Nursery Today by Lema Publishing

OCTOBER 2017 ISSUE 1 VOLUME 21 Independently audited. ABC circulation of 4,204 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017

GET THE ADVANTAGE –Brexit Proof –Optimum Delivery –strong Partnership –Future Success Find out how inside

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GET IT? Yes@importservices.co.uk Call 01489 799 500 importservices.co.uk

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contents

Contributors

Re g ul a r s the team Editor Penny Franks penny@lemapublishing.co.uk

Ad Manager Christine Contreras christine@lemapublishing.co.uk

News apshot Supplier Sn 26 p Talking Sho 29 file Retailer Pro 42 cts New Produ 61 roducts The Baby P 62 n Associatio

Ross Hewitt Have you considered your online selling over the busy festive season?

NSG Yasmin Ali runs us through her highlights of K+J.

p16

Intelligent Retail David Fairhurst looks at the importance of descriptive information on your website.

Cover Story

Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Import Services We take a look at why Import Services are a tried and tested nursery logistics company.

Circulation Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

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

Barking Mad John Barker gives his views on consumer shows and why, Harrogate International Nursery Fair is a must attend event.

Managing Director

Lema Publishing Ltd

Rainbow Designs The need for back to roots innovation in the nursery gifting sector.

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Gro A look at planning ahead for the upcoming key calendar events.

Design Production Director

Publisher

OCTOBER 2017 ISSUE 1 VOLUME 21

Features

p30

Nursery Furniture & Décor

Weaning

Health & Wellbeing

Show Review 30

Kind Und Jugend We bring you a round-up of the 2017 event.

www.nursery-today.co.uk

p52 Subscription per annum: UK £40, Europe £50 (surface), £60 (airmail)

A member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation

p44

BOOK ONLINE TODAY!

25 - 27 March 2018 Harrogate Convention Centre The perfect spring platform for new product launches

The UK’s only nursery trade show!

Major brands already booked for next year! New show layout for 2018! Don’t miss securing your stand

www.nurseryfair.com NT ADVERT Oct 17 - draft.indd 1

06/10/2017 09:58:42

editor’s letter www.nursery-today.co.uk Twitter: @nurserytodaymag

ind Und Jugend was a pretty impressive event this year, with exhibitors spanning across six halls. The UK Pavilion had a new home this year in Hall 4.1 and continued to demonstrate that this particular country specific pavilion is a must visit destination with many visitors to the show. Other large brands were also situated in the new hall, with Dorel, Cosatto, Joolz and Recaro, among others, ensuring a continued buzz throughout the hall. Nursery Today’s r, Robert Anslow, managing director Managing Directo kicks of the Baby Products Association said: Malcolm Naish, the “The UK Pavilion moved to a new of proceedings at king or tw Ne ion location, Hall 4.1 of Koelnmesse this vil UK Pa year and we were uncertain about how event this would work for our members. “However, it was noticeable that this area was busier than other halls at the show, to the point that several companies in Halls 10 and 11 have enquired about relocating to the UK Pavilion next year. Early feedback from our exhibitors indicate that 2017 was another very successful show.” As 2017 also marks our (Nursery Today’s) official 20th anniversary celebrations, we took the decision to be one of the sponsors this year of the UK Pavilion Penny and Christine Networking event, which took place on the feel the force in first day at the close of the show. This was extremely well attended by British Cologne

Th e s h o w o rg an “ iser s a ls o an n oun

c e d imp res s ive vis ito r leve ls t h is y e a r w it h mo re t h a to K + J , n ex h ib ito r s fro m1, 2 3 0 c ountries an d a 50 2 2 ,50 0 tr a de roun d fro m a roun d t h vis ito r s e w o r ld .

exhibitors, retailers and buyers who were attending the show. To ensure the event was extra special this year we also provided a ve jazz band, which gave a jovial atmosphere. The show organisers have also announced impressive visitor levels this year, with more than 1,230 exhibitors from 50 countries and around 22,500 trade visitors from around the world. For those visiting, it was hard not to find something of interest, with so many new product launches taking place from leading brand names, coupled with new smaller companies who chose the event to introduce themselves and their ranges. Talking to those in attendance from the UK, it was evident that all those who chose to make the journey to the show were not disappointed. Kind Und Jugend is also home to the coveted Innovation Awards for the best products of the year for babies and toddlers. This year, 170 companies from 30 countries applied for the coveted winner’s seal in eight categories, making this a very difficult task for the judges (one of which was myself) to decide on the overall winners this year. We would like to take this opportunity to extend our congratulations to all those who received an award.

Of course, one do downside this year wa the disruption was for many who bo booked through cer certain airlines to trav to the show. I travel hav have to say, this year we ttook the decision to ggo by train, and it was incredibly sim simple, stress free d not as expensive and as some may think. Perhaps this is food for thought for next year? This issue we also focus on a number of product sectors, nursery furniture and décor, weaning ranges and products associated to health and wellbeing. From one of our FanFinders mini consumer surveys this month we can see that cotbeds are holding favour with parents, with more than 80 percent making the decision to buy a cotbed and 85 percent saying that these represented good value for money. It is clear from this survey that nursery furniture is well researched prior to purchase, but it would also appear that brands may not be as important. Turn to page 16 to read more. On a final note, can we take this opportunity to thank everyone for the hospitality shown to us during Kind Und Jugend.

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Instant classicsi www.hippychick.com

01278

434440 nursery today

news Britax Römer Acquires Seed

Mash Maker™ Making on-the-go and table top weaning a breeze

Lid to help store excess food

Britax Römer has purchased German/Danish pushchair manufacturer Seed. The acquisition includes the company’s entire portfolio. Seed is a popular, premium lifestyle brand on the German market and its products will round out Britax Römer’s growing, stylish pushchair offering. “Pushchairs are an important category for us and a segment in which we have a long-standing tradition. We are excited to add Seed’s high-quality products to our Premium Line range,” said Rainer Stäbler, Managing Director EMEA, Britax Römer. “Its flagship-product Papilio is particularly well-suited to the design and quality for which Britax Römer is known.” The Seed Papilio will be integrated into Britax Römer’s Premium Line product portfolio.

So much more than a towel… Easy turn handle for milling

The Cuddledry Original hands free baby towel has earned its status as ‘Britain’s best baby towel’, beating off stiff competition from the country’s best nursery brands to be named ‘best buy’ in the Independent top10 best baby and toddler towel list. Web: www.cuddledry.com

Stainless steel milling blade, allows easy milling of meat and ﬁsh

Lip catches excess liquid to minimise mess

Step 1

Non-skid base provides stability

Step 2

Step 3

Lord DigbyJones gives the Deli Ali salute! Making a flying visit to the Kind und Jugend show was Lord Digby-Jones - ex-chairman of the CBI and a man with many business interests. One of his business links was with exhibitor Aprama and he chatted with Nursery Today’s Managing Director Malcolm Naish for five minutes or so, giving the Deli Ali salute (known to British football fans) to signify to those at the show that Nursery Today is the number one nursery title in the industry!

Celebrations aplenty for Close at Cologne

Load the food

Mill with ease

Feed on the go

Designed with developing tots in mind info@oxouk.com www.oxototuk.com

Close had much to celebrate at this year’s show, with the unveiling of their new fresh inclusive look for the brand and the official start to their Pop-in 10th anniversary celebrations, marked by a new stand out print collection to celebrate a new and exciting direction for Pop-in during this special year. Hester MacAnara says “Our new hidden print collection feels like a very natural progression for the Pop-in brand; engaging, fun and relevant, our wonderfully considered characters have their own stories and distinct personalities which inject a real sense of fun, whilst retaining the quintessential elements that make a Pop-in print so commercial or so stand out. Tel: 01992 554045 Web: www.closeparent.com

nursery today

sponsored by hardenbergco.co.uk 01785 503 305

Lovedbyparents.com launch two new awards! Lovedbyparents has launched two new valuable awards that recognise excellence within a brand and an individual product. With an unbiased endorsement only for products that pass their rigorous parent testing, companies can highlight to consumers a Lovedbyparents product. Their new Recommended Tried and Tested endorsement and Lovedbyparents Best Buy awards give brands the opportunity to gain insightful and in-depth information about their product and feedback they can use throughout their marketing materials. Lovedbyparents recommended recipients can purchase a licence to display the Recommended Provider logo for 12 months in their marketing and promotional materials. For further information please contact: awards@lovedbyparents.com

Keeping baby socks on!

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A welcome brake Whitestep, on behalf of mifold, the portable car seat brand, is donating £5,000 towards Brake’s work supporting people bereaved and seriously injured in road crashes. Within the partnership, the mifold team will be looking to understand more intently why and how children are still being put at risk in cars on UK roads. Following the research, mifold and Brake will undertake an educational programme for parents to improve understanding of the risks. In 2015 11 children under the age of 12 were killed and 200 seriously injured while travelling in cars. There were a total of 5,093 child casualties. Web: www.askformifold.com

Foot ﬁnderr toys that actually ally stay on! n!! w Ne uct! d Pro ust J ed! riv Ar

Summer fun never stops with Chicco! The British weather may not be entirely reliable, but Chicco has made sure the summer fun doesn’t stop with its Summer Display competition for their independent retailers. Taking place over the summer months, the competition was open to all of Chicco’s independent retailers nationwide to find out who could produce the best summer-inspired Chicco display. Retailers were allowed to be as creative as they liked – the only criteria was that it had to be a display of Chicco products with a summer theme! Coming in with a landslide victory was a brilliant beach display from Jack In A Box in Mansfield. Joint second were Baby World Belfast and Simply Baby Lancaster. Marketing Manager, Holly John, commented, “We are always looking for ways we can go the extra mile to engage our retailers and give them something back. We have a fantastic range of summer time travel friendly products across the board and this was a great way in which to highlight this to both retailers and consumers. We were really impressed with the entries, so much so that we will be bringing back the competition in Q4 with an autumn theme – so get your fallen leaves and pumpkins ready!” Web: www.chicco.co.uk

Dribble fre free bibs! w Ne ner ns sig De ble O ib ble Dr availa w! no

...Easy to order directly from our NEW trade website... www.sockons.co.uk All products are supported by a comprehensive press and pr campaign.

nursery today

news Looking ahead Rob Ro R o Pascoe, Group Commercial D Director, takes a look at the p planning ahead for the u upcoming key calendar events.

hile h hi hil ill ffor many the shift into autumn, with shorter, colder days ahead can seem bleak, for us at Gro, October is a month of moving on, after a fantastic and exhausting time at Kind and Jugend we have our eyes on the coming months. As a big part of our annual calendar Kind and Jugend was this year as always, a huge opportunity for us as a brand. It gave us chance to show our products in all their glory as well as reveal exciting new developments to retailers and distribution partners around the world.

Design’s a Walk in the Park It comes with great excitement that The Gro Company announces the arrival of Amy Walker as Design Manager. Amy’s appointment will see her create fluid collections with a unique and recognisable handwriting for the Gro brand that families have become to know and love over the past 17 years. Amy brings with her over 10 years’ experience and joins the team from Lazy Jacks, a successful lifestyle brand in Devon, where she was the Senior Designer. Before that Amy worked for hugely influential brands including Reebok and Weird Fish. Rob Pascoe from the Gro Company added: “We are thrilled to have welcomed Amy to the team. Her appointment is a new role at The Gro Company and is sure to provide invaluable support as we continue to offer parents the best sleep products on the market. Thanks to 17 years of expertise, we are very proud to be the brand parents trust when it comes to selecting sleep products for their baby and we want to ensure we satisfy the need for style too - We are confident that Amy is the best person for the job.”

Rewarded innovation for Mums Scandinavian brand Les Enfants took home Silver and Bronze in the 2017 Best Baby and Toddler Gear awards in the UK with its innovating and multifunctional products with the Nursing Scarf and their Muslin Blankets - all made in the softest Bamboo fabric. The mission statement by Les Enfants is to make everyday life easier for mums and give babies a ‘Soft Start In Life’. Email: info@lesenfants.se Web: www.lesenfants.se

With thoughts looking to the future we’re gearing up for the remaining key dates for this year in the retail calendar for consumers, with Halloween, firework night and of course Black Friday all falling in the next couple of months. The build up to Christmas is already in full swing, with newly released Ollie the Owl sleep aid having had a huge impact since release and making the perfect gift item for new parents, we are making the most of the opportunity with press and marketing plans already in motion. Further ahead 2018 plans are in place with Kind and Jugend already booked and 2019 planning already in motion. Like many businesses we’re making sure we have everything in place for Christmas and into 2018 to help deliver a successful season. Planning is critical to our business; whether it be the daily negotiation of stock departures and arrivals, IT resources or HR making sure we have the right people in place. With the successful planning of logistics we keep the business not just running but growing. As Alexander Graham Bell said “Preparation is the key to success” So we’ll be making our lists and checking them twice to make sure the rest of 2017 runs smoothly and everyone has a happy Christmas.

BeSafe to offer ! 100 pushchairsover 100

BeSafe is soon to have been officially approved on pushchairs! BeSafe actually tests the compatibility of their Infant Carriers on specific pushchairs to the EN 1888 Standards and they are proud enough to publish the list clearly on their website www. carseat.co.uk under each applicable seat for your consumers to see. Paul Sirett, Country Manager said: “Using the universal adaptors most list. How pushchairs offer, we continually test new pushchairs and add them to the us know let do but list our on are most many pushchairs do you stock? We are sure too!” tested that get will we and not is s if one of your favourite uk Tel: 01606 814 638 Email: sales@hts.no Web: www.carseat.co.

Bath to bed Summer Infant has joined forces with Mumii, the entertainment space for Mums to support the launch of its new Digital Video Monitors and the highly anticipated By Your Bed Sleeper. The campaign which aims to drive awareness of its ‘Bath to Bed’ product range amongst new parents, focuses on delivering highly engaging video content, product reviews, competitions and a social media takeover running over a six week period. Web: www.summerinfant.co.uk

nursery today

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Advertorial: Maxi-Cosi

We carry the future The best stories are based on strong foundations… Ours started in 1984

1984 1995 2000 2004

Priori Maxi-Cosi

2006

Citi

Loola

first baby car seat according

first ‘compact’ stroller

first 5 star rating for baby car seat

2009

2014

2017

AxissFix Air

FamilyFix

CabrioFix & EasyFix

first group 1 car seat Maxi-Cosi

introduced the first infant carrier to EU

2005

first car seat family with Pebble and Pearl

first car seat with integrated airbag technology

Axiss

2wayFamily

first swivelling car seat

first i-Size baby car seat

Our story We have gone from strength to strength with accolades including the launch of the first Group 1 car seat, the first 5 -star rating for a baby car seat, the first swivelling car seat and the first i-Size baby car seat. We have come a long way and today, Maxi-Cosi are proud to be a leading brand in Europe with a worldwide presence. We believe in doing as much as we can to help parents as their families grow, starting with that first special journey home. In fact, we have carried 35 million babies home from the hospital and we’ve been there for the many milestones that follow. We’re dedicated to providing parents with mobility solutions that are of the highest safety and quality standards and provide the best ease of use.

Going that extra mile As market leaders in child travel safety, Maxi-Cosi both meets and exceeds all legal requirements for testing, raising the bar to carry out additional stringent tests on all aspects of our car seats, similar to those carried out by the independent and internationally respected car safety expert, Euro NCAP. As a result, we have led the way in improving side protection and have developed ground-breaking technology to protect children from injury in a side-impact crash.

