Festive

T’is the season … to buy

Festive tabletop has always had a place in the home – thus, it is big business with buyers. We highlight some collections for retailers looking to invest for the 2022 holiday period…

With festive tableware a big seller across the retail spectrum – think everything from ornaments to themed dinner sets – consumers are continuing to buy into the idea that accent pieces, or indeed full tablescapes, help to create magic within the home. This is all good news for retailers. Take UK department store John Lewis, for example, it is increasing its festive offering for 2022, says Nicola Hattersley – category lead tabletop, as they look to build on the success of 2021.

While John Lewis creates three to four tablescapes which consumers can buy, most Nicola says, tend to pick up accent pieces – so think side plates, bowls, large platters and cake stands which all perform well. From a supplier point of view, Lou Scala, chief marketing officer, Portmeirion Group, tells us brands such as Nambé and Spode Christmas continue to perform well in 2021 through 2022. Lou credits the continued desire to spend time with friends and family as a solid starting point for the popularity of festive products.

“The consumer desire to spend more quality time with family and friends stays with us and we continue to focus on more intimate celebrations that are welcoming, happy, and festive,” he says. So let’s take a look at some pieces which have the potential to sell well for AW 22.

Noritake

Dinnerware

Given that the holidays tend to revolve around food, festive dinnerware is a must. Noritake are masters at presenting a festive collection. In recent years they have seen an increase in sales of holiday extensions for White Palace, Silver Palace, Crestwood Gold, and Crestwood Platinum. Charlotta Gold and Trefolio Holiday collections are its most recent introductions of holiday extensions.

Another company who do Christmas very well is Villeroy & Boch. The Toys Delight series is, quite literally, a delight. For more than ten years, Toy’s Delight has been a firm favourite with buyers looking to amp up their seasonal offering. The collection boasts classic Christmas colours of red, green and white decorating a wide range of products – plates to cups, mugs and bowls or wine and champagne glasses.

Also look out for Villeroy & Boch’s Annual Christmas Edition which showcases beautifully intricate patterns on plates, bowls, mugs, balls and bells create a very nostalgic and delightfully festive atmosphere. This year, Santa Claus is travelling through a snowy village on his sleigh loaded up with presents, eagerly awaited by excited children. Not forgetting The Toy’s Fantasy plates and bowls which create a particularly nostalgic festive atmosphere, again with plates, cups, mugs and bowls or wine and champagne glasses. Lenox also do festive very well and have a 12-piece plate and mug set from their bestselling Holiday collection. What a classic! Crafted of beautiful ivory china and accented in 24k gold, this 1974 motif is a top pattern for a reason with its iconic holly and berry motif in festive greens and reds.

Lenox’s endless collection spans from durable, dishwashersafe dinnerware, through to exquisite glasses and must-have serveware. Lenox

Fact!

Lenox’s classic Holiday pattern dates back to 1974.

Lenox

Christmas gifting

Easy, giftable items – anything which takes the sting out of buying – is great for a consumer who doesn’t necessarily want to overthink too much. And this is where collector’s items go down a storm. Dunoon, for example, have their fantastic annual Christmas mug and plate which this year features a deer in a snowy landscape with Santa in his sleigh flying overhead. The border on the plate has pinecones, holly and acorns forming a very colourful and decorative pattern and are beautifully drawn by Sue Scullard. Another great gifting option is Lenox’s Christmas-themed Luna Nesting Dinnerware Set which is an absolute delight, the modular piece opening up into a service for several people with six bowls and two plates. And naturally it boasts Lenox’s famed Holiday pattern with holly leaves, candy cane stripes and luxe golden accents. Of course, if anyone does festive-themed pieces well, it is Wrendale by Royal Worcester. Boasting a huge array of Christmas pieces, their 2022 themed ornament and mug sets are particularly in keeping with the season and make for easy, convenient gifting options. Spode, too, have an easy gifting option with its five-piece tin set which includes a very traditional Christmas tree motif and includes two mugs, two coasters and the tin itself.

Hutschenreuther’s new My Christmas Mug collection is another super option with elegant bone china mugs featuring four expressive motifs and festive sayings making them the perfect gift option for retailers looking to add to their assortment.

