advance for the event, really reaped the beneﬁts of a slightly smaller show allowing more time to spend with quality buyers

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his year represented a fantastic show for all those suppliers that we have not taken in before and we are who attended. With more than 180 exhibitors looking forward to working with them. I also had time to of which approximately 85 were new it wasn’t attend the seminars and I particularly enjoyed the talk on surprising to hear from the show organisers that social media.” attendance was in line with other years. There was a boost in journalists attending Harrogate Information illustrates that visitors represented those this year with almost 30 titles making use of the Press from 19 countries - from as far afield as Iceland, Korea Office and an increased number of mummy bloggers too. and Australia, all mixing happily with almost all of the These included magazines such as B Baby; Bumps, Birth major multiple retailers who turned out in force including and Beyond; Prima Baby & Pregnancy; Angels & Urchins; Mothercare, Kiddicare, Babys R Us, Amazon, Shop Direct, Boots, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer (to name a few); as well as large supermarket chains such as Asda, Costco, Tesco and Sainsburys. Savvy independent retailers also made the “This was our second year effort to support the and after last year’s terriﬁc show again and were show we were looking to able to enjoy exhibitor capitalise on a similar level. hospitality (which I really like Harrogate — it’s included everything one of my favourite shows.” from cupcakes to Violet Reid, Founder cocktails) as well as some generous show offers that a number exhibitors had made available and attracted very good business. It was also great to see so many of these joining the fun side of the show with a good turnout Scrummie Mummies and Baby London, with Amy Thacker at both BANTA Awards Dinner and also the After Show commenting: “The team at Baby London really enjoyed Drinks Reception. Harrogate. We discovered some fantastic new brands and Debbie Homer-Davis, managing director of BabyLady products that we are looking forward to featuring moving Ltd (nursery retailer) said: “We loved the show and the forward and can’t wait to visit again next year.” fact that there were less big suppliers meant we could This year we also saw a number of exhibitors spend more time with others in a relaxed and friendly celebrating anniversaries for example, Hippychick (15 way. We are very excited about the new DC collection at years), Redkite (10 years), We Made Me (10 years) and i-Candy and already there has been a buzz about this on Halilit (50 years). our Facebook pages. New product of the show has to be It was also notable that exhibitors with fresh new the egg. Well done to all at Babystyle for what looks to product ranges, attractive show offers and pro-active sales be a winner. We have signed up with a number of new teams, who prepared well in advance for the event, really

Shea Mooti

The whole story

Rain suit footmuff and buggy organiser To become a stockist call 01278 434440 or email sales@hippychick.com w

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o m

Focus Harrogate

Debbie Brown, Kid-nap, Dumfries and Rosie e Brown, Rosie Cheeks, Glasgow “It’s been good. We always look forward to coming to Harrogate because there are so many new things to see. It’s hard out there but things are improving.” reaped the benefits of a slightly smaller show allowing more time to spend with quality buyers. Andy Crane, managing director of BabyStyle commented, “We had an amazing show with barely a minute to breathe on the stand; pre-show we worked hard behind the scenes to secure appointments to see our new product egg. We also made sure that we rewarded retailers for attending the show by giving some really attractive offers. We made it clear on our newsletters that these offers were only available for show attendees” This opinion was confirmed by Paul Sirett of BeSafe Car Seats who said: “We had more visitors to our stand this year than last and certainly of a higher quality – all giving

us a lot of their time and placing well thought through forward order plans.” Lynda Harding of Sweet Dreamers, which has exhibited for a number of years, commented: “The team at Harrogate International Nursery Fair continue to provide an excellent show year after year. We had an amazing exhibition and were thrilled with the early excitement surrounding the launch of our new colour way – ewan the grey. The interest we experienced was incredible and we had orders flooding in ... we will certainly be kept busy for the foreseeable future.” Harrogate International Nursery Fair 2016 takes place from 20th to 22nd March, with exhibitor bookings opening in May 2015. More information can be found on the website at www.nurseryfair.com

“

This year we also saw a number of exhibitors celebrating anniversaries for example, Hippychick (15 years), Redkite (10 years), We Made Me (10 years) and Halilit (50 years)

”

D E T T SPO atts W y r a G of WH deep Watts verin con on sation nicci the Ve stand

We Made Me “Visitors deﬁnitely recognised our new brand name. We did a huge amount of marketing with regard to this — from the bags at the entrance points, our new promotional literature all the way through to our stand.” Daniel Lucas, Founder, We Made Me

Halilit “We love coming to Harrogate and having a great reaction to our new products. We relaunched battat — a well established and trusted brand that now comes in new on-trend colours. It’s classic, it’s vintage — bath toys, role play, outdoor toys — brought up to

Redkite The Red Kite team posed with the new Fusion Travel System GEO. “We had a fab start to the fair with good, steady trafﬁc on the stand all day and really positive responses to the new range,” said Commercial Director, Debra Tucker. 22 nursery today

date. “We are excited by the Cot Play Centre which was short listed for a BANTA. “Harrogate was great. We met many new customers.”

REVERSO A new benchmark.

EASY HANDLING The convenient rotating wheels allow the leg supports and, in particular, the angle of sitting or lying to be adjusted.

EXTRA LIGHT With the inlay for newborns inserted, the Reverso weighs 10.9 kg – without the inlay it even weighs in at under 10 kg (9.9 kg).

EXTREME SAFE The Reverso fulﬁls the new European i-Size standard and provides the highest standards of safety.

uk@concord.de, Phone: 01273 416179, Facebook: www.facebook.com/concord.childrensproducts, Twitter: @Concordforbaby

Focus BANTAS

Award Winners announced

Award winners announced

Child Restraints category WINNER Concord Concord Reverso iSize Car Seat Web: www.en.concord.es HIGHLY COMMENDED Joie Children’s Products UK Ltd (5) Joie i-AnchorSAFE System Web: www.joiebaby.com

Wheeled Goods category WINNER BabyStyle UK Ltd Egg Web: www.babystyle.co.uk

here were celebrations all round at Harrogate International Nursery Fair this year as the Baby Products Association (BPA) announced the winners of its annual awards. The Baby and Nursery Trade Awards (BANTAs), sponsored by Nursery Today, are one of the highlights of the show each year and are only open for entry to companies exhibiting at Harrogate. They aim to recognise and reward

those products, which in the judges opinions, are the very best at the show in terms of consumer appeal, market need and value for money. The winners this year were announced during the BANTA Awards Dinner which took place at The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate. There were eight categories this year, plus Best New Product, with one Highly Commended product and a Winner in each and these are as follows:

BabyStyle

HIGHLY COMMENDED Graco Fast Action Fold – Sport Web: www.graco.co.uk

Toys category WINNER Hippychick Ltd BoiKido Push and Play Rabbit Wagon Web: www.hippychick.com HIGHLY COMMENDED Rainbow Designs Activity Peppa Pig Web: www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

Concord

Sleep Accessories category WINNER Cloud b Tranquil Turtle Web: www.cloudb.com HIGHLY COMMENDED Prince Lionheart (UK) Ltd Back to Sleep Slumber BUNNY Web: www.princelionheart.co.uk

Cloud b

Hippychick

Joie 24 nursery today

Safety First, Safety Anywhere

Award winning digital audio baby monitor with volume controls, 300m range and 32 channels to avoid any interference. Totally portable, Hush Whisper can be mains or battery powered, making it ideal for the holiday season.

RRP ÂŁ22.99

Become a Hush stockist 01937 847 766 NIMANS-HOME-HUSH-WHISPER-04/15

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Focus BANTAS

Award winners announced Travel Accessories category WINNER Joie Children’s Products UK Ltd Joie SecureClick Midway Travel Cot Web: www.joiebaby.com HIGHLY COMMENDED NSA Complete Travel Centre Web: www.nsauk.com

In Home category WINNER Nuna International BV LEAF™ baby seat Web: www.nuna.eu HIGHLY COMMENDED Tutti Bambini Sovereign Nursery Room Set Web: www.tuttibambini.co.uk

Safety category

Nimans

WINNER Nimans Home Hush Whisper Web: www.nimans.net HIGHLY COMMENDED Nimans Home BT Video Baby Monitor 7500 Lightshow Web: www.nimans.net

Feeding, Cleaning and Changing category WINNER Shnuggle Ltd NEW Shnuggle Bath Web: www.shnuggle.com HIGHLY COMMENDED Chillipeeps Chillipeeps 3in1 Teats & Spouts Web: www.chillipeeps.com

Bugbrush

Best New Product category Nuna International

WINNER Bugbrush Ltd BugBrush Web: www.bugbrush.co.uk HIGHLY COMMENDED Golden Bear Products Ltd Talking Twirlywoos Web: www.goldenbaby.co.uk

Schnuggle

26 nursery today

a hand to hold. a hand to fold meet mimzy snacker™ I’m light and compact because it’s the small things that matter most. I fold with one hand because everything should simply make life easier. One hand, compact fold! Frame folds with one easy motion—pull strap in seat, and presto—it’s folded.

simply brilliant.

bring the kids™ Share the joy at joiebaby.com For all sales enquiries, please contact Joie UK on: 01889 808 900 or email: uksales@joiebaby.com

Focus Stars of the Show

Stars of the Show 2012 Ltd 2012 Ltd enjoyed an extremely busy and successful show. With the company’s product portfolio ever expanding, this year saw the launch of two new brands; Pura Stainless and Gunamuna, both which attracted many visitors to 2012 Ltd’s stand. In addition to the much-loved and well-established Baby K’tan Carrier; 2012 Ltd’s other brands such as Lulujo, Carriwell, Comfi Cush and Kalencom Changing Bags, to mention a few, were well received with many new stockists coming on board. Each year Harrogate proves to be the perfect platform to showcase new products and continue to build brand awareness and great relationships with retailers.

Tel: 01202 303 777 Email: info@2012ltd.co.uk Web: www.2012ltd.com

Halilit - Taf Toys

Dreambaby Harrogate International Nursery Fair 2015 offered Tee-Zed Products some very interesting opportunities. Starting on a sleepy daylight savings Sunday, the show grew into interesting propositions, offers and contacts. The Dreambaby brand is an internationally known Child Safety and Care range. Their aim is to ensure that they supply high quality, practical products to consumers for affordable prices. With a wide range of products, it is always a pleasure to be able to introduce their new products to their existing customers and introduce their full range to potential new customers.

Tel: 0844 800 9445 Web: www.dreambaby.co.uk

Halilit launched some great new developmental toys from Taf Toys, including the BANTA shortlisted Cot Play Centre. This innovative toy is suitable from birth and can attach to the cot or be used as a take-along activity book. A second star was the Tummy-Time Clip-On Gym which features a tummy-time pillow and three activity toys including a mirror with a special mat clip to hold the securely in front of baby for essential tummy time play.

Tel: 01254 872454 Web: www.halilit.co.uk

Cuddledry A true star of the show was an endangered species. Two snow leopards were hiding on the Cuddledry stand – one in the shape of the latest design in the Original Cuddledry baby apron bath towel range, the other its slightly older cousin, the Cuddlepaw toddler towel. Both will be available soon and with each towel Cuddledry sold they will be donating a minimum of £1 to the WWF to help protect these beautiful animals. The Cuddledry towel has become a firm fixture on the baby essential wish list for all new parents, as its award-winning design genuinely makes baby bathtime simpler, safer, and calm.

Tel: 01823 323363 Email: trade@cuddledry.com Web: www.cuddledry.com

28 nursery today

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Focus Stars of the Show

Little Green Sheep This year was a very important show for this company and the best part had to be unveiling the new Snüz brand. The reaction from retailers was fantastic and it certainly ensured all the hard work had paid off. They had some great feedback and have exciting plans for the Little Green Sheep Family. Their stand, which was divided to present the new look and feel of their two brands, was in the perfect location at the front entrance and the SnüzPod colour vote certainly added the fun factor. It was the perfect introduction as their family of brands embarks on a new era.

Tel: 01386 791049 Email: trade@thelittlegreensheep.co.uk Web: www.thelittlegreensheep.co.uk

Venicci Venicci unveiled their new white special edition. Some of the features of this special edition are the zip ventilation on the back of the carry cot, magnetic poppers on the cover and a rocking mode on the bottom. This also comes with the easy click mode on the chassis so it’s a lot easier to swap between the carry cot and the car seat on the chassis. It comes with front and back suspension and it only weighs 5kg when everything has been removed.

Joie Joie had an extremely successful time at this year’s show and received excellent feedback from trade and media visitors alike. With a great new stand in Hall M, visitors were treated to a preview of some fantastic and innovative new additions to the Joie family. This included the i-Gemm – the new from birth car seat with i-Size. This i-Size (ECE R129/00) seat can be rearward facing up from 40cm-85cm, less than 13kg. It comes with exclusive Tri-Protect headrest with three layers of security, patented Intelli-Fit foam for ultimate side impact protection, Grow Together multi-height headrest and harness which adjust together with one hand. Plus with a removable full body insert and head support, and a curved base for rocking and relaxing, it’s set to be a winner. Also impressing the visitors was the SecureClick - a new travel cot system which comes in three options; Commuter Change – a travel cot including bassinet with lift-off changer; Commuter Change & Snooze – a travel cot including bassinet with lift-off changer and napper; and Midway Change & Rock – a travel cot with bassinet, light, sound and vibration unit, deluxe lift-off changer, lift-off napper/rocker which can be used on or off the cot. Finally, the two new indoor range products – Dreamer, the bold and bright rocker and Serina 2in1, the padded swing with a click-off seat which then becomes a stand-alone rocker.

Tel: 01889 808 900 Email: uksales@joiebaby.com

30 nursery today

KiddiCorp Renowned nursery distributor Goldbug chose the annual Harrogate Nursery Show to announce their much-anticipated rebrand. KiddiCorp will distribute brand new nursery lines as well as existing ranges within the Goldbug portfolio. KiddiCorp added to the Wow Kids Cup line and introduced the Wow Baby Cup as well as the Hungry Caterpillar range of nursery travel items. Buyers also got their first look at the exciting licensed Jeep collection of nursery travel accessories.

Tel: 01302953872 Email: Info@venicci.co.uk

Tel: 0203 137 5172 Email: sales@kiddicorp.co.uk

BeSafe Pioneers of keeping children rearfacing for longer, Scandinavian BeSafe launched another revolutionary ‘first’ to Harrogate - the World’s first seat to be tested BOTH to iSize, and the Swedish PLUS-Test AND be adjustable to space in the car. Paul Sirett, Country Manager told us: “This seat really is pushing the boundaries of safety and convenience… there is another famous Scandinavian Brand that claims to be ‘Probably the best in the World’… could this be another? And pre-orders have taken all our first production – exciting.”

Tel: 01606 814 638 Email: sales@hts.no Web: www.carseat.co.uk

Because product conďŹ dence is so important with baby equipment, Babymoov is committed to providing you with quality, safe products, all certiďŹ ed by independent laboratories. And as proof of this, Babymoov offers a lifetime warranty* on all its products! Come and visit us! Harrogate Nursery Fair / Stand C33

* This warranty is subject to conditions - more info available online: www.service-babymoov.com

Since 1997, Babymoov has been creating products to make life easier for parents and to make each moment with their baby a joyful one. All our products are designed in conjunction with the top experts: Mums!