Our vision is to become the most loved and trusted child mobility brand and to help us improve this connection with families around the world, we are now telling our story in a fresh and modern way. Redefined core values, a new meaningful tagline and a rejuvenated visual identity… Maxi-Cosi is the same trusted name but with a contemporary feel that is colourful and inspiring.

Maxi-Cosi values CARING

INTUITIVE

HAPPY

INNOVATIVE

This will be the driving force that help us deliver on our promise to families and ensure that all we do is done with care, is guided by our human intuition, makes children’s and parents lives happier and is ultimately one step ahead of the rest.

However, one thing remains the same, the embracing arm of a mother, as depicted in the huggy, continues to lie at the heart of our brand and drives our innovations, safety standards and the comfort we want to provide to parents and children. This trusted symbol, along with our new tagline ‘We Carry the Future’, underpins the promise we’ve been making since the moment we began… To help children travel safely as they move through the world.

Award-winning In 2017 Maxi-Cosi has been recognised for doing just that, with a whole host of awards to add to our ever-growing list of over 40 awards achieved over the past 3 years. Not only, did the Pebble Plus and 2wayFix continue to hold their highly coveted status of Which? Best Buy but also came out top in the Car Seats From Birth Category in the Baby Centre Mums Picks Awards.

Pebble Plus and 2wayFix Base Loved By Parents awarded the Pebble Plus and 2wayFix Base a Platinum and Gold award for Best Car Seat group 0+ and Best Innovative Car Seat respectively and more recently the duo won Gold and Consumer Choice in the Best Baby and Toddler Gear Awards.

LBP LOVEDBYPARENTS

WINNER Platinum

2017

lovedbyparents.com

Dana for2 Maxi-Cosi was able to enter a new category for 2017 with the launch of the Dana For2, winning a Silver in the Best Double Pushchair category.

AxissFix Plus And finally the new AxissFix Plus was awarded a bronze in the Best Rotating Car Seat Category in the Made For Mums Awards.

The end of 2017 sees the launch of some exciting local and global launches for Maxi-Cosi and therefore more opportunities to continue these successes throughout 2018. We are excited and committed to embedding our new brand look and feel in our journey towards being one of the world’s most trusted and most loved child mobility brands. We hope you are excited to be on this journey with us.

To find out more, visit maxi-cosi.co.uk

Babycup on the BBC Back to basics Suzie Howes, Head of Licensing and Marketing at Rainbow Designs, the Home of Classic Characters, looks at the need for back to roots innovation in the nursery gifting sector. s we edge another month closer to Christmas and into the timeframe where many consumers begin to engage with the thought of festive gift buying, this is a critical time for retailers to take a robust review of their offering. Last month we exhibited at the nursery trade fair, Kind Und Jugend, the general feeling was that the overall attendance level was down and many of the major players were not present. Although there were pockets of innovation to be found especially in the must-have nursery product arena elsewhere there was not a lot to shout about, certainly when it came to gifting lines. On a more positive note, it was good to see there was a refreshing sweep of the colour palette on show; mint tones and navy colourways, very reminiscent of the 80’s and a step away from the current grey tones but on the whole, no new standout trends to speak of. Presently it feels like an industry in holding, uncertain in the pending economic climate and how that will reflect in consumer spending traits. However, although there are clearly reservations, both manufacturers and retailers, especially in light of the economic climate, need to remember this year is far from over! A continuous review and critique of product ranges and the acceptance to make fundamental changes outside of the general purchasing calendar has never been more important. As an example, just this month we have brought two new collections to market; the new Classic Miffy and our exciting Walt Disney Classic Winnie the Pooh, Hundred Acre Wood Collection. Neither of these collections will have even been on the retailer radar at the beginning of the year. These are classic characters produced in innovative, current product formats and we know from past experience that when consumers are watching the pennies they head back to their roots, to what they know and in nursery gifting - that is classic characters.

nursery today

Babycup were thrilled to be included within an important interview on BBC Breakfast which saw President of the atric BSPD British Society of Paediatric Dentistry, Claire Stevens, discuss the sad state of Children’s teeth in the UK and to introduce a new dental campaign aimed at parents. Web: www.babycup.co.uk

Peg Perego expands K team in the UK Peg Perego announces the appointment of Cally Wolf to the position of Trainer & Sales Executive. Cally will be responsible for accounts covering Southern England and Wales. She joins the team from five years as a sales assistant at Classis Chassis in Hornchurch,, where she developed an unrivalled knowledge of the Peg Perego product portfolio. Web: uk.pegperego.com

Major brands confirmed for Harrogate With major international trade shows firmly behind us for 2017, the UK nursery industry is now gearing up for its own home trade event providing an important business platform for spring 2018 – Harrogate International Nursery Fair. A number of key players in the nursery industry have already fully committed to the show including BabyStyle which has secured a position in Hall G with its full product display and popular socialising area; Hauck which is planning something completely different and exciting next to the Kings Suite; Cheeky Rascals which again will be sponsoring the main Café area; and Peg Perego with its full range displayed in Hall Q. Also a first for the show will be Bebecar on a new standalone island position in Hall G and UPPAbaby which plans to make two new UK product launches at the show in Hall Q. Other major exhibitors are currently also choosing preferred positions. Adrian Sneyd, show organiser, comments: “Harrogate is going to be completely different in 2018 with three new halls of the Harrogate International Centre accommodating the show. Although there are fewer halls, the show will still cover a similar sized footprint, but with fewer entrances concentrating visitor flow in a more organised and structured way. This means that every company exhibiting will be prominent to visitors as they walk through the halls. “Because of the new show layout, exhibitors are unable to book the same stand as last year and are therefore concentrating on choosing new preferred locations. Therefore, I would recommend that any company planning to exhibit next year, not leave it too long to book in order to secure their choice and prime position.” There are lots of exciting new plans to give Harrogate a real boost for 2018 – so keep watching the website at www.nurseryfair.com for the latest information. The website also details full information about exhibiting and visiting the show which takes place from 25th to 27th March 2018. To speak to Adrian personally, call 01902 880906 or email: adrian@nurseryfair.com

The 2018 JPMA Baby Show is where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover innovative new products from over 200 exhibitors, build profitable relationships with like-minded peers, receive curated eduation and obtain tips for advancing your business. Plus, the Washington D.C. location is easily accessible from around the globe!

REGISTRATION OPENS FALL 2017. Sign-up for JPMA Baby Show updates at

www.jpmababyshow.org. WASHINGTON D.C. | MARCH 20-24, 2018 Walter E. Washington Convention Center Contact us: jpmababyshow@jpma.org To exhibit, contact John Hurley, John@thebabyshowseries.com PRESENTED BY

Cover Story: IMPORT SERVICES

Tried & Trusted Logistics! Import Services has provided retail logistics services for over 30 years, during which time they have developed a trusted Port-Centric warehousing and distribution company in Southampton. ursery is a key business sector for Import Services, with their clients importing products manufactured principally in the Far East, to supply major, multiple and independent retailers or direct to consumers, across the UK, Continental Europe and further afield. The Import Services Port-Centric model is in sync with the evolving world of Nursery retail logistics. Their model aligns product supply with customer demand, irrespective of size and scale, to manage the evident pattern of ordering little and often. To contain the consequent increase in supply chain costs, as a logistics partner they are also capable of

flexibility and managing multiple routes to market efficiently.

Optimum Delivery

Moving product from the container ship to their distribution centres (DC’s) swiftly, is the first step to streamlining their clients’ supply chains. While other 3PL’s are trying to collect a container and truck this miles inland,

Import Services has already received products and started processing them to meet retailers’ launch dates, pre-allocated deliveries and back orders. Port-Centric logistics w with Import Services has tthe advantage of providing tthe necessary facilities, sy systems and operating te teams, to enable prere retailing of orders, from a ggeneric stock, irrespective of bo bonded status. This m minimises risk and m maximises flexibility, which is necessary to contain costs in ne m meeting the new pattern of de demand from end-customers. If orders are B2B and inv involve Bookings, they arr arrange these by consolidating del deliveries to spread the benefit from an economy of scale, particularly as Import Services utilise the retailers’ own nominated back-haul services, where practicable. Retailers are particularly keen on their Port-Centric logistics model, which helps rationalise deliveries into their DC’s, cutting supply chain carbon emissions, a significant help environmentally for all concerned. If the order is B2C, they will process swiftly for direct delivery, from their quayside container port facilities, to Nursery customers’ homes in the UK and overseas.

In fo rm at io n flo w is no w ce nt ra l to th e ne w w or ld of nu rs er y re ta ili ng . Im po rt S er vi ce s ha s re co gn is ed th is by pr ov id in g ex ac tl y w ha t th ei r cl ie nt s an d th ei r en d- cu st om er s ne ed to kn ow, 2 4 /7 vi a th e Im po rt S er vi ce s w eb en ab le d po rt al , w he th er at ho m e, on th e m ov e, or in th e of fic e.

Strong Partnerships

Clients benefit from their Nursery retail logistics knowledge plus Import Services’ IT systems. Information flow is now central to the new world of nursery retailing. Import Services has recognised this by providing exactly what their clients and their endcustomers need to know, 24/7 via the Import Services web-enabled portal,

nursery today

Brexit whether at home, on the move, or in the office. Retailing Nursery products is becoming ever more complex as all vested parties seek to connect with a myriad of network formats, which are constantly evolving. For this reason Import Services became an early creator of innovation in IT systems, which extends to Clients, Retailers, Carriers and end Customers at the vanguard of successful retail logistics.

Bonded Warehousing In Southampton their bonded distribution centres allow stock to be held, free of duty and VAT, until after products are sold to customers in the UK / Continental Europe or post transhipment under bond to overseas markets, where duty and VAT is paid at destination. This operation assists their clients’ cash flow significantly. Import Services are the future of Nursery logistics for a reason.

Web: www.importservices.co.uk

Import Services are actively addressing three likely outcomes from Brexit 1. Cost implications This impact is potentially more from the administrative effort and control required to manage the new regime. A logistics partner must therefore be capable of tracking order flow, serving potentially a range of new Customs jurisdictions. Hence bonded warehouse facilities and appropriate systems to manage inventory under bond, will be a prerequisite. Import Services’ distribution centres are already set for this eventuality.

2. Border administration A greater frequency of data exchanges required to cope with customs declarations will inevitably place acute demands on logistics providers to manage complexity. Import Services’ AEO accreditation and trusted IT systems are already in place to provide the necessary electronic reporting and facilitate movement of orders, across frontiers.

3. Impaired order flow just when supply chains need to tighten up! Import Services is absorbing time pressures involved in moving products to market safely and swiftly. They are achieving this by creating and continuing to adapt a range of service options obtained by working closely with nursery retailers and their suppliers. Streamlining processes and automating order processing is key as they continue to invest in this endeavour. To help, robots are just beginning to enter the logistics sphere …the good news is PIC, PAC, STAC and TRAC are already here… at Import Services!

nursery today

focus FURNITURE & DECOR Image source pexels.com

The perfect nest What is the current trend when we look at nursery furniture and décor? We asked those in the know for their thoughts. ursery Furniture is a category that continues to sell well, but what is currently trending? Although the first stage for baby after birth is a Moses basket, we are clearly seeing a shift in attitudes toward bedside sleeping and a sharp rise in the popularity of products that have been specifically invented for this purpose. We asked Rachelle Harel (Managing Director, Little Chick) her thoughts on this category and the rise in the popularity of alternative products that are now available. “Bedside Sleepers are certainly where the innovation is.” Said Rachelle. “With recent advice that baby should sleep in the same room as the parent but in their own cot, for up to six months, sleepers and cribs, such as the Little Chick London Breathable Bedside crib are going to continue to be popular and win out over smaller traditional Moses baskets.” Trends in nursery furniture continue, perhaps more so when we look at finishes, but co-sleepers and bedside cribs appear to be leading the way. “Furniture is a growth category and one that has seen significant innovation in the past few years, with mums prepared to spend £100’s on products that will only last them a few months.” Rachelle told us. “Co-sleepers have become increasingly popular among mums, although with recent bad publicity, changes to the standard and the concern over co sleeping, this remains a very controversial area.” Clearly, as illustrated in our mini survey with FanFinders, nursery furniture is heavily researched

Fu rn itu re is a “ gro w th ca te go ry an d on e

th at ha s seen signi fic ant inn ovat ion in th e pa st few ye ar s, w ith mum s prep ared to sp en d £ 10 0’ s on produc ts th at w ill on ly last th em a few month s.

Rachelle Harel

nursery today

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by the consumer before purchase and has been noticed by many nursery furniture manufacturers and suppliers. Rachelle, who often speaks with parents to find out more about their habits, told Nursery Today: “Talking to our mums, this is very much a purchase that is heavily researched before making a decision. It is not just a matter of fashion, it is more of an emotive and lifestyle choice. This is certainly a category where it pays to advertise and promote your brand and product.” Daniel Green (Stock Control & Marketing, Obaby) agrees. “From queries we get from parents prior to their furniture purchases, it’s clear that parents have specific requirements when purchasing their nursery furniture. “One of the key areas which gets questions asked frequently is storage space. From our experience, storage is always a crucial part of buying any nursery room set which is why we offer a wide range of storage options to make finding the perfect solution easier.” From the survey, we can also see that for those surveyed, brands didn’t play such an integral role, so Rachelle has a valid point with regard to suppliers and manufacturers ensuring they are visible to consumers via the promotion and online awareness of their brands and ranges, which of course also assists retailers when talking about the various options to their customers. Of course, when we think nursery furniture, it’s not just about the cot/cotbed. More often parents will want a co-ordindated feel to the nursery, therefore room sets continue to prove popular. “Room sets are proving to be as popular as ever, but we’ve seen a trend with customers demanding more variety in a room set’s contents.” Said Daniel. “By offering a range of different changing unit options, single and double wardrobes and a cot, mini cot bed or full size cot bed, parents can choose the style of room set to suit their lives perfectly.” Another area of interest in our mini survey is that parents are now more than ever turning attention to the mattress. From the response given it would appear that the majority of consumers will make a separate purchase for a mattress to the one perhaps offered. We asked Esme Westmoreland (Marketing Manager, Harrison Spinks) whether she would agree with this? “This is a really positive result and we couldn’t agree more. We believe the mattress purchase is the second most important purchase a parent can make, after the car seat as if

The survey says… Nursery market specialists FanFinders surveyed 2000 consumers via their online platform Your Baby Club focussing on nursery furniture and décor. Here’s the results. Did you buy a moses basket or bedside sleeper?

Moses basket: 1320 (66%) Bedside sleeper: 680 (34%) Did you buy a cotbed?

Yes: 1614 (80.7%) No: 386(19.3%) Did you feel a cotbed represented good value for money?

Yes: 1702 (85.1%) No: 298 (14.9%) Was the mattress provided with the cotbed or did you purchase separately?

Mattress was provided: 676 (33.8%) Purchased mattress separately: 1324 (66.2%) Were you looking for co-ordinated nursery furniture?

Yes: 1108 (55.4%) No: 892 (44.6%) Where brands important to you when making your chosen purchase?

Yes: 642 (32.1%) No: 1358 (67.9%) Did you research before making any purchases for furniture for the nursery?

Yes: 1658 (82.9%) No: 262 (13.1%) Was it important to you to purchase a light for the nursery with added functions?

