Progressive Gifts & Home September 2023

Starterkits available with green and white holder, one free refill candle included

Refills available in 5 different scent combinations, and unscented

There’s something about September, isn’t there, with the ‘back to school’ feeling and that early morning Autumn nip in the air. For gift retailers of course, it’s the beginning of the all-important fourth quarter, with lower inflation hopefully seeing interest rate hikes slow down and possibly stop altogether, going some way to calming the financial anxiety that many people have felt this year, and putting a little more in their wallets.

Encouragingly, at PG&H’s annual retailer round table, held at Harrogate’s Home & Gift in July, this year’s ‘round tablers’ were cautiously optimistic about the next few months. Overall, most felt that people will still be shopping as normal for gifts for family and friends in the run up to Christmas, although possibly spending a little less. Find out what else our cross-section of gift indies had to say about life on the high street – and at a major London visitor attractionby turning to pages 21-25. Of course, nothing evokes the festive season like fragrance. Home fragrancing suppliers reveal their Christmas themed ranges, with traditional scents and

LEADER

colours taking centre stage. To find out more, turn to pages 45-49. Plus, Blue Diamond Group’s Carla Ringer predicts some festive best sellers for the garden centre that include an array of home entertainment products. Turn to pages 41-43.

Meanwhile, Lesser & Pavey’s Julian Hunt and Jonny Greves talk us through the company’s newest launches for Autumn/Winter, (turn to pages 26-27), while Debbie Hunt at CME Jewellery highlights a season of sparkle and glamour (turn to page 75), and Floss & Rock’s Tim Hislop and Gill Stratton reveal what’s trending for 2-10 year olds. (Turn to page 83).

Elsewhere, Stephen Illingworth, the new co-owner of Widdop & Co, alongside his

brother Dan, discusses their joint vision for taking the company forward into a new decade and a new era, with the expansion of the UK manufacturing side of the business very much in the frame, and the showroom open to retailers 24/7! (Turn to pages 36-37).

Our regular columnists are back of course, with The Giftware Association’s Sarah Ward commenting on the five questions she’s most frequently asked at trade shows,(turn to page 31), and Libby Holden, owner of Lovely Libby’s in Rayleigh, enthusiastically ramping up her Halloween offer this year, with her stockroom already filling up with pumpkins and gonks! (Turn to page 33).

And finally, with last minute Christmas buying in mind, the focus is now very much on Autumn Fair, (turn to pages 9 and 55), and Top Drawer, (turn to pages 11 and 77), with the PG&H team eagerly looking forward to heading off to both shows this month, as well as to Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) in October. (Turn to Licensed Giftware on pages 67-69). But first, turn to pages 9-17 for all the latest, most up-to-theminute industry news.

Enjoy reading, and really looking forward to seeing all of you at the upcoming shows!

SueSue Marks Editor

Inset: Following July’s MBO, ceo Stephen Illingworth recently welcomed Sue to Widdop & Co’s Manchester HQ to talk about the company’s global vision as a new chapter begins. On the left is Catherine Paul, head of marketing, eCommerce and content. (Turn to pages 36-37).

Inset: Sue (top) recently chaired a retailer round table at Home & Gift. (See pages 21-25).

THE ULTIMATE

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

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CHRISTMAS A LITTLE BRACELET RRP £17.99 6092

CHRISTMAS CELEBRATE YOU GIFT BOXES RRP £39.99 6321, 6320

EVIE CLIP ON COIN PURSE COOL GREY, RRP £12.99

KL B2882

EVIE CROSSBODY BAG COOL GREY, RRP £44.99

KL B2894

All The Fun Of Autum Fair

Sustainability And Trends Lead The Way

Helena Mansell-Stopher, ceo and founder of Products Of Change (POC), and Naomi Pollard, head of publications at TrendBible, will be two of the expert keynote speakers taking to the Inspiring Retailer Stage during Autumn Fair (3-6 September).

Naomi will be taking visitors through 2024 trends for Home & Interior Lifestyle Trends, and Gifting and Celebration, on Monday 4 September, while Helena will be presenting sustainability sessions on Tuesday 5 September.

Some 500 exhibitors will be showcasing thousands of brands across the show - which incorporates Moda, Jewellery & Watch and Source Home & Gift.

Fashion destination Moda will be offering visitors a focus on new and international fashion across Clothing, Footwear, Fashion

Accessories and Jewellery & Watch. Meanwhile, Source Home & Gift will be unveiling products from over 430 global manufacturers from 14 countries to meet the UK’s growing sourcing needs. Visit www.autumnfair.com (To find out more about Autumn Fair, turn to page 55).

GOTY Awards Open For Entries Wellbeing Is A New Category For 2024

It’s all systems go for Gift of the Year 2024, with an array of gift companies already among the early entrants.

“We have no doubt that this year’s competition will be brimming with amazing products and, to match them, we have a very impressive line-up of judges with products guaranteed to be seen by buyers, retailers and the trade media who all make up the judging panel,” comments The Giftware Association’s PR and marketing manager Chris Workman.

“There will be 20 categories this year, to include a new Wellbeing category which has been requested over the years,” continues Chris. “We are bringing back Pet Gifts too, as there are a lot of companies who want to enter products.”

At every stage of the competition, which closes on 30 November, entrants will receive promotional marketing material to boost their brand, as well as ways for companies to fanfare their achievements. All entrants will also be able to feature a Gift of the Year ‘Nominated’ logo.

The winners will be announced at The Gift Awards 2024, which take place at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel on 16 May, 2024, alongside the winners of The Greats gift retailer awards. Visit www.giftoftheyear.co.uk; awards@ga-uk.org; www.thegiftawards.com

GOTY’s People’s Choice Winner Revealed

Fox Under The Moon was crowned as the winner of the Gift of the Year 2023’s People’s Choice award at Harrogate Home & Gift’s Sundowners party in July. Highly Commended in the Under £15 category, and voted for by the public, it marked the third year that the award has been presented. All Gift of the Year shortlisted companies, finalists, and winners were eligible.

“I hope that the messages of self-love and encouragement continue to bring comfort to individuals and inspire them to navigate life's challenges with hope and resilience,” stated Fox Under The Moon’s artist and author Stacey McNeill.

Added Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association: “I can’t wait to see the way in which this well-deserved win for Fox Under The Moon propels the brand forward in the coming year.”

Over 8,000 votes were cast for the People’s Choice award, with consumers able to choose from thousands of products shortlisted in the 2023 Gift of the Year Awards.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT GIFTSANDHOME.NET

The GA Partners With Birmingham Mind

Following on from the addition of a Wellness category to the 2024 Gift Of The Year awards, (see GOTY Awards Open For Entries left), The Giftware Association has unveiled a significant partnership with Birmingham Mind, a prominent mental health charity serving the community with a wide range of support services.

"We are thrilled to join hands with Birmingham Mind to address the critical issue of mental health in our industry,” emphasises The Giftware Association’s ceo Sarah Ward. “By combining our expertise and resources, we aim to create a supportive and compassionate environment where individuals can flourish both personally and professionally." Visit www.giftwareassocaition.org; Birmingham Mind: https://birminghammind.org/ Right: The GA will be prioritising mental health in the gift industry.

Oliver Bonas Celebrates 30 Year Milestone

As gifts, homewares and fashion multiple Oliver Bonas gets ready to celebrate the company’s 30th milestone anniversary this September, The Times recently featured an interview with founder and managing director Oliver Tress in a double page spread in the newspaper’s Business section.

From one small shop in West London’s Fulham in 1993 - selling bags and fashion accessories that Oliver brought back from Hong Kong - the business has grown to 83 stores in the UK and Ireland and counting, becoming an aspirational lifestyle brand.

“People seem to want to shop on the high street again,” he told The Times. “We’ve spent an eye-watering amount of money on re-fitting our shops – something that I couldn’t have conceived years ago – but it means they’re still going to look good in ten years’ time.”

Below: Oliver Tress outside Oliver Bonas in Chichester.

Above: From left to right: Clarion’s portfolio director Zoe Bonser, Sarah Ward, ceo of the GA, Fox Under The Moon’s Stacey McNeill and husband Jamie.

