Nursery Today by Lema Publishing

The U.K. nursery tradeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no. 1 magazine

Month: February 15 Issue 5 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 5 6 10 12

CONTENTS

Leader News Licensing News Retailer Profile Time to talk to notonthehighstreet.com

February 2015 Issue 5 Volume 18

BPA A swift, sharp look at Harrogate International Nursery Fair

Intelligent Retail ecommerce - Counting the cost of Automation

the team

Editor

Time to talk logistics

Trade Talk Taking a look at the year ahead

Penny Franks penny@lemapublishing.co.uk

Trade Talk

Page 18 Logistics

Penny Franks

Assistant Editor Paul Donnelley

Nursery Natter What’s the thoughts for 2015?

51 58

Gfk New Products

pauld@lemapublishing.co.uk

Ad Manager

Contributors Paul Donnelley

Christine Contreras

Design Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Christine Contreras

Page 30 Bathtime

Anthony Temple, Rainbow Licensed plush trends, an inside take on this growing nursery sector

Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

David Fairhurst, Intelligent Retail Roope Aaltonen, UKTI The benefits of trade shows

Mark Naish

Nigel Plested Nigel gets to grips with the bathtime sector, time to come clean...

mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director

Colin Pattison This issue Colin Pattison looks at how everyone is currently faring at the start of the New Year

Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Christian Jones, Gro This month Christian talks about objectives for the year ahead

Circulation

Publisher

Vicky Morley, Cosatto The shape of trends to come

christine@lemapublishing.co.uk

Paul Naish

Yasmin Ali, NSG Yasmin tells it straight - Harrogate International Nursery Fair is the place to be!

Malcolm Naish

Lema Publishing Ltd

Features

Page 46 Nappies & A Accessories

18 30 46 54

1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted,

Logistics Bathtime Nappies & Changing Equipment Swaddling

Herts, HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930

www.nursery-today.co.uk

Special Features

Page 54 Swaddling

Penny Franks had the pleasure to meet up with Daniel Lucas, CEO, We Made Me to find out a bit more about the direction the company is taking and more about the rebrand.

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A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

We Made Me

Coffee Break Take a break with Slumber Roo

STOP PRESS ... dŽƉ ĐŽŵĞĚŝĂŶ Jason Manford ĐŽŶĮƌŵĞĚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ W Ed WĂƌƚǇ Θ ǁĂƌĚƐ ŶŝŐŚƚ͊ ǀŝƐŝƚ ǁǁǁ͘ŶƵƌƐĞƌǇĨĂŝƌ͘ĐŽŵ ĨŽƌ ƟĐŬĞƚ ĚĞƚĂŝůƐ͘

29th - 31st March 2015 Harrogate International Centre

The UK’s only international nursery industry trade show!

Don’t miss over 60 BRAND NEW exhibitors never before seen at Harrogate! See our website for details on who’s new! Follow us www.facebook.com/nurseryfair ĂŶĚ ĞŶƚĞƌ ŽƵƌ ĐŽŵƉĞƟƟŽŶ ƚŽ ǁŝŶ Ă ĨƌĞĞ ŶŝŐŚƚ͛Ɛ ƐƚĂǇ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ DĂũĞƐƟĐ ,ŽƚĞů͕ ƚǁŽ ĨƌĞĞ WĂƌƚǇ EŝŐŚƚ ƟĐŬĞƚƐ ƚŽ ƐĞĞ :ĂƐŽŶ DĂŶĨŽƌĚ ůŝǀĞ Ͳ ƉůƵƐ ŵŽƌĞ͊

www.nurseryfair.com

message from the editor...

least 170 companies in total exhibiting - so plenty to keep everyone busy! As an example, this year Harrogate is delighted to welcome some fantastic new international exhibitors including Italian Peg Perego, which brings an innovative range of wheeled goods including pushchairs, prams and ride on toys; also from Italy is OK Baby who offer a diverse range of products from bathing and hygiene equipment to bike seats and helmets. The show also welcomes the return of previous exhibitors such as Tutti Bambini with their catalogue of nursery furniture, cots and nursery sets; plus Venicci & Bebetto with their stunning collection of prams and accessories.

You’ll also get the first opportunity to see what’s been going on at BabyStyle - you’ll not be disappointed - the official unveil will take place at the show and of course you’ll find seasoned exhibitors, such as Concord, Johnston Prams, East Coast Nursery, Emmaljunga, BeSafe, Joie, Obaby, Recaro, Red Kite Baby Company just to mention a few! Furthermore, if you are a retailer seeking pre-school toys and educational ranges, you will be spoilt for choice this year. The good news about the nursery sector is that babies and infants can’t operate apps, so need toys that provide great stimulation, play and educational benefits - all of which you will find at the show. If this isn’t an area you currently

What’s ‘hatching’ this year at Harrogate International Nursery Fair?

stock, then perhaps it’s time to take a look at what you may be missing? Of course, there are many more benefits and reasons to attend - what about being one of the first to find out who wins the coveted BANTA awards? It’s set to be a fantastic party night - with one of Britain’s best comedians, Jason Manford, headlining the event. It may be wise to secure your tickets in advance as it’s expected to be a sell-out. Tickets for the event, which takes place on Sunday 29th March 2015 at the Majestic Hotel in Harrogate, are just £40 + VAT. Full information about Harrogate International Nursery Fair can be found at www.nurseryfair.com. And now, this issue - what’s in store for you this month? We had the pleasure to visit Daniel Lucas, CEO of We Made Me

“

This year Harrogate is delighted to welcome some fantastic new international exhibitors including Italian Peg Perego, which brings an innovative range of wheeled goods including pushchairs, prams and ride on toys; and also from Italy and OK Baby

“

ot long now… it’s the official start of the countdown to the Harrogate International Nursery Fair! Is everyone pre-registered to attend? The reasons for you all to attend are simple, we have no other UK trade event which enables you to source product under one roof. This show will promise to offer you product ranges to enable you to refresh your floor space or websites, it’s where you can spot up-coming trends, and more importantly view new and innovative products that you probably would not have seen before. With more than 150 exhibitors already confirmed and with many more on the horizon - it is time to start focusing on sorting out your accommodation, planning your visit and get registering. OK, so it’s time to be frank - yes, there may be a few of the larger brand names who may not be in attendance this year (and I am talking about perhaps only four, which in the grand scheme of product selection, isn’t an awful lot!) But on the upside there are also newcomers this year, returning exhibitors and of course fantastic seminars, all coupled with the opportunity to mix with like-minded people, do fantastic business, spot new product innovation… need I go on? In fact, you will find more new exhibitors than ever before, for example, 60 companies will be exhibiting for the first time, and this is expected to increase. In fact, it is estimated that there will be at

(formerly BabaSling Ltd) - there are plenty of changes on the horizon and all for the positive - take time to read what Daniel had to say by turning to page 26. We also bring you a plethora of features, taking a look at the world of Logistics (page 18), the Bathtime and Toilet Training sector (page 30), Nappies and Changing Accessories categories (page 46) and last, but not least, the world of Swaddling (page 54) - happy reading!

Three brands from Thump Trading | See us on Stand HP102 at Harrogate International Baby Fair, 29-31 March | For enquiries contact jodi@thumptrading.co.uk or call +44 (0)207 738 0977 Leader 5

f o e p a h s e Th s to come trend Vi ck y

Vicky Morley is the Creative & Marketing director for Cosatto, known for their mission to Save The World From Boring Baby Stuff. Never dull, Cosatto pride themselves on making vibrant, lively printed baby stuff. Utilising on-trend patterns and colour as their main differentiators, it is essential Cosatto stay ahead of the game. In this regular column Vicky shares her thoughts on what trends will shape the future world of nursery product design.

Mo rle y

Consumer Behaviour – Focus On Mobile Apps Easy-to-use mobile apps will rule in 2015, increasing the influence of our smartphones in our lives. Mobile apps have never been more mainstream, innovative or easy-to-use, and savvy brands looking Themes – The Rise Of The Flamingo to get ahead will With the adorable John Lewis Monty turn to them to the Penguin advert still fresh in our surprise, delight memories, you might be forgiven for and stay relevant thinking 2014 was the penguin’s year. to consumers. Well, fashion designers are looking to another feathered friend for inspiration this season in the flamingo, with glamourous names such Colour – Pastel’s The Way Forward as Marc Jacobs including Upcoming fashion collections are them in their upcoming ditching last year’s bold, bright neon collections. While not all shades for cooler, softer pastel catwalk trends can be hues – big news for any baby brand used with baby in mind, looking to stay on-trend. Gentler including fun animals colours such as chartreuse will come like the flamingo is a to the fore this spring in fashion, no-brainer for designers. meaning designers should focus on a paler palette if they want to catch the eye of style-conscious The Way We Buy – Wanting Things Now consumers. We live in a world that increasingly demands immediate results, and this is clearly influencing the way we buy. While most brands offer a Interior Influences – More next day delivery service to Monochrome their customers, technology In the world of interior design there’s has made everything much a monochrome revolution underway, quicker, and made the and this will be felt in baby’s nursery consumer more demanding. decor. 2014 was the year for Forward-thinking brands dark walls punctuated with bright should try to counter this in highlights, but 2015 will fade this increasingly time-savvy ways, out for a black-and-white approach whether through same-day – nursery furniture designers should delivery or something equally take note. as innovative. At time of writing Vicky is in Paris researching upcoming fashion trends. Look for her column in two issues time for more trend-savvy analysis. Web: www.cosatto.com

NEWS

sponsored by hardenbergco.co.uk 01785 503 305

Bambino Mio now available at Morrisons Bambino Mio are delighted to announce they are launching in Morrisons stores across the country. As the market for reusable nappies continues to grow with increasing popularity, mainstream national retailers understand the importance of stocking these products. Sales of Bambino Mio in the UK have grown consistently during 2014, driven mainly by the money-saving benefits to parents. Bambino Mio have seen a record number of new supermarkets stocking their products than ever before. Their multi award-winning potty training pants and reusable swim nappies will be available in all stores across the country with a small range of reusable nappy accessories also available in 110 of these stores. Along with this, their popular miosolo all-in-one nappy will be available in a selection of their popular prints in the 4 week Baby Event from 19 January in 325 stores. Kerry Cane, UK Sales Manager commented, “We are seeing considerable growth in the UK with grocery accounts and are glad we can offer customers a comprehensive range of Bambino Mio products to purchase at Morrisons. This recent launch continues to put Bambino Mio at the forefront; making reusable nappy products even more accessible for consumers.” For more information, please contact Bambino Mio on 01604 883 777 or enquiries@bambino.co.uk.

Paul Gustavsson appointed new CEO of Britax Britax, one of the leading global child safety product manufacturers, has announced that Paul Gustavsson has been appointed new CEO of Britax. “On behalf of the entire board of directors I would like to welcome Paul Gustavsson, who since early 2013 has been part of the Britax Board and already knows our business very well. Paul has spent many years in the areas of safety and mobility, has enormous knowledge of industrial processes from his background in the automotive industry, as well as direct experience in developing business in China, one of our fastest growing markets,” says Ketil Eriksen, Chairman of Britax Group Limited. Paul Gustavsson is succeeding Karl Kahofer. The transition will be effective latest by the end of March 2015. Ketil Eriksen continues: “The board would also like to thank Karl Kahofer for his tireless commitment to the Company in his years as CEO, and is delighted that he will continue to support Britax in a non-executive position going forward.“

D-Link appoint bébélephant Technology giant D-Link has appointed bébélephant as their UK and Ireland Distributor for their EyeOn range of baby monitors. The impressive range of three monitors will suit all budgets, with even the most basic (RRP £69.99) incorporating many of the features one would normally expect in top of the range competitors including lullabies and two-way audio. The appointment follows another year of growth in the monitoring sector, particularly for bébélephant’s BabyPing monitor for iOS. “As demonstrated in research published frequently in Nursery Today, the baby monitoring sector is extremely important. Further, given the growing demand for ever more sophisticated monitors, we have been looking for another partner for 2015 and beyond to join our existing offering. D-Link’s EyeOn range fits like a glove,” said Elliot Bishop of bébélephant. BabyPing’s updated model launches in spring 2015 which together with the EyeOn range, bébélephant hope will cement them as the UK distributor of choice for cutting edge monitors. Email: elliot@bebelephant.com Tel: 020 8202 1467

Cuddledry are celebrating the year of the sheep With Chinese New Year just around the corner (February 19), Cuddledry are celebrating the year of the sheep with a limited edition ‘sleepy sheep’ version of their original best selling apron towel. The limited edition is in pure white with an adorable purple sheep design embroidered on the hood, which can be seen through the clear window of the box packaging. Winner of the Mumsnet best award for best newborn gift eight years in a row and described by parents as “fantastically simple yet brilliant”, the Cuddledry apron towel offers the perfect combination of safety and luxury for stress-free baby bathtimes. The Sleepy Sheep Cuddledry really is the bath time must have for stylish, eco-friendly tots everywhere. Available to order now. Email: trade@cuddledry.com

Cosy little slipper socks!

New panda and monkey designs added to buggyboard by Lascal range BuggyBoard has added some brand new animal character designs to its range of maxi and mini BuggyBoards. The bright new animal designs offer a new look for BuggyBoard and have been designed to appeal to children as well as parents. Available now, the animal designs BuggyBoard Mini has an RRP of £50 and the animal designs BuggyBoard Maxi has an RRP of £70. To order stock or see a sample please contact your sales representative directly or call the customer services team on 01730 895761.

Protecting babies knees!

Award winning Shnuggle joins forces with logistics company Torque One of the leading end-to-end logistics services providers Torque has continued to make its mark in the nursery sector through being appointed by award winning nursery brand Shnuggle. Torque now manages the holding of all the clients’ stock, overseeing deliveries in both the UK and Europe. The logistics specialist also picks, packs and despatches all sales orders to Shnuggle’s wholesale and retail customer and provides freight services to support the company’s continued growth. Explaining the appointment, Adam Murphy, the managing director of Shnuggle, said: “Torque are a perfect match for Shnuggle: they can accommodate our current warehousing and fulfilment requirements, as well as the needs of our rapidly growing business. It has been very important for us to find a company that can provide the exceptionally high standards of service that we wish our customers to experience. Moreover, the system has been set up quickly and efficiently, enabling business to carry on as usual for us.” They have recently won the Best Cot Design category in this year’s hotly contested Junior Design Awards. The Junior Design Awards recognise excellence in design, style and functionality. The Shnuggle basket’s innovative design and range of safety features were noted by the judging panel of industry experts and celebrity parents, including Rachel Stevens, of S Club 7. Oliver Winstanley, Head of Omni-Channel, Torque, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with a fantastic brand such as Shnuggle who share our passion and enthusiasm for the nursery industry. Their business continues to go from strength to strength and we delighted to be working in partnership with them on their very exciting expansion plans for the New Year” Other Torque clients include: Curvy Kate, the premium lingerie brand for ladies with a fuller bust; leading hair piece specialist Daxbourne International; outdoor clothing and equipment retailer Mountain Warehouse; golf clothing specialist PING Collection Europe; and business work wear retailer TM Lewin. For further information on Torque, please visit www.torque.eu, call 08000 8555 10 or email enquiries@torque.eu More information on all the Shnuggle products is available at www. shnuggle.com. If you would like to be a Shnuggle retailer or distributor, please email trade@shnuggle.com.

...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.

nursery today 7

NEWS A reflection on 2014 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.

This Month Christian Jones, Managing Director of The Gro Company, talks about objectives for the year ahead It’s time to reflect on the year gone and plan for the year ahead. The most important rule is to learn from the experiences we have had both good and bad and try to adapt in our thinking or behaviour. One of the keys to success is to identify a clear objective for the year ahead – keep it simple and focused. Everything that you then accomplish for the year should be targeted against this clear objective. This could be achieving simple sales targets or the delivery of one great piece of NPD – however don’t be lured away from what makes your business strong or unique as this core proposition could be what attracts and retains your consumers.

And what of the economy? With cost of capital low but access to it still difficult to achieve, especially in the SME market it is important to demonstrate the achievement of goals no matter how small to demonstrate confidence in your business planning. This should result in greater access to finance if necessary but also a greater focus on what makes your business successful. The UK economy is set to continue at its current growth projection, however as always cash is key to sustaining any business. So while we all look to an improving retailer landscape we need to keep both eyes on the bottom line.

sponsored by

Skip Hop wins prestigious Spielwarenmesse Toy Award 2015 Maguari is delighted to announce that the Skip Hop Explore & More Roll Around Rattles have won a ToyAward 2015, the prestigious prize of the Spielwarenmesse International Toy Fair in Nuremberg, Germany. Presented at the Toy Fair’s opening ceremony, this internationally recognised prize is awarded annually and is a special acknowledgement within the global toy industry. Winning in the Baby & Infant (0-2 years) category, Skip Hop’s Explore & More Roll Around Rattles received top marks for quality, creativity, safety and educational benefits. The panel of expert judges commented: “A pleasant material, pretty colours and shapes and lots of ways to hold the Roll Around Rattles – you just have to reach out and grab them. And if they drop onto the floor, they jump back, but very quietly, which is a real treat for parents. The Roll Around Rattles help with the motor development of little ones and foster their haptic abilities.” The three other categories were Preschool (3-5 years), School Kids (6-10 years) and Teenager & Family (11+ years), and together, the four winners beat 601 products from a total of 318 exhibitors. Available in the UK in the hedgehog and owl designs, the Roll Around Rattle’s friendly face engages baby, ready for plenty of developmental play. Suitable for ages 3 months plus, easy-to-grasp openings in the Rattle’s flexible body helps small hands build dexterity. The colourful Rattle encourages rolling, shaking and tossing, while the beads and rubberised details for teething offer more for little ones to touch and explore. For more details, contact Maguari: tel. 01293 592170 or visit www.maguari.com

H&Co become official Sassy distributor in UK & Ireland H&Co are pleased to inform you that since 1 February 2015 they became the official Sassy distributor for the UK & Ireland. Expanding their product offering once again into the developmental toy sector. Since 1982, Sassy Baby have been working with developmental experts to provide premium quality toys in more than 70 countries. The ‘Sassy’ approach focuses on stimulating four specific developmental areas throughout baby’s first year; TOUCH, VISION, HEAR & TASTE. Julie Ebrey, Managing Director at Hardenberg&Co says; “Play is such an integral part of baby’s development and bonding time with their parents on a day to day basis. As such, it really is crucial that parents are equipped with quality yet affordable toys that are designed to aid baby’s development, whilst being fun for both baby and parent. “We couldn’t be happier to welcome Sassy into the H&Co brand family, to expand the ever-growing product offering to our trade customers and provide an array of quality developmental toys. We’re really looking forward to having some fun with the brand using our extensive marketing campaigns.” H&Co will officially launch the Sassy Toy collection at the Harrogate International Nursery Fair 2015 - Stand B27.

Keith Thompson joins Galt Toys

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 8 nursery today

Galt Toys welcomes Keith Thompson to the team as its new Area Sales Manager for Scotland and the North of England. Keith (pictured) boasts more than 33 years experience in the toy industry, in both area sales and key accounts, having held roles at Scheleich UK, MB Games and John Adams. Keith commented: “I’m delighted to be joining Galt at what is a really exciting time for the company. Starting the role at the beginning of January meant I can experience Toy Fair on the Galt Toys stand and met some new faces during the show. With a whole host of new products for 2015, I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running and meeting Galt’s customers in the north of England and Scotland over the coming weeks.” John McDonnell, MD at Galt Toys, said: “It’s great to have Keith on board. We’re pleased to welcome him to the team and have no doubt that he will prove a valuable resource for our customers as he brings great energy and experience to support their businesses, and will help us deliver the strategy, growth and vision for Galt within this key market.”