Yes: 880(44%) No: 1120 (56%)

the child is not in the car or playing then they will be asleep in their cot.” Commented Esme. “Newborn babies can sleep up to 17 hours a day and research has highlighted the importance of sleep in the development of a healthy immune system, central nervous system and general physical growth so investing in a cot mattress is of upmost importance.” We can see that furniture is researched online prior to purchase, but can the same be said for mattresses? We asked Esme for her thoughts. “Yes, some parents are certainly researching cot mattresses prior to purchase. Harrison Spinks Baby have produced a valuable cot mattress buying guide to explain the different types of cot mattresses available to parents and help educate them in their decision. “For parents who haven’t researched the mattress when they come to buying furniture, the retailer should help educate parents on the importance of investing in a cot mattress rather than offering a free one and this is also a perfect upsell opportunity.” Of course, apart from the larger items, the ‘wish list’ by parents for the nursery could also include a baby changing table, storage cupboard for clothes, book case, toy box, general décor, lighting solutions, baby monitors and cot mobiles – the list can be quite extensive. Solutions for the nursery with regard to accessories and décor can be a great

additional footfall generator – if your customers are looking for a co-ordinated room this may also be the time where parents will also focus on nursery beddingg and accessories that can be displayed alongside room sets on your shop floor. Take a look at the following pages where ere we highlight products that are available to o order.

Not just a pretty face! Nattou is renowned for its cast of cuddly characters, but did you know Nattou’s ranges are packed with functional nursery accessories to suit any chosen décor. Their plush growth charts make a great statement on a nursery wall, whilst both parents and little ones will love kkeeping eep ee piin ngg ttrack rraack ck ooff ho how mu how m much uch ch tthey hey h he ha have ave ve grown - Match this to a comfortable mi m mini-me ini ni-m me ssi size izzee ssofa, offaa,, oorr m mu musical usica sica si cal mo m mobile oobi biile b ilee for a cot or cot bed in the same collection to really bring a nursery together with a pop of colour. Tel: 01278 434440 Web: www.hippychick.com/nattou

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focus FURNITURE & DECOR

Fresh approach

The classically styled Hollie room set from BabyStyle will give any nursery a stunning and stylish look. The supremely elegant Hollie Sleigh Bed is versatile, converting from a cot bed to junior bed and then onto a fun sofa bed. It comes with integral drawer for much needed storage space. The wardrobe features multi-position shelves and hanging rail option while the dresser can be used as a changer with the addition of the detachable top. This BabyStyle three piece room set can be delivered direct to your customers homes free of charge. Hollie room set includes cot bed, wardrobe and dresser. Web: www.babystyle.co.uk

Nursery of Dreams Gorgeous breathable designs BreathableBaby’s fabulous range of baby bedding, including worldwide bestselling fully breathable cot liners, are available in a variety of colours and designs to enhance the décor of today’s modern nursery. Using Air Channel Technology allowing complete airflow, the range includes super-dry sheet made from ‘birds-eye’ fabric which wicks away excess body moisture; and liners designed to fit all sizes of crib and cot to cover either two or four sides providing the ultimate night time protection. Choose from classic grey, white or ivory; the Heritage Collection with English Garden, Enchanted Forest, By the Sea, Animals 2by2 – plus the latest favourite of all, Tiny Tatty Teddy! Email: rachelle.harel@breathablebaby.com

Having hit the shelves exclusively with Mothercare this August, the team at Snüz is thrilled to announce phenomenal sales of the SnüzKot. The truly innovative SnüzKot Collection features 15 stylish cot beds in a range of styles and colours that allow parents to create the nursery of their dreams. The SnüzKot collection features four core style options: SnüzKot Luxe, SnüzKot Skandi, SnüzKot Rococo and SnüzKot Mode. Each style option is available in different colours, allowing parents to match their cot bed to their individual décor ideas. As your child grows, so does SnüzKot, converting into a toddler bed for up to 4 years and with the additional junior bed extension kit, up to 10 years - longer than most cot beds. Snüz have also created a changing unit to match all 15 SnüzKots. Email: trade@greensheepgroup.com

atch nM Mix Obaby’s st addition to The late e is proving to furniture rang te. popular to da be their most ch at Mix n M The Stamford r classic sleigh ei th s ke range ta ds a new design and ad through the t modern twis ylish colour addition of st om the highlights. Fr Eton Mess to k pretty-in-pin o Taupe Grey, the classic retr s ch range offers the Mix n Mat ly tly ec dinate perf designs to coor es id ov pr ery and with any nurs ntrepiece to ce e at the ultim cor. any nursery de 91 14 Tel: 01652 64 aby.co.uk Web: www.ob

nursery today

Better sleeping, better feeding, better being together.

NEW

Enjoy precious moments together with the Chicco sleep time family

One-hand side panel to easily change to side-sleeping configuration

Eleven height positions and four wheels for ease of movement

New cot mobile for Next2me and Next2me Dream Fitted sheets in new colours and designs for Next2me and Next2me Dream

Travel bag included

Double mode: fixed or rocking

For more information, please contact our Head Office on 02089536627 or visit www.chicco.co.uk

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Facebook: /chiccocompanyuk

YouTube: /chicco

Boppy, the ideal support for bonding and feeding

14/09/2017 09:42 13/09/2017 14:58

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fectionattaches to ping per Side slee Next2Me Dream nts to sleep next to their baby, Chicco

What a liberty

Designed to allow pare s. the base of the bed using secure strap it is the allows the crib to stand flush to the bed, With a side panel that folds down and y. The safet lute abso ’s baby the ltaneously ensuring perfect way of sharing a space and simu and it fort com extra for ress matt soft a comes with cocooning crib has padded sides and ated by just the click of a button. activ e, mod ing rock new a ts also boas babies s for the perfect sleeping position for allow s level ht Furthermore the 11 heig ased incre for ow wind mesh l have an additiona whatever the bed. In addition it will els with brakes and comfortable and now has four whe cool baby your keep to ility breathab for improved manoeuvrability. Web: www.chicco.co.uk

Smelling sweet The Angelcare Nappy Disposal System is a convenient and hygienic way of disposing of dirty nappies. Featuring Odour-Seal technology designed to keep bad smells at bay, this simple-touse system makes a happier, more fragrant home. As one of longest reigning nappy bins on the market, the award-winning Angelcare Nappy Disposal System is the most convenient and hygienic way of disposing of dirty nappies. Its quick, easy and simple-to-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 and longevity! Now available in pink and blue, this is the perfect touch to add to your nursery décor and keep those nappy smells at bay. Tel: 01785 503 305 Web: www.hardenbergco.co.uk

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The Liberty collection combines a solid, modern shape with a white finish, making it the perfect choice for parents seeking modern styled furniture. The cot bed has three base heights and two split ends to convert to bed mode. The dresser features three large drawers with soft-close mechanisms to protect little fingers. The dresser top fits a standard changing mat, and the changing top is removable, making it a practical and long-lasting piece. The wardrobe provides plenty of storage space with two full-width hanging rails, two internal shelves, and a large bottom drawer. The doors and drawers also feature soft-close mechanisms. Tel: 01692 408802 Web: www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk

Bedding in a box

The popular essential bed ding ranges from Red Kit e are a great first gift suggestion as they are a bedding set in a box con cept to include a padded quilt, bumper, fleece bla nket and sheet. Excellen t value and cute designs help decorate baby’s first nursery in a choice of Pin k Pretty Kitty, Blue Ship Ahoy or the bright and che erful Safari range. Other items are available in matching designs to help co-ordinate and decorate Tel: 01454 326 555 baby’s room.

Web: www.redkitebab y.co.u

Night changes made easy z ge

w it h n a p p y

A new collection of clever sleeping bags with a handy nappy change zip, making nappy changes easier and quicker

Best Baby and Toddler Gear 2017 by

SILVER

Baby Sleeping Bag

Discover the collection at snuz.co.uk dŽ ĮŶĚ ŽƵƚ ŵŽƌĞ ĞŵĂŝů ƚƌĂĚĞΛƐŶƵǌ͘ĐŽ͘ƵŬ Žƌ ĐĂůů Ϭϭϳϴϵ ϳϯϰϬϮϮ

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Stylish, practical and safe

The perfect melody

Zoe the Penguin is available in blue, pink or neutral grey, features five pre-set melodies including a heartbeat, white noise and waterfall sound, as well as wireless speaker technology, enabling parents to play their own choice of music or children’s stories. Also providing a soft, reassuring glow with two adjustable brightness settings, Zoe activates automatically upon baby crying and will begin to play and light up to comfort little ones, helping them to fall back into a peaceful slumber. A soothing nightlight, music box and wireless speaker in ! one, Zoe is one clever penguin

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

Launched just over a year ago, the Little Chick London Bedside Crib has already won three awards and received rave reviews from consumers. Blogger Unconventional Kira commented: “We moved into a much smaller property than we hoped for and add a new-born baby into the equation and we haven’t got enough room to swing a cat! We have found the perfect solution to our small space problem – the Little Chick London Bedside Crib which has been a life saver and super practical. It’s slightly larger than a Moses basket, but nowhere near as big as a cot. There are clasps either side, which means it can fold away so can be tucked up during the day to give much more space in the bedroom and then brought back out later in the evening.” Email: hello@littlechick.london Web: www.littlechick.london

Snug as a bug

With its striking style, revoluti onary design and the fun colour options; add to that the fact it is made entirely in the UK, has sustainability at its core and is super hygienic, the Moba Moses bas ket is a fantastic addition to every nur sery! Its lightweight structure and soft flexible material mean that not only is it perfect to manoeuvre around the house too, but a great travel companion; whi lst baby is kept comfortable and Email: hello@mobauk.com snug as a bug!

Web: www.mobauk.com

Natural sleep

talgia ery set from Silver Cross is beautifully classic. Bit of non,os the char ming Nostalgia nurs With its vintage inspirati ented by stylish finished in soft antique white complem Handcrafted from wood, Nostalgia is pewter-effect handles. h transforms to a day ding a beautiful sleigh-style cot whic There is a choice of two cot beds, inclu bed and then a toddler bed. soft-close drawers top and a full-size wardrobe – both with A dresser with a removable changer complete the Nostalgia nursery set Web: www.silvercrossbaby.com

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NaturalStart is a premium range of cot bed mattresses specifically designed for babi es. Created by Harrison Spinks, NaturalS tart combines unique pocket spring tech nology with 100% natural materials, some of whic h are grown on their own 300-acre farm. As the world’s smallest patented pocket sprin gs, BabySprings adapt to the sleeping posi tion of baby and ensures perfect postural supp ort throughout the night. The mattresses are dual sided and desig ned to offer the correct postural support at each stage of infant development. The first side designed for babies aged between 0-18 months and the other for those up to five year s of age. Web : www.harrisonspinksbaby.co.uk

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Washable 100% Natural

The original New Zealand natural lambskin comforter for stroller, carseats, and cots.

Insist on

by Bowron.

Visit www.bowron.com or phone 0800 212 198

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Project sleep This versatile crib projector from Chicco features a universal attaching system that means it can be attached securely to any cot or travel crib. With three different functions, it serves as a ceiling light projector, atmosphere lamp or comforting nightlight to soothe babies to sleep. Not only that, it can play out one of three comforting melodies to help babies settle before they drift off into a peaceful night’s sleep. In case they stir, it features a handy sound sensor that causes the melodies and lights to automatically come on when it detects the baby’s cries. Not just a nightlight, it also comes with a soft plush teddy bear to keep babies comforted throughout the night. Web: www.chicco.co.uk

Elegance at its finest

Little House Furniture continues to grow and this was reflected in the interest by many overseas buyers during Kind Und Jugend. The star of the show for them was notably the grey Brampton range and their new glider chair, which features comfortable padded upholstery and a super smooth gliding action. It looks like grey is the new white... at least for the time being anyway! Their nursery furniture range, the Brampton Collection, is elegant in design and superbly built, combining style with substance. This stunning range is delightfully designed for a fresh and contemporary look and crafted to create the perfect nursery. The collection is available in white and grey. Their new range of mattresses also created a lot of interest during K+J and they are looking forward to supplying several new accounts stands and brochures in the coming weeks. m with mattresses, 01925 446777 Tel: 01 www.littlehousefurniture.co.uk Web: w

Natural choice N N’s

Warm in winter, cool in summer, BOWRO W Babycare range combines the necessity for practicality, B durability and safety with the desirability of softness, d ccomfort and luxury from a natural material. Bowron Babycare is an ideal and versatile travel ccompanion. The product is fully washable, can be professionally dry-cleaned and the familiar comfort of the soft wool fibre ensures baby will feel secure and content wherever you go. Bowron Sheepskins make the safety of all its products a priority, recently reaccredited with the OEKOTEX leather standard. This along with the companies 130+ years of experience in the industry makes Bowron Babycare the time proven, preferred choice for parents when buying for their babies. Email: jackie.cleak@bowron.co.uk Website: www.bowron.com

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Hands free The innovative, eco-friendly and hygienic Korbell nappy bins are both easy and convenient to use and with four colours to choose from; Soft Pink, Mint Green, White and Pastel Blue they are sure to fit in with any nursery décor. Korbell nappy bins are the only hands-free nappy bins on the market, ideal for trapping nappies and nasty smells. Korbell bins help to keep nurseries and homes clean, fresh and tidy, and with a smart, modern and discreet design, they’re both stylish and practical. Tel: 01730 895761 Web: www.cheekyrascals.co.uk

Th e Little House Gliding Chair and Foot Stool

3 ccolours olo ours r av available Fu Ful u ly tested to UK Fully Safety Standards Fire retardant

Little ones don’t stay little for long. So make the most of your precious time together with this luxury chair and foot stool. With comfy, padded upholstery and super smooth gliding action, it’s a soothing and relaxing place for you both.

www.littlehousefurniture.co.uk

Being Different... The Obaby extensive range of Cots, Cot beds, Wardrobes and Nursery furniture. Available in so many styles, colours and unique printed designs. Creating a nursery that’s different, just became simple. ®

www.obabytrade.co.uk 01652 641491

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supplier snapshot We spoke to some of the industry’s finest to find out about their highlights at Kind Und Jugend 2017.

Mitch Levene, Managing Director CHICCO/ARTSANA

Why was K&J important to you this year? It was important as it reinforced to our retail partners that we are more than prepared to continue the accelerated sales growth that has seen Chicco and Boppy double its business during the past few years. What type of visitors did you experience on your stand? We had over 100 UK & Ireland customer meetings! They were buzzing with what they viewed, as more than one retailer put it! Virtually every national account and key independent pre-booked sessions with our teams, ranging from buyers through to MD’s and CEO’s. We also had an array of media contacts who visited us. Of which, best of all were our friends from Nursery Today! Which product would you say received the highest response? We had tremendous feedback on so much of our innovation. Although, top spot went to the Baby Hug 4in1, the only complete indoor solution all in one product from birth to two years. Amazingly, this product incorporates a crib, recliner from birth, highchair and a table chair! Retailers love it and this innovation is going to make parenting so much simpler and even more enjoyable. Did you experience any particular trends? Two trends stand out; on the one hand, the positive attitude from retailers towards Chicco and Boppy continues to accelerate, while there is also an obvious growing interest in the breadth of range afforded by Chicco, including choice of highchairs, market leading booster seat in the Pocket Snack, wheeled products and sleep-time family such as the Next2me.

nursery today

Nikki Vadera, Head of Marketing UKI DOREL/MAXI COSI

Why was Kind Und Jugend important to you this year? K&J is a really valuable opportunity for everyone in the nursery industry across Europe to have a chance to showcase latest innovations and developments. With so much innovation across our five UK brands, such as the Maxi-Cosi AxissFix Air, the Quinny Zapp Flex Plus Rachel Zoe Limited Edition, the Safety 1st Flat Step gate and much more, we wanted to share this exciting news with the industry. What type of visitors did you experience on your stand? We had a mixture of buyers from customers, journalists, industry and trade publications as well as some consumer media. Which product would you say received the highest response? Definitely the ground-breaking innovation of the AxissFix Air as it is the world’s first car seat with integrated airbags. Did you experience any particular trends? Yes, there was a clear trend for super compact, light-weight strollers, such as the new Maxi-Cosi Laika.