Focus Stars of the Show

Hippychick On the Sunday was the Awards Night. A couple of Hippychick’s products had been shortlisted, so the team attended with much anticipation ….. drum roll ….. YES THEY WON! Hippychick is delighted to have won the Toy category with the Boikido Push and Pull Rabbit Wagon. This handmade wooden toy helps inspire children to walk independently, giving them the opportunity for adventure on their own, collecting and pushing around their toys. Its fun factor and durability mean that it can be passed down from generation to generation. The Rabbit Wagon is just one product in the fabulous Boikido range, available exclusively in the UK from Hippychick.

Tel: 01278 434440 Email: enquiries@hippychick.com Web: www.hippychick.com

Babymoov Maguari Maguari enjoyed another successful Harrogate International Nursery Fair, taking orders and meeting clients throughout the show. Visitors to the stand saw a varied collection of new lines and the designer style Skip Hop changing bags were certainly Maguari’s stars of the show. Other popular items were the new 370 Thermoband milk safety product, fresh colours and packaging for the Potette Plus travel potty, new products in the Bébé au Lait range and the soon-to-be-launched X-Qlusive Covers, designed to give pushchairs New Life, New Look.

Tel: 01293 592170 Web: www.maguari.com

Babymoov’s 0 Emission Baby Camera proved a real hit at the Nursery Fair in Harrogate last month. This awardwinning NEW baby monitor is pioneering in both design and functionality. Adopting Power-line Communication (PLC) technology it ensures that no harmful electromagnetic waves are emitted in baby’s bedroom. Used in tandem with an intuitive App (compatible iOS or Android) that can be used on a tablet or smartphone, the camera works to provide plug ‘n’ play adaptability to monitor baby whilst at home or away. The 0 Emission camera comes with a wide-array of features including night-vision, temperature sensor, walkietalkie function, video recording and photo capturing, lullabies and multiple alert settings: temperature, motion sensor, etc. £149.99 RRP.

Web: www.babymoov.co.uk

The RHSM Group The RHSM Group recently showcased an exciting portfolio of brands at this year’s Harrogate Nursery Fair on behalf of their partners and were thrilled with the amazing response. BreathableBaby returned for their third year with new products and beautiful new designs including the all-British Heritage Collection, all of which were positively received by visitors to the stand - the concept of safe sleeping is constantly at the forefront and BreathableBaby offers such great solutions to everyday worries and concerns. The award winning Shrunks continues to impress with its innovative

32 nursery today

and practical sleep solutions for kids on the go and Crane USA showcased their stylish range of Humidifers, including Ellie the Elephant which was a finalist in the BANTAs. New to The RHSM Group is Bloom and Beyond - products designed for mum after birth to help speed up recovery while still providing comfort and support - Shrinkx Belly in particular had a great response for all the ladies (and gents!) who tried the product on for themselves! And finally, gorgeous Maternity brand BoobDesign showcased their 2015 collection of nursing tops including some amazing sustainable pieces made from recycled bottles! A big thanks from Rachelle, Jill and Kelly to all who stopped by and they look forward to following up with you all.

Email: rachelle@rhsm-group.com Web: www.breathablebaby.com

Clippasafe Clippasafe enjoyed great success at Harrogate with the newest products to o their extensive safety range proving to o be especially popular. The latest additions include AntiTip Straps for TVs and Furniture, preventing injuries from heavy fallingg items in the home; and the Clear View w Baby Mirror which allows drivers to see babies in rear facing car seats. The newly updated and repackaged d Carramio baby carrier was also a hit, resulting in an impressive number of retail orders for the newly introduced dove grey version.

Tel: 0115 921 1899 Web: www.clippasafe.co.uk

Connecta It’s about being connected. The Connecta’s carrying positions allow baby to be held close; offering everything that their customers ask for – meeting all their carrying needs. The Connecta is easy to use and adjust. Featuring crossable straps which provide maximum comfort and ideal weight distribution. This, combined with a lack of complexity in the fastening process means that the Connecta appeals to a wide audience of both first-time parents and the more experienced sling user.

Tel: 01483 419031 Web: www.connectababycarrier.com

Nimans The Hush Whisper baby monitor came out on top in the Safety category at the BANTA awards. The company’s Hush range of baby monitors has been a huge success with the entry level Hush Whisper now recognised for its exceptional high value performance. It features a 300m range, compact design, volume control, Voice Operated Exchange (VOX),

‘NEW ‘X4’: ADJUSTABLE ISOFIX ARMS – ADJUSTABLE LEG ROOM • Smallest and largest rearfacing seat in one! • New single leg support • New greater recline • New small, fabric covered brace.

battery operation and a belt clip.

Tel: 01937 847 766 Email: home@nimans.net nursery today 33

Focus Stars of the Show

Obaby The Obaby stand boldly led with their full selection of furniture room sets, each creatively showcased in lifestyle nursery displays. The products gained a lot of attention, with Harrogate visitors responding positively to the diversity, style and size of their collection. The Minnie Mouse nursery furniture gained great feedback from visitors. Harrogate also set the stage for previewing their licensed Disney Circles range, which includes Strollers and Twins, Highchairs, Travel Cots and Bath Changing Units. A first for Obaby, the inventive Bath Changing Unit sparked a lot of interest.

Tel: 01652 641491 Web: www.obaby.co.uk

CuddleCo Although Greentom and Comfi-cush got fantastic interest at the recent trade show, Doona, the fully patented revolutionary car seat from Simple Parenting, still remains the star product for Cuddleco. The innovative hybrid car seat is truly one of a kind, with a fully integrated travel solution it has wowed the industry, and with 13 awards now under its belt it has garnered a flawless reputation also. The product offers simplicity, style, ease and convenience at users fingertips. With just a touch of a button, the car seat turns into a stylish push along mobility system and incorporates deep double walled side impact protection and an orthopaedic inner cushion, to offer parents 100% peace of mind.

Tel: 0161 702 5062 Email: sales@cuddleco.co.uk Web: www.cuddleco.co.uk

A Caboo for everyone from Close Caboo +organic Close’s original and most celebrated carrier offers the most flexible sizing across their range. Its gorgeous new double faced fabric means Caboo +organic offers the ultimate in luxury and style, cocooning baby in folds of beautifully soft organic material. With its beautiful new curves and additional support parents can Caboo to their heart’s content in both comfort and style.

Caboo +cotton blend Think 100% Caboo but without the organic credentials, instead we have selected a blended poly cotton interlock to give parents a carrier that provides all of that trusted Caboo experience that leaves them with a few more pounds in their pocket, which definitely makes close common sense! Available in three colours, RRP £59.99

Caboo NCT Caboo NCT is the result of a collaboration with NCT (the UK’s largest charity for Parents) and Close working together to make easy soft carrying accessible to every new parent. Its modified light design provides affordable, intuitive carrying at a price to suit every pocket. Now with wider straps and stretchier binding, Caboo NCT provides even more support for little ones as they grow… NCT now comes in three new gender neutral colours. RRP £49.99

Tel: 01992 554045 Email: michelle@closeparent.com Web: www.closeparent.com 34 nursery today

Splash About The team at Splash About just love Harrogate and had a great time showing this year’s hot trends featuring Surfs Up, Pink Blossom and sweet Candy Stripes. They have such wide appeal and range across products that sit beautifully alongside our best-selling Set Sail, Navy White Stripe, Apple Daisy and Tutti Frutti prints. Never resting on its laurels, Splash About is thrilled to add new collections for 2015. The boutique Holiday Shop features gorgeous prints inspired by birds of paradise and the mystical Lion Fish. Now also available ‘On Board’ offers a Designer range of stylish and flattering Maternity Swimwear.

Tel: 01647 440 570 www.splashabout.com

The new furniture ranges from East Coast Nursery Tel: 01692 408802 www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk EastCoastNursery

@EC_Nursery

Whilst at the Harrogate Int. Nursery Fair we spoke to a number of retailers about their visit. What was of interest, did they spot any trends emerging and new products.

Mona Alani Lola Myer, Yorkshire

Grant Furniss The Changing Mat, Rotherham How important is the show to you? We are new to the business, only started a couple of months ago but it’s been an invaluabxle experience to meet new manufacturers and see products in the flesh. So yes it’s important. Do you find a good level of new products while you are here? We have seen quite a few things we didn’t know existed in our area. It’s been a great experience to meet manufacturers and make decisions on what we can stock. What has caught your eye this year? I think it has to be the swim nappies from Close Parent. Predominantly, we are an online nappy retailer. Branching out into that area looks pretty impressive. Have you spotted any particular trends emerging from the show? It’s difficult to answer because we have only been in business since January.

How important is the show to you? It’s very important because I have a childrenswear brand in Yorkshire so we support anything in Yorkshire. It’s nice to have all these beautiful brands coming into our city. Do you find a good level of new products while you are here? Yes there is always something new. I have been coming here for a lot of years but it’s always fresh, which is nice. What has caught your eye this year? The amount of buggy brands is amazing. Have you spotted any particular trends emerging from the show? I think there is a lot of colour, which is coming through quite strongly. I think people are less going for the pink and blue – it is much more adventurous.

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Clayton Perrett Discount Pram Centre, Nelson, Wales How important is the show to you? It’s very important. It’s so important that this year I have brought all the staff from the shop because there is so much that they could learn. It’s an opportunity to see all the products that are on display. The girls have picked out stuff that I haven’t seen in the past so it’s very important. Do you find a good level of new products while you are here? It’s somewhere you have to come if you are in the industry if you want to keep up to date with new products. What has caught your eye this year? Myself and the girls are very excited about the egg. The new iCandy ranges and Tutti Bambini also interests us. Have you spotted any particular trends emerging from the show? Greys. Something to do with the film I think. Greys are very strong this year.

Marie-Louise Hurworth MLM, London How important is the show to you? I am just starting out in my retailing so it is very important for me to meet lots of different people, important for networking and to get a better understanding of the business as I’m a clinical practitioner. This is very important for the foundations of my business. Do you find a good level of new products while you are here? Yes (but not as many new products as I thought I’d find). It’s impressive. Someone told me that the quality of the products is better this year (but the quantity is down). What has caught your eye this year? To be fair we came to find certain things so they are the ones that have caught our eye. We are only really interested in what we have come to look at. Have you spotted any particular trends emerging from the show? Yes, patterns. Everyone is going for patterns. Look over there – you have the poker dots, the stripes. Lots of patterns, lots of floral.

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Jade Crow Ocado How important is the show to you? It is quite important to us as it is the only nursery show in the UK. Do you find a good level of new products while you are here? There are lot of amateur brands trying to replicate the bigger brands. What has caught your eye this year? Maguari. Skiphop always catch my eye. They always do great marketing. Have you spotted any particular trends emerging from the show? Muslins, lots of muslins.

Abigail Johnson, JD Williams How important is the show to you? It’s very important. I have such a wide supply base that I can’t get to see all the showrooms in one year as I can’t take too many days off work. So it’s great to see them all under one roof. Do you find a good level of new products while you are here? Yes because they all display their brand new wares in March so it’s really important for me to come to pick out all the new stuff and all the items that won awards on Sunday [at the BANTAs]. It’s a good opportunity to find new innovative products. What has caught your eye this year? I have just been to the Hauck stand and seen the new Twister, which is really good. The Joie Aire was also great for me. Have you spotted any particular trends emerging from the show? I think a lot of the pushchair suppliers are aiming at the independents. They all seem to be quite high-end. There is also a lot of grey everywhere – I don’t know if that has been inspired by the film or the book but lots of grey. It’s good for unisex so that’s probably the spin they will put on it.

Pretty sleek at

ome of innovative, essential, design led brands from around the world, Little Saints are busy following up orders and enquiries following Harrogate, where they launched several new products: including the innovative Chewbeads, safe silicon jewellery for mothers and babies to wear, and teething babies to chew on; and the unique, Dutch, Diaper Alert - a simple, small, reusable sensor which attaches to the front exterior of nappies and when it detects it has been wet or soiled, sends a message via Bluetooth to the app on the parent’s smart phone, for quick nappy changing, helping to keep babies happy and prevent nappy rash. Bumbleride added a sleek all-black Indie4 version to the award winning range of pushchairs from the USA; while the latest colourways of the Red Dot Design Award winning Nomi highchair were showcased, along with the full range of Benbat essential travel accessories. Web: www.littlesaints.co.uk

38 nursery today

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O R T LIST E D

Trade talk

Nursery Today loves to hear your views. This month we speak to key manufacturers and suppliers to learn what’s on their minds.

We caught up with some of the industry’s ﬁnest to ﬁnd out their views on Harrogate this year. Marc Kelly Sales Director - CuddleCo What would you say was the highlight this year for you at the show? Tough one! But I would say the reception/ success our new “Comfi” accessory range had. Everyone loved the new designs, functionality and packaging. It’s great to get positive feedback when a lot of effort has been put in by the team. Did you experience a good level of footfall this year? We were very fortunate to be busy with both passing trade and arranged meetings so there was never really a quiet moment, it would have been nicer to see more people, but you cannot be too greedy. Would you say there was an impressive quality of visitors to the show? Yes absolutely. Every customer is important no

Helen Wooldridge Director - Cuddledry What would you say was the highlight this year for you at the show? The Scotch eggs at the exhibitor drinks. Truly, they were amazing! Harrogate International catering staff – the team from Cuddledry and many other exhibitors salute you! Did you experience a good level of footfall this year? We had a very busy show on the Sunday and Monday, but Tuesday was a much quieter day. Always very hard to balance in terms of the number of staff we have on the stand, as we have had lots of post-show emails from people who couldn’t get to talk to us as we were all busy when they came by on Monday, whereas on the Tuesday we had plenty of time. Would you say there was an impressive quality of visitors to the show? We were pleased to see a number of our most enthusiastic independent retailers, and to have time with many of our buyers from the majors. It was also a good opportunity for us to meet journalists we wanted

40 nursery today

matter how big or small and we were happy that we also opened some new accounts too. Will we be seeing you next year? No question we will be attending for sure, it is important to us as a UK-based company that we support our national market. It would be great to see new faces but it is the only real opportunity we have to catch up with all our existing customers. The show is not just about sales for us, it is about new product launches and understanding our customers’ needs plus having a good chat and a catch up, something we never seem to take the time to do these days. How important are trade shows to you? Trade shows are critical, not everyone has the chance to visit us at our new showroom. So to have a trade fair where we can display the company as a whole and give a representation of us is hugely beneficial, it is also a great chance for our customers to meet the whole team and not just the local sales manager.

to catch up with and show our new products, as we often don’t have the time for a good chat with them at consumer shows where the Cuddledry stand is always too hectic! We had a small number of useful meetings with our European contacts, but did feel that it would be helpful if the show could attract more international visitors – perhaps from countries who don’t always travel to Kind und Jugend, but might come to the UK. We were disappointed that quite a large proportion of our independent retailers did not visit the show this year – all for totally understandable reasons, but still a shame not to catch up. How important are trade shows to you? It’s a subject our views do vary on year on year if I’m honest. We have never been a company that feels we must always exhibit, so we tend to only attend when we have something new to share or another specific reason. Sometimes we choose instead to invest the same marketing budget in other things to support our retailers and international distributors. We also operate in other sectors outside nursery so we do invest in other trade shows so we vary our attendance each year. Having said all that, it is clear that with the increase in online trade ordering that there is less need for a buyer to order all their stock at a show, and perhaps for everyone’s cashflow that is no bad thing.

