Progressive Gifts & Home September 2017

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September 2017

W W WoodWick crackles as it burns™

®

ARTISAN COLLECTION See the full collection at Autumn Fair. Stand 5H01 emails: sales@xystos.co.uk

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This Month

Having spent a lifetime in journalism - to include almost two decades as editor of Progressive Gifts & Home - one of the joys of the job is being able to celebrate Christmas twice in one year! For many journalists, myself included, invitations to Christmas in July PR events start pinging into the Inbox as early as May/June. (On a previous magazine, my family would delightedly sit down to a festive Christmas lunch in sizzling summer temperatures so that I could sample the supermarkets’ festive fare and give my marks out of 10! Ah, those were the days!).

But seriously, what Christmas in July gives the press is the opportunity to view the brand new Autumn/Winter collections that will be winging their way onto the shelves in the ensuing months.

So, with Christmas buying successfully kickstarted by Home & Gift in Harrogate last month, and Autumn Fair and Top Drawer about to open their doors, I make no excuses for making this an unashamedly Christmas issue.

For starters, there's the Christmas Gifts feature on pages 47-51. You'll find everything you want to know about products priced at the sweet spots of £5 and under; £10 and under and £20 and under. If it's decorations that you're after, turn to pages 37-41 where companies large and small reveal the trends for Christmas 2017. How will other gift retailers be approaching Christmas?

You can find out by turning to Feedback on pages 33-35 as well as our Sounding Off columnist, Lesley Dunne's words of wisdom on page 29. And if it's Christmas fragrances that have got you sniffing around, we've got the lowdown on pages 65-73.

For other non-festive features, we caught up with Paul Taylor, the new CEO at Wild & Wolf (see pages 81-83), plus we dip into who is doing what in licensed giftware this Autumn/Winter (see pages 85-87) why you should 'mug up' (see pages 95-99), and also bring you gift agent Simon Williams' view of the high street post Election (see On The Road on page 122 ). Plus, we reveal why journalist and broadcaster Janet Street-Porter thinks that, post Brexit, British companies need to raise the marketing bar when it comes to promoting themselves on a global stage, (see page 11). For trend spotters meanwhile, it's time to 'think pink', so turn to page 63 to see what's going to be making us blush this Autumn!

But first, if you want to know more about the highlights at Autumn Fair (September 3-6) and Top Drawer (September 10-12), turn to pages 19 and 21 respectively. Also opening their doors in September will be International Jewellery London (September 3-5) and Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn (September 17-18). Plus, if you're based in the North of England, don't miss the brand new Manchester Stationery Show which makes it debut on October 31-November 1. (See page 23).

As always, the PG&H team will be out in force, looking forward to seeing you at the shows over the coming weeks. It won't be 'Christmas in July' of course, but December 25 will most definitely be getting closer!

Above: Sue caught up with gift retailers at Home & Gift in Harrogate. (See Feedback's It's Good To Talk on pages 33-35).

COVER: Artisan Collection from the WoodWick range, distributed in the UK by Xystos.

Publishers Jacqueline Brown, Warren Lomax and Ian Hyder

Design & Production Russell Sutton

Subscriptions enquiries maxsubscriptions@marketingreinforcements.co.uk Tel: 020 8943 9541 ABC figure 6,788 July 1st 2010 - 30th June 2011 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

Progressive Gifts & Home is published 7 times a year.

Subscription: UK; one year £50, two years £85 or three years £110. Overseas; one year £75, two years £125 or three years £165. Please send your cheque to: Progressive Gifts & Home, Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax 020 7609 4222/020 7607 6411 email: ianh@max-publishing.co.uk Copyright 2008. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

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Inside

Seasonal Decoration at its best 26. – 30. 1. 2018

7-23

News

27

Gift of the Gab A COUNTERBLAST FROM THE COUNTER

29

Sounding Off CREATING THE MAGIC OF CHRISTMAS

33-35

Feedback: Retailer Round Table IT'S GOOD TO TALK

37-41

Spotlight On... Christmas Decorations DECK THE HALLS

43-45

Face To Face: Enesco COLLECTIVELY SPEAKING

47-51

Spotlight On... Christmas Gifts THE GIFT OF GIVING

59-61

In Profile: Joe Davies RING IN THE NEW

63

Trends THINK PINK

65-73

Spotlight On... Home Fragrancing IT'S GETTING TO SMELL A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

81-83

In Profile: Wild & Wolf EMOTIONALLY CONNECTED

85-87

Spotlight On... Licensed Giftware BRANDS NEW FOR AUTUMN

91-93

In Profile: Groovy DIFFERENT BY DESIGN

95-99

Spotlight On... Mugs MUGGING UP

Create the best product mix for 2018

MERRY BUSINESS!

Your ticket to the top suppliers of seasonal and festive decorations: christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com

118-119 Best Sellers 122

On The Road: Simon Williams

122

Last Word: Jennifer Genson

info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

Sue Marks Editor

Angie Bryant Advertisement Manager

Ian Hyder Publishing Director

suem@max-publishing.co.uk

angieb@max-publishing.co.uk

ianh@max-publishing.co.uk

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Industry News

The Greats Gatsby Will You Be Entering Old Sport?

Get out your pearls, dust off your head bands and pull on a pair of white gloves! Full details of The Greats Awards 2018, which is taking the Great Gatsby as its theme, will be announced in October.

The Greats Gatsby Awards event will take place on Thursday May 17 at the Grosvenor House in London's Park Lane with all the razzamatazz that you would expect! "It's going to another fantastic event," enthuses PG&H's editor Sue Marks. "We'll certainly be putting the 'great' into Gatsby, with plenty of 1920's glitz and glamour!"

Gift retailers and gift departments, as well as garden centres, visitor attractions, jewellery focused gift shops and non-specialist gift retailers, are invited to enter the 2018 competition.

Entry forms will be included in the October/November issue of Progressive Gifts & Home, or will be available to download from The Greats 2018 website. Entries can also be emailed directly to suem@max-publishing.co.uk Current sponsors of The Greats 2018 that have already pledged their support, include (in alphabetical order): Ashleigh & Burwood; Christmas & Gift Harrogate; Clarion Events/Home & Gift Buyers' Festival, Harrogate; Dansk; Gift Republic; Gisela Graham; Joe Davies; London Stationery Show/Manchester Stationery Show; NPW; PG Live; Premier Decorations; Root Candles; The Giftware Association and Yankee Candle.

The Greats, which were launched in 2003 to recognise and reward the best in gift retail, are owned and organised by Max Publishing, are now celebrating their 16th year.

Top: This year's winners are shown at The Greats Awards in May. Above: The Great Gatsby's Jay Gatsby (Leonardo Di Caprio) and Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan).

Christmas Themes At Paperchase Paperchase kicked off the festive season with a record attendance at its Christmas press event, which took place at the retailer's flagship Tottenham Court Road store.

Some 400 editors, journalists and bloggers flocked to the second floor, where a glittering festive emporium had been created to showcase the major themes the retailer is adopting across gifts, decorations, cards and gift wrap for Christmas '17.

Commenting on the positive response to its Christmas Press Event, Hazel Walker, senior card buyer told PG&H: “The unsurpassed interest from so many women’s lifestyle magazines, national press and leading bloggers is testament to the fashionable status stationery and Christmas product now command.”

Key festive themes include Christmas Rodeo (echoes of Mexico with cacti, llamas, pom poms and a touch of vintage) and Christmas Frost (a glittering white and metallic world featuring animals and mythical creatures including rabbits and cats with antlers).

Above: Paperchase unveiled their Christmas themes to the media at an event held in July.

Ulster Weavers Expands Its Portfolio Home textiles company Ulster Weavers has taken a first step in its wider expansion plans. The company recently acquired Northern Irish giftware brand LoveOlli, founded by ex-Ulster Weavers designer Olive McCaughan. Following the decision to expand through acquisition, the company has identified LoveOlli as a complementary brand that will help to extend the company’s range into more diverse markets.

The LoveOlli brand uses fabric scraps, vintage postcards and old letters for inspiration, with a focus on beautiful packaging. The range has grown to include stationery and giftwrap, as well as additional giftware items such as bags and handmade soaps.

Above right: A LoveOlli wrapped soap. The company was recently acquired by Ulster Weavers.

Thinking of You Week For gift shops selling greeting cards, Thinking of You Week will be kicking off on Sept 25 – Oct 1, inspiring the nation to send greeting cards to different people during the week.

The dedicated www.thinkingofyouweek.cards website offers resources that include a free branded PoS toolkit to help retailers to get involved, with flyers, posters, social media images and a list of local press contacts available to help them publicise the campaign. Thinking of You Week events will be held up and down the country in schools, communities and local shops. Contact: Sharon Little gca@maxpublishing.co.uk.

Oz Housewares Retailer Alert Well stone the crows! A new kid on the block from down under will be taking on UK housewares retailers from next April. Australian homewares specialist House, owned by Global Retail Brands, is planning to open 75 stores over the next three years with the first roll out starting next April. Product sectors will include dining, entertaining, kitchen and cooking.

The retailer's aim is to become a household name in the UK as the 'go to' for cooking and entertaining with a focus on opening more store if the opportunities are there.

According to Retail Week, House gives all new store managers and assistant store managers AUS$8,000 of products for them to use at home to enable them to understand them so well that they can have passionate discussions with shoppers!

House, along with sister retail chain Robins Quality Kitchenware, currently trades from 170 stores in Australia.

Above: House, a major multiple housewares in Australia, is heading for the UK.

Waxing Lyrical Recent Mintel research highlights that candles are lighting the way for the future of the air care market, as much for their style as their fragrance. “The most common trigger of candle usage is the desire to set an overall atmosphere highlighting the ability of candles to go beyond simple odour removal,” says Richard Hopping, household and brand analyst.

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Industry News

An Apple For The Teacher Gift Indies Enjoy Strong Sales For gift independents looking to fill the gap between Father's Day and Christmas, end of summer term 'thank you' gifts for teachers and teaching assistants have become an important gift giving occasion.

One gift and card shop, Dragonfly in Knaresborough, decided to 'give an apple to the teacher' by running a Thank You Teacher campaign that invited local primary school children to collect an apple template from the shop, and to then decorate it stating who they thought was the best teacher and why.

"We had a great response, involving children from six different schools," confirms Rachael Barnes who co-owns the shop with her mother Rita Knibbs. "The apples adorned our shop windows for a couple of weeks, which created a lot of attention, and we received brilliant coverage on social media too, with lots of teachers tagging each other in posts."

The initiative also had a positive knock-on effect for sales of 'thank you' teacher gifts and cards. "Our sales were up on the previous year, and we had lots of lovely comments from parents and teachers. It has definitely created a lot of goodwill."

'Thank you teacher' was also hugely successful for Marmalade Meringue in Hinckley. "Teacher gifts, as usual were fantastic for us," confirmed co-owners Trudy Tebbutt and Tilley Rathie, the shop's co-owners." It just builds and builds. As we offer a free giftwrap service, it really is all hands on deck! Really Good’s teacher tins and notebooks were brilliant as were East of India’s 'thank you teacher' candles. In fact, we had to re-order both in a rush as they just flew out! We made a big splash in our main window with jewellery, especially for teacher gift ideas, and sales definitely didn't disappoint. The average spend per teacher was between £5-£10."

Further North, Jenny Morrison, owner of Top Drawer, in St Andrews, said the shop did particularly well with gifts for around the £10 mark. The Jamali Annay ‘thank you’ ceramic hearts sold Above: Dragonfly's 'apple for the teacher' window. well, as did the fused glass earring dishes and coasters from Jo Downs Glass, as well as enamel keyrings from Bombay Duck," confirmed owner Jenny Morrison.

At Wonder Stuff, owner Alison Chapman, says the team always look forward to 'thank you' teacher' time, as it's a great way to increase sales in July. "However, although we were busy, parents were steering away from 'Best Teacher' type gifts preferring to buy a 'nice' gift. What I have learned from this year is that next year, we should increase our stock of gifts of £5 or under, increase our social media advertising, and look for a wider range of gifts that are practical and useful for the recipient. The occasion is a very important time of year for gift and card businesses, but we need to find new and exciting products, so that teachers don't get the same gifts year on year!"

Bang The Drum For 'British' Says Top Broadcaster "Made in Britain products matter tremendously, especially post Brexit," stated respected broadcaster and journalist Janet Street-Porter CBE, the keynote speaker at Home & Gift, Harrogate, in July.

"We must establish British goods across the board as unique products that can stand out in a crowded market place," Janet emphasised. "Therefore suppliers need to focus on what ‘Made in Britain’ means so that people know that our products are quirky and innovative, something that will surprise them," she continued. "There is a clear disconnect between what UK manufacturers do, and what the tourist boards seem to think we do. Instead of highlighting all our fabulous, contemporary high end designers and manufacturers, we seem to focus on the past - Carnaby Street, Beefeaters and Twiggy! Yet a lot of what is best about Made in Britain brands and products is that they will be kept for a lifetime, rather than being 'disposable'."

Her solution is to break down 'brand Britain' into heritage brands, with Janet citing Burberry, Dyson and Cath Kidson as examples of products that are not necessarily made in Britain but which nevertheless shriek 'British'.

"We design such great products but we need to learn how to market them properly. It's all about the product's ability to be coveted by global consumers for the long term."

By contrast, she mentioned other European countries such as Italy and Spain, pointing out their ability to combine heritage and quality while still appealing to the mass market and visiting tourists.

Above: Janet Street-Porter gave the keynote address at Home & Gift, Harrogate.

Landmark London Gift Store Shuts Its Doors After over 30 years of trading on London’s Northcote Road in Battersea, gift and card retailer All Good Gifts sadly shut its doors for good in early August, with co-owners Jackie and Matt Shearing, mother and son, confirming that all suppliers bills would be paid in full.

“A combination of a 50% rent increase, extortionate high street business rates, Brexit, Paperchase - which has opened a shop almost opposite - and the rise of Amazon and the like has just made running an independent, family-run, local gift shop unsustainable in the current climate,” say Jackie and Matt, who held a 50% off sale at the beginning of August.

However, the pair remain optimistic, with plans in the pipeline to revamp the All Good Gifts’ website (www.allgoodgifts.co.uk) as well as continuing with their own brand cards that were sold by the store as well as through other retailers.

Above: All Good Gifts was a landmark store on Battersea’s Northcote Road for 30 years.

A Flavour Of Italy The 'art of living' is at the heart of Milan's HOMI which takes place at Fiera Milano from September 15-18. The show will be revealing how trends have influenced people's daily lives.

A new show layout will unveil areas dedicated to experimentation with a focus on trends in sectors ranging from home fragrancing, jewellery, fashion accessories and children's to tableware and textiles.

Among the highlights of the show will be a trend area curated by forecasters WGSN and another, put together by POLIdesign, offering a focus on new materials and colours.

Technology too, will be reflected in HOMISmart, an experimental format showcasing the relationship between design and technology. Visitors will be taken on both a physical and virtual journey allowing them to explore new scenarios. Young talent meanwhile, will be recognised by the show's Design competition, showcasing the 40 winning product. Workshops and talks will also be a major feature at the show.

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PRESENTS

Hall 4

Stand N06-N20

This is just a snapshot of one of our many ranges, why not visit us at the Autumn Fair? Hall 4 Stand n06 - n20 0161 688 1226 | sales@ widdop.co.uk www.widdop.co.uk

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Industry News

Licensing Awards Product Finalists Announced The finalists in the UK Licensing Awards’ (owned and organised by Max Publishing, which also owns PG&H) product categories have been confirmed, with the winners announced at a massive event (attended by 1,400 people) on September 12. Finalists in the Best Licensed Giftware Range are Despicable Me Backpack Collection from Posh Paws; Harry Potter Giftware Range from Half Moon Bay; Marvel Civil War Vintage Army Collection from BB Designs; Nintendo Gameboy Collection from Bioworld Europe; Polaroid Gift Range from Fizz Creations and The Simpsons The Undressed Collection from Skinnydip.

In the Best Licensed Home Décor, Tableware or Housewares Range, the companies that have made it through to the final shortlist are Friends Central Perk Homewares from Pyramid International; Mickey Mouse Outdoor Summer Collection from Primark; Slush Puppie Range from Fizz Creations; Star Wars BB8 Homewares Range from Funko; Trolls Glow Bedding and Accessories Range from Character World and V&A Alice in Wonderland Collection from Creative Tops.

The judging took place at the Emirates Stadium in July.

Some 5,000 licensed products were entered into the awards this year and all were put on display in their relevant categories.

Reflecting the broad retail base of licensed products, the 140 strong judging panel included buyers from across the retail spectrum including from Argos, Asda, Blue Diamond Group, Fat Face, Forbidden Planet, Groupon, Harrods, House of Cards, Intu, Jojo Maman Bebe, John Lewis, Laura Ashley, M&Co, Marks & Spencer, Matalan, Paultons Park, Pep & Co, Photobox, Primark, Sainsbury’s, Shop Direct, Specsavers, Stanfords, Tesco, WH Smith, Blue Inc, Character.com, Dixons Carphone Warehouse, Geek is Chic, Morrisons Nutmeg, M&Co, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, The Entertainer, Toymaster, TruffleShuffle and The Hut Group.

The winners in all categories will be revealed at a glittering ceremony held in The Great Room of The Grosvenor House Hotel, London. Visit www.thelicensingawards.co.uk Above: The V&A Alice in Wonderland collection from Creative Tops has been shortlisted in the Licensing Awards which take place in September. Shown is the cake stand.

What's New In Licensed Giftware Licensing is definitely continuing to be the way forward for many gift suppliers, with a raft of new licensed giftware in the pipeline for the coming seasons.

Widdop and Co has become the latest partner to sign up to the Enid Blyton brand with the company on board for a range of products that include ceramics, glassware, kitchen accessories, camping kits, cushions, gardening items and baking items. Other recent Enid Blyton signings are Gibsons and The Lagoon Group. More partnerships are expected to be announced shortly. In addition, design-led stationery and calendar company Portico has branched out into garden gifting through a licensing agreement with the Eden Project. The inaugural collection, comprising 26 products, debuted at Home & Gift, Harrogate. “In keeping with the ethos of the Eden Project, the range is all ethically sourced, everything is printed using soy-based inks and the wood used is organic ash,” comments Portico's sales director Charlie Basil. The products feature two different design treatments, one botanical and the other more contemporary/graphical.

Two new additions to the I Like Birds licensing program are Quadrille Publishing, who will be developing a range of jotter pads, address books, boxed notecards and notebooks. The range is due to launch in April 2018.

In addition, My Gifts Trade will be developing a range of I Like Birds mugs and other gift products along with household textiles, which will be launched at Spring Fair 2018. Following a further licensing collaboration, My Gifts Trade will also be launching designs by Meg Hawkins featuring Botanical and Bees and Butterflies.

Help for Heroes meanwhile, has announced the launch of a new stationery collection from licensee Otter House. The colourful stationery range includes notebooks, magnets, key rings, ceramic mugs, pens and a jigsaw, featuring the work of illustrator Bryn Parry, who co-founded the charity with his wife Emma. For more licensing news, see Brands New For Autumn on pages 85-87.

Above: I Like Birds have recently partnered with two new licensees.

Left: Notecards are part of the new licensed Help For Heroes stationery range from Otter House.

Selfridges Targets Early Christmas Shoppers Selfridges had the distinction of being the first department store in the world to open a dedicated Christmas Shop during the summer, with early Christmas shoppers coming through the doors in London, Manchester and Birmingham on July 31. A 10 day Let’s Make Merry event will be held in store at the end of November, taking the theme With Love From… with all stores unveiling exclusive creations ranging from home and technology to beauty and fashion.

Additionally, the London store will also be launching new destinations, to include the Selfridges Corner Shop, which will be opening on October 31. It will house a selection of reinvented ‘corner shop’ gifts produced in collaboration with London based creative partners.

Above: Selfridges on London's Oxford Street launched its Christmas Shop at the end of July.

Blending Offline And Online How to give owner/managed independent boutique retailers an online presence was theme of Hugo Jenkins seminar at Home & Gift, Harrogate. Following Janet Street-Porter (see page 11), Hugo Jenkins, the commercial director of Trouva - which describes itself as 'the home of independent retailers online' told attendees that the company was on a mission to connect a global audience with the best brands and boutique retailers in the UK. 'I've visited hundreds of boutiques, and have found that each shop has its own DNA," he commented. "One of the downsides of being a retailer in recent years has been the increase in online shopping, with cost pressures that include business rates and rent rises which has left many shops fighting for their survival. In addition, people's expectations today are incredibly high and will go on increasing. It's therefore crucial for independents to differentiate, to define their identity and to let that permeate everything that they do. Having an online presence allows shops get their personality across."

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NEW Winter Collection available to order now

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WHERE STYLE COMES NATURALLY

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Industry News

Gift Of The Year 2018 Celebrating 40 Years Some 40 years on, the Gift of the Year Awards will be celebrating their milestone anniversary with an evening Awards event held at The Vox, part of the Resorts World entertainment complex in Birmingham (located adjacent to the NEC) on the first evening of Spring Fair, Sunday February 4.

Organised by The Giftware Association in association with Spring Fair, the event will recognise the best new products, with new retailer awards added to the categories.

"Our partnership with Spring Fair represents our shared mutual interests within the industry and we look forward to seeing the newly crowned Gift of the Year Awards achieve greater awareness and expansion, with new categories, awards and approach," says Sarah Ward, CEO of The Giftware Association. "With each year we have seen the competition get bigger, and this year is going to be especially exciting,” she adds.

“The awards are an important opportunity to recognise exemplary innovation and creativity within the sector," says Spring Fair’s portfolio director Nick Davison. "We are also committed to working with all areas of the wider media to promote the awards throughout the year to drive maximum benefit for the winners and those that have been shortlisted.”

The Giftware Association highlights that the Awards will alert buyers to future best sellers, with the winning products available to buy the following day at Spring Fair.

To book tables or enquire about branding opportunities, contact Paria Mercer on 0203 033 2174 or email awards@springfair.com. Companies are invited to enter now at www.giftoftheyear.co.uk or via giftoftheyear@ga-uk.org l For the second consecutive year, Progressive Gifts & Home's editor Sue Marks will be on the GOTY judging panel. In addition, the magazine will again be among the competition’s category sponsors.

Left: Progressive Gifts' ad manager Angie Bryant with Lash Marah of Shrieking Violet, winner of the 2017's Progressive Gifts & Home sponsored GOTY Fashion Jewellery & Accessories category.

Two New Distributions for Xystos Di Palomo has announced that from September 1, its UK/Ireland sales and distribution will be handled by Xystos Flame & Fragrance.

Since launching 12 years ago, Di Palomo has become known throughout the trade for its high quality fragrances and formulations, coupled with their packaging design, attention to detail and service to retailers.

“Our current sales team have successfully grown Di Palomo over recent years to become a highly respected brand within the fragrance, bath and body, and gift sectors," comments Rob Tyler, sales director at Di Palomo. "To build on this success and develop further, we have selected Xystos for their expertise and proven track record with other leading brands.

With an experienced sales and customer service team covering all of the UK and Ireland, coupled with a state of the art ordering and despatch system, we believe that Xystos are the perfect partner for Di Palomo to maintain our service to existing customers and facilitate our future growth.”

Adds Xystos director Tom Sykes: “We are thrilled to have this top brand in our portfolio. The new agreement strengthens our position as the leading UK provider of candle and bath and body products and the home of flame and fragrance. We will be showing the full Di Palomo range at Autumn Fair and look forward to welcoming buyers onto stand HO1 in Hall 5.” l The new distribution follows on from an earlier announcement in July revealing that Xystos had been appointed as the official supplier of Baylis & Harding's home fragrance and gifting products to independent garden centres and gift shops. Products were unveiled at Home & Gift, Harrogate, with some collections selling out.

Left and above: Among the latest products from Baylis & Harding (above) and Di Palomo, which are now being distributed by Xystos.

Fundraising For Charity To celebrate his 50th birthday this year, South West gift agent Simon Williams (above) will be doing a further four major sporting events to help to raise money for charity: two 100 mile cycle events; a 10k river swim at the River Dart, finishing with a half marathon on October 1.

Impressively, Simon completed a triathlon earlier this year.

"I'm raising money for the Bone Cancer Research Trust in memory of my son's best friend Mary Collard who passed away nearly seven years ago from this cruel disease," comments Simon. "With the help of lots of different groups of friends I've raised half of my £1500 target but would love to raise loads more!"

Visit www.justgiving.com/simon-williams77 See Last Word on page 122.

Maximising On The Media Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical, were another success, say organisers Brooke House Exhibitions. “Initial feedback from exhibitors and visitors pointed to a busy and productive two days," confirmed show director Simon Boyd.

Making its debut at the show was a brand new press showcase aimed at attracting consumer press and bloggers to review key product launches and ranges. The initiative saw over 50 top consumer journalists attending, with more requesting a post-show brief on the showcased brands.

Coverage to date has already appeared in Hello magazine for new Exclusively Housewares exhibitor Coravin, and in GQ for Welsh Slateware. l Next year's Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical will take place at London's Business Design Centre on June 12 and 13.