LICENSING NEWS

Forever Friends - timeless and charming

Licensed plush trends ... an inside take on this growing nursery sector This month Anthony Temple, Managing Director at leading licensed character baby soft toys manufacturer Rainbow Designs, talks about baby gifting trends - from baby showers and gifting occasions to design and influences.

n our busy social media-influenced lives, almost every day has become a gift-giving occasion - and this trend is no different when it comes to the baby and nursery sector. Whether it’s congratulations on the new baby, the Christening and all the ‘firsts’: Christmas, tooth, steps and birthday, it’s an exhausting but uplifting trail of gifting occasions. And it continues into the toddler years. But why are we surprised that baby gifting is on the increase? After all, we Brits are the past masters of the ‘silent celebration of an occasion’. We have the world’s most prolific (and biggest) greetings card industry founded on our British character reserve trait where, as a nation, we would prefer to send it rather than say it. We love the giving and sending situation, and the growth in baby gifting is a natural extension of our heightened readiness to celebrate multiple occasions, often borrowed from other countries. Just as Halloween has become a major family occasion, in baby we’ve embraced the American concept of the nappy cake. The recent boom in the baby shower has been embraced enthusiastically by the new generation of young mums; they are social media savvy, confident, sociable and aren’t afraid to be a bit showy. Whilst the nappy cake might have kicked-off across the pond, our take on baby showers is perhaps softer and more understated. Here in Britain, in soft toys, home-grown classic characters such as our own Peter Rabbit and Guess How Much I LoveYou, feature high on the list of baby shower gift buyers. These recognised characters and brands deliver the emotional connection and quality assurance that is essential to baby gift purchasing. UK specialist nursery retailers have recognised and embraced the trend, and many now offer stylish and carefully selected bundles and gift packs featuring a variety of baby and nursery products, from the decorative to functional, designed to celebrate the new arrival and adorn the nursery. And in-keeping with the tastes of today’s lifestyleconscious new mums, this growing array of gifts feature fashion and home decor design influences with quality packaging touches. Safe, neutral, muted and vintage colours are used to complement the Farrow & Ball-painted nursery. Baby showers and gift-giving show no sign of waning and in 2015 and beyond. We’ll continue to develop our nursery products featuring our best-loved classic characters in-line with the evolving trend. Tel: 01329 227300 Web: www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

10 nursery today

Golden Bear will be showcasing the new Forever Friends nursery range at Harrogate in 2015; a brand that truly takes the company back to their heritage. With over 35 years of plush experience, Golden Bear’s expertise and commitment to quality makes this the perfect match. Through retaining a team of highly-skilled designers, pattern cutters and machinists, Golden Bear’s knowledge of traditional manufacturing methods bring expertise that guarantees their plush ranges exceed all expectations. Forever Friends is a brand that is both timeless and charming, offering the perfect baby or Christening gift solution. Golden Bear’s strategy of launching a ‘My First’ nursery range encompasses all the necessary values to ensure both parent and baby falls in love all over again with these adorable bears. The range includes a key USP; the inclusion of a baby-safe plastic photo holder to promote personalisation and develop an emotive link between consumer and product. Featuring beautiful soft-to-touch fabrics, gentle lullabies and soothing lights at a range of accessible gift price points, hero items in the range include My First Forever Friends Bedtime Lightshow, multi-sensory Sweet Dreams plush and a Musical Softie Bear. “The Forever Friends brand is still the #1 best-selling Hallmark brand in the UK and its ethos and heritage offers us the perfect partnership to expand our presence in the Nursery market,” comments Christine Nicholls, Vice Chairman and Director of Product Development, “Golden Bear really do cherish the brand and take great pride in creating quality products that consumers fall in love with. The photo frames are not only unique, they are also completely baby-safe so parents can put their trust in the brand knowing their little one is comforted and enchanted by the toys.” The launch of My First Forever Friends will be supported by a targeted PR and Marketing campaign focusing on parents and all fans of the iconic brand.

In a twirl DHX Brands has appointed a strong line up of new licensees for Twirlywoos, a brand new 50 x 11’ pre-school series from Ragdoll Productions. The stop-frame animation is set to air on CBeebies in February 2015. Joining Master Toy partner Golden Bear is Ravensburger (puzzles and games), GB Eye (posters), Gemma International (greetings cards and partyware), Rainbow Productions (character costumes), Fashion UK (outerwear), and DreamTex (bedding). Golden Bear will launch the first product in autumn/winter this year with a key focus on plush, plastic play sets and figurines, bath toys, games, and activity products.

Beatrix Potter Giftware with Wedgwood Iconic home and lifestyle brand Wedgwood is pleased to launch a collection of nursery giftware featuring Peter Rabbit and Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. The new collection boasts combining innovative shapes and new designs offered at a range of price points to meet all occasions. The undeniable appeal of this classic depiction of childhood exploration and companionship continues to enthral children across all cultures and enjoys enduring relevance for a modern audience. Web: www.Wwrd.com

A world of bright ideas... ...making family life easier! With over 17 years experience working with pioneering nursery brands from all over the world, we understand what parents and retailers are looking for. Working in long-term partnerships with our retailers and our suppliers, our mission is to develop innovative, award-winning brands that sell.

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Focus Regular Sun,Retail SandProﬁ & Sea le

We’ve achieved so much since we launched

notonthehighstreet. com in 2006 and

this is just the beginning. We work with 5,000 small businesses and they are our inspiration on a daily basis

we launched notonthehighstreet. com in 2006 and this is just the beginning. We work with 5,000 small businesses and they are our inspiration on a daily basis. Notonthehighstreet.com exists to give them the chance to determine their own future by doing something they love, working on their own terms - perhaps for the first time in their lives. You look for innovative baby gifts that aren’t currently featured in the High Street – how do you make this happen? Our new business team are constantly searching for new partners that fit the notonthehighstreet.com’s vision of living a life less ordinary, and they find them in many different ways including craft fairs, trade shows, blogs and other social media. We also find a lot of exciting businesses from peer-to-peer recommendations and partnering with key industry organisations. We are always on the lookout for small businesses that have unique and inspiring baby products to offer. What would be the criteria of companies who may approach you looking to feature on the site? We look for outstanding, unique, design-led products from UKbased businesses, designer makers and entrepreneurs. It is important that our sellers offer innovative, original ideas and something a bit different. Products must be either designed or sourced by the partner and we focus on high quality and range variety.

A route to market This issue we had the pleasure to question Carolyn Joyce, Category Manager for Baby & Child at notonthehighstreet.com Can you tell us a little about the history of notonthehighstreet.com? Before notonthehighstreet.com there was little available for 12 Nursery Today

small businesses looking to sell their products online. Though many were offering high-quality, desirable products to an audience genuinely hungry for them, they were selling through highly outdated, labour-intensive means (fairs, at-home sales). There was a fundamental need for an online marketplace to provide these small businesses with a route to

market, putting them in front of relevant and engaged customers, as well as providing the focused business support they needed to grow. The story and the success behind this e-commerce website is quite astounding how has this been achieved? We’ve achieved so much since

You run quite a lot of consumer media awareness via TV campaigns, what other media do you use? Following on from the success of notonthehighstreet.com’s “Father’s Day” and “Choose” TV campaigns earlier this year, the Christmas campaign was built on a similar vignette format. The “Choose a Christmas Less Ordinary” advert premiered during ITV’s The X Factor on 1st November and was accompanied by a “live” Twitter competition inviting viewers to count the number of Christmas trees they see and participate using the hashtag #treespotting. The TV ads are also supported by a radio campaign launching on 10th November and further supported by OOH, running on bus T-sides

in central and Greater London, London Underground and National Rail from 1st December. Alongside that we have a strong public relations team who are in constant communication with the press, updating them on our PR campaigns and also product news.

Do you have a particular category within nursery that performs well on the website? One of our strongest areas for nursery is wall stickers and wall art, particularly products that can be personalised with the baby’s name and add a special and unique touch to a room. We also see good performance from bath time and feeding products such as towels, robes and bibs.

Can orders be placed from outside the UK? International delivery is available on many of the products, with us shipping to USA, Australia and Europe.

Can a company join who is not a UK-based business? Not at present, but as notonthehighstreet.com continues to grow we plan to expand our partner community to include international sellers, for example we now have 300 German partners selling through our newly launched notonthehighstreet.de website.

Tell us a little about your affiliate programme. What would you say are the benefits for those wishing to join this and who can join? Our affiliate programme is managed through Rakuten Affiliates and is open to sites of various natures that align with our brand proposition. Our current network consists of hundreds of sites spanning content, shopping, employee benefit networks and more. The benefits of joining include competitive commission rates and incentives, regular updates on company activity and campaigns, and access to exclusive offers and promotions. Would you say notonthehighstreet.com is now a destination for many online shoppers? The retail landscape has changed so much since we founded notonthehighstreet.com in 2006 and other than eBay, we were one of the first online marketplaces in the UK when we began. The selection of sellers and their products on notonthehighstreet. com and notontehhighstreet.de is still very much hand-picked and design led which makes us attractive to consumers looking to shop online. We are less about craft and more about beautiful, unique and design led products – something which was true in 2006 and is still very much the case now.

We look for outstanding, unique, design led products from UK based businesses, designer makers and entrepreneurs. It is important that our sellers offer innovative, original ideas and something a bit different

How do you keep abreast of seasonal trends? For example, colourways and fabrics all very fashion driven within the nursery sector? At the moment I am keeping up to date with international baby and child designers, particularly from Scandinavia, which has been very influential in the market in recent seasons. I also find that Pinterest and Instagram give a very strong indication of which trends customers will engage with from the early stages. Finally, what about the future? Can we expect any exciting announcements? Notonthehighstreet.com is only just getting started and we’re so excited to push our business to the limits. We all believe that the notonthehighstreet.com philosophy, and our way of doing business, can apply to every imaginable sphere of life. We’ll definitely be expanding further and further internationally, enabling people around the globe to choose a life less ordinary.

Nursery Today 13

BPA Notice Board Use it or lose it It’s rather late for the BPA team to be wishing you all a Happy New Year; particularly as the majority of companies in the nursery sector are entering their busiest quarter with Harrogate International Nursery Fair just two months away and preparations in full swing. Therefore we extend our wishes for prosperity, lots of great new business opportunities and a much needed up-turn in the market for the whole nursery sector in 2015. As you are probably aware, the BPA once organised its own nursery trade show, BPA Baby & Child which took place each autumn; and for more than 25 years, nursery companies in the UK had two shows to present products and ranges to retailers. However, it soon became apparent that there was no longer room for two UK events and without the support of some of the larger manufacturers and suppliers in the nursery industry, the BPA had no option but to close the show. This was a great shame on a number of levels. Whilst the big boys in the market place already have the contacts and the distribution channels for business growth and have a number of avenues to market, the numerous small start-up companies which took advantage of the BPA’s LaunchPad lost one of two valuable opportunities to present their products to the large multiple retail buyers who are renowned for their inaccessibility. The BPA also lost the platform for its hugely important Concept & Innovation Awards which encourage new product development and Baby and Nursery Trade Awards (BANTAs) which recognise and reward established companies for great products. Fortunately, Harrogate International Nursery Fair stepped in and offered the BPA a platform to continue with all of these initiatives. The show is an essential gateway for all companies in the nursery sector, but in particular the SMEs which simply don’t have the budget to attend international trade shows or the credibility to obtain one-to-one interviews with major buyers. Whilst in recent years the BPA has branched its activity out to international 14 nursery today

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There is a saying ‘use it, or lose it’, and the BPA encourages all retailers large and small to attend Harrogate International Nursery Fair, show your support and take advantage of the fantastic buying structure it provides

trade shows, working closely with the UKTI, Harrogate International Nursery Fair remains the most important annual event for the trade association and its members. As well as providing a onestop-shop to buy and sell, it provides an accessible and cost-effective venue for meeting and networking with clients and business colleagues. The BPA also has a mission to encourage knowledge sharing and takes advantage of the show to deliver a number of free seminars on pertinent industry topics. It is noticeable this year that a few of the large manufacturers and suppliers are withdrawing their support for Harrogate. Rather than exhibiting, some have chosen alternative marketing routes such as consumer shows and private previews to promote their brand. This is causing a stir of worry for numerous smaller manufacturers and suppliers which rely on the show to get their products to market and also independent retailers for which this is their major event to find innovative new product ranges. Without Harrogate, there is no other alternative UK business exchange. There is a limit to the number of private previews a retailer can realistically attend in a year (and many of the smaller ones don’t even get an invite) and whilst consumer shows are great for brand recognition, one can imagine customer confusion if products presented at consumer shows aren’t available to purchase for another six months. It is also a cause of concern for the BPA, as with the loss of its own show, Harrogate is an essential platform for the industry’s trade association to deliver its services not only to members, but to the entire nursery sector. There is a saying “use it, or lose it”, and the BPA encourages all retailers large and small to attend Harrogate International Nursery Fair, show your support and take advantage of the fantastic buying structure it provides. Whilst it is disappointing that a handful of the ‘big brands’ won’t be attending (and realistically if you already do business with them, you will be advised of their new ranges anyway), there are numerous new companies exhibiting this

year with products you will have never seen before. Also, the BPA is just finalising its 2015 Seminar Programme and promises a line up of fantastic speakers. Visit the BPA website for more information.

Awards update

The first stage of the BPA’s Concept & Innovation Awards is well underway and by the time you read this, a shortlist of entrants will be winging their way to London to present their product ideas to a panel of expert judges including BBC The Apprentice winner 2011, Tom Pellereau. Four finalists, two with Concept entries (product ideas which are in their earliest stages) and two Innovation entries (products which have reached prototype stage) will be invited to present their ideas at Harrogate International Nursery Fair, where the winners will be announced.

The Baby and Nursery Trade Awards (BANTAs) are now open for entry. All companies exhibiting at Harrogate International Nursery Fair are invited to enter and it’s great chance to gain industrywide recognition for the products – which in the opinion of the panel of industry expert judges – are the very best in the show. Entry forms can be downloaded from the BPA website in the BANTA section.

Don’t miss funding for China

Companies intending to join the BPA’s UK Pavilion at CBME Shanghai from 22 to 24 July 2015 are advised to complete and return their TAP funding application forms as soon as possible. This year, the UKTI has dramatically reduced funding for Q1 and Q2 and therefore there are only limited grants available. You can download an application form under the UKTI tab on the BPA website. www.thebpa.eu

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Special Feature Retail Technology

eCommerce – Counting the Cost of Automation By David Fairhurst

stand here typing this on my birthday. Despite having reached my fifth decade on Planet Earth (which I believe marks me out as ‘almost ancient’ from a teenager’s perspective), I do like to do things the most efficient way possible, which usually means using the latest technology, standing at my desk instead of sitting (burns another 300+ calories a day, which means I can afford to eat cake!) and generally using the most efficient software to get things done. Which is why I marvel at the headlines over the weekend, because despite taking a seemingly common sense approach to eCommerce, one software company has managed to upset an awful lot of hard-working retailers and will probably be sending quite a few of those businesses into administration in to the bargain. I will be following the fallout with great interest… So what’s the big upset? Well a key part to trading online is getting product pricing right, this being even more important than product pricing on the high street. With the easy availability of supply online and the ability to go to another store at the click of a mouse button, pricing really is key if you are selling products which are available to other retailers. The trouble is, keeping up with what is selling, balancing this against availability from wholesalers, customer demand and other retailers’ pricing fluctuations can be a real nightmare, especially if your online store holds many thousands of lines. Magnify this exponentially if you trade via online auction and aggregator websites like eBay and Amazon, because you could literally spend all of your working week keeping up with the changes required. This is where automated price matching comes in and where the potential for retail

16 nursery today

disaster ramps up a notch. For just one hour on Friday 12 December many products sold via the RepricerExpress.com service on Amazon were reduced in price to just 1p. We’ve yet to get notification as to what caused the software glitch, but already some are calling for a lawsuit against RepricerExpress.com and there will in all probability be a rather large number of questions asked. All this

and have an honours degree in Software Engineering, yet nowadays I spend most of my time optimising and promoting websites. So why do I choose to be an online marketer rather than spending my days wrapped up in code? Well, my clients tell me that I’m rather good at it and to be brutally honest, high level coding terrifies me. I have total respect for the people who do run the gauntlet and create

The fact is, Amazon and eBay account for a good 25% of all eCommerce sales in the UK, so if you’re an online retailer it makes sense to use these channels if possible, especially for fast-moving stock items

in the busiest weeks for many online businesses, right before Christmas! Now you might think that this article is a jab against RepricerExpress.com or Amazon, but it’s not. I do feel for those retailers affected and incredibly jaded at humanity in general when reading some of the tweets from those who’ve tried to exploit the bug (I’m not going to glorify these people by providing a link). What this really does highlight is the fact that software is the most complex thing which humans have ever created and sometimes things go wrong, even if the software developer has carried out extensive testing. With complex software, it is almost impossible to cover all eventualities – users of Microsoft’s Windows operating system will know this well as updates and bug fixes can filter through after literally years of use. I work for a software company

massive software systems which power, for instance, multichannel retail tills, eCommerce systems and plug-ins for Amazon which deal with actual money. One bug, one untested software interaction and literally thousands of pounds of hard-earned money potentially goes down the drain. So if you’re a retailer and you’re worried what should you do? Should you go back to a manual cash drawer and a paper ledger? Should you stop trading on Amazon and eBay? In a word, no. Think of all the time your retail systems save you each day and weigh this against the potential danger, then apply liberal doses of common sense. The fact is, Amazon and eBay account for a good 25% of all eCommerce sales in the UK, so if you’re an online retailer it makes sense to use these channels if possible, especially for fast-moving

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

stock items. eBay alone is predicted to be driving $300nn in transactions in 2015 (goo.gl/srj4be) and Amazon outshines eBay massively in the UK, so if you stock the kinds of products which sell on Amazon, it would be a mistake not to use this channel. If you’re going to continue to use automated price match software then perhaps some caution is in order though. Limit your exposure by using this for your lower priced items, limit the amount of actual product which is available on each selling channel and make sure that the system you are using is set up correctly to give you the minimum impact from any potential problem. However simple the software you are using seems, there may be some subtle setting which can have a major impact on your business, so it pays to spend time learning all the available options before pressing the ‘go live’ button and start trading. This won’t cover you for software bugs, but will probably mean you’re still solvent and trading when the dust settles. Finally, if you are one of those unfortunate retailers who have been hit by the RepricerExpress bug, take solace from the fact that you’re not alone. Amazon will be very concerned about this problem as it’s a reputation-damaging event (even though it wasn’t their software which is the source of the bug). Mud, as they say, sticks… so you can bet Amazon will be doing everything they can to rectify the situation and make sure that their retailers aren’t exposed to this type of flaw in the future. As for RepricerExpress… well, let’s just say the immediate future could be ‘challenging’, regardless of whether it’s deserved. David Fairhurst Head of Creative Online Marketing Intelligent Retail

Focus Logistics

How nursery retailers get their stock Picture courtesy of Torque Logistics

Keep on trucking

f you thought that products arrive in shops as if by way of a magic lorry, then this article may come as an eye-opener to you. Retailers order from their suppliers and those companies hire logistics firms to get product from A to destination B. We spoke to those intimately involved in the logistics business. Oliver Winstanley of Torque knows the business from both sides – as a manufacturer and now working in the logistics business. He told us: “Having had firsthand experience as a nursery manufacturer of the problems and challenges delivering a multitude of products to a variety of different outlets creates, we know only too well how difficult it can be. “Each requirement of a customer can differ, be it a national or independent retailer or a direct delivery to a consumer; each has requirements that can pose a logistical challenge.” Century Logistics found this out in 2010, when DCUK launched the UPPAbaby and Boon brands in the UK they had the same challenge. They wanted to concentrate on doing what they felt they did best, which was spend their time on the sales and marketing of their brands. They did not want to worry about logistics but merely find a cost effective solution of getting their products to their retailers. Century Logistics developed a strategy to allow DCUK to achieve their aims. Richard Bamforth, the company’s director of sales, said: “Century Logistics provided us with the ideal package with the flexibility to handle our planned growth.” The scheme devised by Century Logistics enabled DCUK to exceed its targets. Oliver Winstanley agrees that in nursery logistics one size most certainly does not fit all: “Each requirement of a customer can differ, be it a national or independent retailer or a direct delivery to a consumer; each has requirements that can pose a logistical challenge,” he says. “A national retailer will often have a very strict set of

18 nursery today

delivery criteria such as timed deliveries, a limit on weight and dimensions of boxes, extra labelling requirements, and in some circumstances will even have requirements in place down to the smallest detail such as the quality of the pallet the goods have been delivered on. If then any part of the criteria has not been met by a supplier they will, in most cases, incur a non-compliance penalty which can range anywhere from £250-500, this on top of the carriage costs already incurred by the manufacturer can wipe out any profit made on smaller orders.”