Judith Stark Managing Director - Halilit What would you say was the highlight this year for you at the show? Several highlights! The number of new accounts that we opened, walk-on’s from national retailers and the reaction to our new products from Taf Toys and our new range of Toddler Toys from Battat. Did you experience a good level of footfall this year? We were very satisfied with the number of visitors to our stand. Would you say there was an impressive quality of visitors to the show? We were delighted with the number of new customers that we made that weren’t simply on-line start-ups which have been more prevalent in previous years. Will we be seeing you next year? Definitely! How important are trade shows to you? Very important, we have such a large range of products, it’s the only way for us to launch new lines effectively. We also enjoy meeting our existing customers and making new ones!

Jeremy Minchin Managing Director, Hippychick What would you say was the highlight this year for you at the show? Winning the BANTA for the Boikido Push & Pull Rabbit Wagon was a tremendous achievement and boost for the brand. We have only recently starting stocking this range so it was brilliant to get independent endorsement so quickly. Did you experience a good level of footfall this year? A number of customers have been in touch during and after the show saying that despite trying several times, they were unable to get on to the stand as we were repeatedly busy, which reflects the strong interest and good traffic that was there. The whole team was busy for the show’s duration. Our stand takes up both sides of the walkway and it is our big Trade Fair presence in the year so there wasn’t much escape from the ‘Hippychick Zone’ in our Hall! Would you say there was an impressive quality of visitors to the show? Although it was a struggle to fit everything in, I think we managed to

see most of the key accounts and lots of the independents we needed to. So the answer to that question would be YES! There is no doubt that some of our long term good independents were missing this year either because they had not been able to make it or sadly, in some instances, have ceased trading in the last 12 months. However, there were new and exciting contacts made as well, which is always very welcome. Will we be seeing you next year? Of course! Harrogate is an un-missable event in the nursery industry calendar. Apart from the commercial benefits, it is also a chance for us to keep abreast of an industry changes and regulatory developments. How important are trade shows to you? We are a firm believer in trade shows. It is an opportunity for us to meet a large number of customers in one setting and show them new ranges and developments. It also gives us access to new customers that we otherwise might not reach.

Mark Nicholls Co-Founder - Little Green Sheep What would you say was the highlight this year for you at the show? For The Little Green Sheep Family, this year’s show presented the ideal opportunity to welcome new retailers into the family, as well as sharing our exciting new developments with a great number of our existing retailers. The positive feedback we received on the brand split and the new packaging was great, as well as hearing some fantastic ideas and views on the brand from our retailers. Did you experience a good level of footfall this year? Footfall may not have been as high overall as in previous years, however it was really pleasing that our stand was as busy as ever and provided a productive and fruitful show for us. Would you say there was an impressive quality of visitors to the show? It was pleasing to see a variety of visitors and of good quality; we had a great turnout from existing retailers as well as meeting a number of potential new contacts. Will we be seeing you next year? It was very important for us to be at Harrogate this year, as we needed to present our two brands to existing and new stockists. How important are trade shows to you? Selecting the right trade shows are really important, especially for a growing brand like ours. However the emergence of alternative platforms that may be targeted at our existing stockists, such as own branded events also provoke interest to the company.

Rachel Moran Head of Retail Nimans Home What would you say was the highlight this year for you at the show? Nimans Home won the award for best product in the Safety Category with our own Brand Hush Whisper. This was a great achievement for us. Did you experience a good level of footfall this year? Yes we did. The Harrogate event proved a great platform for Nimans Home to reinforce its status as a growing player in the baby care market. Would you say there was an impressive quality of visitors to the show? Agree, we saw many existing customers and some new faces which is great. Will we be seeing you next year? Absolutely. Nimans Home is always looking at ways to engage with customers. How important are trade shows to you? Very important. It is an opportunity to showcase our full range, catch up with existing clients and a chance to see new customers.

Daniel Lucas Founder – We Made Me What would you say was the highlight this year for you at the show? Introducing We Made Me Ltd and our new progressive babywearing solutions. Did you experience a good level of footfall this year? We were busy all day for three days. Would you say there was an impressive quality of visitors to the show? Yes. Will we be seeing you next year? Yes, God willing. How important are trade shows to you? Extremely important, especially when you have something new and exciting to communicate.

nursery today 41

BPA Notice Board BPA renews its partnership with the UKTI The Baby Products Association has been re-appointed as the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) Trade Challenge Partner for the UK’s nursery sector and has committed to encourage its members to export products to high growth international markets. The BPA’s accreditation as Trade Challenge Partner follows months of assessment and it was required to meet specific criteria and prove its expertise in the baby products sector. The BPA will continue to allocate Trade Access Programme (TAP) funding for the industry and will also promote and advise its members of other government support and advice available to them. For example, the UKTI regularly forwards export opportunities and these are relayed to members. It also organises workshops and webinars on a number of pertinent business subjects which companies in the nursery sector can participate in at little or no cost. Details of how the UKTI can help your business to increase its export opportunities are available on the BPA website at www. thebpa.eu – simply click on the UKTI logo.

New i-Size Regulation confusion allayed The government’s website announcement regarding the introduction of the new i-Size UNECE Regulation 129 caused considerable consumer confusion in April and the BPA quickly stepped in to rectify the advice given in line with correct information. Robert Anslow, BPA managing director, explains: “The new legislation which allows the use of i-Size child restraints and requires mandatory rearfacing until the age of 15 months, came into force at the beginning of April and this was correctly reported on the government’s website. However, it failed to mention that this new regulation 42 nursery today

Robert Ro rtt Ansloow Managi ann inngg Dir Diir D irect ector or

The BPA strongly advises to always seek advice from reputable retailers when purchasing child restraints to ensure the best fit for their child and also their vehicle

does not replace the existing ENECE Regulation 44, but runs parallel causing some consumers to panic, thinking that their child restraint no longer complied with the law.” Retailers selling child restraints are advised that as long as the appliance complies with one of these regulations then it meets the requirements of the law. The BPA strongly advises consumers to always seek advice from reputable retailers when purchasing child restraints to ensure the best fit for their child and also their vehicle. The BPA has produced a simplified overview of the new legislation which can be viewed on the BPA website under ‘latest news.’

Awards and celebrations Once again, the BPA held its annual awards at Harrogate International Nursery Fair creating an element of excitement for many exhibitors at the show. The Baby and Nursery Trade Awards (BANTAs), sponsored by Nursery Today, are open each year to companies exhibiting at Harrogate with the aim of giving retailers and buyers a heads up on what the judges consider to be amongst the best products at the show. There were nine categories: Child Restrains, Wheeled Goods, Toys, Sleep Accessories, Travel Accessories, In Home, Safety, Feeding, Cleaning & Changing and Best New Product and the winners were announced during the BANTA Awards Dinner which took place at The Majestic Hotel in Harrogate on the first evening of the show. The BPA’s Concept & Innovation Awards winners were also announced at this event with three finalists celebrating as the judges awarded a joint first prize for the first time ever in the Concept category. Full details of these awards including details of the winners and which products were highly commended and short-listed can be seen on the BPA’s website at www.thebpa.eu

www.thebpa.eu

Dates for your diary Now that the UK’s only nursery trade show is out of the way, manufacturers and suppliers of baby products are looking to sell their products further afield and bookings for the BPA’s three UK Pavilions in Shanghai, Cologne and Las Vegas are starting to pour in. CBME Shanghai, which takes place from 22nd to 24th July 2015 was an outstanding success for all of the BPA’s participants last year with Robert Anslow stating: “I can honestly say that I have never seen that amount of trade visitors at a show before – the stands were crammed with people from across Asia including China, Korea and Singapore from the moment the doors opened, right up to the moment they closed.” There are just a few booths left in the UK Pavilion for this show and with a couple of UKTI grants of £2,000 remaining, companies wishing to participate are recommended to book and return their grant applications as soon as possible. These can be downloaded from the BPA website under the CBME heading. Full details and booking forms for the UK Pavilions at Kind und Jugend and at ABC Kids Expo can also be downloaded from the relevant sections of the BPA website – www. thebpa.eu Finally, don’t forget to pencil the BPA’s AGM into your diary. This will take place on Wednesday 1st July in Central London (venue to be confirmed). We hope once again to offer a great line up of speakers, so watch this space for more information.

Focus Carriers & Slings

The carrying kind This issue we take a look at the baby carrier and sling categories. What are the suppliers of these types of products experiencing? Well, this is now a growing category and from information given by many it would appear that they are seeing a clearly defined consumer trend in baby wearing.

e know the benefits of carrying a baby in a baby and parents have made them a mainstream success. carrier or sling – the closeness these bring “Carriers have taken off in a huge way, and I think that’s to both the wearer and the infant. In fact, down the knowledge and understanding of their benefits more and more dads seem to opt for these that has been shared with and between parents. They’ve as it gives them a greater opportunity to bond with their new gone from a product that was quite niche straight into the baby. mainstream,” he says. A carrier offers your customers the opportunity of being “Carriers are all about safety, comfort and style, and are able to have the power of choice – in some instances, it just hugely beneficial for both baby and parents, psychologically isn’t practical to use a pushchair or pram. and physiologically. We all know about the importance of In fact, it would appear that there is still a gap in the bonding between parents and their babies, the role that market, with new entrants entering the baby carrier sector. being close to the parents’ heartbeat plays in that, and how To many regardless of options, a carrier is the natural way important it is to connect early on. Carriers feed into that to travel with baby, providing comfort for the infant and as well as serving practical functions. They’re also ideal for immediacy for the parent building that all important bond; baby’s posture, closely replicating the foetal position and as the infant grows the ability to interact could be seen to supporting them where it matters. beat even that offered by a rear facing buggy. For other “We’ve found that a lot of dads also prefer to carry their parents, a carrier is the only available option in particular children with a carrier. A lot more men are now using them situations and environments. than ever before and that’s down to the new styles and Ergobaby, along with many onhow surprisingly comfortable they find them. trend suppliers and manufacturers They’re not just for babies either, and work in this category, believes in great for children up to around four years old or offering all parents and babies the roughly 20kg.” opportunity to carry their babies in Retailer Robin Bickford of All4baby in the position they both feel the most Galway, told us: “There is much more demand comfortable in. for carriers than slings. As for innovation, there “Parents kept asking for a carrier probably is some but there is little else they can with an option for forward facing,” go. The change now is that they used to go up says Karin Frost, the founder to 12 months and now they can go up to four or Andrew Gordon of Ergobaby. “Ergobaby is now five years.” celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Many of your suppliers are now also focusing Our carriers have evolved while on ensuring that all stockists are fully trained staying true to our design principles. With the new 360 in the application of wearing their carriers or slings. For Carrier we are excited to celebrate another innovation, a example, Slumber-Roo is offering free product training for truly ergonomic 4-position carrier.” all new retail stockists of their wraps and carriers, along with Andrew Graham, the promotional material and a full after sales support package. director of Ergobaby Slumber-Roo were also nominated and voted the Best distributor Clever Retailer UK by Gentle Parenting readers, citing an “amazing Clogs, adds that service, great product range and fantastic ethics” and fighting the physical and off stiff competition with more than 50 nominations. psychological benefits Director Debi Smithson said: “Although it is always great carriers bring to both to win awards, to be nominated and voted winner of Best

“

Carriers have gone from a product that was quite niche straight into the mainstream

”

Picture courtesy of Ergo Baby

Retailer in the UK is a fantastic accolade and highlights not only our strong customer focus offered to all our customers but also our quality brands. This focus on excellent customer service extends not only to our retail customers but also to our trade customers, helping them support and offer their customers expert advice and exceptional customer service”. For Sarah Sadler, MD of fashionable carrier supplier Connecta Baby, says the market for carriers and slings is most certainly growing and shows no sign of slowing. “In February we had a new retail customer come on board almost everyday of the week. The popularity of carriers has taken off over the past few years, and consumers are now really aware of the benefits they give both parents and baby. As our name suggests, it’s all about being connected and shoppers on the High Street are really embracing them.” Take a look at the following pages at the type of carriers or slings currently available to offer your customers whilst they consider what type of product better suits their own personal requirements

We Made Me – Papoose The Pao Papoose from We Made Me Ltd is a brilliantly versatile 3-in-1 soft-structured carrier that is set to revolutionise the face of baby-wearing. The multi-directional carrier, which is made from 100% soft cotton, enables parents to carry baby in parent-facing mode and on the back, and has also been carefully designed to support the most ergonomically correct world-facing (forward-facing) sitting position. Eminently stylish as well as functional, the Pao Papoose is available in black, pebble and lavender, and comes complete with the brand’s signature cyan blue buckles. Thanks to its patent-pending contour adjuster, parents can easily adapt the shape of the straps, effectively building the carrier around their natural body shape.

Tel: 01273 320590 Web: www.wemademe.com 44 nursery ttoday d

Bonding is easy

with the Carramio Keep baby close, with a carrier that’s as stylish as it is comfortable. The Carramio is our two-way baby carrier that has been designed to offer optimum comfort for baby and wearer. It features a lightweight, soft fabric lining to keep baby cool and contented, wide padded straps and lumbar support to spread their weight evenly across the body. Also included is a detachable dribble bib. At three months, baby can face outwards to watch the world go by.

CARRIES BABIES FROM 3.5KG TO 9.0KG

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Focus Carriers & Slings

Tiny Love The Tiny Hug Carrier is an innovative and stylish one-piece baby carrier which has redefined simplicity in the Baby Carrier market. The product features an easy click- and-go mechanism and front and back carrying options, making carrying a baby easy and simple. It takes less than a minute to a load baby and attach, particularly when used as a back carrier. The simple 2-strap 2-buckle structure simplifies the process of placing the baby in the carrier, and the three ergonomic leg positions suitable from newborn to toddler make the Tiny Hug Carrier one of the most comfortable carriers on the market.

Email: waren.lindley@dorel.eu Tel: 07768 842 832

Close Parent The daddy of soft carriers…Close’s new 3-in-1 hybrid carrier has some urban styling, clever thermo regulating materials and oodles of structured support for both baby and wearer…all in a soft carrier! It is their first Caboo that can be used on the back offering parents an assisted back carrying position with full head support thanks to its unique design. Available in two different material choices +merino (John Lewis exclusive RRP £89.99) and +coolpass (£84.99), launching March 2015.

Tel: 01992 554045 Email: michelle@closeparent.com Web: www.closeparent.com

MaByLand MaByLand’s Baby Carriers have always been easy to use for parents wherever they are, this is why they keep scooping awards one after another. They are currently trialling different colours, brighter colours blend with the traditional black, mixing with red, orange, green and pink. With MaByLand’s ethos of “Sharing Our Experience”, not only hosting parent focus groups, they are also calling all retailers who are wiling to try out these sample colours carriers in order to gain vital feedback on which ones should be adopted for their new ranges. This promotion will be a great opportunity for retailers to have these samples at great prices and sell at their full RRP.

