News

Greats Finalists Announced

A Record-Breaking Entry

Despite a year of lockdowns and shop closures, there was an outstanding, record-breaking response to The Greats Awards 2021, with this year’s outstanding finalists announced on pages 14 and 15. The winners will be revealed at an exciting, glamorous awards afternoon event, which will be taking place live at the historic Honourable Artillery Club (HAC) in London on Thursday September 23.

“Entrants and nominees exceeded expectations, with the pandemic challenging all retailers to really up their game, especially while the doors were closed,” commented PG&H/GiftandHome.net’s editor Sue Marks. “Gift shop owners magnificently rose to the challenge, showing their resilience and their

resourcefulness in finding ways to go on trading successfully. The bar has been set very high this year, and every one of our finalists excelled in their category.”

Added Sue: “It is also wonderful to be able to confidently confirm that The Greats Awards will be live this year, with the opportunity for the whole gifts and home industry to get together and clink glasses to toast the winners in person and to network!”

To be a part of The Greats Awards - a very special highlight on the gift industry’s

calendar - contact event organiser Clare Hollick for tickets at Createvents: tel: 01183 340085 e: clare@createvents.co.uk or visit Max-Tickets.net. To date, the impressive line-up of Greats sponsors include (in alphabetical order): Candlelight; Carte Blanche Greetings (CBG); Gift Republic; GiftsandHome.net; Gisela Graham; Harrogate Christmas & Gift; Joe Davies; Life Charms: Progressive Gifts & Home; Premier Decorations; Progressive Greetings Live; Spring Fair and Autumn Fair; Wrendale Designs and The Giftware Association.

For remaining sponsorship opportunities, please contact Jo Pilcher on 020 3764 1694 e: jop@max-publishing.co.uk; for all Greats enquiries, please contact Sue Marks on 020 8361 2055 or e: suem@max-publishing.co.uk. For more details, visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk

Left: London’s Honourable Artillery Club (HAC). Below: The team at Highworth Emporium, winner of last year’s Best Retailer Initiative award.

Firebox.com Acquired By MH direkt

Online gift retailer Firebox.com, among the first UK e-commerce success stories, and best known for its quirky, giftable products - that include Unicorn Tears Gin, the Mystery Box, CrapWrap and Mushions - has been acquired by Austrian e-commerce service provider MH direkt for an undisclosed sum.

As a one-stop provider for the e-commerce sector, MH direkt currently works with several online retailers, and also owns European gift sites Radbag, Troppotogo and CadeauxFolies, seeing the acquisition of Firebox as an important milestone in its growth strategy. “Both shops will be operated separately, while working closely together in terms of marketing and product development,” confirms Philipp Schindler’s ceo of MH direkt. “There are a lot of synergies between the brands and we see Firebox as an excellent addition to our portfolio.” Firebox has served over 5 million customers to date and has become a platform for novelty gift items outside the mainstream.

Left: Firebox.com has been acquired by MH direkt.

Industry NEWS

G7 Gift Hampers

Sisters and co-owners of newbie gift retailer (and Greats finalist) The St Ives Co. - Ainslie Fowler, Tegen Mackay and Safi Mackie - were thrilled to receive a surprise call from the Cabinet Office earlier this year, inviting them to supply gift hampers featuring Cornish goodies for each of the world leaders at the recent G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. As a result, delegates received miniature toiletries featuring hand soap, shower gel and body balm, as well as shampoo and conditioner.

“It was such an honour to be a part of it,” co-owner Ainslie Fowler told PG&H. “Our vision for The St. Ives Co. is to allow visitors to take a bit of Cornwall back home with them which is what the world leaders did.”

Above: A typical Cornish gift hamper sold by The St. Ives Co. gift shop.