Best Of British Brands Now in its sixth year, Best of Britannia, a unique showcase for British brands, will be holding its sixth London trade and consumer event at The Old Truman Brewery in London's trendy Brick Lane on October 12 and 13. The show will be bringing together leading British brands in a myriad of product sectors to include ceramics, interiors, food and drink, fashion, jewellery, art, cycling and motoring. Visit www.bestof britannia.com PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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COME AND SEE OUR NEW COLLECTION AT THE

AUTUMN FAIR

HALL 3 STAND B10 - C11 01992 718033

www.silplc.com

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Industry News

Autumn Fair Highlights What’s New At The Show Award winning American designer Rosanna Bowles, president of Rosanna Inc., will be making a personal appearance on the Widdop and Co stand during the first two days of Autumn Fair, which takes place at the NEC from September 3-6.

Rosanna, a renowned, innovative leader in the gift and home industry, will be answering questions about her collection which includes jewellery trays, decanters and mugs, which are distributed exclusively in the UK and Ireland by Widdop and Co. She will also be signing copies of her latest book Coming Home.

Above: Jeremy Corner, shown at last year's All visitors to the Widdop stand on Monday and Tuesday will be Autumn Fair, will again be among the show's seminar speakers. entered into a prize draw drawn by Rosanna at 4pm on the Widdop Below: Designer Roasanna Bowles, founder stand on Monday September 4, to win a pack of Rosanna products of Rosanna, will be a VIP guest on the Widdop and Co stand. worth £500 at retail.

Elsewhere, a first for Autumn Fair, will be one stop group workshops, which will be limited to groups of 15. Topics include store design, social media and e-commerce.

This year's show Fair features 12 sectors to include The Summerhouse; Gift; Contemporary Gift & Living; Fashion Jewellery & Accessories; Home, Bath, Body & Home Fragrancing; Children's Gifts, Toys & Gadgets and Greetings. The Volume sector opens on Saturday September 2.

Returning will be The Light Show and Brands of China, as well as the Inspiration Catwalk, which will be taking place daily in the Inside Retail area. Models will be revealing the last products being showcased by exhibitors, and will be highlighting up and coming trends for the next 12 months. Forecasters WGSN will also be revealing what will be trending over the coming months.

Elsewhere, there will be an impressive line-up of speakers that includes Jeremy Corner, owner of Blue Eyed Sun and vice chairman of The Giftware Association. Jeremy will be addressing retailers on the first day of the show regarding social media and digital marketing on the high street.

Other speakers will be sharing their expertise on topics ranging from product photography, improving online sales and SEO. Meet the Expert one-to-one meetings can be booked by appointment. Overall, there will be 1,300 UK and international exhibitors, with many companies new to the show. Visit www.autumnfair.com

PEOPLE p Steven Rowley (right) is the newly appointed sales and marketing director at Royal Crown Derby. He joins from Denby and brings over 40 years experience to the company gained in the tabletop and giftware industries working for brands that include Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Waterford and Churchill. His new role is to build on Royal Crown Derby's growing prominence in the global market.

Green Is The Colour Richard Brendon has launched a limited edition teaware range, Richard Brendon meets Patternity, to reflect Marrs Green, the world's favourite colour, according to a survey by papersmith's G F Smith. Currently on display at G F Smith's London showroom, the collection is made by hand in Stoke on Trent.

Above: Richard Brendon Meets Patternity in Marrs Green.

Brands Of China Brands of China will be returning to Autumn Fair for the 15th year, with over 250 brands showcasing products. Located centrally in Hall 5, the How to Master the High Street theatre will feature seminars focused on selling on the high street, including visual merchandising, what to buy at Autumn Fair, how to arrange business administration and operating as an independent. In addition, there will be showcase seminars looking at the online acquisition of Chinese customers, what products and brands work best in China and legal requirements when operating in China. Complimentary translated tours will be available to all buyers and will run throughout the show.

Christmas Re-Stocking A strong line-up of exhibitors will be presenting their latest ranges at Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn which takes place from September 1718 at the SECC in Glasgow. Product sectors include gifts, homewares, jewellery and accessories, as well as food and drink giftware.

A central feature of the show will once again be the Launch Gallery, featuring companies that are less than two years old. "Our Autumn Show provides an ideal platform for re-stocking for the frantic Christmas retail season," comments Mark Saunders, MD of organisers Springboard Events.

"There is an excellent mix of really interesting exhibitors offering a wide range of price points." Visit www.scotlandstradefairs.co.uk Left: Among the exhibitors showing at Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn will be Just Slate.

A First For Jeremy A regular speaker at trade shows, Jeremy Corner, owner of Blue Eyed Sun and vice chairman of The Giftware Association, was recently interviewed on American Podcast: The Marketing Disenchanted. The hour long discussion included insights on marketing, competing with larger companies online and greeting cards. “I really enjoyed my first podcast interview and loved Temi Osinubi's great questions," enthused Jeremy. "It was a privilege to be on the podcast which has held interviews with awesome digital marketing thought leaders such as Scott Monty, Mark Schaefer and Brian Fanzo."

Above: Blue Eyed Sun's Jeremy Corner was recently interviewed by Temitayo Osinubi from The Marketing Disenchanted.

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JFS 2018 logo_venue/dates whiteout

THE HOME OF INTERIORS

Discover the hottest new launches as 500+ exhibitors reveal fresh new collections of decorative accessories and lifestyle interiors.

We’ll see you in January.

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Industry News

Top Drawer

NEWS IN BRIEF

Be Inspired, Encourage Organisers Top Drawer is getting ready to raise the bar when it opens its doors at London's Olympia from September 1012. The Autumn/Winter edition of the show will be presenting exclusive new launches across Gift, Home, Fashion and Craft.

Among the gift and home exhibitors showcasing products will be Parlane International, Wild & Wolf, Ashleigh & Burwood and Heart of the Country.

In addition, the Food Emporium will be making its Autumn debut showcasing giftable food products, while Spotted, curated by journalist Charlotte Abraham, will be returning to shine a spotlight on emerging new talent.

A diverse range of top name speakers will also be sharing their expertise with visitors. Among them will be Holly Tucker, MBE, co-founder of notonthehighstreet.com, Rina Bhansali from Harrods, Jo Studholme from Farrow & Ball and Jess Sims from West Elm. Trails at the show include Men Only, UK Debut, Product GB and Eco. Across the board, some 1500 top brands and new talents will be unveiled. Visit topdrawer.co.uk

p The Fragrance Lounge has changed its name to The Eclectic Lifestyle Company to better reflect its product portfolio. In addition to working in the home fragrance and body care categories, the company has linked up with American stationery brand DesignWorks Ink. p Wild & Wolf has made an investment in Petit Collage, a Californian based children’s gifting company. "We see real sales potential for the brand globally," says Wild & Wolf's commercial director James Portman. The range was unveiled at Home & Gift, Harrogate, in July. (See Emotionally Connected on pages 81-83). p The Bangkok International Gift Show Show (BIG) and Bangkok International Housewares Show (BIH), taking place this Autumn, will be co-locating with the TIFF show (Furniture) and BIFF and BIL show (Fashion). The new show, called Life + Style, will be held from October 17-21 at BITEC Bangna, Bangkok.

Above: Alessi will be among the exhibitors at Home.

Left: Mugs from Maid in China.

PaperFest At Top Drawer PaperFest, sponsored by papersmiths G F Smith, will be returning to Top Drawer along with the PaperAwards, which will be reimaging what is possible with paper, print and creativity. PaperFest will be holding talks, panels and clinics to stimulate ideas, and there will also be a display area highlighting the best of greeting cards and stationery.

PR Power Breakfast Consumer awareness is continuing to build for the Caroline Gardner brand, with a consumer PR campaign in full swing. A recent press breakfast PR event, held in mid July, saw Chloe Whiting and Chloe Menzies, graduates from design college Ravensbourne University, involved in creating an eye-catching window display at Caroline Gardner's eponymous store on London's Marylebone High Street. The event attracted 23 consumer press journalists from magazines such as ELLE Decoration, Woman & Home, Good Housekeeping, Prima, Glamour, Red and Marie Claire, as well as celebrities that included Vanessa Feltz.

Dresses by the two graduates featured alongside items from the Caroline Gardner accessories collection, with drinks provided in Caroline Gardner's travel cups and hearts everyday mugs, which were then given to the press as a gift. In addition, both students were individually celebrated in the shop with a drinks reception for their family, friends, and, of course, Caroline Gardner own customers.

“The consumer press coverage generated as a result of our PR activity will support our retail stockists highlighting the brand to the consumer and driving business to them,” commented Luca Bridges, the company's senior sales and marketing co-ordinator.

Above and left: Colourful designs from Chloe Menzies (above) and Chloe Whiting were unveiled to the press in Caroline Gardner's Marylebone High Street shop in London.

Netherlands Partners Ambiente The Netherlands is Ambiente's seventh partner country, with the 2018 show taking place from February 9-13, 2018. "The Netherlands is known for its outstanding design which is both minimalist and experimental while being innovative and unconventional," comments Detlef Brown, member of the board of management, Messe Frankfurt. The presentation will cover a wide range of products that feature outstanding design quality and will be curated and designed by Dutch industrial designer Robert Bronwasser.

Left: Robert Bronwasser will be curating and designing the Netherlands presentation at Ambiente.

p Visitors to the Summer Opening of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are being treated to a special display of over 200 gifts that have been presented to the Queen during her 65 year reign. They range from a handbag woven from banana leaves to a paperweight made from dinosaur bone.

The exhibition ends on October 1. p Waitrose had its knuckles wrapped for featuring an ungrammatical sign that read: '3 for 2 Gift's For Teacher's', with customers posting angry online comments about their incorrect use of the apostrophe! p According to Mumsnet, one in 10 parents spend £25 or more on gifts for teaching staff at their children's schools. The most popular amount was said to be £10. (See An Apple for the Teacher on page 11). p Good news for businesses affected by April's business rate rises, many independent gift retailers included. The government has announced that it is "committed to switching business rates indexation from RPI (Retail Price Index) to CPI (Consumer Product Index) from 2020 and will be introducing new legislation. This means the tax will relate to consumer prices instead of retail prices. p Household spending fell by 0.8% in July, compared to July 2016, with consumer spending having its longest sustained fall for four and a half years. Analysts are blaming rising inflation and a fall in wages for reducing spending power. (Source: Visa).

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Industry News

Heading North Manchester Stationery Show Launches Following on from the success of the London Stationery Show, a sister exhibition, the Manchester Stationery Show, will be making its debut at the Cotton Sheds, part of the Victoria Warehouse at Old Trafford, at the end of October (October 31/November 1).

“The Manchester show is designed to complement the London show," explains event manager, Hazel Fieldwick of Ocean Media Group (OMG). "It offers the stationery industry a second touch point in the year to come together. Not only is it the perfect time to see the latest products on offer for Spring/Summer 2018, and pick up some great last-minute Christmas deals, but also to catch up on design trends and developments in retail generally.”

As with London, the Manchester show will be dedicated to specialist writing and paper products, focusing on design-led and fashion-forward products. There will also be a New Product Display Showcase, a hands-on Creative Hub area, a LaunchPad area for new stationery suppliers and designers and a full speaker programme.

Currently they include Phil Pond of trend forecasters Scarlet Opus, high street commentator Michael Weedon of exp2 and stationery expert Henri Davis, chairman of The Giftware Association.

OMG highlights that the show is already developing its own ‘industrial chic’ style, with exhibitors, speakers and show features coming together.

"Stationery is on trend and in fashion," continues Hazel. "Growth will come from the trend of purchasing stationery as a gift, partly driven by increased personalisation, increased product ranges and design-led products and innovation. We want to share that message across the UK and support the growth of the stationery industry."

Confirmed exhibitors to date include Go Stationery, Manuscript Pen, Leuchtturm1917, Silk Hat Greetings, Dear Prudence, Tallon International, Pomegranate Europe, Castelli, Stabilo, Allsorted, Charfleet Book Bindery, Portico Designs, Postsafe, Premier Stationery, Durable UK, ExaClair and Toscana Carte.

Making The Right Move Gift shop Joco Interiors has recently moved into new premises in Nuneaton's Abbeygate shopping centre. "The new shop is three times larger and based on one floor, giving excellent access for wheelchairs and pushchairs," comments owner Jo Williams. She says that the response has been amazing since opening the doors to her new larger store at the end of June.

"I've been able to increase product lines from suppliers and have also been selected as an Elf on a Shelf official adoption centre. We're quickly becoming known as the place to go to for unusual gifts."

Continues Jo: "My social media presence has increased since moving, and many local groups have discussions about what I have to offer! It's been two years of hard work but I can see that this has been the turning point to taking the business forward in the coming years."

Above: Inside Joco Interiors' new premises in Nuneaton.

Above: The Victoria Warehouse at Old Trafford, Manchester.

LaunchPad Manchester After a successful introduction at the London Stationery Show in April, the event’s new Manchester Stationery Show will be including a LaunchPad section to find fledgling suppliers looking to break into the design-led stationery market.

Entries will be judged by three leading names in the stationery sector, who will be tasked with finding six products or services that they think will be of real interest to the stationery industry. The judges will be looking for a product or service that shows clear thought and execution in terms of the branding and offer and a value commensurate with the suggested retail price.

“We want to encourage and support new companies and products to come forward and showcase their ideas to the industry," says Vanessa Fortnum who is responsible for both the Manchester and London Stationery shows. "Most importantly, the companies will be seen and will get plenty of feedback from fellow exhibitors and show visitors, which is invaluable for those starting out or testing a new market.”

Entry forms can be found online at www.stationeryshow.co.uk. The closing date for entries is September 8.

New Kid On The Candle Block Greeting card publisher Janie Wilson has diversified into candles, with the company undertaking the manufacturing at their Yorkshire premises. The debut range, launched at Home & Gift, Harrogate, in July, features 18 tins and 10 jars using 10 different fragrances, with labels echoing the Janie Wilson Gold Leaf card range.

“This is the first time we have diversified into gifts, so it was both exciting as well as daunting,” admits Janie. “After much research we decided to hand pour all the candles ourselves to give us full control of production. This meant we had to learn about fragrances, how different wicks are needed for different fragrances, and the conditions which are crucial when hand-pouring wax.”

The candle tins cover different sending occasions, while the jars are more suited as gifts or self-purchase items.

(See It's Getting To Smell A Lot Like Christmas on pages 65-73).

Remembering Lynn To celebrate the enormous contribution made by Lynn Tait, owner of gift and card shop The Lynn Tait Gallery in Leigh-on-Sea, a memorial event, organised by Progressive Gifts & Home's sister magazine Progressive Greetings, will be taking place between 2.305pm on Friday September 15 at London's The Depot, near Kings Cross.

Lynn, who passed away this summer, had many connections to the greeting card trade in particular. In addition to being an award winning gift retailer, Lynn's numerous accolades included being the founder of The Ladder Club which has gone on to kickstart the careers of many well known designers. They include Hannah Dale, founder of Wrendale Designs, who is among those that have branched out into gifts.

Above: The late Lynn Tait.

Left: Designer Hannah Dale.

Above: Publisher Janie Wilson has launched a first candle range.

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Left: Nic Stone.

Below: John Lewis is among the major multiples with a well honed website. So why should independents compete?

GIFT OF THE

GAB

A Counterblast

From The Counter With everyone doing more and more shopping online these days, Nic Stone, owner of The Bottle Kiln in West Hallam, asks if having a transactional website really is all it's cracked up to be for small independent retailers?

"There is one subject in the world of gift retailing on which I feel that only one opinion is ever advanced, and I would like to offer an alternative view: that every retailer must have a selling website as a natural extension of their bricks and mortar operation. We see it in countless articles, in the opinions of retail experts, and now, virtually every seminar given at shows that isn’t about social media is about ecommerce.

Don’t get me wrong. I buy things from the internet all the time, and for many things it is now the natural place to go: holidays, music, software, unusual parts for household appliances.

We all do it. But I would encourage you to ask yourself the three following questions: 1. Do you use the websites of small companies or large ones?

2.Do you feel the world needs any more gift websites? 3. Can you compete with the best of the existing sites on price, stock availability or convenience?

Every time I find myself tempted to have another go at a selling website I ask myself these questions. The answers are always: 1. I only ever use well-known companies online. (Sorry folks, in the bricks and mortar world I love small shops, but online I want it quick, cheap and reliable). The old idea that we are all equal online is rapidly emerging as more or less the opposite of the truth. In our local area, we beat John Lewis hands down for convenience as they are half an hour’s drive and a hefty parking

charge away. Online they could outgun us on every front. The answers to 2. & 3. are obviously 'no'.

I also take issue with the notion that it is a natural extension of what we already do. Sure we have the stock, the contacts, the knowledge. But you also need the IT skills, the time, a large number of good images, and the depth of stock to satisfy those orders coming in, which may well be

for entirely different lines than your popular ones in the shop. On top of that, do you want to be available 24/7 to satisfy the urgent need of a teenager in Spain for a 21st birthday candle (very well wrapped please) which they might just send back anyway?

The answer may well be 'yes'. Many shops say they do well with their sites.

How they compete on price with the big

sites without undercutting their shop prices I don’t know. You may love technology and find nothing in the world more fun than endlessly resetting your passwords, even though you know perfectly well what they should be, and spending hours and hours photographing items of stock only to find at the end of it, either the supplier doesn’t want you to use that line or that they have discontinued it.

The last time we had a go, we were not far off 10 grand out of pocket at the end of it, and I can honestly say that I would have had more fun flushing the money down the loo. But I learnt a very valuable lesson; to my surprise, the customers preferred to browse our stock at full price in the real world than to buy it even at a 10% discount online. This probably tells you a lot about our customers and business as we are a destination rather than a town centre store.

But what it taught me fundamentally was: 1.Be really clear about what business you are in. For us that meant understanding that we are in the leisure business as much as retail, and 2. do what you enjoy doing as that is what you will do best.

Like most important lessons it seems remarkably obvious with hindsight, but it is amazing the effect of pressure when everyone seems to be telling you that you must do something. What you must do is decide what it is that you do, and be really excellent at it. If that is websites, fantastic!

I may buy some stuff from you one day. If it’s not, that's also great. Don't be ashamed! Selling real things to real people is still best and always will be, because real people look at you, smile and say ‘thank you!’ Mostly."

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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You’re Invited

Perfect for planning ahead for spring/summer 2018 and picking up some last minute Christmas deals, the NEW Manchester Stationery Show will be full to the brim with fantastic writing and paper products for gift and greetings retailers.

Don’t miss this two day stationery extravaganza featuring key brands, beautiful designs, new suppliers, leading trend and business speakers and great networking opportunities.

It’s where fashion meets function Register for your FREE ticket today at: www.stationeryshow.co.uk Follow us @StationeryBytes

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LESLEY DUNNE

SOUNDING OFF

Creating The Magic Of Christmas A visit to Home & Gift in Harrogate a few weeks ago really got Feathering Your Nest's owner Lesley Dunne in the swing of her Christmas buying. So, mindful of rising inflation and the possibility of an interest rate rise, how will she be approaching Christmas this year?

"It's been a strange year so far as politics and the economy is concerned, with some surprises and a lot of uncertainty. Shopwise, we've had some amazing weeks and a few that have just been plain old pants! But one thing is thankfully for sure, Christmas is coming, so yay!

We get excited early on at Feathering Your Nest, and I'm sure, like the majority of retailers, our thoughts are about how we can better last year, what worked, what didn't and what is the must have gift of the season. Now where did I put that crystal ball?

After 12 years, I do wonder how we can create the magic each year, how we can 'wow' our customers, and will we top last year? We've done traditional, modern, retro and plenty of red, silver, gold, woodland, snowy, gingerbread and much more besides.

This year, I had divine inspiration for our window theme while visiting Junction 18 and Shruti's open week in March. They had the most exquisite Autumn/Winter products and colours, and my window plan was hatched!

Luckily, Katie Loxton' s new season colours are all from the same palette, beautifully complementing what I've bought.

The main buying fest however, is always Home & Gift in Harrogate. The show gets you right into the spirit, or perhaps it has something to do with the afternoon Pimms! Either way, 75% of Christmas is purchased during our four day Harrogate excursion. The first few days are spent finding new and exciting products, then it's back to my old faithfuls WoodWick candles from Xystos and Ashleigh & Burwood's fragrance lamps. The original orders were placed at Spring Fair, but we do a lot of tweaking at Harrogate too.

Now we're busily gearing up for Autumn Fair. Because I've done the majority of my festive buying already, Autumn Fair is a more relaxed show where I fill in the gaps. We see a fair number of reps and agents too.

Sentiment is always high on our list and is what we are known for in the area.

Christmas brings out the slush in most of us, whether buying for mum, sister, ‘bestie’ or ‘wifey’, and we play up to it. People are prepared to pay for that special gift if it has the right meaning.

However, we have a price ladder with plenty of gifts at £5, £10 £15 and £20, right up to £40, but beyond that, the selection and quantity is fewer. The turbulent year

Left: For the second consecutive year, our window centre piece for Christmas 2017 will be our 6ft vintage Santa, with a backdrop of Artebene's luxurious mid blue giftwrap that features gold stars.

Bottom left: Some of the new Shruti Autumn/Winter giftware that caught Lesley's eye at Home & Gift.

means that everyone has less in their pockets, perhaps even Mr Farage and Mr Johnson. (I can't help wondering where they do their Christmas shopping?).

Finally, we kickstart Christmas with a soiree mid October, bringing out the sparklers, decorations, nibbles, bubbles and special offers which our customers love. In fact, this year, I'm thinking of doing two or three of these.

The window and inside is always created during the first week of November with a lot of late nights. We take it in turn to bring in cocktails (in tins), just one each, and that definitely gets us in the Christmas spirit! We don't like to touch the window until after the light switch on the last Thursday in November. It's always manic, and one of the best days of the year, so it needs to be perfectly stunning.

Thereafter, we take out and add in products as the weeks pass. Anything that is slow moving will be bundled or reduced to move through during December. Christmas Eve always looks as though we have been pillaged and that's just the way we like it!

So far this year, I have ordered only a few less lines and just a little less on quantities, with the hope that, if I need to plug holes, I will do a few urgent orders. In all honesty though, I'm expecting a good Christmas, and let's face it, if you haven't got it in you can't sell it!"

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It’s Good

Retailer Round Table

To Talk With July's Home & Gift, Harrogate, kicking-off the Christmas buying season for many gift shops, PG&H asked a crosssection of retailers at the show to reveal their approach to buying for the festive season, as well as finding out more about the highs and lows of the year so far.

With Christmas brochures, digital newsletters, local press ads, festive, customer evenings and social media activities taking centre stage over the coming months, the current vibe is one of optimism, with a few lessons learned from last year, and a fresh new take on this year.

"We opened the gift and outdoor/seasonal accessories department at Barkers Home in Northallerton 16 months ago, so we're still finding our feet, but our figures are healthy and we're well up on gifts," says gifts and homewares buyer Julie Poynton. "We've found that our customers are really buying into the lifestyle side, and purchasing larger amounts, with gifts and homewares definitely heading in the right direction and greeting cards a growth sector."

Lynda Robertson, co-founder and director of two Pozzi stores in Buckie, and Bijou in Elgin, has been a retailer for over 29 years and says that she's seeing some significant changes, most notably the unstoppable rise and rise of internet shopping. "However, I always emphasise that what differentiates us is our hands on, professional service," she emphasises. It's a mantra that her son David Robertson, MD of the business, wholeheartedly agrees with, with his own focus very much on jewellery, fashion accessories and greeting cards. "We opened our second shop, Bijou, 12 years ago, and I have always believed that you have to be pro-active in retail, so this year, Pozzi has undergone a redevelopment where we have invested a significant six figure sum in redeveloping the business,

which includes a jewellery department. Our Above: Temperatures were in the sizzling '70s restaurant has done fantastically well, and at Home & Gift in July. we benefit from the sale of alcohol. We've Below: David Robertson, Pozzi and Bijou. evolved into a lifestyle destination store and Below left: Julie Poynton, Barkers Home. we know that our customers want to be Bottom: Lynda Robertson, wowed. Although footfall is down, we Pozzi and Bijou. nevertheless operate from a position of strength because people in the area know us very well," adds David. "Although, in the current climate, our customers don't have as much disposable income as before, they still want to shop in a retail outlet that they know they can trust. They are therefore prepared to pay a bit more to get what they want."

Dougal Philip and Lesley Watson, co-owners of New Hopetoun Gardens in West Lothian, which is approaching its 40th year, expanded its gift department a couple of years ago. Lesley is responsible for overseeing the department and says that it is holding up very well. "People tell us that they love the gifts we buy because they can always find something different," she enthuses. "When it's wet and they can't garden, they come to us to buy their gifts, often walking out with five or six greeting cards too. Ironically for a garden centre, sales of our faux flowers are also on the up!"

At The Barn At The Hollies Farm Shop, Little Budworth, director Ed Cowap confirmed that he's was pleased with how the year has gone so far. "We have added in lots of new, innovative, on trend products alongside firm favourites, which have drawn in both regular and brand new customers."

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Above: Lesley Watson, It's been much the same for Richard New Hopetoun Gardens.

Marsden and Aga Gabrysiak who recently Below: Dougal Philip, New Hopetoun Gardens. took over the Highworth Emporium in Right: Aga Gabrysiak, Highworth. "The year has been really good. Highworth Emporium.