Tel: 0208 879 0080 Web: www.mabyland.com

46 nursery today

Family Adventures. Simplified. Featuring the world’s only SmartHub™ that lets you rotate your infant car seat, stroller seat, and bassinet a full 360o. Back-saving convenience means you can easily turn the seat toward you to load baby into the car. G3 Isoﬁx Base, G3 Infant Car Seat, G3 Stroller Base.

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Focus Carriers & Slings

Hippychick Simple, practical and easy to use, the Hippychick Hipseat child carrier is ideal for the home, the high street, the school run and on holiday. It is intended for use with children from the ages of six months to approximately three years. It has been designed for active families looking for a natural and comfortable way to carry heavy older babies and toddlers without causing long term damage to their back. With back pain affecting around 60% of the population at some point in their adult lives it is a product that is worth any parent investing in. Coming in a great variety of colours, the Hipseat is both practical and stylish. Contact Hippychick for more information or to place an order.

Tel: 01278 434440 Email: enquiries@hippychick.com Web: www.hippychick.com

LittleLife The latest addition to LittleLife’s award-winning child carrier collection, the new Adventurer features a versatile design that makes it suited to both everyday trips and travelling further afield. Weighing just 1.9kg, the Adventurer builds on the success of the lightweight Ranger and is packed full of practical features that offer maximum comfort and convenience to both parent and child. Retaining LittleLife’s patented Anchor Point, the Adventurer boasts a convenient kick-out stand that offers increased stability yet folds flat for compact transportation. Children will sit comfortably in the adjustable and anatomically-shaped child seating area with patented X-Buckle harness, while the adjustable back system, pivoting hip belt and padded shoulder straps provide excellent weight distribution and carrying-comfort.

Email: sales@lifemarque.co.uk Web: www.littlelife.co.uk

BabaMe Bab The awa award winning LILLEbaby carrier is embr embracing the desire for more fashionable fashion prints in the baby-wearing world. A collaboration with Tokidoki to create creat the limited edition Rebel print sold so out within hours of release and the Embossed E range is set to be in high demand. dem They have also extended the range with w the Carry On toddler carrier, and with the Essentials carrier on the way the brand has something that will appeal to every ev sector of the market.

Tel: 0283 02830848020 Care@babame.com Email: Ca www.slingheaven.com Web: ww

2012 Ltd The Baby K’tan hybrid baby carrier is widely known as the ‘ready-to-wear’ wrap. Having won numerous awards in the U.S. for best newborn carrier with its unique double-loop design; it offers multiple positions from birth to toddlerhood. It does not require any complicated wrapping or buckling, and can be worn like a t-shirt! Different than many of the other carriers on the market, it is easy for a parent to use and much less intimidating for first-time parents. Ergonomically designed to distribute baby’s weight comfortably and securely, its soft cotton construction also makes it lightweight and compact – perfect for families on-the-go. Distributed in the UK & Ireland by: 2012 Ltd

Tel: 01202 303 777 Email: info@2012ltd.co.uk www.2012ltd.co.uk 48 nursery today

Ergobaby Ergobaby, the award-winning designer of premium ergonomic baby carriers, have recently launched their 360 Carrier. The 360 Carrier offers parents the convenience of four carry positions, including an ergonomic forward-facing position, while maintaining the highest standards in ergonomic design to ensure safety and comfort for both baby and parent. The Ergobaby 360 Carrier’s innovative design features a structured bucket seat to support baby in an ergonomic seated position and maintain ideal hip and spine positioning. The revolutionary carrier seat is designed with an adjustable width to ensure comfort for baby and healthy hip positioning in all four carry positions. The carrier features an adjustable back panel and hood to adapt better to babies of all sizes and weights. The Ergobaby 360 Carrier (RRP £139.90) is offered in two colors: Black/Camel and Grey and is available from John Lewis, Mamas & Papas, Mothercare and authorised Ergobaby retailers nationwide. Ergobaby is distributed in the UK and Ireland by Clever Clogs Trading.

Tel: +353 (0) 1 828 4823 - ext. 104 Web: www.cleverclogs.ie

Slumber-Roo Slumber-Roo are proud to offer an extensive range of award winning baby carriers, wraps and accessories, with an option to suit every customer and their family. With trusted, and recognised brands such as Moby, BabyHawk, Scootababy, Beco, Rock a Thigh Socks, Boba and Jellystone Designs, SlumberRoo have hand picked the best of the best. If you are interested in stocking any of these award winning brands, please contact Slumber-Roo on the below number.

Tel: 01803 782959 Email: info@slumber-roo.co.uk

nursery today 49

Focus Carriers & Slings

Chicco The Close To You carrier from Chicco is an innovative new carrier which ensures parents can feel comfortable and close to their babies when they are on the move. The carrier has been designed to with a child from birth up to 15kg, allowing three different carrying positions to suit any lifestyle and environment. It has been ergonomically designed to help relieve pressure on the back shoulders and abdomen of a parent while allowing you to be close to your baby. Close To You offers maximum comfort for the baby with an extra padded harness, and a practical bib that is attached to the sternum strap, meaning it is mess and fuss free. It can be used parent-facing, forward-facing and on the parents’ back, and RRP is £59.99.

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

Clippasafe The newly updated and improved Carramio from Clippasafe, allows parents to keep baby close and bond easily, with a carrier that’s as stylish as it is comfortable. The Carramio is a two-way carrier that’s been designed to offer optimum comfort for baby and wearer. It features a lightweight, soft fabric lining to keep baby cool and contented, with wide padded straps and lumbar support to spread the baby’s weight evenly across the wearer’s body. It also includes a detachable and washable dribble bib to soak up those teething troubles. The Carramio safely carries babies of 3.5kg to 9kg and meets UK and EU Safety Standards. As well as original black, the updated Carramio is available in fashionable grey and oatmeal.

Tel: 0115 921 1899 Web: www.clippasafe.co.uk

We Made Me – Soohu Sling We Made Me Ltd unveils the Soohu Sling an exciting reinvention of the brand’s multi-award-winning product: theBabaSling. The Soohu Sling, meaning star sling, has retained the benefits of the original 5-in-1 hammock style sling, but the designers have seamlessly incorporated some new features. To provide the ultimate comfort, the shoulder pad has now been split to allow the user to distribute the weight from the muscle onto the ball of the shoulder, this also enables to wearer to lock it into potion around the shoulder for added security. The other improvement is the adjustment system, which is now one complete loop to make it even easier for the wearer to get the perfect fit when wearing baby.

Connecta Baby Carrier The Connecta offers parents the unique opportunity to carry baby from newborn through toddlerhood with one carrier. Comfort and style. Their ever-evolving collection of contemporary designs and links to quintessential British brands – Liberty and Harris Tweed, means parents can carry their baby in comfort and style. The Connecta allows baby and parent to feel connected through shared experience. It allows them the freedom to go places, and, do things together. Carrying your baby is beautiful.

Tel: 01483 419031 Web: www.connectababycarrier.com

Tel: 01273 320590 Web: www.wemademe.com

Cheeky Rascals – Manduca Manduca is the first choice for parents who need a baby carrier that can be used from the day a baby is born through to toddler age. Made from 100% organic cotton, Manduca carriers are available in many colours and finishes. The most recent launch is the Pure Cotton range, which comes in three bright, rich, gender neutral colours: NightBlack, CoffeeBrown and RoyalBlue. Manufactured in Europe, these carriers boast a new clean and simple design and have an RRP of £99.95. All of the cotton used to make the carriers is from farms dedicated to controlled organic cultivation and production making the carriers kind to the environment and a baby’s skin.

Tel: 01730 895761 Web: www.cheekyrascals.co.uk 50 nursery today

COFFEE BREAK

Sweet Dreams Andrew Payne

How has your range of bedding been developing over the past year or so? It’s going really well. We started out designing and manufacturing the bedding basics – cotbed/ junior duvet covers, pillow sets and matching accessories – and have been expanding the range ever since, always with an eye towards current trends and quality. We now offer a superb range of textiles – everything from cot covers and bumpers to nursing pillows and hooded towels.

And what makes Baroo bedding unique? Infant bedding is a necessity for all parents, but they’re not always attractive or fun. We always design

Nursery Today caught up with Baroo’s Andrew Payne to ﬁnd out about their latest bedding and how they work to support independents of our range being 100% cotton to ensure all of our products are soft for baby, but hard-wearing and functional for mum and dad.

So tell us, what inspires your product designs? Inspiration is everywhere, but we are always looking to the home and fashion world to stay up to date with the latest trends, colourways and motifs. This allows us to stay bang on trend for the fashion conscious consumer and offer ranges that ﬁt in with the rest of their lives.

What makes Baroo bedding such an attractive proposition for independent retailers? Baroo really is an independents’

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inspiration is everywhere, but we are always looking to the home and fashion world to stay up to date with the latest trends

our bedding with current trends and designs in mind, which look great either as a standalone or as part of the wider range. But the quality of the product is just as important as its aesthetic merits. We use a special mix of cotton, polyester and bamboo on our hooded towels, with the rest

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brand. For a start, our minimum order is just £200, which means retailers can easily get involved for the ﬁrst time or top up stock in increments that work for them. This ﬂexibility of scale makes it ideal for retailers of all sizes. Beyond that, while all Baroo bedding can of course be purchased by parents for themselves, they’re also great for gifting. Making bedding ‘pop’ in-store can be tricky, but our new premium packaging ensures they all look attractive on the shelf and adds value to make them ideal gift options.

raise brand awareness with various PR campaigns, exposure in consumer magazines, and activity on social media – everything to promote the products to consumers. Savvy retailers have been supporting this with their own social media, and we work with them to provide free product for prizes and lend a hand wherever we can. We’re always more than happy to support retailers that are proactive.

Can we expect more new product from Baroo in the near future? Absolutely. We’re always looking to bring exciting new bedding and textiles to the market and are really excited about our ranges for 2015. Watch this space!

How do you support retailers? We have a great relationship with our network of retailers, and it’s really a two-way street. No two retailers are the same, so we work closely with each of them to help in a way that meets their needs and has the biggest impact. We’ve also been working hard to

nursery today 51

Focus Ride Ons

Prince Lionheart – yoMOTO For 18M+: Sleek, modern and powered by little feet, the clever steering mechanism of the Prince Lionheart yoMOTO means it can be easily steered by leaning on the handlebars. The team at Prince Lionheart like to think of it as the bike before bikes; available in white with a blue (#7800) or red (#7801) flash with an RRP of £49.99

All aboard!

Tel: 0208 997 7054 Email: uksales@princelionheart.co.uk

We take a look at the Ride Ons category – what’s the benefit of stocking these in-store?

he Ride Ons category is a great sector for all retailers and includes all non powered, non pedalled products that can be pushed along by a small child or helper and include items such as

trikes, bikes, police cars, fire engines and a broad offering of

character based products. This sector could be considered as heavily seasonal, with perhaps a peak in sales for many retailers in the warmer months - but remember, these are not just made for outdoor

Nursery Today had the pleasure to question Jeremy Minchin, Managing Director, Hippychick to find out more as to why this category continues to grow.

use and can also be purchased as gifting items all year round. Hopefully everyone is enjoying a buoyant time within this sector as currently they are viewed as a universally acceptable product and seen as fun by all. One retailer who knows this category brings steady sales in-store is Shay Vora from Alami in East London who told us: “I wouldn’t say that Ride Ons are the best-sellers but they are steady. The biggest market we find for these are for the two to five year-old age group. As a product they work for

What makes this such a popular product category? The endless physical movement and interactive fun children experience keeps them coming back for more. Our fabulous Wheelybugs and bouncy HappyHopperz prove that ride-ons are enduring toys that entertain time and again, with children able to do more and more with the toy as they grow.

us because we have complimentary products so they add to a range we already have. Toys are our biggest sellers, ride-on toys are steady.” Ride Ons also make ideal presents, with the additional benefit that these are viewed by the gift giver as having the advantage of appearing to be a substantial gift to the little recipient who will usually play on them until they out grow them or drive them to destruction!

52 nursery today

Are we seeing any specific trends at the moment? From our point of view, the popularity of ride-ons for the younger generation, i.e. the under two’s, has grown significantly. We started off doing one Nattou Rocker, we are now stocking five (soon to be seven) beautiful wooden rockers ranging from Donkey to Giraffe, Lion to Elephant, Rhino, Hedgehog and Cow – all within a year’s timeframe!

What benefits can retailers expect when they have these within their store or online? These toys need very little explaining – they are bright, colourful, aesthetically appealing and hardwearing in equal measure, giving hours and hours of fun and almost always leading to referred business and good local demand. They make perfect gifts and are always amongst the most treasured possessions that grow with the child or get passed among siblings or friends. They are very robust with little or no after sales issues across the board.

Focus Ride Ons

Bigjigs Bigjigs Toys range of Ride Ons make a great travelling companion for little ones seeking out adventure. All of Bigjigs Toys ride ons boast high quality workmanship and styling, and are great source of fun for children aged 1year and upwards. Bigjigs Toys have updated the design of their Train Ride On with a host of bold new colours and decorative detailing. Complete with a shape sorter, train slider and four coloured spinning discs, this ride on encourages and aides children’s mobility and balance. Perfect for youngsters aged 18 months+ . Bigjigs Toys have also updated the design of their Horse Ride On. Other animal-themed ride ons from Bigjigs Toys include a cute bunny with flopsy ears, a patchy cow, a stripy zebra and spotted giraffe.

Tel: 01303 250400 Web: www.trade.bigjigstoys.co.uk

Prince Lionheart – yetiZOO For 12M+: An adventure awaits the intrepid traveller with the NEW yetiZOO! ZOO! A fabulous ride-on with a secret compartment for little ones to hide and carry their favourite things on the adventure. Two designs, Joey the Smiley Hippo ppo and Jerri the Happy Elephant available in 3 colourways: Red, Blue and Green, reen, with a very appealing RRP of £39.99

Tel: 0208 997 7054 Email: uksales@princelionheart.co.uk

Hippychick If it is something a bit different you are looking for then go no further than HappyHopperz, the inflatable toys that scream fun! These fantastic bounce along toys come in a variety of funky animal and vehicle designs and take their inspiration from the cult ‘Space Hopper’. Adding a touch of class to any toy collection, the Wheelybugs come in a selection of gorgeous designs, as well as a Plush version with interchangeable covers. Recent winner of a coveted ‘Slow Toy’ Award, they are multi-directional and robustly built. Whilst others may be content with going backwards and forwards or side to side, the unlimited directional movement offered by the ‘Bugs’ mean that the rider can add ‘round and round’ to their fun filled journey. Both Wheelybugs and HappyHopperz are available exclusively in the UK from Hippychick.

Tel: 01278 434440 Email: enquiries@hippychick.com Web: www.hippychick.com 54 nursery today

Prince Lionheart – balanceBIKE For 2Y+: Prince Lionheart balanceBIKE range helps beginner cyclists feel secure and learn to balance, a crucial skill to master before transitioning to a traditional pedal bicycle. The range includes the Original balanceBIKE (#7600) with RRP of £59.99, the Whirl balanceSCOOTER (Pink #7602 and brown #7605) and CHOP balanceBIKE (#7601), both with RRP of £74.99.