Eastbourne Beckons For Sussex Gift Store

Among the independent gift store owners adding to their retail portfolio are Greg Rose and John Dale, co-owners of Maybugs in Hailsham, East Sussex (which is a finalist in The Greats 2021). Pressing ahead with ambitious expansion plans to open a second, much larger gift store in Eastbourne at the end of July, they will be taking over all three floors of the former Laura Ashley site which is located in the centre of town. "We've been working on this in secret for months,” states Greg. “Covid delayed our expansion plans, but not even that was going to stop us. We have so many wonderful customers that come from Eastbourne to shop with us in Hailsham, or order online via our website, that it was a natural move for us to open a second store here.”

Adds John: “The ground floor is more than double the size of our Hailsham branch, which has enabled us to source lots of new, brands, and we have something special planned for the first and second floors which will be opening next Spring.”

Below: Co-owners Greg Rose and John Dale outside Maybugs in Hailsham.

Home & Gift Part Of Below: Visitors browsing the aisles at 2019’s Home & Gift. Government Pilot Scheme

No Restrictions At The Show Confirms Clarion

As exhibitors and retailers get ready for both Home & Gift and the Manchester Furniture Show in Harrogate (July 18-21), detailed discussions have taken place with the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Public Health Bodies and the Harrogate Convention Centre, with both shows selected to be part of a limited number of pilot events in the third phase of the Government Events Research Programme (ERP).

Under the ERP pilot conditions, there will be no restrictions on visitor numbers or social distancing requirements on any day of the event.

All attendees will be required to certify that either they have had two vaccinations at least two weeks prior to attending, or a negative NHS Lateral Flow Test at least 48 hours before attending. The consent required from all participants to opt into ERP and the NHS’ Test and Trace is being sent to all registered buyers and exhibitors individually.

“With the backing of the government, public health bodies and our key customers, we can see that the appetite and enthusiasm are there for an in-person buying and selling event,” states show director, Russell Rule. “There is great excitement from both exhibitors and visitors to reconnect in Harrogate to celebrate our 60th Anniversary!”

Tourism Minister Nigel Huddleston commented: “I’m delighted we are able to include the Home & Gift Show 2021 at full capacity as part of our ground breaking Events Research Programme. This will continue to trial the use of the NHS app as a means to show you’re Covid safe.”

The show will be taking place across the Harrogate Convention Centre and the grounds of the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate. Registration is open. Visit homeandgift.co.uk (See Celebrating 60 Years on pages 21-23).

Above: The new Museum Collection from CD Heritage.

Museum Collection Saved

Ceramic Design Heritage has acquired the Museum Collection brand, assets and artwork, rescuing the 25-year-old brand from extinction. The range is already in production and available for delivery. “The addition of the Museum Collection brand, and vast library of designs that comes with it, enables us to give an off the shelf historic product offering to our customers,” explains Paul Travis, founder and sales & marketing director of Ceramic Design (CD) Heritage. “The product range will be manufactured in our Stoke on Trent factory offering low minimums and rapid deliveries.”

St Eval Makes Queen’s Award History

Cornish candle manufacturer St. Eval has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development, making this the first ever Queen’s Award for a candle manufacturer, and representing the highest accolade for business success and sustainability. The Award recognises and celebrates St. Eval’s outstanding commitment and achievement in sustainability, with the company one of only 17 award winners in the Sustainable Development category.

St Eval’s ceo Ian Greaves commented that a key element to the company’s success has been the people at the heart of the business - from protecting wildlife on site, and championing plastic-free packaging, to helping customers understand the benefits of sustainable production.

“A manufacturing company, whatever its location, can thrive and grow in a sustainable way,” states Ian. “We are determined to set the standard for actions to preserve and nurture the natural world around us.” (See Protecting The Planet on pages 33-35).

Right: St Eval has won a Queen’s Award for its commitment to sustainability.

Industry NEWS

Smelling Sweet

With a focus on beauty and wellbeing, Katie Loxton has introduced brandnew, UK made vegan-friendly hand creams with fragrances such as Sweet Almond and Vanilla Flower.

Right: New hand creams from Katie Loxton.