We have invested in new stock and a semi refurbishment which has made a difference. The shop is cleaner and better laid out, with more focused sales areas. The initiatives we have run have been a success for us since we took over. Our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram activity has certainly pulled in customers from a wider area and brought down our average customer age by about 20 years, although we still love to see our regular senior customers.

When we took over the business we targeted a certain growth percentage and we have doubled that."

For others, the General Election did have an impact. “But only for a very short time, during the Election itself, and was very short lived,” Julie confirmed. “Customers were just a bit more cautious."

Lynda, meanwhile, added that her customers were very uneasy.

"Scotland has long been advocating independence, so the General Election was a crossroads," she pointed out.

Dougal highlighted the 'lipstick effect'. "We've found that people are definitely treating themselves to affordable impulse purchases across the board. Plus, we're fortunate in that a lot of new houses have been built in the area, so that has increased our sales both in terms of the gardening side of the business as well as on the gift and catering sides."

As always, Christmas remains the focal point of the year for sales, with Lesley and Dougal starting their buying each January, sourcing their gift ranges to fit in with three different Christmas themes. "We've bought more than ever this year," confirms Lesley. "As always, we'll be publishing our annual Christmas newsletter, which will be going out to over 7,000 homes, and includes plenty of gift ideas."

Adds Dougal: "Although we start displaying Christmas decorations, lights, garlands and wreaths in September, we don't open 'Christmas' properly until mid October as we sell lots of Spring

Retailer Round Table

bulbs and Halloween products too, and don't want to move people on too early." Lesley says that when a product is gone it's gone. "Sometimes customers see something in September and expect it to still be there closer to Christmas, but the reality is that it's likely to have been sold and not repeated." Adds Dougal, "we don't let Christmas linger. After December 25 things get boxed up and put away."

Like New Hopetoun Gardens, Barkers Home too, will be unveiling three Christmas themes which will be revealed during the second week of September. "This is our second Christmas, and, based on last year, we're feeling confident in that our Christmas offer was warmly embraced by customers last year. However, something I'm hoping to do differently this time is to put Christmas cards and giftwrap into the gift department. Also, I think that having a successful Christmas comes down to how you dress the store. If you, as a retailer, are confident then that has a knock-on effect."

Lynda says that although she will be buying fewer Christmas decorations this year, once November is over, she's hopeful that people will want to start dressing their Christmas trees. "I really do love Christmas and, as always, I will be making a big effort to wrap and be-ribbon parcels, displaying them around the store," she comments. "We were spending up to £5,000 on Christmas decorations but this year we've accepted that we can't compete with the big guys," admits David. "We make better margins on jewellery, handbags, scarves and greeting cards, but in case we've taken the wrong decision, we'll be doing some very careful analysis."

For Ed at The Barn at the Hollies Farm Shop, Christmas is undoubtedly the biggest part of the year. "We like to go all out, and this year will be no exception," he confirms. "The majority of our buying has been done now, but we'll keep topping up as and when necessary. Pricewise, as always, there will be something for everyone. In fact, not a week goes by at The Hollies without us discussing Christmas, where we're aiming to launch around the third week of September. Last year we had a special product launch event with a late night opening that went really well, so we're planning more this year. We're also hoping to have more suppliers in, showcasing and even sampling their products to support us in the run up to Christmas."

Richard and Aga confirm that their Christmas stock has, for the most part, been bought."This was done by the end February," confirms Aga. "We have a mixed selection of prices where we have brought in some highly priced individual items as standalone centre pieces, while increasing our offer on impulse buys in our Christmas room. As we bought most of our product just after Christmas, it was too early to react to the current economic situation but we believe that Christmas will be strong because Christmas is Christmas!"

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Focus On... Christmas Decorations

Deck The Halls Stylish Christmas decorations have become a good seller for gift shops over the years, with 'something different' driving sales both as self purchases and gifts.

With many gift retailers looking to get their decorations onto the shelves in September/October for those early Christmas shoppers, PG&H took a look at the trends for the coming festive season.

Right: Cheeky elves are the theme of Premier Decorations' Believe story.

Christmas Stories Each year, Premier Decorations creates exclusive themes to allow customers to maximise the impact of their existing decorations, or form their own interpretation of the stories its designers have created.

"Most consumers like to collect Christmas decorations, adding fresh ideas to complement and accessorise those they have collected over the years," points out Premier Decorations MD John Athwal. "Because of this, the Premier team is constantly watching out for the latest new trends, particularly focusing on the UK market, which tends to have very different tastes to worldwide or even European consumers."

For 2017, one of Premier’s strongest themes is the red, green and white range Believe, which is child-based and filled with Santa characters and elves, including cute elf figures, tree hanging elf socks, hat tree toppers and soft plush elf ‘legs’ which appear to have fallen into the Christmas tree.

Other themes include the sophisticated Noel Splendour - which has a metallic theme featuring, gold, copper, silver and cream to tone down the glitz - and Mistletoe Kisses, which brings together white and clear decorations, with soft greens and berry red.

However, one of the company's most on trend themes for 2017 is Starry Night which features blue, grey, silver and white. "With stars as the main focus and lots of sparkle and glitter, as well as deeper blues and gunmetal greys contrasting with pale sky blue and shiny silver, this theme makes an elegant, yet understated statement," says John.

John's top retail tip: "Display key Christmas decorations on Christmas trees in-store using strong colour co-ordinated themes. Our Christmas Stories catalogue helps to put together colours that complement each other and make an impact. Customers are then able to visualise how they can recreate the same festive scene in their own homes, giving them greater buying confidence and encouraging more spending."

Festive Themes "Christmas is becoming bigger and bigger each year and this year will be no different," says Stefan Koldeweij, sales UK and Ireland for Kaemingk.

"Our inspiring Christmas collection features the very latest Christmas trends for both indoors and outdoors, with over 500 decorative Christmas lights, numerous glass and shatterproof baubles in stunning colours and a mix of sizes, as well an extensive range of artificial Christmas trees, wreaths and garlands."

In addition, the company offers both colourful and themed candles as well as a wide floristry range. "Our new Christmas Below: Remember When, one of eight Christmas themes from Kaemingk.

Display, Display, Display

Above: Gisela Graham's Regal Fairy.

"We're seeing a trend towards opulence this Christmas, more gold and more luxurious looks," says Piers Croke, sales director at Gisela Graham.

"Peacock imagery is still strong, and Scandinavian is a safe bet," he confirms.

"We have scores of independent gift shops who buy Christmas decorations from us, year after year, so there’s definitely a market out there. Actual Christmas tree decorations can sell if they’re really different - and collectable - such as our designer fairies and treetop angels, or very intricate glass shapes which are often given as gifts, plus what Americans call 'sit-abouts' such as a large Santa figure or a big angel for the mantelpiece."

Piers adds that gift shops do well with Christmas tabletop products giving retailers plenty of opportunity for a festive, atmospheric display, especially in shop windows, as well as festive gift products such as Advent calendars.

Piers top retail tip? "Display, display, display!"

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Focus On... Christmas Decorations collection offers more than 13,000 home decor and gift items all centered around eight creative themes," highlights Stefan.

Among them are Remember When, which exudes romance; Loved by Nature featuring a greenhouse that's been furnished as a lounge/living room during the Christmas period; a Grand Café which is housed in an old building with industrial influences, and decorated with thick greenery garlands and traditional Christmas lights on the walls, and Christmas Fun, reflecting a little bistro with a cosy theme, showcasing a warm, wintery feel and plenty of Christmas tradition.

Stefan's top retail tips: "With social media so important nowadays, retailers should send out posts for new arrivals to update customers on the transformation of the shop into the Christmas 'looks', and should also share the final result. It’s all about engaging with consumers to create a demand for the ranges on offer. With exposure key, shops need to give their displays their own twist so it sets them apart from competition."

Think About Colour

Seasonal Updates "Christmas decorations are a great way for a retailer to give a strong festive feel in store without going to the expense or trouble of buying additional decorations," says Widdop and Co's marketing manager Sue Grant. As she points out, once Christmas comes round, hopefully, the decorations will all be sold.

"Christmas decorations are an essential seasonal addition for any independent retailer and with no shortage of choice, it’s important that the retailer chooses products that integrate into their general offer in terms of product type, style and price point," says Sue. "Although traditional Christmas colour themes such as red and green and gold and silver are perennial favourites, with little change from year to year, every trend needs a seasonal update. Light up products and the use of tartan and felt material give traditional products a contemporary feel."

At Widdop's, extravagant jewelled colour themes have been spiced up with copper accents borrowed from the home accessories market. "The combination of a soft teal with silver and white and galvanised metal offers a modern urban feel to the decorative Christmas market," Sue comments.

"Nutcrackers, Christmas ceramics, lanterns and tea light holders and 'first' Christmas products are all must-have lines for Christmas 2017," she states.

Sue's top retail tips: "Strong merchandising by theme in store produces eye-catching displays. Remerchandising by moving product around and mixing and matching are easy ways of up-dating a display with little effort."

At Transomnia, director Rod O'Mahony says that as ever, Christmas is a crucial time for gift retailers, and not just thanks to present buying.

"Sales of decorations and ornaments are becoming ever more important. Not only do they make up a significant portion of consumer spending over the period, but for bricks-and-mortar retailers, the festive ambience created in store by an effective Christmas display is increasingly the key to luring punters away from online shopping channels and onto the high street."

He points out that although the 'full-on Christmas' look generally isn't rolled out until after Halloween, retailers should think about changing the colour palette in store - and especially in their window displays - to incorporate more rich, Autumnal tones from early September onwards.

"Decorations incorporating LED lights have continued to grow in popularity throughout 2017, and will undoubtedly feature heavily this festive season - and not just on the Christmas tree," says Rod. "Following the runaway success of our Gift of the Year-winning LED bottle light kit, we have just unveiled a whole raft of new LED decorations for this Christmas, including a range of LED paper lanterns. For retailers, having one or two of each switched on is key to an effective display."

Rod says that other trends to look out for this Christmas include penguins; alcohol-themed celebration signs and messages, especially those referring to Prosecco and gin; and traditional, 'craft-style' decorations. "Gold - sparkly, and/or accented with other colours such as pink - looks set to be the biggest Christmas colour this year," states Rod. Rod's top retail tip: "Christmas decorations are increasingly bought around a theme, so organising displays in co-ordinated ranges will definitely help retailers to encourage multiple purchases."

Above: LED paper lanterns are among the latest products for Christmas from Transomnia.

Top: Among Widdop and Co's contemporary Christmas themes.

Continued on page 41

Above: Puckator has added traditional holiday scenes to its Silent Light LED bottles.

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Visit us at the Autumn Fair 3 – 6 S e pte m b e r | H a l l 3 - 3 A 3E30 – F31 | Birmingham | UK Seasonal decorations | Outdoor living | Garden furniture | Fountains | Lighting | Pottery W W W. KA E M I N G K . CO M

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Focus On... Christmas Decorations

That Seasonal Touch

Below: Christmas decorations from Parlane.

Parlane's focus is on the middle to higher end of the retail trade, with MD Mike Burgess confirming that Christmas decorations are continuing to grow year on year for the company, with retailers looking for something different, exclusive and more conceptual.

"Being primarily a home accessory company, our Christmas decoration business has to follow our fashion trends while adding a seasonal touch to the collections," he explains. "Our decorations and faux flowers are therefore specially coloured to match our seasonal Pantones, and pine garlands, branches and wreaths have to be the most realistic. Humour is also very important but it has to be well done," Mike adds.

This year, the company has introduced two Christmas concepts for AW17. The Vintage story focuses on ornate tree decorations, opulent detailing and distressed finishes in muted silver, gold and cream, while the Winter Woodland concept is based around the natural textures of nature. Huge fir wreaths adorned with berries, real feather baubles and friendly forest creatures found amongst textured birch trees define the overall look.

Mike's top retail tip: "It’s invaluable to have display areas that give inspiration to your customers but equally you need to have a ‘technical area’ where all the separate elements from the display are merchandised in one place for customers to purchase easily. Keep it simple. The most impressive tree displays stick to a limited colour palette and use a handful of different tree trim decorations repeated within the display."

Create A Festive Feel At Joe Davies, the company highlights that Christmas decorations and Christmas gifts in general present a big opportunity for independent retailers. Merchandised correctly they make shops feel particularly welcoming and Christmassy and generate increase sales.

"Retailers should look for non-mainstream, quirky products for under £10, as purchases are often impulse buys," advises Joe Davies' MD Steve Davies. "Traditional colourways still dominate, but shabby chic, Scandinavian style decorations are still in vogue, especially intricate, laser cut designs. Products encompassing LED lights are particularly popular and catch the eye, even after closing time, and are extremely affordable too."

Steve's top retail tip: "Christmas displays should begin from September onwards and really crank up in early December with Christmas scented candles, mince pies and mulled wine all adding to the atmosphere."

Below: Joe Davies' Christmas Starlight message trees.

Enchanted Christmas Sass & Belle's festive collection features a wide selection of styles with over 800 decorations and almost 600 new designs.

"This season, Christmas decorations are all about trends and contemporary designs," says Sass & Belle's online trading manager Coralie Vieira. "Our Wonderland collection proved a massive success at this year’s Spring Fair, bringing unicorns, fairytales and touches of pink to an enchanted Christmas theme, with our popular Sweet Dreams cloud and star featuring as magical baubles."

Adds Coralie: "In addition, the All That Glitter and Merry Monochrome collections add a touch of joyful glamour to the range, with champagne bottle baubles and gold glitter galore. Our Christmas Fun collection is ideal as a quirky alternative to traditional themes, with contemporary characters such as a llama, flamingos and a pineapple the big trends that are lending themselves to this year’s Christmas spirit."

For festive traditionalists, the company's traditional winter white theme in the Let It Snow collection features snowflakes, polar bears and baubles in frosted whites and glittery silvers, also including reindeers, robins and other cheerful creatures.

Coralie's top retail tip: "Order early and be bold this Christmas. Don’t be afraid to go for unusual designs."

Right: Sass & Belle's Wonderland collection.

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Face To Face: Enesco

Collectively

Speaking

Enesco will be taking not one but two stands at this year's Autumn Fair (NEC, September 3-6).

The company is moving to a new location in Hall 3, and will also have a dedicated Pusheen stand in Hall 5. "This is an exciting move for us and indicates the strength of the Pusheen brand," MD Ken Johnson told PG&H. But that's not all that will be taking the company forward into 2018...

As Autumn Fair homes into view, Enesco Europe is looking forward to unveiling over 300 new lines across its collections, from Beatrix Potter and Flower Fairies to Lolita glassware and M Gifts For Men. Most importantly however, it's the company's major Autumn/Winter licensed giftware launch - The World of Miss Mindy Presents Disney - that's creating the most excitement.

We all know about Disney of course, but who exactly is Miss Mindy?

"She's an American cartoon folk artist who has played with the character's lines, exaggerating head shapes and enlarging their expressive eyes, while making other features more petite," explains Enesco Europe's MD Ken Johnson. (Interestingly, Miss Mindy inherited her flair for art from her grandmother who was an ink and paint girl for the Walt Disney Studios in the1930s and 1940s, and her style is to re-imagine Disney's most iconic characters).

There will also be several other contemporary collections being showcased in Hall 3 (V22/W23) to include Peter Rabbit, Willow Tree and Flower Fairies, along with many others.

Above left: Ken Johnson, MD, Enesco Europe.

Above right: A major new launch for Enesco this Autumn is The World of Miss Mindy Presents Disney.

Right: Pusheen will have its own,dedicated stand at Autumn Fair.

Over in Hall 5 meanwhile, the company has dedicated an entire stand to Gund's Pusheen (A44). "The character is a modern day collectable," smiles Ken, "with the Pusheen brand going from strength to strength. It has over nine million Facebook followers and 14 million stickers that are shared over social media every day. Gund has the only exclusive Pusheen licence, which is for plush, and we have recently added some non-exclusive hard lines to the collection."

As a measure of Pusheen's popularity, in addition to the super jumbo plush - which is nearly 1.5m wide - right down to small mystery boxes, collectors are eager to buy product, and have even formed online communities exclusively for the Pusheen brand, with Enesco excited to let Pusheen star in its own right at Autumn Fair.

Fortunately, for the company, despite the problems the UK has faced with terrorist attacks and elections across Europe, 2017 has been a very rewarding year for Enesco Europe across all product categories and all sales territories.

"We were fortunate in that Spring Fair, along with several successful European trade shows, gave us a great start," Ken comments. "Our portfolio is very much driven by licensed properties and we are continuing to have very strong sales across our major licences. In fact, despite the negative media comments, our figural sales continue to grow - although it's now accepted that consumer taste has changed away from the past high volumes in traditional styles."

Instead, he believes that today's breed of collectors are looking for high quality products offering value for money.

"Collectors come in all guises and often do not see themselves as true collectors," he suggests. "For example, we have consumers who buy several pieces of Willow Tree, with its strong ‘create your own family’ theme, and this results in many own purchase sales because families are constantly evolving. We have also recently added pets, in Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Face To Face: Enesco the form of a cat and dog, and the response has been phenomenal."

While Willow Tree continues to be an ongoing, outstanding success for Enesco, the majority of the company's other licences are also figural product. According to Ken, the demand across the UK and Europe is gaining momentum, with key themes such as Beauty and the Beast proving very popular with collectors who are looking for lesser known characters, or the opportunity to create themed displays.

In fact, there are still so many collectors out there that Enesco can lay claim to fame for being one of the only remaining companies that still runs a collectors club. The company's Friends of Peter Rabbit club has thousands of collectors from all over the world who love being part of a community, rewarded by Enesco supporting them with both a Facebook and an Instagram page. "Our Fan Fridays sees fans sharing their photos with us," concurs Ken, "with Peter Rabbit continuing to appeal across all age ranges."

Although Enesco's keeps up with trends, the company is not, by the very nature of its products, a trend driven company. But close attention is paid to innovation in materials and product formats, applying them if they fit the portfolio. "Our strengths are licensed product, and what is key is that whatever we launch works for a collection," Ken comments. "For example, our organic bamboo product range perfectly suits Peter Rabbit, as it has a softness which lends itself to the style guide." (Such is its popularity of Peter Rabbit that the Great Ormond Street Hospital plush collection's full limited edition sold out within weeks).

Continues Ken: "Many trends from the catwalk or home dĂŠcor market place are very niche, so we have to consider carefully the longevity of a trend, or pick out the highlights which we can then incorporate into our giftware."

Above: Super soft Peter Rabbit plush continues to be one of the company's biggest sellers.

Below: Willow Tree is continuing to delight collectors.

With an often struggling high street, Ken says that proactive retailers are continuing to see good results, regularly changing window displays, taking advantage of suppliers offers and promotions, and having a social media presence. "But it all takes time and effort," he admits. "Therefore some retailers are understandably being cautious with their spending and that's where we're having success, as many of our products have an immediate appeal to the consumer. We offer retailers exceptional terms and endeavour to supply within one to two days, and our B2B website means that retailers can check the stock situation and order stock 24/7. In fact, we recently upgraded our website to be responsive, so that it is fully functional across tablets and smart phones making access even easier."

But there are, of course, challenges to be faced, with Ken citing the continued uncertainty around the government and Brexit, as well all the negative press surrounding house prices and the weak ÂŁpound which all determine

consumer spend. "The inflated buying costs from China due to the $dollar exchange rate is also an ongoing worry. However these are not just issues for Enesco," he adds.

Nevertheless, the good news is that order bookings for the second half of the year are already extremely strong. "Given that the selling season has only just begun this gives us good visibility of what we can expect going forward," Ken points out. "Our exclusive licences are growing at a great pace and offer our retailers the opportunities for products with major consumer appeal.

We are also focusing on our brand building, using social media to create awareness not only about our products but also about our stockists. Our vision is to continue to deliver fantastic exclusive product which is value for money, backed with exceptional customer service and sales and marketing support."

He believes the company's continuing success is down to Enesco's desire to continue to create innovative products, as well as establishing a close co-operation with its long term licensing partners. "We are celebrating 30 years as a licensee for Beatrix Potter, and have been distributing Willow Tree for over 15 years," he highlights. "Milestones like these make for a strong foundation."

Enesco: The Lowdown

l Enesco was founded in Chicago in 1958 by Gene Freedman. l Enesco Europe has two export divisions: a Berlin based sales

office covering Northern and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa and Enesco France, based in Nice, which covers France, Spain and Italy. l Ken Johnson joined Enesco in 1985, and was appointed MD of Enesco Europe in 2006. l Currently, the company employs 240 staff spanning its HQ in

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The Gift

Spotlight On... Christmas Gifts

Of Giving The festive season is a time when independent gift shops really come into their own. Not only do they provide an alternative to commuting to the big city shopping centres, they also offer that something different - gifts that other stores don't have.

Mindful of the sweet spots of £5 and under, £10 and under and £20 and under, PG&H went Christmas shopping.

£5 And Under Although we're on course for the festive season, Really Good's new deckchair fun mini tins are already looking ahead to summer. "At £3.50 they're at an excellent price point, making them a fun, useful gift for a stocking filler," says sales manager Lisa Marcuccio. "As they come in a free POS display, retailers can make the most of the mini tins by situating them at till points for impulse pick up buys or placed within the rest of the range," Lisa suggests.

For girlie girls, Puckator's new beauty accessories include shaped tweezers featuring popular ‘alpaca the herd’ and ‘I love my cat’ characters, alongside Nawaii and friends," highlights the company's designer Lauren Billingham. "They make ideal till pick up gifts, and we predict that other items that will fly off the shelves are our new prosecco and princess designs, which add a fresh twist to the popular slogan craze of recent times," says Lauren. "There are themes on nail files, compact mirrors and much more, with items retailing for under £5."

£10 And Under Helping to get everyone in the Christmas spirit is part of the fun of the festive season.

"Gin is making a huge impact, mixing stylish designs with new flavour combinations, so everyone is sure to appreciate a practical, eye catching board for everyday use and special occasions," says Jenny Handley, head of marketing at T & G. Made from hevea wood, the quirky boards can be used for cutting lemon and limes for gin and tonics, vodka tonics or other fruit for cocktails." Adds Jenny: "The boards can also be used for serving up nibbles and treats, making them a a great gift for any occasion and a lovely Christmas gift at £9.99 each."

Pampering products are always a popular choice for stocking fillers and teacher's gifts, with Heathcote & Ivory's new Sakura Silks collection featuring14 pieces, with 10 fitting into the £10 and under pricing category. "The variety of products allows the consumer to split many of the items," explains marketing and PR manager Amanda Pullen. "With pricing from just £4, customers can make a selection of products to their chosen value, in effect, creating a tailor made gift for the recipient relevant to the

Above: Really Good's mini tins.

Left: Puckator's funky beauty accessories.

Top right: T&G's new versatile wooden bar boards.

Right: Heathcote and Ivory's set of three Sakura Silks bath fizzer crackers.

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Sterling Silver Jewellery Charming designs in the spirit of the season.

Beautiful sterling silver designs available in our New Autumn & Winter supplement

www.kitheathretailer.com

01271 329123 sales@kitheath.com

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Spotlight On... Christmas Gifts price point the giver wants to spend.

This in turn offers the retailer total flexibility for a variety of budgets."

Stationery always makes a lovely gift that's very much appreciated with NPW's unicorn tape dispenser a fun gift at £10 RRP. "It adds a touch of magic and sparkle to gift wrapping or craft projects," says senior marketing manager Katie Benson, "and comes with two rainbow tapes. Customers can also purchase our set of three unicorn sticky tapes.” She adds that the tape dispenser and tapes can be merchandised alongside other mystical ranges such as NPW's new Mermazing products.

Meanwhile, who doesn't like a bit of sparkle? "In store and on the shelf, our Starlight bottle range creates an eyecatching and festive display," says Thomas O'Brien, operations director at Boxer. "The bottles twinkle and sparkle when they're displayed and, at under £10, they're a 'pick up and go' gift for friends and family. There are lots of sentiments to choose from, with the added touch of a gift tag too."

Left: A unicorn tape dispenser from NPW. Below: Boxer Gifts Starlight bottles.

Below right: Clip on fashion accessories from Hot Tomato.

Jewellery, of course, is always a winner, with Hot Tomato offering some festive sparkle to glam up handbags or to jazz up a tired bunch of keys. "These dual purpose fashion accessories, combined with an RRP of £7, make them ideal stocking fillers/girlfriend gifts," says Alex Machin, director, Hot Tomato. Displaying them couldn't be easier. "Retailers can simply clip them all over the place and let the twinkle do the talking."

£20 And Under "With people travelling to visit friends and family over the festive season, our set of three travel bags, which come in three sizes, would be really useful, not just for Christmas but all year round," says Luca Bridges, senior sales and marketing co-ordinator at Caroline Gardner. "The bags are brand new for Autumn/Winter and are a first for us, with the two larger bags fitting into the smaller one.

They're very stylish and ideal for jewellery, shoes and bits and bobs, and at £16 for the set, it make a great pick-up item at the till."

Tom Sykes, director, Xystos, says that the under £20 price point is still key for

retailers, despite pressure on their margins.

"Christmas candles serve independent gift shops well, being both decorative and useful.