Tel: 208 997 7054 Email: uksales@princelionheart.co.uk

Chicco The brand new Activity Station 1,2,3 from Chicco is a clever multi-functional activity centre that grows with and challenges baby at each stage of development. Its innovative 3 in 1 function allows it to transform easily from a baby walker to a push along to a ride on. As a baby walker Activity Station 1,2,3 is suitable from 6 months, boasting a comfortable and cocooning seat for younger babies. The removable, electronic toy panel features lights, sounds and manual activities to entertain and engage with little ones. For 9 month old babies, Activity Station 1,2,3 can be transformed into first steps mode and used as a push along. At 18 months old, toddlers can use the Activity Station 1,2,3 in bicycle mode. The 7 safety brakes also ensure a secure ride for little ones by stopping the movement of the Activity Station when they reach a step. Available in a choice of bright and fun colours, the RRP of the Activity Station 1,2,3 is £79.99.

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

Supreme Baby Products New Ride-on has arrived just in time for the summer! Rebel is an Electric Battery Operated Ride-on Motorbike with a very attractive design and available in three colours. Rebel is run by two engines with cumulative power of 30W, powered by 7Ah battery. It can be driven at two speeds, and is equipped with LED light and built-in music. Made of highest quality materials, bringing maximum safety for children.

Email: sales@supremebabyproducts.co.uk Web: http://wholesale.supremebabyproducts.co.uk please note this is not a www web address

Great Gizmos For traditional outdoor travel for older kids, the Classic Pedal Car has a new powder pink colour that is ideal for girls and is made from the same strong steel as other vehicles in the collection. The range expands further with models such as the Ride On Aeroplane, Rocket and Retro Racers in green and red. Suitable for babies’ first time ride, the Plan Toys Bio Scoot features four caster wheels, handle grip and storage compartment for toys so tots can ride and turn on their own with ease. The Ride On Pony has a horse’s head and moveable eyes and the Fire Engine is beautifully decorated and includes a driver, ladder and hose for a realistic touch.

Tel: 01293 543221 Email: enquiries@greatgizmos.co.uk

nursery today 55

Special Feature Nigel Plested

“At Home, let’s Play and we’re Away” Walking down the Laines, in Brighton on Easter Bank holiday Monday, we were in that “what can we buy?” mode, that sometimes overtakes all of our common sense on a day of indulgence and treats. By: Nigel Plested

Nigel Plested is a designer and a creative director. He is the founder of narrative studio, a strategic design business, which brings together a specialist and experienced team of designers with a rich expertise in new family culture, parenthood, and babyhood; creating award-winning products and brands. Prior to setting up the business Nigel was on the board of directors at Mamas & Papas, and alongside narrative, he now writes and lectures on the subject of parenting and product culture. Nigel can be contacted through the company website www. narrativestudio.com or he can be found on LinkedIn.

56 nursery today

rowded, a little flustered and trying to manage all three boys (7,2 & 1 respectively) it was becoming a challenge rather than a leisure pursuit, and the activity was verging on a sport, without any tangible rules. Halfway down North Laine we ducked into a shop, to gain a moment of composure. We were in a shop engineered to meet aging retrospective promises of a once loved freedom, and youthful promises of urban cool. The shop was greared towards boards with wheels, adorned and full of waxy polyurethane wheels and the promise of 1960’s California. Charlie was immediately intrigued by the promise of a skateboard, and George was wowed, amongst the various types of vehicle on show. Fifteen minutes later, we emerged back into the hustle of the crowd, with one happy boy in tow. His grin was from ear to ear and he was thrilled at his new mode of transport. (Charlie was less thrilled, having been a little overawed by the seemingly haphazard nature of surfing on cement and concrete.) Little George however, was now the proud, gung ho, two year old owner of a three-wheeled scooter. He was made up. Charlie had been through various vehicles over the years, they all seem to blur, so it is a reminder that once toddling is completed, the world of movement outside of the home begins. It was a much slower progression when I was a boy. Bikes came with stabilisers at the age of 4 plus, followed by odd contraptions that represented new fads, craze or trend of the age, from Space hoppers to Pogo sticks. The driving force of such products in the 1960’s and 1970’s was one of freedom and a relief from boredom. Today scootering, is just one of the

many solutions to allowing kids to rolling around the hallway on the back keep up, rather than a passing fad. of a mouse. They are sentimental, They allow parents to mobilise their emotional purchases, rather than broods in a way that means they are pragmatic mobility needs and in many less dependent, more independent and ways they have become the modern certainly more dexterous at navigating rocking horses for a culture obsessive the environments around them, with getting on the move. This area whether that be a pavement or airport is less about innovations, but more concourse. It is also a reflection of our intention or culture The age range in the category to nurture our children into childhood quicker. is vast and can cater for drivers up Several shops down I into early tweenage years. At the became engrossed in a conversation, with a mum early end there is a new category that who was telling me that her “Threenager” was is parent dependent, with Mum or already the dismissively opinionated owner of two Dad supplying the muscle, to push or scooters, a balance bike, a trike on a stick (which as so lead the way yesterday) and a Trunki. Trying to categorise the world of ride-ons, on ride-ins, or over it is about sentimentality, from vehicles is complex. The lines have plush characters, that are immobile, been blurred between products so semi mobile or skittishly movable… that now the choices are wide and to wonderfully painted wooden empowering, and stem from value representations of big world things, solutions to specialist machinery. But from Piaggio’s to lacquered red fire they all seem to have three different engines… This is the category that we or distinct qualities, which is the way culturally use to promise movement that I look at them in order to get our and freedom, it is part of role play, hallway somewhat manageable rather independence and sensory calibration, than resembling a Smurfs carpark. For as babies move into and through me these are “At Home, Let’s Play and toddler-dom. We’re Away.” The wider, and more toyesque The “At home,” category is all about category is led by a “Let’s play” first rides, and the ability to learn and agenda, where vehicles go beep, and fail in confined spaces, with confined sometimes pedal power is replaced navigable hurdles that are somewhat by real momentum. This is a category risk assessed. These domestic rideis often about “passively” empowered ons are often lovely things that are mobility. Simple pedals, foot power or bought well before the need to start battery power, mean that the indoors

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Think Baby. Apply online to become an ABC stockist at obaby.co.uk www.abc-design.de/uk

where and when, or the independence to enjoy their own journey through an airport to a holiday destination, rather than be a bystander to a 23kg suitcase. The value of this early mobility cannot be undervalued, especially when families need to be mobile to meet the needs of the school run, and the Saturday morning jaunt to the shops. It is a constant surprise to see how dexterous toddlers are becoming and how so many are stepping up to ride at an early age. From the smiles of delight when shuffling from room to room on the back of a disproportionately large critter, to voyaging to the end of the garden on an expedition to an imaginary somewhere new, and before you know it, one day in Brighton, the day comes when riding becomes a journey of real independence and opportunity to be self motivated. So next time you duck inside a shop filled with wheels and the tantilising opportunity to get there quicker, just be aware… leave you’re two year old outside.

Scan here

are swapped for the outdoors, but in a way that is limited to play value, rather than real opportunity to get somewhere. This category has been stretched through licenses and automotive associations, as well as allegiances to dolls & Disney. The age range in the category is vast and can cater for drivers up into early tweenage years. At the early end there is a new category that is parent dependent, with Mum or Dad supplying the muscle, to push or lead the way. “We’re away” is where the innovations seem to sit. It is where the pedal power, pushing prowess or the fancy footwork are the key to getting to where the little one wants to be… This category has seen a proliferation of trikes, to balance bikes, scooters to luggage and buggy boards. They are all about “range” and providing little ones and parents with the opportunity to stretch the boundaries and landscape of travel. These products provide the real journey to ride to independence. Whether than is independence to balance, independence to choose

Courtesy of Bambino Mio

Focus Sun Sea Sand

We’re having a heatwave... With summer now on the horizon, Nursery Today turns its attention to products ideally placed to assist parents when travelling with their young ones

olidays, either abroad or within the UK, can cause exceptional stress to parents, who often feel anxious about leaving the comfort of their home – where everything they use on a daily basis for the care of their baby is close to hand. Fortunately, many items that are required are easily transported either within the car or can be packed to use whilst abroad. Key areas that are likely to be at the forefront of your customers’ minds will probably be what will be the best way to transport baby while out and about, how to entertain baby on long journeys, on the beach or by the pool and how to keep baby safe in the sun. Jouko Nykänen of Sunproof has noticed certain trends starting to emerge within this category and notably that of sun protection. Jouko told Nursery Today: “Sun protection products (SPP) have gone more from a holiday purchase to a must buy. SPP were like snow suits – you’d buy them for a one-off holiday and then they go back into the drawer. The following year the suit might fit the child. Twelve years ago, people thought sun protection products were frivolous but now it is a serious product. UK parents are spending on infant sun protection in a serious way.” Fiona Gofton of Home & Nursery Company has also noted this trend and stated: “UV protection is very important. Because sun cream is very difficult to apply to small children, UV clothing is a big seller

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for us in the summer. We are able to link that with our UV flotation suits. That covers all angles so it provides safety in and around water as well as being protected from the sun. The great thing about the float suits is that once it’s on, it’s on. It’s not like armbands that kids can take off themselves. This is particularly important if they are playing by the edge of the swimming pool and if they fall in you have the time to get them out.” Travelling with a baby or toddler can be fraught with complications for any new parent. What are the best products to take with them? How will they assist whilst they are out and about? Retailer Cathy Morgan from Babe-Equip in Goole, said: “We sell a lot of travel bags such as Melissa and Doug. “In fact, our ‘hero’ product at the moment is the My Buggy Buddy Sun Shade Clip On Car Blind. They are so versatile – it can be clipped on a cot, a car window and I have even seen them protecting the screen of a laptop.” Liz Newton of NSA has seen a rapid growth in this category. Liz told us: “We sell a wide range of travel tents, travel centres all gold award-winners. We also have the 3-in-1 all weather protector and the complete travel centre which we launched at HINF. That’s a travel cot and playpen. “More consumers are going to festivals with their families and we noticed a big interest in all our travel centres. All the mums were writing about their fun times at the festivals and how the travel centres had really helped them.” So perhaps this is another family pastime that is growing in popularity and one to consider when you look at your stock in-store. Families who are travelling abroad to a hotter climate for the first time with their baby or toddler believe that they need a huge variety of essentials – typical luggage or items checked in could include; travel cot, pushchair, backpack carrier, front-loading carrier, fold-up high chair, UV-ray protection tent for the beach, bottles, sterilising equipment, food blender, baby plates, baby bowls, nappies, swim pants, sun hats, UV-proof holiday clothes and hooded baby towels. We bring you some great product inspiration over the following pages – happy holidays, everyone!

Travelling with a baby or toddler can be fraught with complications for any new parent.

Did you know… ■ The first package holiday was organised by Thomas Cook on 5 July 1841. ■ The sun’s UV rays can damage unprotected skin in as little as 15 minutes. ■ The founder of L’Oreal sold the first major commercial sunscreen in 1936. ■ Clouds do not block UV rays, they filter them — and sometimes only slightly.

58 nursery today

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Bambino Mio Stock up on your swimwear for the summer season with Bambino Mio’s range of award-winning reusable swim nappies. Bambino Mio swim nappies benefit from: Concealed water resistant layer and leak-proof legs - offering containment in the water soft cotton terry lining - soft and gentle against baby’s delicate skin superstretchy swim fabric - ideal for even the most active little swimmers Bambino Mio’s hooded poncho towel complements their range of swim nappies. The poncho is the ideal solution when getting out of the water so whether they are toddling around the house or poolside, the poncho keeps them covered and cosy. Bambino Mio’s swim nappies are available in a wide range of vibrant prints.

Tel: 01604 883 777 Email: sales@bambino.co.uk Web: www.bambinomio.com

Trusted by parents Loved by kids

tel: 01604 883777

email: enquiries@bambino.co.uk

www.bambinomio.com

Animal Kids SwimPak Sun, Sea, and SwimPaks! mPaks! New to LittleLifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing Swim & Beach range, the SwimPak is a fun, practical, water-resistant daysack for essons or kids aged 3 and up. Perfect for swimming lessons trips to the seaside this summer.

Th new S The SwimPaks i P k feature: Water-resistant, durable fabric Child-friendly buckles Triple-roll-top closure 10 litre main compartment Hidden zip-pocket for change Internal name and address label Mesh back system British Safety Standard approved

Learn more about the range at LittleLife.co.uk, call 0118 981 1433 or e-mail sales@lifemarque.co.uk.

Focus Sun Sea Sand

Supreme Baby Products Supreme Baby Products is a distributor of car accessories. Car Sun Shades and Roller Blinds that are perfect choice for sunny days. They provide practical way to keep the car cool and protect against direct sunlight exposure. Attached to the window with suction cup are suitable for most vehicles! Come in various favorite characters such as Minnie Mouse,

Winnie the Pooh, Cars, Spiderman and many more, with new designs introduced regularly. Frozen coming soon!

Email: sales@supremebabyproducts.co.uk Web: http://wholesale.supremebabyproducts. co.uk (please note this is not a www web address!)

Chicco The Chicco Echo is the perfect stroller for parents looking for a practical, yet modern and stylish product. With its lightweight structure, compact folded position and practical carrying handle, it offers the ideal solution for parents and babies on the move. The stroller also has lockable front swivel wheels and comes complete with foldable hood, raincover and shopping basket. While the Echo is extremely efficient and makes transport easy, design has not been compromised with attention being paid to every single detail, from the embroidered seat to the look of the wheels which are customised with the Echo logo. New for 2015 the stroller comes in a choice of four bright colours, which are Garnet, Deep Blue, Purple Jam and Green Jam. RRP is £99.99

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

Cuddledry Genuinely protect tender toddler skin with the patented Rayosan technology used by Cuddledry in their SPF50+ UV protection poncho towel. With clever wide shape, deep hood, and underarm poppers to keep it safely in place, this towel helps give parents peace of mind when little ones are playing by the pool or on the beach in the sunshine. Featuring cute dolphin applique design, and made with supersoft, highly absorbent bamboo and pure cotton so it will never lose its softness, however often it is washed. From 12months.

Tel: 01823 323363 Email trade@cuddledry.com Web: www.cuddledry.com

LittleLife Make the most of sun, sea and sand this summer with LittleLife’s latest collection of beach essentials. Adding to its popular range, which includes Beach Shelters, LittleLife introduces the new Frog SwimPaks. Perfect for watery adventures, the SwimPaks feature a practical, water-resistant design. With a 10L main compartment plus a hidden pocket for pocket money, the SwimPaks easily accommodate all of a child’s beach essentials. Beach-babies can also dry off with one of LittleLife’s awardwinning Ultralight Poncho Towels. Made from an ultra-lightweight, soft and absorbent fabric, each towel is incredibly quick-drying and packs away compactly. A practical poncho hood is perfect for drying wet hair and under-arm poppers offer a secure fit. The towel’s fabric also offers UPF 50+ protection from harmful UV rays.