Spode

Retail Corner

Nicola Hattersley,

category lead tabletop, John Lewis, tells us what sells well for the iconic department store

“We have had great success with Christmas tableware and invest in both full tableware ranges as well as stand-alone accent pieces. We create three to four tablescapes each season with coordinated tableware and table linen. We do have customers who will buy into a whole new collection to dress their table but most look to layer accent pieces that work alongside their main tableware at home, with side plates and bowls as the most popular items. Christmas serveware is also popular with large platters for serving meat, as well as cake stands for cakes and puddings. We are increasing the offer in 2022 building on the success of AW21. Consumer research has shown that gifts for children and the Christmas meal are the important focus for them and that they would compromise on buying adult gifts so as not to compromise these.”

Dunoon

Spotlight on… Spode

Spode’s 2022 Christmas Tree Annual Collection features the iconic Spode

Tree encircled by a border of eucalyptus and winter greens accented with pinecones and berries. The Christmas Tree Annual Collector Plate features an illustration of Santa with a bundle of gifts and a sleigh filled with more gifts surrounded by a border accented with holly boughs. There is a commemorative back stamp “Wishing You a Merry Christmas 2022”. Very festive!

Décor

Rosenthal meets Versace When it comes to setting the scene, festive décor and tabletop work hand-in-hand. Denby will be launching its Porcelain Stars Collection at the upcoming

Exclusively show in London this June. The Stars Collection is a celebration of the two key Denby porcelain glazes – Arc White and Arc Blue – which combine their strikingly beautiful texture with decorated and elegant luxurious gold enamel stars. The collection includes core place setting items, plus new serving items including a serving bowl, new turkey platter and sauce jug making it perfect for both seasonal and all-year dining and entertaining. The Denby Porcelain Stars collection will be available from September 2022.

Hutschenreuther deliver with a lovely Christmas Eve collection. This new 2022 collector’s edition assortment tells a delightful story of Christmas joy in lovingly crafted illustrations by the Czech artist Renáta Fučíková on high-quality porcelain. The star ornaments in three décors are ones to watch and join the rest of the assortment.

Meanwhile, Rosenthal meets Versace introduces a bigger glass snow globe (16.8 cm) to accompany the smaller version (12cm) as part of its novelties for 2022.

Finished in red and gold, both can be combined with the Medusa

Amplified Golden Coin collection or the Golden Medusa series. And if it’s baubles you are after, both Spode and Royal Worcester, amongst others, have a lovely selection to choose from. Royal Worcester

“Nambé and Spode Christmas continue to perform well in 2021 through 2022. Our diverse offerings in Spode Christmas Tree, Nambé Christmas and our Nambé Judaica collections create lasting memories for all. Whether it be a special Christmas tree ornament, a menorah, or a Christmas platter for holiday meals, our seasonal products speak to the consumer and create lasting memories.”

Retail Corner

US retailer Michele Trzuskowski, T is for Table, on the popularity of festive tabletop

“Festive dinnerware is very popular as it is considered one of the times that families sit down for Christmas Dinner – so many consumers invest in specific holiday patterns and then add to it each year. If not full place settings, they will certainly invest in salad/dessert plates that mix and match with their more formal china.”

Lou Scala, chief marketing officer, Portmeirion Group, on why Nambé and Spode’s festive collections continuing to perform well

Lenox

Glassware

Artěl

There is nothing quite like a glass of fizz from a festive-themed piece to get you in the holiday spirit and Lenox have a super fun collection of martini glasses, stemless wine glasses and stemless flutes, along with other glassware, from their Holiday collection. The motif is certainly in keeping with the season – think a gold rim with decorative holly.

Equally as fun – but at a different price point – is Artěl who are launching a festive collection for 2022. And this is a little different for the company because it was created at the behest of a client.

“We don’t typically entertain such requests,” says company founder and director Karen Feldman, who oversees the firm’s design process, “but after all the challenges of 2021, we agreed to create a single holiday-themed motif. Before we knew it, the holiday spirit had kicked in completely and we wound up designing and producing the entire set of four! The client was so pleased that we immediately decided it would be a wonderful idea to make the set publicly available. I’m certain our fans will love it as much as we do!”

Sporting simple, joyful depictions of classic holiday themes, the new collection is comprised of four motifs that are available either individually or as a set of four glasses (sets include one glass with each design) – think candy canes, ornaments, holly and snowflakes.

We are told that one of these striking designs (holly) features finely detailed hand-engraving and the other three are expertly hand-sandblasted, resulting in a delightfully seasonal frosted appearance that contrasts beautifully with the smooth crystal. Each glass in the new collection is offered in a wide range of the firm’s signature vibrant colours.

This is a mere snippet of the fantastic holiday collections on offer – certainly worth exploring for retail if you’ve not yet fully immersed yourself, and your store, in the festive season.