Village Candle from Xystos is offering the Gift Box with a choice of three six-ounce candles – Happy Holidays, Home for Christmas and Sleigh Ride – each with an RRP of £19.99, while the mini gift set has the same price point and makes a great bythe-till pickup line."

Of course, scented candles are a 'must have' for the festive season, with Yankee

Candles' brand new black glass frosted Gold collection offering a tumbler candle at £19.99 with four different fragrances appealing to both women and men. "For maximum impact, retailers should make the display quite minimal," says Yankee Candles' brand activation associate manager Georgina Charlesworth. "The tumblers can be stacked or displayed at different heights, with black and gold props used to accessorise."

Deborah Bettinson, PR manager at Ashleigh & Burwood, comments that, at Christmas especially, consumers searching Continued on page 51

Above: A Village Candle gift boxed candle, distributed

by Xystos.

Left: A set of three travel bags from Caroline Gardner.

Right: Ashleigh & Burwood's Artistry Collection home gift set comprises a scented candle, reed diffuser and scented heart pillow.

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Spotlight On... Christmas Gifts

for inspiring gift ideas for friends and loved ones look to independent gift stores. "Our recently launched Artistry Collection home gift set, with an RRP of £20, features a unique presentation in a houseshaped gift box, complete with a chimney that accommodates diffuser reeds and windows revealing the products."

Jewellery is a win/win gift, with Joe Davies confirming that its Equilibrium Christmas jewellery and accessory sales have grown exponentially in the last three years. "People are increasingly

wearing the products in the run up to Christmas and throughout the festive period, so they want good quality pieces that they can wear year after rather than cheap throw away items," says Steve Davies, MD of Joe Davies. He recommends that the best way to draw attention to Top left: Equilibrium festive jewellery from Joe Davies comes in silver foiled box with a Christmas design.

Above: Carrie Elspeth's new bracelets feature geometric and heart charms.

Above left: 12 Days Of Christmas from Lesser & Pavey.

Right: Among the new Paperblanks Flexi journals is the midi sized Le Gascon Mystique.

festive jewellery is for retailers and staff to wear it themselves. "It makes the store more Christmassy, really increases sales, and should be merchandised near the till counter," adds Steve.

At Carrie Elspeth, the focus is on colourful leather and faux leather charm bracelets retailing at £14.99. "As an impulse purchase it's a little more expensive but the bracelet comes in an organza pouch and gift bag which makes them a gift that's ready to give," says Carrie.

Christmas decorations too, make a lovely gift. "Our 12 Days Of Christmas baubles are a great twist on a classic Christmas gift and a classic Christmas carol with each bauble featuring a different line from the song, plus they come presented in a lidded gift box," comments Johnny Greves, buyer and key accounts representative, Lesser & Pavey. "Retailers can decorate their Christmas tree with them, showing them off in the way that they could be displayed on someone's tree at home, as well as having them on display in their deluxe gift boxes."

Meanwhile, for people who like to jot things down, Paperblanks is launching a brand new range of notebooks, Paperblanks Flexis. The range includes a variety of crafted personal journals featuring soft covers, with prices starting from £14.99. "The notebooks are an ideal gift to stock in the run up to Christmas, tapping into the recent appetite for personal journaling," says Bróna McKeague, Paperblanks' European marketing and PR executive. "To make the most of the journals in store, retailers need to showcase a variety of journals with a wide range of covers," she suggests.

For something more funky, Mustard's desktop cactus organiser, with a RRP of £12.95, is sure to stand out on the shelf.

Above: Wild & Wolf's set of four shot glasses are part of the Gentlemen's Hardware range.

Left: Mustard's desktop cactus organiser.

Below right: Gibson's new Sherlock Holmes card game.

"Thanks to its contemporary design it makes it a very attractive gift," comments MD Reuben Utudijian.

Meanwhile, with men and barware in mind, Wild & Wolf has included a pair of rocking whisky glasses, and a serving paddle with shot glasses, in its Gentlemen's Hardware range, both with a RRP of £18. “With whisky making a comeback, this is the perfect Christmas gift for men who like to indulge in a night cap," says head of marketing Laura Driffield. "The shot glasses too, make a great Christmas present for the festive period or ahead of the New Year." Both come in kraft packaging with

copper foiling, and can be merchandised in or out of their packaging, among other barware or men’s lifestyle products.

Of course, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without games and puzzles that all the family can play, with Gibsons bringing out a trio of card games. "We have three quickplay card games - Mind the Gap, Chicken Out! and Sherlock Holmes The Card Game - with prices ranging from £6.99-£12.99," confirms Samantha Goodburn, marketing and PR executive at Gibsons Games.

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Carrie Elspeth H A N D M A D E

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NEW Autumn 2017 Collection AUTUMN FAIR - STAND 4G40 NEW LOCATION

e sales@carrieelspeth.com | t 01446 771271 | w www.carrieelspeth.com

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Carrie Elspeth

New Collection for Autumn 2017 Autumn Fair - Stand 4G40 H A N D M A D E

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest Christmas gift ideas to be showcased this month.

I Am Groot Guardians of the Galaxy fans love Groot, and these super plush slippers are a must for any fan: RRP £12, and with the matching robe RRP £37. Groovy UK design and manufacture many unique gift lines including bathrobes, slippers, lighting and bags. Key licenses include Star Wars, DC Comics, Marvel, Assassins Creed, Harry Potter and Suicide Squad.

Groovy UK Tel: 0844 3727820 Email: Hello@groovyuk.com www.groovyuk.com

Mermaid For Christmas

All Lit Up With a magical RRP of £7, this paper shade could light the smiles on many and adult or child's face. Groovy UK design and manufacture many unique gift lines including bathrobes, slippers, lighting and bags. Key licenses include: Star Wars, DC Comics, Marvel, Assassins Creed, Harry Potter & Suicide Squad.

Groovy UK Tel: 0844 3727820 Email: Hello@groovyuk.com www.groovyuk.com

A must have for retailers this Christmas are the Mermaid blankets by Lesser & Pavey which are available in three different colours – pink, blue and rainbow. Each blanket features shiny silver scales and mermaid sequin scales which change colour when you brush them. They are part of a larger collection of Mermaid sequin cushion and other Mermaid gifts. Set to be a huge line for Christmas 2017, buyers need to make contact now before stocks disappear.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand E02-F03

Fun Children’s Fork Fred is jam packed full of clever, comical gifts centred around home, party and kids, with a host of new AW17 additions providing food for thought for fun Christmas gift ideas. The prehysteric Sporkasaur kids fork is an amusing double whammy - helping little angels glide through meal times with ease while doubling as a sanity saver for adults a perfect solution to a stress-free Christmas lunch! Made from stainless steel and BPA-free silicone, Sporkasaur is dishwasher safe and comes in clear gift packaging.

Fred by KitchenCraft: Tel: +44 (0) 121 604 1111 Email: sales@kitchencraft.co.uk www.kitchencraft.co.uk

Calling All Cocktail Lovers New For Christmas Adding an extra special touch to Christmas is the brand new We Love Christmas collection which includes stylish etched slate and ash wood serveware, along with a host of other accessories for dining, accessorising and table styling. Items in the collection also make wonderful gifts across a spectrum of price points including this delightful set of four slate coasters with an etched stag design. Like most of the items in the collection, these come stylishly gift boxed. SRP £4.99.

KitchenCraft Tel: +44 (0) 121 604 1111 Email: sales@kitchencraft.co.uk www.kitchencraft.co.uk

Shake up your festive celebrations with a host of new BarCraft items which lead the way in the hottest drinking trends. This chic, cut glass cocktail shaker is perfect for conjuring up the latest hip cocktails to impress guests, or to be considered as the perfect gift giver. The stylish cut glass body is complemented by a stainless steel top and integral strainer. It comes complete with cocktail recipes and striking gift packaging. SRP £14.99.

KitchenCraft Tel: +44 (0) 121 604 1111 Email: sales@kitchencraft.co.uk www.kitchencraft.co.uk

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Celebrate with Dartington

5255c Silver =grey 30% black

The Best of British Gifts Making Great Sales Tel: 01805 626226 • www.dartington.co.uk • sales@dartington.co.uk Progressive Gifts August 2017 advert.indd 1 054_GH_September 2017.indd 1

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest Christmas gift ideas to be showcased this month.

Christmas Candles Best Kept Secrets hired a designer for their new Christmas candle range. So good were the new concepts and so good was the response from focus groups that Denise Edwards of Best Kept Secrets decided to run with two new sets. Believe In The Magic Of Christmas is focused on sayings that tell the story of Christmas. The Christmas Elegance range offers a more traditional set of festive candles. Eight of last year’s most successful fragrances have been retained such as Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

Best Kept Secrets Tel: 01670 512222 Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand G40

Festive Folklore A must for any gift store this Christmas season.

Items within the Heartwood Creek Folklore collection include Folklore Santa with Heart, which sees Father Christmas standing tall at 28.0cm.

Also within the collection, Folklore Santa with Tree, features Father Christmas standing 21.5cm tall A perfect Christmas decoration or gift for collectors, each piece retails for £29.95 and £25.00 SRP respectively and is available to purchase direct from Enesco.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand V22/W23

Kuya Crystals With rainbow colours and light diffusing crystals, the new Kuya Crystal collection from Joe Davies features six different dream catchers and sun catchers which all come individually boxed. The starter pack features an attractive free stand which displays the crystals to maximum effect and maximises sales in a small area. The crystals are also easy to buy and repeat individually. Kuya Crystals join over 2500 brand new gifts on Joe Davies' stand at Autumn Fair.

Joe Davies Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand C10/D11

Super Soft Slipper Socks These super cozy new slipper socks are brand new to Joe Davies' snoozies! collection for Autumn/Winter and join 10 new snoozies! ranges at Autumn Fair. The snoozies! slipper socks are lined with gorgeous soft fleece with knitted outers in six different, attractive designs and colours. As with all snoozies! they feature nonslip soles and are super soft and warm for wearing around the house. One size fits all. snoozies! are Joe Davies' bestselling product ever!

Joe Davies Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand C10/D11

Sentiment Bracelets Autumn Fair will see the launch of the brand new Equilibrium vintage style sentiment bracelet collection. These stunning new bracelets are plated with real silver and finished with a popular vintage look. The expandable stretch style ensures one size fits all, and the fabulous detail and engraved heartfelt messages really set this range apart.

These bracelets are packaged in Equilibrium signature purple and cream packaging and are a wonderful addition to this bestselling collection.

Joe Davies Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand C10/D11

Music's The Name Of The Game It’s hard to believe that The Music Gifts Company has been designing gifts since 1995. The world may have changed in the last 22 years, but music remains timeless. The latest creation is Musical Dominoes which tests your knowledge of music notation. This 28 tile game is made of resin and comes gift boxed, with a launch price of just £7.50 for orders at Autumn Fair. With over 500 gifts on a music theme, there’s something for everyone.

The Music Gifts Company Tel: 01202 57 00 57 Email: enquiries@musicgifts.co.uk www.musicgifts.co.uk Autumn Fair NEC Hall 3 Stand V09

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The Original

Starlight Bottles Beautifully coloured bottles with twinkling stars that light up heart-warming sentiments and celebratory ages.

Exquisitely Designed For Those Extra Special Occasions

ng Weddin Desig s s Gift Per fect As le Or Tab ns Dec oratio

Beautiful wedding and new baby designs compliment our occasion titles, celebratory ages, love & friendship designs and relation titles.

Come and see our full range of Starlight Bottles at the

Autumn Fair Hall 5, Stand A10

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest Christmas gift ideas to be showcased this month.

No Strings Attached

Summer Fizz Champagne Saucers are back in vogue and Dartington gets the party started with this set of six coupe glasses to serve any fizz in style. The elegant glasses are dishwasher safe and are well suited to champagne, cocktails or can make a dainty way to present a starter dish or dessert. The latest in a winning series of Dartington boxed drink sets the Champagne Saucer Party is available for summer drinks and will makes a great gift for festive entertaining.

Dartington Tel: 01805 626226 Email: sales@dartington.co.uk www.dartington.co.uk

Forming part of Parlane’s new AW17 collection, these decorative porcelain baubles are so pretty with their delicate snowflake and star cut-out designs. When twisted at the top, the battery operated LED lights shine through the design projecting beautiful patterns. Versatile enough to use anywhere without the restriction of needing a mains power source. Perfect to tie on to winter wreaths, as pictured. Available in four styles. RRP £7.50 each.

Parlane Tel: 01451 812700 Email: Sales@parlane.co.uk www.parlane.co.uk Top Drawer: Stand H-H19

Perfection In A Glass Say chin chin to the perfect gin with Tradestock's new Perfect Gin glass! With gin leading the way as the favoured drink for many, and with an enormous, and growing, choice of flavours, this new crystal glass lets you enjoy this favourite tipple at its best, and with a generous capacity there is more than enough room for gin, ice, mixer and garnish! Attractive pick-up bag style packaging really adds a special something to the gift appeal. Approx. SRP £7.50.

Tradestock Tel: 01823 661717 Email: sales@tradestockltd.co.uk www.tradestockltd.co.uk

Sentiment Angel Figurines Gin-tastic A fantastic new addition to the Party Pack collection from Dartington Crystal the Copa Party is perfect for all gin lovers. These glasses have a wide bowl that is perfect for infusing the drink with a colourful, fresh garnish, and the elegant stem keeps the hand from warming the ice.

The perfect gift or a treat for your home.

Dartington Tel: 01805 626226 Email: sales@dartington.co.uk www.dartington.co.uk

The You are an Angel range is expanding with the addition of six new smaller 125mm figurines featuring sentiments perfect for friends and family, and benefitting from an RRP under £20. A new larger 175mm wedding design is also launching entitled Sympathy. The new items complement the existing 155mm figurines and angel-themed merchandise including wish bottles, fridge magnets, note pads, key chains, pins, magnetic bookmarks and mugs, conveniently merchandised in counter-ready displays.

Gaeltag Keltika Tel: 020 8998 1781 Email: sales@gaeltag.com www.gaeltagkeltika.com Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand 3YO2

Personalised Christmas Box The Personalised Memento Company have added to their collection of personalised Christmas gifts with the introduction of their fantastic new large wooden Christmas Eve box. It’s made from natural wood and features a metal clasp and hinges, creating a modern and stylish feel. The box can be personalised with any name. It's ideal for treating the little ones to some early Christmas gifts before Santa arrives!

PMC Tel: 01782 744900 Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk www.personalisedmemento.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand L02-M03 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Autumn Fair NEC – 3-6th September Summerhouse Hall 3 – R07 www.hot-tom.com 01225 422188 sales@hot-tom.com 058_GH September 2017.indd 68

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In Profile: Joe Davies

Ring In The New Autumn Fair (September 3-6) will once again be providing a platform for leading wholesaler Joe Davies just shy of its centenary - to unveil a further 2,500 brand new Autumn/Winter products for visitors on its spacious, redesigned stand at the entrance to the NEC's Hall 5.

Ranging from photo frames to jewellery and fashion accessories, and from candles to Christmas gifts and decorations, plus much, much more besides, MD Steve Davies concurs that the company has got most product sectors well and truly covered.

So what's new for the coming season, and what's continuing to drive sales at the company? PG&H took a pre-show peek into Joe Davies' Stockport showroom.

It's been an extra busy year for the team at Joe Davies. Not only have the buyers been out in force seeking out exciting new giftware for customers to help them ring up sales in the run-up to the festive season, but a significant investment has also been made in a state-of-the-art back office system that will make everything easier and more efficient for both the company and its customers.

"It's taken around a year and has been a huge investment, both in time and money," says Steve Davies, who has been working in the family business for over 25 years. "But the advantages of the new system will be that, as well as helping us with our sales and marketing activity, we will also be able to better focus on our customers' needs, and further advise them in all kinds of ways, especially when new products come on board. Customer service has always been our main priority and the new system will enable us to communicate that in a way that's going to be even better than before."

Despite the prolonged Brexit negotiations, business rate rises for many, uncertainty over the Election, and higher prices for goods due to a weak ÂŁpound, Steve confirms that trade has been "good, sound and steady" for the company over the past 12 months. "Independent retailers are a tough, entrepreneurial bunch and, as always, are making a very good job of things. Traditionally, a tough start to the year usually

makes for a very good Christmas season, so we are very optimistic for Autumn/Winter."

As the all-important festive season comes into the view, the company will be unveiling around 9,000 lines at Autumn Fair, some 75-80% of which are brand new this year, helping independents to offer that

Top: snoozies! Fairytail Girls.

Above: The Joe Davies team.

Below: Firefly LED sentiment jars.

elusive 'something different'. "Once again, we will have the largest selection of new gifts at the show," says Steve. "We've got some great LED lit gifts which are ideal for the back end of the year," he enthuses, "and lots of the sentimental message products that are still hugely popular, especially those featuring cursive gold script. Additionally, square box sentiment plaques, which we design in house, are continuing to be a super line for us. Our snoozies! slippers too, are an all year round winner with a new range out for Christmas created by our inhouse design team," he adds.

Most items in the collection are, of course, trend driven, with unicorns, fairies, fairy gardens and princesses reflected across many of this season's new product lines.

"The trend is very much about escapism and fantasy, a step away from the troubled world we live in," Steve explains, who also Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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equilibrium The UK’s Hottest Jewellery Range

AUTUMN

• Over 600 new lines for Autumn Winter

Sent iment

• Stunning Packaging and presentation • Only £100 minimum orders • Award winning customer service

3-6 SEPTEMBER 2017 Hall 5, Stand C10/D11

C O L L E C T I O N

Daint y Daisy C O L L E C T I O N

Semi Precious C O L L E C T I O N

Moonlight Glow C O L L E C T I O N

equilibrium® AT JOE DAVIES

Tel: 0161 975 6300 Fax: 0161 975 6301 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk f: joedaviesgiftware 2017 08 EQ Progressive Gifts Sep Oct ad.indd 1 060_GH_September 2017.indd 1

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In Profile: Joe Davies highlights that rose gold and mixed metals are continuing to go from strength to strength.

One range that has done exceptionally well for the company is Equilibrium, which started out with a few pieces of women’s jewellery six years ago, and now boasts some 2000+ lines, featuring men's and children's collections as well as fashion accessories. There are hundreds of brand new pieces for this Autumn/Winter including natural Druzy and agate, monotone colours and flower jewellery. Also new is the opportunity for recipients to mix and match inter-changeable charms. Plus, making the jewellery even more giftable are re-designed presentation gift boxes that make the range an easy sell for gift shops.

But even that's not all. With the cold weather in mind, Equilibrium will also be featuring some cosy Autumn/Winter scarves, fleecy lined gloves and trendy hats.

Everything comes boxed of course, with lots of products for men as well as women.

Steve’s festive advice to retailers is to get their new stock in as early as possible to be ready for the first batch of Christmas shoppers. "Plenty of people start their Christmas window shopping as early as August, so shops need to get their new Autumn/Winter selections in as fast as possible to give themselves a head start on the competition," he advises. "It gives an early indication as to what's selling well, enabling retailers to maximise their sales by repeat ordering the winners in good time for the mad rush in November/December."

He says that the winter months are also where the trendy new LED products come into their own. "The bright lights really help to make shop windows eye-

Joe Davies: Best Sellers 2017 1. Poo Pourri Original.

2. Equilibrium Natural Agate collection.

3. Glitter Dot Prosecco plaques.

Above: Equilibrium Poppy scarves.

Below right: Poo Pourri Secret Santa.

Below left: Bright sentiment square box giftware.

catching, thereby attracting passers-by," Steve points out. "Some of our customers have made fantastic window displays using our glass LED balloons, mason jars and bottles," he points out.

While offering new products remains at the heart of Joe Davies' business, Steve emphasises that providing exceptional after sales service is just as important, with the company doing its utmost to make everything as efficient, stress-free and pleasant for customers as they possibly can.

"Hopefully our new computer system will improve our already award winning service even more, and will impact positively on the efficiency of our very successful website too."

His overview of the gift industry is that it continues to be an incredibly creative and innovative sector to be in, with an increasingly huge, diverse range of products, designs and multiple coexisting trends. "Our product ranges have expanded exponentially to take this into account offering ‘one stop’ gift shopping for many of our customers,"

he states. In addition, the weak £pound has seen the company increase its reach both in Eire and Europe.

So what's in the pipeline for the rest of the year? Steve says that as always, the company's main focus will be on new products. "Now more than ever, independent retailers need new products to distinguish themselves from the high street stores, supermarkets and discounters. I'd like to think that the UK shopping habits are changing and are beginning to follow the current trend in America which is to shop locally, with consumers increasingly becoming bored with the 'big box' stores and looking to the independents for inspiration and something different. One example is the huge success US retailers have made of Small Business Saturday. It would be great if this established itself here more too."

In the shorter term however, everyone at Joe Davies is eagerly looking forward to Autumn Fair.

"In this digital age, trade shows are increasingly very important venues for us to meet our customers and fellow suppliers. People have to come and see, touch and experience new products in order to refresh their shops," emphasises Steve. "At Joe Davies, we've got more new products than ever and very high hopes for the upcoming season!"

Joe Davies: The Lowdown

l Joe Davies was founded in 1919. l In the ‘70s, the company evolved from a wholesaler to a gift importer under the

Shudehill brand name, with products initially sourced from Italy, Portugal and Spain, and then from Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China. Today, Shudehill represents over 80% of the company's product lines. l For over 40 years, Joe Davies has been the UK’s leading distributor of Lesser & Pavey's Leonardo collection, with more recently, the company also taking on the distribution of British made bath and body company Rose & Co., and Price's candles. l Since the inception of The Greats in 2003 - organised by Progressive Gifts & Home, and owned by Max Publishing - Joe Davies has won an impressive 15 Best Service to the Independent Retailer awards. l The company, which employs over 120 staff, moved to its current owner/occupied premises in South Manchester in 2001, which houses its offices, showroom and warehouses.

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Intelex Group (UK) Ltd Unit 17-18 Regent Park, Park Farm Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, NN8 6GR Email: sales@intelex.co.uk Phone: 01933 679 777 Web: www.intelex.co.uk

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TRENDS: THINK PINK

Autumn Blush It can't have escaped most of us that dusky pink is trending this year, with the palette finding its way into gifts and homewares too.

From scarves, bags and jewellery to stationery and home accessories, pink is certainly the hue of the season.

Left: A trendy travel journal from Caroline Gardner.

Right: A fashionable pink bag in the Shruti Accessories collection.

Below: Transomnia's Eleanor Rose collection.

Right: Hot Tomato's bracelet in antique pink.

Right: A striking pink scarf in La De Da! Living's RD collection.

Above: Among the designs in Belly Button's Blush Noir range.

Below: A rhubarb and peony luxury glass candle from Marmalade.

Below: Parlane's new Esmae and Zigzag vases.

Above: Wild & Wolf's Ted Baker pink lunch stack.

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Inspired by Italy • Made in England

YourPerfect Perfect Gift EST 1970

BAYLIS & HARDING E N G L A N D

See the full range at...

Hall 5 Stand H01

3-6 SEPTEMBER 2017 NEC BIRMINGHAM UK

Xystos Flame & Fragrance • Bath & Body

The UK’s No.1 Home Fragrance Supplier to the Gift Industry

For more info, contact our Customer Service Team Email: sales@xystos.co.uk or Tel: +44(0)191 499 1570 www.xystostrade.co.uk

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Spotlight On... Home Fragrancing

It's Getting To Smell A Lot Like Christmas Whether for Christmas or everyday, consumers are increasingly looking out for high end, quality candles, reed diffusers and other home fragrancing formats such as wax melts, sachets, room sprays and car sprays, say suppliers.

But when it comes to fragrances, especially for the festive season, alongside the traditional scents we all associate with Christmas, there are plenty of alternatives, with more masculine home fragrancing products coming into their own and more Advents around.

PG&H breathed in the smell of Christmas 2017.

It's not hard to conjure up thoughts of Christmas. From the foodie smells of cinnamon and nutmeg to pine and mulled wine, it's all to play for when it comes to home fragrancing.

"With the winter season fast approaching, we are starting to see what the end of 2017 is going to look and smell like," says Wax Lyrical's MD Joanne Barber. "Classic notes such as frankincense and mistletoe form the backbone of traditional fragrances, while contemporary twists on scents, such as pine and hollyberry, add innovation."

Joanne highlights that modern innocence is an ongoing trend that the company expects to see throughout the

Above: Wax Lyrical's new Night Before Christmas range.

Below left: Among Ashleigh & Burwood's new introductions are The Scented Home's Sparkling Prosecco, and new lamp fragrance Champagne Noel (shown).

Below right: Heart & Home's wax melt Christmas cracker.

Christmas period. "Imagery that adds a novelty element will also be seen across packaging in all industries, connecting us to the season in a special way," predicts Joanne. "The whimsical packaging used on our Night Before Christmas range combines traditional fragrance and modern innocence featuring an Advent calendar style gift set and Christmas bauble." Also new for 2017 is the company's Winter Spruce fragrance.