Email: sales@lifemarque.co.uk Web: www.littlelife.co.uk

Shrunks The Shrunks Travel Toddler Bed, Gold winner at the Prima Baby Awards 2014 and a Silver winner in the Mother & Baby Awards is the ultimate away from home portable bed, perfect for when kids are transitioning from a cot to a grown up bed. With built in side bolsters and an inner mattress to ensure sheets are tucked tight, the Travel Toddler bed prevents roll out and loose bedding, resulting in a more comfortable and secure night’s sleep. Comes complete with foot pump and convenient carry bag. New for 2015 is the Junior Travel Bed - a complete travel pack with bed, sheet, pump and bag which offers great value for money.

Email: rhsalesandmarketing@gmail.com Web: www.theshrunks.com 60 nursery today

Slumber-Roo Slumber-Roo, one of the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest specialist distributors of baby carriers and accessories, has a varied range to suit every family, holiday destination and budget. Boba is currently their fastest growing international brand, with a variety of options such as the super compact Boba Air which is the perfect travel companion to the trusted Boba 4G, and the Boba Wrap which doubles up as a comfy blanket. Slumber-Roo also offer the Jellystone Designs range of silicone jewellery and teethers for babies, which are non-toxic and free from BPA, Phthalates and PVC. The whole range is waterproof and odourless, so for women and children on the go, they are perfect for days on the beach or swimming in the pool or sea. The range is also heat resistant and easy to clean, even in a steriliser or dishwasher.

Tel: 01803 782959 Email: info@slumber-roo.co.uk

Dress up at bathtime! from award-winning Cuddledry, these luxurious, supersoft bamboo toddler towels are a real treat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; make bathtime full of fun and cuddles!

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Focus Sun Sea Sand

Summer Infant With Spring well and truly here and Summer just around the corner it’s critical that retailer’s stock in seasonal and unique products for the time of year. One such product is the Pop N Play portable play pen. There are similar products on the market but they all suffer from the same limitations. Often they are heavy, big, bulky, labour intensive to build and not suitable for trips to the beach or even a quick visit to the garden. The Pop N Play can be erected in seconds. It’s a safe and dry environment for your young child to play thanks to the waterproof ground sheet. Summer looked at this category and wanted to do something different. The result is a light weight and highly portable safe environment for babies. Even if you just want to separate your baby from playful pets in the house this product is truly unique in the market and is already selling very well in the independent channel and via a few select early adopters on the high street. Come online and see what all the fuss is about.

Bigjigs New Green Toys Sports Boats are sure to make waves this year! These lightweight cruisers are specially sized for little hands, making them the perfect go-to toy for the bath, pool, or beach. The blue Launch Boat, orange Race Boat, and green Speed Boat all feature brightly coloured, interchangeable tops for mixn-match fun. The easy-open design also makes cleaning easy! Each boat includes a duck captain figure for extended imaginative role play.

Tel: 01303 250400 Web: www.bigjigstoys.com

Web: www.summerinfant.co.uk

Cheeky Rascals – Scrunch Scrunch makes brilliant, handy and high quality toys that are perfect for the beach and home. The first product to be taken on by Cheeky Rascals is the ingenious Scrunch bucket, which is made from food-grade silicon and can be folded and ‘scrunched’ in to the smallest of spaces – perfect for packing and taking on holiday. Scrunch fits well with Quut, another innovator in beach and outdoor toys, available from Cheeky Rascals. RRP from £6.99

Tel: 01730 895761 Web: www.cheekyrascals.co.uk

Splash About The best-selling Happy Nappy by Splash About is insisted upon by over 90% of UK swim schools, but all of their essential products are designed with babies, toddlers and children’s safety in mind to protect them from the sun and keep them clean, warm and happy while splashing about at the pool or on the beach. Brand new for SS15 is their Surfs Up, Pink Blossom and sweet Candy Stripes are for the coolest swim kids in town and new collections inspired by birds of paradise and the wild and wonderful watery Lion Fish can be found in our Holiday Shop alongside a new range of Maternity Swimwear.

Tel: 01647 440 570 www.splashabout.com

Cosatto Cosatto’s Supa ‘Big Fish’ is making a splash this season. The Mother and Baby Gold Award Winning Stroller is perfect for parents, featuring a onehanded recline with 4 recline positions. With the added luxury of a comprehensive accessories pack; handy cup holder, reversible 4-way Cosy Toes with print liner, headhugger, chest-pads, raincover, and multi-media gadget pocket with speaker. With its umbrella fold, free-standing function and carry handle, it’s ultra convenient. RRP £200.

Tel: 0800 014 9252 Web: www.cosatto.com

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Whichway is best If you are looking for a pushchair that is stylish and original whilst being practical and comfortable for baby. The Whichway offers all this...and more.

he Whichway is the first pushchair to offer fully reversible hood and seat fabrics and is the first to have removable comfort foam seat and back supports. The pushchair comes complete with a fully reversible foot muff and full body rain-cover which have been designed and cut to perfection to complement the Which way’s sleek engineering. The Whichway pushchair is light weight and opens with a simple pop up release. With its quick release fastenings, the harness and the seat unit are easily removed, and along with the hood – it is all fully reversible. This gives you the option to swap your colours or to have combinations of the two. And the best bit is, the whole thing can be put in the washing machine. To see a demonstration of this fabulous pushchair check it out on youtube, visit the website: www.whichwaypushchair.co.uk or call us 01274 475 5414 to arrange an appointment to see this fabulous pushchair and all Torque Omni-Channel has to offer.

Tel 01274 475 414 Web: www.whichwaypushchair.co.uk

Keeping one foot ahead Sock Ons - the award winning garment that keeps baby socks on are available in beautiful shades of pale blue, navy, turquoise and blueberry. The colours complement baby boy outfits perfectly and are available in 0-6 months as well as 6-12 months sizes. With an RRP of just £2.99, they make a perfect gift, keep little toes warm and save the aggravation of searching for lost socks!

omplimenting the Sock Ons range, Dribble Ons provide a stylish and clever solution for babies who constantly dribble with an affordable RRP from £4.99. The stylish bandana style bibs come in the same shades of blue as the Sock Ons with an additional soft Denim style bib, making baby look cool and smart at all times!

Tel: 020 8451 1516 Email: info@sockons.co.uk Web: www.sockons.co.uk

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Focus Travel Accessories

Travellin’ light Whenever they leave the house parents don’t want to be burdened with unnecessary luggage

n years gone by, everything was so bulky that when people went out, they often had to decide what to take and what to leave behind. Prams the size of battleships, pushchairs like tanks – now that has all changed and consumers consider travel accessories to keep their little ones occupied as well as products that are fantastic for transporting all their necessities. Retailers are now stocking all sorts of items to make that trip easier and more stress-free – these can range from simple ‘pushchair clips’ to assist in carrying items, changing bags for ‘mums on the go’, travel potties, bottle warmers, stroller bags, pushchair and pram covers, rain covers, parasols, footmuffs, travel cots, pram and car toys, food storage items, portable sterilising solutions, snack pots, drinking cups - the list is quite comprehensive! We spoke to a number of experts in the field. First we wanted to find out what constitutes travel accessories for young ones. Roger Cheetham of Clippasafe told us, “We have stroller organisers, stroller net bags; we do inset nets for prams and strollers, toy ties and soother savers.” All of which are great in assisting whilst out and about.

“

We offer versatility and easy to fit items. They are all based on a universal fit so it doesn’t matter what you buy stroller-wise our products fit anything. Roger Cheetham, Clippasafe

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Natasha Leviton, the sales manager at Pink Lining said: “We have expanded our offering to include different-sized changing bags to reflect the changing needs of a modern mother and age of her baby (or babies) with our mini messengers and mum-on-the-run bags for when you’re just nipping around the corner to a friend’s house/coffee shop for a quick tea and chat. These sit alongside our larger every-day bags that you can pack everything you need for the day into for both mother and baby.” Are these products bespoke? In other words, do you have to buy the whole range? Not at all says Roger Cheetham: “We offer versatility and easy to fit items. They are all based on a universal fit so it doesn’t matter what you buy strollerwise our products fit anything.” According to Cara Sayer of Snoozeshade another benefit for retailers is word of mouth. She told us: “The product is starting to become well known; people will come in and ask for the brand. They are all designed to the same safety standard as the toys so they are very safe and the biggest benefit is that parents love them so once one mum buys one all her friends usually buy them too.” Although some are not entirely happy about it, Britain has a temperate climate, which means that it is rarely unbearably hot. That situation is not replicated overseas so it becomes even more important to protect the delicate skin of babies and young ones, especially when travelling to an overseas destination, so for here in the UK, items relating to sun protection can be an impulse, on the spot, purchase. Retailer Cathy Morgan from Babe-Equip in Goole, told us that she finds that sunshades are not bought in advance: “If the sun comes out, people come out to buy sun shades.” Maguari have a range of products that cover all weather eventualities. Debbie Grant, Maguari’s marketing manager, told us: “We have the heat alert shade, the car seat raincover, the pram raincover, the buggy raincover,

”

Did you know… ■ William Kent developed an early stroller in 1733 when the Duke of Devonshire asked him to build a means of transport that would carry his children. ■ Regular use of a travel cot means that a baby will become used to a sleeping environment outside the home which means that they are more likely to go to sleep quicker when they are travelling. ■ In June 1889, William Richardson patented his idea of the ﬁrst reversible stroller. ■ In 1965, Owen Maclaren, using his knowledge of aeroplanes, designed a stroller with an aluminium frame and created the ﬁrst true umbrella stroller.

the double buggy raincover. Unlike most rain covers on the market the single and double buggy both have restraints on the back that stop it blowing up in the wind.” A new innovation on the market is the gate check bag. “A number of companies make them,” says Cathy Morgan, “including Prince Lionheart and it protects your pushchair from dirt and debris. It is easy to carry with its large side strap and is visible on the belt when you collect you luggage at the other end.”

Parenthood made simple www.kiddicorp.co.uk sales@kiddicorp.co.uk +44 (0)203 137 5172

Focus Travel Accessories

CuddleCo The multi award winning Comfi Cush is a truly unique pram liner that ensures babies are seated in the ideal anatomical position when travelling in their stroller and even aids musculoskeletal development! The unique memory foam liner moulds to a baby’s unique shape to provide a completely new level of comfort and support. Not only does Comfi-Cush provide absorbing properties actively cushion little one’s as they ride over bumpy surfaces, it adds a touch of style and personalisation to your stroller.

Tel: 0161 702 5062 Email: sales@cuddleco.co.uk Web: www.cuddleco.co.uk

Baby Case After selling out at the Baby Show in London, the lightweight and adaptable Baby Case is proving to be a success for parents who travel with babies and little ones. A unique, patentpending travel system comes with: • • • • • • • •

Integrated & adaptable shelving system Integrated and removable changing mat ‘Wardrobe’ system Toy bag Toiletries bag Detachable daily changing bag with rucksack straps Release clips to attach to pushchair Insulated cool bag

Designed to make holidaying stress-free and organised! RRP £100 to £120.

Email: leanne@baby-case.com

Joie SecureClick is a new travel cot range from Joie, which comes in three different versions, allowing parents to choose the right one for their travel needs. All three products in the range come with SecureClick technology – a unique and ultra-safe way the ‘toppers’ / accessories secure to the base unit. Designed as convenient travel companions, the SecureClick range is engineered to keep baby secure whether playing or sleeping. All are suitable from birth to 15kgs and come with a ‘simply brilliant’ range of features you’d expect from Joie including: • A full-sized bassinet which can be attached and removed easily • Four-sided mesh-lined sides for ventilation • Simple push button fold for set up and fold down in seconds • A carry bag Winner of the BANTA 2015 Travel Accessories category at the recent Harrogate Nursery fair, the Midway Change & Rock travel Cot is the top of the Joie SecureClick range. It includes a comfy bassinet, plus a deluxe lift-off changer and lift-off napper, with SecureClick technology. Both accessories have their own feet, allowing them to be used on or off the cot. The napper turns in to a stand-alone rocker once placed on the floor. It features soft, cosy fabrics and includes and infant pillow and lower harness cover. There is also a removable napper canopy. The cocoon shaped seat is perfect for cradling newborns.

Tel: 01889 808 900 Email: uksales@joiebaby.com

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Munchkin expands travel range Munchkin is boosting its travel accessories range with some innovative new products for 2015. Whether parents are transporting their little ones via carry cots, cars or pushchairs, For on-the-go dining there is the Deluxe Snack & Drink Pod boasts a Quick-attach clamp that easily attaches to most pushchairs and car seats. The self adjusting holder keeps drinks securely in place and a snackable lid keeps crumbs off the floor. The New Stretch to Fit Shade stretches to fit any size or shape of window. Innovative Pushloc suction cups provide a secure grip â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and two can be combined for larger areas and back windows for added versatility. The Stretch to Fit Shade sits along the Smart Shade, Better Fit UV-Guardian Roller Shade and the Better Fit Keep it Cool Reflective Shade in the range. Both the Baby In-Sight Mirror and Baby In-Sight Mega Mirror allow parents to connect with their rear facing baby whilst travelling in the car. Crash tested and with Soft-touch frames, these are Clear-Sight mirrors which boast vivid images and superior reflections. Shatter resistant for extra safety, the multiple attachment options fit most vehicles. For entertainment on the go, the Baby In-Sight See Saw Pals Mirror and the Baby In-Sight Magical Firefly Mirror offer a colourful alternative. While the See Saw Pals Mirror features bouncing birds to amuse little ones whilst travelling, the Magical Firefly version includes 24 minutes of entertaining or soothing melodies and an animated light show â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all controlled by the touch of a remote control button, which parents can keep with them in the front of the car for ease of use.

Tel: 01937 860 770 Web: www.munchkin.com

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Focus Travel Accessories

LittleLife Ensure children enjoy a good night’s sleep, wherever the destination, with LittleLife’s lightweight and portable Arc 2 Travel Cot. Weighing just 2.5kg, the British Standard tested cot packs conveniently away into its own daysack for easy transportation. Featuring a technical arc design with shock-corded aluminium poles, the cot is sturdy and stable. Multiple openings offer easy access to the cot’s interior whilst ventilating mesh fabric at the top and sides keeps bugs at bay. A removable and washable foam mattress with a soft cotton cover ensures your child enjoys a comfortable night’s sleep on the move.

Email: sales@lifemarque.co.uk Web: www.littlelife.co.uk

Maguari Maguari’s new range of travel accessories from its ISI Mini baby brand has been created to help with the practicalities of travelling with young children. The latest product in the collection is the Baby Seat Protector, designed to keep car seats and pushchairs dry and clean. With its waterproof base and absorbent layers which draw liquid away from the child, the product is 100% waterproof and especially useful during toilet training. The Baby Seat Protector features soft padding and plush fabric, ensuring comfort for little ones.

Tel: 01293 592170 Web: www.maguari.com

Obaby Bring some Disney magic with this lovable range of footmuffs and changing bags, each featuring adorable designs of many favourite characters from Disney’s Winnie the Pooh, perfect for matching with each of Obaby’s licensed Disney Sketch Pooh Strollers. This snug selection of footmuffs is irresistibly soft and padded, ensuring that Pooh and his friends can keep children huggably safe whilst on the move. Then, when temperatures get warmer, the front of the footmuff can be easily zipped off, providing tots with a cosy seat liner. The footmuff is compatible with almost all pushchairs and can be adjusted according to baby’s height, meaning Winnie the Pooh has a place in any pushchair. Also available are a collection of changing bags which contain a range of inventive storage solution for baby’s belongings. Every bag has a variety of internal pockets, along with an elasticated bottle holder and a cushioned changing mat to provide a safe and hygienic underlay. All are available in three charming sketch designs – Sketch Pooh with a red trim, Sketch Tigger with a turquoise trim and finally Eeyore with a purple trim.