Rex London’s New EU Hub

Following on from Brexit in January, and the teething problems that came with it, Rex London has established a distribution centre in Belgium to better serve its customers in the EU, without customs delays or additional costs.

Customers in the EU can continue to place their orders with Rex London, with all orders being imported into the EU by their new Belgian company, Rex London BV, which is wholly owned and managed by the UK company.

With international markets identified as the key growth areas for the business, the new chapter focuses the company’s resources on building and sustaining its international presence.

Current delivery forecasts estimate a total transit time of up to two weeks for most EU orders, with the company investigating further measures to reduce the time period.

Above: Rex London has established a distribution centre in Belgium.

Sales Soar At Dunelm

Home and housewares retailer Dunelm - whose giftware suppliers include Candlelight - saw total sales increase by 59% for the first seven weeks of its fourth quarter (commencing March 28 2021). The retailer said sales growth had been ‘very strong’, with the company performing significantly ahead of the market.

Alongside the company’s strong digital channels, other factors driving sales included click and collect, a pent-up consumer demand during the store closure period, and a buoyant homewares market. Unseasonably cold Spring weather was also cited as a factor.

Above: Dunelm has seen strong sales growth.

What’s On The Cards At PG Live

Dedicated greeting card show readies to welcome visitors

Thousands of new designs will be launched at PG Live which opens its doors on Tuesday July 27 and Wednesday July 28 at London’s Business Design Centre.

“We’re on the countdown and the excitement is really starting to build,” enthused Warren Lomax,

co-owner of Max Exhibitions which owns and organises the dedicated card show.

“After 17 months without trade shows, PG Live will be a wonderful opportunity for the greeting card community to get back together. I’ve been lucky enough to have a sneak preview at what exhibitors are planning to launch and it’s impressive!”

As with previous years, ‘meeters and greeters’ will be dressed in striking, colourful dresses made out of card and wrap samples that have been sent in by exhibitors, with specialist board company Fedrigoni dressing the lunchroom. Hallmark meanwhile, is working with designer Kate Smith on the tote bags that will be given to visitors on arrival. Returning to the show, and setting just the right musical tone, will be saxophonist

Graeme Airth of Curiously Killed The Cat, who will be providing both a musical welcome to visitors as well as playing in the lunch room during the break (sponsored by

Skylight Media). A delicious lunch will be free to exhibitors and visitors on both days of the show, along with free teas and coffees throughout the event.

Plus, everyone is invited to a fantastic opening night party on Tuesday July 27. Visit www.progressivegreetingslive.com (See A Cardie Reunion on pages 30-31.

Above: PG Live will be opening its doors to visitors this month.

Father’s Day Boost For Gift Indies

According to a report from GlobalData, some 70.4% of Father’s Day shoppers had planned to shop in store for the occasion, with gift independents reporting that sales were buoyant.

“We had a really busy week, with Father's Day sales both in our stores and online,” confirmed Jon May, co-owner of Mooch Gifts & Home in Bewdley and Stourport on Severn. “Our best-selling gift was definitely The Dog Father mug from Sweet William, closely followed by the cheeky range of soaps from the folks at Go La La.”

Bradley Trevylan, owner of Raven Lifestyle stores in Tavistock

and Totnes, concurred. “We had a lot of Father’s Day shoppers in. Our bestselling men’s gift was our Astronaut summer globe. We find novelty tends to do well for men’s gifting.”

In Colchester, Bill Nettelfield, owner of Bill & Bert’s, also reported a strong event, with gin making kits from Swash among the best sellers. “We also sold lots of glassware from Selbrae, as well as pork scratchings from Snaffling Pig and chutneys from Cartwright & Butler.”

At Joco Interiors in Nuneaton, owner Jo Williams set up a dedicated Father’s Day display and promoted items via Facebook lives, “One of the most popular items this year were Dartington Crystal tumblers, tying in with favourite sports and hobbies.”