As Deborah Bettinson, PR manager at Ashleigh & Burwood points out: "The Autumn/Winter season is always strong for candles as people begin to spend more time indoors. They are great for creating a cosy retreat and fit the

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don’t miss us at autumn fair Cardgains Stand Hall 4 - D40-F41 3rd-6th Sep 2017 NEC Birmingham www.waxlyricaltrade.com

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Spotlight On... Home Fragrancing trend for simplistic, paired back styling." She adds that alcohol fragrances will continue to be on trend for Autumn/Winter, with the company also making its boldest statement yet with the highly decorated luxury scented candle and reed diffuser vessels in Wild Things. "In addition, our packaging for the Artistry Collection features a unique style of artwork to complement the artistic theme of the range," she comments.

Jacquie Russo, group marketing and communications manager, Heart and Home, says that with Christmas such a key period in the fragranced winter sales calendar, it's not as much about sidestepping the traditional festive colour palette but rather embracing it and offering a twist on the traditional. "The same can be said for the fragrances. Our Christmas Night and Sugar & Spice collection features warming tones and eye-catching imagery on our unique tin lids, along with notes of nutmeg, orange

Top: Christmas Magic and Perfect Tree from Yankee Candle's festive collection.

Right: Prices's limited edition Mulled Wine candle.

Above: WoodWick' new Artisan collection, distributed by Xystos, includes Red Currant & Cedar.

balm, vanilla and ginger." As Jacquie points out, gifting, of course, plays a major part in festive sales with newer formats offering an innovative take on the more straightforward gift offerings. "These include our fragrance Advent calendar which feature a Christmas tea light behind each door, and the fragrance selection box which contains tea lights and wax melts, along with our wax melt Christmas cracker," she adds.

"Winter evokes memories of cosy evenings by the fireside, tying in with Virginia Gift Brands' WoodWick, the candle with the crackling wick and, in particular, HearthWick Fireside," says Xystos' director Tom Sykes. "HearthWick continues to be our most popular shaped vessel with sales growing at the same level as last year. It never fails to give us sell-through,

with four additions to the HearthWick Trilogy range, Calming Retreat Café Sweets, Warm Woods and Fresh Baked."

He adds that there has also been great interest in WoodWick’s new Artisan collection. "It’s been developed with a unique blend of herbs, deep woody fragrances and citrus undertones, and has been designed to bring out the inner artisan of the buyer with fragrances such as Ebony Woods and Red Currant & Cedar. I think that shoppers will be seeking out subtle blended fragrances and more muted colours, including plenty of green," predicts Tom. "People are looking for synergy and a twist of something that gives a candle its USP which is reflected in the new Village Candle limited editions."

Yankee Candle's UK speciality channel marketing manager Claire Corbett says that customers are looking for warming fragrances, which have a rich colour palette, with fragrance notes of fruit and spice that fill a room with a cosy and comforting scent. "In keeping with these trends, the Yankee Candle Fall in Love range captures the essence of the change of the Continued on page 69

Let's Celebrate Stoneglow's head of design Winnie Wong says that the company - which sources and manufacturers product in the UK - has worked hard to push the boundaries and will be launching a Nordic-inspired collection this winter that is modern and on trend. "The range is bold, sculptured and contemporary, filled with fresh cosy fragrances that include Bergamot & Musk and Fig & Parsley," says Winnie. Luna is also a new addition to the range featuring precious gold and silver interiors encasing fragrances such as Dark Amber & Vetivert or Cedarwood & Cypress.

"However, as this is the gifting season, we also have a newly designed Occasions range that will be making its debut featuring quotes in gold on a fresh white glass making it is easy to see the fun and celebration in this collection," she highlights. "Light, fresh fragrances and quotes, such as Hip Hip Hooray feature ginger, lily, bergamot and musk, while Pop Open the Bubbly features pomegranate, cranberry and pear.

They keep Occasions a constant all year round."

At La De Da! Living, director Dominic Fracasso-Stroud says that the company's bestselling UK made POP collection includes candles reed diffusers and lip balms, which cover all occasions making it more of a gift than just something for the home. "Home fragrance makes the perfect gift and when you can combine this with style, exceptional quality and presentation you know it's going to be a winner," Dominic states. "Key colours of gold, silver and white for the second half of the year are always the best-sellers and we’ve mixed these with witty quotes and fragrances that include Prosecco, gin and orange and cinnamon."

Above: Stoneglow's new Occasions collection.

Left: Among La De Da! Living's POP candles.

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seasons and the transition to cooler weather," comments Claire, "with fragrances such as Warm Cashmere, Autumn Glow, Mulberry & Fig Delight and Vibrant Saffron.

Additionally, our Perfect Christmas range celebrates the nostalgia of the holiday season. These home fragrances have been designed to awaken the senses and evoke Above left: Tobacco Vanilla from Root Candles in the company's new hexagon shaped metal tin.

Above right: Christmas Spice from Pintail's new Tis The Season range.

Below: Paddywax's new iridescent Glow collection.

Bottom right: Bridgewater's Sweet Grace fragrance sachet from Heart of the Country.

memories of a timeless, traditional family Christmas." Fragrances include Perfect Tree, Spiced White Cocoa, Crackling Wood Fire and Christmas Magic.

"Winter is the most nostalgic part of the year, particularly Christmas time," says Laurence Whiting, national sales manager at Prices. "Colours and fragrances in the candle industry always reflect the mood, with dark shades of purple and red, and warmer fragrances such as Winter Berries and Mulled Wine remaining firm favourites. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, consumers are looking to embrace the time of year with their favourite, most emotive fragrances."

Adds Laurence, "However, they can sometimes get overwhelmed with the amount of candles and amount of choice when buying home fragrance products for their shop or home. Our aim is to give the customer merchandising ideas and solutions to use, which will in turn help create a visual base and drive sales. At Price's we design

our ranges around the fragrance wheel to make sure we encompass smells from across the board to include Fruity, Woody, Floral or Fresh."

Rachel Parker, marketing manager at The Eclectic Lifestyle Company, (formerly The Fragrance Lounge), says that as Christmas approaches, tinted darks, neon colours and iridescent effects create alluring surfaces. "This can be seen in Paddywax’s new Glow collection of iridescent ceramic vessels with a copper lid, with fragrances taking people through the season’s changing weather conditions - from the lighter fragrance of Cotton & Teak to Incense & Smoke." Adds Rachel: "Paddywax is also renowned for creating containers that encourage customers to reuse them once the candle’s life is over. This season there is Mesa – a range of candles that become a stackable milk and sugar pottery set once the user has finished burning them."

New metal lids are also a feature for Root Candles this season. "We've recently re-branded our packaging, renamed some of our products and also introduced metal lids with hexagon designs to fit our new metal Continued on page 71

New Kid On The Fragrance Block

Above: Portmeirion Group's the Holly and the Ivy.

Home fragrance is an exciting new category for Portmeirion Group with the company expanding its offer this Christmas with reed diffusers and candles from the its most popular tableware collections such as Sophie Conran for Portmeirion, Spode Christmas Tree, Spode Blue Italian, Portmeirion’s The Holly and the Ivy and Royal Worcester Wrendale Designs. "With warm seasonal scents and a long burn time, all the items in our Christmas fragrance collections are presented in eye catching festive gift packaging," confirms Ian Davies, head of retail sales and marketing.

"Knowledge of the scents is important but it is absolutely vital that customers can pick up and smell the unique fragrance of each candle and reed diffuser."

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Best Best Kept Kept Secrets Secrets Ltd Ltd Morpeth, Morpeth, NE61 NE61 6JT 6JT Tel: 01670 01670 512222 512222 Tel: Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Email: Web: www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Web:

Just Because Candles

Always Always Seriously Seriously Scented!!

Scented!!

Trade RRP Trade Price Price £3.75 £3.75 + + vat vat RRP £8.99 £8.99 12 different fun messages for friends, family and special occasions occasions 12 different fun messages for friends, family and special

Classic Cotton Cotton fragrance fragrance with with aa multi multi coloured coloured topping topping and and plenty plenty of of glitter!! glitter!!

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Spotlight On... Home Fragrancing hexagon shaped tins which are in keeping with our heritage," explains the company's American president, Brad I. Root. "We are also bringing our Bourbon Vanilla fragrance into the main line, along with Tobacco Vanilla, both for a male market and for women too, who buy it for the memories it elicits."

Fiona Long, director, Pintail Candles, points to a very traditional Christmas this year with classic, cosy, warming fragrances in red, green and gold packaging. "With uncertain times ahead, the classic price points of £5, £10 and £20 are becoming stronger," she states. "Customers have value for money upper most on their minds, so little extra touches on product packaging all help to make the sale."

Also pointing to the importance of price points is Heart of the Country. "Impulse buys are always strong in the second half of the year, in part due to the 'lipstick effect' of the current uncertainty surrounding Brexit," says director Toby Stubbs. "Therefore, low price points and products work, such as fragrance sachets and car fragrances which retail at under £5. Bridgewater's Sweet Grace is a fragrance that is dominating sales for Heart of the Country, becoming a brand in itself," he emphasises.

With so much on offer in home fragrancing, gift retailers are clearly set to be spoilt for choice this Christmas. From the traditional to the trendy, from fragrance to formats, the home fragrancing sector, as always, continues to brim with innovation!

The Psychology Of Fragrance "When we smell something, the emotional part of our brain is activated," cognitive neuroscientist Dr Lynda Shaw, "which is why we know when we do or don't like a fragrance.

However, when we find a scented candle or reed diffuser that we like it tends to evoke fond memories and transport us back to a happy time in our lives, making fragranced products good for controlling our mood. For example, when people have had a difficult day, a fragranced candle can help to create relaxation or happy thoughts. Yet two people can smell the same fragrance quite differently which is why fragrance really does depend on the individual."

'Before You Go' Fragrance With home fragrancing formats for every room in the house, even the smallest one, Joe Davies confirms that its bestselling all round product is the Poo Pourri 'before you go' toilet spray from the USA. "Sales are growing year-on-year as customers realise that Poo Pourri really works," says Steve Davies, MD, Joe Davies. "The spray rapidly becomes a must have consumable and, with repeat orders, goes from strength to strength."

For Autumn/Winter two new fragrances are being introduced: Ship Happens, which has a coconut, freesia and citrons scent, and Secret Santa which features seasonal cinnamon, vanilla and citrus aromas.

Right: Poo Pourri's new Ship Happens, distributed

by Joe Davies.

Autumnal Hues Bolsius has two new collections for Autumn/Winter - the seasonal Autumn collection - featuring brand new scents Autumn Walk, Home Comfort, Frosted Garden and Celebrate. "These scents reflect the colours of the season in soft brown, peacock blue, sky blue and deep Autumnal red, and are available in small glass candles, reed diffusers, three-wick candles and tea lights," says Richard Wood, sales director, Bolsius UK & Ireland. Also new for the

coming season is the Enchanting Nature collection featuring Deco Lights, glass filled scented candles which take their inspiration from elements of nature and are decorated with scenes of lakeside memories, mountain serenity, forest treasures and snowfalls.

Aromatize's MD Marvin Lomax concurs that Autumnal colours, festive fragrances and beautiful packaging are sure to catch the eye of the consumer. "Our Woodbridge collection offers luxury soy candles wrapped in quilted shimmering packaging. Plus the muted colours of some of our Autumn/Winter Goose Creek collection are also proving to be hugely popular.

After all, a candle will be a part of someone's home décor, so the colour is as important as the fragrance."

Continued on page 73 Above: Bolsius' Autumn collection.

Left: The Woodbridge collection from Aromatize.

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Man Appeal

Denise Edwards, director, Best Kept Secrets, points to foodie fragrances really coming into their own in the Autumn. "As the nights draw in, sales ramp up for Freshly Baked Shortbread, Sticky Apple Tart and Gingerbread Cookie. But what works best differs significantly from shop to shop which is down to what the customer wants. We have therefore decided to offer alternatives, a traditional selection with well-known favourites, Hot Cinnamon, Sleigh Bells and Snowflake.

Alongside that is a new alternative that seeks to capture the joy and community spirit of Christmas. Not using traditional fragrance names, this range aims to tell the story of Christmas: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Believe in the Magic, White Christmas and Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow."

Home fragrancing is increasingly being aimed at men, with 'mandles' and other formats on the increase. "The biggest development relates to masculine fragrances," says David Brown, MD, Potters Crouch. "The rapid growth in masculine personal fragrances is also in evidence in the masculine home fragrance market, reflected in the increased use of orris root, sandalwood, tea, musk, labdanum and tobacco plant which are featured in our new Roman range of six exclusive fragrances. Although they are designed to have a strong masculine appeal, girls love them too!” says David.

At Sandy Bay London the ethos is “it's all about the fragrance”, says the company's owner/MD Sandy Burns. "Consumers have become more sophisticated in their choice of home fragrance product, and are looking for those which offer a bit of luxury at an affordable price, repeat purchasing when they find a fragrance they love. We're also finding that there is a real trend towards more masculine fragrance blends. Our Gentlemen’s Club collection offers six fine fragrance blends that are not only popular with the men, but also with women too.

Fragrances options carry catchy names such as The Boss, The Charmer and City Boy." Meanwhile, new for Christmas are two new fragrances, Festive Season and White Forest, which are available in a wide range of products.

Above: Potters Crouch's Roman range.

Left: Sandy Bay London's Gentlemen's Club collection.

Above: A Christmas fragrance from Best Kept Secrets.

Making The Most Of Display l "Retailers should think about featuring a fragrance of the month.

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Plus, as well as dedicated stands of candles, they should also keep some by the till to encourage pick up sales."

Tom Sykes, director, Xystos "A good display is about creating a lifestyle feel to tempt consumers who are faced with so much choice. It's why merchandising plays such an important role."

Jacquie Russo, group marketing and communications manager, Heart & Home Consumer offers and deals are the ideal way to draw in new customers."

Claire Corbett, UK speciality channel marketing manager, Yankee Candle.

"Get to know your products and become passionate about them, then present them to show off the products in the best way possible."

Marvin Lomax, MD, Aromatize "Our consumer insights at Bolsius have shown that there is an

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increased sale conversion when a product is displayed with a message - for example - 'ideal for bathrooms' or 'perfect for a hallway', or as a 'welcome home' fragrance."

Richard Wood, sales director, Bolsius UK & Ireland, Bolsius "The larger the display, the higher the sales. Conversely, the last few candles in a display almost never sell. A crowd creates a crowd."

Denise Edwards, director, Best Kept Secrets "Retailers should avoid joining a price war where low price almost always means low quality. Instead they should look to stocking a premium product for their customers."

David Brown, MD, Potters Crouch "Customers need to interact with the products, so testers and sample giveaways are always strong incentives."

Toby Stubbs, director, Heart of the Country "Retailers should merchandise a good varied selection of candles, diffusers, sachets and other scented products, mixing and matching scents and changing aromas daily for maximum effect."

Steve Davies, MD, Joe Davies Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Inspired by Italy • Made in England Inspired by Italy • Made in England

Gift YourPerfect Perfect YourPerfect Perfect Gift See the full range at...

Xystos Flame & Fragrance • Bath & Body

The UK’s No.1 Home Fragrance Supplier to the Gift Industry

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For more info, contact our Customer Service Team Email: sales@xystos.co.uk or Tel: +44(0)191 499 1570 www.xystostrade.co.uk

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest candles and fragranced gift products to be showcased this month.

Dig This The new Gardener’s collection from Woods of Windsor comprises a hand wash, hand scrub, hand cream and hand balm/butter, with RRPs from £4.99 to £7.99. The offer includes the fresh floral accord of Blackberry & Thyme, which opens with refreshing notes of green tea and ripe blackberry followed by a heart of rosemary, thyme, mimosa and white jasmine, resting on a background of musk and amber. A counter display holds four hand washes, five hand scrubs, five hand creams and six hand butters, and has a combined retail value of £130.80.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H01

Bath & Body Magic Xystos is bringing Baylis & Harding’s home fragrance and gifting ranges to independent garden centres and gift shops. It will stock the company’s personal care products and also candle, wax melt and burner gift sets, as well as individual candle products. These also feature in the bath and body products where gift sets comprise different combinations of product including shower crème, body butter body wash, hand & body lotion, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, foot soak crystals, foot lotion, bath milk and white faux fur slippers.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H01

Green Is Go

The Personal Touch Shoppers are taking the opportunity to create their own personal blend of fragrances when melted in a burner. The ScentChips Basic Collection from Xystos comprises 36 sumptuous scents – fruity, fresh or sweet – while the Extended Collection has three dozen fragrances.

Buyers can order in one-fragrance bags – weighing either 1,360 grams and containing approximately 226 pieces, or 500 grams with around 84 pieces. A choice of various sized boxes is offered.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H01

Burning Success Candle Warmers have been doing brisk business for Xystos, while the success of the Cello melt burner range has heralded the introduction of six further designs and major development within the Porcelain Collection. Summer brings a dip in candle sales universally, but not in the purchase of ‘home fragrancing without a flame’. Unlike candles, you don’t have to be in a room to monitor a wax melt and Xystos has seen exponential growth in the burners’ category.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H01

Xystos believes that consumers are seeking out subtle, discerning blended fragrances and more muted colours, including plenty of green!

This is reflected in the Village Candle gift boxed offering (pictured) and in the limited editions: Forest Hike comprises rainforest moss, juniper and dark timber, while Urban Nights has scents of fresh sage, patchouli and a touch of vanilla. The trio is completed by Acai Berry Tobac, featuring light tobacco, sweet berry and soft musk. They are available in three core vessels, 11oz, 16oz and 26oz, with RRPs of £12.49, £16.99 and £19.99 respectively.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H01

Inner Artisan WoodWick’s new Artisan Collection from Xystos is developed with a unique blend of herbs, dashed with deep woody fragrances and citrus undertones. This tasteful palette of vibrant painted textures is designed to 'bring out your inner artisan'. It comprises a medium hourglass, HearthWick ellipse vessel, tin, mini wax melt and four ounce reed diffuser. All are available in eight fragrances, Black Amber & Citrus, Ebony Woods, English Lavender, Honey Tabac, Red Currant & Cedar, Lime Bergamot, Sea Salt Magnolia and Vanilla Sol.. RRPs are from £2.29 to £29.99.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H01

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La De Da! Living Autumn Fair – Hall 3 Stand L30 enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk 01242 250 653 trade.ladedaliving.co.uk LD025 Autumn Fair Advert AW.indd 1 078_GH_September 2017.indd 1

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest candles and fragranced gift products to be showcased this month.

Occasion Candles Just Because... is a fun collection of occasion candles celebrating family, friends and special moments, with an important message for those we care about. Denise Edwards of Best Kept Secrets comments: "The story about Just Because…. is the 13 different messages. We started with 12 but a customer from Rawtenstall asked for the addition of Gin Queen, and a customer in Aberystwyth asked for some of the range to be translated into Welsh. So there is also Penblwydd Hapus and Mam Arbennig!

Best Kept Secrets Tel: 01670 512222 Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand G40

Shades Of Autumn Winter Fragrance Price’s Candles’ best-selling Fresh Air range of odour neutralising candles welcomes a new limited edition Autumn/Winter fragrance. Winter Berries, sweet and succulent, also brings subtle tones of cranberry and a warmth of vanilla. This fabulous new addition to the family is available now and, with an RRP of £5.25, will be sure to boost sales!

Price’s Candles Tel: 01234 264500 Email: sales@prices-candles.co.uk www.prices-candles.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5, Stand J50

As the year passes by, it is time to move on from the bright colours of summer, and embrace the subtle shades of Autumn. SIL’s new range called Les Fleurs does just this, with gorgeous floral patterns of sage greens, dusty pinks and muted lilacs. Home fragrance with notes of Jasmine, Poppy and Sage marry seamlessly with the pretty home decoration and gifting ranges.

SIL Tel: 01992 718033 Email: sales@silplc.com ] www.silplc.com Autumn Fair: Hall 3 B10-C11

Seasonal Autumn Collection Bolsius' Seasonal Autumn Collection consists of four brand new scents to suit the season: Autumn Walk, Home Comfort, Frosted Garden and Celebrate, available in four styles. Retailers can pick either small glass candles, reed diffusers, three-wick candles or tealights to offer customer a variety of choice. The products make ideal special occasion gifts and are also great for self-purchase, fitting in with many styles of interiors.

Bolsius Tel: 0800 169 5126 Email: sales@uk.bolsius.com www.bolsius.com

Seasonal Botanicals Handmade inclusion candles, in gel and wax pillars, each one crafted in the UK by our team of candle makers who are specially trained and highly skilled craftsmen and women.

Dedicated and enthusiastic, each one is an expert in their field with years of experience. The Eucalyptus & Lime collection is not only a visual delight but beautifully fragranced with hints of rich ambers, patchouli and eucalyptus that are gently spiced with aromatic cinnamon and a lively twist of fresh citrusy lime.

Stoneglow Candles Tel: 0208 595 8878 Email: sales@stoneglowcandles.co.uk www.stoneglowcandles.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H27

Modern Classics Simplicity and styling is the keynote for this elegance collection of high fragrance candles, diffusers and room sprays, available in 10 fragrances, with each one classy with a modern edge.

The special edition Pomegranate & Spiced woods in its stunning rouge red packing is a true classic fragrance that will stand the test of time. Spicy pink pepper, frankincense and zingy citrus are balanced by warm patchouli, and fruity accords of apple, plum, raspberry, and pomegranate .

Stoneglow Candles Tel: 0208 595 8878 Email: sales@stoneglowcandles.co.uk www.stoneglowcandles.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H27

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Molten Metallic

Bring accents of copper, silver and gold into the home this Autumn, with the Rustic Metallic Pillar range from Bolsius. Opulent pigments in complimentary sizes allow for effortless interior styling and ambience.

T +44 0800 169 5126 sales@uk.bolsius.com

www.bolsius.com

SNUGGLE UP TO ONE OF OUR NEW WARMIES Visit us at the Autumn Fair this year!

3rd-6th September Hall 5 J16/K17

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NEW RANGE

Intelex Ltd (UK) Unit 17-18 Regent Park, Park Farm Industrial Estate, Wellingborough, NN8 6GR Email: sales@intelex.co.uk Phone: 01933 679 777 Web: www.intelex.co.uk Untitled-1 1

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest candles and fragranced gift products to be showcased this month.

Magic Of Christmas Our Night Before Christmas collection is the perfect, festive home fragrance addition to any in store display. This year’s range includes our signature advent calendar, which is back by popular demand, not forgetting our magical advent candle jar, beautiful keepsake baubles – now in two different sizes – luxury gift sets and traditional pot pourri. Each product is sealed with our hand chosen Vanilla & Cranberry, Frosted Pine and Gold Frankincense & Myrrh fragrances.

Wax Lyrical Tel: 01229 461111 Email: info@waxlyricaltrade.com waxlyricaltrade.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D40-F41 (Cardgains Stand)

Home Fragrancing Ashleigh & Burwood’s new Artistry collection showcases a unique set of products inspired by the creativity of fragrance design. Included in the new collection is the Home Gift Set. Each set contains a votive scented candle fashioned from beautiful lightrefracting fluted glass, a scented fabric heart and a petit 50ml reed diffuser with white fibre reeds for brilliant fragrance diffusion. This beautiful gift is available in six fragrances and will brighten any home.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: +44 (0) 1932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand K03/ Top Drawer: Stand R10

Signature Scents Price’s Candles are launching five brand new reed diffusers in their premium Signature range of fragrances. The Signature collection, already consisting of medium and large silver lidded jars and 250ml diffusers, welcomes five fragrances in a new 100ml diffuser. The collection includes the most popular fragrances of Melon & Cucumber, Arabian Princess, Bamboo Orchid, and Cotton Powder as well as newcomer Tonka & Pink Pepper. RRP £14.

Price’s Candles Tel: 01234 264500 Email: sales@prices-candles.co.uk www.prices-candles.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand J50

Inspired By The Lakes Our Lakes collection is inspired by our beautiful home here in the Lake District. Capturing the fragrances of Autumn and Winter, brand new Fallen Leaves and Snow scents truly reflect the English lakes during these magical seasons. Continuing the trend, our packaging features delicate, hand illustrated motifs representing individual scents and a glittering foil inlay creates a truly exceptional product that is sure to keep customers wanting more.

Wax Lyrical Tel: 01229 461111 Email: info@waxlyricaltrade.com waxlyricaltrade.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D40-F41 (Cardgains Stand)

Seasonal Fragrances New for Autumn/Winter, Bolsius introduce the brand new Classic Christmas collection of filled fragranced glass candles, perfect for creating a festive feel in a retail environment. Available in two warm seasonal designs Christmas Star or Gingerbread - customers can choose from two delicious flavours, vanilla or amarena cherry, perfect for sweetening the air and enticing sales. These small glass candle designs work well combined with Bolsius’ Rustic Metallic Pillar candles to create a festive interior display.

Bolsius Tel: 0800 169 5126 Email: sales@uk.bolsius.com www.bolsius.co.uk

Luxury Scented Candles Patterns of flora and fauna decorate the new Wild Things luxury scented candles for a bright, bold statement from Ashleigh & Burwood. Accented with gold lids and striking black reeds, Wild Things’ vibrant, richly decorated ceramic scented candles are luxurious ornaments which celebrate the colourful eccentricity at the heart of the collection. From majestic tigers to humble bunny rabbits, there are eight unique designs to choose from.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: +44 (0) 1932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand K03 / Top Drawer: Stand R10

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Autumn Fair, 4H30 IJL, Stand E120

"Sterling silver adjustable rings, made with real flowers"

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Register a trade account & order online: www.flowerjewellery.com

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In Profile: Wild & Wolf

Emotionally Connected When Paul Taylor picked up a Wild & Wolf mug at a New York department store in 2010, it didn't cross his mind for a nanosecond that seven years later he would end up as CEO of the company. But that's exactly what's happened, and today, he's relishing being at the helm of the award winning, international business that is not only going from strength to strength but also has big plans in the pipeline for both its own brands as well as its licensed properties.