Stefan Aerts, Founder & Owner Nathalie Aerts, Product Manager & Owner CHILDHOME

Why was K&J important to you this year? We exhibited for the 17th time in a row this year at a new location with a bigger and brand new booth of 300m2. And of course winning the world’s most important Innovation Award with our Evolu one80° was very important for us. What type of visitors did you experience on your stand? Beside European visitors, also visitors from all around the world, for example, Africa, America and Asia. We already are available in 50 countries worldwide but we are always in for new opportunities all over the world. Which product would you say received the highest response? All our newest designs of the collection 2018. And of course our complete EVOLU line, our all-time popular high chair, with a new colour black & gold, new swivel function Evolu ONE.80°. Did you experience any particular trends? More and more clients are looking for special designs and products, which they could find at our booth.

Laura Ribes, Jané Group Marketing Manager JANÉ/CONCORD

Why was K&J important to you this year? K&J is really important for us because this is where we have the opportunity to meet our clients and show our new products and next year collection. What type of visitors did you experience on your stand? The type of visitors we welcomed onto our stand were childcare shops, department stores, purchasing

departments and distributors. Which product would you say received the highest response? For our brand Jané, our new light pushchair Jané Rocket and our successful car seat Jané Gravity. Everybody loved the new Be Cool colours, the car seat Nadò O3 Lite and the new stroller Be Cool Pleat. Concord showed the new urban pushchair Soul and the awarded car seat Reverso.Plus Did you experience any particular trends? Every year there are new trends. This year we could see, regarding pushchairs, more compact, versatile and light products.

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supplier snapshot

Jacqueline Wagget, Founder/ Managing Director PACAPOD

Why was K&J important to you this year? We took on a lot of new business last year, so it’s a great opportunity to meet with them and get feedback on our range. Also, after a year of developing new designs and products, face to face feedback from both new and existing customers is really valuable to us and also helps us plan for the coming season. What type of visitors did you experience on your stand? A real International mix! It’s such a diverse show and we got to speak to retailers and distributors from all over the world. We definitely saw an increase in visitors from Asian markets to our stand this year, which is really exciting as this is a growing market for us. Which product would you say received the highest response? We launched our new Travel Lite range this year, and for many customers this was the first time they had seen it in the flesh. We got an exceptionally positive reaction about the entire range, as these bags are really accommodating every modern day parent’s needs. They are stylish bags that are adaptable to parent’s changing requirements, whilst still keeping organisation at the core. Did you experience any particular trends? We definitely saw a rise in eco-friendly products this year. In the world we live in today, it’s so important that we re-use and re-cycle and this is something that consumers really feel passionate about. Another trend that is emerging is products that have the ability to adapt and change over time. Investing in a nursery product that can adjust as your family’s needs change through the years also links to the eco-friendly attitude of moving away from disposable goods.

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Amanda Loveday, Marketing Manager ERGOBABY

Why was K&J important to you this year? K&J is always a great opportunity to see all our current and new retailers for the UK and Globally. We love showcasing or should I say we love showing off our new products to everyone in one place at the same time. It also allows us to show how our brand can be represented in-store for retailers and get them enthralled in our latest #inmyergo campaign! What type of visitors did you experience on your stand? As a global company we always have a mix of visitors and importantly for the UK is the Independent trade and National trade that spend time on our stand (especially during cocktail hour!). Surprisingly and excitingly this year we had Sling Libraries also making a visit to see the latest products for the first time and can’t forget those sneaky competitors popping on too which always leads to some fun banter. Which product would you say received the highest response? Without a doubt our latest innovation to the range, Omni 360 was the star of the show – although our new Aura Wrap drew a lot of orders, ‘being such a sensible extension to our range many retailers mentioned’. Did you experience any particular trends? With the launch of Omni 360 we are seeing more retailers really focus on four position carriers as they offer ALL positions even if a consumer at a later stage decides not to use one or more of the positions. However, with Aura Wrap, feedback seems to suggest that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the ease of use of wraps such as the Aura and increasing their basket size by selling consumers both products from birth.

talking shop This issue we speak to a number of independent retailers to find out their thoughts on Kind Und Jugend this year.

Emma Charlesworth

Gary Watts

BABY BIRDS

WH WATTS

How did you find K+J this year? It gets better every year. Lots of exciting products and it’s always great to catch up with suppliers. The UK Pavilion was bigger and better than ever.

How did you find K+J this year? I loved Cologne this year and found lots to see and do. The new Hall 4.1 was excellent and contained many of my current brands including BabyStyle who had some wonderful new designs on show. I thought the show looked reasonably busy even though they had added an extra Hall making six in total and managed to get around the whole show comfortably, even though after the first two days I was thinking I was never going to achieve it.

Did you find particular products/ranges that you were looking for? Yes and plenty that I wasn’t looking for. Loved the new Bebecar designs - they are a true inspiration. BabyStyle finally brought a pink egg in their range - woo hoo! Did you feel there were sufficient new product launches and innovation this year? Absolutely - it’s the best of the best. There are so many brands to choose from. You can’t fail to find something. There is so much choice. What about trends – did you notice anything in particular? Yes I was looking for trends for our Roma designs, rose gold is going to be huge in the coming months.

KIDDLIELAND

Did you find particular products/ranges that you were looking for? I found some great new products but all of which were within the brands that I already stock. Cybex had a few excellent new lines and even though I had seen them in Germany a few weeks before they were still exciting and fresh. I did think though that some brands were running out of ideas and their new products were disappointing in comparison to their current range. Did you feel there were sufficient new product launches and innovation this year? I think there was quite a lot of innovation this year with some fabulous new products from a range of suppliers particularly in Car Seats including Cybex, Britax and Uppababy but I was not impressed with some of the items that I saw, as mentioned previously. Highlight of the show (not in a good way) was the Front Opening Circumcision Panty! OMG Horror! What about trends – did you notic notice anything in particular? The Trends didn’t seem to h have changed that much. It just seemed variati like more variations of the same thing, particularly with whee wheeled goods. Big shout out to Cybex for an outstanding party on the Friday night aand also to my two travelling ccompanions for making the tri trip another fantastic exp experience.

Tracey Medway

How did you find K+J this year? K+J was great! I thought the product ranges where fantastic. I think attending is a definite must for the independent stores nowadays especially as Harrogate is getting smaller year on year. Did you find particular products/ranges that you were looking for? All the products that we wanted to see where exhibiting at K+J. We also found a few new products that we were really excited about Did you feel there were sufficient new product launches and innovation this year? Yes, I thought there were some great new ideas and products.

The new colours on all the brands we stock were stunning! I think all our suppliers have really focused on getting the right look this year. What about trends – did you notice anything in particular? I noticed that bright colours where a lot more prominent. For the past few years everyone seemed to be focused on greys and sands which obviously sell really well but it’s a nice change to have some bold colours on the shop floor. Bebecar, as always, had a beautiful wide range of colours but I also thought the new egg and mima colours where lovely.

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focus KIND UND JUGEND

Six halls of success Covering six halls this year, Kind Und Jugend reached all expectations.

Innovation Award Winners The Kind Und Jugend Innovation Awards for the best products of the year for babies and toddlers were awarded for the 13th time. This year, 170 companies from 30 countries applied for the coveted winner’s seal in eight categories.

The winners were: World of Moving Kids The Heetee Power-System - Heetee Baby Company

World of Travelling Kids BeSafe iZi Flex FIX - HTS BeSafe AS

World of Moving Kids & Travelling Kids Accessories Jule’s Bag - Sofamo - Papa, Maman et Moi

World of Kids Safety at Home Stair Trainer - Mippaa BV

World of Toys Explore & More Follow-Bee Crawl Toy - Skip Hop

World of Textiles My Skin Sensitiv - Angel Baby ltd

World of Kids Care Sweatbeat - Miniland

World of Kids Furniture The Evolu 180 high chair - Childhome

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ind Und Jugend 2017 closed its doors after an eventful four days announcing that approximately 22,500 trade visitors (up two percent in comparison to 2016) from 113 countries walked the six show halls, which featured a total of 1,232 exhibitors from 50 countries. Katharina C Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH stated: “Kind Und Jugend once again confirmed its outstanding international position and is the central hub and at the same time the trendsetter for the national and international business. “Furthermore, we were able to reinforce our position as the leading trading platform with a slight growth in the number of exhibitors and visitors.” Kind Und Jugend this year spanned over six halls which included the addition of Hall 4.1. The new hall was also the new home for the must visit destination hot spot, the UK Pavilion. Visitors to the show this year found it exceptionally hard not find what they were looking for, or indeed not to spot products that offered something different. Exhibitors were extremely positive about

the quality of visitors. For example, Ralf Kindermann, Executive Director of Recaro Safety Child commented: “In addition to our products, we also used the trade fair to present our new sales and marketing strategy to our customers and the market. This was very successful. Under the claim: ‘Excellent Parenthood’ we successfully presented ourselves and our new marketing campaign at a new exhibition stand in the new Hall 4.1. The hall was very popular with visitors and we had significantly more customer contacts than in the previous year. “Overall, Kind Und Jugend was a huge success for us and thus also did justice to its position as the leading global trade fair. We are already looking forward to greeting our customers from over 50 countries in the same place at the later date next year.” Stan Vermeulen, Executive Director of Joolz’s was also positive: “Kind Und Jugend is always a highlight for us and the most important trade fair of the year. The whole team gets together, the atmosphere is great and the visitors are very enthusiastic. We are very satisfied with our new location in Hall 4.1 and had more visitors at the stand than in the previous years.” Kind Und Jugend this year was notable in the amount of new product launches taking place. Joie was one such company, with visitors being able to see first-hand new products on their stand. Damon Marriott (UK Product Manager) stated: “The iLevel lie flat infant carrier was a

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definite highlight on our stand, but our brand new Joie signature collection really hit home with customers. We’ve taken a select range of already great products to the next level with premium quality fabrics and finishes. Of these the Signature Spin 360 was very much the stand out item with its deluxe fabric cut and sew!” Visitors could also view their new Liverpool FC licensed range. “Kind Und Jugend was the perfect stage to show our new global partnership with Liverpool FC, as their official family partner, debut the co-branded range and explain how our shared family values are going to help improve the lives of parents and children around the world!” Said Damon. Talking of licensed products, Dorel/Maxi Cosi also decided they were going to be a force to be reckoned with, by showcasing their new Star Wars licensed range on their stand with visitors being greeted by Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers! Over on the Silver Cross stand visitors could view the new Aston Martin collaboration alongside the beautiful Aston Martin DB11, again, illustrating the power of licensing in nursery. Also on their stand Silver Cross were delighted to display, after having recently made the purchase at auction, one of their own first patented sprung prams. Originating from 1878, it is truly remarkable that it has survived and returned home in its original, unrestored condition. Kind Und Jugend was the chosen venue for Chicco to launch their new multifunctional daytime solution, the Baby Hug 4-in-1 and also we saw the new furniture collection from East Coast Nursery being launched – their Coast range, which received a positive reaction from visitors. BabyStyle, yet again, didn’t disappoint with their two stands prominently visible. Visitors took the opportunity to take a look at the new Oyster Snuggle Bed and the new models in the Oyster and Hybrid ranges, which were unveiled at the show for the first time. Over at Cybex and GB, in excess of 80 products were showcased for the first time, while Close Parent took the opportunity to celebrate their tenth anniversary with the unveiling of their new prints to mark the occasion. Summer Infant took the opportunity to showcase their new By Your Bed Sleeper, while over at Diono’s stand visitors checked out their newly launched travel system – quantum. It didn’t stop there. Bebecar unveiled their new fabrics for 2018 which received a big thumbs up, while Close Parent celebrated with new prints to celebrate their 10th anniversary. Obaby, not to be left in the shade, launched their new Mix n Match service on their Stamford range, enabling room sets to incorporate two colours on one set across a choice of pieces, giving a truly co-ordinated feel to any nursery. Kind Und Jugend also marked the global launch of Mamas & Papas hero product, their Signature Edition Ocarro Anthracite pushchair. There really was so much activity this year, for those who couldn’t attend, or you need a quick refresh, take a look at the following pages where we highlight some of the Stars of the Show. The dates for the 2018 event have also been announced – 20th-23rd September 2018.

Nursery T N Today d jjazzed iitt up iin n Cologne Launched in May 1997, Kind Und Jugend saw us celebrate our 20th anniversary in style. We’re proud of the fact that we are the UK’s only monthly ABC audited nursery monthly trade title and are totally baby and toddler product focussed. his year represented the 20th anniversary of Nursery Today and as such the team felt it was time to party, and where better than within the UK Pavilion at the end of a busy first day in the show halls. To mark the occasion, we took the decision to be co-sponsor of the UK Pavilion Networking event and we’re so happy we did! Adding to the party atmosphere, we (Nursery Today) provided entertainment with a live jazz band, who are well known to many from their performances at the infamous Papa Joes Jazz Bar! Many attended the event, with Malcolm Naish (Nursery Today’s Managing Director), giving a speech thanking everyone for their support over the years. With manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and members of both the trade and consumer press, it really was an event to remember. “Myself and other independent retailers were invited to the celebrations in the UK Pavilion and wow what a fantastic atmosphere! Not only did we get to celebrate with the Nursery Today team, but the jazz band really paved the way for a party feel.” Said independent retailer, Ian Davidson from Babylicious. “To be able to spend time with our favourite nursery trade magazine, the team at the BPA and also network with like-minded people in such a relaxed atmosphere was a huge bonus. It was a pleasure to raise a glass to wish Nursery Today a very Happy Birthday!” We all know that the nursery industry is a dynamic one and Nursery Today has been on the frontline keeping everyone up to date on what’s happening. Celebrating with like-minded people was a huge bonus and the event ran smoothly. Marek Jankowski, Editor of Branza Dziecieca and President of the Baby Care Magazine International association stated: “As the president of the BCMI, it was a pleasure to attend such a well organised event celebrating Nursery Today’s 20th anniversary. The jazz band certainly added to the party atmosphere. All members of the BCMI congratulate Nursery Today on their achievements during the course of the last 20 years and we look forward to working with the magazine for many years to come.” Starting out with just six issues per year, the magazine has rapidly grown to now be published 12 times a year and also run alongside a strong website, which delivers news on a daily basis. Here’s to the next 20 years!