Maybugs in Hailsham expanded the shop’s core men's giftware section to include more dad related items. “However, Father's Day specific trade was slow,” said co-owner Greg Rose. That said, the Thistle and Black Pepper grooming collection from Scottish Fine Soaps proved to be a hit.”

Above: The eye-catching Father’s Day window at Mooch Gifts & Home, Bewdley.

New EU VAT Rules

Changes in EU VAT have come into effect this month affecting all businesses, to include suppliers and retailers in the gift and home industry, selling products direct to consumers in EU countries. All orders under £150, supplied to customers in EU countries, now have to charge VAT at the correct VAT rate for the country in which the package is delivered. The Greeting Card Association (GCA) has been pro-active in highlighting the need for support to central Government at BEIS, HMRC and the Department of International Trade (DIT), representing an estimated 23,000 small and micro-businesses across the country.

Left: New VAT charges are in place for UK goods supplied to EU countries.

Industry NEWS

Frida Kahlo Range Expands

The Frida Kahlo licensing programme is continuing to grow, to include a recent partnership renewal with gift supplier Sass & Belle. The company is launching new products across gifts, accessories, ceramics kitchen and gardening, with appeal to a wide range of consumers to include a younger age group.

“The collection has grown from a handful of products to around 30 skus, with many more ceramics launching in the coming months,” confirms Sass & Belle’s marketing manager Daisy Coombes.

Above: Among the new ceramics in Sass & Belle’s Frida Kahlo range.

Coffee Morning

The Giftware Association is holding virtual informal Gift Stop ‘drop in’ coffee mornings on alternate Fridays between 11am-12 noon.

“It’s the giftware industry’s opportunity to engage with our community, as well as posing questions to an ever-changing panel of experts,” explains the Association’s Chris Workman, who hosts the event.

Right: Virtual GA coffee mornings take place twice a month.

Brocante Opens Fifth Store

With staycationing the name of the game this summer, David Lorimer and Keiron Cockley, who currently co-own four gift shops in Cornwall - Mevagissey, St Ives and Fowey, where they have two stores - have opened a fifth retail outlet in Charlestown to capture the summer trade.

“We feel really positive about the year going forward, so much so that we have taken on an old Methodist chapel which is very exciting,” comments David.

In addition, David has taken on the distributorship of David Fussenegger blankets for the UK and Eire. “It’s a brand we have stocked for a long time and the previous distributors were giving it up, so I decided to take it on,” David explained.

Left: David and Keiron outside the Methodist church in Charlestown that has been transformed into a fifth Brocante store.

Fashion Forward

Moda Co-Locates With Autumn Fair

With its doors set to re-open in September at the NEC for the first time in 18 months, Autumn Fair, with its focus on newness, will be the largest ‘must visit’ event for the Autumn buying season, crossing the home, gift, fashion, design and source sectors. With fashion an important part of the mix for many gift retailers and lifestyle stores, the show will be colocated with Moda - one of the UK’s longest standing fashion trade shows - for the first time.

In line with Autumn Fair, Moda will be opening its doors on September 5-8, affording buyers an extra day, and featuring a line-up of exclusive and new brands which include Fly London, Hukka Design, Jayley Collection and Godske, along with a headline partnership with the British Footwear Association (BFA).

“Footwear, fashion, and apparel have spearheaded the strong growth seen in UK retail the past two months with April up 69% according to the Office of National Statistics, so we’re delighted that Moda will form part of a wider fashion destination offering access to exclusive brands and the latest collections, a greater variety of products, inspiring trends and crossover buying opportunities,” says Moda’s event director Simon Lau.