"The secret to our success going forward is for us to keep pushing the boundaries and be ever more innovative," he told PG&H. Following the arrival of Paul Taylor, at the beginning of 2017, it's been a whirlwind eight months of movement and change for Wild & Wolf, which originally started out as a small distributor in 2005 and has evolved to become a major design-led international licensed and non-licensed giftware supplier.

For starters, new team members have joined to complement the original team; the company's brands have been consolidated and expanded; there's been an investment in Petit Collage, a California based pre-school giftware company, and, on a global stage, the world seems to be Wild & Wolf's oyster, with the company looking to markets in the EU and Asia to expand on international sales in the next two years.

In addition, the UK company will shortly be on the move to new environmentally friendly offices close to Bath station. In Europe, a showroom is about to open in Milan, joining a global network of Wild &

Top: Paul Taylor, CEO, Wild & Wolf.

Above: New products in Gentlemen's Hardware include a 10-in-1 Cocktail Multi-Tool.

Below Ridley's Games new Test Tube Challenge.

Wolf bases in New York, Hong Kong and Melbourne. And if all of that wasn't enough, there are three new websites launching in the Autumn which will make it easier for Wild & Wolf's customers to understand the brands.

Clearly, Paul has hit the ground running, and hasn't wasted any time in making his mark on Wild & Wolf, which was bought by family run business DC Thomson (DCT) in 2015. At the time, Paul was working as CEO for Parragon Publishing, also owned by DCT, and had met Wild & Wolf's co-founder Jon Cameron after he discovered the company's products while shopping in New York. The two men - then both working at companies based in Bath got together, and the rest, as the saying goes, is Wild & Wolf history. "DCT were

looking for a company to invest in, either in the UK or internationally. We hugely admired what Jon and the team had created at Wild & Wolf, and eventually, both Jon and DCT felt the time was right for DCT to invest to help take the company to the next level," explains Paul.

His mantra is to make Wild & Wolf the world’s most thoughtful gift and lifestyle company. "We’re proud to craft design-led products that combine form with function.

But, the litmus test for all our products is do they generate emotion?" he explains.

"We want the giver to be as excited at giving the gift as the recipient is to receive it.

Therefore the product has to be fantastic. Today, discerning consumers believe their gift says something about them as the giver, and consequently we have to be authentic with our offer. This shows in so many ways," he continues, "including how you source materials. For example, we're currently developing products that make use of recycled leather, and we're bringing out products made from bamboo in 2018. It's sustainable products like these that say who we are as a company and help to communicate our values. Plus, with Millennials looking for an 'experience' when they shop, our products have to be more than one dimensional. Consequently, our success revolves around our products coming together around the brands, as well as the emotions that they generate."

As you would expect, creativity is the heartbeat of the company whose own, hugely successful brands include Gentlemen's Hardware, Ridley's Games and Folklore, and whose licensed brands feature Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Add the perfect finishing touch to any dapper outfit with the new Gentlemen’s Hardware Accessories collection. Each fine accessory comes neatly packaged in an attractive presentation box, making it the ideal gift for the modern man. Available to order now.

SALES@WILDANDWOLF.COM TEL: +44 (0) 1225 789909 WWW.WILDANDWOLF.COM

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In Profile: Wild & Wolf Inset: Orla Kiely Housewares' new kitchenware.

Wild & Wolf: The Lowdown

l Prior to joining Wild & Wolf, Paul Taylor started his career in finance before moving into the

retail and publishing industries.

many household names such as Orla Kiely, Ted Baker, Stanley Tools, Polaroid, Tatty Devine and Happy Jackson. "I love sitting in on creative meetings and thinking, would I like that product? If the answer is 'yes' then we're onto something," he smiles. In fact, Paul is so passionate about developing blue sky, creative thinking that when the company moves into its new building later this year, the offices will be completely open plan. "It will be a creative, collaborative space that will hopefully create an inspirational working

Above: Happy Jackson has been redesigned.

Right: A recently launched Ted Baker pencil case for women.

environment," he enthuses. "I see my role as facilitating the team to be ever more creative and to take that creativity around the world," he emphasises. "It's so exciting for our designers to know that someone on the other side of the world in say, Auckland, New Zealand, is buying a product that they have created."

Looking to the next few months, the company's creatives will be putting their collective energies into the continued growth of the company's brands and licenses. "For example, we've had phenomenal success with our Gentlemen's Hardware range, and are at the stage where we want to take it from a collection to a globally recognised lifestyle brand, turning users into advocates.

l Recent appointments at Wild & Wolf this year include James Portman as commercial

director UK and ROW; Laura Driffield as head of trade marketing, Emily Wallis as the company's brand manager, and Domenico Crescenti as commercial director EU. l The company has invested in California pre-school brand Petit Collage, aimed at 0-5 years olds, to complement its own brand Ridley’s Games, which is designed for children, families and adults. l Wild & Wolf, co-founded by Jon Cameron and the late Richard Barson 12 years ago, currently employs 130 people worldwide.

We're therefore recognising opportunities to expand into new categories. This season we've added barware and kitchenware, based around the fact that men are spending more time in the kitchen, with everything, from a 10-in-1 Cocktail Multi-Tool, to the Breakfast of Champions Frying Pan where functionality meets desirability," he explains.

Ridley’s Games, meanwhile, has undergone a huge make-over. "We've given the popular Ridley’s House of Novelties collection a new vintage-inspired packaging look, and introduced new collections such as Barrel of Laughs which focuses on family fun, and Test Tube Challenge, an explosive range of party games for teens and adults," comments Paul. Folklore too, is building on its Nordic art handwriting.

"The cosmetics especially are very successful at the till point."

On the licensed giftware front, Wild & Wolf recently added Orla Kiely Housewares to its portfolio.

"I've seen the collection for Spring/Summer 2018 and it's stunning," says Paul. "It's the same with Ted Baker where we've seen phenomenal growth thanks to the attention to detail and the tone of voice."

Happy Jackson has also been updated for 2018, with a raft of new products launching.

"All our license relationships are about finding like minded partners who are passionate about great design. You have to keep raising the bar, and it’s exciting when you bring creative teams together with our license partners. There's a convergence of values and a shared vision for what we all want to achieve. That's when the magic happens."

Paul adds that while it's never been easier to bring product to market, it's increasingly difficult to create products that stand out.

"Additionally, the life cycle of most products is getting shorter, and in licensed giftware, the competition is accelerating, so it's about the tone of voice. With Orla Kiely, Ted Baker and Happy Jackson, there is an affinity with the brands. They all have values that people identify with. And that goes for our in house brands too. Ultimately, we're looking to create year round products for retailers that will ring up sales for 52 weeks of the year."

As for new licenses, Paul won't be drawn. "There is a potential new license in the pipeline for 2018, and one exciting new

in-house collection that we’re launching 2018, which will be taking us back to our early roots," he says enigmatically.

"Everything starts with product, and our aim now is to take the brands we have into new categories and create new collections to reach new audiences. We know what we stand for and are passionate about it. My role is to facilitate all team members to perform at their best and ensure we keep raising the bar."

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Spotlight On... Licensed Giftware

Brands New For Autumn As licensed products continue to gain ground in the world of gifts, PG&H takes a peek behind the scenes to discover some of the exciting new products that are ready and waiting to be unveiled at the next tranche of trade shows.

Roald Dahl

Above: Creative Tops' brand new Roald Dahl collection.

Creative Tops, which signed a new licence with Roald Dahl earlier this year, has launched the company's first homeware collection for Autumn/Winter.

"It's a vibrant collection that's aimed at both children and adults, featuring storybook illustrations from The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda, paired with spirited quotes from the books," explains marketing and PR manager Katrina Lawton.

For each story, the collection currently includes three mug types in varying giftable styles, a travel mug for drinks on the go, and a lap tray. Mug features include real gold and silver detail, colourful interior motifs and luxury hat box packaging.

House of Turnowsky Turnowsky designs are created inhouse from the company's Tel Aviv studio. The company has recently entered into a series of design collaborations with leading brands worldwide across gifts, homeware, lifestyle and fashion accessories.

"Our deal with Turnowsky covers decorative gifts, fine bone china ceramics, napkins and decorative matchboxes, across the American, Canadian, Above: Among the mugs from PPD's House of Turnowsky fine bone china range.

Caribbean and European territories," confirms Tobias Pommerich, marketing director at PPD. "The first collection has now hit the market in mainland Europe and we also presented it in Britain for the first time at Home & Gift, Harrogate, featuring new designs for the Autumn/Winter season. The signature Turnowsky style is highly distinctive and we loved the original artwork featuring beautifully designed animals, birds, insects and fish, which we've developed in fabulous, on-trend neon bright colours for Spring, and slightly warmer tones for Autumn."

Tobias continues: " Stylised, eye-catching motifs such as the hummingbird, owl and butterfly have universal appeal and also lend themselves to being reproduced across the giftware collection and our high quality packaging. Displayed together the designs make a fantastic merchandise display and we have high hopes that this line will be a winner in the UK, as it is in mainland Europe."

Rachael Hale The latest licence to join Personalised Memento Company's (PMC) personalised licensed portfolio is Rachael Hale, a brand that's renowned for its animal imagery.

"Combining photography of the world’s most lovable animals with on trend artwork elements, the Rachael Hale brand offers us astounding potential for unique personalised gifts," says PMC's marketing director Keren Dicken.

"We believe the brand has universal appeal for her, for him and for children."

The company's range of personalised gifts will be available in all categories including stationery, purses, mugs, lunch bags, drinks bottles and framed prints, as well as personalised greetings cards.

Above: A Doodle pug notebook from PMC's new Rachael Hale collection.

l Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) takes place from October 10-12 at London's Olympia and is the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension. l The show brings together over 280 leading brand owners and 2,500 properties, with over 7,600 retailers, licensees and manufacturers from 76 countries for three days of networking, deal making and trend spotting.

Visit www.brandlicensing.eu

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10% discount off all carriage paid orders placed at the show (ÂŁ200 ex. VAT)

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Spotlight On... Licensed Giftware

The World of Miss Mindy Presents Disney

Left: Three Beauty and the Beast figurines feature in Enesco's The World of Miss Mindy Presents Disney.

Below right: New this Autumn from The Lagoon Group, a flamingo Plasticine modelling kit.

Below left: The new Bug Art range from East West.

Enesco recently paired up with American folk artist Miss Mindy, who has brought much-loved characters from Beauty and the Beast to life within a collectable figurine range that puts a unique twist on the Disney brand.

"Our big launch for the second half of 2017 is our Disney collection The World of Miss Mindy Presents Disney," confirms Enesco's director of marketing Helen Shield. "Miss Mindy is a new pop artist on the collectable scene and has a very whimsical take on the world. Her design aesthetic is completely on trend, with her figurines featuring big heads and eyes, contrasting against small mouths and noses."

There are a total of 12 figurines in the collection to include Beauty and the Beast's heroine Belle, the talking candelabra Lumiere and the talking mantel clock Cogsworth.

Plasticine "Plasticine has been around for more than 100 hundred years - although not in today's brilliant colours - so everyone remembers it fondly from their childhood," says Heather Watherston, director, The Lagoon Group.

As she highlights: "Plasticine is a soft malleable clay that doesn't dry out when it's exposed to air so it's brilliant for modelling - although our Plasticine kits, which will be unveiled at Autumn Fair, are not just for children. Grown-ups will have just as much fun making the miniature sushi, spiky pineapple and doughnuts.

And no-one has to stop after they've made what we suggest as Plasticine can be reused and blended to make new colours and new models."

Bug Art Gift and stationery company East West recently unveiled a new collaboration with greeting card publisher Bug Art, which is best known for its cute animal designs and florals.

"Its distinct designs, with exquisite finishes have, not surprisingly, earned it an impeccable reputation with retailers,” comments Terry Taylor, director of East West. “We will remain true to Bug Art’s design ethos, translating the designs across a range of 100 products including social stationery, tabletop, chocolate, giftwrap and gift bags as well as candles and mini cards."

Sara Miller In a short space of time, designer Sara Miller has made huge strides in the stationery and greeting card industry, including receiving a Henries Award in 2016. Her designs are influenced by her love of travel and experiencing different cultures.

"Sara Miller's elegant, colourful creations are full of life and fit in perfectly with our ceramic shapes and brand purpose of creating fun, timeless designs for the home," states Portmeirion Group's licensing manager Mel Mason.

Following on from the success of the company's Piccadilly mug set, launched at Spring Fair, Portmeirion has just launched a brand new tableware, afternoon tea and tabletop accessories collection.

Above: Sara Miller London Portmeirion new Chelsea Collection.

Below and bottom left: MAD Beauty's Beauty and the Beast and Bambi bath and body products.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast and Bambi MAD Beauty is currently debuting two iconic Disney classics: Bambi and Beauty & The Beast.

"With the release of the new Beauty & The Beast movie this year, we looked back to the original characters from the 1991 Disney movie for inspiration ," explains MAD Beauty's MD Trevor Cash. “It includes Enchantment Awaits coffrets of rose hand cream, body wash and body lotion cream, rose bath petals, and a moulded rose hand cream packaged in a dome which captures the iconic story telling. There is also a Mrs Potts & Chip lip gloss duo."

Continues Trevor: "With B For Bambi, we took our inspiration from the 1942 characters and their woodland feel for this pretty collection which includes a wash bag and bath essentials, individually wrapped Wildflower bath fizzers. Our hand and nail cream, with a matching nail file set, makes an appearance too, within the B for Bambi collection," he adds.

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©Disney Based on the ‘Winnie the Pooh’ works by A.A. Milne and E.H Shepard *Designs subject to approval

Launching at Autumn Fair

3-6 SEPTEMBER 2017 STAND 3U42 Visit our stand to see the full new range of ‘Winnie the Pooh’ toys!

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest licensed gift products to be showcased this month.

Be Our Guest Thanks to Enesco and its new pairing with American folk cartoon artist Miss Mindy, much-loved characters from Beauty and the Beast are being brought to life through a new collectable figurine range with a unique twist on the iconic Disney brand — Miss Mindy Presents Disney. The Bell figurine, Lumiere figurine and Cogsworth figurine are available to buy from Enesco and retail with an SRP of £89.95, £25 and £25 respectively. A perfect present or self-giving gift for collectors.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand V22/W23

Iconic Stationery

Marvellous Mugs Mr Men and Little Miss are back with a retro inspired collection of mugs from Wild & Wolf for Autumn/Winter. This new range showcases iconic illustrations by Roger Hargreaves on black and white patterned backgrounds. The collection of 16 new bone china mugs features an original quote from the first book of each character, spanning 1971 to 2011. Illustration from Hargreaves’ achieve bring the mugs to life incorporating original characters such as Mr Bump and Mr Happy alongside newer characters: Little Miss Birthday and Little Miss Princess.

Wild & Wolf Tel: 01225 789909 Email: sales@wildandwolf.com www.wildandwolf.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D02/F03

Wild & Wolf are continuing to expand on their collaboration with Orla Kiely by extending their stationery collection for Autumn/Winter. Orla’s bold prints combine with a retro colour palette to create a collection of pens and desk accessories. Ballpoint and fountain pens incorporate Orla’s iconic stem design alongside the more recent Ela elephant print with modern square barrels and matching storage tins. The unique and innovative style of the range is reflected in the wooden Ela elephant tape dispenser, sharpener and pen pot set.

Wild & Wolf Tel: 01225 789909 Email: sales@wildandwolf.com www.wildandwolf.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D02/F03

Let’s Twist Again

Hey Baby The Baby range is the latest addition from the ever popular Mad Dots range that incorporate gifts for the bride and groom, family members and friends. The Baby range of pastel blue and pink includes fine chinaware mugs, feeding gift sets, tooth and hair curl trinket box, moneybox, photo frames, storage boxes and matching gift bags. Each piece comes beautifully gift boxed and can be seen at the Autumn Fair. The Mad Dots Collection is licensed by Lesser & Pavey from Hearts Designs.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand E02-F03

Gibsons has lots of brand new products arriving this September, the first of which is the latest addition to the Iconic Brands Collection, the licensed range which combines cleverly designed puzzles with larger-than-life packaging. The 250 piece, double-sided Wall’s Ice Cream Twister puzzle is presented in a giant tin replica of the iconic green and white ice lolly. With 250 mouth-watering pieces, the puzzle is guaranteed to bring back warm summer memories!

Gibsons Tel: 020 8661 8866 Email: sales@gibsonsgames.co.uk www.gibsonsgames.co.uk

Feather Ruffling Card Game Following the success of our TFL licensed card game, Mind the Gap, Gibsons has another new card game coming out this September. Chicken Out! is a game for 2-6 players, with players taking it in turns to play cards from their hand with the aim of reaching 21; but there are hidden obstacles in the form of 10 cheeky foxes that will either help or hinder players’ chances of winning. Presented in a beautifully designed CDU, Chicken Out! is the perfect stocking filler for children aged 7 and up.

Gibsons Tel: 020 8661 8866 Email: sales@gibsonsgames.co.uk www.gibsonsgames.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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In Profile: Groovy

DIFFERENT BY

Design Groovy's 'mojo' in the world of official licensed giftware is creating original products across bathrobes, jumpsuits, loungers, slippers and lighting. Founded by former gift shop owner and trained fashion designer Monique Scott some 26 years ago, the company continues to go from strength to strength, with Monique and her team putting a twist on the everyday, while continuing to seek out the hottest new licenses around.

PG&H caught up with the entrepreneurial Monique, who's been into 'characters' since she was a youngster, and still thoroughly enjoys living the licensing dream.

trend, while also looking for inspiration for the company to try something new.

She emphasises that Groovy is 'different by design', with the team In the hugely competitive world of licensing, spending a lot of time on originality Groovy's edge is making everyday items, to make items fun and interesting. such as bathrobes and slippers, different.

A good example is the "We love what we do and we invest in the company's unique Look-ALites, details and quality," confirms founder which have Groovy's 'something Monique Scott. "Our design meetings are different' stamp all over them. always great fun, and the design team are "We created the Look-ALite progressing and learning more every week. and it stands alone," states We brainstorm and think of new things we Monique. "We all spend a huge can add, then balance this with cost, finally amount of time researching new ideas so creating the unique gift that we can keep developing and introducing items that we produce." something new every year. Personally, I And fun it certainly is! take a lot of inspiration from Pinterest and All in the line of duty of consequently have an ideas folder that's course, Monique reveals stuffed with interesting things. Some are that the design team go really random but every now and out on a regular basis and then one gets used for a concept, watch the relevant either for a product or in terms of movies so that they can marketing. I really can't see us stay current with what’s on ever running out of ideas!"

Currently, Groovy's key licences Groovy's Current Top 5 Licenses are Harry Potter and Guardians of the Galaxy. "However, for me, Wonder 1. Star Wars Woman has been the best superhero 2. Harry Potter movie so far this year and it’s really 3. DC Comics (Batman & Wonder Woman) increased sales in the new colours as 4. Guardians of The Galaxy (Love Groot) 5. Marvel (Avengers) opposed to the old retro ones,"

Above, below and below left: Some of the company's brand new Marvel Look-ALites which will be launching this year. Also shown is a keyring.

Left: Monique Scott, founder and MD of Groovy UK. Below right: Hogwarts' men's bathrobes.

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In Profile: Groovy Monique highlights. "Marvel too, is strong, with Spiderman gaining pace now that the new movie is out. With more new movies out at Christmas, Thor and Star Wars are sure to be big too. Plus, having movies and stars as promoters works brilliantly for us," she points out. "Usually the beginning of a licence is best, as there is far less competition, but once a movie is a hit then it can become over saturated, depending on the licence of course."

When you consider that Monique created her very own superhero bedroom in her first house, you get the picture as to why she was destined to work in the industry! A car company was using Batman and Robin on its TV adverts for Mini Metro and the car showrooms had standee cut-outs as their displays. Monique asked if she could have them when the campaign finished and the company agreed. "I painted the spare room grey, with a Batman logo on the wall, and named it the 'superhero bedroom' which, at the time, all seemed perfectly normal to me!" she laughs.

Nevertheless, despite her passion for superheroes, Monique didn't go into the licensing industry straightaway. After graduating from Loughborough Art College - where her end of year fashion show featured the first male supermodel Cameron Alborxian, then a PE student at Loughborough University - she set up her own design studio.

Subsequently, following her love for interesting home decor pieces, she opened two Groovy gift shops. But it was when she couldn't find the products that she was looking for for her own retail outlets that she decided to go into production herself, finding factories in China who could interpret her designs.

Originally, the products were only for the Groovy shops, but soon she was wholesaling to other companies, eventually going to work as a buyer for her biggest customer The Gadget Shop followed by The Discovery Store. However, given her entrepreneurial spirit, it wasn't long before she eventually launched Groovy UK at the beginning of the '90s and hasn't looked

back. "Today, we distribute all over the EU, with Germany our second biggest territory," she confirms.

"We’ve also expanded into the USA where sales are steadily growing." However, post-Brexit, export is not without its challenges. "The changes in the £pound and the $dollar values have hurt us a great deal and we have had to increase all our prices this year, having held off as long as we could, but the margins became too small on some licences. Only time will tell if it balances out, or if the increased prices become accepted or continue to affect sales," she says, taking a realistic view.

Having spent close to three decades in licensing, what changes has Monique seen?

"Licensing has always been strong, but in the early days it used to be dictated to by TV and magazines," she comments. "Now we

have the internet, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc., etc., so worldwide, marketing means images and ideas being spread more quickly and easily. For example, a celebrity seen in a branded T shirt can send sales through the roof because everyone can see it instantly. Back in the 90’s however, if a celeb was in a newspaper it was a big deal." (A Groovy claim to fame is that Russell Brand was once featured in the Sun newspaper wearing Groovy's Rocky bathrobe!).

Monique also points out that the industry is more competitive nowadays, with companies having to spend a lot more money than they used to, to promote their licenses. "In the Groovy stores, Bagpuss,

Left: The new Harry Potter gold snitch bag, with wings.

Below: A Monique personal favourite: the Halloween Gang cemetery collection of Look-Alites.

Bottom left: The Groot bathrobe.

Clangers and South Park were huge, and as for the first Star Wars movie, I can’t even begin to imagine how different it would have been if we’d had the social media we do now," she reflects.

Ask Monique for some of her Groovy career highlights and they trip off the tongue.

"There are so many," she muses. "When a licence you back does well, but in the beginning, no one seems to have heard of it, other than you, it's a risk. Then it suddenly explodes in popularity with Breaking Bad a good example. Then there's our Groovy Look-ALite, a cute, fat light that makes me laugh every day, plus the Suicide Squad, and Harley Quinn, where the handbags and robes have sold amazingly well and, again, from a movie we backed due to Margot Robbie and Will Smith, and baddies being made to do good. Sometimes it really is gut instinct."

So what's in the pipeline? "We'll keep growing and developing more lines and adding new licenses," states Monique. "We signed Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them last year, and with a new movie out next year, my team have done some amazing handbags that look like cases, with the main character having his suitcase full of Fantastic little Beasts. For Harry Potter we have a great snitch bag in gold with wings.

It looks incredible and we are so happy to launch it this year. We’re also launching our new Marvel Look-ALite collection and have them in a mini size now, along with keyrings. There is nothing else on the market like them."

As for Monique's own favourite products, she says that, so far, they're the company's Halloween collection of LookALites. "They're all funny and horrible and totally my cup of tea!" she smiles. "I have them on shelves at home so they'll be out all year round. It’s a perk of being the boss that I get to keep a set of samples whenever I choose!"

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We invite you to see our new collection Maison & Objet, Paris 8th - 12th September 2017 Hall 6 Stand B120 - C119

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Spotlight On... Mugs

Mugging Up Mugs come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, designs and prices, so it comes as no surprise that manufacturers and suppliers are continuing to up the ante in this hugely competitive market place.

PG&H discovered what's new for the coming season, as well as how gift shops can make the most of them in their stores during the festive season.

Whether mugs are bought as a self purchase, or as a gift for someone else, there's something uniquely emotional about them. Many people have favourites and want to hold onto them, despite an overflowing mug tree or kitchen cupboard, with links to people and places a driving factor. Possibly it's this emotional 'tie' that keeps people on the look-out for meaningful mugs, such as those that are personalised, or linked into a special occasion or hobby. Then there are mugs that will make the recipient laugh, brightening up a coffee break at the office or at home, and those that are straightforwardly

traditional, classic or contemporary, plus those that have been specially designed for people on the go. Quality and size matter too, making stocking up with mugs a bit of a minefield for retailers who are clearly spoilt for choice.

Specialist fine bone china mug manufacturer Dunoon offers over 1,000 designs, with themes including floral, classic, animals, sports and hobbies, informative, humorous, contemporary and, of course, Christmas mugs. "In recent years, we have sold more mugs that have a metallic gold accent within the designs," states sales director Peter Smith. "It's why

we have just introduced Medina on our oversize Cairngorm shape, and Marrakesh and Ishtar on our Lomond shape fine bone china mugs. Both patterns feature on trend geometric patterns and are embellished with 22ct gold."