Top Drawer Has Its Finger On The Pulse

Some 30% Of Exhibitors Will Be Making Their Debut

Over 30% of exhibitors will be showing for the first time at the A/W 2023 edition of Top Drawer which takes place from September 10-12 at London’s Olympia. Making its debut at the show will be the Business Hub, with visitors able to meet up with experts for a 15 minute slot.

Products will be showcased across gifts and home décor, as well as stationery and seasonal accessories, with British designer Amanda Wakeley among the keynote speakers on the RetailFest stage, and The Beter Trends Company revealing emerging trends for 2024 as well as gifting inspiration for the coming season.

Meanwhile, returning to Top Drawer will be Launchpad, which shines a spotlight on emerging talent, with the University of Arts London back to showcase products from recent graduates. Visit www.topdrawer.co.uk. (Turn to page 37 for the full Top Drawer lowdown).

Left: UAL will be returning to Top Drawer.

The Tokenhouse Celebrates 50 Years

This September sees gift store The Tokenhouse in Nottingham celebrate its 50 year anniversary. Co-founded by two young art students in their early ‘20s, Geoff Williams and his wife Diz opened a tiny 15 sq ft shop in an alleyway in Nottingham in 1973 selling Clarice Cliff pottery and a few handmade cards, with a sign proclaiming the shop to be: ‘Purveyors of old pine furniture and antique goods’. “We had no money and no idea what we were doing,” reveals Geoff. “We made it up as we went along!”

Three years later, following a visit to the Blackpool Gift Fair in 1976, products evolved to include giftware, which saw The Tokenhouse re-locating to the high street, with the store currently trading in the centre of Nottingham.

Geoff says that, in essence, not much has changed productwise over the past 30 years. “We still sell Emma Bridgewater and plush, although the gift range has broadened to include home fragrancing, fashion jewellery, mugs and gift books, along with baby, christening and wedding gifts.” Geoff and Diz’s daughter Holly is now very much a part of the business, joining her parents – who also celebrate their 50th golden wedding in September - some ten years ago.“It’s been a very enjoyable journey so far,” states Geoff. “We’ve weathered so many storms along the way, but fortunately, we’ve been able to fix them.”

Above:

Ballard Home Opens A Concession

Ballard Home has opened a concession at Pendle Village, an independent, family-run department store in Nelson, bringing the brand alive as a physical experience in store, with displays reflecting the creative, joyful nature of the company’s bone china mugs and coasters, tea towels and chopping boards.

Looking ahead, Ballard Home’s founder, Sue Ballard Leigh, reveals: “We have exciting plans to expand into new markets and move premises, as we are rapidly outgrowing our current studio and office.”

The company recently launched 60 new products to include new textiles, two new designs, and a Christmas collection. Visit www.ballardhome.co.uk

Lila Jewellery Aims To Raise £300,000

Lila Jewellery focuses on unique designs and collections, each with a different story to tell, to include the company’s successful Poppy Collection.

“It couldn’t be just another collection, we had to make the Poppy Collection stand up ethically as well as commercially,” explains Lila Jewellery’s managing director Frank Ross. “It’s the reason why we’ve always insisted that 10% of RRP is donated to military charities. To date we have donated £280,000 and are hoping to get the figure above £300,000 by the end of this year.”

Frank says that customers love being part of the story and have shown great loyalty over the years. “Of course we have had to innovate to keep the collection looking fresh with one of the best sellers last year being a poppy with a bee.”

Currently, Lila is supporting Combat Stress, a charity that helps veterans with PTSD and other mental issues, with the company awarded ‘Corporate Sponsor Of The Year’ by Combat Stress for 2021.

Widdop MBO Marks A New Era

Brothers Stephen and Dan Illingworth recently completed an MBO to acquire Widdop and Co. outright. “It will secure the future of the company for a fifth generation of our family and we cannot wait to share with the world our vision for the future,” states ceo Stephen Illingworth. “Our predecessors have built the most incredible platform for us to build on, and it is an honour and privilege to take the helm in our 140th year for what will be an exciting new chapter of growth and innovation in our industry.” (See pages 36-37).

Gift Indies Crowned At The Retas

An impressive line up of gift and card indies were among the winners who triumphed at The Retas 2023 greeting card retailer awards in July, with the event held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Mayfair.

Bentleys and Maddison were announced as the winners of the Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Midlands category; Artichoke of Tynemouth won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – North East; Paper Tiger won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer –Scotland; Red Card won Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer – Home Counties and South East; MiMi won Best Non-Specialist Independent Retailer of Greeting Cards – South, and Oliver Bonas won Best Non-Specialist Multiple Retailer of Greeting Cards.

Below: The Retas’ winners with their trophies.

Above: Pendle Village’s owner Abi Lockwood (left) with Ballard Home’s founder Sue Ballard Leigh.

Geoff, Diz and Holly Williams outside The Tokenhouse in Nottingham.

Above: Widdop’s new owners Stephen Illingworth (left) and Dan Illingworth are shown with Adam Attwood, who joins as part time board chairman.

Above: A poppy with a bee from Lila Jewellery’s Poppy Collection is helping to raise funds for military charities.

GCA #Cardmitment Campaign

Christmas Card Sending Gets A PR Boost

The Greeting Card Association (GCA) joined forces with Progressive Greetings (PG&H’s sibling publication) to stage a retailer round table recently to discuss ways of encouraging more people to send and receive Christmas cards this year, to amplify the GCA’s major PR #Cardmitment Campaign.

Kaye Thurgood, owner of Sincerely Yours in Hornchurch and Shenfield, kicked off the meeting, who was among those calling for industry action following last year’s long running postal strikes.

Also sharing their thoughts were a host of gift and greeting card retailers that included Nilou Noorbaksh, co-owner of three Jumping Bean shops in South London; Jo Barber, owner of No. 14 Ampthill; Julianne Moore, owner of MiMi, Hartley Wintney and Wokingham; Sally Matson, owner of Red Card, Petworth; Jane Armour, owner of Jane Armour Trading, Taunton; Penny Bailey, coowner of three Bailey’s stores in Lancashire; Sarah Holmes, owner of Pencil Me In, Elgin; Kayleigh Hisim, co-owner of Milford Cards & Gifts, Milford on Sea; Andrea Pinder, owner of

Presentation in Barrowford, and Aga Marsden, owner of Highworth Emporium in Highworth.

“A major PR campaign will enable us to get on the front foot on the industry’s behalf, leading the discussion that cards continue to play a key role in today’s society and are integral in building connections between people,” states the GCA’s ceo Amanda Fergusson.

Marking a significant step for the greeting card industry, the GCA’s multifaceted #Cardmitment PR and marketing campaign will run from now until the end of the year and into 2024. Visit #Cardmitment or email: amanda@gca.cards.

Henry & Co Home Fragrance Survey Findings

In a recent survey undertaken by Henry & Co Home Fragrance, which asked customers about their home fragrancing purchasing decisions, fragrance took the number one slot, with Made in Britain in second place, price and sustainable/eco tying for third place and home décor appeal in fourth place.

A further recent evaluation across the company’s nine Midlands gift outlets revealed that wax melts accounted for 25% of sales, followed by reed diffusers at 16% and candles representing 13%. “However, from a seasonal perspective, that inevitably flips over in the winter months,” says Henry & Co Home Fragrance’s co-founder and managing director Mark Rees, “with candles representing a much higher proportion of the sales.”

The survey also revealed that Henry & Co’s customers’ preference is for fresh, fruity fragrances, followed by floral and sweet scents. “Being able to trial products in our stores gives us additional valuable insights, something we will continue to build on as we develop the range.”

Added Henry & Co’s retail operations director Sharon Green: “We are passionate about engaging with our customers to help us find out their thoughts about what is currently being sold, and to make improvements and product developments tailored directly from our consumer’s feedback. Customers are very definitely our product experts.” Interestingly, the bathroom was the area most customers purchased home fragrance.

Mad Beauty Shortlisted At The Licensing Awards

The finalists in the hotly contested Product categories at The Licensing Awards 2023 have been revealed, with Mad Beauty among the finalists in the Best Licensed Giftware Range, Home Décor and Housewares Range category for its Disney100 Limited Edition Collection.