“Independent retailers often have requirements which are not straightforward, they will order a variety of products in all shapes and sizes and will understandably want to avoid any carriage costs” Oliver Winstanley, Torque Torque’s business continues to grow. It has acquired a 380,000 sq ft distribution centre at Wakefield, formerly owned by La Redoute. The new Wakefield site has a huge capacity to support Torque in expanding its business and is ideally located within easy reach of major motorway networks. Stewart Firth, the head of operations at Torque said: “Continuing our practice of owner-operated sites, we are absolutely delighted to open our fifth distribution centre in Yorkshire where Torque has been operating for 25 years.

With Wakefield as part of our site portfolio, Torque now has over 1.8million sq ft of UK warehousing, employing over 800 people, where we can offer a full range of services including imports and exports, end-to-end service, processing and pick and pack. This expansion is integral to the company’s growth strategy and is also a great opportunity to create jobs within the local community.” Oliver Winstanley adds: “Independent retailers also often have requirements which are not straight forward they will often want split carton quantities of product, they will order a variety of products in all shapes and sizes and the retailers will understandably want to avoid any carriage costs. “Therefore the manufacturer’s only viable option is to palletise their deliveries in order to be cost effective. This in itself creates issues with retailers then wanting to have the pallet unloaded into the store and the pallet taking away after. “Retailers will usually operate a small team so will expect a delivery driver to help unload the consignment into the store which then impacts greatly on the driver’s driving hours and ultimately the cost of the delivery.” As well as shops and markets, Torque also delivers to private homes and these can create their own set of difficulties. “Direct consumer/home delivery orders are also not without complications and can be the most demanding of all,” said Oliver Winstanley. “Customers regularly input incorrect details, they are not home to accept deliveries and couriers can have issues with access, particularly with apartment buildings which again can impact on timing and failed deliveries.” Torque and Century Logistics are large companies with vast experience of their markets. Century Logistics’ real expertise is in providing a range of services and tailored solutions to support the whole sales process. Take a look at the following pages where you’ll find companies who operate in the nursery sector and really know how to deliver.

WHO ELSE WANTS TO MAKE THEIR LOGISTICS AS EASY AS...

SAVING YOU MONEY EVERY DAY

£ YOU MANUFACTURE

PROTECTING YOUR BRAND

£ WE STORE

£ WE DELIVER

WE COLLECT

£ WE FIX

WE DELIVER

GENERATING YOU REVENUE

£ WE COLLECT

£ WE SELL

YOU RECEIVE

WITH CENTURY TAKING CARE OF YOUR ‘A-B-C’, YOU CAN CONCENTRATE ON GROWING YOUR BUSINESS… “We moved our distribution to Century in December 2009 and I have to say it’s one of the best IJHNXNTSX .è[J RFIJ 9MJ^ UWT[NIJ F LJSZNSJQ^ ąWXY HQFXX XJW[NHJ <MFY XJYX YMJR FUFWY NX YMJ HZXYTRJW service level and the entrepreneurial attitude they have.” Erica Roberts - Vice President, European Operation, Manhattan Toys

FOR A FREE LOGISTICS HEALTH CHECK CONTACT LYNN HUGHES NOW TO DISCOVER IF YOU COULD BE ACHIEVING MORE FOR LESS 01284 413100 lynn.hughes@centurylogistics.co.uk www.centurylogistics.co.uk

Feature Torque

Torque - True experts in logistics How Torque uses its experience in the Nursery and Toy sector to help brands grow

orque is one of the UK’S largest independent warehouse and logistics providers and excels in offering clients full end-to-end supply chain services. Operating in more than 1.8 million sq ft of warehousing, in six distribution centres across the UK, Torque employs more than 800 people. As an independent business they deliver flexible, cost effective and tailored solutions for nursery clients such as Sock Ons, Shnuggle, Bugbrush, Knuma, Mimijumi and Tippitoes, giants of e-tail and the high street, start-ups and everything in between. Torque despatches in excess of two million units of stock each week, with client demands ranging from single pick and pack items to full container loads. Due to the volume of these daily consignments across many of the contracts, Torque has considerable buying power, and as a result can offer clients the most reliable and competitive courier services available aligned with the highest level of client care. Torque offers a unique set of flexible services that can be customised, to fit clients’ logistical and warehousing requirements. Offering tailored solutions using best practice and working in partnership with clients of all sizes, Torque delivers versatile, seamless yet cost-effective solutions. Torque works with organisations requiring a variety of fulfilment solutions: manufacturers, wholesalers, independents, concessions, department stores, stores and via e-commence orders. They offer true end-to-end solutions with services including: Freight (import and export), transport and distribution, bonded warehousing; customs, quality checking; e-fulfilment, e-commerce sales; pick and pack; returns management; warranty repairs; stock refurbishment; processing which includes; specialist tagging, ozone treatment; embroidery and heat transfers.

20 nursery today

In-depth industry expertise When clients are looking to launch nursery or toy products into the UK, or to streamline running costs, they will find Torque’s experience in the industry invaluable. Having worked at its heart for many years, Torque understands the toy and nursery industry and the demands and challenges of this unique sector, better than other, nonspecialised third party logistics company. Torque has worked with one nursery product company that has, over time, developed into a multi-product brand with over 200 live SKUs stocked in over 1000 retail outlets across Europe. Torque has supported this company’s development from day one, helping them to supply sole trader independents to multi-national retailers, not to mention their direct online multi-channel platforms. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach with Torque, who pride themselves on a true partnership approach, as opposed to just another supplier of services. Enthusiasm, passion and systems are the reason why so many of Torque’s clients have been with them for years and have become trusted business partners.

Product quality control, warranty repairs and refurbishing stock for resale Torque has a custom built repair and refurbishment centre working solely on toy and nursery products.

The centre’s team specialises in product care such as quality control, warranty repairs and refurbishing stock for resale. The centre was commissioned and purpose built to the exact specification of Torque’s Technical Manager, Melvyn Wolff. Melvyn has over 20 years’ experience in the nursery industry, prior to joining the Torque team he was the Technical Manager at SGS UK, the world’s leading independent test house. Melvyn is a key member of the Baby Product Association’s Technical Committee; he also sits on several British Standards Institute committees for safety and compliance for child safety. Melvyn is an expert in his field and is vastly experienced in identifying liability of returns. Therefore he can quickly assess what is and what is not covered under warranty. Melvyn recruits and manages his own team and, as a result, Torque is now able to offer clients a complete professional product care service, unmatched by its competitors. Clients are assured that any returns their company should receive will be handled quickly and efficiently, maximising profitability. Melvyn says: “I am particularly proud of our modern and clean repair centre, designed to help fulfil our pledge to turn around any repair within 72 hours (collection/repair and return). Using the same equipment as found in the manufacturer’s factories and with staff trained to the highest level we can undertake almost all repairs in-house, ensuring peace of mind for our clients.”

e-Commerce sales Direct routes to market are becoming more and more important to a brand’s success and profitability. This is something Torque also offers, having their own in-house team of e-Commerce experts.

Feature Torque

Shnuggle is an award winning nursery brand and Torque manages the holding of all their stock, overseeing deliveries in both the UK and Europe. Providing a pick, pack and despatch service, they handle sales orders to Shnuggle’s wholesale and retail customer and provide freight services to support the company’s continued growth. Adam Murphy, managing director, Shnuggle, said about Torque: “They are a perfect match for Shnuggle, they can accommodate our current warehousing and fulfilment requirements, as well as the needs of our rapidly growing business. It was very important for us to find a company that could provide the exceptionally high standards of service that we wish our customers to experience. Moreover, the system has been set up quickly and efficiently, enabling business to carry on as usual for us.” Torque owns and operates two of the biggest nursery retail stores on eBay, both of which are Platinum Power Sellers and have achieved top-rated status, awarded for excellence in both sales generated and service level ratings based on consumer feedback. The Torque service can include the set up of professionally designed online shop fronts which allow clients to sell products direct to the consumer online.

Torque can also build websites for clients. They work closely with clients on design to achieve their exact requirements. Success comes from knowing the industry, understanding what clients are looking to achieve and knowing what is required to get the required results. Torque prides itself on its no-nonsense approach; giving clear, upfront and honest direction as e-Commerce Manager, Bob Clough explains: “There are many steps to selling successfully online from great product descriptions and eye-catching photography right through to providing an exceptional customer experience. Through our many years of selling online, specifically in the nursery sector, we can guide you through the various pitfalls and make your products visible and selling quickly on the biggest marketplaces in Europe.”

nursery today 21

Focus Logistics

Jade - The Flat Pack Specialists Through 2014 Jade introduced a network of local flat pack furniture fitting teams that now covers the length and breadth of Great Britain.

aired up with significant investment in personnel, a new management system for job planning and tracking, and a new fleet of vans and equipment, Jade are now even more perfectly positioned to support nursery brands with their furniture deliver and build services. They can also help local retailers move their consumers from flat pack hell to flat pack heaven whenever a furniture set is ordered. Establishing their local teams in key areas of England and Scotland has meant that their response times to requests for assistance have increased dramatically both in these key areas and through the rest of the UK which is serviced by their central team on a day-to-day basis.

For nursery furniture customers, everyone at Jade knows how important time is, especially at this moment in life. Parents have far more pressing things to do other than build flat pack furniture. Many people also think they will be able to build it themselves. They are generally shocked however when they see the size of the boxes upon arrival into their home assembly of the furniture, which usually takes fewer than two hours. Jade fitters go the extra mile to make sure that they deliver the ‘Wow factor’. Upon arrival they check exactly where the furniture needs to be placed in the room, after taking their shoes off of course, and they tidy up after themselves and vacuum clean the room before taking away all of the packaging, including any polystyrene, for recycling.

End to end support If your customers don’t have the time or the confidence to build flat pack nursery furniture, or if you want to offer an extra-special deliver and build experience then the Jade service might be the dream solution. Jade’s flat pack fitters are highly trained and skilled at building all types of flat pack furniture; whether it is for the nursery, a child’s bedroom or adult furniture for the home or office. Their intensive training regime ensures that they are proficient in all types of furniture care and assembly until it becomes second nature. Only when their training is complete and signed off by the directors are they allowed to build furniture in a customer’s home. Their initial weeks of work out on the road are also closely supervised in person by a member of the Jade management team. For nursery furniture customers, everyone at Jade knows how important time is, especially at this moment in life. Parents have far more pressing things to do other than build flat pack furniture. Many people also think they will be able to build it themselves. They are generally shocked however when they see the size of the boxes upon arrival into their home. Jade believes that when somebody invests in high quality furniture products that it is surely worthwhile having it built by a professional team who build such furniture ‘every day’. Their fitting service doesn’t just involve the actual 22 nursery today

The professional service of the fitting teams is backed up perfectly by the customer service personnel in the office. The whole team work hard to make the experience of deliveries or fitting jobs run as smoothly as possible. The end customer will be given a morning or afternoon time slot on a specified day and will be telephoned en route by the fitting team with an estimated time of arrival. Customer service is Jade’s top priority. To Jade the customer is king (or queen) and their mission is to keep their promises. Every person or business that they help is a valued customer, not a number on a piece of paper or a name on a spreadsheet. Trade customers or consumers will not be calling a ‘call centre’. They speak directly to the people in Jade’s head office who process orders and manage the fitting teams and deliveries direct, and they are available Monday to Friday, 8.30am until 5pm. As a consumer supplier or retailer you need to know that every aspect

of your customer’s flat pack service is taken care of. With Jade handling this type of work for you it leaves you to do what you do best secure in the knowledge that you and your customer are in safe, ‘white-gloved’ hands. Please contact Richard Gill (Joint Managing Director) direct if you have a flat pack build service requirement for your end customers, or need assistance with the whole end to end process including the deliver and build of your flat pack products. You can call Richard on 01274 698887 or email him at Richard@jadelogistics.co.uk. More information about Jade can be found on their website at www.jadelogistics.co.uk/nurserytoday and you can follow them on twitter at @JadeBabyCare.

Jade

The Deliver & Build Specialists

If your customers don’t have the time or the confidence to build flat pack nursery furniture, or if you want to offer an extra special service then the Jade Assembly experience might be the dream solution. All Jade fitters undergo an intensive training regime before they are allowed to build furniture in customer’s homes. They are trained in all types of furniture care and assembly until it becomes second nature. This has been complemented by the introduction of national fitting teams that are now localised. Working from 16 locations across the UK, our local teams have vastly increased our service levels and response times. Our extended permanent presence in key geographic areas now means that clients and consumers have a quick response fitting team at their beck and call for any support they may require in the future. As well as building the furniture our fitters are trained in how to carry goods into people’s homes without causing damage to furniture or fittings. They not only remove their shoes upon entering a home but they also hoover up once they have finished building the furniture and take the packaging away. After the build is complete, pictures are taken of the satisified customer’s furniture on the fitter’s tablet. These are instantly logged on our central system and finalises a complete end-to-end record of each and every job they do. These can easily be accessed by clients with their own personal logins. The professional service of the fitting teams is backed up perfectly by the customer service personnel in the office. The whole team work hard to make the experience of your furniture builds run as smoothly as possible. Your customers will be given a morning or afternoon time slot on a specified day and will be telephoned en route by the fitting team with an estimated time of arrival. As a consumer supplier you need to know that every aspect of your furniture service is taken care of. By using the Jade ‘white glove’ experience you can do what you do best and leave the rest to us. Contact Richard Gill to find out how Jade can take you from flat pack hell to flat pack heaven. Tel - 01274 698887 | Email - Richard@jadelogistics.co.uk Web - www.jadelogistics.co.uk/nurserytoday

Follow Jade Online... Twitter - @JadeBabyCare | Facebook - facebook.com/jade.ﬂatpack.assembly | Blog - www.theﬂatpackblog.co.uk

01274 608887 www.jadelogistics.co.uk

Focus Logistics

Century, helping global companies generate UK pounds As a successful global company you may be considering selling your nursery goods in the UK. However at the moment you will have full control of getting your goods to your retailers.

ou can give your retailers and customers excellent aftersales service through your country office. And with all or most services delivered in-house, you will have control on costs.

So how can you have the same level of control, service delivery and cost whilst selling your goods in the United Kingdom? When DCUK launched the UPPAbaby and Boon brands in the UK in 2010 they had the same challenge. DCUK needed to find a logistic solution which would allow them to purely concentrate on the sales and marketing of their brands. They certainly didn’t have time to figure out how the logistics worked in the UK. But they knew they needed a cost effective solution, with a UK company that had the experience, flexibility and specialist market knowledge. “Three years ago, Century Logistics provided us with the ideal package to launch a new business with an established, professional customer interface, nursery industry expertise and the flexibility to handle our planned growth” states Richard Bamforth, DCUK’s Director of Sales. Since 1997 Century Logistics has developed its logistic support services to meet the ever changing needs of traditional store retailing and the developing market of E-commerce sales.

Century Logistics real expertise is in providing a range of services and tailored solutions to support the whole sales process Their modern secure warehousing is based close to Felixstowe, the UK largest consumer goods port. In 2012 they picked, packed and distributed in excess of 500,000 shipments to UK retailers and consumers. All handled by integrated IT systems, taking orders direct from retailers and distributing goods without manual intervention, reducing cost, error and giving unlimited management information.

But that’s the easy bit… It’s Not Just About Moving Goods “There are many companies in the UK that can store and move goods. We recognised a need to provide specialist bespoke services such as consumer care teams, warranty repairs and the resale of returned goods” says Stephen BaseyFisher, Century’s Managing Director. “And we work in true partnership arrangements with our customers to develop services as their UK businesses grow.” In fact DCUK’s UPPAbaby range of products have exceeded sales targets and Century’s experience of helping Nursery and Toy manufacturers enabled DCUK just to focus on meeting and growing this consumer demand. Richard Bamforth continues, “When that growth exceeded all our expectations by some margin, they had the capacity to meet our requirements. Century Logistics have certainly played a large part in the success of our business to date, providing and managing our total customer care, warehousing and logistics requirements.” 24 nursery today

Century Logistics real expertise is in providing a range of services and tailored solutions to support the whole sales process. Through their team of qualified in-house engineers they repair 100’s of items per day under warranty programmes, helping to protect their customers brand reputation and saving them money. They run two of the largest ebay stores generating over £1m of on-line sales a year they sell end of line and returned stock to provide additional revenues for their customers. Century Logistics award winning customer service team provides consumer care programmes to support their customers and their customers’ retailers. They currently deal with over 300 calls a day, providing expertise, advice and service to consumers and retailers. The calls are handled by dedicated customer teams providing a seamless extension of their customer’s brands. The retail market is changing and evolving, and with

the web playing an important part Century Logistics have dedicated ‘social media’ specialists communicating with consumers via Facebook! “We work with our customers in a very unique way which enables a seamless partnership between us” Continues Stephen. “Our industry leading costing model means we can provide services for our customers more cost effectively than if they tried to run them. And Century’s model gives them all the flexibility and decision making, as if they were running it in-house.”

Would you like to retail your goods in the UK? Century Logistics are offering free UK logistics and aftersales consultations to any companies looking to sell their goods in the UK. “If you’re starting to think about the UK, we’re offering this unique service to help with that decision making process” says Vanessa Hope, Director of Sales at Century Logistics. “Stephen & I have many years of experience and can provide any company with invaluable open advice and honest expertise.” For more information about Century’s specialised services for Nursery & Toy companies go to www. nurseryandtoysolutions.co.uk. To contact Vanessa call +441284 413100 or email vanessa. hope@centurylogistics.co.uk

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.

This issue, we take a look at logistics – this is incredibly important to any business, here we ask some of the industry’s ﬁnest their views on this topic.

Andy Crane Managing Director - BabyStyle Do you offer a ‘home delivery’ service for your retail partners, either provided by yourselves or the company that you use? We use Jade logistics to deliver our furniture and also offer an assembly service. We also deliver in our own van or can arrange drop ship deliveries on behalf of retailers. What are your goals with regard to delivery timescales? Normally we can get deliveries out within days of ordering. If the retailer requires an order to be sent out immediately we can accommodate for a nominal £10 surcharge. How do you manage your customer service in this area? Our office staff are allocated their own shops and make sure that we work with them to provide the best delivery service and times we can.

Leigh Riley Operations Director, Cosatto Can you tell us a little about the logistics side of your operation? Of course, our operation is built around the aim to always provide the best service to our customers and the consumer. We concentrate on working with quality, respected logistics partners to achieve this. The result of this is we have a wide range of logistics partners providing different solutions depending on the areas we are delivering to and the requirements of our customers. We offer next day services to the mainland UK as a standard and the fastest we can find for those offshore or hard to reach locations, as well as providing timed pallet deliveries into distribution centres around the country. Do you offer a ‘home delivery’ service for your retail partners, either provided by yourselves or the company that you use? Yes, we offer a home delivery service and have done for some time now, we identified this as an area where we could provide added value to our retail partners and reduce cost within the supply chain. This is provided by our logistics partners; we use a number of different carriers to do this dependent upon whereabouts in the world the customer is. What are your goals with regard to delivery timescales? Well, we set ourselves very high standards. Where possible we aim to deliver next day to mainland UK and two days to Northern and Southern Ireland we try and do this with all orders received before 4:30pm. This is the same for our sales and aftersales service, we treat a spare part order exactly the same as one for a brand new product. We’re always trying to improve our service and we review our suppliers regularly to make sure the offering we have is as good as it can be and that they are performing to the standard required. How do you manage your customer service in this area? The hub of our operation: our customer service team review any collection or delivery issues daily and are always kept up to date by our logistics partners. For home delivery we use couriers that provide text and email services so the customer is always in the loop and can make any changes to their delivery without the hassle of having to contact us.