Peter highlights that sport and hobby themed mugs are always the best sellers for Christmas. "We've just added to our popular Cairngorm shaped series of My Shed, My Bike and My Garden with four new themes – My Teacher, My Cat, My Workout and My Horse. They've been designed by one of our most popular artists, Cherry Denman, who brings her wicked sense of humour into play with humorous images and catchy sayings."

At Valerie Graham, the company has recently launched the Snug mug in neutral pastels as well as black. "It's definitely the perfect shape for Autumn/Winter as it really is a 'hands round the mug' shape," says MD Michael Stein.

Ian Davies, head of retail sales and marketing at Portmeirion Group, says that during the Christmas period, it’s especially important to stay focused on the huge gifting potential of mugs. "By using gift packaging and props, retailers can show how mugs make a lovely gift." he comments. Zoological animals, tropical prints, metallic and bold colours are strong trends for the company this Autumn/Winter, with the new Piccadilly set by Sara Miller London Portmeirion presenting mugs and plates with fun animal characters in striking colourful packaging to help to create an impact in store. "We are

Above: Ishtar fine bone china mugs from Dunoon feature a trendy geometric design.

Below left: The Snug mug collection from Valerie Graham.

Below: The new Piccadilly set by Sara Miller London Portmeirion includes a trendy flamingo design.

also extending our Royal Worcester Wrendale Designs mug collection to include travel mugs featuring the range’s most loved animal illustrations," Ian confirms.

For Autumn/Winter, Creative Tops has launched a selection of gift ranges tailored to feminine and masculine trends, plus personal gifting for those who are pet owners and gardeners. The collections features a range of giftable mugs, which include the company's new Ava & I collection which offers a set of two mugs packaged in a gifting concept that combines two individually boxed #bestie mugs in one patterned sleeve.

"The mugs can be gifted in a number of ways, such as from one friend who keeps one box and gifts the other box to another friend, or perhaps from parents who gift the whole set to their daughter who can then share one mug with her ‘bestie’," explains marketing and PR manager Katrina Lawton.

The company has also launched a new Roald Dahl range for Autumn/Winter with

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Spotlight On... Mugs Left: Creative Tops' Ava & I #bestie mugs.

Below left: Fairmont & Main's Steel Rooms collection.

Below: Two of Lesser & Pavey's black and gold travel mugs from the company's Gold Edition range.

Right: Among the mugs in Enesco's About Faces' Say What collection distributed exclusively by Enesco.

Below right: Among the latest designs in Widdop and Co's Musicology collection.

The BFG, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda collections including four mug types in varying giftable styles, patterned with storybook illustrations and quotes from the books.

"On trend themes always go down well, or mugs that can sit equally well on their own or as part of a larger collection," says Fairmont & Main’s director Rowan Harrison. "Our Steel Room collection is a good example of a range of 12 mugs featuring stylised designs which will individually fit in with almost any style, can be gifted according to specific design - so great for someone with a specific interest or is a collector of a specific design subject -

but equally, the entire range forms a great collection for the home."

At Lesser & Pavey, buyer Jonny Greves, points out that mugs are not just for Christmas. "They are an everyday gift, and no matter who you are buying one for, there's always an appropriate design. We fit mugs into most of our giftware ranges so whether a retailer is buying wine glasses, candles, handbags or stationery, we have a complementary mug allowing them to build entire stories and ranges of diverse products."

Enesco's director of marketing, Helen Shield, concurs that mugs are very important to a gift or home offering. "They are a staple within many of our key collections, and

A Nostalgic Touch Greeting card company Cherry Orchard complements its Down Memory Lane card designs with matching bone china mugs to encourage addon sales for retailers.

"Stores can make the most of the mugs by using them for attractive window displays with nostalgic themes to boost footfall or merchandising ideas," says the company's marketing manager Helen Pallen.

"They make a memorable keepsake gift that can become a talking point as people recall events and facts from their childhood days."

Adds Helen, "Also, at under £10, mugs tend to be at a good price point making them great stocking fillers. They can also be filled with sweets and wrapped with cello and ribbons and bows. With suppliers reinforcing strong branding across co-ordinating mug and card ranges and extending this to gift boxes and branded stands, it creates strong visual impact to prompt impulse buys and encourage add-on sales."

success is typically down to in store displays and refreshing the mugs on a regular basis as well as having a theme - for example, gifts for relatives - in the feature displays.

Plus, of course, the price point is perfect for a secret Santa." Helen comments that consumers are often looking for sentiments, either heartfelt or witty. "Retailers should therefore make it easy for a consumer to see the different products available, and it's a great opportunity to up-sell too, through offering bundles with, for example, a free gift bag. Mugs in our portfolio range from the new About Faces Say What collection to Pusheen. And, of course, Disney are ideal for everyday gifts and Christmas."

Sue Grant, marketing manager at Widdop and Co, says that mugs are definitely the 'go to' gift at Christmas.

"They’re priced to suit any budget, they have the widest appeal from young to old, male and female and they can carry any design, message or licensed character. Plus, when mugs are sold as part of a wider collection of products, not only does the retailer offer a compelling story in store, but they also attract incremental purchases."

Continues Sue: "Providing the price is right - and £5 remains the critical price point - there’s no shortage of choice when it comes to design. At Widdop and Co, mugs are an integral part of many of our brands.

They sit within some of our flagship collections including Disney Magical

Above: Cherry Orchard's Down Memory Lane mugs feature iconic images and facts from relevant years.

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Spotlight On... Mugs Moments, Sophia ladies gifts and Musicology."

At The Music Gifts Company, MD David Gee highlights a trend for simplicity.

"It's what prompted our collection in the Element range for sports lovers - 'I should be…Cycling, Playing Golf, Playing Rugby, In the Pub'. Having designed music mugs for 22 years, we know that it has to be clear what image the mug creates and how it will appeal in store or online." Adds David: "A mug is a wise gift purchase as it will be used for many years to come.”

Humour, of course, is another winner when it comes to mug designs. Boxer Gifts' operations director Thomas O'Brien says that at Christmas, consumers are always on the lookout for original Secret Santa

gifts and stocking fillers to make their colleagues, friends and families laugh. "Our collections include pet related mugs, biking mugs, emoji mugs, funny mugs and rude mugs," he highlights.

"In an increasingly busy market for popular gifts such as mugs, it’s vital to stand out from the crowd by offering something that's original and exciting," says Personalised Memento Company's sales and marketing director Keren Dicken.

"Personalised mugs allow customers to

Left: I Should Be Cycling, a new design in The Music Gifts Company's Element range.

Below left: A humorous biking mug from Boxer Gifts.

Right: Signature Gifts' personalised Mr and Mrs mugs.

Below middle: Puckator's new Christmas mug collection.

Bottom left: Personalised Memento Company's Country Diary Flower of the Month Collection.

create a bespoke and unique gift without having to break the bank.

A personalised mug shows that thought and care has gone into selecting it." She emphasises that it's important that this range of mugs works well both online and in gift shops. "We’ve found that by offering personalised mugs on a fast turnaround - many of our mugs are available for next day delivery which is now a standard expectation from consumers - both online and bricks and mortar gift shops can benefit from offering something different."

Keren says that current trends for mugs and wider gifting sectors are for vintageinspired botanic and floral patterns. "Our licensed Country Diary Flower of the Month collection of 12 mugs really complement this trend. By pairing each month with a

classic British flower or plant, we’ve created a range that's ideal for 'her', while remaining faithful to the timeless appearance of the Country Diary brand."

"A first Christmas memento set of mugs is an extremely popular gift for couples to celebrate their first Christmas as Mr and Mrs," says Kat Whittingham, copywriter, PR & sales support at Signature Gifts. "There's also a trend for mugs with quirky slogans, especially tongue in cheek ones like Mr Never Right and Mrs Always Right," she adds.

However, as Puckator's designer Lauren Billingham points out, mugs can easily get lost on crowded shelves. "Therefore it's often best to keep displays simple, coherent and orderly, choosing three mugs that sit well together to create a paired back but impacting block of product. This Christmas we're launching our brand new cheeky Elfies range featuring a handy mulled wine recipe to help everyone get in the spirit, as well as an ice cold penguin design."

For gift retailers looking for secret Santa gifts, stocking fillers, teacher and Christmas gifts per se and at impulse buy prices - the choice of mug designs is huge; and with the Christmas countdown starting in September, it's clearly time to start doing some mugging up!

Three Top Display Tips

l "Mugs should be combined with other drink/tableware items to create on-trend displays across different colour spectrums and themes. If possible, they should also be displayed alongside their gift packaging to highlight their giftability and be placed close to till points for impulse purchasing." Rowan Harrison, director, Fairmont & Main l "Hanging open stock mugs on a mug wall is an easy and effective way to display a range of mugs. It allows busy shoppers to make a quick pick up purchase for stocking fillers. As mug walls are easy to keep stocked there will always be plenty of choice for the customer." Dannielle Birch, marketing and communications, Churchill China l A great retail display goes a long way in the run up to Christmas. The most important thing to bear in mind is the quality of the goods. With premium china mugs, customers can see the quality." Kat Whittingham, copywriter, PR & sales support at Signature Gifts Right: Churchill China's A Bobbin of Robbins is a new design in the company's The In Crowd range.

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest mug designs to be showcased this month.

Mugs For Inbetweeners Following on from getting through to the finals of the Gift of the Year Awards 2016, Cherry Orchard’s 2017 Down Memory Lane bone china mugs have added two further designs to the range with the Born in the Swinging 60s and Born in the 70s captions for the in between birthdays that aren’t milestone ages. With branded stands available, and a free gift presentation box, as well as a matching card range, the mugs make an eye-catching display for your store and are perfect for add-on sales.

Cherry Orchard Tel: 01684 295500 Email: cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand 4D40-F41

Santa’s Brigade

Witty And Wise Adding to its hugely popular Say What? range from About Face Designs, Enesco has unveiled the addition of new products. Witty and wise, the No Need to Remind Him Mug plays on the notion of the nagging wife, constantly reminding her other half to find the time to get around to completing a lingering task on the ‘to do’ list. Playing on the tongue-in-cheek tone the brand has become known for, the A Case of Beer Pint Glass is sure to raise a smile.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand V22/W23

This is a set of two fun mugs on Dunoon’s large size Cairngorm shape. The mugs feature Santa Claus playing musical instruments and preparing for Christmas with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. These are beautifully drawn by designer Kate Mawdsley and are sure to be a very popular Christmas gift.

Made in fine bone China in the heart of Staffordshire, England.

Dunoon Tel 01785 817414 Email: sales@dunoonmugs.co.uk www.dunoonmugs.co.uk

My Word!

Following on from Dunoon’s popular 'My' series are My Cat, My Teacher, My Workout and My Horse on the popular large size Cairngorm shape. The mugs are a fun and quirky characterisation of each subject, illustrated by Cherry Denman in her own inimitable style. Made in fine bone china in Staffordshire, England.

Dunoon Tel 01785 817414 Email: sales@dunoonmugs.co.uk www.dunoonmugs.co.uk

Fine Chinaware Lesser and Pavey have always been known for attention to detail and producing fine chinaware so the new range, launched this September, will be no surprise to buyers as it speaks volumes of quality, beautifully gift boxed while being affordable. The new Blue William Morris Strawberry Thief includes fine chinaware mugs, tea for one, teapots, melamine trays, coasters and placemats while diversifying into fashion accessories - handbags, cosmetic bag and wash bag. Each piece comes beautifully gift boxed and can be seen at Autumn Fair.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225 Email sales@leonarod.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand E02-F03

Alphabet World Lesser and Pavey launch new ranges of fine mugs which includes the alphabet/monogram fine mugs. Entitled 'initially yours' each fine china mug has a letter on it and comes individually boxed in an open fronted window box.

This monograming range seems to be very popular with the consumer featuring on fashion accessories, with Lesser & Pavey going one step further in bringing the alphabet to the home accessory and gift markets.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225 Email sales@leonarod.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand E02-F03

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What’s New A selection of new gift products launching at Autumn Fair, 3-6 September 2017, NEC Birmingham

A Colourful Winter

Puuurfect Pusheen The Pusheen Waterdazzler globe is a quirky alternative to a snow globe. Standing at 10cm tall, the Waterdazzler shows Pusheen and her sidekick sister Stormy snuggled up beside their beautiful Christmas tree. Flashing LED lights add a magical sparkle to the swirling glitter. The Pusheen Waterdazzler globe, Pusheen tumbler and Pusheen mini tablet case are available from GUND and retail with an SRP of £19.95, £14.00 and £9.95 respectively.

Enesco – Pusheen (Gund) Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand A44

Miss Milly is looking forward to a vibrant, colourful winter for jewellery and scarves.

While the traditional jewel and darker colours still dominate, we have a stunning palette that also includes bright blue, paradise pink and saffron. The best-selling Floria Collection jewellery has evolved with revamps of popular lines alongside stunning new resin and enamel pieces. The Carmen Collection gets bolder featuring striking metal necklaces with crystal highlights. Fantastic prices, excellent quality.

Miss Milly Tel: 01905 622509 www.missmilly.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand H48

Tidal Wave Of Success Talbot Fashions' gift boxed Tide Jewellery brand of natural paua shell is constantly in great demand. Flamingos, swans and unicorns, added recently, have been a huge success.

New lines are coming soon and include pineapple, yin yang, peace symbol, angel and many more wildlife and sea life designs. A network of sales representatives are able to present and give advice on their entire range, including new additions that might otherwise not be viewed until the next catalogue.

Talbot Fashions Tel: 01273 776415 Email: info@talbotfashions.com www.talbotfashions.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand G10

Boxing Clever The TJ designers have revealed their new ranges for Autumn/Winter 2017.

The mains light boxes have been best sellers for TJ for some time, so it seemed the perfect time to introduce another to the family. The Box Office design sits so well with our Stage Door light, and we know it's going to be just as popular.

Temerity Jones Tel: 01992 807477 Email: sales@temerityjones.com www.temerityjones.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D30 Maison Objet: Hall 6 Stand S136

Beautiful Buddhas Lesser & Pavey is launching a range of hand painted, hand decorated resin lifestyle pieces that include gold buddhas, elephants, giraffes, Masai and pineapples. Metal figures of the Buddha were taken to various countries for installation, and now, thanks to Lesser & Pavey, the consumer can purchase one for their home. The Masai, an ethnic group from southern Kenya, are also captured by Lesser & Pavey, with the tall sleek figures in traditional dress. Buddhas also feature on the water fountain. Each piece comes gift boxed and can be seen at Autumn Fair.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225 Email sales@leonarod.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand E02-F03

Quirky Children's Gifts The TJ designers have revealed their new ranges for Autumn/Winter 2017. In a new departure for the designers at TJ, a new range of quirky gifts for youngsters will be premiered. This cute pink flocked unicorn will no doubt be in contention for the position of best seller, along with infinity cloud lights, light up rockets cushions and unicorn pinatas!

Temerity Jones Tel: 01992 807477 Email: sales@temerityjones.com www.temerityjones.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D30 Maison Objet: Hall 6 Stand S136 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Talbot Fashions Beautiful Natural Paua shell

See us at Autumn Fair NEC Birmingham Hall 4 Stand G10

Est. 1980

Wholesale Jewellery, Gifts & Accessories

Call now for our catalogue or place your order online at: www.talbotfashions.com Minimum order just ÂŁ25 (Ex VAT & P&P)

7 Howard Terrace, Brighton, East Sussex, BN 1 3 TR Tel: 01273 776415 Fax: 01273 731167 Email: info@talbotfashions.com

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What’s New A selection of new gift products launching at Autumn Fair, 3-6 September 2017, NEC Birmingham

Beguiling Bracelets Oh my word! Hot Tomato has done it again with these utterly beguiling and seriously feminine bracelets. We are so loving the simple, neutral palettes they’ve used - allowing you to either wear as is, or mix in and layer up with other favourites - just gorgeous! Sold in packs of two, with one being slightly larger than the other, they really do think of everything at Hot Tom! Hot Tomato Tel: 01225 422188 Email: sales@hot-tom.com www.hot-tom.com Autumn Fair: Summerhouse Hall 3 Stand R07

On Trend Scarves Joe Davies (Autumn Fair Hall 5, Stand C10/D11) are delighted to introduce their exciting new Autumn/Winter 2017 Equilibrium scarf collection. Butterfly prints, metallic prints and luxurious faux fur ensure the range is right on track with the fashion catwalks. A stylish Equilibrium gift box for many of the designs matches the Equilibrium glove boxes, ensuring a co-ordinating, eye-catching display in store. Add to that excellent quality and great prices and you have a real 'must have' collection for the Christmas period.

Joe Davies Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand C10/D11

Metallics And Bohemian Vibes PoM's Autumn silver and silver plated jewellery collection is a blend of fresh clean, well polished style with an underlying bohemian vibe. The trend for metallics follows through to Autumn with scarves, bags and accessories, plus a new batch of grown up metallic foil print scarves, clutch bags in super soft leathers and suedes shimmer with sparkle, and tote bags glistening with gold. When the cold begins to bite, there’s plenty to keep you warm, with wool wraps, knitted hats and elegant gloves.

Peace of Mind Tel: 01225 777749 Email:sales@pom925.com www.pom925.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand: 4G31

Practical, Pretty Purses Hot Tomato’s bestselling and ‘ever so cute’ credit card/coin purses in large and small have had a revamp for the coming season. Now in an array of strong, stunning colours and all with a festive shimmer adding to their jewelled effect. Their signature, very pretty co-ordinated linings and fun phrases make these an amusing and irresistible girlie gift.

Hot Tomato Tel: 01225 422188 Email: sales@hot-tom.com www.hot-tom.com Autumn Fair: Summerhouse Hall 3 Stand R07

Drama-Llama Fancy a Llama Party? Bit of a Drama-Llama? Well, that’s no Prob-llama, as SIL’s new llama inspired range is here to save the day. With bright eye popping colours and witty one-liners, this collection is bang on trend and bags of fun. Wall plaques, pom-pom garlands and funky drinking jars sit with gorgeous gift bags and partyware to make this one llama-tastic collection.

SIL Tel: 01992 718033 Email: sales@silplc.com www.silplc.com Autumn Fair: Hall 3 B10-C11

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Beautiful Lifestyle Giftware Home and garden gifting inspired by iconic British designs

Tel: 01963 269077 Fax: 01963 402060 sales@briersltd.co.uk www.briersltd.co.uk

AUTUMN FAIR

HALL 4 STAND 4D30-F31

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What’s New A selection of new gift products launching at Autumn Fair, 3-6 September 2017, NEC Birmingham

Happy Anniversary A perfect gift for a special couple, these beautiful bottles will not only brighten up the recipient's day but their home as well. These beautiful pearlescent bottles are filled with shimmering star-shaped LED lights.

The bottles include a heart warming sentiment to help make anyone receiving these feel extra special.

Boxer Gifts Tel: 01133 955595 Email: sales@boxergifts.com www.boxergifts.com Autumn Fair: Hall5 5A10 or Cardgains Stand Hall 4 4D40-F41

Disney Skittles Orange Tree Toys are launching their much anticipated first Disney range based on everyone’s favourite silly old bear and his much loved friends: Winnie the Pooh. The collection has an array of brightly coloured, beautiful products including push alongs, pull alongs, a musical carousel, puzzle train and, of course, an adorable set of skittles!

Orange Tree Toys Tel: 01242 244500 Email: sales@orangtreetoys.com www.orangetreetoys.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand U42

Quotes For Millennials Inspire, motivate, believe is the ethos of the new #hashtags brand, with Gaeltag Keltika launching the range into the UK to tune into Millennial thinking – inspired quotes for positive living. With a product range including keychains, fridge magnets and notebook,s it’ll be easy for your customers to keep that inspiration on hand whenever they need it - and just as easy for retailers to display and sell as everything comes ready merchandised in CDU’s.

Gaeltag Keltika Tel: 020 8998 1781 Email: sales@gaeltag.com www.gaeltagkeltika.com http://www.cowparade.eu Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand 3YO2

On Trend Glasses Looking for unique glassware? Our new range of Lustre glasses are truly special.

Each glass has an eye-catching lustre effect finish, complemented by AB crystals and a pretty fun design. Available in both fairies and unicorn designs these glasses are bang on trend! Each glass is beautifully packaged in a handmade rainbow foiled box with a silk insert.

Boxer Gifts Tel: 01133 955595 Email: sales@boxergifts.com www.boxergifts.com Autumn Fair: Hall5 5A10 or Cardgains Stand Hall 4 4D40-F41

Pucker Up Our fabulous UK made metallic Hot Lips balms have been created to add a little bit of glamour and fun to any handbag. Choose from Hot Lips or Hey Beautiful in silver metallic or VIP or Love & Kisses in gold metallic.

Each lip balm comes encased in a complimentary Autumnal coloured gift sleeve for that finishing touch. A perfect little gift or stocking filler to offer this season with an RRP of only £4.99!

La de da! Living Tel: (01242) 250653 Email: enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk www.trade.ladedaliving.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand L30

Man Appeal If you struggle to find men’s gifts, take a look at Element. It’s a unique collection solely offering men’s gifts.

What sets Element apart is the attention to detail while offering the finest quality products. Latest new gifts include 'I should be…cycling, playing golf, playing rugby, in the pub' available for mugs and coasters as well as socks, and 'Mine’s the Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin' socks for any aspiring supercar dreamer.

Element Tel: 01202 57 00 57 Email: info@elementgifts.com www.elementgifts.com

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HE

MUSIC GIFTS C M PA N Y

Gifts that hit the right note

the definitive collection of men’s gifts

Test your music knowledge with this unique game of Musical Dominoes.

From our first creation ~ to our latest creation and the 22 years inbetween More than 500 gifts on a music theme including:

mugs

cufflinks

socks

washbags

bottle openers

pens

hankies

birthday cards

and

keyrings coasters

more.....

stationery, cufflinks, socks, kitchen gifts, mugs, bags, men’s gifts, chocolates, jewellery, keyrings, pins, umbrellas, 3D cards and much more.

musicgifts.co.uk orders@musicgifts.co.uk

01202 57 00 57

See the complete range at

Hall 3 Stand V09

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01202 57 00 57

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What’s New A selection of new gift products launching at Autumn Fair, 3-6 September 2017, NEC Birmingham

Terrific Towels

Charm Bracelets At Carrie Elspeth we are very excited about our brand new leather charm bracelets, offered in a whole array of fabulous colours in real leather, with a choice of silver plated star or heart charms. Also available are faux leather pattern designs with silver plated geometric charms and a rose gold plated heart charm. All bracelets have an easy to open magnetic clasp. Lovingly handmade in Wales making them the perfect gift this Christmas.

Carrie Elspeth Tel: 01446 771271 Email: sales@carrieelspeth.com www.carrieelspeth.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand G40 – NEW LOCATION

As our novelty beach towels proved popular this summer, the team here at Giggle Beaver have decided to expand the range with new funky hand and bath towels! Featuring brightly coloured, cartoon designs such as pineapple, avocado, ketchup and mustard, these towels will make a splash in bathrooms everywhere.

Giggle Beaver Tel: 01926 819333 Email: wholesale@gigglebeaver.com www.gigglebeaver.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D11

Adorable Minions Hot off the heels of the newest Despicable Me instalment, Puckator is extremely proud to present their latest addition to their everpopular solar pal line. Exclusive to Puckator, you can now take home your very own Kevin, Stuart and Bob waving figurines. With the Despicable Me franchise just earning the notable credit of becoming the highestgrossing franchise in history, we predict big things for these little minions.

Puckator Tel: 0800 011 6969 Email: customerservices@puckator.co.uk www.puckator.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand K02-L03

Personalised BBQ Kit Humorous Notebooks Exclusively designed by La de da! Living, our humorous paperback notebooks come in the choice of two stunning Autumnal colours of royal blue with silver metallic star foiling for the Confessions of a Gin Infused Mind or deep burgundy with gold metallic heart foiling for the Confessions Of A Prosecco Queen. The perfect little birthday treat or Christmas stocking filler that is sure to raise a smile, especially with an RRP of only £9.99!

La de da! Living Tel: (01242) 250653 Email: enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk www.trade.ladedaliving.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand L30

It never hurts to be prepared for a great British BBQ, and to ensure they’re ahead of the game, the Personalised Memento Company has launched a stylish and unique range of personalised BBQ kits.

The kits feature a personalised pouch, which is available in a range of designs, along with a practical stainless steel spatula, a fork and pair of meat tongs.

PMC Tel: 01782 744900 Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk www.personalisedmemento.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand L02-M03

Adding Sparkling Puckator will be debuting their latest exclusive collection, Pop the Prosecco, during the approaching trade fair season. This whimsical range features bold bright colours and mischievous slogans offering a refreshing take on this up and coming trend.

New for this Autumn, the design will feature across mirrors, nail files, shopping bags, kitchen accessories and, our personal favourite, two tone led bottles. These are sure to bring a sparkle to every store this party season!

Puckator Tel: 0800 011 6969 Email: customerservices@puckator.co.uk www.puckator.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand K02-L03 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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NEW CAKE CANDLES!