Some 3,500 products were entered across the 11 product awards categories, with the finalists arrived at by retail buyers across the gamut of licensed and consumer products.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT GIFTSANDHOME.NET

Barnes Agencies Launches YouTube Channel

The Barnes Agency has launched a YouTube channel dedicated to keep gift retailers updated with the newest launches from the company’s four agencies: Ashleigh & Burwood, Joma Jewellery, Katie Loxton and Wrendale Designs.

“With so many great new products to showcase every season, promotions to discuss, as well as help with product awareness and staff training, we came up with the idea of the YouTube channel, dedicated to our Barnes Agency business, but specifically designed to keep retailers up to date on the agencies that we represent,” explains co-founder Gary Barnes.

Going forward there will be short, helpful videos letting buyers know about new ranges and promotions, with a regular seasonal overview of the Newby Hall showroom in North Yorkshirewhich Gary runs, along with his son Eddie - as well as interaction from customers.

Retailers are invited to visit by appointment. E: gbarnes@ukgo.com: tel: 07776 254 854.

NEWS IN BRIEF

l Pintail Candles has been acquired by bespoke homewares company Avalon Home

l Gift shop Papilio in Thornbury has been sold to new owners who have renamed it Foxhill Café & Gifts. It follows the sale by Tabi Marsh and her parents after nearly nine years at the helm.

l The John Lewis Partnership has become the first retailer in the UK to have its net zero science-based targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), the official body for validating climate targets.

Right: Mad Beauty Disney 100 collection.

Above: The GCA retailer round table.

Above: Henry & Co’s Spiced Citrus & Clove collection.

Below: Newby Hall.

Harrogate Christmas & Gift

simon@harrogatefair.com

Half Moon Bay Launches ‘By Design’

The Focus Is On Gifts And Homewares

As well as continuing to build on the company’s established Entertainment catalogue, Half Moon Bay has added to its offer with Half Moon Bay By Design, a new area of the business. The company aims to produce trend-led gifts and homewares, extending Half Moon Bay’s product reach into new markets and retailers.

The focus is on collaborating with charities, artists and iconic heritage brands to create collections that tell a story, as well as staying with the company’s core values of producing products that make people smile.

Ashleigh & Burwood Launches Mini Range

As cost-of-living concerns continue to shape buying patterns, Ashleigh & Burwood is continuing to expand the company’s The Scented Home brand to encompass a range of formats and fragrance.

“As part of our ongoing evaluation and redevelopment of our popular brand, The Scented Home, we’re introducing two new products that represent mini versions, with a smaller price tag, of our most popular home scenting formats. New for AW23, we’ve added mini reed diffusers and votive scented candles - smaller companions to our popular 150ml reed diffusers and jar candles.”

Continues Jed: “Their smaller proportions allow us to offer the lowest cost way yet for shoppers to buy into the established brand, bringing the home fragrance collection to the attention of a new segment of the market, while appealing to impulse purchasers.”

Showing at Autumn Fair, (3-6 September, NEC), Half Moon Bay By Design’s latest collections include collaborations with new artists including Kate Heiss and Natasha Kirby, as well as heritage brands and charities such as William Morris and the RSPB.

Utility Expands Its Retail Portfolio

Lifestyle

retailer Utility is set to open a fourth designled store at the end of this month, having taken over the former Paperchase unit in Altrincham in Greater Manchester.

The company is also seeking other sites along the M62 corridor, with Utility director Richard Skelton commenting: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us. Altrincham has a thriving town centre, famous for its buzzing market and an exemplary model of urban regeneration.”

He confirmed the new store will be fitted out in keeping with the brand identity it has in its existing Manchester store, as well as in its soon to be relocated new Liverpool One store.

“It will showcase the best of our premium contemporary gifts as well as our unique greeting card range,” added Richard.

Enesco’s Work For Charity Recognised

Enesco’s Fine Ceramic Transfers division, based in Stoke-onTrent - which specialises in crafting high-quality decals for tableware and hotelware - recently won two prestigious awards for their “outstanding and unwavering support of a worthy charity” at the Dougie Mac Business Awards.

“Receiving the awards caught me entirely off guard and stirred deep emotions within me,” commented general manager Tracy Triner. “I wholeheartedly praise the team for their dedication and unwavering support in our charitable endeavors for Dougie Mac, and am truly grateful for their commitment.”

The division received the Partnership Award – Bronze, and the Recognition Award - Going that Extra Mile. Despite facing numerous unforeseen challenges, including a supplier going into administration, the division persevered, successfully creating and delivering a Berries Gin bottle in time for the charity's 50th birthday celebrations.www.scotlandstradefairs.com

Keith Brymer Jones Unveils New Studio Range

Inspired by his role as a judge on The Great Pottery Throwdown, Keith Brymer Jones has produced a new Studio range for Forma House, featuring mugs, jugs and bowls in different colour combinations that have a natural feel and a maker's mark stamp on the side.

“I am very much a believer in producing work of quality and an aesthetic that stands the test of time. We all have a favourite mug, and hopefully yours is one of mine!” says Keith.

Sustainably manufactured in China, the range is available from Forma House. Email: sales@formahouse.co.uk or visit www.formahouse.co.uk.

PEOPLE

l Steve Lloyd, (right), has joined Ashleigh & Burwood as the company’s new international director, responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive international business strategy, spearheading the organisation's ambitious global expansion plans.

l Greg Waters, (below), has returned to Enesco as sales director, having spent almost three years working outside of the giftware industry as sales and marketing director of Peacock Salt.

l In addition, Aline Mellor, (centre), formally Enesco’s head of marketing and e-commerce, has been appointed as the company’s director of marketing. She heads up the brand, product development, e-commerce, creative and licensing teams.

l Nemesis Now has appointed Tony White, (right), as the company’s new global sales director. He will be responsible for global sales strategy development and driving growth within international territories.

l Xystos has expanded the role of Paul Travis, (below), within the business. In addition to his current role of heading up national accounts and managing the company’s trade shows, Paul has been engaged to restructure and manage the UK sales team.

Above: Giftware from Half Moon Bay By Design.

Above: Enesco’s Fine Ceramic Transfers division’s Karen Hurni, Tracy Triner and Janice Hollins.

Above: Keith Brymer Jones’ new Studio collection .

Above: Utility is getting ready to open a fourth store in Atrincham.

Above: The new mini reed diffusers from Ashleigh & Burwood.

Prue Leith Teams Up With Zsiska

Range Unveiled At Trio Of Trade Shows

Dame Prue Leith, known for her love of big, colourful statement jewellery, has launched a new, exclusive handmade resin jewellery collection with Zsiska, which debuted at Scotland’s Trade Show (20-21 August), with Autumn Fair (3-6 September) and Top Drawer (10-12 September) still to come.

The exclusive Prue by Zsiska collaboration, which features 224 pieces, features five striking collections named after Greek goddesses, and encapsulates Prue’s love for vibrant and unique jewellery.

“All my long life I’ve collected necklaces from all over the world, mostly from market stalls or craft fairs, occasionally from designers’ workshops, often made from recycled materials like rubber offcuts,

paper, plastic bags, even ringpulls from coke cans,” explains Prue. “But when I got to know Zsiska, my obsession took a new turn.

Arranging coloured beads in original ways is huge fun, and we decided we’d make a Prue collection.”

A Passion For Fashion

Fashion destination Moda, part of Autumn Fair (3-6 September, NEC) will see a 200 strong showcase of fashion brands which will include over 40 new and 20 international brands.

Islander UK, Coastal UK, Elizabeth James, Elegxnt Clothing, Miss Sparrow, From the Source and Tales From The Earth will be joining Moda for the first time. Moda will also be welcoming a host of international collections which include Alpe, Soruka, Karen and Chiara Designs, Lakshya Gems, Zsiska and Merry People.

Also making its debut will be Connect @ Autumn Fair which has been designed to help buyers find products and brands, and exhibitors create leads, orders and opportunities to maximise their ROI from the event.