Georgiana Browne Prince Lionheart Do you offer a ‘home delivery’ service for your retail partners, either provided by yourselves or the company that you use? At Prince Lionheart, we are all about supporting the retailer, so home delivery service directly to consumer is not something that we have explored in great detail. However, in keeping with the excellent customer service we strive to provide, where a consumer is unable to find a store conveniently situated for them, they are able to order directly from us. What are your goals with regard delivery timescales? We aim to have all orders received by noon delivered the next working day. Appreciating how busy warehouses of our retail partners can be, we work with them to obtain the earliest available slots. Having outsourced our warehouse and logistics needs to Century Logistics last year, I am confident that together, we will be able to meet the needs of our retail partners with regard to order lead times. Ultimately, if the products are not with our retail partners, they are not in the stores and we lose sales to our competitors… So it is in all of our interest to keep lead times as short as possible. How do you manage your customer service in this area? I’d like to think that we have an open and honest line of communication with our warehouse, logistics and retail partners so when problems arise, they are dealt with immediately. We believe that excellent customer service together with a good handle on cash flow is the key to a successful business. As the saying goes… “it’s good to talk”.

nursery today 25

The Big Interview

In the sling of it! Editor Penny Franks had the pleasure of meeting Daniel Lucas, the CEO of We Made Me Ltd, to find out more about the development of the company since launching theBabaSling ten years ago – it’s definitely a growing world. Tell us a little about the history of BabaSlings Ltd… TheBabaSling was launched 10 years ago, and has developed over that time to the product we see today. Our official birthday is 16 February and not only has the product grown and developed, but I have too. TheBabaSling was officially launched to the consumer on 21 October 2005 at the Baby Show in London’s Olympia. That day we sold the first sling and we’ve

never looked back. The first trade show we experienced was back in the days of the BPA show. I first attended their seminar where they gave advice on how to exhibit and what buyers are looking for in a company and their products. It was a great and interesting seminar, which gave us solid advice and continues to influence how we manage our stand at trade shows. Back then the popularity of babywearing wasn’t what it is today, although that said, at the consumer baby show we

Do you think consumer awareness could also be attributed to the fact that you have competition in this area – for example, they are all obviously, like you, actively encouraging babywearing as well? Yes, for example Claire Scott came out with the original Close Parent carrier, which launched around the same time

We are now available in 35 countries and growing. We’re passionate about what we do, about the quality of our products and the joy they can bring. And as a company, we try to embrace life with every endeavour sold around 150 per day over the three-day period - so for us, it was quite phenomenal. It demonstrated that we really were on to something quite big. It was affirmation of all the hard work and commitment to the brand. The response we received and the level of interest generated from that show alone created the foundations for the company you see today. Since first launching theBabaSling, have you seen any notable developments in the babywearing sector over 10 years? Yes, it has been extremely interesting to watch the evolution of the sector. Babywearing was seen as perhaps hippie and esoteric until probably the late 1990s and early 2000s, and whereas BabyBjorn was a household name at that point, there were very few other players in the market. People didn’t really know what the difference was between a baby carrier, soft-structured carriers, wraps or slings and culturally hadn’t been educated on the differences each offered and their usages for varying types of journeys. For example, wraps are useful in the first nine months, whereas soft-structured carriers are more useful for longer journeys or if you want to wear the child on your back. theBabaSling is the bridge between these two options, as it can be used from birth to 24 months. The market has become much more aware of

26 nursery today

babywearing as a really useful and important process for a child’s development.

as us - their product was an evolution of the wrap. The product gave parents who, for example, may have struggled with a particular tying sequence, a manageable babywearing solution. We adopted a similar innovative approach to the sling, which is more of a hammock-style pouch, by making it more versatile and easy to use – so what Claire did for wraps, we did for slings. We evolved within the soft-structured carrier sector and further enhanced our offering. Tell us a little about the growth of the company during the last ten years. We are now available in 35 countries and growing. We’re passionate about what we do, about the quality of our products and the joy they can bring. And as a company, we try to embrace life with every endeavour. TheBabaSling is produced by our sister company BabaThings India Pty Ltd based in Puducherry, Southern India. The tailors, managers and assistants are highly skilled and produce an exceptionally fine quality of work in a sustainable co-operative environment. We really see this arm of our business as part of the We Made Me tribe and give support continually to not only the people who work there, but also their families.

We have also appointed three factories in China – all of whom are rigorously audited to ensure working conditions are of a high standard. What about men, would you say they are embracing babywearing? Although there is no conclusive evidence to support this, from a pure gut instinct, men are definitely becoming more involved in raising their child and being much more proactive and recognise that babywearing creates another level of bonding. Talking from personal experience, being able to carry my daughter, Sophia, gave me an even greater understanding of the product – and it actually gave me some great ideas of how to move the range forward. What we’re finding really exciting at the moment is that after ten years of listening to customer feedback, we are still evolving theBabaSling and this is something we are looking forward to showcasing at Harrogate International Nursery Fair this year. Do you feel, being a parent yourself now, that you feel you have a better level of empathy? Yes, I definitely have a different understanding now of the nursery sector. When I first launched the business and before the birth of my daughter, I knew that other members of the babywearing community might be a bit suspicious of this “businessman, capitalist”, who appeared to be cashing in on a trend that they had been living and breathing for a long time.

For the past ten years I really have lived and breathed this business. Having been appointed Vice Chairman of the Baby Product Association (BPA) last year and am actively involved in this organisation in the industry as a whole I had a similar experience at my first meeting as a board member with the US babywearing trade organisation – Baby Carrier Industry Alliance (BCIA). It was a little strange for everyone as, at the time of me joining, they were a group of around 10 women with myself being the only man. I didn’t have a child at that point, although Sophia was on the way, so there was very much an air of “What are you doing here?”, “What drives you?”. It was a steep learning curve for me. Do you think we see a lot of “me too” products in this category? I think for me, when I saw the original theBabaSling in a restaurant in Hove, being worn by a young man whilst having dinner with his partner, it just blew me away. I certainly wasn’t looking at entering the baby sector. I was actually studying at the Central School of Speech & Drama in Swiss Cottage just about to start a degree in Physical Theatre. When I saw this opportunity, I knew I was on to something really special. I was 28 years old, I didn’t really understand the sector and was a long way off becoming a father, but I knew I had the passion for the product. For me, it was about opportunity, seeing a gap in the market and seeing a product that wasn’t really out there. For the past ten years I really have lived and breathed this business. Having been appointed Vice Chairman of the Baby Product Association (BPA) last year and am actively involved in this organisation in the industry as a whole – you could say, that I have really grown up in this industry.

Would you like to see more legislation/safety standards being developed in this product category? I have actually been quite involved in helping to rewrite the safety standards for this category. We’ve just finished writing a technical report for slings and revised the old BS EN 13209-2:2005 standard. This standard was originally devised to separate soft carriers from framed carriers but didn’t really cater for wraps, slings, Mei Tai or soft-structured carriers. I’ve spent four years on the committee to help give some of my knowledge and understanding of this sector of industry. It’s all about having a more homogeneous approach to safety. We have rewritten our babywearing guide, for example, across all our range, to make it more digestible for the consumer, taking into account all the lessons that I’ve learnt personally over the last ten years and taking into consideration consumer feedback. You are now in a position where you are rebranding and re-launching with the new company name – We Made Me Ltd, tell us a little more about this? There was always confusion – the company being BabaSlings Ltd and the product being theBabaSling. By separating and taking BabaSlings Ltd out of the equation it now means that theBabaSling can stand alone as a product. The name, We Made Me, is more of an overarching umbrella brand, so not only can we be distinct in the carrier/sling sector, but also increase our product offering in other areas, without any confusion. It made us look at what we really stand for – it is all about authenticity. Our retail partners for example will talk to us as We Made Me, then within this there will be clearly defined subbrands that I am confident, once seen at Harrogate, will be extremely popular. This confusion about our company name and background really hit home when we took major sponsorship of the European Babywearing Conference in 2013. Delegates were very unclear about who we were and how we fitted into the babywearing community. It made me take a close and careful look at what the perception was of us and how we might address any misconceptions. nursery today 27

The Big Interview

We’ve never really spoken out about our company ethos or culture. We strive to be an ethical and conscious business; our core philosophy is not to exploit others.

consumer and give strong support and guidance to all our retail partners.

Are you looking to align yourself with a charity partner in the future? Yes, we are currently in talks with a global organisation, which I can’t really talk about too much at the moment, but it is a global charity that is very close to my heart and I am looking forward to aligning our brand with such an incredible organisation moving forward. The chosen charity is fantastic and does amazing work on a global level supporting women and children. What changes are the most prominent within your ranges? For us, the biggest change is that we now offer a ‘progressive carrying solution’ – meaning any person wanting to carry a baby or child can choose a We Made Me product. In babywearing terms, we’ve moved from being considered niche to mainstream. The first new product is the Wuti Wrap – a hybrid stretchy wrap, combining the benefits of both woven and stretchy material. The innovative mesh material used in the construction means that it doesn’t sag throughout the day from baby’s weight and it stretches lengthways and crossways.

By separating and taking BabaSlings Ltd out of the equation it now means that theBabaSling can stand alone as a product. The name, We Made Me, is more of an overarching umbrella brand, so not only can we be distinct in the carrier/sling sector, but also increase our product offering in other areas, without any confusion Our other very exciting addition is the Pao Papoose, a soft-structured two-shoulder carrier. There’s already a good range of quality carriers in this category, so we focused on a few key areas where we could really make a difference for the experience to both parent and child. Yes, it can be used in three difference carrying positions: world-facing, parentfacing and back-carry, which makes it great value as the baby grows, but we’ve also incorporated a padded waistband which will be especially comfortable for mums following a C-section. We’ve incorporated a design feature, which allows a baby or child to be carried facing forward (world-facing) in a correct ergonomic seating position. And for those with a smaller frame, our shoulder straps can be worn in two different ways: crossed over at the back or rucksackstyle (crossed at the back really helps spread the weight evenly and lessen backache). It’s this attention to design and functionality, which we hope will make our products recognisable and synonymous with the new brand. What about the instructions that come with your products, you appear to have put quite a lot of thought into these. We have put a lot of effort into our new babywearing guides. We’ve seen the category become quite stale and generic – 28 nursery today

it is very “Apple-esque” with everyone trying to emulate each other. We wanted to step away from this approach and, having now been a parent myself and experienced the bonding interaction of reading a bedtime story to Sophia every night, it made me think about how to make bland instructions into something more engaging. Our instructions are more playful and thought-provoking. For example, our carrying positions in the Pao Papoose are characterised as Bear Necessities, Doe-a-Deer and Raccoon Ride, and we’ve sprinkled in light-hearted and inspirational quotes throughout the text. If you want to read the booklet you can, but the illustrations really do the job and instruct you in a more engaging way. This I felt was probably more familiar to a parent – a bit like storytelling at bedtime – and easily digestible. This playful approach will be consistent across all products in the We Made Me range. We really wanted to add a little humour, as we realise that being a parent can be challenging at times and wanted to add an element of fun. It’s all part of the new We Made Me brand – we’re constantly looking at how to evolve, and strive to be at the forefront of the babywearing movement. Everyone will see this reflected on our new website and in everything we do moving forward.

And what about your website? How will this operate? One of the key elements that we are in the midst of developing is a cutting-edge store finder function. This uses existing technology from other sectors, which are extremely robust and will highlight our national and international availability. It’s also important for us to support the independent retailer during these tough economic trading times. There are several ideas that we are looking to implement, for example a ‘click&collect’ section where a customer can place an order for collection at their local independent retailer. This is in the pipeline, as we want to acknowledge our independent retail partners and give them something that helps, so for us, ‘click&collect’ will be an important part of our online strategy. We are also in the process of training a group of ten babywearing educators, who will operate in different regions across the UK, enabling them to ensure that our retail partners are all fully conversant and up-to-date with the product range. This reinforces our commitment to the product category and a real acknowledgement by us that we have a product that really needs to be fully supported not only by demonstration but also advice on how to sell it. I think the reason we have been so successful in the past is that we have acknowledged that. The premise of our website is really information led. Who are we? What are we about? We have a whole section of ‘click&learn’, ‘download&learn’, ‘watch&learn’ supported’. It’s a massive resource. The website has also been designed to be a huge shop window for We Made Me – it is our hope that this will demonstrate all of our company beliefs, be interactive, and user-friendly. The technology also allows it to be viewed across all platforms – whether computer, tablet or mobile phone. And finally, to the future – any exciting plans/product developments in the pipeline? The plan is to launch at least one new product category each year over the next four/five years and with the new company name, We Made Me, this will enable us to really set about expanding into new product categories. Let’s put it this way, watch this space, more to follow!

What about social media, can you tell us how important is this to you? Very. It’s a window to who we are. We have several ways to identify with the consumer. Social media is incredibly important in any industry, but particularly in ours. We have someone based in Portugal who works tirelessly on this aspect of our business. We have a very considered approach when it comes to social media. Rather than bombarding the consumer with stuff that really may not have relevance, we view this as a way to monitor what’s going on. I get monthly reports about consumer insights, online sentiment and brand advocacy. We always aim to use social media in a constructive way – the consumer is far more intelligent and switched on than many brands realise, so there is always a very sensitive way in what we say and how we say it. We are influenced in this sector, if you like, by important, powerful and outspoken individuals, who speak with authority about babywearing, so we are very conscious not to tell anyone how to suck eggs. We really want to assist when it comes to educating the

Tel: 01273 320 591 Web: www.wemademe.com

Written by: Roope Aaltonen, UKTI, International Trade Adviser

rade shows are like Marmite – some swear by them, others find them a waste of time and money. The truth is, trade shows can be very effective for launching new products, expanding into new territories, and obtaining direct and immediate market feedback. However, successful shows don’t happen by accident, they require effort and careful planning. What makes or breaks a trade show isn’t necessarily what you do on your stand, but more about how you prepare for the show and how you follow up afterwards. If you want to make sure a trade show works for you, you first need to be clear about your objectives for exhibiting. Ask yourself: How will you measure success? How does the show fit into your overall business development strategy? Which markets are you targeting, and is this the best show for reaching them? Are you looking to take sales orders on the stand or is this a marketing activity? Are you hoping to sign up distributors or agents, or talk directly to end users? What does exhibiting at this particular show give you that you couldn’t do otherwise? Firstly, understand who the show is aimed for. Research previous shows and look at how exhibitors portrayed themselves in the show directory and website. Read through previous visitor profiles, establishing where they’ve come from and what kind of organisations they represent. Some shows are mainly attended by retail buyers or trade intermediaries while others are attended by customers and influencers. Some shows draw a very international audience while some are entirely domestic. Many shows offer variant editions, like summer and winter, or European and Asian. Consider which is most suitable for you, and whether you should exhibit at more than one edition.

Exhibiting at Trade Shows

If possible, try to visit the show at least once before exhibiting – there’s no substitute for first-hand experience to guide your planning and preparation. Visiting a show will give you a much better idea of how the event is structured and formatted, as well as giving you an understanding on how to make your stand work effectively. Network with visitors about what are they looking for and how they have found it. Then think how you could make your stand noticeable and ensure the right visitors find their way to you. Speak with the show organisers about any special incentives for new exhibitors, sponsorship opportunities, or speaking opportunities at conferences running alongside the show. Even if your objective is to build export business, you don’t always need to travel to the other side of the world for that. Many UK shows can help you reach international customers just as effectively as an overseas equivalent. For instance, the Spring Fair and London Fashion Week draw a global audience and should be approached as international events based in the UK. In fact, many international buyers come to UK shows with the intention of sourcing new British suppliers, and you may find a more receptive audience in the UK than, for example, at a show in Asia. It may be that the first time you exhibit at a show isn’t particularly successful, as it often takes two or three attempts before you start attracting the visitors’ attention and getting any solid leads. Therefore, think of a show as a series of events rather than just a single entity and set different objectives for each stage of the journey. Don’t be too hasty to rate a show as a failure; you may need to measure your success over a longer time frame than just the show and its immediate aftermath.

Top Tips 1. To ensure you spend most of your time on the stand talking to the right people, think in advance of questions and conversation starters for engaging visitors with and qualifying their interest. 2. Even if a visitor doesn’t seem like a good lead, allow some time to talk to them – you never know what you will learn about their business and the market they represent. There may be a perfectly good reason why they’re not currently interested in your offering, and this is something you need to know. 3. Each time you have a conversation with a visitor, summarise the salient points and attach to their business card. On a busy stand you may end up having dozens of conversations and it’s impossible to remember who was interested in what when you follow these up. 4. Don’t give out all information to everyone: for example, your trade prices are best kept for qualified prospects only.

Market Focus: Sweden If you’re new to exporting and looking to enter an easier market, Sweden should be near the top of your short list: • The largest of the Nordic markets, with nearly 10 million people. • Geographical and cultural hub in the Nordic region. • Wealthy and developed country with high GPD per capita. • Open economy experienced in dealing with overseas suppliers. • As a member of the EU, logistics and export paperwork are straightforward. • English is widely spoken and a perfectly acceptable language in business. • Britishness is generally seen as a positive factor.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the government organisation helping exporters succeed in overseas markets. We provide practical business advice and information on all aspects of trading internationally. To find out more about exporting and how UKTI can help you, please visit www.gov.uk/ukti or contact our customer service team on: TEL: 020 7215 5000 EMAIL: enquiries@ukti.gsi.gov.uk nursery today 29

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Splashing out on a good time

t’s the time that parents and babies can really bond. Everyone loves bath time – it gives parents time to spend with their offspring and babies just love all the splashing about! We quizzed a number of companies on their opinions on baths and bathtimes. Matthew Woolf, the marketing director of TOMY, spoke of new products in the market: “The main innovations have been in the technology and development of materials that are more durable and water resistant. For example, Boon has items, which are BpA-free, Phthalate-free and PVC-free to avoid mildew build up. And now there are also toys which have lights and sounds, for example the new Marco bath toy from Boon has a water-activated colour-changing light and the new TOMY Bath Time Dragons breathe fire with a red LED light as they spray water.” Sinéad Murphy of Shnuggle agrees: “In recent years innovation within the baby bath category has really taken off. While we still have the traditional baby bath at a relatively low cost available almost everywhere, there are new kids on the block offering something a bit different. “We’ve seen Bucket-Shaped Baths (offering support to baby and promoting the benefit of bathing baby in the foetal position) as well as baths with built in scales and thermometers. Our own Shnuggle baby bath won a Red Dot Design Award recently for its function and clever design. It combines the cosiness and support for the newborn baby but also suits babies up to 12 months who are eager to sit up during bathtime.” A number of items are currently gaining in popularity. Stephen Williamson has been running the Ayrshire Baby Centre for nine months. He says: “Baby boxes are in demand. They can hold everything baby needs at bathtime. “The top and tail baths were in the top ten most useful products last week. “A while ago everyone was coming in for bath sets but that seems to have died a bit now.” 30 nursery today

“In recent years innovation within the baby bath category has really taken off. While we still have the traditional baby bath at a relatively low cost available almost everywhere, there are new kids on the block offering something a bit different” Sinéad Murphy, Shnuggle “The choice of product available to the retailer has grown significantly,” said Sinéad Murphy. “Parents are taking time to research products and looking for clever products. Customers expect more now than ever before so it’s a competitive area.” Parents now want more than just ordinary towels for babies. Stephen Williamson told us: “We sell plenty of hooded baby towels. We have them in pink, white and blue and people just pick them up as they come in.” Matthew Woolf of TOMY has seen a growth in the popularity of bath toys. He told us: “We have seen a growing demand for bath toys and have responded by extending our range of TOMY Infant and Toddler Bath Toys for 2015, adding some innovative options to our popular items, which are firm favourites across the nation. “This year the Foam Cone Factory brings imaginative play to the bathtub as children play at making ice-cream cones, complete with sprinkle shaker. The Boon bath range has also been extended and a new Lamaze bath range will be available later this year. “One of the most popular in our range is the TOMY Infant and Toddler Bath Toy Octopals. This continues to be top of the range and popular with children of all ages. It offers good old-fashioned squirting fun.” As technology impinges on every aspect of our lives, it is

not surprising that it has also moved into the bathroom. Again, Matthew Woolf: “Bathtime is fundamentally as traditional as it has always been and an important time of day for parent and child to bond and share some fun time together. Many of the best toys are not complicated and are modern takes on the more traditional toys, which have always been popular. There are perhaps more lights and sounds and more colour, but fundamentally children still like the basics – pour, squirt, spray and lots of bubbles.” For parents it is now no longer enough to wash baby in the family bath. Shnuggle’s Sinéad Murphy says: “The most popular baths are those that do not take up too much room, support baby securely, use quality materials and offer good value for money. We of course feel that our Shnuggle Bath tick all of those boxes. It hasn’t even launched yet but already retailers are very excited about it. “If a product has been thoughtfully designed and offers solutions to make parenting a little easier then parents will buy it. We’ve never lived such busy lives as we do now and we have more information at our fingertips than ever before. A baby bath doesn’t need to be complicated but it does need to be well thought out. Thankfully, people will never stop trying to innovate which only means exciting times ahead especially in the nursery industry.”