NEW FOR XMAS

NEW FOR XMAS

N E W F R O M T H E C R E AT O R S O F U P I N L I G H T S !

New from the company that brought you the best-selling, original Light Up letters, UP IN LIGHTS, comes new and exciting Light Up Shapes. The range of cute characters includes; Mermaid, Shell, Rocket, Dinosaur, Unicorn and more!

Plus, Smiling Faces Cake Candles collection relaunches with new designs.

Visit us at www.smilingfaces.co.uk | 01444 882323 | sales@smilingfaces.co.uk | Find Us At Autumn Fair - Stand 3T40 PROGRESSIVE VERTICAL HALF.indd 1

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What’s New A selection of new gift products launching at Autumn Fair, 3-6 September 2017, NEC Birmingham and Top Drawer, 10-12 September 2017, Olympia, London

Christmas Scent

Blooming Perfect At Parlane, all of our flowers are skilfully crafted by hand and are of the finest quality available on the market. Our new Cymbidium potted orchids showcase the very best of this craftsmanship. Each petal is either handpainted or screen-printed, shaped by hand and applied to the stems to create stunningly realistic plants that will last for many years. Available in three colours and two sizes. Trade price: small £9.95; large £28.

Parlane Tel: 01451 812 700 Email: welcome@parlaneinternational.co.uk www.parlane.co.uk Top Drawer: Stand H-H19

The trend of alternative Advent calendars continues to grow, and so, for 2017, Yankee Candle has launched the new 3D Advent Book.

Each window reveals a votive candle or wax melt in a popular Christmas scent, offering a unique way to light up your festive season. This Yankee Candle Advent calendar will make anyone’s run up to Christmas extra special. RRP £24.99 – £39.99, available at yankeecandle.co.uk Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1260 Email: sales@yankeecandle.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D40-F41

Festive Treats

Natural Extracts Inspired by the continuing trend for gold in home décor, design and fine fragrance, Yankee Candle has created a new range of dramatic and luxurious fragrances using the essence of the world’s rarest perfumery ingredients.

Combining the juxtaposition of darkness and light with the most delicate of touches this exclusive collection introduces an out of the ordinary scent experience. Choose from Golden Rose, Golden Amber, Golden Sandalwood and Golden orange Blossom.

Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1260 Email: sales@yankeecandle.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D40-F41

The Candle Discovery is an extra special gift which includes a whole host of treats to reveal inside, including two small jars, six votives and six wax melts in a range of festive fragrances. Alternatively the Yankee Candle 3 Small Jar Gift Set containing three delicious fragrances, Christmas Magic, Christmas Cookie and Spiced Orange provides the perfect premium gift. Gift sets RRP £27.99.

Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1260 Email: sales@yankeecandle.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D40-F41

Sentiment Stems Personalised Photo Album The Personalised Memento Company are expanding their on trend Fresh Botanical range with the launch of their new personalised Fresh Botanical traditional photo album.

The strong typographic and natural design of this photo album make it ideal for a range of occasions, particularly weddings, where it will suit themes of nature that are currently in huge demand.

PMC Tel 01782 744900 Email sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk www.personalisedmemento.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand L02-M03

Transomnia’s new Sentiment Stems are perfect to add the finishing touch to any gift of a plant pot, vase or flowers. They also look great in a champagne or Prosecco bottle – but make sure you drink the fizz first! They come in heart and star shaped designs, with six thoughtful and affectionate messages.

Retailing at £4.99, they’re supplied with a counter-ready display box.

Transomnia Tel: 01892 703660 Email: sales@transomnia.com www.transomnia.com

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Each candle in the Traditions line features Village Candle’s dual-wick technology, for a cleaner, more efficient burn and greater fragrance release...

Whats not to love?

See the full range at... Hall 5

Stand H01

Xystos

3-6 SEPTEMBER 2017 NEC BIRMINGHAM UK

For more info, contact our Customer Service Team Email: sales@xystos.co.uk or Tel: +44(0)191 499 1570 Flame & Fragrance • Bath & Body www.xystostrade.co.uk The UK’s No.1 Home Fragrance Supplier to the Gift Industry

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What’s New A selection of new gift products launching at Autumn Fair, 3-6 September 2017, NEC Birmingham

Mini Warmies

Christmas Magic The Perfect Christmas is Yankee Candle’s collection of four new festive fragrances designed to awaken the senses. The collection includes the hero fragrance Christmas Magic, a scent that re-creates that unique Christmas feeling, or capture that distinctive alpine scent in your home with The Perfect Tree. If you prefer sweeter scents then lighting a Spiced White Cocoa and snuggling up by the fire is ideal or, for a more musky scent choose Crackling Wood Fire.

Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1260 Email: sales@yankeecandle.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand D40-F41

Intelex Group, the inventors of the world’s first microwavable soft toy, are delighted to launch Warmies Mini’s, an exciting new range of miniature heatable soft toys. The range features four themed collections, as well as miniature versions of popular Bagpuss characters, including Bagpuss himself, Charlie Mouse and Lizzie Mouse which will appeal to nostalgic adults and children alike. Each Warmies Mini’s collection features 16 small versions of best-selling Warmies toys.

Intelex Tel: 01933 679 777 Email: sales@intelex.co.uk www.intelex.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand J16/K17

Loved by Nature A greenhouse which has been furnished as a lounge/living room during Christmas time. A robust cylinder-shape stove with piles of chopped wood beside it, a large rug on the floor: soft, warm, and feminine. To complete the setting, a large Christmas tree, decorated in magnificent shades of green.

Kaemingk Tel: 01254 85 11 18 Email: kaemingkltd@aol.com www.kaemingk.com Autumn Fair: Hall 3-3A Stand E30-F31

Christmas Fun

Canine Treats At long last, a retro style biscuit tin just like the one our dear Nan always had fully stocked. If you are in need of a biscuit tin where memories, wisdom, good chat and comfort are free to all who lift the lid and inhale deeply, then this could be your lucky day. Featuring an eclectic gathering of furry superstars who are all fully paid up members of the Little Dog Biscuit Club.

Tin measurements H:18cm x W:17cm.

The Little Dog. Tel: 01332 290605 Email : info@thelittledog.co.uk www.thelittledog.co.uk.

Autumn Fair Stand: Hall 3 Stand V02

A little bistro, the kind you could come across in the market square of a small town. Handwritten text on the windows, a large coir doormat with an inviting ‘welcome’ message on it. A cosy theme with a warm, wintery feeling and a great deal of Christmas tradition.

Kaemingk Tel: 01254 85 11 18 Email: kaemingkltd@aol.com www.kaemingk.com Autumn Fair: Hall 3-3A Stand E30-F31

Personalised Beano Annual Did you know the Beano is the biggest selling annual in the UK? Well now it's sure to sell even more as this exclusive personalised version includes your chosen name on the cover along with a message to the recipient on the opening pages. Each page also includes a banner along the top which is personalised with the recipient's name.

The official, bespoke annual for this year is available from Signature Books Publishing, a part of Signature Gifts.

RRP £19.99 Signature Gifts Tel: 01582 464 809 www.signature-books.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand F51 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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t ea ng ra n ll r o fu we 1 he ra E2 e t p D nd Se To Sta CMP is distributed by Valerie Graham Ltd. 16 Boulevard Drive, London. NW9 5QF Tel: 020 8200 5100 Email: sales@vgltd.co.uk

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What’s New A selection of new gift products launching at Autumn Fair, 3-6 September 2017, NEC Birmingham and Top Drawer, 10-12 September 2017, Olympia, London

Pretty Poppies

Made In Wales

Shrieking Violet’s flower rings won a Gift of the Year 2017 Award, and this adjustable poppy silver ring is perfect for remembrance. The signature hand crafted item contains a real flower delicately grown, dried and set in resin. This particular item comes in seven other styles including forget-me-not, rose and mixed flowers. Visit Shrieking Violet at Autumn Fair and IJL London or visit them online.

Shrieking Violet Tel: 0208 521 9151 Email: sales@flowerjewellery.com www.flowerjewellery.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stall H3 / IJL StandE120

Autumn sees Carrie Elspeth add more beautiful designs to her stunning, best selling jewellery collections. With gorgeous branded packaging and new point of sale, these latest collections are keeping pace with the hot trends for the season and will undoubtedly put a smile on your customers’ faces!

Still proudly made in Wales, Carrie prides herself on quality, super-fast delivery and excellent customer service. Call the studio for the latest full-colour Autumn brochure.

Carrie Elspeth Tel: 01446 771271 Email: sales@carrieelspeth.com www.carrieelspeth.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stand G40 (new location)

Edgy New Sculptures Pictured here is a Venetian Mask from our unique and visceral Edge Sculpture collection. On the back of a fantastic Spring Fair, Matt Buckley, the sculptor and creator of Edge Sculpture, has been locked in his studio working on three new sculptures to unveil at Autumn Fair.

Unfortunately, he is keeping them under wraps, so you’ll have to visit our stand for a first sight of his new creations!

Edge Sculpture Tel: 01952 884804 Email: sales@edgesculpture.com www.edgesculpture.com Autumn Fair: Hall 2 Stand L10

Wellies With A Difference

Vintage Inspired Candles LoveOlli was established in 2012 with the simple desire to create inspiring and unique products with a vintage twist.

Their scented candles are hand poured using 100% natural soy wax and fine fragrances for a superior scent throw and have a burn time of 40 hours. Each candle is presented in its own box and comes with a little packet of pink headed matches making it the perfect gift. Love Olli will be exhibiting at Autumn Fair.

LoveOlli Tel: 0844 216 0990 Email: trade@loveolli.com www.loveolli.com Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand 3V06

Story Horse is a Northern Irish gifts and accessories brand with affordably priced products that are a bit different to those on the high street. The Story Horse wellington boots have a generous width at the calf with adjuster. Whether they are needed for a farm or a festival, these gorgeous printed wellies will make anyone stand out. The tread pattern will give enhanced grip and simply wipe clean with a damp cloth. Story Horse will be exhibiting at Top Drawer.

Story Horse Tel: 0844 824 3431 Email: sales@storyhorse.com www.storyhorse.com Top Drawer: Stand 303A

Colourful Flower Jewellery The multi-award winning brand Shrieking Violet offer free branded display stands to their stockists. Proudly present your selection with this three-layered set piece and let the colourful flower jewellery do the rest!

Shrieking Violet Tel: 0208 521 9151 Email: sales@flowerjewellery.com www.flowerjewellery.com Autumn Fair: Hall 4 Stall H3 / IJL StandE120 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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t ea ng ra n ll r o fu we 1 he ra E2 e t p D nd Se To Sta CMP is distributed by Valerie Graham Ltd. 16 Boulevard Drive, London. NW9 5QF Tel: 020 8200 5100 Email: sales@vgltd.co.uk

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What’s New A selection of new gift products launching at Autumn Fair, 3-6 September 2017, NEC Birmingham and Top Drawer, 10-12 September 2017, Olympia, London

Animal Sculptures A visit to the Frith Sculpture stand is a must this year as three incredible new dogs are being introduced.

Firstly, Frith’s largest sculpture to date is Geoffrey, an impressive standing hound; also Dudley, who is a charming Basset. Geoffrey is so lifelike that visitors are invited to come and pat him, feeding not allowed! In addition, following on from the success of their new Cockapoo in the Spring, Frith are introducing Lucy, a larger sitting version.

The company also has additions to its hedgehog family. They were huge sellers last Christmas so customers are being asked to make sure they stock up early for 2017! You will also see the brand new MINIMA range – a selection of new miniatures based on the best larger Frith sculptures. Retailing at only £25, Frith conducted trials with them this summer with exceptional sales. They include hares, birds and highland cattle, with Frith promising many more designs in 2018. Last, but not least, new cats, hares and other British wildlife will be on display, together with the rest of the stunning Frith collection.

Do not miss their FREE stock show offer available. Ask for details and for the new catalogue.

Frith Sculpture Tel: 01666 577110 Email: sales@frithsculpture.co.uk www.frithsculpture.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand J45

Girl Power The gorgeous Alice Scott gift and stationery collection launched with a bang at the beginning of the year and, due to its huge success, many more fabulous products have been added to the range. These brand new lines include luncheon items, travel mugs, super sophisticated pens and meeting accessories. Perfect for all those stylish boss ladies on the go! These splendid additions can be seen at Top Drawer.

Portico Designs Tel: 01225 329494 Email: sales@porticodesigns.com www.porticodesigns.com Top Drawer: Stand G47

Licensed Garden Gifts Portico Designs is thrilled to have partnered with The Eden Project, an educational charity whose aim is to connect us with each other and the living world around us, exploring how we can work towards a better future. Our debut garden gifting collection. including a watering can, potting set and jute bag has been developed according to The Eden Projects core values and all products have been ethically sourced using sustainable materials. Come and see us at Top Drawer or snap them up online.

Portico Designs Tel: 01225 329494 Email: sales@porticodesigns.com www.porticodesigns.com Top Drawer: Stand G47

Under The Sea From the creators of Up In Lights comes exciting new designs to add to the Shapes & Characters collection. With the 'under the sea' trend set to follow unicorns and rainbow fever, Smiling Faces' new mermaid and shell designs should prove to be extremely popular! The LED Lights are battery powered with warm white bulbs and can be free-standing or wall mounted. RRP £21.99. Also on show at Autumn Fair will be the fantastic new Cake Candles and the ever popular Up In Lights Light Up letters.

Smiling Faces Tel: 01444 882323 Email sales@smilingfaces.co.uk www.smilingfaces.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 3 Stand T40 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Best Sellers Progressive Gifts & Home asked a selection of retailers about the products which have been flying off their shelves this month.

Richard Marsden and Aga Gabrysiak, co-owners, Highworth Emporium, Highworth A medium sized gift shop in a small market town.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Widdop and Co: clocks

Wall clocks are very popular, especially the large ones.

Fragranced Giftware

Ashleigh & Burwood: The Scented Home;

These are strong sellers, especially at this time of the year. Good value for money.

The bath blasters do especially well for us.

Bomb Cosmetics: across the board Jewellery

Joe Davies: Equilibrium; Esprit: sterling silver

The jewellery is a winner over and over again.

Traditional designs that appeal to our older customers.

Fashion Accessories

Faye UK: Eco Chic

Sales are excellent, especially the cool bags.

Greeting Cards

Nigel Quiney: Pizzazz

Sparkly, girly eye-catching designs that represent good value for money.

Giftwrap

Glick

Girly giftwrap in lovely designs.

Other Hot Hits

Jellycat: Bashful Bunny

Extremely soft material that customers can't resist.

Sue Dorling, owner, The Alphabet Gift Shop, Burton-on-Trent and Mickleover A medium sized gift shop on a secondary site.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

East of India: porcelain giftware; Rex International: porcelain giftware

Customers can find something for all occasions.

There is always something in porcelain that fills a gap for customers.

Fragranced Giftware

Wild Olive: tea bags and wax melts.

The alcohol-scented products are very popular as pick-up gifts to give in addition to a main gift or with a card.

We do a bespoke range with our own label. The fragrances are beautiful and long lasting.

Heaven Scent: pillar candles

Jewellery

Marlene Hounam: sterling silver

Lots of beautiful shapes and brushed mixed metals. Good prices and very on trend.

The jewellery features hearts with alphabet letters and sentiment rings which are very collectable. Also, the jewellery is made in England.

Fashion Accessories

Disaster Designs: across the board

There are always new designs, with the travel wallets definitely our best sellers.

Greeting Cards

Katie Phythian

Hand-drawn, hand-written styled cards. A design featuring a pair of llamas is our best seller.

Giftwrap

Artebene

A good mix of bags and giftwrap that's always on trend.

Other Hot Hits

The Little Dog Laughed: Rufus Rabbit

A bit different for babies with everything beautifully packaged.

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Kaytie Wu: contemporary;

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Hollie Tyne, shop manager, The Emporium Interiors, Clitheroe A medium sized gift shop on high street (part of James's Place).

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Art Marketing: clocks;

A prolific range of traditional and contemporary clocks that have wide customer appeal.

We do particularly well with the farmyard designs.

Emma Bridgewater: across the board

Fragranced Giftware

Neom: Treatment candles

A very popular candle is the Tranquility treatment candle that helps people to relax, unwind and pamper themselves.

Jewellery

Hot Tomato: wrap around bracelets; Peace of Mind: Spinner rings

Customers love them because they're a classic twist on more traditional pieces.

These rings are stylish and current and really appeal to our customers.

Greeting Cards

Ella Bella Rose

An eclectic collection of cards for all occasions. Beautiful designs.

Other Hot Hits

Libra: resin sculptures

Unique sculptures that have a contemporary style and a modern look.

Heather Newlands and Kenneth Carey, owners, The Keekin' Glass, Prestwick A small high street gift boutique.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Straits Trading: across the board;

A wide range of homewares. Large pillar candle holders and lanterns are always popular.

Customers love the humorous sayings.

Anything to do with gin is really popular at the moment.

Transomnia: signs and plaques

Fragranced Giftware

Shearer Candles: across the board;

Wild Olive: bath melts and tea bags

The Highland Collection sells really well all year round. Customers like the fact that they are manufactured locally.

People enjoy putting together their own selection of products which can then be boxed and gift-wrapped.

Jewellery

La De Da! Living: Shaard

Lovely charm bracelets and necklaces at competitive prices.

Fashion Accessories

Junction 18: Shruti Holy Chic

The pouches, make-up bags, coin purses and hair straightener bags have sold really well. Great colours at affordable prices.

Greeting Cards

Janie Wilson

We love all of Janie's designs. The colours are great and who doesn't love a bit of sparkle?

Giftwrap

Belly Button: Bubble

A gorgeous range of gift bags that complement our giftwrap service.

Other Hot Hits

White Cotton Cards: baby boasting books

Although not as many people print off their photos, these boasting books are still really popular.

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Special Guest Rosanna Bowles, President of Rosanna will be joining us at the Autumn Fair.

She will be with us Sunday and Monday promoting the collection and signing copies of her new book.

All visitors on our stand will be entered into a prize draw giving you the chance to win ÂŁ500 RRP of Rosanna gifts!

3-6 SEPTEMBER 2017 NEC BIRMINGHAM

HALL 4 STAND N06 - N20 0161 688 1226 | sales@ widdop.co.uk | www.widdop.co.uk

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Best Sellers

What better testimonial for products than those of your fellow retailers. Here's all the information you need to get in touch and start stocking!

SHRUTI DESIGNS T: 01985 847774 E: sales@junction18.com W: shrutidesigns.co.uk

HOT TOMATO T: 01225 422188 E: sales@hot-tom.com W: www.hot-tom.com

NIGEL QUINEY T: 01799 520200 E: info@nigelquiney.com W: www.nigelquiney.com

JOE DAVIES T: 0161 975 6300 E: sales@joedavies.co.uk W: www.joedavies.co.uk

THE LIBRA COMPANY T: +44 (0) 1223 895800 E: sales@thelibracompany.co.uk W: www.thelibracompany.co.uk

POM T: 01225 777749 E: sales@pom925.com W: www.pom925.com

ASHLEIGH & BURWOOD T: 01932 267060 E: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk W: www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk

WIDDOP & CO T: 0161 688 1228 E: sales@widdop.co.uk W: www.widdop.co.uk

THE LITTLE DOG T: 01332 290605 E: info@thelittledog.co.uk W: www.rufusrabbit.co.uk Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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On The Road Simon Williams Simon Williams has been a gift agent for 23 years, covering the South West and West Country. His principals are Shruti, La De Da! Living, Retreat Home and Bolsius.

Although he says he's been working harder than ever in 2017, overall it's been a good year, with Christmas looking strong.

"Looking back at how the year started and where we are now, it's been quite a mixed bag," says Simon. "For example, early pre-sales were very good in January and February. Retailers bought products early and were confident about spending money. They didn't seem to feel nervous. However, there was the usual dip at the end of February/early March, and, unfortunately, things didn't recover. As with previous years, Easter was OK, with the usual pick-up in sales, but the end of April, along with May, was flat. Retailers were still buying, but buying in smaller quantities and more often, so for dayto-day orders there wasn't much change. It only really recovered in June/July, when people could see Christmas on the horizon, and fortunately September/October forward orders have been very encouraging. Coastal sales too, are very buoyant, although for those retailers who were being cautious with their buying it was a late start to summer. But having said that, I had a good run in June, July and August which kept me very busy!"

Simon says he doesn't think that the recent terrorist attacks and threat of terrorism has affected the geographical areas he

works in. "It's more about the current economic climate, which is seeing people shopping less in the city centres. Gift buying is destination shopping - it's about how much money you have to spend - and the good news is that people seem to be using their local shops a lot more now. What I have noticed though, is that more retailers are choosing not to renew their leases or retiring, as opposed to 'closing down' because they've gone bust. However, fewer new gift shops are opening up to compensate."

With Halloween and Christmas on the horizon, Simon says that timing is everything. "Giftwise, many shops don't put festive products out until the middle or end of October, with some buying gifts for Christmas as late as October/November. Garden centres and department stores meanwhile will have a budget and buy more scientifically. After all, no-one wants to carry Christmas specific stock into January!"

Last Word Jennifer Genson Paris-based, Jennifer Genson, senior brand manager at Yankee Candle Europe, joined the company 18 months ago and works closely with French leading perfumers on new fragrance launches, also keeping in touch with the fragrance team at Yankee's HQ in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.

As she tells PG&H, fragrance has always been a big part of her life.

l Where's your favourite place to

go on holiday? "Sardinia." l How do you start your day? "My

l

l Which three words best describe you? "Creative, funny

and curious." l A quirky fact we don't know about you? "One of my biggest l

l l l l

122

passions is diving. I love looking under the sea!"

What was your first job: "As a junior product manager for a fragrance and cosmetics company. My parents owned fragrance shops in France, so I've always worked in the industry. I grew up in it."

What was the best piece of business advice you've received? "Never give up."

What advice would you give to someone? "Don't be afraid to fail."

Who is your favourite author? "Scandinavian thriller writer Lars Kepler."

What's your favourite film? "Leon."

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

l

l

l

alarm goes off at 7am. I get my 2 year old daughter up and take her to kindergarten, and then do an hour's commute to my office in Paris."

How do you end your day?

"Ideally I like to relax, although sometimes I need to go to the store."

How do you fragrance your home? "I like oriental fragrances such as Yankee Candle’s Dreamy Summer Night, as well as the lighter White Mint. I use different formats, including Millefiori reed diffusers, depending on the room."

Why is home fragrance so important to people? "It's about memories. You smell with your brain so, consciously or subconsciously, a fragrance can remind you of things from your childhood or as an adult."

Which one thing would you take to a desert island: "My camera."

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BESPOKE

GIFT IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTORS

Territory Sales Manager REQUIRED

SALARY Competitive REGION Notts, Derbs, Lincs, Staffs, Leics & South Yorks

Manufacturer & distributor at your door.

BONUS STRUCTURE % OTE, Personal KPI & Accelerated Uncapped Earning Potential

Your one stop shop for bespoke photo frames.

Due to retirement, we are seeking to replace our Territory Sales Manager for the region above. WIDDOP and Co is a well-respected, award winning giftware designer & importer with a family heritage of more than 130 years.

Wood, plastic, metal & glass frames.

Over 8000 gift items Low £100 minimum order ‘Little & Often’ order system Free carriage

T: 01908976443 E: sales@homsquare.co.uk www.homsquare.co.uk

Please contact our Award Winning sales staff for further details.

Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email sales@joedavies

THE CANDIDATE Previous experience working as a territory sales manager.

Preferably have relevant industry background gained from a

GIFTS & GREETINGS

competitor or company in a related industry. Excellent people skills and an ability to build long lasting relationships with people

Just a few reasons to buy from Joe Davies

www.joedavies.co.uk

TRADE ASSOCIATION

at all levels. Proven track record of building business and hitting sales targets. An attitude to selling that retains humility and avoids arrogance.

The Giftware Association is at the heart of the UK’s gift and home industry with 70 years unique experience listening to your needs and finding solutions to your problems. We can help you make money, save money and save time with or knowledge and contacts within the industry.

INTERESTED? Please forward your C.V. and any relevant information to:

recruitment@widdop.co.uk www.widdop.co.uk

Website: www.ga-uk.org Email: enquiries@ga-uk.org Tel: 0121 237 1104 10 Vyse St, Birmingham B18 6LT

WIDDOP and Co. Broadgate, Broadway Business Park, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 9XE

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It costs as little as £250 per annum to advertise in the Product Directory.

Contact Angie Bryant on 01993 212 994 for further information.

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GIFT GIVING…all wrapped up

3Y25 3Y22

3W24

3V30-W29

3X25 3X23

3W22

3V26

3V22-W23

3V29

3V25

3T24

3U27

International Autumn Fair, NEC, Birmingham, 3rd—6th September

3T22-U23

See our collections at:

Hall 3, Stand 3V22-W23

Enesco Limited, Head Office & Customer Services, Brunthill Road, Kingstown, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 0EN. Tel: 01228 404022 email: trade@enesco.co.uk Overseas Customer Services: Tel: +44 1228 404066 email: eurosales@enesco.co.uk Distributed by Enesco. © 2017 Designs by Lolita. All rights reserved worldwide. © Enesco, LLC.

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