The show will showcase thousands of trend-forward collections across fashion, footwear, jewellery, and accessories, delivering key crossover buying opportunities. Visit www.moda-uk.co.uk

Above and left: Luna and Jayley are among the

#SBS Small Business Is Back

Autumn Fair has again partnered with Theo Paphitis’ #SBS Small Business Sunday to bring back the #SBS Pavilion to Autumn Fair, showcasing unique products from ambitious start-ups and small businesses. Winners of the 2021 competition, across the home, gift and beauty sectors are: Arcform; Leo Charley & Me; Bring A Book to Life; Rose-May; Alexia Claire and KIND2. The show will also be welcoming 2020's postponed #SBS Small Business Sunday winners to join a super-size #SBS Pavilion, totalling 15 winners who have each received a free exhibition stand. "#SBS Small Business Sunday is all about giving small businesses and entrepreneurs opportunities and the chance to network and thrive,” explains entrepreneur and small business champion Theo Paphitis. “Our long-standing partnership with Autumn Fair is perfect for our community and offers these opportunities in bucket loads. The #SBS Pavilion will be the biggest yet and the #SBS winners will be an asset to the show." Visit www.autumnfair.com

Above: A striking lamp from Arcform, one of the 2021 #SBS winners.

Spring & Autumn Fair’s Online Marketplace

Following its launch on May 17, the new Spring & Autumn Fair Online Marketplace - a global digital trading arena enabling trusted brands and vetted buyers to trade all year round - got off to a cracking start, featuring 50 brands that include Rex London, Sass & Belle and Lisa Angel. There are currently 4,500 products, with initial transactions taking place within 48 hours of going live.

Sectors include gifts, home décor, jewellery, fashion accessories, beauty, stationery and toys, with other brands currently featured including Chalk UK, Powder, Kikkerland, The English Soap Company and Keel Toys.

“What’s really important to us is to launch our Online Marketplace sustainably - to grow and build it with the buyers and the brands,” explains Karin Hausmann, project and digital marketing director of the Spring & Autumn Fair Online Marketplace. “We therefore selected 50 exhibitors for the launch, making sure that there were big ranges across gifts, jewellery, accessories, homewares and kitchenware. A further 50 brands will be going online in the next few weeks and new brands are signing up daily. We are also very excited to see such a big focus on sustainable products.” Visit www.autumnfair.com/ onlinemarketplace

Industry NEWS

Little Dobbies Open In London

Following on from a growing demand to shop local, and the success of Little Dobbies in Bristol and Edinburgh, Dobbies has opened two small format Little Dobbies this summer in London’s Chiswick High Road and Westbourne Grove.

Gifts and seasonal products will complement a curated range of houseplants and sustainable garden products. Christmas items will include decorations, wreathes and hampers.

Below: Among the houseplants at Little Dobbies.

Would You Credit It

With customer support at the top of the company’s agenda, Joe Davies has taken one of their best-selling brands, snoozies!, and made the whole collection available with 90 days credit from the date of delivery. All orders placed by July 31 will qualify for the 90 day terms.

Below: snoozies! and Pairables from Joe Davies.

One-To-One Sourcing

Already a huge success for over five years at its partner show in Las Vegas, Autumn Fair is bringing the Curated Meetings service to the UK - with a focus on gifts - introducing pre-qualified, vetted premium buyers, who are actively sourcing, to relevant, quality suppliers.

“All meetings are double opt-in, so both buyers and vendors must accept, ensuring maximum relevance and engagement,” explains Maleha Khan, product manager of Autumn Fair Curated Meetings, adding: “spaces are limited and in demand.”

Above: Curated Meetings will be a focus at Autumn Fair.

Live Format For Top Drawer

Some 82% Of Retailers Surveyed Will Attend

Top Drawer will be back as a live event this September, with the A/W edition taking place from September 12-14 at Olympia. Organisers Clarion Events extensively surveyed its leading retail buyers and interior designers, with 82% confirming that they intended to attend.

“Over the past 12 months, we remained committed to providing our network of buyers and brands with opportunities to connect, be inspired, and trade,” commented portfolio director Zoë Bonser.