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Shnuggle

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The NEW Shnuggle Bath is a cleverly designed, modern baby bath that makes bathtime safe and fun. It is both beautiful and functional with smooth curves and a flowing roll top that forms a contemporary yet iconic design that parents love. Already the winner of the Red Dot Design award and the Mumii Best Bath time product, the NEW Shnuggle bath is sure to be a massive hit. Suitable from birth, the bath supports baby in a comfortable and reassuring reclined position. As baby grows, the Bum Bump gives baby confidence to start sitting and allows him to continue enjoying the Shnuggle Bath right up to 12 months. Made from 100% recyclable polypropylene with a foam back rest which is both warm and soft to touch. Weighing just 1.3kg it is light and easy to carry and the compact shape means it uses less water and is easier to store when not in use. The NEW Shnuggle Bath is launching at the Harrogate International Nursery Fair and available for pre-order now. With a great RRP of just £20, make sure you don’t miss out on this great new product.

Tel: 028 918 15169 Web: www.shnuggle.co.uk

The Neat Nursery Company XXXX The Neat Nursery company is a proud UK- based manufacturer of high quality bath time, grooming and toilet training products. The range of brightly accented bath products including baths, top and tail bowls and full bathing sets which coordinate with the other products in the range. Drawing on global expertise in design and manufacturing from their parent company, Flambeau Inc. their creative plastic designs and complimentary products are recognised for their high quality and innovation. The brand has come a long way since the launch and Kind and Jugend in 2012 and customers will see new lines added by popular demand to make them a “one stop shop” option to the trade in these categories. The Neat Nursery team is looking forward to meeting many of its existing UK and European customers at the upcoming Harrogate show in March.

Email: sales@neatnursery.com Web: www.theneatnurseryco.com 32 nursery today

TOMY Bath Toys guarantee a laugh in the bath. Bathtime is ideal for quality parent and child time, and this collection of innovative water-friendly toys is perfect for adding fun to this special time of day. TOMY Bath Toys provide family fun every day and make great gifts all year. This bumper collection of bath toys has something for everyone and reinforces TOMY’s position as the leader in the bath toy category. Tots of all ages will have endless role play fun with the Foam Cone Factory coming out in autumn 2015. A delightful, innovative bath toy that let’s children play at making ice-cream cones, complete with sprinkles and flakes! Comes with three cones and lively music and sounds that bring the excitement of the ice cream kiosk to life. New for spring/summer 2015 is the Bathtime Rocket for endless fountain fun. See the starfish move as the rocket fills with water and enjoy the magical fountain effect time after time. Complete with sounds and music, this little rocket is sure to be a blast in the bath. Heat up bathtime fun with Bathtime Dragons, exciting new bath squirters that ‘breathe fire’ by illuminating the water as it sprays out. TOMY classic, Water Whistler, makes a splash as he returns to the Bath Toy range, refreshed and ready for fun. Have endless aquatic adventures with See under the Sea Submarine. Take a tour on the TOMY submarine, press the periscope for nautical sounds and tip the submarine to see the portholes light up. Best selling bath toy, Octopals, continues to head up the Bath Toys range. These cute and quirky bath squirters are easy for small hands to hold, each one featuring a cute facial expression and promising endless fun in the bath or paddling pool. These characters join the comprehensive collection of timeless, classic bath toys from TOMY that bring adventure, music and laughter to that special time of day which remains a highlight of family life.

Tel: 020 8722 7300 Web: www.tomy.co.uk

Chicco

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Different toys for different activities can help babies to understand their routine throughout a typical day. Bathtime is an important moment for babies, and having special toys to help them relax will ensure they develop a relaxed attitude to this regular and necessary activity. Chicco’s Bubble Island is a bathtime activity centre that will entertain babies and make them smile. Bubble Island incorporates lots of fun manual activities, including a chute with two fish that they can be sent sliding down. The water mill creates water effects such as splashing and rippling. Babies can press the red octopus character to activate the magical soap bubbles that will erupt from the volcano. The Chicco Bubble Island has been specifically created to help babies develop manual coordination and cognitive skills. All Chicco toys are developed in collaboration with Osservatorio, the Chicco Baby Research Centre, paediatricians and psychologists, to provide baby with the right stimuli according to the specific growth phase. RRP for the Bubble Island is £14.99.

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

Comfort & Pamper Grows with baby (Sling and Spa unit removable)

Motorized water jet creates bubbles and vibrations

Integrated new-born plush sling

1st Floor, North Wing, Focus 31, Cleveland Road Hemel Hempstead, HP2 7BW

Keeps baby warm with insulated double wall design

Tel: 01442 505000 www.summerinfant.co.uk

Focus Bathtime

Sponsored by

Maguari XXXX Skip Hop’s Moby range of bathtime accessories offers parents all the equipment needed to make baby’s bathtime efficient, comfortable and safe. With each item featuring the Moby whale character, little ones will also enjoy having this friendly character join in the bathtime fun. Brand new to the range is the Moby Bath Thermometer, a whale-shaped rubber bath toy with an integrated colour-changing digital thermometer, enabling parents to keep a constant check on whether the water is too hot or cold. The LED temperature display shows Blue for cold, Green for just right and Red for hot. It instantly activates in water, floats naturally and is fully submersible. When removed from the water, the Thermometer automatically shuts off and suctions to the wall for easy storage, with Moby’s ‘tail’ also providing a handy hook. Other items in the range include the Moby Waterfall Rinser; its interior ridges channel a wide but gentle waterfall of water ensuring quick and cry-free rinses. The Moby Bath Mat stops baby from slipping in the bath thanks to its textured material and non-slip suction cups, and not forgetting mum and dad, the Moby Bath Kneeler gives parents’ knees a rest with its thick foam padding. The Kneeler’s non-slip backing prevents it from sliding and the quick-dry neoprene ensures it dries in no time at all. Packed with practical but fun bath time items, the Skip Hop Moby range is sure to become an essential addition to the bathroom.

Tel: 01293 592170

Hippychick

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Made from pure 100% woven cotton and inspired by the centuries old traditional ‘Turkish Hammam’ (or bath towel), these lovely towels are luxurious, stylish, warm, fast drying and highly absorbent. Really soft and cosy, the towels are lightweight and very versatile, and can be used for swimming, bathtime and for keeping little ones toasty on the beach. The Baby version has a hood and is generously sized so that baby can be wrapped up snuggly. The poncho-style Toddler version also has a hood plus a pocket at the front to keep little hands warm and dry. Highly durable and soft to the touch, they come in two fresh and classic colours: red/white stripe and blue/white stripe - striped on the outside and towelling on the inside.

Tel: 01278 43 4440 Web: www.hippychick.com

Web: www.maguari.com

Hardenberg & Co - Angelcare TTTT The Angelcare Soft-Touch Bath Support takes the worry out of bathtime and reinvents it using innovative features. It’s one of the most highly decorated products in the Angelcare family, being awarded numerous awards through industry and consumer choice. A baby care product every new parent should have. Designed to provide optimal comfort and safety for your baby as it’s placed directly in the bath. Its unique design combines safe, sturdy sides and an angled area made from special soft material for baby. The soft TPE material does not only mould comfortably around baby, but also takes up the bath water’s temperature very quickly, which makes them feel warm and safe. • Ergonomically designed bath support for optimal support, comfort and safety • Layer of soft TPE material adapts very quickly to baby’s body temperature and bath water • Hygienic & mould-resistant mesh allows water to drain easily and dry quickly • Perfect height for easy and comfortable bathing • Water level indicator on bath support base • Strong, but lightweight design base • Non-slip rubber base for stability in the bath • Two carry handles • Available in Aqua or Pink • Suitable from birth - 6 months. Maximum recommended weight 30lbs

Summer Infant

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Email: info@hcotrade.co.uk

Bathtime has been a key focus for Summer for more than 30 years and nowhere can that be seen more than in some of its new products. The Sparkle and Splash bathtubs are great value and versatile offering users a 3 in 1 tub which grows with baby. Incorporating a clip on sling to cradle new-borns, a padded recline seat to support infants and a large padded area for toddlers. For the pampered baby there is the new Lil Luxuries ® whirlpool, bubbling spa and shower. The ultimate whirlpool spa and shower gives parents the option to treat baby to massaging bubble action in the calming whirlpool water. This great gift item comes with a gentle motorised shower to create a luxurious bathing experience for both parent and baby. Summer also has a very large range of bath supports, tubs and accessories to cover all retail bathtime needs.

Web: www.Hardenbergco.co.uk

Web: www.summerinfant.co.uk

Tel: 01785 503 305

34 nursery today

www.lucyandsam.com

www.ggtrade.co.uk

TOYS GIFTS and great ideas!

Focus Bathtime

Sponsored by

Great Gizmos XXXX Great Gizmos has a great selection of bath toys from soft plush toys from NICI, wooden waterproof toys from Plan and awesome underwater activities from MeadowKids to take in the bath for playtime. The Plan Toys bath collection is the first fully waterproof wooden toy collection of boats and bath sets that will make traditional wood a bathtime essential and are ideal for water play. Each new water toy is finished with a special, non-toxic coating that enables it to be taken in the bath or paddling pool. What’s more, the PlanWood collection is created using only 1% eco-friendly glue and dyed using only waterbased pigments to create the most natural of colours that are not only great for children but safe for the environment too. From NICI is Minilotta; made from quick-drying plush material that can be taken in the bath or to the swimming pool for playtime and is the perfect friend for little water-lovers. For the boys there is the Sea Monster Bath Animal from NICI, a Loch-Ness inspired monster that is made from super absorbent foam to help with quick drying. From Meadow Kids, children can have fun in the tub with the Build and Play Rocket; made of chunky and colourful EVA.

The Puzzle and Play sets allow kids to create their own tropical island, racing track or construction site scene that will float on water. Each set contains over 12 large interlocking puzzle pieces and fun ‘play along’ characters for fantasy adventures to be created in the tub. Made of chunky, fun and colourful foam, these simple bath time constructions can be assembled again and again – ideal for bathtime fun and cognitive development.

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

Trusted and Recommended centrepiece for the Bathtime section For the eighth year in a row, parents have once more deemed the Original Cuddledry apron towel a must-have nursery item and given this best-selling product the coveted Mumsnet Best award.

ince their launch eight years ago, Cuddledry baby bath towels have proven to be a consistently high seller – both as essential kit for new parents and gifts for newborns. One leading independent retailer rates Cuddledry apron towels as their best-selling Christmas gift for newborns - for the last five years. Such is the demand for Cuddledry apron towels as gifts for new parents, new gift box style packaging is being introduced across the range. The new packaging really increases point of sale presence, makes merchandising and in-store display easy, and explains the product clearly. The result is a clear uplift in sales for both gift and personal purchasers. Cuddledry ‘hands-free’ apron-style towels genuinely make life easier with a newborn – the design allows parents to lift and cuddle baby naturally in their arms without any struggle or stress, and without getting soaked. Made using a special blend of bamboo and pure cotton which makes these towels something special – supersoft, absorbent, antibacterial and eco-friendly – perfect for sensitive baby skin. Unlike ordinary baby towels the Original Cuddledry is double layered for warmth, meaning babies snuggle calmly into their parent’s arms, ready for sleep. The Cuddledry apron towel forms part of the wider Cuddledry bathtime range – innovative towels and accessories for babies, toddlers and children. New items 36 nursery today

joining the range at Harrogate, coming soon.

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

Munchkin

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Children need to be entertained and B Kids have always prided themselves on having a wonderful range of bath time toys which will delight and entertain children. The collection features Dedee Squirter game, Dedee Duck Spout, Baby Bath Book, Splash ‘n Slide Water Park Wonder and the Right Start Award winning Spray ‘n Play. Bath time reaches a whole new level with the Stack ‘n Spray Fountain. The floating base becomes a magical fountain that can create different spray effects and patterns when the sea animals supplied with this toy are swapped or stacked. Bath time will never be the same again. Introducing your child to a magical bath time world with their new Whale, Turtle and Octopus friends. Fun and fascinating for little ones and making bath time a magical water world. The fun interactive bath time collection offers quality and value for money with prices starting from £4.99 through to £12.99 for the award winning Spray ‘n Play.

2015 sees Munchkin expanding its extensive bath time collection with lots of bright new introductions throughout the year. The range offers colourful, interactive toys and useful tools that make bath time enjoyable for both parent and child. Scrubby and Squeegee Friends includes two penguin friends who can help toddlers ‘clean’ the bath. Both come in bright colours with easy grip handles. The Squirtin’ Barnyard Friends and the Squirtin’ Farmyard Friends both feature fun farm animal squirters which are easy for little hands to hold. Available in bright and vibrant colours, both sets help develop motor skills and come complete with four and eight animal characters respectively. The Swimming Scuba Buddy is the perfect bath time companion, who will swim around the bath when his arms are wound up for hours of bath time play. The Scooper Hooper features a clever 2 in 1 design. Not only can it be used to scoop balls out of the bath water, it can also be attached to the wall (via a suction cup) which turns the scoop into a hoop. The School of Fish features three cute fish ‘students’ in a fun yellow boat, who are on their way to school! Each character is a squirter, and the yellow boat scoops and pours water, and can double up as a shampoo rinser.

Tel: 07860 503373

Tel: 01937 860799

Web: www.bkids.co.uk

Web: www.munchkin.com

B Kids SSSS

nursery today 37

Special Feature Nigel Plested

Bathtime, time to come clean... Getting baby into the bath is something that we probably see as a cultural necessity, with the object of the exercise to keep baby clean, smelling fresh, comforted, and even subdued into a lucid state of washed out cosiness ready for bed. 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.

38 nursery today

Bathtime, apart from being a need, soon becomes a ritual. A routine reference point allowing babies to gauge the time of the week or day, and parents a tool for getting baby ready, refreshed or ready for bed. But this routine seems to be different for every family and every culture and every parent. Some see bathing as a daily occurrence and an epilogue for the day and others live by the ‘once a week,’ rule. It is a subject just like every other on the list of perfect parenting, where the rules that govern bathing good practice are confusing, distracting and often contradictory. When we had our first born nearly eight years ago, baby was in the bath within 48 hours, as part of hospital routine. A daily soak was on the prescription, and it gave every new parent the chance to learn how to strip, dip and dress this tiny mite, get to grips with the front and back of a nappy and best of all throw around some talc. More recently we were advised to only bath baby after a week or so, and if we could resist it, go for the fortnight, with less being more when it comes to box fresh baby skin, and natural oils department. Whichever camp you fall into, we all still need the apparatus to get baby squeaky clean. Before plastic we had barrels split in two, and what was good for mum, dad, grandma and grandpa was good for the little one, and the same rules applied for tin baths of more recent decades. It was the 1950s, when Polyethylene (which had been around for 20 years) was finally brought into mass production and tailored towards the manufacture of the first baby baths, along with products such as Tupperware, and the notion of hygienically managing the world around us became an important domestic trend and trait. The years in between were probably rather unadventurous. Bathtime was governed by routine and hygiene, but the last decade or so has seen some real changes in what bath time is, both in terms

of a family activity, and a commercial so that the envelope of the batch can pop category. out and retract. One of my favourite milestones in ‘Ergonomic,’ is a word now those years was the idea of putting a synonymous with baby bath marketing, baby in a bucket. Simple, small, easy and although the word works well, it is to manage, it was one of those eureka not entirely aligned with the benefits moments for me, which saw large and features of the designs themselves. cumbersome volumes of water dissipate Instead it becomes a substitute word and give way to a lighter, fun and intelligent way for baby to take a dip. Recently, we have been designing baths for Comfortable on babies other markets, way outside of the UK, where joints, it took the chore all the rules of engagement are different. out of bath time and was ecologically well positioned, Where parents look to spend upwards of with less plastic and less £100 on a baby bath or cleaning station. water - it seemed a win-win. Where ideas regarding permanence rather Popular across Europe it than temporary are applied to baby baths, never really took hold here and where baby baths are seen as part of the in the UK, but it paved the way for all my children, and bathroom landscape, rather than something became a great stepping that may be used on the kitchen table stone from bucket to sink. Yes, you read that right, sink. All of our children have languished in the for ‘supportive’ and physiologically resplendent surroundings of our butlers appropriate for baby. The ergonomic sink in the kitchen, as a handy segue element generally stops there, and many between a small bath for newborns and human factors or usability issues are the big bath upstairs. Why not? ignored in lieu of a good-looking baby To marry with this less is more trait, insert, and organic lines. Don’t get me many baths have started to innovate wrong, there are many great products around the idea of space saving, storage marketing themselves as ergonomic, and transportation. From folding to with good supports, intelligent moulding collapsing, and even inflating, these and smart ways to get baby from birth baths have provided a new opportunity to sitting up and splashing, but it has for parents to bring baby and bath, become a crowded space. whether they are in hotel rooms or on And baby baths generally have visiting friends it has created a whole been a very competitive and sensitive new need and user criteria when it comes category with much of the marketplace to keeping clean on the move. We have being dominated by lower price pointed, had a few over the years and all have utilitarian solutions, whose success or been a real help when we have been on failure is governed by volume rather the road. Some have utilised clever over than value. White and lemon yellow moulded joints to provide stiff but flexible is sufficient, odd retro illustrations of structures whilst others operate like a elephants and bears tolerated, married concertina and collapse in on themselves with blancmangey forms, appointed using TPEs and varying wall thicknesses to ship in tightly tessellating harmony.

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in warmth and a reminder that bath time might just be getting chilly and drawing to a close. What’s interesting is everything that I talk about above is UK centric. Recently, we have been designing baths for other markets, way outside of the UK, where all the rules of engagement are different. Where parents look to spend upwards of £100 on a baby bath or cleaning station. Where ideas regarding permanence rather than temporary are applied to baby baths, and where baby baths are seen as part of the bathroom landscape, rather than something that may be used on the kitchen table. These things are true in many latin countries, where baby baths are actually built into furniture on castors, and become a part of baby’s room. In some countries, tubs built into portable frames still resonate, with a complete changing station being the product of choice. The most popular way to bath a baby is still in a bucket or sink, which is where we started. Maybe not one moulded from polypropylene, but something to hand, where environment, ritual, and the need to keep clean fits seamlessly into the landscape of peoples’ daily chores and activities. And that’s the feeling I get about babes and baths, each to their own. It’s a personal thing and one that is governed by our own daily needs and nuances. Some parents look for a solution based on what they have to hand, and some parents look for a solution based on more, such as technology, or comfort… and some look in-between for things that enhance the things they already have, and bring a helping hand to bath time in a way that suits.

York

I actually think that these products are really important. Many families don’t want to spend their budget on a product where, as we discussed above, a sink will suffice, or even afford to purchase a high value bath for what is a short period use, but the products that populate this arena confuse economy and value with a ‘will suffice,’ attitude. These factors are probably magnified by the third-party moulders who trade these OPP products globally and need to meet the general ubiquity and needs of a broad number of cultures and currencies, whilst also recouping their tooling costs. But there is another angle, one that has really begun to mature over recent years, and that is the revolution in baby bath supports, from quick drying fabric hammocks and floating rafts, to soft perforated structures designed to sit inside the baths we already have. These meet many parents economic thresholds, whilst appealing to their sense of innovation, novelty and smart spending. These products also meet the ‘go anywhere’ agenda for those who like to be on the move, as well as being small enough to store. They are also versatile, and provide comfort for baby but the flexibility for mum to use it in the bath, shower, poolside or butlers sink… in the coming years this is where some real materials innovations as well as parent facing innovations will occur, due to the growing demand, alongside a more appealing set of manufacturing and shipping criteria. Other technologies have come to enhance our bathtime experience, from precision digital thermometers capable of reassuring us when we lose the sensitivity in our elbows, alongside thermo-chromic polymers which can change colour to give us confidence

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Newark

www.obabytrade.co.uk 0845 078 0290

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.