Web: www.kindundjugend.com

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It’s a wrap 2012 Ltd were excited to launch as the European hub for the multi award-winning brand Baby K’tan at K+J in the British Pavilion. The brand received fantastic interest from many European markets from distributors, retailers and agents. The brand which is famous for its carrier - a blend of a sling, wrap and carrier, also launched their new range of swaddles and changing bags at the show. Tel: 01202 303 777 Email: info@2012ltd.co.uk Web: www.babyktan.co.uk

Travelling light This year at Kind Und Jugend, the star of the show for PacaPod changing bags had to be their new Travel Lite range. The combination of luxurious fabrics, lightweight design, and multiple wearing options really captured everyone’s interest. With the trend for backpacks not going anywhere, their new Hartland changing bag proved to be a firm favourite amongst both new and existing customers. With a stunning exterior, easy wearing options and ability to stay ultra organised with their signature pods – it really did stand out as both an exceptionally functional, yet beautiful bag. Web: www.pacapod.com

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Hug from Chicco

Kind Und Jugend saw the official unveiling of its brand new multifunctional daytime solution – Baby Hug 4-in-1. Baby Hug 4-in-1 offers four different options so that it can be adapted to suit babies and parents needs throughout their indoor daytime routines around their home. Starting as a daytime crib, it is very easily manoeuvrable, meaning it makes the perfect naptime spot anywhere in the house! It can then be transformed into a secure raised recliner from birth for when babies wake up and want to see the world around them. To ensure they are kept entertained, the chair features an electronic toy bar so that little ones can play from a safe and secure spot. Later, when it’s time to eat, Baby Hug can be turned into a comfortable first chair so that little ones can join the family at the table. With various height levels, the highchair can be altered to fit any dining table, and can be easily adjusted with the use of a foot-pedal, eliminating any need to bend over. Finally, Baby Hug can be transformed into little ones’ very first seat, so they can sit safely and play to their hearts’ content. Not only providing the perfect spot for daytime relaxing for babies, the fully comprehensive nature of Baby Hug means that parents can relax too, assured in the knowledge that their baby is always safe and close by, whatever they’re doing. Web: www.chicco.co.uk

discover Caboo

enquiries - leah@closeparent.com

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adition s Set withcasetr d their new furniture collection

East Coast Nursery show positive reaction. on the stand, which received a really styled room set in ally ition The Coast range is a trad ve look panels and groo and ue tong ‘Sailcloth’ colour, with warm wood trims. ge space with two The wardrobe provides plenty of stora to a toddler bed erts conv bed cot The . full-width hanging rails is removable, top changing and a daybed, while the dresser top ing. -last making the range practical and long Tel: 01692 408802 Web: www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk

New flock goes down a storm The Sweet Dreamers team had another amazing K+J receiving great feedback from visitors around the world on their newest members of the flock. Orders flooded in making this year’s show making it their most successful to date. Unveiled for the first time was the new washable ewan Deluxe, with its intelligent MoonMode cry sensor and removable pod, together with the new super cute and cuddly ewan blankie comforter. Email: harry@sweetdreamers.co.uk Web: www.sweetdreamers.co.uk

A good egg

Since its launch egg has received many fantastic reviews from journalists and celebrities alike as well as winning many prestigious awards. At this year’s Kind und Jugend egg had its own stand where the entire range was on show along with the exciting new compact Quail. Web: www.eggstroller.com Web: www.babystyle.co.uk

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tion a g solu Feedgin h chair with tougher than moving a hig

There is nothin se dangerous situations. baby in it, also it can cau high roduce you the new Evolu Therefore Childhome int with es com ir cha ard winning Evolu chair ONE.80°. The aw or ce pla to s ent par ws allo vel seat t a swivel function. The swi hou wit ns in three different positio feed the child in the seat to ger trig the l ire chair. Easily pul moving or lifting the ent le, 90° t position towards the tab nex the in click the child le. tab the to tive rela ise ckw clockwise or 90°counterclo e Web: www.childhome.b

Are you stocking our latest award-winning products?

Heetee Mayfair – a True Star Kind+Jugend is over, and this year left us with a sense of shifting trends in the market. Tech is to take over the market sooner than later, and Heetee Baby Company, the winner of this year’s Innovation Award, is at the forefront driving innovation to provide products like the new Mayfair adding real value to parents life’s. The new Mayfair model is set out to be the one of the most technological and safest prams in the market. The company will release the Mayfair to market by late Q1 2018. This pram is certainly worth the wait. Web: www.hee-tee.com Email: sgarcia@hee-tee.com

Pop N Jump

LBP LOVEDBYPARENTS

WINNER Gold

2017

lovedbyparents.com

My Size Potty

Babble Band

New level of Joie success! Joie had an incredibly successful time at this year’s Kind + Jugend show with their biggest range to date. One of the many products that received some fantastic reactions from the trade was their new infant carrier the i-Level, suitable from birth up to 85cm and less than 13kg. This i-Size infant carrier cleverly and simply converts to a flat reclining seat that can be used flat, both in the vehicle and on the pushchair! The i-Level’s 157 degree ergonomic angle is engineered to keep your child’s head, neck and body in perfect alignment promoting healthy spinal development and to maintain constant airflow. Featuring certified side impact protection and a multi-height headrest and harness that adjust together. It comes complete with an ISOFIX base. The infant seat pairs with the Joie chrome, mytrax, chrome dlx, pact, crosster and literax 4 pushchairs, as well as other pushchairs using adapters. Tel: 01889 808 900 Email: uksales@joiebaby.com

SwaddleMe Originall

Wide View 2.0 Digital Video Monitor

Newborn to Toddler Foldaway Bath

Slumber Buddies

For more information contact us at 01442 505 000 or www.summerinfant.co.uk connect with us: Summer Infant UK

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focus KIND UND JUGEND

New toy in town

Easy travels with Baby&Me The stylishly designed Baby&Me washbag from Cuddledry received fantastic feedback and orders at Kind Und Jugend this year – before it even launches! This innovative washbag has two completely separate sections, with colour coded zips, so new parents no longer have to pack twice. All your baby’s toiletries and medicines go in their side, whilst your own shampoo and full washkit can go in yours – completely separate and loads of room for each of you. Both sides include zipped compartments for wet washcloths or toothbrushes, so you can keep everything else dry. And the parent side has refillable BPA free 100ml bottles – ideal for travel. Beautiful design, and total practicality. Email: trade@cuddledry.com Web: www.cuddledry.com

A fun, fresh and exciting new teething toy is in town and his name is Ethan the Fox. Ethan is on trend and new to the market. Ethan is a fresh and exciting take on traditional teething toy design with an animated vibrant style. Full of charm, Ethan the Fox is an effective teething toy. He has lots of lovely bits for teething babies to chew on including a tail to sooth hard-toreach gums. Developed by Mooncow, Ethan brings to the market a new contemporary, modern and exciting teething toy that is sure to excite parents and babies alike. Tel: 07590 444 066 Email: Steve.mooncow@gmail.com Web: www.mooncow.co.uk

H nd to Ha mo m uth

I was Gummee Ltd’s fourth year at Kind It und Jugend. Their range of innovative teething gloves and toys brought a steady stream of international distributors and UK retailers to the stand. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the imminent Mouth’, which includes a foreword written release of the Gummee story, ‘Hand to M personal and by former TV Dragon, Theo Paphitis. The book describes the founder’s that led to moment b’ ‘lightbul the in resulting times, at ster professional journey - a rollercoa wear. to babies for solely designed mitten teething rst fi world’s the the launch of Tel: 01822 834032 Web: www.gummee.life

What a hoot

In the clouds

Merrygoround are “in the Clouds” having had a great show at K+J. MuslinZ stood out at the show for the high quality of its muslin ranges. The new Clouds print for the luxury BambooOrganic Cotton range was well received, being at great accessory range to compliment many products currently on offer in the nursery sector. Web: www.merrygorounduk.co.uk

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The Gro Company had a hoot of a time at Kind and Jugend! as was w Their supersize Ollie the Owl wa on hand for photo opportunitiess with this new product proving a massive success with their retailers and distribution partners. Plans for the delivery of an exciting new range for 2018 are now well underway with an overwhelmingly positivee response to the new season’s designs for the award winning Grobag. A chance to meet with new customers and catch up with existing, Kind and Jugend is always a valuable opportunity to show the breadth of our bestselling sleep range that is m now available. Their sales team is always happy to chat about all things Gro so if you missed them at Cologne drop them a line at hello@gro.co.uk to find out more about exciting new product coming up. Web: www.gro.co.uk

Introducing an award winning knife and fork for kidsâ&#x20AC;Ś Pantone 299 C

Pantone 185 C

Designed to support children in forming the correct 3-fingered grip A world first, only comfortable when held correctly

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Scandi designs pull in the crowds

Keeping it tidy

Tidy Tot returned to Kind Und Jugend this year building upon a hugely successful year of domestic and international growth, taking the front cover of the UK Pavilion brochure and showcasing a striking and colourful update to its brand identity. Inventor Jennifer Unsworth and Director Robert Smith were delighted with the level of interest for the Tidy Tot Bib & Tray Kit from distributors and retailers across the globe and are looking forward to another exciting year of expansion for Tidy Tot. Web: www.tidytot.co.uk

The pearl in the oyster Visitors to the BabyStyle stand in Cologne were treated to first glimpses of a range of new products from this market leading brand. New products on the stand included the new Oyster Snuggle Bed, the stunning Oyster Atom, the Twin Oyster Lite and the multi-award winning Oyster2 with a new rose gold chassis. In addition new models in the Oyster and Hybrid ranges were unveiled to attendees at the show for the first time. Web: www.babystyle.co.uk

Bibetta had an extremely busy show with customers loving their new, Scandinavian inspired print designs including the fantastic forest Foxes, colourful Cars and cool grey Elephants. Their best-selling character designs from their neoprene UltraBibs have been rolled out across their Placemats with Pockets which created an extra splash of colour to the Bibetta stand. Tel: 01223 840236 Web: www.bibetta.com

Fresh new look For the Dreamgenii brand this was a very significant trade show they we were using K+J as a platform to launch their new Dreamgenii designs to the trade. The team worked tirelessly to create a fresh new look for their award-winning brand and this has involved not only new fabric designs but completely new packaging. Reaction from the trade was fantastic with positive feedback across the board about the new designs which feature muted natural shades, designed to complement any nursery or interior.

Tel: 01538 399 541 Web: www.centralmedical.co.uk

Food for thought

Nana’s Manners was delighted to debut in the British Pavilion at Kind Und Jugend, the perfect setting for them to introduce their newly launched knife and fork for kids to the world. Being amongst so many amazing British brands was an elating experience. It was great to share Nana’s Manner’s goal, of making life easier for kids, with the international community. Web: www.nanasmanners.com

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Tel: +44 (0) 1202 303 777 Web: www.2012ltd.co.uk

focus KIND UND JUGEND

Fanfare for Ons Sock Ons were first launched back in 2008 to much fanfare winning innovation design awards from the trade as well as appearing on TV as a must-have for new babies.

ince the company was launched by mum of seven Kezi Levin, the Ons brand has been extended to include what have now become staples of the nursery market including Dribble Ons, Plod Ons and the ever-popular Mocc Ons. The ethos behind every product in

the Ons range is clever parenting solutions to everyday problems hence the first product Sock Ons – keeping baby socks exactly where they belong! On baby’s feet! They are a household name and baby essential item for thousands of parents across the world. This Winter sees the launch of a brand new product: Twiddle Ons. Twiddle Ons are gorgeous foot finder toys that actually stay on n baby’s feet. Like Sock Ons, Twiddlee Ons are worn over baby’s feet and feature cute fish characters that come with crinkles and bells to engage and entertain children when they discover their toes. Introduced to the trade at Kind & Jugend 2018, the product was extremely well received and are in stock so retailers will have product in time to capitalise on Christmas sales. Twiddle Ons are not the only new announcement from the company as Sock Ons will now take over all UK distribution of the products and sell directly to the trade via their new website. Launching in October 2017, the new look website will feature a

“nuWrse erhay veindubestenryinfothr e

assured of the best service assu possible.” pos In addition to purchasing existing ranges, Sock Ons have exis listened to customer and parent list feedback and added to their fee collections including a new co 12-18month sized Sock Ons 12 range. This will enable parents ra to use Sock Ons for longer. Brand new Mocc Ons and B Dribble Ons designs have also D been introduced including an b on-trend pale blue and pale pink star pattern. Kezi continues: “The success of our ranges is s helped massively by being faced with these problems as a parent myself and trying to find a solution for them. From socks that won’t stay on to chafed knees from crawling on hard floors, there are problems waiting to be solved. “Our product ranges are also inspired by our retailers and parents themselves who come to use and say how great it would be to see new designs, bigger sizes etc. We are delighted with the new Twiddle Ons range and cannot wait to see what consumer reaction is to the product. Plans are already in place for new designs and characters to be added in 2018 and retailers can be assured that all new products will complement the other Ons collections enabling them to sell full ranges of our products.”

d ne ar ly 10 ye ar s no w an have th erefore esta bl isahe d ou r reputa ti on as co mpany w ho provideses not on ly in no va tive linng es but also va ri ety of ra bu dg ets. ta ilo re d toKezialLel vin

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trade section where customers can order simply and efficiently ensuring an easy to use 1-click order form with low MOQ’s for carriage paid. Kezi Levin, Managing Director comments: “We have been in the nursery industry for nearly 10 years now and have therefore established our reputation as a company who provides not only innovative lines but also variety of ranges tailored to all budgets. This new way of ordering means that rather than go through a distributor, customers will come to us via our website, keeping costs down. Orders will then be fulfilled via an automated process so retailers can manage their stock levels and be

Tel: 0208 451 1516 Web: www.sockons.co.uk

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focus MAMAS & PAPAS

Inspired by diamonds

oming soon from leading nursery retailer Mamas & Papas, the Signature Edition Ocarro Anthracite is the new hero product for SS18. Unveiled at Kind Und Jugend, the Ocarro Anthracite is inspired by the ‘black diamond’ itself. Enriched with the same metallic lustre of anthracite rock, the chassis brings a stylish shimmer to all journeys. With the same plush fabrics, leatherette detailing and quilted lining as other Mamas & Papas Signature Edition pushchairs – this ride is not only comfortable but designed to stand out. Also showcased at the event were a fabulous new range of cool and contemporary changing bags and an exciting new twin pushchair. Toys and accessories were a stand out with the Mamas & Papas Baby Bud and Snug products displayed in all colour ways; stylishly designed to be in-keeping with the interior décor. The stand itself was modern and slick; blending impactful design with a sophisticated palette of black, white and soft pink. Minimalistic styling finished off the contemporary look and feel, representing the brand’s approach to modern parenting, as well as the premium quality it is known for. To find out further information regarding the new SS18 collection, contact angela.blundell@mamasandpapas.com

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retail

STORK PRAM & COT CENTRE

Quality assured Doncaster is the home of Stork Pram & Cot Centre whose aim is to provide innovative products and services that fulfil the wish lists of their customers. We question Sandra Wright (Director) to find out more. Can you tell us a little about Stork Pram and Cot Centre, when did you first open your doors?

This store in its smallest form has been in its current location for over 60 years. We have owned it for nearly 28 years. Most of our staff have been here since we opened, and we have also grown and increased our staffing along the way, who are at the heart of our company. At one point we had five stores but we always liked this one the best and have nurtured and grown.

Since then, what would you say has seen the biggest change in nursery products or consumer habits?

We find that our customers are now a lot more fashion and safety conscious and naturally the internet has played a big part in the way forward for many of us in the nursery industry.

Tell us a little about your floor space, how do you manage this?

We have approximately 2600 square feet.

â&#x20AC;&#x153; For us , bun d les are a key focus as th e ec on omy fa lter s. â&#x20AC;?