Tel: 01652 641491 Web: www.obaby.co.uk

Little Saints Essential travel accessories for babies, toddlers and children from Benbat are distributed exclusively in the UK by Little Saints: the award winning Yummigo Feed & Go 3 in 1 booster seat and easy to carry storage case; ‘Travel Friends’ head and neck support rests; and GoVinci Trolleys – child’s wheeled case - and GoVinci Backpacks with built-in picture frames to display drawings, or a favourite photo, and the hard outer makes a perfect drawing table when on the go.

Tel: 0208 392 2665 Web: www.littlesaints.co.uk 68 nursery today

Summer Infant Summer Infant prides itself on being a broad category supplier. Travel accessories have been a part of the UK and international range for some time. Included within that range are some key items such as the DuoMat which helps parent protect their car upholstery from damage caused by the hard plastic of infant car seat. The 2 in 1 Snuzzler Piddlepad grows with your child from the early stages when babies head needs support to the potty training stage many months later. Summer tries not to include products which have become commonplace in the market and offer innovation and points of difference all through the range. The Summer Infant tote bags are great sellers and again offer some key points of difference in design, utility and price. With some great designs coming in 2015 retailers should watch this space for exciting new fashions.

Web: www.summerinfant.co.uk

East Coast Nursery East Coast Nursery supply a range of licensed character travel accessories in FisherPrice and Tiny Tatty Teddy designs. The range includes a choice of Pop Up Sunshades and Retractable Sunblinds to shield little ones from the heat and glare of the sun. Featuring a bright Rainforest Friends, or super-cute Tiny Tatty Teddy print, they will keep baby protected for comfortable journeys whatever the weather, whilst the Baby On Board Sign reminds other drivers and warns rescue services that there is a child in the vehicle.

Tel: 01692 408802 Web: www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk

Cheeky Rascals Families planning holidays this summer want a potty that makes life easy and minimises kids having accidents whilst they are travelling. My Carry Potty is the bag-free, leak-proof, easy to carry potty that kids and parents love, whether they are at home, on a staycation or abroad. The new Bumblebee design joins the Cow and Ladybird animal potties and is available to order now. RRP from ÂŁ19.99.

Tel: 01730 895761 Web: www.cheekyrascals.co.uk

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Focus Travel Accessories

Chicco Pocket Snack (RRP £29.99) is a colourful and fun travel booster seat that offers the perfect practical solution to enable children to eat at the table with their parents. Pocket Snack is extremely versatile with a removable and adjustable tray making the seat suitable for children from six months through to three years. It also boasts an adjustable height and tray including an option to fully remove the tray ensuring that whether you are having an evening at a restaurant or a dinner in with friends your baby can comfortably join you at the table. The seat is both light, weighting 2kg, and compact measuring 32cm x 36cm x 11cm when folded. In addition when folded it can be carried by the handle on the seat or the safety belts double up as a shoulder strap making it easy and seamless to carry around. New for 2015 the Pocket Snack is now available in four bright and stylish colours including Lime, Light Blue, Silver and the original Mandarino.

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

2012 Ltd Kalencom is a popular and trusted brand from the USA that encompasses fresh and fashion forward designs and styles without compromising on practicality. Each changing bag has the added feature of including a free co-oridinated zippered pouch ideal for storing nappies, a free Thinsulate insulated bottle bag and a free matching changing mat. A Kalencom bag is designed to be easy and efficient with practical storage compartments for all of baby’s bits and bobs. Contact 2012 Ltd for details on the new Summer 2015 collection.

Tel: 01202 303 777 Email: info@2012ltd.co.uk Web: www.2012ltd.com

Halilit/Taf Toys The Taf Toys All In 1 Car Toy/In-Car Play Centre provides a fixed entertainment centre for babies in rear facing car seats combined with a specially designed mirror that enables drivers to see their baby simply by looking through the rear view mirror. This is just one of a selection from Taf Toys featuring colourful illustrations and amusing toys that are securely attached to keep baby busy and happy while travelling in the car.

Tel: 01254 872454 Web: www.halilit.co.uk

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KiddiCorp KiddiCorp introduce a raft of travel products for 2015 including new complete licensed travel collections. The Jeep brand is iconic and recognised worldwide and KiddiCorp are proud to launch their outdoor and travel range. Synonymous with quality and durability, the product range provides everything a busy, adventurous family needs for both every day and travelling with little ones. From fundamental but original cup holders to a cool Car Seat Starter Kit. Jeep also appeals to dads who love functional and practical products. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the most popular nursery licenses around. The bold, vibrant range will complement existing licensed collections and boasts several key lines including the brand new Grow With Me Double Head Support. Hugger is a brand new collection of colourful, lightweight backpacks specifically designed to cater for all your baby and child travel needs. The bags feature a detachable reign, a chest strap and an indispensable grab handle. The collection also features design-led function backpacks for older children and stylish changing bags for mums.

Tel: 0203 137 5172 Email: sales@kiddicorp.co.uk

Travel with Hippychick Look no further than Hippychick for fantastic travel essentials, many designed by parents who have seen a real gap in the market to make travelling with children easier. The ultra light, pocket sized Totseat travel highchair makes lunching in style and safety possible at home, at other’s houses, in cafes and restaurants - in fact anywhere in the world! Made entirely from fabric and coming in its own coordinating travel pouch, the Totseat is the most lightweight, stylish, compact and versatile travel highchair available. Dream Tubes inflatable bed guards, which fit into bespoke sheets (single or cot bed), prevent children from rolling out of bed in their sleep. High quality and easy to use - one or two long sturdy inflatable tubes fit snugly into the pockets of the specially designed soft cotton sheet making a soft cosy barrier. Folding down just like a standard bed sheet they are perfect for overnight stays or holidays. Both of these fantastic products are available exclusively in the UK from Hippychick.

Tel: 01278 434440 Email: enquiries@hippychick.com Web: www.hippychick.com

It’s all in the design Exhibiting alongside their UK distributer, Obaby, one of the leading German brands, ABC Design, made a colourful impression on this year’s Harrogate International Nursery Fair with their bright and fashion-forward 2015 collection. The award-winning Zoom Tandem took pride of place at the company’s stand; displayed in two unique colour combinations it gained plenty of attention from Harrogate’s visitors, with many recognising the twin from press and marketing or even having first hand experience of its adaptability and wealth of features! Alongside the Zoom were other customer favourites like the Cobra and Mamba, all showcased with a sublime splash of colour for 2015, as well as some new additions to ABC Design’s UK family – the Takeoff and Avito strollers. The Takeoff proved to be a show highlight, with many excitedly requesting demonstrations of the stroller’s impressive compact fold, which transforms the product in two simple steps. An exclusive look at the brand’s Plus range also saw some existing ABC Design products, such as the Cobra, Mamba and 3Tec, further enhanced with unique vision, design and innovative features. This definitely created a buzz with visitors to the stand, with ABC Design’s friendly team members excitedly talking them through their key strengths and giving numerous hands on presentations.

Tel: 01652 641491 Web: www.obaby.co.uk

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Focus Christmas Gifts

Jingle Babes The festive season may feel an age away, but it’s a great time of year for additional footfall in-store. It’s normally around this time of year that many of you will start to think about Christmas stock – what will make a good gifting item? These can vary drastically from toys, plush, ride ons…

Baby Art Christmas Ball

Halilit All the toys in the extensive award-winning Halilit range make perfect Christmas Gifts as they are brightly coloured, beautifully designed, offer great play value and come in informative high quality packaging. The gift sets in Halilit’s own branded musical toys range are designed to encourage a love of music from an early age, as the instruments are just the right size for little hands to hold, and they will inspire babies and toddlers to create their own music.

The Baby Art Christmas Ball is an irresistible gift idea, allowing you to personalise your Christmas tree decorations with your baby’s name and hand or foot print. With four bright colours to choose from, these decorations are perfect as a precious souvenir of the festive celebrations. Suitable from birth to 8 years of age, the hand/foot print is quick and very easy to make and a special pen is provided to add your child’s name to the Christmas Ball.

Tel: 01254 872454 Web: www.halilit.co.uk

Tel: 0208 236 0707 Web: www.dorel.com

Rainbow Designs This new Peppa Pig for Baby’ George Activity Toy is safe from birth, baby soft and packed with activities to stimulate babies’ senses and engage their imagination. Activity George includes sounds, music, tactile materials and a peek-a-boo mirror and is produced to the highest quality and making it a perfect Christmas gift for baby.

Tel: 01329 227300 Web: www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

BRIO BRIO is a quality producer of wooden toys for all ages and has earned a reputation as a leading toy manufacturer. BRIOs soft hammer rattle and teething ring, both recommended for babies from six months plus are an excellent wooden toy choice for growing babies. The superb bright colours, wood and plastic finishes are hardwearing and safe. These products are designed with high attention to detail and benefit from engaging rattle sounds and soft teething surfaces. These are BRIO products that can be trusted and loved.

Tel: 0845 6000 286 Web: www.marbeltoys.co.uk

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Focus Little Helper

Oops with Little Helper Well known in the nursery industry for the multi award-winning FunPod, new brand Oops with over 300 products is new to the Little Helper stable.

ommitted to developing young minds, Little Helper grows from strength to strength with its own brand of multi-purpose furniture, unique 3D play rugs, wall art, christening gifts adding Oops for a fully rounded product range. With a vastly growing product range. Little Helper is establishing itself as a respected high quality brand, spreading their net throughout the UK and overseas. New for AW15 is the eagerly anticipated second generation FunPod HighChair – having taken customer feedback on board, this truly multi-purpose 5-in-1 highchair now includes a removable tray, a passive crotch restraint and an easy Quick Release Mechanism to covert the highchair to a FunPod and back again.

“

Joining the highchair ranks of the above, Little Helper is also poised to launch a new combination highchair in the run up to Autumn too. Both available with a choice of cushions and a starting RRP of £89.99, these complement the styling cues of all Little Helper’s furniture suitable for today’s modern space. Continuing with the theme of “Developing young minds” new European-born brand Oops is a vibrant, educational and multisensory brand with a large range of animal products that join tot on their baby and toddler journey. Cute animal friends make up the wonderful world of Oops - a snail, turtle, owl, bear, cat, dog, hedgehog and the sophisticated Lady P, the resident Peacock. Prevalent throughout the entire range, your tot can choose an Oops menagerie or have his or her favourite animal on a number of different products. In flamboyant forest colours or amidst beautiful city buildings, Oops gives children the magical experience of two different worlds, creating a line that was developed for the smallest tots, but also intrigues older pre-schoolers. Thoughtfully designed by parents, Oops boasts a deep understanding of the needs of modern babies from birth all the way to 4-5 years, not neglecting nurture or development. From earliest childhood entertainment to playful yet useful accessories for older children; from textiles to wooden puzzles to bedroom furniture and night lights and every in-between, Oops concepts blend harmoniously with the simple but vital needs of a child’s ever growing world of knowledge, creating a line full of joy and originality in every tiny detail. As a youngster every new shape, texture and colour is a new and exciting learning experience. This is why creative’s at Oops design each individual product with tots’ best interests at heart and in mind, pushing learning through play through

Packaged in vibrant gift packaging the Oops range is guaranteed to stand out and catch the attention of little shoppers as well as busy parents

”

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unnoticeable means. Each product aims to encourage baby’s development with multi-sensory aids and multi-textural materials all to enhance senses, hand-eye coordination whilst helping to develop fine motor skills. Packaged in vibrant gift packaging the Oops range is guaranteed to stand out and catch the attention of little shoppers as well as busy parents, Grandparents and anyone looking for the perfect gift for their precious little ones. “This SS15 season sees the arrival of the new Easy Ranges, with over 100 soft and wooden toys. Available only to retailers with physical space, these ranges are available in their own bespoke POS units for in-store theatre. Available in vibrant gift packaging, there is no mistaking that Oops offers a real profit opportunity for retailers this Christmas.” Says Kim Johnson, founder of Little Helper. All soft lines retail under £9.99 whilst all wooden lines are £12.99 or less. If you’re heading to the Toymaster fair in May, come and catch up with the Little Helper team in the ballroom of the Majestic.

www.littlehelper.co.uk

Focus Traditional Toys

Keeping up tradition Here we take a look at traditional toys – what’s the appeal?

t’s the feeling of nostalgia that makes this an array of scenarios away from technology. Ian such a popular category. Traditional toys have McCrimmon, B Kids told us: “Consumers are definitely seen a growth in popularity recently. looking for every day, good value, traditional toys This genre reminds people of days gone that help stimulate development as well as being by and also offers superb opportunities for fun. retailers who stock these bringing additional footfall. “They’re about getting away from the TV and Not only do parents buy them, but also they are great other screens, and taking it back to basics with gifting solutions for babies and toddlers. simple play patterns that encourage development. Judith Stark, the managing director of Halilit, A good traditional toy has educational value, even told Nursery Today: “Traditional if it’s as simple a colour toys are usually simple, classic or shape recognition, toys that have stood the test and stands up to repeat of time. They rarely feature play and a bit of bashing modern technology and about.” have been played with for When we look at generations, examples would be this category, it really is a child’s drum, building blocks, about long-term appeal, rattles, dolls, shape sorters and perhaps these items will puzzles. be long held in adulthood “Many Halilit items are as a keepsake first toy. traditional toys and we are Judith comments: Judith Stark seeing sales increasing year on “Technology or licenceyear. Playing with traditional based toys can quickly toys seems to be regarded as a more wholesome become dated and all too readily discarded. The activity especially for pre-school children. It seems sign of a good traditional toy is that it has lasting that parents are now looking for toys that challenge play-appeal and if, well made, can be passed down their children in different ways and there is a clear through generations, this means that traditional toys increase in demand for traditional toys that don’t generally offer much better value for money.” involve technology or the latest licences.” Ian concluded: “For retailers, traditional toys It’s all about the play factor and how to engage represent great value and help to broaden the small children by introducing toys that encourage offering in-store. Not only do they cater to a wide age range of both boys and girls, they are fantastic add-on purchases for both parents for their own children or as gifts for friends and family.” Retailer Sarah Haydon from Bicester Bazaar in Oxfordshire agrees. She told us: “People are not necessarily moving away fromm tablets but I ■ The largest hand-carved find that they are looking more at traditional toys, wooden rocking horse was especially wooden ones. Grandparents want to built in 2000 and is 7 feet encourage their grandchildren to build things, to 8 inches tall and weighs put things together. 1,200 pounds. “Our Gifts in a Tin range has a great appeal that ■ The origin of the jack-ingoes beyond the family as well. Neighbours and the-box dates back to the friends buy them for children they know. It’s a wide 14th century. appeal.” ■ The largest commercial It seems that no matter what technological jigsaw puzzle has marvel comes along, traditional toys are more than 32,256 pieces able to hold their own.