Across the lifestyle spectrum, Autumn Fair will feature over 1,000 brands, from clothing and fashion accessories to home fragrance, gifts and interior accessories.

Visit www.autumnfair.com. For more about Autumn Fair turn to pages 9 and 55.

Record Breaking Home & Gift

The positivity felt by exhibitors across July’s Harrogate Home & Gift show floor has translated directly into bookings for the 2024 edition, confirms show organiser Clarion, with a record 66% of next year’s floor plan already accounted for.

According to Clarion, exhibitors saw significantly increased footfall compared to 2022, with an overall growth of 14%, and a 9% increase in the individual companies that attended.

The show also benefited from a 15% increase in buyers from garden centres, a 48% increase in museum and gallery buyers, and a 63% increase in buyers from department stores. Clarion predicts the numbers indicate a strong Q3 and Q4 for the retail industry, and increased positivity for customer spending ahead of 2024.

“To see such a large increase in footfall - with all the subsequent connections made and orders taken - speaks volumes about the high regard in which this show is held within the industry,” stated show manager David Westbrooke. “The record-breaking re-book was the icing on the cake. Roll on 2024!”

Next year’s Harrogate Home & Gift will be taking place slightly later on 21-24 July 2024.

High Five For Mooch London

Mooch London has added a fifth gift store to its expanding retail portfolio, with the opening of the company’s latest retail outlet in Barnes, South London.

“We knew that we wanted to be on another local high street with other great independent shops and a community with a big heart,” explained owners Sandra O’Connell and Evelyn O’Flaherty.

The new store follows on from the original Mooch in Ealing, West London, which opened in 2016, with two other Ealing stores following, along with a shop in Fulham.

Pure London Unites With JATC

From February 2024, Just Around The Corner (JATC) will unite with Pure London to create Pure London x JATC, under Hyve’s retail division umbrella. The first combined show will take place from the 11-13 February at London’s Olympia. The destinations will be edited to unite all Womenswear in the Grand Hall, including POP and the new Launchpad area for new womenswear designers, with Women’s and Men’s Accessories and Footwear brands, Men’s Apparel, the ‘Together Zone’ (brands showing genderless or dual gender collections), Lifestyle and Beauty brands (beauty, skincare, wellness, grooming, home fragrance, home tech), Watches, Jewellery, Wearable accessories and seasonal gifting, positioned in the Grand Hall Gallery featuring JATC’s signature style and feel. Visit www.purelondon.com

Bolsius Introduces New Candle Technology

This Autumn sees Bolsius launching CleanLight, a brand-new refillable candle concept which features a unique double-walled glass holder designed to burn both scented and non-scented candle refills cleanly. It will be available in the UK from September.

“The revolutionary technology behind the double-walled glass holder ensures that the refill burns up completely, leaving only the wick plate behind, making it easy to refill and enjoy the experience again and again,” explains Bolsius’ UK national accounts manager Kam Badesha.

Fragrances feature Cedarwood & Vetiver, Grapefruit & Ginger, Cypress & Amber and Bergamot & Neroli, as well as non-fragranced for people who simply enjoy the ambience of burning a candle.

All candle refills are made from natural vegan wax and are palm oil free.

Right: CleanLight from Bolsius.

Above: Chiara is among the exhibitors at Moda.

Above: Buyers sourcing product at the recent Home & Gift show.

Above: Prue Leith wears a design from her new Prue by Zsiska collection.

Above: Mooch owners Evelyn (left), Sandra (centre), and manager Siobhan outside the new Barnes store.

Above: The Pure London catwalk.

The much-awaited NEC Autumn Fair is just around the corner, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to extend a warm invitation to all of you! We’re all set to showcase a stunning array of design-led homewares, accessories, gifting, and home fragrances.

We’ve got you covered for those of you looking to stock up on the latest trends and must-have items, or those wishing to discuss own-brand development. With a low minimum order value of just £100, it’s easier than ever to get your hands on our fabulous products. Plus, for our mainland UK customers, we offer the added benefit of carriage paid at £250, ensuring a seamless and cost-effective shopping experience.

Don’t hesitate to contact our sales team at contact@candlelight.co.uk or call 01709 723000 for further information.

Candlelight Products Ltd, Ustan House, Waddington Way, Aldwarke, Rotherham. 01709 723000 | contact@candlelight.co.uk | www.candlelight.co.uk

Design-led Homeware since 1972

With the first half of the year dominated by the cost-of-living crisis - where rising mortgage rates and food inflation in particular are putting pressure on consumer spending - this year’s retail round tablers revealed the highs and lows of the first seven months of 2023.

For Jo Barber, owner of No. 14 Ampthill, Libby Holden and her mum Tracy, owners of Lovely Libby’s and the Olive Branch respectively, the year is going well. “We find that people are shopping locally rather than in out of town malls such as Westfield, Lakeside and Bluewater,” stated Tracy, (who is currently celebrating 25 years in gift retail), with Mark Rees, owner of nine Henry & Co stores, and co-founder and managing director of Henry & Co Home Fragrance, concurring. “This year has definitely been better than expected, with people more inclined to shop locally, with perhaps the big shopping centres finding trade more challenging than independents at the moment,” he suggested.

At The National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square, buying and brand licensing director Judith Mather confirmed that following a tricky Easter and May, largely due to the three Bank Holidays, tourists have come back strongly to central London, particularly Europeans and Americans.

“We have two physical gift stores at the Gallery where we are probably seeing 3m visitors at the momentexpected to go up to 6m this yearwith the average transactional value ((ATV) per customer slightly up, ranging between a strong £10-12 and

TalkTABLE

Retailer Round Tablers 2023

l Jo Barber, owner, No. 14 Ampthill, Ampthill (1 store)

l Alice Brook, buyer, homeware & gift, The National Gallery, London (2 stores)

l Georgia Burness, buyer and social media guru, Lovely Libby’s, Rayleigh (1 store)

l Libby Holden, owner, Lovely Libby’s, Rayleigh (1 store)

l Tracy Holden, owner, Olive Branch, Billericay (1 store)

l Judith Mather, buying and brand licensing director, The National Gallery, London (2 stores)

l Mark Rees, owner, Henry & Co. (9 stores in the Midlands)

l Jo and Mike Webber, co-owners, Jo Amor, Tiverton (1 store)

maintaining,” confirmed Judith. “T-shirts,

Top: A lively PG&H retailer round table took place at Home & Gift. Inset: Libby Holden and Georgia Burness.

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all continue to be strong categories too.”

As Alice Brook, The National Gallery’s gift and home buyer adds: “We’re a day out and an experience for visitors, both domestic and international, so people will spend in the gift shops because, aside from the individual exhibitions, it’s free to visit. They’re happy to support the Gallery and usually want a memento, either for themselves, or as a gift for someone, or both, with products across the board currently ranging from 80p-£700.”

Mark Rees agreed that consumer footfall currently appears to be strong in most UK tourist areas. “As a retailer, you need to be where the local attractions are, making the places to visit more important than the shopping. Our shops are all in touristy locations which people visit for a day out, and thankfully, they are faring very well at the moment. Home fragrancing is our second most important gift area, so it’s really important for us, as it encourages repeat business enabling us to grow and build the category. Nevertheless, we are in market towns, so we have to be aware and savvy with our pricing and our offer.”

At the Olive Branch, Tracy Holden highlighted that she recently introduced fashion, encouraged by the success in Lovely Libby’s, which did extremely well with clothing and fashion accessories during lockdown, with selling taking place online and by live video. “People weren’t going out but they still wanted to buy clothes to make themselves feel good,” stated Libby. “Fashion has been a brilliant addition for us this year,” Tracy confirmed. “Customers love to buy what they see on someone – I know I do when I’m browsing on Instagram - with social media, such as Facebook, very important in driving sales,” she emphasised. Added Libby, who models the shop’s clothes for online customers and on Instagram: “Anything we put onto social media sells out the next day. We did originally try high end clothing which didn’t work for us, but now we buy for our customers, and being next to M&S ensures a steady footfall. We also ensure that people come to us for coffee and cake, and hopefully they then spot a dress that they like.”