“We saw some amazing success stories through our digital iterations of the show. However, for the full experience, we know how important it is for buyers to see, try and feel products in person too. In terms of sourcing, networking and discovery, there’s a lot of exciting work happening behind the scenes to revolutionise these experiences for our audience, and we can’t wait for our community to be reunited for this exhilarating new chapter for Top Drawer and retail.”

Zoe added: “We will continue to work in partnership with the Association of Events Organisers (the AEO), which is liaising directly with the government, to ensure the safest and most successful event for our community.”

The A/W21 edition of Top Drawer will include the full range of show sectors across gifting, interiors, greetings & stationery, fashion, children’s products, handmade craft, and giftable food & drink.

Visit www.topdrawer.co.uk

Above: Top Drawer will be back live at London’s Olympia this September. Left: Portfolio director Zoe Bonser.

CD Card Company Presses Replay

Coming as music to the ears to its retail customers, The CD Card Company has pressed the replay button following the news that longstanding music distribution company Arabesque, which was the distributor for The CD Card Company’s products, went into liquidation several months ago. The company has relaunched under its own steam with an expanded range of products which builds on the success it has enjoyed with its year-based ranges.

Chris Leaning, part of the Arabesque team for 38 years, and who has headed up The CD Company since it started over 20 years ago, is now the business’ majority shareholder.

“It was extremely sad to see Arabesque go after almost 50 years as a distributor of, initially music, and then cards and gifts,” commented Chris. “The pandemic has been ruthless in its effect on businesses and Arabesque had for some time been carrying the weight of heavy overheads, having been a huge record and then CD distributor in the '70s, '80s and '90s,” Chris explained.

Since taking the helm, Chris has streamlined the business, with an expansion of the product portfolio, including incorporating a video streamed element as well as music downloads.

Right: The CD Company’s music download cards.

Anyday Collection

To tie in with the re-opening of their stores on April 12, John Lewis & Partners launched a new, competitively priced, own brand collection called Anyday offering 2,400 products and spanning eight key areas of the home: the home office, living room, dining room, bedroom, nursery, kitchen and outdoor.

Left: A ribbed mug design in the Anyday collection.

BCTF Sold To Kerrison

Following the cancellation of two consecutive editions of the British Craft Trade Fair (BCTF) in 2020 and 2021, due to the pandemic, organisers PSM have sold the show to Kerrison Exhibitions. Previous owner and show director, Margeret Bunn, will continue to work on the fair as a consultant. Visit www.bctf.co.uk

Industry NEWS

NEWS IN BRIEF

l Jo Barber, owner of No, 14 Ampthill (right) in Bedfordshire, recently celebrated the shop’s 10th anniversary.

l Gift shop Loveone in Ipswich, and Florence & Amelia’s gift and coffee shop in Stalybridge, were two of five independent retailers shortlisted in The Small Awards’ High Street Hero category.

Right: Loveone in Ipswich.

l Parlane, which recently rebranded to Parlane Living, has adapted its showroom in Bourton-on-the Water in Gloucestershire to have the look and feel of a trade stand. The larger space is shared with Light & Living, Parlane’s partner brand.

Right: Vases from Parlane Living.

l Wentworth Wooden Puzzles has seen a massive jump in young people searching for jigsaw puzzles online, with the company’s sales in 2020, in the 18 to 24-year-old age group, up more than five times on the previous year.

l Two new handmade facial bars - Rose Clay and Charcoal - are the latest additions to The Kentish Soap Company’s range of ethical, sustainable soap, shampoo bars and gifts, which include candles as well as bath and body products.

Right: Rose Clay and Charcoal.

l Award winning British indie jewellery brand Scream Pretty recently launched in America. The brand was successfully launched in Australia in 2019.

PEOPLE

l Two new members have joined

The Giftware Association’s

national committee: Alex Ryan (right), founder of Marketing 101, formerly with Paladone, and Therese Oertenblad (below right), founder of the Small Business Collaborative, previously with NPW.

l Emma Holmes - previously one of the creative directors at Wild + Wolf - has joined Chronicle Books as head of brand for Ridley’s Games.