This issue we asked a selection of the industry’s ﬁnest their views and thoughts on 2015 and what plans they have in the pipeline Andrew Kluge Cosatto, CEO, What challenges do you think you may face during 2015? Irresponsible discounting by both retailers and other brands. There are some brands out there that are aggressively discounting certain categories such as highchairs – in the long run, everyone suffers because nobody ends up making any money as the items just become commodities like a tin of beans. The same applies to some retailers who insist on chopping prices when they really don’t need to. Everyone then, of course, price matches and everyone loses apart from the consumer. Trying to keep our brand value in this scenario is very tough. Making a decent profit seems to be very out of fashion these days as these irresponsible discounters just chase market share – Crazy, and it will end in tears for some no doubt. Do you have lots of new product launches lined up? Yes, we’ve got some fantastic new stuff coming through in 2015. Our ultra simple reversible umbrella stroller – the To and Fro was really well received at our previews and is due to hit the streets in March. The fabulous Charleston Ooba is due soon too and is sure to be the must have 3 in 1 this year. Of course we

will also have new, up to the minute fashion colours and patterns for our next major launch in June. We hate to stand still, and our bonkers creative team love to come up with fabulous new designs to keep our customers smiling. Watch this space. Are you looking to launch any new product categories this year? We don’t want to have a massive thick catalogue with every product category under the sun, so unless we can really bring our Cosatto fun and personality to an item, we don’t bother with it. For the moment, there is loads of potential within our current categories so rather than spreading ourselves too thin – we will stick to our current onions. What advice can you give your retail partners for the year ahead? With so much competition online and on the high street, you need to stand out to get the footfall and the sales. Be brave - don’t just stick with safe, same old stuff, try something new, try something different, try some Cosatto perhaps? I would also suggest that you keep a very close eye on the basic fundamentals of business – control costs and make sure you are making a decent profit. Our industry doesn’t traditionally make high margins, so discounting just a few percent can almost wipe out your entire profit. Anyone can be a busy fool.

Mike Chapman Group Sales Director, East Coast Nursery What challenges do you think you may face during 2015? We ended 2014 on a very positive note, with awards success and great plans in the pipelines for new developments for 2015, so we’re really excited about this year. As the marketplace becomes more and more competitive, we are looking at some new ways of working, including updating our website, so there will be lots of hard work involved, but we are sure it will all be worth it. Do you have lots of new product launches lined up? Yes. We are refreshing our Rest & Play range of baby gear, so expect to see the new products and their fresh print at Harrogate. We also have lots of new furniture coming this year, including a space-saving range, a gorgeous painted range, and something for the more budget-conscious parents-to-be. Are you looking to launch any new product categories this year? We are focusing and developing our core range of products and adding to them. We are talking to lots of parents to build up a better understanding of what they want from our products, and our designers work closely with this research to ensure that the needs of babies and parents remain at the core of what we supply. What advice can you give your retail partners for the year ahead? Don’t be afraid to keep their range focused and narrow; often if you offer a customer too many choices they will just walk away overwhelmed. Buying quality is never the wrong decision. We do everything we can to support our customers, from supplying POS, product information, and running frequent promotions to help stimulate their business and ours. We realise that things are tough, and we are definitely here to help, whatever their needs and priorities are, so please talk to us.

40 nursery today

Andy Crane Managing Director, BabyStyle What challenges do you think you may face during 2015? I am very optimistic for 2015 and feel that the worst is over. This time last year we were seeing two giants going head to head with price wars regularly offering anything from 15%-20% reductions. The conclusion was that one chain of stores didn’t survive, also many independent stores were caught in the crossfire from this price war, and sadly some independent retailers didn’t survive. Since this bleak time the bigger organisations are finally focusing far more on profit-driven sales, rather than just market share sales, and this will have a very positive effect on independent retailers and allow them to compete and thrive during 2015. Do you have lots of new product launches lined up? Yes egg is a new premium brand that will hit the shops in May. We have a very exciting product, and a very exciting launch ahead. We also have a new Imp switch which is a reversible lay-flat buggy that folds and free stands in either direction. Are you looking to launch any new product categories this year? Yes, we are launching a range of Pinsonic quilted bedding at Harrogate, also some new cotbeds and furniture sets. What advice can you give your retail partners for the year ahead? Hang in there. Things are looking up, and the trade is moving in a much more positive direction. Also independent stores are still a very valid part of most brands, business so we are all keen to see them progress.

Simon Russell Director, Cheeky Rascals What challenges do you think you may face during 2015? Every year has its challenges and, with 2015 being an election year, those of us in business wait to see how any change in Government might affect us. Let’s hope that whoever gets in makes reducing red tape for business owners a priority. The demise of City Link pre-Christmas highlighted an issue that many people, who rely on logistics businesses already knew: at some point someone would pay for free or low-cost delivery. Falling fuel prices might just soften the impact for a bit but it is only a matter of time before another courier business fails. In the meantime, we have to manage consumers, who increasingly expect next day delivery and want it for free. How we manage that is a real challenge. Do you have lots of new product launches lined up? We’re starting the year with some new products and lots of additions to existing ranges. Mima’s faux leather pushchair range is expanding and we’re adding two bright new colours. Racing Green and Sicilian Red. After the success of the black and white mima last year we know parents are looking for bigger, better and brighter pushchair choices so we can’t wait for these to arrive. We’ve also added some character designs to BuggyBoard. Both the BuggyBoard Mini and Maxi are now available with Monkey and Panda designs.

Adding to our nursery range is Lou The Owl, a nightlight from Zazu and three new colour baby carriers from Manduca… we could go on. There’s lots more in the pipeline. Are you looking to launch into any new product categories this year? You’ll have to watch this space…but you’ll be the first to know. What advice can you give your retail partners for the year ahead? Be open minded. The way in which we work with our retailers is evolving and we need to work together more than ever. We have successfully launched a Click & Collect service for independents because consumers want it and it helps us support our retail partners. Anyone who hasn’t signed up really should speak to us about it soon. More general advice is to use people like us to grow and support your business: use the resources that we produce for you, whether it’s good quality images from our online library or some POS. Take advantage of any free training and help with merchandising. If a sales rep calls you, agree to see them rather than turn down the offer of a meeting – those conversations can be incredibly useful (for both sides) and it is all too easy to pass up genuinely useful advice, support and help – and it’s there for the taking.

Marc Hardenberg H&Co, Managing director,, What challenges do you think you may face during 2015? Consumes are savvy and are using mobile devises to check price transparency. Price matching is going to continue and consumers strive to look for value for money in what they purchase. Consumers are purchasing products with the features that they need rather than buying products with additional features that they don’t need. They are doing more research before purchasing to gain a greater understanding of the products they are buying. Online content is getting better and better and consumers want more interactive sites and any brands failing to provide this may find themselves falling behind. Handling the ever-changing logistics environment and ensuring your logistic capabilities are always running to potential is a must have for any UK business, big or small. H&Co always strive to offer a unique service but this inevitably is a challenge in itself to constantly meet the ever-changing demand from customers. We strive to step up to the plate each and every time but managing expectations and taking steady gains is more sensible than throwing everything at one aspect and neglecting the rest. Do you have lots of new product launches lined up? Absolutely. We’re really excited about our 2015 plans. Firstly, we’ll be launching a brand new range of Sassy baby toys to bring the toybox back to life! We’ve also been working hard preparing a number of new product launches under existing brands. There’s some very interesting and innovative technology being used to totally change the feeding landscape for parents and make the retailer offering a truly moving proposition for 2015. New additions to the H&Co family are also due this year within the

changing and bathing categories. Again, we expect this will excite retailers and allow them to give parents to something new which offers value to their everyday parenting duties. We’ll be at Harrogate on stand 2015, so please come take a look and have a chat to us! Are you looking to launch any new product categories this year? Yes, we’re delighted to announce that we’ll be offering our trade customers a whole new range of beautiful educational baby toys by the much-loved brand, Sassy. The range is suitable from birth up to 12 months and focuses on developing baby’s senses; taste, touch, vision and hearing. Parents will enjoy the quality, affordable and classic toys on offer and these are sure to evoke a sense of nostalgia from their childhood days. All carefully created by experts and feature strong use of distinguishing patterns and colours with toy functions appropriate for baby’s developmental age. See us on Stand B27 at Harrogate to see the range. What advice can you give your retail partners for the year ahead? Optimise online content; not just in selling the brand but also in after sales support to. A strong Q&A section gives consumers the feeling that they are given the whole service • Strengthen ties with existing clients – build and nurture relationships • Research and stay ahead of the game – don’t get complacent • Never be afraid to try new things and take chances • Using old skills (opportunities) in unusual places – stay fresh

nursery today 41

This issue we speak to a number of independent retailers on their views of what 2015 may bring and any trends they have noticed emerging.

John Barker Pramland - Hull We are hoping that the success of Q4 2014 continues in to 2015 and that we see a continued growth. The last 12 months have seen an increase in customers choosing local, independent retailers over nationals and online retailers and we have benefited from this. We have also found that our customer base is shifting as 2014 saw our premium brand sales growing. This may go hand-in-hand with the customers choosing to visit the store and giving us the opportunity to sell these brands, left to their own devices customer will invariably purchase under budget. We will also continue to support the brands that are helping the independents preserve margin, without it we wouldn’t be here. We are looking forward to a few new products this year, namely the Cybex Priam and we are excited to see the “Top Secret – Egg” from BabyStyle at the Harrogate show. As I’ve mentioned the show, we are looking forward it as usual – even with certain key brands missing, it’s a great opportunity to catch up with people and see what’s new.

Retail Technology That Works!

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count Equipme

Martin, Baby Dis

Sue Dronfield Baby Barn Pram & Nursery Centre I think 2015 will be a very interesting and challenging year for the independents. Interesting and exciting due to some of the new/improved products being launched like the new 2015 Uppababy Vista and Cruz, a super selection of colours from Dorel on Quinny and Maxi-Cosi wheels and car seats, Mamas & Papas Armadillo range of pushchairs, plus the BabyStyle Egg and Joolz Geo on the wheels side with great in store promotions from BeSafe and Britax on selected isofix car seats (I would love to win a Range Rover too). With new nursery furniture from Silver Cross and Boori too! Challenging - as always - having to deal with on-line discounting of new products even before in stores. The customers seem to love sending out emails to loads of stores and playing off one against the other. New buying in trends - this is quite difficult to gauge - the customers still want value for money, navy seems to have become particularly popular - plus they seem to love leather handles. With regard to 2015 - It is a shame that new products are so quickly devalued - this does create a lot of stress and upset within the industry - we are all in the business to make money, and can do so, but it would be great to keep it on a level playing field, especially for the stores who work so hard in providing excellent customer service, spend time demonstrating products and give the customers our time and expertise. The nursery industry is such an amazing business to be part of, we should all be proud of what we do and not de-value ourselves as an industry - the knowledge and expertise is phenomenal and most of our customers do appreciate the time and commitment they receive - just wish what was all and not have to hear the famous four words “do you price match.”

A wrap without all the wrapping... slips on like a t-shirt ique doub un l

Contact Penny Franks for a chat on 01442 289947 penny@lemapublishing.co.uk if you would like to be included in our next issue.

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www.2012ltd.com • info@2012ltd.co.uk Tel (01202) 303 777

Susan Pellett Anns Pram Centre & Nursery Store

Alexandra Schick Milestones - Whitstable & Canterbury

I am hoping that 2015 will see a massive return to the small independent retailers by the consumers, where we give excellent knowledge and service and having seen the fall/ sale of kiddicare and early learning centres closures I hope that customers will not just focus on low price etc. For our shop we have the return of the Phil & Ted/Mountain buggy brand and we have taken on Concord are very interested in the new BabyStyle Egg. We are doing very well with Jane as always and Out n About for wheeled goods along with Cybex, Kiddy, Besafe, Maxi Cosi 2Way and the new concord when it arrives as a very large part of our car seat sales is ERF. We very rarely get asked for payment plans and the ones we do offer are on a very strict terms and conditions which has worked for us. Bring back the independent retailers as we have suffered the recession and come out the otherside fighting and ready to take on the next challenge.

Having already attended CFC Cologne this year I got the distinct feeling that independents are still a very small part of the English retail market. However, the general chain fatigue seems to be spreading, making room for more unusual products, brands and shops. We have already seen some amazing, innovative, new products and I feel that the recession is actually encouraging creativity and keeping even big brands from becoming complacent. 2015 for us will be focused on our recent expansion into a second shop and increasing our product range. I think the one to watch for in 2015 is mobile shopping. Making our website mobile shopping friendly has become a priority for this year. Social media is still an absolute must so we will be expanding our involvement. For me, the colour for 2015 has to be grey. From cots to baby grows it’s the number one seller. We have also experienced an increased demand in traditional licensed products, such as Peter Rabbit or Paddington, I think this will continue. We also still see a high demand for any products with celebrity endorsement.

Contact Penny Franks for a chat on 01442 289947 penny@lemapublishing.co.uk if you would like to be included in our next issue.

Product Profile

Goumi Kids - Beautiful Baby Essentials That Work! Following its huge success in America, Goumi Kids is now ready to take on the UK and Europe with its fabulous range of Designer Hats, Mitts, Booties and Gift Sets in a range of stylish co-ordinated fabrics.

imed at the top end Baby Boutique and Nursery stores, Goumi Kids has quickly gained a huge following of fans and has regularly appeared in the ‘Bump’ List, America’s top award for the hottest must have products.

The items are cleverly designed to offer parents excellent value for money. The Mitts are reversible and can be used as Scratch Mitts or hand warming mitts, the Booties have a double close feature to make sure they stay on, and the reversible hats cover a baby’s head right down to the neck and over the ears, ensuring minimum heat loss from the head. Their Gift Pack incorporates all three items and is beautifully presented, making it an ideal baby shower gift. Made from an environmentally sustainable blend of Bamboo and Organic Cotton, the Goumi Kids range ticks all the boxes as its kind to baby and the planet. Goumi Kids is distributed by www.babyprice.co.uk who are offering excellent support packages including a stunning display stand, excellent margins and a marketing campaign that directs consumers direct to the retailers. Stockists will be limited, so if you would like to be part of the Goumi Kids sensation, contact Jane@Babyprice.co.uk and come and see the whole range on show at their Harrogate Nursery Fair Stand in March Stand A4 Tel: 01903 507084 Email: Jane@babyprice.co.uk Web: www.babyprice.co.uk

44 nursery today

Focus Nappies & Changing

It’s only nappy love Nappies – an integral part of baby’s early years but Picture courtesy of TOMY

how much thought goes into them?

t’s the one item that new parents cannot do without and probably do not realise just how many nappies that new bundle of joy will work his way through each day. So it is important for mum and dad to make sure that they buy the right kind of nappies and baby-changing equipment. We spoke to a number of companies about their take on this most important of subjects. Maebh Collins from Babame told us: “BumGenius Elemental has established itself as one of the number one nappy brands for a slim fit. It uses organic cotton, which is thinner but still very absorbent. So as slim as a disposable under clothes, and still lasts for hours. It consistently gets good reviews from customers for ease of use and reliability, and is

available in a wide range of colours and limited edition prints. “One of the reasons for the huge growth in demand for bumGenius reusable nappies is that parents love the range of the colours and the limited edition prints now available. Limited edition prints are a must-have with long waiting lists, and we see them fly out the door. “Equally, there is a big demand for bright block colours, as parents like to pair nappies up with outfits and collect the complete set. bumGenius nappies are not just sought after because they are a functional item but because people find them gorgeous to look at, love the brand and want to have the complete collection.” Jo Schanschieff, the co-founder of Bambino Mio, speaks about the superb benefits offered by using re-usable nappy systems: “Modern

A LT H

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46 nursery today

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synthetic fibres mean that we can fit the fabric to the purpose so creating a slim fitting nappy that stays dry on the surface, has a super absorbent inner core and will machine wash and dry very quickly. “Nappy cleansers such as miofresh, which is totally biodegradable and hypoallergenic, makes nappy laundry so easy for today’s busy parents. This will sanitise the nappies at low

what helps today’s parents the most are the simple things. Looking at the Angelcare Nappy Disposal System and the features that parents enjoy the most are the simple ones that make change time quick, easy and efficient. Small innovations in product development like Air-seal to eliminate smells, a Push & Lock System means they can dispose of the nappy efficiently with one hand and minimal fuss and

“People are more conscious about what they are putting onto their baby’s skin. For example, there has been an increase in popularity of natural based biodegradable baby wipes.” Jo Schanschieff, the co-founder of Bambino Mio temperatures during the wash cycle. So there’s no need to soak or boil nappies. “In four months you will have spent the same money on disposable nappies as you would to buy birth to potty reusable nappies. “People are more conscious about what they are putting onto their baby’s skin. For example, there has been an increase in popularity of natural based biodegradable baby wipes containing water and not alcohol based solutions. “Among these are Bambino Mio miowipes with added essential oils. These are much more gentle on baby’s skin and can be composted after use.” What to do with the soiled nappy? There are now a number of firms that make disposal systems specifically for nappies. Among the most popular are Angelcare and Korbell. Liz Oxley, PR Executive for Hardenburg & Co told us about eco-friendly products. She said: “Being environmentally friendly has become second nature to most people. Parents are teaching their children the importance of recycling and looking after the environment just as they teach them to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. It’s become a major selling point for all brands of any product type to highlight the eco-friendly benefits that may influence the purchasing decision. Our Angelcare Nappy disposal System doesn’t wrap nappies individually so can use up to four times less plastic than other systems. So we’re finding parents naturally take the more eco-friendly products over the non eco-friendly. “There’ll always be ground breaking technology developed to use within the baby products industry that promise to do incredible things. What’s important is that sometimes

a simple way to empty the bin for hygiene and convenience. We find the most popular features are those without being too technical or over complicated. We’re in the process of some exciting new developments within the nappy disposal category from Angelcare. The plans are exciting and set to alter the Changing category in the near future.” However, where parents might splash out on a cot, pushchair or pram, they may restrict their spending on nappy bins even though some can be used as receptacles for ordinary rubbish after baby has outgrown the need for nappies. Natalie Shade, the owner of babylurve in Leicester, said: “To be honest people buy the more inexpensive ones that they know the name of, for example – Angelcare for £9.99. That’s popular because it’s well known and it will only cost parents a tenner to buy the bin. “If you look in the market place it is a highly ranked and best selling product. We also offer Korbell as an alternative. “However, not everyone considers that when they are outlaying for a nappy bin. Their consideration is a pushchair. They’re happy to spend a thousand pounds on a pushchair. Do I really need to spend £25 on a bin or will a tenner be enough?” Lorraine Hunt from Next Generation Pram & Nursery Centre Worcester told us that Babywise changing mats are very popular. “They come in many different patterns and are a good value range. They can do bespoke ones for you – slogans, patterns, what you want. In summation, the nappies we use now and the various systems associated with them are very different from those used by our grandparents and even some of our parents.

east coast mix & match furniture flexibility and style

For more information:

East Coast Nursery Tel: 01692 408802

www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk EastCoastNursery

@EC_Nursery

East Coast Nursery supply a range of co-ordinating furniture that gives customers the freedom to create their own bespoke nursery, by choosing key pieces to suit their budget, style and space. This clever mix-and-match way of supplying furniture allows customers to assemble their own nursery in a modular way, adding pieces as cost and space allows, rather than simply buying an all-in-one roomset package.

Chat to us at Harrogate Stand B27

all

proudly supporting

wrapped up Nappy Disposal System N Th Angelcare Nappy Disposal System The is a convenient and hygienic way of disposing of dirty nappies. Featuring dis Air-Seal™ technology designed to keep Air bad smells at bay, this simple-to-use ba system makes for a happier, more sy fragrant home. Get extra value when the fra nappy days are over by using this as a na family bathroom bin. fam

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RSP £14.99

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HYGIENIC PUSH & LOCK Simply push nappy in to lock smells in

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLIER Uses up to 4 times less plastic than other systems

AIR SEAL The advanced multi-layer film provides an effective odour barrier

ONE-HANDED OPERATION No difficult twisting required to use

100% COMPATIBILITY All Angelcare cassettes are suitable for all Angelcare Nappy Disposal Systems

SAFE AND SIMPLE The cutting mechanism is inside the nappy bin

EASY-TO-USE REFILL Each (refill) cassette includes enough bags to last 1 month

EASY TO EMPTY Remove it just like a normal bin liner (approximately once a week)

Nappy Cassette Reﬁll - 3 Pack RSP £14.99

For more information please call: 01785 503 305 or email: info@hcotrade.co.uk

@Hardenberg_Co

Focus Nappies & Changing

Chicco XXXX

2012 Ltd Kalencom XXXX 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. When it comes to designing the bags the company owner Monica Kalozdi says: “When we design a diaper bag we keep two things in mind: it must be easy and convenient to use and it must appeal to the mum. You can create the most efficient diaper bag in the world but if mum doesn’t feel good using it the bag will never leave your shelf.”