Have the current financial pressures on people affected sales? “People are talking about it when they come in to shop with

us, but they aren’t making different choices,” commented No 14’s Jo Barber. “However, I think you have to know your customer. For example, we have customers that include empty nesters who are

predicted to go, coupled with people coming out of fixed mortgage deals, it is going to be difficult for some.”

It’s a similar story at Lovely Libby’s, with Libby confirming that customers do talk about the cost-of-living crisis, but continue to spend anyway. “Maybe the increase in mortgage repayments will bite over the next few months, but luckily we weren’t affected by the energy crisis so, fingers crossed, business will carry on as usual for us,” she added.

mortgage-free, so we ensure that we have relevant products in store for those who are the least affected. Conversely, we also have customers who are taking, or have taken on a mortgage, so we have to take that on

“Because I started out in clothing we are very fashion orientated,” explained Jo Amor’s Jo Webber. “I’m six months ahead with many of our orders so I’m already committed. You can’t put your head in the sand, you have to work through it, because we have very loyal customers who come and shop with us every week. We always respond to trends however, with deliveries coming in every day. The important thing is to keep moving forward and keep it fun for our customers. We are a destination shop and we aim to give customers a great experience. We have a playlist and always aim to have a bit of a party on a Saturday! We are also very active on social media which helps us to stay engaged with our customers.” (Across the

board too, when it comes to price points.” Continues Jo: “There are al occasions to buy for, so they’ll buy a gift according to affordability. H think that where interest rates are currently, and where they are

due to prices

FEEDBACK: RETAILER ROUND TABLE

Inset: Mike and Jo Webber.

Inset: Alice Brook and Mark Rees.

As for Christmas sourcing, Henry & Co’s Mark Rees has stayed with lines that have a purpose, such as confectionery, home fragrancing, jewellery and mugs. “People don’t want to buy ‘things’ anymore,” he stated, agreeing with the Olive Branch’s Tracy Holden. “When it comes to Christmas in particular, they want products that are a bit of a novelty, but items that you can put on the table,” says Mark. “We did our main buying in March so now it’s about top-ups. We are strongly focusing on the products that are currently driving the business, and on the brands that are working for us.”

At Lovely Libby’s and the Olive Branch, Libby and Tracy Holden, together with Georgia Burness, started their buying in January, with their Christmas buying completed by March. Libby highlighted that she no longer stocks baubles, with her customers preferring to invest in other types of Christmas product, while Tracy Holden’s noticed a trend for people to go all out to decorate their homes. “The seasons and occasions in general, to include Spring, Mother’s Day, Autumn and Halloween, are becoming a bigger event nowadays, driven by people wanting to make the rooms in their house reflect that, and also Instagrammable,” Tracy reveals. (Both Tracy and Libby Holden did eye-catching Halloween window for the first time last year). “People see what others are doing on socials and want to do the same.”

At No.14, Jo Barber took the decision to go for a more curated, cosy Christmas this year. “We did most of our decorative buying at Spring Fair but left our gift buying for Harrogate Home & Gift,” she confirmed, “massively pulling back on the baubles and decorations and instead sourcing warm, feelgood gifts, such as fabulous hats, scarves, socks and cashmere

that can still retail in January. We have also bought into the new Freckleface/RHS home fragrancing collection, to include the Botanics candles, which are very, very pretty with a lovely fragrance.”

Jo Amor’s Jo and Mike Webber meanwhile, have expanded their ranges with existing suppliers. “We’ve gone for St Eval again because they’re based in the West Country, and taken fashion gifting as our Christmas theme. We have therefore invested in fashion accessories, socks and PJs, as well as sparkly earrings and festive quirky items from Talking Tables, as well as soft toys from Jellycat,” confirmed Jo.

At The National Gallery, festive sourcing is done at the Harrogate Christmas & Gift show in January, with Judith Mather and Alice Brook buying a year ahead and already planning for Christmas 2024. “Our Christmas budget is the highest it’s ever been, with unusual and bespoke Christmas decorations and baubles a rising category,” confirmed Alice. “A good price point for decorations seems to be £15, with people buying one or two special ones for their home or as a gift. Due to the number of tourists that visit, we also sell permanent decorations all year round – many that are London-themed – so that people can take them home with them.”

Adds Judith: “We do well with fun Christmas novelty extras too, to include items from Talking Tables. Their small packs of saucer crackers and sparkly Christmas pudding fountains do incredibly well, as do

sprouts. I’m feeling very confident that we’ll have a successful Christmas.”

Henry & Co’s Mark Rees says he feels cautiously optimistic. “I definitely think that people will spend over the Christmas period,” he predicts. “However, I do feel we will need to be cautious over the next two to three months.”

So, what opportunities lie ahead?

“Currently we’re targeting young teens who buy pocket money gifts for themselves as well as for friends,” says No. 14’s Jo Barber. “String jewellery in particular, selling for £4.95, is really popular for this age group. Girls are also into self-care and love having a pamper day, buying a face mask from us for a friend or themselves that costs under a fiver. However, while everything has been going very well us for this year, I’m very mindful there could be tougher times ahead,” cautioned Jo, with Tracy Holden concurring. “I’m also worried that the axe will eventually fall,” Tracy stated. “However, I firmly believe that the secret to success for independents lies in service, service, service! Our opportunity is to show that independents are the place to go, offering a great experience.” Added Lovely Libby’s Georgia Burness: “Offering free giftwrapping makes people shop with us again and again,” with Jo Amor’s Jo Webber adding: “Independent retail is very much about making people smile and feel connected with your shop no matter what their age.”

Above: Mark Rees listens intently. Inset: The round tablers are deep in discussion.

Inset: Judith Mather and Alice Brook.

New,

New, New

Ahead of Autumn Fair, Lesser & Pavey’s managing director Julian Hunt, and director Jonny Greves, reveal the new product launches at the show, featuring the company’s most extensive and varied selection of on trend giftware and homeware for the coming season.

With new products very much the name of the game at Lesser & Pavey, managing director Julian Hunt confirms that it’s been a game changer to be able to resume travelling to China following the travel restrictions during the pandemic. “It’s made a huge difference to be able to visit factories and work with them face to face, developing our new products,” Julian confirms. “We’ve already made three trips this year, with two more already booked for the Autumn. It’s enabled us to launch more than 1,500 products since February’s Spring Fair and that’s a lot of new products, even by our standards!”

So what’s been driving sales this year?

“Being able to offer more giftware as a direct result of being able to return to China,” states Julian. “We’ve always been strong on the housewares/tableware side, and we continued to develop product throughout the pandemic. This was relatively easy by using our in-house art department and the talented artists we work with. With giftware it was a lot more challenging, as so much of this new product is created by face to face meetings with our suppliers, as well as visiting shows around the world. Fortunately

we’ve been able to do a lot more development this year, with an extensive variety of brand new gift products already extremely well received by the many customers who have visited our showroom in Dartford.” Adds Jonny: “Customers are both delighted and amazed at the variety and number of new products.”

So what’s new for Autumn Fair? “On the glassware side, we’ve introduced eight new designs from artist Lynsey Johnstone, to include reintroducing the popular stemless wine

glass, as well as the debut of a brand new cocktail glass which is ideal for the party season,” reveals Jonny. “Plus, there is a range of Lynsey Johnstone ceramic mugs too, which we will be launching for Autumn. We’re also very excited about our new novelty lighting, such as Quicksand Lamps and funky LED ‘text’ bulb lamps which are very much on trend. These are retro style, featuring neon wording inside the bulb in different colours. We’re also introducing rechargeable lamps that last for up to eight hours, enabling people to place them anywhere they choose around the home.”

Other new products being unveiled at Autumn Fair include Love & Affection plaques and signs, with brand new sentiment sayings and affirmations, new Graffiti ornaments, new Billy, Bonnie and Beau bears, new cute Happy Paws dogs and new Highland Cow studies. There are also new William Morris housewares ranges and lots of new candles and diffusers in the company’s Desire home fragrance collection.

Across the board, the emphasis is, as always, on value for money. “The key is good quality products at affordable prices, which

Inset: Papillon Chic neutral vases are brand new for Autumn.