Tw thirds of this space is dedicated to Two wheeled goods with the other third wh fea featuring car seats, furniture and cribs.

H How brand focussed are you and your customers? a

T different brands we sell are important The to our customer base as this is what drives u forward. Our customers are definitely us fashion fa conscious and brand aware.

W What is currently your best performing p nursery category?

The best performers for us are prams and pushchairs. We have over 80 wheeled goods on our shop floor for our customers to view.

Do you think there will be a specific trend this year? We find that trends are usually driven by shows, social media and open days. For us, bundles are a key focus as the economy falters. One area that is trending is sparkle fabrics and rose gold chassis. Navy as a colourway seems to be coming to the fore again.

You offer a lay-by stock system - how does this work and how popular is this with your customers?

Yes, we do offer a lay by service which is 70% of our trade. The customer pay a deposit up to seven months in advance and pays what they can afford up to the arrival of their baby to clear the outstanding amount.

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FO RM

Wh t about What b t your website b it and use of social media. How important is this to your business?

Our customers are very hands on when it comes to online research, and as a retailer we should do more activity online. We operate mainly via Facebook, which is our biggest social media platform, followed by Twitter.

NAVY

Finally, do you have any exciting news on the horizon that you would like to share?

Yes, last year we updated the exterior of the shop and we are also shortly about to commence on a refit - so watch this space!

THE

FUSION COLLECTION

Unfortunately, this sometimes has to be the case for many independent retailers and we have to match a price, but this has a negative impact on so many of us. One area that we have found beneficial is to offer a loyalty scheme, which often assists in avoiding this type of activity as we are offering an alternative service which can be viewed as more valuable than simply price matching.

A DS

Do you offer a price matching service?

PRIMA BABY

We always try to accommodate the requests of our customers as best we can as we know this is such an emotive industry. For example, where possible, we will also offer a loan service if any product has to be returned for repairs. That said, we have in the past had the odd customer who comes in with a damaged product, which has resulted in perhaps misuse, and will turn and refer to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;warrantyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to avoid repair costs, but we always endeavour to sort any problems as quickly and effectively as possible.

How d do you manage your customer service? What type of problems do you have to overcome?

PLUM

GALAXY

PLATINUM

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01454 326 555 nursery today

focus WEANING

Food for thought

Image Source Pexels.com

Weaning is a difficult time for many parents and the first steps can cause anxiety, while moving from breast to bottle then onto solids. e are fortunate that as an industry products that assist with weaning are continually updated with new innovative ranges being launched, providing a variety of products that are readily available to the consumer but can perhaps also be a little daunting. We can see from our FanFinders survey this month, that although brands may not be of such importance, innovation is. Independent retailer Sara Hubbard (Owner, Whites Farm Baby Barn) has seen this first hand with her customers. “Innovation is important in any category within the nursery industry. Social Media has a hold over the younger generation of parents, with them using these platforms for all of their parenting advice.” Sara said. “When it comes to choosing cutlery for little one, design is extremely important. Some parents leave their children to eat with their hands, whereas others like to encourage the use of proper utensils. The shape, weight and style of the utensils babies use are fundamental, as they need to be easy.” We asked Dean Tollman (Director of Vital Innovations) how important is it to keep ranges refreshed in store to keep up with innovation. “Innovation is extremely important and Vital Baby has many innovative products, such as our super strong suction bowl which has just been updated to include a spare bowl, lid and hygiene spoon cover. Great for use at home or when out and about!” Although this may not be a heavily researched category by parents, there are many threads on parenting online social media sites where information is swapped. “The internet is a great way to research products and social media is a vast platform for parents to discuss their views and experiences about products.” Dean told Nursery Today. “As such, information, positive and negative is shared more now amongst wider groups than ever before and so it is essential that parents are given the best possible products for their babies, to keep a loyal fan base and retain customers.” From our mini survey however, it would appear that this isn’t a brand dominated sector, with parents leaning more toward what they see others using. Sara feels this is a category that is bought into through recommendation by other mums who are also going through the weaning process. “We don’t think that brands are particularly relevant to customers in this category, as they are influenced by their friends and peers,” states Sara. “They buy what is recommended to them by other weaning mums rather than a brand they know and trust. With something as fluid as weaning, when trends change, the latest product to have changes too. “Weaning and baby feeding probably has a

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The survey says… minimal amount of research done by parents. The most they would probably ask is ‘what type of spoon are you using?’ to their friends. There is probably more research into the type of food they should be eating, rather than what they are using to eat it with.” Parents face many dilemmas when it comes to feeding baby. Introducing baby to solids is often a pretty large and often daunting challenge. But for the majority, the weaning process is also incredibly rewarding to parents. Part of the weaning process will be to introduce a variety of foods at a young age – which has also been proven to assist in preventing eating problems later in life. Parents are no longer encouraged to buy pre-prepared meals (unless of course travelling away from the home environment). This will mean that they will make batches to be pureed using either their own, or suggested, recipes at home and then cleverly freeze individual mealtime portions for use at a later date. Trends change and how we introduce solids to young infants is not immune to change. One trend that has arrived is that of baby led weaning. This is where parents encourage the child to feed themselves with the introduction to ‘finger foods’. However, there are so many downsides to this, one of course being the length of time it may take for a meal to be consumed, then there is the mess! With so much parental anxiety we have to ask the question, will this trend stay? “We are seeing that our customers are all leaning towards ‘baby led’ weaning, allowing the baby to dictate what they eat when they eat, for example

Nursery market specialists FanFinders surveyed 2000 consumers via their online platform Your Baby Club focussing on weaning. Here’s the results. When your little one was weaning did you look for products to assist?

Yes: 1246 (62.3%) No: 754 (37.7%) Would you say there is lots of innovation in products for this to help?

Yes: 1414 (70.7%) No: 586 (29.3%) Were you looking for a co-ordinated feeding set?

Yes: 900 (45%) No: 1100 (55%) Did you research highchairs prior to purchase?

Yes: 1394 (69.7%) No: 606 (30.3%)

Were brands important to you when looking at products available for the weaning stages?

Yes: 742 (37.1%) No: 1258 (62.9%)

eating ti finger ffoods d against i t ttraditional diti l pureed d meals.” l ” Sara said. “One of the other things we have noticed (especially with the influence of social media) is that this new generation of parents are starting their children on gluten free or dairy free diets, regardless of their particular health needs.” Take a look at the following pages where we feature products that are currently available during the weaning process.

Not quite mummy but almost!

NUK is a registered trademark of MAPA GmbH, Germany * Source: Independent Market Research in Germany, 2016

The new NUK Nature Sense. Closer to nature than ever before. Several tiny openings Super-sof t zone

a tr e E x x ibl e Fl

E Fl x t r ex a ibl e

can do is use her as an example and try to understand her perfection. $V D UHVXOW ZH KDYH GHYHORSHG D EDE\ ERWWOH WKDW IRU WKH Ä´ UVW WLPH OHWV babies enjoy an all-round natural feeling when drinking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; almost as if at a motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breast. Along with several tiny openings modelled on the milk ducts in a motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breast, natural feeding is ensured by the extra-soft teat tip, the wide lip rest and the NUK Anti-Colic Vent. Discover the new Nature Sense range at www.nuk.co.uk of babies accept the new teat.*

of mothers would recommend NUK Nature Sense to others.*

For further information on NUK please contact us at mail@nukbaby.co.uk Anti-colic

NUK. Understanding Life.

focus WEANING

Full steam ahead Multi-award winning brand, Vital Baby is delighted to launch the multipurpose 2 in 1 Steam and Blend, a kitchen gadget that cleverly steams and blends fruits, vegetables, meat and fish in one bowl to create fresh, delicious and healthy meals in seconds. Featuring multi-height blades for a super smooth consistency, customisable cooking and blending times, and a capacity of 600ml, making nutritious home-cooked foods has never been easier. Tel: 01707 262 200 Web: www.vitalbaby.co.uk

Make My Day Cheeky Rascals bring the fun factor to mealtimes with Make My Day’s super stylish and functional bibs which are inspired by imaginative play and dressing up. The creative designs include Breakfast at Tiffanys, A Day at the Races, a Sheriff and many more. Not to mention the range of friendly animals featuring a monkey, frog and penguin - to name just a few! Tel: 01730 895761 Web: www.cheekyrascals.co.uk

Introducing the new Nutribaby(+) The new Nutribaby(+) from Babymoov offers families superior cooking convenience, with five versatile features packed into one sleek and stylish unit. This all-round food preparation system makes light work of daily kitchen chores, adapting to the needs of modern family life. Aided by 10 pre-programmed functions and extra-large cooking (1500ml) and blending (750ml) capacity, Nutribaby(+) can comfortably prepare nutritious smoothies for mum-to-be, a week’s worth of well-balanced meals for baby, or a healthy feast for the whole family. The smart centre console can be customised to suit the kitchen décor, with five on-trend shell finishes to choose from and easy-to-use controls with a clear digital display. Two removable cooking baskets, make it easy to prepare a variety of foods separately, whilst the space-saving, compact design offers complete flexibility; both blender and steamer can be used in-tandem or detached for use separately. Easy to clean, each of the parts being dishwasher safe, the Nutribaby(+) is FREE from Bisphenol A (BPA), and comes with a Babymoov lifetime guarantee, making it the ultimate multi-tasking kitchen essential that parents-to-be really won’t want to live without! Web: www.babymoov.co.uk

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Mealtime milestones

The new Joie Multiply is a highchair meets table, converting from a maxed out highchair to a mini table with every mealtime milestone in between; beginnin g as a reclining or traditional highchair, and then converting to a booster seat, youth chair and toddler play table! Featuring five height adjustments and three recline positions, including a 3-position footrest, it allows the chair to be the perfect partner for every stage of development and to adjust to fit varying table or island heights. The Multiply is designed for practicality with a removable, four position, one hand adjustable tray that is dishwasher safe and can be easily stored away on the back of the seat legs! The integrated wheels on the front legs allow for easy moveme nt when needed and its freestanding when folded makes it the ideal choice for even the smallest of spaces. Tel: 01889 808 900 Email: uksales@joiebaby.com

S ta in an d o dou r res i stant

Stay Spotless Bumkins sleeved bibs are made from a clever easy wipe, waterproof fabric that is soft, lightweight and resists stains and odours. They are machine washable and colourfast. The bibs themselves feature a tie closure, allowing little ones room to grow. They have elasticated wrists to keep mess to a minimum and clever front pockets to catch all those spills and crumbs. Available in a wide range of fun and vibrant colours that both parents and little ones love, these bibs fit from 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 24 months, seeing them through the entirety of weaning. Tel: 01278 434440 Web: www.hippychick.com/bumkins

WEANING. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got it covered!

www.vitalbaby.co.uk Call 01707 262200 and talk to Philip or email sales@vitalgroup.co.uk for more info nursery today

focus WEANING

Bit of progressir from Chicco Growing with baby, Polly Progress 5 in 1 highcha adapts to suit the changing needs of a growing infant. With five different modes, it evolves with children from 0m+ to provide the perfect long-ter m feed-time solution. Chicco’s Polly Progress 5 in 1 highchair converts as little one grows. New-borns can sit in the spacious and deep padded seat to sit, play or relax. From six months they are ready to try their first taste of solid food, and it can be used like a traditional highchair with either the tray attached or moved close to the table so babies can sit and join in with family meal times. As babies grow, Polly Progress converts to a booster seat, which can be secured to a dining room chair with the tray attached and later on the booster seat can be made more compact so they can sit at the table. The highchair can be adjusted to eight different heights, four different reclining positions, and also features an adjustable leg-rest, offering unrivalled longevity and adaptability.

Weaning and beyond Babycup First Cups are ‘The little cup that’s kind to baby teeth’, supporting oral health by encouraging sipping and recommended by leading dentists as part of the weaning journey once a baby is ready to leave the breast or bottle. Using an open cup is vital and prevents babies and toddlers from comfort sucking on a spouted or sealed lid after weaning from breast or bottle and isn’t implicated in orthodontic problems such as crowded teeth, narrow bridges and speech impediments or dental problems such as decay. Babycup First Cups are a weaning accessory with mass appeal and offer an award-winning solution to help parents keep their child healthy. Tel: 01483 866081 Email: hello@babycup.co.uk Web: www.babycup.co.uk

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

No ordinary run-of-themill Mash Maker

Mash up a tasty treat with OXO’s thoughtfully designed Mash Maker. Conveniently shaped to allow for quick filling and adding liquid to control thickness, the Mash Maker is designed to maximise ease. Transfor m grown up food into a smooth purée with the turn of the handle. The stainless-steel blade mechanism allows for easy milling of meat, fish and vegetables. A non-skid base provides stability while mixing, and it also catches excess liquid to minimise messes. The wide mouth lets you scoop and serve puréed food from the top without disassembling. The Mash Maker Baby Food Mill is BPA and PVC free as well as dishwasher safe. Email: info@oxouk.com Web: www.oxototuk.com

nursery today

nursery matters JOHN BARKER

Barking Mad

This issue John Barker takes an overview of trade and consumer shows and why, for them, Harrogate International Nursery Fair is a must attend event. efore I get started on this month’s riveting article I thought I’d check you’re all happy with your free JB photo at the top of the page. I’ve received a number of suggested uses for it, my two favourites being ‘cut it out and stick it to the fireplace to keep the kids away’ and ‘hang it on the fridge as a warning of late night treats.’ The cheek! September has been and gone and that means the Nursery industry will have descended upon Cologne. I didn’t attend but it did get me thinking about shows, both trade and consumer. The good old trade show has always been a staple of many an industry, it’s an opportunity to discover new things and reinvigorate brands that you’ve not pushed as much as you maybe should have for a while. Cologne, I am led to believe is the holy grail of nursery trade shows. Hall crammed full of all the leading brands from around the world, halls so large it takes several days just to experience it all. I’m also told tales of evening entertainment – the likes of which will never be seen in the mortal realms outside Cologne and many have now passed in to legend. Reading that back to myself I’m wondering why I don’t go. Oh yeah I remember, it costs lots of money and means time away from the store. At least I have Harrogate. OK so it’s certainly not to the same scale and it would appear to be a little previous given the fact Cologne happened six months earlier, at least we get to see some of the brands we

JOHN BARKER john@pramland.co.uk

Ha rrog ate Intern at ion al N ur sery Fa ir 20 17 w as a gre at sh ow for us as th e nu m ber of “b ig” ac counts w as re duce d an d th at en cour ag ed us to vi sit so me sm aller stand s an d ac tu ally fin d produc ts w e w ould n’t have cons idere d previously deal with. Harrogate International Nursery Fair 2017 was a great show for us as the number of big accounts was reduced and that encouraged us to visit some smaller stands and actually find products we wouldn’t have considered previously. I’m just glad I’m not a consumer! If I was I’d have that many shows to attend I’d never find time to sit down and watch my Dennis Bergkamps greatest goals dvd. We are fortunate in Hull as we are located a good distance from the majority of the large show venues – Birmingham, Manchester and London but we still feel their effects.