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

Baba Me

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

TTTT

New colours and limited edition prints are driving the huge demand for bumGenius nappies. Every time a new colour is released, there is a buzz of anticipation across social media, and mums are anxious to get their hands on the new shade to complete their set. The next two shades are Stellar and Jolly. Stellar is navy blue, while Jolly is a cool lime green – both gender neutral colours. The bumGenius brand is well-known and trusted, and the nappies have won countless awards. More and more parents are choosing reusable nappies to save money and reduce household waste. Modern cloth nappies are as easy to use as a disposable, with the same reliability. Their stockists return time and time again, and not just because it’s a strong brand which brings a high demand. They offer excellent margins to retailers, good support (and often outside office hours via the website, Facebook and Twitter) and superb packaging. They can advise on any questions about reusable nappies. They strive for outstanding service to all customers, large or small.

Tel: 02830 848 020 Web: www. wholesale@babame.com

48 nursery today

Cuddle and Bubble (RRP £89.99) from Chicco provides the perfect choice for bathing and changing your child by offering a comfortable, space-saving station. With the table’s wide, cocooning shape and protective lateral sides, it allows for a calming and safe place to change your baby. In addition, the padded mattress is removable and washable providing you with a safe and versatile solution to nappy changing. The station is then easily transformed into a bathing unit by folding down the mattress to reveal a detachable stand-alone bath. The removable compartments including a removable filler jug, mean bathing your baby has never been easier. The storage-wide compartments help changing your baby’s nappy to become more convenient, and a removable basket and towel holder means you can keep everything you need close by. Cuddle and Bubble is ideal for mums and dads on-the-go as it is easy to fold away and transport, and with three height adjustments the station can be used in any location to suit any parent.

Supreme Baby Products - GREENTY UK Distributor SSSS Greenty disposable nappies are now available in the UK and Ireland. These nappies are designed to care for those babies with the most sensitive skin. Gentle and kind, they are manufactured from natural ingredients to prevent skin irritation and nappy rash. The Greenty secret is found in the green tea leaves that are incorporated into the absorbent core of the nappy, making it super kind to baby’s skin. Greenty nappies offer a natural antiseptic, anti-allergic, antifungal and antibacterial action. Additionally, green tea leaves help to eliminate that upsetting nappy odour. Nappies have been designed and patented in New Zealand Lab and production is still under their control to ensure high quality and safety. Nappies come in four sizes and two different pack sizes. These nappies assist to help baby’s sensitive skin remain soft and well cared for. No irritation, no painful nappy rash – just lots of fun!

Tel: 01202570882 Email: sales@supremebabyproducts.co.uk Web: www.greenty.co.uk

COMPLETE

WWW.LILLEBABY.CO.UK tel: 01604 883777

NOW AVAILABLE IN UK 02830 848 020 trade@lillebaby.co.uk

email: enquiries@bambino.co.uk

www.bambinomio.com

ergobaby

FOUR POSITION

Focus Nappies & Changing

Obaby XXXX

MaByLand XXXX MaByLand is renowned for its close work with parents to develop their product range through parent focus groups, to ensure their designs meet the needs of parents and baby. Following from the success of the innovative portable changing station the MATchel, MaByLand has once again put dad’s view point in mind, using the same herringbone fabric to create this new Satchel changing bag. A result of many research and development with experienced parents and designers; and it ticks all the boxes on ease-of-use, look, quality and special features. The Satchel features a zip on the top of the cover which allows you to access your bag much more easily. It has many pockets (inside and outside) to help parents to organise their changing essentials. Same as all of the MaByLand changing bags, it includes an easyto-wipe changing mat, a built-in bottle insulator to keep warm or cool, a clear zip pouch for any wet or dirty items and a pair of buggy straps. There is nothing as smart and sophisticated on the market aimed at on-the-go parents and in particular dads. Superior quality, the Satchel evokes real luxury at an affordable price. Retailing at £39.99, it is very competitive with similar products in the market; whilst remaining a high quality easy-to-use product. The look of the satchel does not dictate a baby product so parents remain smart and stylish. The bag can be used even after baby has grown.

Obaby’s popular range of Changing Units thoughtfully balances both classic and contemporary designs with a comprehensive range of valuable features. This means the beautiful collection of high quality pieces can take pride of place in any child’s nursery. The brand offers a versatile choice, with options for either closed or open storage. Obaby’s Closed Changing Unit provides a generous drawer with a shelved cupboard space below, meaning plenty of room for all of baby’s changing essentials, while the Open version has two large open shelf spaces. Also, soon to be released is the beautifully crafted Lincoln Changing Unit, which consists of three drawers and one full length cupboard with a handy adjustable shelf. The stylish curved scroll design featured on either end of the unit transforms the piece into an instant design classic and works in perfect harmony with any of the other pieces in Obaby’s Lincoln furniture range. All versions have a spacious area at the top of the unit which is perfectly sized for the use of a changing mat. The Open and Lincoln models are available in Country Pine, White and Dark wood, while the Closed Changing Unit comes in Country Pine and White with Pine Trim.

Tel: 0845 078 0290

Tel: 020 8879 0080 Email: sheena@mabyland.com

Web: www.obaby.co.uk

Web: www.mabyland.com

Maguari

TTTT

Following the success of its Forma Pack & Go changing bag, Skip Hop has developed the brand new Forma Backpack, a designer-inspired backpack that keeps parents looking good and hands free. Just like the Pack & Go, the Forma Backpack offers the ultimate in organisation and easy access on the move. It has been cleverly designed so that the zipped front section holds two, easily accessible storage cubes – a matching mesh-topped packing cube for clothing or snacks, and a patterned insulated cube for keeping baby’s bottles, sippy cups or snacks cool. There’s also a roomy main section, two insulated side bottle pockets and handy stroller straps, enabling the Backpack to hang neatly on the buggy. The changing pad is cushioned for baby’s comfort, as are the shoulder straps to ensure the bag is comfortable for mum or dad to carry. The Backpack’s fabric is lightweight and water resistant with attractive quilted details, and there will be two colours available, Black with a teal lining or grey with lime, making this an ideal choice for parents who prefer a unisex changing bag. Plus, offering great value for money, the Forma Backpack’s main compartment is large enough to hold laptops and tablets up to 15in so this stylish bag will be useful way beyond toddlerhood.

H&Co - Angelcare

As one of longest reigning nappy bins on the market, the award-winning Angelcare Nappy Disposal System is a convenient and hygienic way of disposing of dirty nappies. Parents love the Air-Seal technology designed to keep bad smells at bay. Its quick, easy and simpleto-use system makes for a happier, more fragrant home. Once the nappy days are over, this 2-in-1 bin works perfectly as a family bathroom bin for extra product value. HYGIENIC PUSH&LOCK Simply push the nappy in to lock smells in HYGIENIC All nappies are safely contained and you won’t have to touch or smell them ever again AIR-SEAL The multi-layer film in the cassette provides effective odour-barrier technology ONE-HANDED OPERATION No difficult twisting required, you just need to push the nappy through the clamp system ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLIER The Angelcare Nappy Disposal System uses up to 4 times less plastic than other systems EASY-TO-USE REFILL Each refill cassette includes enough bags to last 1 month SAFE AND SIMPLE The cutting mechanism is inside the bin

Tel: 01785 503 305

Tel: 01293 592170

Email: info@hcotrade.co.uk

Web: www.maguari.com

Web: www.Hardenbergco.co.uk

50 nursery today

TTTT

Focus GFK

UK Nursery:

A positive year

he UK Nursery market has seen a strong value growth in 2014. Although the year got off to a slow start, there has been steady progress throughout, with a finale at the end of the year of an 11% quarterly growth compared to Q4, 2013.This has largely been driven by areas such as feeding, bathing and transport, however, flat sales in Furniture and declines in Linen have limited overall growth. The big gainers in 2014 were door bouncers, thermometers and baby/toddler feeding. On the other hand toilet training equipment took a flush as did swings and play dens, with a decline of almost 25% in the latter.

Nursery Equipment

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 over 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

Within the equipment categories*, there has been an overall volume growth in 2014, however category performance by channel varies. Products that need to be tested and demonstrated, such as strollers, car seats and highchairs are driving growth in the specialists and department store/MoH channels. The value growth has been slower, especially in the Baby Monitors and Highchair categories. With a 30% year on year growth, Car Seats have had the biggest boost in the Department Store/MoH channel. Parents are also becoming increasingly confident about buying online. With over £1 out £5 spent on strollers online, it is difficult to be ambivalent about having web presence. On strollers alone, there has been a 5% increase in spend over last year. Not only do most parents do their research online but they also use forums and social media to get recommendations on their purchases. Within strollers in particular, two out of five models sold are the Newborn Modular Strollers. While this figure remains static when compared to 2013, the sales of travel systems have gone down. With a £4 price increase over the year, the car seats category has seen a double digit value growth in 2014 as compared to 2013. The introduction of ISize and increased awareness as well as availability of Isofix models has been responsible in part. While Group 1 and Group 2/3 still remain a large part of the market, the growing car seats in the 9-36kg range grew the fastest in 2014. Despite a small dip in the volume sales in Q4 2014, the highchairs category has grown by 5.7% in 2014. While 3 out of 5 highchairs sold are traditional highchairs,

the share of sitter/ playtrays increased by 15% in 2014. Metal and plastic combinations remain popular as material and plastic only highchairs have gained ground in the year. *Equipment categories include baby strollers, monitors, car seats and highchairs

Tullika Bhalla

Introducing Baby Feeding GfK started tracking sales of baby feeding categories in 2014. These categories include baby bottles/teats, breast feeding, teethers, soothers and tableware. The bottles & teats market is estimated to be over £31million annually. The GfK figures also reveal that silicon teats are the most popular material and the most popular capacity bottles are 200ml-260ml. Similarly, silicon soothers with hard shields are gaining popularity. Also, surprisingly, only 1% of total soothers sold were licensed products. At £6.3 million, teethers are a smaller but lucrative category. £1 out of £2 is spent on a teether in the first six months, followed by purchases between three-six months. The breast feeding category is estimated to be just under £20million annually with breast pumps having majority value share followed by breast feeding pads. Healing creams and milk storage containers are the other sub categories with equivalent value sales. Within the breast pumps, only one third of breast pumps sold are electric, however, these account for £7 out of £10 spent on the product. Tullika Bhalla, GfK spokesperson, comments: “The UK nursery market is a dynamic sector in the EU. While the average price in certain sectors has increased, overall the nursery products have become cheaper. Parents are savvier when it comes to looking for deals and the growth of online shopping indicates that they are doing their research and are prepared to upscale if the proposition is right.”

nursery today 51

COL I N

AR UL

PATTI ON

This issue Colin Pattison looks at how everyone is currently faring at the start of the New Year

Starting Another New Year

s I write this most of the major retailers are declaring their Christmas trading results. It is obviously very interesting to see how other retailers are performing, but it is also fascinating to study the mistakes made and new strategies being presented......

Food Retailers I ave talked a few times this year about what the changes in food retailing can teach us about the future. To sum up, I would contend Multi Channel retailing is the future. The once a week big food shop is finished. We shop for food daily and promiscuously (with little loyalty and as we need). Consumers shop as a leisure activity and go out for the day to destination centres for clothing and electrical and, presumably, Toys and Nursery products. To date, Tesco, who have recently changed their Chief Executive, did better than expected. That is sales were only down 0.3%. Tesco are already in a restructuring phase. So far they have announced a back to basics approach. The stores will have narrower ranges. (My local Tesco stocks 33 different canned backed beans. Why? Do we really need that much choice?) This will allow the store to keep in stock of the lines they do hold. Prices are also being reduced, so far the emphasis here has been on headline reductions on well known brands, rather than the usual ‘ buy two get one half price’ style gimmicks. At the higher level new store development has been scaled back, unprofitable convenience stores are being closed and the first of the peripheral business are being sold off. So far I like what “Drastic Dave” has done. It has been done with speed, is decisive, and makes a lot of sense. Sainsbury’s did OK. Like for like sales were down by 1.7%, leading to 52 nursery today

One interesting thing to come out of the trading statements of retailers is the effect of Black Friday. Online retailers generally loved it. Alex Baldock, chief executive of Shop Direct, said ‘Black Friday has fundamentally changed how people shop. Real traders thrive in this environment and we’re planning to make it even bigger and better next year.’

its first fall in Christmas sales for more than a decade. The Chief Executive Mike Coupe announced 500 job losses, the streamlining of central services and the merger of the Supermarket and Convenience divisions, Sainsbury’s are also talking about scaling back new store openings and forecasting a tough 2 years ahead. Asda have also talked about restructuring management teams to take cost out of the business. Morrisons have declared another bad year, with Like for Like sales down 3.1% and the inevitable has happened. Dalton Philips has walked. His reign has been a disaster area. The company is still years behind on convenience store openings and Web trading and the stores look dated. We have all watched the unfolding disaster of Kiddicare with a sense of ‘I told you so’. And, looking at my local area the rush to open convenience store in any and every site possible is another disaster waiting to happen. Dalton may well be remembered for his ‘misty veg’, but it has to be said he started way behind the other grocers, and did not do enough to catch up. The retailers who did well tell us something about the future. Aldi (up 22.6% on last year) and Lidl (up 15.1% on last year) are both being heralded by the press as the future, at the bottom end of the market, while Waitrose also performed well at the top end. It is said we are happy to shop for basics and staples based on price. We are also more willing to ‘treat’ ourselves to better quality food on special occasions, such as Christmas.

General Retailing One interesting thing to come out of the trading statements of retailers is the effect of Black Friday. Online retailers generally loved it. Alex Baldock, chief executive of Shop Direct, said ‘Black Friday has fundamentally changed how people shop. Real traders thrive in this

environment and we’re planning to make it even bigger and better next year.’ Shop Direct operate shops under the Littlewoods, Woolworths and Very. co.uk banners. Bricks and mortar retailers were less convinced. Andy Street, Chief Exec of John Lewis, told the city that Black Friday yielded an early sales peak and impacted the shape of trade over the five-week period up to Christmas. Black Friday week was the biggest week of sales in the company’s history. (+22% on last year, +300% on traffic during the early hours of trading on Black Friday itself). He also said however that he hoped 2014 had been ‘the high water mark’ for Black Friday. Argos is also concerned about the effects of Black Friday. The group has reported a creditable 0.8% increase in sales, but Black Friday‘significantly impacted the shape of Argos’sales over its peak trading period. John Walden the Chief Executive went on to give examples, such as ‘on the day alone sales at Argos were up by 45%’ and its digital channels ‘received over 13.5 million visitors’ which was three times the number visiting last year. To conclude ‘The draw of discounts affected trade both before and after that busy weekend as consumers satisfied their Christmas shopping lists with bargains’.Retail week reinforced the feeling about Christmas moving forwards due to Black Friday, reporting that consumers spent less in the January sale. I am afraid to say, all this tends to convince me that the consumer can only spend their money once! Just one more trend from these major retailers, 36% of sales in John Lewis were through the .com portal, with 56% of John Lewis online orders being collected in store, overtaking home deliveries. Digital channels now represent HALF of all Argos sales. Click and Collect seems to be the way forward. Mothercare may have started to turn the corner. More stores have been

closed so that, while overall sales in the UK dropped by 1.9%, like for like sales were up 1.1% Put together with overseas increases of 14%, the results have definitely improved on last year. Again note that online turnover rose by 16.1% to make up 31.8% of the total. Mark Newton-Jones concluded ‘These actions are re-establishing Mothercare as a full-price retailer’ something we can all celebrate. Hopefully the turmoil created by the ill advised Kiddicare expansion is now in the past. Perhaps others will learn there is only space in the Nursery market for one national retailer, Adams, Early Learning Centre, Daisy & Tom and now Kiddicare have all come and gone, only Mothercare have survived. Love it or hate it, it looks like we are stuck with Mothercare for some time to come.

The Economy This of course is an Election year, IN MAY, but campaigning has already started. Normally we would expect the economy to be improving, some tasty little tax breaks perhaps and a general feel good factor to get us in the mood for voting. So far this year the economy is not co-operating. The Euro zone is dipping into deflation, and then the oil price has fallen dramatically. This is good in that falling oil prices lead to reducing prices for oil based products such as petrol and plastics. But this is also bad, as it makes consumers think prices can only get even cheaper, so they hold off purchasing. What we currently have is uncertainty not a feel good factor. Which way will it go? On the wider world stage, Growth in China may be slowing, but the market for goods and particularly Western inspired good is still growing rapidly. All brands want to be in this vast market, again we have noted over the year that major nursery brands are amongst those establishing their brand or buying their way into this market. At the same time Chinese factories are beginning to manufacture more products for their home market, so the demanding, relatively small scale production requirements of the West, not to mention separate needs of the UK, are becoming less attractive. Will manufacturing for the West move away from China? Some American brands are now using closer to home South American sources; some European brands are starting to use cheaper Eastern European manufacturing. If oil prices stabilise at these new levels or continue to

This of course is an Election year, IN MAY, but campaigning has already started. Normally we would expect the economy to be improving, some tasty little tax breaks perhaps and a general feel good factor to get us in the mood for voting. Product Developer/Manager - LittleLife fall, while labour costs continue to rise in the Far East, it seems perfectly possible that many brands will move to produce goods nearer to point of sales. The minor increase in cost may well be offset by greater control and flexibility. Flexibility both in terms of production size, but also turning volume up and down are area a small independent nursery market, such as the UK, should value. It is great to have the large volume, mass produced products, hitting low price points, but, looking at top end sales, it would appear there is still a big market for individuality, matching a product to the consumers life style and fashion ability. The top end of the market is the independent retailer’s natural home. Seeing a move to more flexible production, with lower costs and less dependency on Chinese production would, I think, make some of our specialist brands quite happy. The possibility of an improved economic outlook, could give consumers confidence in the future. If things go our way this year, it could be a good year.

Colin has worked in the Toy and Nursery trade for over 20 years both as a retailer and supplier. He is now an independent consultant advising on sales and marketing issues, he can be contacted at colin@colinpattison.com or by phone on 0773 8568 191.

The Role As Product Developer/Manager you will work in conjunction with the Product Development Director and Product Designer to formulate a product and range strategy that meets the brand’s commercial aspirations. Reporting to the Product Development Director, key responsibilities include: Developing the full LittleLife range of products so that it meets the brand’s aesthetic, technical and margin aspirations within the agreed budget and on the agreed launch date. • Evaluating alternative materials and processes to improve product reliability and reduce product cost. • Building strong collaborative relationships with Far East suppliers, understanding capabilities, negotiating terms, sourcing new suppliers and identifying new product opportunities. • Working with licencing partners to ensure that the objectives of the company are met, whilst also satisfying the licensor’s requirements. The Person The ideal candidate will have a nursery product background with strong commercial acumen. Experience in producing similar products will certainly help, however, more key factors would include the following. • You will have a proven track record in the sourcing, development and manufacturing of products. • You will have a full understanding of critical path management • You will have experience of testing products to relevant UK, EU or other standards. • You will have a sound understanding of fabrics and plastics used in products • You will have prior experience of negotiating and working with a Far East supply base. • You will be a strong communicator with the ability to engage and influence at all levels • You will be able to demonstrate determination and the ability to be resilient in the face of adversity. • You may also be required to work on the Company’s other brands if required so flexibility is key. Please send CV and salary expectations to Richard White, Product Development Director on richard.white@lifemarque.co.uk. 01189 811433.

Focus Swaddling

Keeping baby safe, the modern oldfashioned way It’s old-fashioned and past its sell-by date. No, you couldn’t be more wrong, swaddling is here to stay.

rom the earliest days of civilisation, parents have swaddled their offspring. In the Gospel of St Luke, he reports that Mary “gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger”. Swaddling helps baby to feel secure and wrapping is a skill taught at pre-natal classes. As well as feeling safe, it also helps newborns to sleep. We spoke to a number of companies to gauge their opinion on swaddling.