Inset: Colourful giftware is among the trends for the coming season.

Below left: Julian Hunt. Below right: Jonny Greves.

are beautifully gift boxed,” Julian states. “People want something new, something classy, but more than anything, they’re looking for a gift or self-purchase that doesn’t break the bank.”

From a customer perspective, given the pressure on consumer spending, has the company noticed a change in buying habits, particularly in relation to buying for the coming season? “Customers have continued to visit us at our showroom this year, regardless of the current challenges many businesses are facing,” confirms Julian. “Of course, we realise it’s tough out there, but the customers who are doing well are those who are buying new products and refreshing their stock,” adds Jonny. “Making their shops, shop windows and websites look attractive and different is what ultimately attracts customers.”

Where the company has seen a difference however, is in product choice. “Since last year, sales on certain items have slowed up,” Julian points out. “We were selling so much grey, white and silver product, particularly anything mirrored and decorated with blingy crystals. Now these are not as popular, with brightly coloured Graffiti and Supernova pieces having taken over, with sales being outstanding.” Adds Jonny: “Statement pieces, such as our new Papillon Chic range, have been really popular.”

As for home fragrance, it’s continuing to be a year-on-year growth sector, with Jonny attributing the success of the company’s Desire range to the fact that formats such as candles and diffusers are an easy gift to purchase for all occasions, across all price levels. “Pricewise and qualitywise, our Madelaine collection by Hearts Designs sits comfortably alongside some of the best known expensive brands, offering fabulous fragrances and packaging. Meanwhile, our everyday 100ml and 200ml diffusers continue to be our most successful sizes.”

New additions include 1000ml, super-sized diffusers which will be available later this year. “It is very important that we are able to give customers a wide choice to suit all budgets,” Jonny continues. “Plus, we are

continuing to develop products across the range to reflect the seasons as well as on trend interior colours.”

Julian points out that with the company’s in house designers, along with the artists that Lesser & Pavey work with, it’s also easy to match fragrance in with other successful designs. “Probably the best example of this is the Madelaine fragrance which has been added following on from the hugely successful ceramic products. Most recently, fragrance has been added to the William

FACE TO FACE: LESSER & PAVEY

Jane Crowther,” Julian highlights.

As for the all-important fourth quarter of the year, Julian and Jonny confirm that they are feeling optimistic. “We’re not shying away from the undoubted economic pressures people are facing - more interest rate hikes are still likely - but it does look like inflation is finally coming under control,” says Julian. “Nevertheless, many people do have money concerns, so they may rein in their spending and perhaps spend a little less on a gift over the next few months. What’s making us feel confident businesswise is that we have all price ranges covered – from upmarket, more expensive giftware to value for money affordable products.” Adds Jonny: “In addition, aside from Christmas gifting, we feel sure that consumers will also continue to buy gifts for birthdays, anniversaries and other important occasions, not least because post Covid, they don’t want to miss out on celebrating the big events in their life.”

Morris collection, with some of the most current designs launching soon.”

Additionally, working with greeting card companies and freelance artists has been a big part of the company’s new product development for many years. “Beetanical, by Peartree Heybridge, is an example of a recent collaboration that has been a huge success and which we have expanded on,” explains Jonny. “We started with mugs and coasters, with the range growing to include home fragrance, stainless steel drinking bottles and wine glasses, all of which have the bee incorporated into modern floral designs.”

In addition to Beetanical and Lynsey Johnstone, other designs which continue to do well across giftware include Bewilderbeest, additional designs from Peartree Heybridge, (all featuring popular greeting card designs), as well as Jennifer Rose, the McNeill Studio and Hearts Designs. “However, most popular of all has been the Bug Art Kooks products featuring the highly original designs by

As for the challenges going forward, Julian points out: “We’ve been in business for over 50 years and have always been faced with challenges - most recently Brexit, Covid and freight rates increasing tenfold. However, the bottom line is that we have to be original and creative to overcome these and to bring to the market products that sell, products that the public want and need to buy.”

As for opportunities, he says: “the feedback we’re constantly hearing from our customers is there is a shortage of new products from many of their trusted suppliers so we are maximising this opportunity. As long as we continue to sell as much as we are, we will carry on developing and buying more new innovative and exciting products. Come and see us at Autumn Fair, (Hall 7J40-6A41), or by visiting our showroom.”

Inset: Home fragrancing gift sets have been added to the Desire range.

Inset: Brand new Lynsey Johnstone glasses.

IT IS OUR BELIEF THAT EMOTION AND SCENT ARE ENTWINED. SCENT CAN TRANSPORT YOU TO ANY PLACE ON EARTH BUT MORE THAN THAT, IT CAN EVOKE FEELINGS OF PLACE AND TIME.

IN CONVERSATION WITH...

Sar Ward Take Five

Recently back from Harrogate Home & Gift, and looking forward to the tranche of Autumn trade shows, Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association, reflects on the top five questions she frequently gets asked as she’s walking the aisles.

Reaching retailers: From a supplier’s perspective, the No. 1 question is always, “how do I reach retailers via a medium that works?”. Usually, the supplier will have already reached out to the retailer in some capacity. They will have tried to make an appointment, and/or sent samples, communicated via socials, but in the main, they haven’t received a response. I’m afraid I don’t have a magic answer. However, something that does seem to work for many companies is having a strong B2B business LinkedIn, with members telling us that they get a better response and conversion rate or acknowledgement. It’s social media without the fluff. If people, see a supplier that they genuinely want to connect with then it’s easy to respond.

Data: It doesn’t matter if you are a retailer, a service provider or a supplier, finding good data analysis that doesn’t cost the earth is hard, and often costly. Examples include trend analysis; how many gift shops there are in the UK; which international markets are seeing growth; where the emerging opportunities are, or what are the current stats to make good choices on importing and exporting. Frankly, it’s a minefield, and as an Association, we can point people in the right direction.

Visiting trade shows: We often get asked by members which trade shows they should be going to. In my role as ceo of The Giftware Association, I visit a tremendous number of shows each year aside from the major ones. At the online retail sourcing show White Label World Expo UK earlier this year, it was good to bump into several GA members, yet a lot of people in our industry are unaware that shows like this exist and the value that they can offer.

The Business Show is another good one. Stands might include the DBT (formally DIT)

or the Institute of Exporting. Equally, there could be logistics partners, careers advisors, currency experts, translators and so on, who are all relevant. In fact, simply going to one targeted show on the periphery of our industry could save a company a huge amount of time and money to fulfil their business needs. Other shows I’d like to highlight include those specialising in packaging or technology. For example, a third of exhibitors at a tech show are pushing AI in some capacity, which is relevant to many gift businesses both today and in the future. So, it can really pay dividends to think outside the trade show box.

People: I’m continually being asked if I know someone who would be suited to either a middle management role or conversely, a more junior role, be that in retail or on the supplier side. There are recruitment consultancies of course, such as I Love My Job, which is one of our members, but often filling the role simply comes down to networking.

Navigating Export Paperwork: How to find someone to help with paperwork,

especially European paperwork, is another frequently asked question, especially at trade shows. Pre-Brexit, many companies were successfully exporting a decent amount of turnover – in some instances, 30-50% of the business - which today is now half of that amount for many, or even none at all.

Asking peers at trade shows will throw up different solutions, but it’s risky and can be a costly mistake. However, investing in expert advice by, for example, the GA’s impartial advice on using exporting consultants, can be a sensible decision to take, as they can answer questions with total accuracy regarding what a company needs to be doing and how to break it down. It isn’t cheap, but in the long term, it could prove fruitful.

Getting a pat on the back that says that you’re doing the right thing, re all or any of the above, is invaluable. It’s about having trust in an organisation, or a trade body such as ours, along with the clarification that cements answers, which is, of course, absolutely invaluable.

Below: Sarah hosting a GA Sourcing Sharing Lunch.

Libbys Lines ’

With teachers’ gifts a summer winner, Libby Holden, owner of Lovely Libby’s in Rayleigh, is all set for Autumn/Winter, with the stock room already filling up, and Halloween beckoning.