Normally the week before a show we have an obvious reduction in footfall in to the store. We do however see an increase in people visiting us to come see a brand or product so they know what they’re looking for at the show the following weekend. By far the most noticeable thing however is the phone calls, they start on the first day of the show and last all weekend. “I’m at the (insert any major cities name here – if they don’t have a consumer show already they soon will) nursery show and I’m looking at the (insert random brand here) pram, can you price match?” I may be wrong here but we invariably are cheaper or the price matches ours. Yes you get the occasional crazy show price but as a rule the “savings” aren’t staggering, how can they be? The average consumer fails to realise that it can cost tens of thousands to set up a stand at a show, a cost that must be recouped somehow. For every customer that does their homework there’s an army of them that hasn’t, these are the customers that assume the show price is the best they can get, a bargain they cannot miss. From now on the week before every consumer show, no matter where in the country it is, I’ll be updating our Facebook page with a nice big cover image targeting the attendees and informing them that we are more often than not the better alternative – closer and just the same price. For me, it’s the Harrogate Nursery Fair all the way – here’s to seeing you in March!

nursery today

social media ROSS HEWITT

Bundles of joy Ross Hewitt takes a look at online selling over the busy festive season. t was great to see some of you at Kind Und Jugend and I hope the trip was fruitful and productive for eeach and every one of you that w went. Kudos to the organisers of the B British Pavilion and all the bulldog b brands that set up stall in there. It llooked fantastic, was always busy aand did our island’s industry proud, aas ever. Thank you to those of you who ccame to m my presentations; it was comforting to see some friendly faces in the audiences...but all of that was so sooo last month. Moving w on, and we’re in the final quarter s Christmas is just of 2017 so around th the corner, but Christmas generally sucks for nursery

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retailers as people spend their money on other things. The more interesting period is Boxing Day onwards...

Now is the time to start planning your campaigns for post-Christmas. I know plenty of you that sell online will be thinking about starting a sale on Boxing Day but I feel the real prize is the potential revenue and customer creation that comes with the New Year. It’s no secret that money is tight for most hard-working couples in the UK. The age for new mums has been steadily rising over the last couple of decades according to

the Office for National Statistics. Partly driven by a focus on careers but also heavily driven by a desire to be in a more comfortable and secure financial position before starting a family. More frequently though with modern life this financial security is an aspiration rather than a given so the mythical ‘biological clock’ kicks in and couples in their thirties start to make babies even though purse strings might be being pulled tighter than they would like. Pregnant couples spend over £1,600 on average on Baby products leading up to the actual birth, which sees over £1bn floating around the

economy each year and that is before the post birth and toddlerhood products start being bought. So, times are harder than we’d like them to be and, retailers, there will be hundreds and thousands of couples in your catchment area who need to spend those large amounts in the first few months of the year. Right after Christmas!

So how can you help and make a good profit? Bundling up the big-ticket items and offering credit or layaway style payment plans is one route. Some of you do this already and some may be considering it. It does work and post-Christmas is a good time to give it a push. It also works as the antidote to dropping prices and cutting each others throats with discounting. Full price, paid for over four or five months may be more valuable to a household than 10% off for a limited period where it all has to be paid for immediately.

Creating guides to products and how they can be bundled up will also help as it is still a minefield for nearly all new parents. I am still to see a retailer create video content that walks a new parent through their store, stopping to highlight and talk about the different types of products and what they do. This type of content and more is golden to confused pregnant browsers and will help to convert some of them into buyers. Explaining how the products in a suggested bundle work and interact with each other and showing how easy it is to buy them all at once is a sweet spot where content marketing and good merchandising gets jiggy with each other. Remember your ‘features to benefits’ approach to selling and keep this as the hook throughout. Back up your product bundle picks by curating blogger reviews and awards that have been given to said products and therefore offer some third-party validation. There

Bund lin g up th e big- ti cket ite m s an d offerin g cred it or lay aw ay sty le pa y ment pl an s is on e route. So me of you do th is alrea dy an d so me m ay be cons iderin g it. It do es w ork an d po st -C hrist m as is a good ti me to give it a push . are thousands of great product reviews available by trusted bloggers and influencers out there on the web and any brand should be able to send you a list of links if you ask…so ask. Just try to remember that people who are pregnant for the first time know very little about what they need and what they should do, and

the 21st century battle for sales can be won with content that is delivered in the right way at the right time. I recommend you take a look at the freshly launched blog by Uber Kids or the longer-standing Winstanley’s blog as they have a good angle on what good content looks like…

This Disney cot bed and nursery set thoughtfully combines clean and contemporary design with the delightful addition of Winnie the Pooh or Minnie Mouse illustrations. As your child grows, learning to sit and stand, the mattress base can be lowered, with three base heights available in total, providing extra security and reassurance. The cot ILK [OLU JVU]LY[Z LќVY[SLZZS` MYVT H JV[ VM [OL OPNOLZ[ X\HSP[` PU[V H JVZ` HUK Z[`SPZO Q\UPVY ILK ;OPZ PZ KVUL I` ZPTWS` ZWSP[[PUN KV^U IV[O LUKZ HUK YLTV]PUN [OL Ä_LK ZPKLZ meaning minimal disruption during little one’s often daunting transition. Once the change is complete, the bed can be suitable for a child up to approximately 4 years, making the Disney cot bed both extremely durable and great value.

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Minnie Mouse - Hearts

The open slatted sides are perfect for watching over your little treasure during their most peaceful times and the teething rails LUZ\YLZ `V\Y JOPSK»Z KLSPJH[L ÄYZ[ [LL[O HYL WYV[LJ[LK

Winnie The Pooh - Hug Me

The Winnie the Pooh cot bed strikes the perfect balance between modern and classic designs and will look perfect within any nursery.

www.obabytrade.co.uk 01652 641491

nursery today

focus HEALTH & WELLBEING

Healthy is happy G eneral wellbeing is something we all strive for, so why should it not be thought of during pregnancy or after the arrival of little one? The skin is perhaps our largest body organ and accounts for approximately 15% of our body weight, renewing itself every 28 days. Therefore, why wouldn’t we nurture it? However, with babies the skin is approximately 20-30% thinner than that of an adult, therefore many parents are now opting to use skincare products that have been created specifically with baby in mind and without the use of harsh chemicals, for example parabens, phthalates and sodium lauryl sulfate, all of which have been known to cause skin reactions/ complaints, such as eczema. Of course, it’s not just about lotions and potions when we take a look at health and wellbeing, there is also the area of pollutants that surround us. As we live very much now in ‘sealed’ environments, for example, double glazing, draft excluders, etc. This can create a very dry environment and also a dust trap. With a steady increase in childhood asthma, one solution is of course via the use of humidifiers and air purifiers. Why not check out the products on the following pages – you may be surprised at the results!

ily Skincare for the famwinning

Shea Mooti, the innovative natural skincare brand provides award products made with gentle organic and natural ingredients for the entire family free from harsh ingredients that can cause skin irritation. Each product in the line is formulated to moisturise, soothe and protect the skin. as The Baby range provides relief from common dry skin conditions, such l eczema and cradle cap, packed with moisturising Shea Butter, clinical Colloida and anti-itch for end recomm Oatmeal, an ingredient which paediatrician’s anti-scratch capabilities.

The Mama range is perfect for conditioning the skin, reducing stretch marks and preparing the body for birth and beyond. These products are rich in skin-rejuvenating Baobab Oil, moisturising Shea Butter, Vitamin E and Coconut Oil. Tel: 03450559197 Email: trade@sheamooti.com Web: www.sheamooti.com

Happy babies, happy parents Exclusively distributed in the UK by Nimans Home is Crane, the award winning humidifier brand that help towards a sounder sleep. Running whisper quiet up to 24 hours, the fun character designs are perfect for a nursery setting to improve air quality and help relieve cold and flu symptoms, nasal congestion, dry coughs, sinus irritation, nose bleeds and dry skin making for happy babies and happy parents! More energy efficient than a standard household lightbulb, the humidifiers also have an auto shut off should the 4.5 litre tank run empty and the ‘Clean Control Antimicrobial Material’ in the base is proven to help reduce mould and bacteria growth up to 99.96%. Due to the popularity of the fun Frog and Elephant characters, as well as the stylish Droplet, Nimans Home are extending the offering in the UK throughout Q4 2017 to include even more child friendly designs as well as air purifiers and cool mist humidifiers with an aroma diffuser. Email: rebecca. fuchs@ nimanshome. co.uk

nursery today

Easy to read as, so demand for a good

The cold and flu season will soon be upon thermometer is likely to increase. The Summer Infant Fever Alert Digital Ear Thermometer is really convenient and easy to use; the probe free infra-red ear thermometer provides all of the benefits of an ear thermometer without having to search for probe covers at each use. Fast and accurate, this thermometer measures the temperature quickly giving a visual reading. The patented fever alert feature means that it’s easy to see when a fever is detected as the screen will turn green if temperature is normal or red to show fever. It’s a comfortable and convenient way to take the temperature of not just baby, but the whole family. Summer Infant also has solutions for the less serious health matters, the handy Deluxe Nursery and Bath Kit provides a comprehensive set of essential baby care items and comes in a sturdy carry case, so ideal for travel and storage purposes. The kit includes: scissors, nasal aspirator, teether, thermometer strips, nail clippers, medicine dropper, gum massager and digital pen thermometer. The Summer Infant Fever Alert Digital Ear Thermometer has a guide retail of £19.99 and the Deluxe Nursery and Bath Kit £14.99. Web: www.summerinfant.co.uk

BLE

ILA AVA

NOW

20 YEARS bringing parents

peace of mind

@Hardenberg_Co Hardenberg&Co Ltd

Angelcare_AC517_NurseryTodayJuly17AW.indd 1

28/07/2017 11:51

focus HEALTH & WELLBEING

Breath easy

Soothing success Lansinoh HPA Lanolin helps soothe and protect sore, cracked nipples. 100% natural and hypoallergenic with no perfume, taste or additives, it is the only lanolin product to receive the British Allergy Foundation Seal of Approval. There is no need to remove before breastfeeding making it safe for both mum and baby. Now available in a handy 10ml tube, it can also be used for nappy rash, dry skin and as a naturally moisturising lip balm. Web: www.lansinoh.co.uk

osters Winter skin bo up keeping a turned gets

When the weather is colder and the heating baby’s skin moisturised is really important. Natural baby products range, little tree, offers host of products to help parents boost a baby’s skincare regime, ensuring that their skin is protected against the elements during the winter months. The little tree massage oil is ideal for keeping a baby’s skin soft and moisturised and boasts a mild, hypoallergenic formula that’s free from preservatives, artificial fragrances, silicone and petroleum derivatives. Made with grapeseed oil, olive oil and extract of Japanese white magnolia bark, little tree’s baby massage oil has received a 99.8% customer satisfaction rating. In addition to their skin, a baby’s lips need extra care in cold weather – dry lips can effect a little one’s eating habits and sleep quality. Little tree’s moisturising lip balm range, with vitamin E and beeswax, is ideal for protecting the delicate skin on the lips in the cold weather. Email: sales@littletree-naturally.com Web: www.littletree-naturally.com

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A blocked nose at night can be a disaster for the entire family, especially at night. Aspirating the nose is an important task, because the clogged nose and the maxillary sinuses filled up with secretion do not discharge by themselves and can cause numerous problems and illnesses. ENT Specialists have tested the Nosiboo and consider it an ideal solution because it operates gently with adjustable suction power, allowing nasal mucus to be removed effortlessly, quickly and effectively. Nosiboo has already won the PTPA Seal of Approval, German Design Award and Red Dot Award, with many more to follow. Distributed in the UK by bébélephant. Tel: 020 8202 1467 Email: info@bebelephant.com

Skin miracle maker Made in the UK and 100% natural, Love Boo is a lovely brand, created for pregnancy, post-natal and babies. This skincare brand has some really lovely, affordable and natural mum and baby products including its Miracle Oil. Adding elasticity and moisture to the skin, while preventing and reducing the appearance of stretch marks, this Miracle Oil includes fresh natural scents from extracts of peppermint, ginger, lime, mandarin and lemon – a refreshing product to brighten up even the darkest days of Winter! Tel: 01924 370240 Web: www.loveboo.com

Household essential

Vital Baby’s award winnin g Nurture Health And Safety Kit enables parent s to keep an eye on their little one’s temperature and help clear blocked little noses! A household essent ial for families, the helpful kit comes in a hyg ienic case and includes a FlexiSafe Thermometer, a Nasal Decongester and Arthur Bear, a Digital Ba th and Room Thermom eter. Tel: 01707 262 200

Web: www.vitalbaby.co. uk

The family’s natural choice suitable for eczema prone skin

Deep moisturiser 100% Natural & Vegetarian Naturally rich in Vitamins A, E & F Free from chemicals International award winning brand

SHEA BUTTER

Skincare From Nature Hypoallergenic Made with natural ingredients Scent from natural essences

NATURAL SKIN BARRIER

No preservatives No artificial fragrances No silicone or Petroleum derivatives

U Using natural plant ingredients, little tree’s s skincare range has everything from hydrating nappy n balm and moisturising lotion to m massage oil and liquid baby powder to n nourish and protect a baby’s delicate skin.

To stock the little tree range or for more information visit www.littletree-naturally.com or get in touch: sales@littletree-naturally.com.

To ﬁnd out more visit www.sheamooti.com nursery today

Feature:

ABC KIDS EXPO

Your Business for Your Show ABC Kids Expo is ready, set, go! his year, ABC Kids Expo has evolved to better serve attending buyers and the loyal exhibitors who look to this event to connect with their customers. Among some of these changes are; a new and modern look, a three-day format, and integrating show events on the trade show floor. These changes will help ABC Kids Expo better serve attendees and aim to give ttheir business three days of business, networking, and fun all in netw one. Attendees A can expect to se see the best brands and meet mee with new innovators that are ready to make their thei impact in the juvenile products juve industry. ind All Baby & Child Ch Corp. (ABC) prides itself in the pri ability to bring both big ab name na brands and new start-ups all under one st

ny W it h t h e cmu rarently t c h a llen g es vtehnaile p ro duc ts f a c e t h e j ury, A B C h a s in dust s m a inta in e d hito st in g an to c o m m it metntb rin gs to g et h er event t h a r s an d t h e buy e s t h at m anu f a c tutrheerm . s upp o rt

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”

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roof. Each exhibitor is given an equal opportunity to stand out from the crowd and bring attention to their products. “We’ve had many exhibitors that first came as inventors in our Invention Connection,” says Larry Schur, president of ABC. “Many of our former inventors are now loyal attending exhibitors and they have had a tremendous success at ABC Kids Expo. These brands include Tranquilo Mat, Sink Boss, and Willow the Knee Pillow.” Another popular attraction at ABC Kids Expo is the New Product Showcase. The New Product Showcase brings all the new products that have been on the market for less than one year or products that are set to release in the next year. This remains a popular destination for attending buyers due to the fact that they get a sneak peak at products for the upcoming year and can pre-order these items for their store. The New Product Showcase also allows participating exhibitors to apply for the New Products Showcase Awards of Distinction, which made its debut at the 2016 show. “The Awards of Distinction allow us to give

The N ew Produc t “ Sh ow

ca se brin gs all th e ne w produc ts th at have been on th e m arket for les s th an on e ye ar or produc ts th at are set to re lea se in th e next ye ar.

”

special recognition to our participating manufacturers and allows them to maximize attention and publicity for their products,” said Schur. With the many challenges that currently face the juvenile products industry, ABC has maintained its commitment to hosting an event that brings together buyers and the manufacturers that support them. “The beautiful thing about ABC Kids Expo is that it’s an event for the juvenile products industry, put on by the juvenile products industry. As a nonprofit, we’re able

to offer ffer a much er rate than competito or lower competitor ws and invest most shows of our ur profits back into the show to provide a better experience for the attendees,” added Schur.