Merino Kids

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For Merino Kids, it is all about swaddling safely for better sleep for baby. Crafted from superfine Merino wool, the award-winning Cocooi Swaddle is hip-healthy, breathable, 100% natural and perfect for any seasons. • breathable to help prevent overheating and to naturally regulate the baby’s body temperature • flexible and stretchy allowing essential movement • hip-healthy – the legs fall naturally in a frog-like position • hypoallergenic, non-itchy, soft and safe to use on sensitive skin • 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable • naturally resistant to odour with anti-bacterial properties which helps reduce the need for frequent washing • naturally fire resistant so it won’t melt and drip like synthetics • designed especially for 0-3mths following medical guidance • no arm restraints, velcro or fasteners • a pouch allowing for quick nappy checks and changes during the night without disturbing the baby

AND FINALLY an innovative safety belt vent allows the baby to be swaddled when travelling in a carseat or a buggy

Tel: 0207 738 0977

“The challenge is finding the right price margin and the bottom line is that a swaddle is not a cheap item to produce” – the team at Merino Kids The team at Merino Kids is certain that more parents are now aware of the benefits of swaddling. They said: “Swaddling is definitely a talking subject amongst potential and new parents.” What are the upsides of swaddling, we wondered? “The benefits of setting good routines immediately the baby enters the outside world, crying less, sleeping better and overall simply establishing its feeling of self-security are welldocumented and known,” they told us. Some companies are concerned that perhaps parents are not as well as informed as they might be. Sandra Bottram-de Louwere at puckababy said, “Some parents are still apprehensive and are unsure of how to swaddle correctly. At puckababy our story is about the benefits of swaddling and safe sleep. Our swaddling products have been designed and tested to make swaddling the easy and safe option for parents.” 54 nursery today

Web: www.merinokids.co.uk The team at Merino agrees: “The key has to be that it is easy for parents to find accurate and non-judgmental advice that allows them to make an informed decision on what is right for them. Babies don’t read the manuals, but parents are all individuals and it is about their being equipped with the right knowledge, information and skills to enable them to find out what formula works for each child. “We find parents want to learn more about swaddling and as part of the Merino Kids ethos this means we are keen to promote ‘safe swaddling’ which is why we continue to engage with medical practitioners and experts on this subject to ultimately allow parents to make an informed choice if they feel our product is right for them. For Merino Kids, the key messages remain awareness of overheating, promotion of flexibility and movement, freedom for the hips – and the ability to recreate a safe environment that replicates the Mum’s tum whilst the baby acclimatises itself to its new and exciting surroundings.” Swaddling, as we have seen, has been around for thousands of years so there can be no innovation in this sector, right? Wrong! “Companies recognise that this is an area of potential innovation. The challenge is finding the right price margin and the bottom line is that a swaddle is not a cheap item to produce as the initial outlay has to be the fabric that is used

– we continue to believe that Merino wool is a safe fabric to swaddle a baby in,” the team at Merino Kids told us. Sandra Bottram-de Louwere at puckababy agrees with that analysis. She said: “There are different swaddling options on the market for parents to choose from, at puckababy we have the piep and mini, both innovative in their design and simplicity, giving parents the confidence to swaddle their child.” Several companies run campaigns and events to bring swaddling to the public’s attention. The team at Merino Kids said: “Every day our message remains ‘swaddle safely’. We run demonstrations on our stands at baby shows and for our customers who visit the showroom, we constantly offer demonstrations. We also have a video on our website that promotes the ‘safe swaddling’ message.” Puckababy’s Sandra added: “Our products speak for themselves, so wherever we are exhibiting it gives us the opportunity to showcase and highlight the topic of swaddling and we are always happy to demonstrate the benefits of swaddling. Through our social media sites and editorials we have used healthcare professionals to give sound advice and answer any questions parents may have. This is something we will continue to do to promote our products and the message of safe swaddling.”

2012 Ltd WWWW Lulujo, a Canadian company, represents a range of premium baby essentials that combine high-quality fabrics with fashionable prints that modern parents love. Lulujo’s multi-functional top-selling muslin has earned its place among the leading products in the swaddling blanket category. The dedicated and experienced design team is committed to creating durable, functional and environmentally conscious products that safely meet the needs of babies and their parents. Lulujo, offers a wide range of swaddle muslins including both cotton and bamboo fabrics. Their extra-large (120 cm x 120 cm) all-in-one muslin wraps are made with finely woven muslin cloth. Soft and breathable, these wraps not only help baby feel safe and secure while swaddled; they also can be used as a blanket, a nursing cover, a portable crib sheet, a change mat, a stroller cover and more. They are pre-washed, dual layer and become softer with each use. With an ever-growing brand, Lulujo has become a favorite of parents who appreciate practical ideas and 2012 Ltd are excited to exclusively represent this brand in the UK & Ireland.

Summer Infant

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Parents around the globe trust SwaddleMe to wrap their babies securely at night so they can sleep longer and safer. From birth to 12 months, the SwaddleMe range of products is the only one you will ever need to keep baby safe and sound. Enjoying great success at retail for many years the Summer Swaddle line continues to help parents to alleviate some of the symptoms of a restless night such as the startle reflex and windmill arms. The practice of swaddling is more than 10,000 years old and continues to be a growing trend amongst mums globally. Summer offers a unique formed product with Velcro fasteners to help mum and dad simplify the process resulting in a great fit for baby. With over twenty two products in the current range Summer offers an amazing choice of fashions and functionality in its Swaddle range. With a history of awards in the UK and some very big plans for the range and brand in 2015 retailers should keep an eye on SwaddleMe.

Web: www. summerinfant.co.uk

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

Cheeky Rascals

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The Love to Swaddle Up is much more than just a sleep suit. Its patented ‘hands up’ design keeps babies snug, in a natural sleeping position, and calms the startle reflex to aid better sleep. Swaddle UP Original – use from birth to establish a good sleep routine from day one. Swaddle UP 50/50 – when a baby can roll over by itself, it’s time to free those arms. Use the 50/50 to do this, one arm at a time, to make sure precious sleep routines aren’t disrupted. Swaddle UP Lite - for warmer weather. Perfect for holidays too.

Key Facts • Snug fit- gentle pressure from the fabric calms startle reflex • Lots of room for legs and hips • Hands Up design - baby sleeps in natural position • Easy changing - two-way zip and seat belt vents • Gentle on skin - Covered zips, seam free inside, soft fabric • Temperature control - soft, breathable, natural cotton • Suitable from birth RRP from £20. For details on available colours as well as coordinating extras like the Inventa sleeping bag and beanie hat call Cheeky Rascals.

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

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Talking Shop with NSG Written by: Yasmin Ali, Babyland

appy New Year, Nursery Trade! I hope January 2015 has been boombastic for you all. I’ve had mixed reports from you guys; some are really super busy but for others it’s absolutely dire. Mixed and quite scary, if I’m honest. We want everyone to be booming. So if it’s been quiet for you, why do you think it has? From what I hear of from shops, it was a lack of footfall, and too much competition from other stores and online; for some life is becoming a pricematch battle. Don’t despair. The NSG are here for us all, and I’m glad to talk to many of you to give you whatever advice I can – sometimes we already know what to do, we just need someone else to say it to us. If you need to chat, guys, you know how to get a hold of me, email, phone, PM on Facebook and rest assured, it’s all kept completely confidential.

What makes Harrogate International Nursery Fair so important? I’m going to go through some lines, some brands and products that I think that we, as indies, should potentially consider. I’m not saying look at them all. I’m saying consider, sometimes it’s good for us to separate ourselves a little bit, and have something a bit different in our stores. The line-up for Harrogate 2015 seems to be thinning out; we’ve heard some big boys are pulling out, but what are they missing? They’re missing us. They’re missing out on the best possible chance to showcase their range to the UK indies. Some representation is better than none and that’s all I’m going to say on the matter. Who are we to tell you how to conduct your business? Harrogate will be full of some lovely 56 nursery today

smaller companies, ready to showcase their ranges. I am hoping that it will be full of smaller companies who offer something different – something to make us stand out, finding a needle in a haystack is difficult but not impossible. People will come looking for something different.

Suggestions for Products for your stores

Yasmin m Ali mi

I’m going to go through some lines, some brands and products that I think that we, as indies, should potentially consider. I’m not saying look at them all. I’m saying consider, sometimes it’s good for us to separate ourselves a little bit, and have something a bit different in our stores

Here are some brands and products that I put to your consideration, my indie lovelies, please provide me with feedback. Mamas and Papas – indies, use your pricelist, talk to your rep. They are amongst the best in the industry; our rep is Matt and he’s a diamond. Look out for the new Urbo 2 colour way Chestnut Tweed – it’s stunning, one on the shop floor or in the window – it’s worth a try I reckon. It’s a classy look and will definitely sell. Also, check out their bedding ranges; they are the only company that have a huge range of bedding, which is high quality. Mamas had great offers on their open days, please have a look at their website. Emmaljunga. Independents only and not online but great margins. It’s a no-brainer. Grey is the on-trend colour, and the stunning Dallas De Luxe is going to be a seller for the spring. Bank on it. iCandy. I hear a lot of people with grumbles about iCandy... but remember that nationals cannot compete with us on service. If you’re in an all-indie area, understand that it can just boil down to service, change your tactics, let’s not kill the product when we can all make a margin here. You know that a lot of suppliers say that we are our own worst enemy? The actions of

the minority reflect on us all. We are a family, remember, let’s start acting like one. This is an amazing, highquality product. The new All Terrain is coming out and I, for one, cannot wait. Customers are waiting to see it; it will be a good addition to our shop floors and is still an exclusive product. MeeGo! Meeeeeego! Glide. Stunning, new iSofix base, in stock. Great compact folding pram, lovely colours, I love this product. Not to mention the new Meego Sleep Sleigh furniture. I have it on the shop floor full of Paul’s (Roberts of course) Picci bedding range, Swarovski crystals, Italian design equals classy and elegant which equals higher market, so the bedding definitely depends on your customer base. There is also cable knit niceness coming… I visited Cosatto in December. Man, I lurve Cosatto. The grass on the floor, the fabulous flamingos everywhere. I tell you honestly, I was dreaming about Flamingos for weeks afterwards. They had wee flamingos all over the place - it was brilliant. Everything was in stock (most still is) what a great way to fabby up your shop floor. And don’t forget the cot beds, brilliant red and bright yellow and the cute wee owly – very niche market, worth a space on the shop floor? Very different. I’m sure you already know about my love for Venicci. More and more of you are taking on this lovely brand, great customer service, good quality affordable products, not available in nationals, easy to sell packages, stunning colours, lots of margin, what is there not to love? What colours? Again the grey is going to fly this year, it’s already booming for so many retailers I speak to. Doona is somewhat controversial. If you don’t know what the fuss is all about, talk to Barry Brennan who is new to the CuddleCo company. The

COFFEE BREAK Happy Babies … Happy Families Grab a coffee and let’s have a quick break with Debi Smithson, sales director, Slumber Roo Doona I reckon is a fantastic product for second or third time parents who already have the big pram and accessories. Personally, I have a big Emmaljunga pram, which I had for my Amira, who is now three, it was the white celebration and I refuse to part with it. If I were to have any more (not in the pipeline I am hypothetically speaking) this product would be ideal for me, there is nothing they haven’t thought of: iSofix base, wheel covers, car covers, rain cover, multi functional bag… my favourite hip-hop artist said people fear what they don’t understand, hate what they can’t conquer. Let’s build some understanding and not be scared of the car seat on wheels. It lies flat to the same degree as most from birth strollers. Let’s educate ourselves, and then jump on the bandwagon if that is what you want to do. All I’m saying is give it a chance. My homie Adam Waxman from Isabella Alicia has grey Izzypods. I’m telling you that grey is the new black, grey Izzys. I love the colourway and can’t wait to get it on the shop floor, something different again guys, check it out. Can I bring your attention to changing bags? Vanchi has a stunning range of changing bags. Big thanks to Cheeky Rascals for sending me a lovely prize with my last order, it’s lovely to get a wrapped-up treat with a delivery, much appreciated. The colours are nice, and you know I love the design, I love my Soho boxy which is the black patent, which I’ve had for two years. Nicola will tell me if I’m wrong. I’ve had it forever and it’s my most used bag. I carry all my shop stuff, NSG stuff and kids’ stuff in this bag and it’s nowhere near bursting. Get one for yourself and try it out – great USP. Babymel have an Ella bag in pewter which matches perfectly the iCandy Peach 3 in truffle… customers love it – iCandy don’t do a matching bag but they do amazing shiny ones. Tippitoes/Barroo have the cutest new range of bedding. I love the elephants, love the range, definitely worth a look. If anyone is looking for pram sets Facebook Baby Bows, they are a very small company, family owned with lovely pram sets (they’re even doing the flappy ones for our English friends), lovely, different and filling a gap, which I think has remained unfilled since Country Cradles bailed on us. I am so excited for 2015, so many new things in the pipeline, so many new things coming that I’m not allowed to talk about yet and so many things we overlook, or that we’ve tried before that haven’t worked, that it’s maybe time to revisit? I shall refresh my details since it’s a new year, yasmin. ali@babylandfife.co.uk Facebook info. I’m Yas Ali NSG. If you’re a bricks and mortar indie catch us on the nursery support group, if you’re something else, Nursery Trade. Much love x

Can you give us a brief introduction to Slumber-Roo? Slumber-Roo is the UK’s leading baby carrier distributor, representing a total of five award winning brands, resulting in a portfolio of more than 20 unique baby carrier and accessory products. We take great pride in offering innovative baby carrier solutions that genuinely meet the needs of today’s families. Our retailers have the reassurance that we can provide a wide variety of products all available for dispatch within 24-hours, in addition to professional product training and after-sales support. What would you say are the most important aspects of your product range? Comfort, choice and safety! The brands we represent are all tested to EU safety standards offering reassurance to both the consumer and retailer. Coupled with our varied product range, you have a wide choice of ergonomic and comfortable carrying solutions for every family. What about the demonstration of product, how do you train your retail partners with regard to this? It is incredibly important to us that all our retailers are confident when demonstrating products to prospective customers and new parents. For this reason we offer free product training to all our trade customers and also have close links with accredited UK Training Schools. What about social media – is it something you actively operate as a company? We feel strongly that it is exceptional brand awareness, coupled with quality products and knowledgeable retailers that help products become consumer favourites. For this reason 2015 is all about social media – brand advertisements on all the prominent parenting sites, regular product reviews, brand ambassadors and online competitions. We really want to see the consumers continue to talk about and enjoy our products, resulting in growing sales for retail partners.

Do you operate a minimum order policy? We have no minimum order policy as we are happy for retailers to choose which products and quantities are right for their store. We also offer a drop ship model where retailers with limited storage space can carry samples for customers to try and then for a small additional fee, we can send a product or products direct to the customer. We do, however, have a strict selection process for all our retailers and on the whole, work mostly with bricks and mortar stores or established online retailers offering a unique experience and exceptional customer service. And to the future, can we expect any exciting developments on the horizon from Slumber-Roo? Absolutely, 2015 is set to be a very busy and positive year for Slumber-Roo and our retail partners! The wholesale administration on our website is always involving but our focus during the coming year is to add more interactive resources so consumers can easily access information on our brands and the benefits of their products. We will also be making it easier for customers to locate local retailers and sling consultants, which is why product training is so important and will evolve further in 2015. This coupled with increased social media advertisements, reviews and competitions should result in our busiest year to date!

If you would like further information on stocking Slumber-Roo Brands, please e-mail wholesale@slumber-roo.co.uk or telephone 01803 782959.

How do you support your retail partners? We send out weekly wholesale newsletters to both UK and EU accounts, and pride ourselves in responding to all queries within 24-hours or often much, much quicker! We provide hi-res images and POS materials to assist with displaying and marketing our brands, most of which are downloadable from our website, in addition to comprehensive product training.

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Sponsored by

New Products Oakthfit - Airtushi

Maped

With Airtushi, Oakthfit has designed the ultimate travel highchair: padded backrest, padded seat, padded semi rigid sides to prevent sideways topping, rigid front bumper bar to help the child sit up. Bonus: Compact and lightweight, this self-supporting booster is designed to be used with an airplane seat and lap belt. It has a twin air valve system for fast optimized inflation and rapid deflation when on the go. Once you reach your destination, Airtushi becomes a useful highchair accessory for self-catering accommodation and for restaurant use where highchairs are not readily available. Suitable for children from ages six months plus to three years, Airtushi is 100% wipe clean, quick drying and comes with its very own carry bag. Designed by a UK based Ex-Dyson Designer. Conforms to all safety regulations in the EU and USA. MSRP £24.99 - £29.99.

Maped has increased its popular Color’Peps range to include the new Smoothy Crayons, it was revealed. These soft watercolour gel crayons are available in a rainbow of vibrant colours and glide smoothly across the page when drawing and colouring. Color’Peps Smoothy Crayons, are a must-have for the collection of any creative youngster, boasting Maped renowned worldclass quality at highly competitive prices. Smoothy Crayons come in a plastic box for easy storage and travel, keeping young artists busy on the move. These new crayons are suitable for children from three years onwards. Color’Peps Smoothy Crayons provide very good coverage for the user and the bright range of colour makes colouring fun and exciting. The watercolour gel crayons feature a plastic, twistable body so hands don’t get mucky during the creative process and a triangular shape makes them easier for young children to grasp. Color’Peps Smoothy crayons come in two sizes, the packs of 6 provide a great selection while the 12 pack gives you all the colours you need to make your art come alive. Color’Peps Smoothy Crayons are available at national and independent retailers. The box of 6 RRP £4.49 and the box of 12 RRP £7.99.

Web: www.Oakthrift. com

Tel: 01384 286860 Web: www.mapedhelix.co.uk

Recaro RECARO Child Safety introduces the new Young Sport HERO. The popular group 1,2,3 seat has been further developed with new features. The Young Sport HERO is a revised version of the hugely popular Young Sport child seat, ensuring that the most advanced and up to date safety features are incorporated. The innovative HERO safety system, which can also be found in the RECARO Privia, is one unit made up of the shoulder pads, belts and inner headrest. The system provides optimum safety and comfort for the head, neck and shoulders whilst preventing the belt system from twisting and slipping. Furthermore, the soft belt covers help to prevent any skin irritation. The Advanced Side Protection has been developed with large energy absorbers which reduce forces in the event of a side impact collision and protective foam is in place in the hip, shoulder and head areas. The Young Sport HERO is a multi-stage seat, suitable from 9kg up to 36kg (approximately 9 months to 12 years old) and therefore offers longevity for use. The five point harness is for use during the group 1 stage and the vehicle’s three point belt is later used in the group 2-3 stages for securing the child in the seat. The Young Sport HERO will be available from February 2015 and the RRP is £175.00

Tel: 01926 484111 Web: www.recaro-cs.com

MaByLand The Luxury range has been carefully designed for busy parents. The checked design and style is suitable for both genders, allowing them to share the bag. The bags are designed to be spacious and easy to organise, with multiple pockets. Different straps allow for ease of use when out and about, with water resistant material insuring against unpredictable weather. The Maxi Elite Changing Bag has a unique roll-out changing mat which is easy to access and detachable, with nappy compartments to ensure an easy reach, even in public changing facilities. These convenient features resulted in a shortlisting for the Prima Baby Best Changing Bags award 2015. The Mini changing bag has a more compact and casual handbag feel, to avoid compromising a stylish handbag look. Both bags contain essentials items; two insulated internal bottle holders which keep the temperature stable for 3-4 hours, two clear zip pouches for disposable items, a long shoulder strap and a pair of buggy straps. Recent improvements include a soft logo lining, providing a more prestigious brand presence. In a competitive market, these high quality bags retail between £50-60, an attractive option for retailers.

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

The brand that parents trust www.clippasafe.co.uk

TRAVEL ACCESSORIES

The Buggysnuggle Company - the place for snuggly stuff! www.buggysnuggle.com Tel: 01841 540044 Email: info@buggysnuggle.com

TEXTILES SAFETY TESTING Ambassador Textiles manufacturer of Anti Pil Fleece blankets Blankets are made to order, Cot, Pram, Picnic Blankets are made from stock fabric, over 50 plain colours and 20 prints. Minimums apply.

Ambassador Textiles Ltd Ambassador-textiles.co.uk kris@ambassador-textiles.co.uk 0161 624 4167

WHOLESALE

In the March 2015 issue of Nursery Today we will include the following features: Wheeled Goods Wooden Toys Safety Products/Home Safety-Stairgates- Baby Bedrails Wholesale Pretty in Pink Safety Testing Harrogate Preview + Daily Newspaper for Harrogate Copy deadlines :23rd February for editorial 6th March for creative Call Christine on 01442 289936 or email christine@ lemepublishing.co.uk for more information.

BABY CHANGING

WHOLESALE

BUYERSDIRECTORY

COORDINATED BEDDING

Stages Wins Gold Again!

one seat. birth to booster meet stagesâ&#x201E;˘ I grow from birth to 7 years because everything should last the entire journey. I face rearward up to 18kg because everything should simply make life easier. 0+/1

simply brilliant.

Available from Argos, Babiesplease R Us, Halfords, Kiddicare, Mothercare and808 all good nursery retailers. For all sales enquiries, contact Joie UK on: 01889 900independent or email: uksales@joiebaby.com