The Harrogate Home & Gift show is officially done and dusted, and that only means one thing for us here at Lovely Libby’s – the Autumn and Christmas madness begins! Writing this in August, the stock room is already starting to be taken over by a plethora of pumpkins, gingerbread men and gonks (both Halloween and Christmas-themed, of course!).

But, before we go full speed ahead into the Autumn/Winter season, a reflection on the summer months is in order. With the kids breaking up from school, and lots of people going away, it’s often not the busiest of times for us. Combined with the current economic climate, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit anxious about how summer was going to be. But I’m happy to report that we are really pleased with how it shaped up.

One thing that hasn’t gone unnoticed is the increase in sales for teachers’ gifts compared to last year. While we always do a display for the occasion, our change in buying patterns this year - in light of the cost-of-living crisis - may have indirectly contributed to this growth. We purposely steered away from overbuying the more gimmicky teachers’ gifts, as not only did we not want to be left with excess stock should it not sell, but also because of our awareness of customers’ spending habits in the current climate. Within this setting, it has become apparent that people are looking for products with substance at an affordable price point, and we took the stance that gifts specifically aimed at teachers may not have fulfilled this desire, as they are often superfluous and dispensable.

We therefore ended up incorporating a lot of our everyday stock into our teachers’ gift selection this year. This included both Lesser & Pavey’s hand-painted gin glasses from Lynsey Johnstone and compact mirrors from Alice Wheeler, both of which ended up being the best-sellers for teachers presents by a mile! With an affordable price tag of £12.99, the gin glasses are presented in a decorative box, while the compact mirrors are only £9.99 and come in a gorgeous sleek black box with gold foil accents. Most importantly, they hold much more substance and value than something like a more traditional ‘thank you teacher ‘plaque of the same monetary value, and therefore have the effect of making the customer feel they are getting more bang

for their buck – which we have found to be vital within the current climate.

Looking forward, our Autumn stock is arriving thick and fast! Last year was the first time we bought into the Autumn/Halloween interiors trend. While we only really skimmed the surface, cautiously opting for more interior friendly ornaments, such as tiny Autumn gonks and neutral decorative pumpkins, as opposed to overly obvious Halloween decorations, it proved to be a great hit. Therefore this year, we have decided to go bigger and better. We’ve definitely bought more into the typical Halloween themes to broaden our selection and appeal to a wider range of customers as the trend continues to grow and, of course, to up the ante with our window display.

We’ve gone down the ghost and ghoul route, and some of my favourite arrivals so far include our fleecy ghost cushion and fleecy ghoul pumpkin doorstop from Langs. They are the perfect combination of spookiness and Autumnal cosiness, so I definitely think they’re going to be one of our best sellers this year!

As per last year, we are planning to set a launch date for the release of the collection on our website, which we will promote with images and videos on our social media. We found this strategy to be hugely beneficial to us last year. We recognised that autumnal/cosy interiors were a huge trend on sites such as Pinterest and Instagram, and by integrating our Shopify with the content we were producing, we were able to expand our customer base within these audiences engaging with the content, leading to both an increase in sales and growth on these platforms. Here’s hoping this little trick leads to such a treat again this year…”

ALL TO PLAY FOR

Top: Lynsey Johnstone gin glasses from Lesser & Pavey were a best selling teachers’ gift.

N e w B r a n d

a u n c h

Since 1978, Northern Lights has been rooted in candle making artistry and illuminating homes in the USA. A renowned luxury candle and accessories brand, it hand-pours its creations, infused with fine fragrances and essential oils.

WIDDOP

It may have taken many years in the planning and execution, but brothers Stephen and Dan Illingworth were recently thrilled to finally complete an MBO to acquire Widdop and Co, (founded in 1883), in an important year which sees the company celebrating its 140th milestone anniversary.

“It’s been a lifelong dream and journey,” admits Stephen, who joined Widdop 15 years ago aged 25, with Dan coming on board in 2013. (Both have business backgrounds academically and have also worked outside of the company). “We grew up in the business, going past it every day on our way to and from school, so it’s been in our blood since we were children, and our joint goal was always to take over the company one day. We’ve done most jobs, from unloading containers to going out on the road, plus much more besides. Our predecessors have created an incredible platform for us to build on and, as the fifth generation, it’s a privilege for Dan and I to take the helm in

A Global Vision

what will undoubtedly be an exciting new chapter of growth and innovation.”

He underlines: “We are particularly grateful to our father Stuart, and uncle Andrew, for supporting us on this journey. To be a leader in this industry now, and during our tenure, we have to offer more than just products and brands. We have to be a service provider, whether that’s providing market insights, trends, sourcing, CSR, POS, advice on display and merchandising, or providing apps and software, with these

services the future of the business, offering more to our B2B and B2C customers.”

As ceo and managing director respectively (“we didn’t want to be joint MDs”), the brothers will have a shared responsibility for operations, IT and other central areas of the business, but each will also have separate categories under their individual remits. While Dan has naturally fallen into sales, Stephen is responsible for product - from its concept to launching it in the marketplace. He says that in a rapidly changing, multichannel retail

Following an MBO in early July by brothers Stephen and Dan Illingworth, what’s the vision for the future of Widdop & Co, now in its 15th decade, and what changes are afoot? Stephen llingworth, ceo, talked to PG&H about the hopes and dreams of an ambitious new dawn for the business as he and Dan take over the reins.

Right: Stephen and Dan Illingworth are the new owners of Widdop & Co. Below: Hulaballoo Birthday mugs.

Dan’s got a better poker face than me. ‘‘ ’’ Ste On D

Gifts On Demand

A recent development for Widdop has been a £250,000 investment into the introduction of the Now Or Never Studios facility, based at Widdop’s Manchester HQ, enabling companies to personalise their own products, thereby ensuring that they are exclusive. “We leased our first machine a year ago and now have eight,” Stephen highlights.

From this Autumn, customers will be able to select from some 2,000 different blank formats, choosing artwork from Widdop’s partnered artists as well as the company’s brands and licences. “Alternatively, companies can supply us with their own artwork,” explains Stephen. “We can provide retailers with three different artwork packs which are licensed to us.”

He says that one of the many benefits is that companies can have the products finished in the UK, cutting out the need for international product suppliers and long shipping times. “Innovation in technology has allowed us to rapidly expand this exciting new side to the business. With very low order quantities, retailers can have an exclusive item for 20-30 pieces. Ultimately, it comes down to having product that is commercially successful or not doing it at all.”

environment, buying off-the-shelf products no longer fit retailer or consumer needs. “More than ever, products have to stand out on the shelf – have more intrinsic value with a perceived value, both at the top and bottom ends of the market – with some 95% of our products designed in-house. As a company, we have to be able to react very quickly to market trends, with four areas underpinning our strategy for growth – export, brand and licensing development, sentiment and occasion and production - supported by our relentless focus on CSR and being a leader in ethical and sustainability sourcing.

On the export front, he says that he and Dan are aiming for a US extension to the business, seeing it as a logical next step. “In addition, we are expanding our reach internationally, using the factory and brand skills we have successfully built up, along with bespoke, exclusive product facilitated by our Now or Never manufacturing exclusive factory base.” (See Gifts On Demand above).

As for brand licensing and development, the objective is to be the ‘go to’ place for licensed giftware, from global brands such as Disney, Hasbro, Paramount and Warner Bros, to upcoming UK licences. “Using our UK manufacturing facility we are able to get product to market very quickly,” Stephen highlights.

Meanwhile, sentiment and occasion giftware – from cradle to grave - is continuing to go from strength to strength. “By adding Christmas five years ago, Halloween two years ago, and Easter coming on board in 2025, our objective is to be the destination for seasonal and occasion items globally,” he emphasises.

But perhaps, most importantly of all, the fourth part of the company’s growth strategy will be through its UK production facility. “We

have developed a strong, unique white label business partnering with many of the UK’s major retailers. Building on that, and recognising the changes in market conditions - the difficulties in sourcing from China, as well as the changes in freight and shipping since Covid - we have brought finishing and some manufacturing here to the UK, with Now or Never launched earlier this year.” (See Gifts On Demand above).