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Traditional toys are usually simple, classic toys that have stood the test of time.

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Did you know…

Good Toys that Make Sense Delighted with the overwhelming feedback received at Harrogate, it’s now proven; Sassy toys have true shelf presence, capturing parent and child’s attention. For over 30 years Sassy products have excelled in the baby products industry. Sassy’s unique approach focused on stimulating four specific developmental areas during baby’s first year of life. This approach, along with insightful designs, bright colours, and superior quality stood out in the infant toy category and the toys became a fast favourite with parents, babies and toy reviewers. The brand understands the importance of a ‘good traditional’ toy and evokes nostalgia in most of us because the toy designs haven’t changed much – why? Because they work! Traditional, good quality developmental toys which match a child’s stage and emerging ability and maximises their development of Taste, Touch, Vision and Hearing. Sassy helps build a baby’s attention span, not fragment it. Every feature on each product has been designed to contribute to the development of physical, mental, social and emotional skill sets. The Sassy toy collection offers products suitable from birth to beyond. From rattle sets, teethers, the classic Ring o’ Links, familiar high chair toys to plenty of exciting bath toys. The range is wide and is sure to bring toy boxes to life and inject fun and quality into parent and baby play time. A good toy can be played with in many ways. It’s affordable without slacking on quality.

Tel: 01785 503 305 Email: info@hardenbergco.co.uk Web: www.Hardenbergco.co.uk

nursery today 75

Focus Traditional Toys

East Coast Nursery

Cuddledry It doesn’t get much more traditional for bathtime than a classic rubber duck. And only a REAL rubber duck offers genuine safety: 100% safe to play with in warm water, and safe for teething tots, with no nasty BPAs or pthalates. Cuddledry have created a super cute natural rubber duck, with polka dot design and easy to hold shape. No risk of mould as it is fully sealed, so just total bathtime ducky splashy fun! The Cuddleduck is available in beige, pink and blue dot, and beautifully boxed for a perfect gift.

Tel: 01823 323363 Email: trade@cuddledry.com Web: www.cuddledry.com

Solidly made from wood and using non-toxic paint, the Activity Cube is a traditional toy that offers hours of fun. The generous size and five activities allow two or more children to play together. The irresistible, chunky sliding bead coaster and tactile peg maze will amuse younger children, and will help to develop their fine motor skills; while the brightly coloured xylophone and chalk board will bring out the creativity in older children.

Tel: 01692 408802 Web: www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk

Hippychick The stunning Danish designed Moover range, available from Hippychick, takes the most loved classic toys of the past and gives them a stunning styleover to transform them into the classics of the future. With their cool contemporary lines and classic retro styling, these are toys of true quality and are destined to become family heirlooms. There are six eye-catching designs to choose from: Baby Walker, Baby Truck, Dump Truck, Doll’s Pram, Rocking Horse and Prairie Wagon. The quality craftsmanship ensures that these timeless classics can withstand years of boisterous love. The whole range guarantees hours of creative old fashioned fun.

Tel: 01278 434440 Email: enquiries@hippychick. com Web: www.hippychick.com

Bigjigs Bigjigs Toys has a wealth of experience to call upon when it comes to traditional toys, delighting young minds with exciting, educational playthings for 30 years. New for 2015 is the beautifully-designed Sunflower Cottage, complete with gender-neutral colour scheme, 6-doll family, 27 furniture pieces and a sheet of stickers for customised decoration. RRP £119.99 The new Home & Garden Furniture Set extends imaginative play even further with 22 extra pieces to add to Sunflower Cottage or any of the other dolls houses in the Bigjigs Heritage Playset collection. The fantastical new Dino Range and Farm Range join Bigjigs Rail for 2015. Both lines boast the new-style Bigjigs Rail packaging and are sure to be extremely hot sellers this year. Building upon the popularity of miniature wooden railway, they extend the scope for imaginative play with a design based on two favourite themes among preschoolers. 76 nursery today

Tel: 01303 250400 Web: www.bigjigstoys.com

New for 2015 In stock now and ready to order! trade.bigjigstoys.co.uk bigjigstoys

@bigjigstoys

bigjigstoysltd

Focus Baby Blues

Baby Blues? Yes please! Nursery Today takes a look at the ‘blue’ options available. The colour blue is no longer just reserved for boys, blue products are becoming more and more popular as a colourway – no matter whether baby is a boy or a girl. This is perhaps why so many nursery suppliers and manufacturers ensure they have a ‘blue’ collection.

Chicco The Chicco First Dreams range offers a selection of carefully designed products to soothe even the most fractious of babies. Combining music, soft lighting effects and transitional objects the range can be used from birth, and helps to create a magical bedtime atmosphere. New for 2015 the Sunset Cot Panel is a beautiful new addition to the First Dreams range, featuring gorgeous colours, lovely soft lights and soothing melodies. The Sunset Cot Panel also features two projection effects - sunrise and sunset. The panel has a sensor which activates when the baby wakes and soothes them back to sleep.

Cuddledry Cuddledry is seeing a blue boom right now – it seems everyone is having little boys, or perhaps blue is the new pink for little girls too. Classic baby essential the Original Cuddledry baby apron bath towel is available in a stylish blue/white combination, now presented in their new box packaging, which makes a fantastic gift. In fact, the Cuddledry towel has won the Mumsnet Best Award for the last EIGHT years for being the Best Newborn Gift, as voted for by parents. The original bamboo soft apron towel – which makes bathing a new baby so much safer and snugglier.

Tel: 01823 323363 Email trade@cuddledry.com Web: www.cuddledry.com

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

We Made Me Bebecar The ultra-modern Hip-Hop chassis offers 20 fabrics to choose from, including Peacock and Pastel Blue ‘Magic’ fabrics, with anti-stain treatment to keep them looking new for longer. The Ip-Op looks equally good in simple Powder Blue and pretty Blue Lace. For something more traditional, the Grand Style looks elegant in Oxford Blue, with its matching mudguards over the white wheels.

Tel: 01692 408801 Web: www.bebecar.co.uk

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Although their flagship Pao Papoose 3-in-1 soft-structured carrier was a big hit, visitors to their stand at Harrogate couldn’t help but fall in love with the new Wuti Wrap. The thoughtfully designed hybrid, two-way stretchy wrap is made from a unique, breathable material that stretches both lengthways and crossways The innovative combination of both woven and stretchy fabrics ensures it is superstrong and flexible – it’s the ideal product to allow parents to wear their little one cocooned close enough to nurture and bond with.

Web: www. wemademe.com

2012 Ltd Pura Pura stainless steel bottles are the safe and environmentally conscious choice for baby as they are the world’s only 100% plastic free bottle. The bottle & collar are crafted from safe anti-bacterial stainless steel & the teats/spouts/ covers from premium grade silicone. Nothing migrates in or out! Also great value for money as they transform from a newborn bottle to a toddler sippy cup, straw cup, water bottle and finally a snack cup; simply by changing the spout/cover. One Life... One Bottle

Tel: 01202 303 777 Email: info@2012ltd.co.uk Web: www.2012ltd.com

Silvercloud The new Love Colour bedding range by Silvercloud is available in pink and blue, with accent blankets to add an extra pop of colour. It is sold as separates, encouraging parents to mix and match their bedding to create a unique look. The scalloped Coverlet is suitable from birth, and the Bumper features distinctive curved edges to match. The Fleece Blanket has charming embroidered stack of elephants, and blanket-stitched edges. The range is completed with a selection of four irresistibly bright cotton blankets.

Tel: 01692 408802 Web: www.silvercloudnurserybedding.co.uk

BreathableBaby No baby boy’s nursery would be complete without the beautiful ‘By The Sea’ and ‘Enchanted Forest’ bedding ranges from BreathableBaby’s Heritage Collection. These gorgeous bedding collections also includes a PocketSwaddle, which has been designed to be a fusion between a fitted swaddle and a swaddling blanket, an ‘On the Go Blanket’ to provide a safe and snug cover for baby either home or away and a super cute matching Sebastian Seagull or Rory Rabbit toy, which are also 100% breathable, hypoallergenic and machine washable. By The Sea and Enchanted Forest are just two of the stunning designs available – all guaranteed to compliment any nursery theme.

Email: rhsalesandmarketing@gmail.com Web: www.breathablebaby.com

ABC Design Colour is at the forefront of ABC Design’s 2015 range, with two stunning shades of blue making their UK debut on some of the brand’s best loved pushchairs and accessories. Splashed beautifully across their existing range of innovative products as well as some brand new additions to the company’s UK selection, ABC Design’s ‘Coral’ and ‘Rio’ colour options add a pop of personality and style to the collection, perfect for those with blue in mind.

Tel: 01652 641491 Web: www.obaby.co.uk nursery today 79

Talking Shop with NSG By: Yasmin Ali, Babyland

he Harrogate experience gets better and better for me year on year. It’s hard to believe that Harrogate 2015 is wrapped up and finished – for me it certainly lived up to every expectation. The search was for unique, different products – the aim was to have lines that will separate us from the nationals, and trying to claw back to the appeal of the independents. I think this was successful this year, there were loads of companies showing and I did need the full three days to explore – and unfortunately I still managed to miss out some people. It was so lovely to meet fresh new entrepreneurs, and chat with them about their hopes and wishes for the future, and of course fill them in on my role in the industry. On the way home from the show, my phone went mad with lots of new retailers joining the NSG and lots of new trade people. It was truly very exciting, and really uplifting.

Here’s a little roundup of the show highlights I’ve been back a few days, gone through all my goodies and there are a few companies I wanted to mention. Firstly Venicci. The new range is lovely, I love the polka dots, I ADORE the red in the Bebetto range. As an independent if you haven’t got Venicci on your shop floor – let me be as honest as I can – you’re missing a trick there. The product sells itself, and as more and more indies are taking it on, more and more people are coming looking for it – NO online discounting, little to no issues…it’s a win-win. My NSG buddies and I had a great time on the Cloud B stand, and their product is a BANTA winner as you would have seen. Nightlights with a twist, again it’s something different, it’s not run of the mill, people WANT to see something different on our shelves, certainly not to be missed. Babyprice had LOTS of offers, and I loved the 80 nursery today

entire dooky range! Also they have this super cool tent that you can put up and down with a wee tap on the top. Very funky. East Coast had a cot bed on display with a light, which indies up and down the UK have created lots of social media buzz about. Rosy Fuentes had STUNNING high quality footmufffs and car seat footmuffs which I shared with the NSG – lots of white and grey (new black remember). Tutti Bambini had bling…and like moths to light Emma Charlesworth (Baby Birds Dorset – must be said in southern accent for it to work) and I oooh and aaahd at the new Sovereign Furniture (highly commended in the BANTA awards In Home category). This furniture set is reasonably priced, its great quality, its gloss white, so very shiny AND it has bling. Proper Swarovski bling. Love it! Last but not least, I don’t know if anyone saw it, not like there was any fuss about it or it won an award or anything. Nah, you probably don’t know it. High tech, movie-like trailer, absolutely adorable Brand Manager. Like I said you probably haven’t heard about it. UNLESS YOU’RE LIVING ON A DIFFERENT PLANET! BabyStyle egg, I am so pleased, it’s everything we hoped for and more! As independents, the love for BabyStyle is already in huge abundance, here is a company that looks after us, and still manages to balance the nationals – the service is right, the company ethos is right, the product has always been right but now its upped a notch. I think the egg is going to be a game changer for us all, let’s watch this space. It’s hitting stores mid-April – looking forward to seeing how people get on and how it’s received by consumers. Meeting the team at Torque (Oliver, Chris, Andy) was also very lovely. They have just recently taken on a new brand called Casual Play – I know some retailers who

Ya minn Al Yas Ali

already have the product in, I saw the new lines, LOVED them and definitely think it’s worth looking at so please get in touch with the guys or email me. Sheldon have been super-efficient and have already got my order out! Dandelion had some beautiful clothes as usual and lots of

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As an independent if you haven’t got Venicci on your shop ﬂoor – let me be as honest as I can – you’re missing a trick there

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love to Mike, and Maguari had lots of owl loveliness. It was nice to meet Brett Capon who is now working with Yoomi. If you do bottles definitely give Brett a shout (he is on Trade page). The bottle warms the feed to a body temperature – ideal for night feeds and when out and about. Lak and Bob had lovely baskets and a huge array of bits and bobs at the Cuddles Collection stand, the new grey pod they had was lovely. Emmaljunga had a lovely stand and as usual it was nice to see the prams on maybe NOT so traditional chassis, and of course the new Viking which is now even smaller giving it even greater USP – they had GREAT offers on, and are of course exclusively for independents only - lots of love to Sue and Sarah and thank you for the cakes! Cuddle Co had the doona, and the lovely boys were demo-ing the GreenTom for us. It was lovely to see Karen Westlake back in action, lots of love to her. I’d seen the new iCandy DC collections in Cologne, but they are super lovely, can’t wait to get them. Paul Roberts at MeeGo had some amazing new innovative products, I love the Baby’s only cable knit, absolutely stunning – and of

course the new strollers, one half fold and one very modern looking stroller at great prices, of course MeeGo also still have the Glide 3-in-1 and the stunning sleigh bed INDEPENDENTS ONLY, GREAT MARGIN get on the phone or email Paul. Big love to the newbies at the show, well done! Get onto Nursery Trade on Facebook using your personal page, and make some noise about your brand! The independent sector is now buzzing, as new products start arriving now and the sun seems to be shining, there might be that boom I mentioned for 2015 on its way!

Time to say thank you Now a quick personal note if I may I wanted to say some thanks! Thank you to Cheeky Rascals for the lovely dinner, I’d like to thank Emma Charlesworth (Baby Birds), Ian and Joan (Babylicious); Annette (Annette’s Prams) and Vicki (Prams & Cots Galore), and of course Beata and the lovely Victor (Babyland London). Many in the industry see the NSG in a negative light for so many reasons. Let me tell you how wrong you are – the NSG has not only become a lifeline for many independents, and a support network for our over 200 members, it has forged some friendships like you wouldn’t believe and of course a huge thank you to my knight in shining armour the one and only, true gentleman Hugh Millar. P.S. NOTE TO JONATHAN FEINGOLD. SCOTLAND THE BRAVE, SCOTLAND THE FREE! (in print! Beat that!)

Yasmin.ali@babylandfife.co.uk Facebook – Yas Ali NSG Indies (bricks and mortar only) Nursery Support Group Trade: Nursery Trade

FOR THE DAY

Y R TO E S

y a d s Thur July 2nd 15 20

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£95

NUR

The U.K. nursery trade’s no. 1 magazine

GOLF

CLASSIC 1998 - 2015

£95 FOR THE DAY

E A Y R S 7 1 Staverton Park Northamptonshire

AN EARLY REMINDER We want more nursery trade golfers to enjoy a brilliant day’s golf next year at Staverton Park. Quite frankly, nursery trade support for what is the only trade golf day now on the calendar has been pretty pathetic I appreciate that business is tough and we all have to work hard, but

COME ON! Just one day in your diary out of 365 for a sport you enjoy playing can surely be managed? Either give me a call on 01442 289930 or email malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk for full details

Malcolm