The 2017 ABC Kids Expo is from October 17-19th at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information on this year’s ABC Kids Expo, visit: www.theabcshow.com.

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talking shop NURSERY SUPPORT GROUP

Shop matters with NSG

K Yasmin Ali, Babyland, Fife Y

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ind Und Jugend 2017 was spectacular nothing short. I spent almost a week in Cologne and still felt there was so much for me to see and explore. Lots of colour, amazing new designs and innovations and most importantly a great job by the BPA – the UK Pavilion was a triumph with lots of brands we know and love, some companies I met who were new, each bringing new products and lines to the table. I noticed a blanket change: cha a huge turn to the independent sector. Talking Tal to fellow NSG members me and other ret retailers, I get the feeling tha many suppliers are that tak taking a new approach. Th has been a There ch change and its positive. Su Suppliers had exclusive lin for us (most of lines w which were bang on co colourways and price p points), they had p promos and incentives f their independent for c customers also, which i a huge boost for us. is I was hugely i impressed by iCandy, the new Peach is a great looking product a d hats off to our and indep independents repre representative Hele Hickman Helen (Bum (Bumpstart Baby

Shop), who despite the mass weight of pressure on her shoulders chose for us the Peach exclusive colourway. The all-black was by far the strongest colour, so well done Helen, and thanks to iCandy for giving us this opportunity with this range. BabyStyle had a mass of new products, stand out for me had to be the stunning rose gold Egg with glitter fabrics, the videos and pictures do it no justice, certainly you must see it to believe it. I also loved the rose gold Oyster, which I think added a whole new dimension to the product. Both proving big hits on social media so far. Maxi Cosi’s new car seat to replace the Pebble was a positive addition to the range, as was the improvements to the Cabriofix, and the positive direction of condensing the colour range. I managed to smash a life goal by meeting the man of my dreams, Darth Vader on the stand with his Stormtrooper mate. I won’t lie, I was so excited I was shaking and couldn’t even take a proper selfie… Darth comes with a new range of Star Wars car seats, which are limited and a great buy for sci-fi parents! Also, the air bag car seat which was just a sample last year is coming soon, an innovative product that safetyconscious parents will snap up. I also REALLY liked the new Rachel Zoe Zapp - refreshing look and fabric choice, really out there. Not to forget the new Maxi Cosi wheels, with prices that I did not believe. Consider it! Cybex have an entire new product range, far too much to mention, but again very innovative and fresh and as

always miles ahead with regard to design. The party as usual was off the hook, and I can say we have the best rep in Dominic who Is truly one of the most down to earth, genuine people in the industry. I LOVE the new Z range, and the new specials are so pretty. Other highlights include Mamas & Papas anthracite Ocarro (my FAVOURITE), Silver Cross MarieChantal Collection with HRH Princess of Greece – who was present to launch the luxury pram and nursery range. Bébécar had a massive range on show, including the show-stopping Privé Rose and incredible silver and gold prams which I was totally in love with. Mee-go by far had my favourite new furniture: an upholstered cot bed at an amazing price with the usual fantastic quality we expect. Also, we saw Mee-go’s latest range of prams, alongside the top selling Milano. We now have the Venice Child Kangaroo, which comes in a range of lovely colours, a slick new product that will be a sure hit on our floors. Independents’ favourite Venicci have a new chassis, incredible new car seat adapters and a lovely bang on trend pram…with pram sheets to baa-baa about. (Ha ha you guys!). Mima’s bright yellow Xari certainly got all our social media pages buzzing with mixed reactions, really daring and bold! I liked the up and coming Chicco range, the new 4 in 1 multi-function product by far my favourite, with a good price point too. Guess who’s back? Natasha’s back! Tell a friend! Pink Lining makes a comeback and it exceeded my

expectations, I cannot wait to get the range in - love hearts, Dalmatian print, fruit, beautiful colours and GLITTER! I got a tour of the Joie and Nuna range…liked the new (amusingly named - sorry Chris) Nuna double, and the entire Joie range, the new family of prints coming in and of course the designer look range coming soon. I loved Matchstick Monkey and their new range, Ewan the sheep has extended his range, I met the lovely Kiera and she’s got some beautiful muslin, in my favourite designs. I saw frills, dogtooth print, lots of unicorns, flamingos, pineapples - and took lots of selfies with random stuffed toys and the people exhibiting them, as you do! I had the best time with my amazing friends. A highlight was meeting the beautiful Mutsy Famke, who I haven’t seen in a long time, and is another industry person who has become a dear friend. The new Mutsy colours incidentally are very strong and commercially right. Nights out and socialising is a big part of K&J for me, so it was nice to spend time with retailer friends, industry people and finally properly meet the one and only

Malcolm Naish (Nursery Today’s Managing Director), who I’m proud to say is a fan! Thank you for your support! Big shout out to my boy John Barker who is showcasing his journalistic skills with uss here in NT, (I actually quite like to see Chewbacca on a pram hood, but that’s just me!)!) I’m just back from two incredibly busy and d intense training days and nd Ian’s (Babylicious) birthday! Cosatto know w how to put on a party, and the training, although intense, was informative and thought provoking. Ian was spoiled with cake, personalised badges, presents and lots more. Thank you Cosatto! Until next month NT! Over and out! K&J 2017 DONE!

retail TECHNOLOGY

Image source, Pexels.com

User experience matters This issue David looks at the importance of ensuring your descriptive information on your website is correct and presented in an easy to absorb manner. magine this scenario… You have a brand new high street shop. All of your shelving and display units are well laid out in the best way to entice customers to browse through your wares. All good so far? Excellent! Now imagine that for 70% of your products, you spray paint over packaging, making details of what’s actually contained in that packaging illegible. No sane retailer would of course do the above; it would be the death knell for sales and would lead to almost immediate bankruptcy, but sit down and relax for a minute because you might be shocked to learn that many online retailers do exactly this with their websites every day!

David Fairhurst Head of Creative Online Marketing - Intelligent Retail

David Fairhurst

In your ‘bricks and mortar’ store, you obviously spend a lot of time making sure customer service is at a high level and interaction with customers is focussed on maximising spend. On a website you don’t have the provision of a salesperson to answer potential customer queries and rely on product and supplemental information to do all of your selling for you. In effect, the content on product pages has to take on two tasks; that of the product packaging and that of sales person, getting product descriptive information wrong is therefore a massive blunder and will lead to poor sales. Even worse, consider the fact that in an online store customers aren’t able to touch and see the products you are offering before purchase; the best we can do on a website is to provide large, detailed images and perhaps some product videos for more technical / dynamic products. Miss off the images or provide low quality imagery and conversion rates drop even further than if a description is missing.

Head of eCommerce, Intelligent Retail, http://www.intelligentretail.co.uk

What Customers Really Want

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

Virtual Sales Person

nursery today

A past Which? report on online shopping behaviour highlighted which online shops were regarded as giving the best shopping experience. More importantly, the report laid out exactly why the panel of experts and public thought each experience was good or

bad. It is probably no surprise to learn that the online shops which were consistently rated with high feedback scores were those which gave lots of product information and put no barriers in the way of a purchase. The leader of the pack here was AO.com, specialist in household appliances. AO were praised for bountiful amounts of on-page content including large, clear images, videos and reviews as well as of course full descriptions for each of the products. We can therefore deduce that what online shoppers actually want is as much product information as possible, laid out in an easy to absorb manner. This gives the online shopper everything they need to know about the product they might potentially be purchasing and makes the possibility of that purchase much higher. Add to this free delivery (with the option of same day delivery in some cases) and you can see why AO.com got voted the best online shopping experience!

Take a Step Back Now that we know what’s needed for a really great online shopping experience, take a step back from your own website and view with the eye of a typical website user. Do your pages give all the information you need as a purchaser? Do you really want to purchase after reading the description and looking at the images? Are your delivery policies enabling potential sales? If the answer is no then you really have to re-think how products are presented on your website. You really don’t need to spend too much energy here figuring out what you need to do – take a look at what the top websites do and you’ll be on the right track, after all large companies spend massive amounts of money developing websites and online strategies to make sure online sales move forward; look what these top companies do and then do what you can to mimic these successful websites. Most of all, if you currently have products with poor quality images and descriptions (or even worse, no descriptions and images at all!) then do

your business a favour and rectify as soon as you can, because otherwise that well designed website you have won’t be selling anything!

Why People Shop Online Some traditional retailers bemoan the advent of online shopping, thinking that traditional high street sales are affected because online traders are able to offer lower prices. In some respects this is true. If overheads are lower, goods can and do get offered at a lower price point. For most online shoppers though, this isn’t the main driving factor of online shopping. Convenience. That’s the keyword here… Online shoppers love the ability to shop when they want and get goods delivered to their door; if those products happen to be substantially lower priced than high street alternatives then this is a bonus! So online shopping is all about convenience, but if the correct information isn’t present on a website then this not only ruins the shopping experience but leads to frustration and loss of sales. In the Which? Survey mentioned, customers of the worst offending websites complained about lack of information, products which were grouped in the wrong categories and navigation systems which were difficult to use. A good, fresh website using the latest technology will sort out everything except the content, which is best left to a professional copywriter in most cases. What’s needed is top quality, focussed text on all category pages, unique product focussed text on each product page and a coherent content strategy (interest and article pages, ‘how to’ guides etc.) which will grab attention of both search engines and people, gaining links from other websites and social media over time. Get the content right and I guarantee search engines as well as your website’s visitors will love you… and so will your bank manager!

Sponsored by Unique design for ultimate comfort

The Little Chick London’s gorgeous new 2-Stage Comfort Nest has only just hit shop shelves and is already proving a hugely popular stock item for retailers across the UK. This fantastic multi-functional product is ideal for supervised playtime and naptime keeping babies safely contained in their own snug nest with a super soft breathable, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal bamboo cover which is fully washable at 30 degrees. The USP of the Little Chick Comfort Nest is a removable wedge so that babies can either lie flat or be propped up to ease reflux and provide better eye-to-eye contact. This wedge can also be used independently tucked under the cot sheet to raise baby’s upper body during the night. Popular mummy blogger Kira Hut was send a Little Chick London Comfort Nest to try with her new baby daughter Nila and commented: “This baby nest is a godsend – honestly – Nila sleeps through the night now that she has the wedge to prop her up. It’s one of the best products we have – you should be very proud of it!” The Little Chick London Comfort Nest also folds neatly into its own bag for storage making it compact for storage and travel.

al n o i t c n u M ultpi f p ro duc t s lee

new!

altimes Fun at me mealtimes fun, Vital Baby’s new tableware Never failing to make sets feature two roaringly different and unique designs; a colourful, geometric dinosaur print, including a wild jungle theme and a pretty rabbit design, complete with flowers in pink and blue. Each set includes an anti-slip plate and an anti-slip bowl, ideal for minimising mess on smooth surfaces and table tops! Web: www.vitalbaby.co.uk

Tel: 07976 773486 Email: hello@littlechick.london

Breath of fresh air

Brizi Baby is a patented, high-function fan and filter embedded in a comfortable cushion. It works together with a digital app and a portable Brizi Sensor to form a clean air ecosystem that reduces airborne pollution in a child’s breathing area by up to 80%. It sits comfortably in a pram or car seat. The accompanying app and sensor can be used by the wider community to help map toxicity in local areas – for healthier route planning. It’s available on Kickstarter now. Web: www.briziair.com

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

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BPA notice board

Lords and Dragons ns

Robert Anslow M anaging Director If you r company is a me mb er of the Bab y Pro duc ts Ass ocia tion and you are not cur rently receivin g me mb ers ’ e-bulletins wit h industry upd ates , but would like to, ple ase em ail juli e@ b-p -a. org wh o will add you to the databa se.

www.thebpa.eu

The Baby Products Association certainly upped its game in Cologne this year, as the UK Pavilion at Kind und JJugend was not only bigger and better than ever before; with more participants and eye-catching branding; but also attracted attention from Lords and Dragons too. Touker Suleyman of BBC television’s Dragon’s Den spent several days in the UK Pavilion supporting current business interests and exploring opportunities to support new UK innovations. Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham who is chairman of a number of businesses including On Logistics which is the UK distributor for Apramo; and also served as the UK’s Minister of State for Trade & Investment from 2007 to 2008, spent a day visiting the UK Pavilion and expressed his admiration for the exhibition area saying: “It’s incredible to see so many British companies together flying the flag. Seeing the prominent branding in the UK Pavilion – which is the focal point of the entire hall – makes me feel proud to be British.” This year, more than 70 companies participated in the UK Pavilion with every type of product for pregnancy and babies possible including toiletries and wipes, feeding and teething accessories, toys and furniture and of course strollers and car seats. The dedicated networking area in the centre of the Pavilion proved hugely popular, not only with exhibitors in the Pavilion, but encouraged international buyers to remain in the area to meet colleagues and enjoy refreshments. Demand for the UK Pavilion bags, sponsored by BabyStyle, was huge, with Julie Milne of the Baby Products Association commenting: “I couldn’t put the bags out quickly enough – they were snapped up like hotcakes and it was great to see them carried around the exhibition halls and also in Koln town centre - they certainly attracted visitors to the UK Pavilion.” The Baby Products Association als also produced an independent UK Pa Pavilion Directory again this year, w which proved a useful tool for buyers se searching for specific British co companies and is light and easy to ca carry for future reference too. The UK Pavilion Networking ev which took place on the first event d at the close of the show, was well day a attended by British exhibitors and r retailers and buyers attending the s show and was extra special this year w a jazz band, providing a jovial with a atmosphere. This was provided by N Nursery Today magazine which j jointly sponsored the event to c celebrate its 20th anniversary. A AllPort Cargo Services, which provided the logistics for many

Touker Suleyman of BBC’s Dragon’s Den (2nd from right) with the Rockit team. 62

nursery today

Left to Right: Simon Anslow, Adrian Sneyd, Christine Scippo, Lord Digby Jones, Robert Anslow, Julie Milne.

exhibitors in the UK Pavilion also sponsored the event – ensuring plenty of free drinks and nibbles to be enjoyed by all. While numerous Baby Products Association members return to the UK Pavilion at Kind und Jugend year after year, 2017 had an unprecedented number of brand new companies new to the industry. Stephen and Sarah Cummins of Mooncow commented: “We choose to use Kind + Jugend as a platform to launch our company Mooncow with our very first product. The feedback and response was overwhelming and we could not be happier with how it went. We have a significant number of leads that have and will lead to business now and in the future. We feel really positive about the future of Mooncow and are looking forward to designing and developing further products.” Motherly Love, which produces natural skincare products for pregnancy and babies, also attended the show for the first time, with Jan Bastard of the company stating: “It was our first time attending this trade show and the UK Pavilion was very well laid out and looked very professional. Our products are on the periphery of the main show theme as this is a baby and toddler show and we are predominantly pregnancy with some baby products. For this reason, we did not expect to have big numbers interested in our products. We were therefore very pleased with both the number of positive leads that we got and the broad country base that they came from.” Robert Anslow, managing director of the Baby Products Association, concludes: “The UK Pavilion moved to a new location, Hall 4.1 of Koelnmesse this year and we were uncertain about how this would work for our members. However, it was noticeable that this area was busier than other halls at the show – to the point that several companies in Halls 10 and 11 have enquired about relocating to the UK Pavilion next year. Early feedback from our exhibitors indicate that 2017 was another very successful show.”

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