On the product front meanwhile, a raft of new products will be unveiled for Autumn Fair and beyond. The Hestia home accessories range has been hugely expanded for example, along with furniture. There are also extensions to the Bambino, Amore and birthday collections, as well as brand new licensed giftware products across PAW Patrol, Top Gun and Raspberry Blossom. The company will also be unveiling an extended in-house designed Cottage Garden range for Mother’s Day, tapping into the homegrown trend.

Explains Stephen: “Halloween is definitely an area of growth for us and in 2024 our range will be bigger than ever. People want

Halloween home accessories that they can bring out year after year. Plus, our licensed product will play a much bigger role going forward – think Disney Villains and DC Comics Villains.”

As for distributorships, this Autumn, Widdop will be introducing Northern Lights, a premium American candle company, (with products manufactured in the US), to complement Australian brand The Aromatherapy Company. “We will also be building on our Hasbro and Paramount collections, and will be designing a product range for our newly signed Ministry of Defence licence,” Stephen confirms.

Does he feel the ongoing cost-of-living crisis will impact in the final quarter of the year? “I think the UK is through the worst of it,” he

comments. “As for gifting, we offer pick up, value for money, price-driven, giftable items, and in the run up to Christmas, I feel sure that people will still want to buy gifts for friends and family.”

The company’s showroom is open seven days a week, 24 hours a day, with Stephen and Dan flexible to suit the hours that customers want to visit. The focus, he says, is to do more events for UK retailers going forward, with buyers able to order small quantities or single items.

Summarises Stephen: “We’ve got a great legacy to build on, a dedicated team, and a great opportunity ahead of us, where we will be continuing to provide the exemplary service, quality and innovation that has defined Widdop & Co for the past 140 years."

Stephen will chew your ear off about anything and everything.

On Ste

Above: A sentiment Cottage Garden 3D heart. Inset: A colourful cushion from the Raspberry Blossom giftware range.

The process

Select your product from our exclusive range.

THREE working days after your order, we review your final print before producing a prototype.

Choose your artwork from one of our fantastic brands, licenses, artwork packs or something from your own collection.

Following approval, we manufacture your product in-house, ready for shipment and sale within TEN working days (subject to location).

Rare continuing to set Blue Diamond Garden Centres apart in the industry, with the Group’s managing director, Alan Roper, valuing emotion per square metre as much as profit per square metre. With an AB1 target demographic, Tom Grinnall, head of home at Blue Diamond highlights that: “Product with a point of difference, and product not sold within competitors, are key to Blue Diamond’s successand we love UK made.”

This is very much endorsed by Carla Ringer, the retailer’s paper products, gifting and pastimes category manager. “We are always looking to support Made in Britain suppliers which is a really important part of the Blue Diamond strategy,” she concurs. “We source at trade shows of course, but we also have many companies contacting us on a daily basis wanting to work with Blue Diamond. We can find suppliers anywhere though, so going out to craft fairs, Etsy, and shopping at markets, can often give us the perfect partner. Currently we are doing really well with books about local walks, further endorsement that we have

Emporium

acquisition of Van Hage garden centres last year taking the spend up to £100m on redevelopment in the last 27 months, Blue Diamond is flourishing, becoming the largest garden centre group in the UK, with a turnover in excess of £300m. As winner of The Greats 2023 Best Garden Centre Retailer of Gifts category, PG&H asked head of home Tom Grinnall, and paper and gift buyer Carla Ringer, what gives Blue Diamond its edge.

‘Greats’ News

Blue Diamond was announced as the winner of The Greats Best Garden Centre Retailer of Gifts category at The Gift Awards in May, with Carla commenting: “It’s always exciting to be recognised for your hard work. The team always strive to deliver the best shopping experience, and source the most exciting products, so it’s lovely to hear that the gift industry agrees.”

customers who love local product.” Another sector that is continuing to fly high is home fragrancing. “We offer customers a really strong home fragrance selection,” states Carla. “Given the economic outlook, a lot of consumers are feeling stressed and are looking for wellbeing and ways to destress, so this will be a key focus for us during Autumn/Winter. Plus, incense sticks have really come back into fashion, with the range we offer to customers fragranced with pure oils.” There has also been a significant uplift in sales of home entertainment products, to include escape room games, crafting kits to build at home, and jigsaws. “As the cost-of-living crisis continues to impact, people are definitely staying home and entertaining more,” she points out. “We also feel that the home will become the new spa, enabling customers to experience a treat without a spa price tag.”

With two recent garden centre acquisitions this Spring –Beckworth

and Fosseway Garden Centres - and the

Above: Blue Diamond’s flagship Garden & Home centre in East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire.

Below: Sara Davies MBE, ‘Dragon’ and founder and creative of Crafter’s Companion, category sponsor, presented the Greats trophy to Tracey Bearton on behalf of the Blue Diamond Group.

Makasi Imports Ltd supplies the UK’s largest range of high quality home, giftware & garden products, along with a complete range of driftwood style furniture. With a warehouse full of UK stock at highly competitive prices, available on 48-hour delivery, why not try us out for yourself? If you would like a trade login to purchase from our website please email your company details to info@makasiimports.co.uk

www.makasiimports.co.uk

Blue Diamond Group: Timeline

l The Dorey family has been a pivotal part of Blue Diamond - and its earlier existence as the Fruit Export Company - since 1904.

l The company has evolved from a small, plant based horticultural business in Guernsey to an ever-changing portfolio that now boasts 44 centres spread throughout Britain and Wales and The Channel Islands.

l Managing director Alan Roper joined the business in 1997 with the aim of offering customers something unique.

l He relaunched the Blue Diamond garden centre in Le Friquet in Guernsey, and subsequently introduced the concept of branding the garden centres ‘Home & Garden’ or ‘Garden & Home’ to reflect the product emphasis.

l In 2019, Blue Diamond purchased seven Wyevale garden centres in key locations, with a further nine to follow.

l Three years later, in November 2022, the Blue Diamond Group acquired family garden centre Van Hage, which has a flagship outlet at Great Amwell, Ware, as well as Chenies, near Rickmansworth, and a third Van Hage garden centre at Peterborough, part of the PE1 retail park.

l In Spring 2023, Blue Diamond made two further acquisitions: Beckworth Emporium in Mears Ashby, Northamptonshire and Fosseway Garden Centres in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.

With inflation currently at a high of 8.7%, and the mortgage crisis deepening, due to interest rates recently soaring to 5.25%, (the highest level for 15 years), how does Carla feel about gifting and the customer spend this year in the run up to the festive season? “Christmas will still happen,” she confidently predicts. “People will still buy gifts for each other, so for us, it’s about ensuring we are offering value for money along with a selection of products to suit everyone’s pocket. Customers are looking for more accessible price points, so, for example, we will be offering smaller sizes in candles and diffusers to help with this.” Merchandising, of course, is key across all 44 garden centres. “Alan Roper (Blue Diamond’s md) is a very creative, visionary man and has a very clear picture of how he wants the garden centres to look, so Blue Diamond has always been about offering our customers a unique shopping experience within an aspirational

Carla Ringer: The Lowdown

When did you join Blue Diamond and when did you take over your current role?

“I joined Blue Diamond five years ago, originally as the children’s buyer, and now look after the paper and gifting categories.”

What’s your career background?

“I have been in retail too many years to count, but I have been lucky enough to work with some fantastic businesses such as Harrods, Laura Ashley, Toys R Us and now Blue Diamond.”

When you get the opportunity, how do you like to relax?

“With work, a skateboarding teenage son, and a very needy Dachshund, I don’t really know the word relax. Nevertheless, I’m always ready for a good spa break when I get the time!”

environment. Our visual merchandising in stores is therefore exciting and continually changing to keep the centres looking fresh. You won’t find boxes lined up on shelves in any of our centres!” states Carla. “It’s all about theatre and visual impact. Plus, we try to offer our customers a day out for all the family, with restaurants and, in some centres, play areas for the children. In fact, you could easily get lost in one of our centres for a whole day!”

What does she love most about working in the gift and home sector? “It’s exciting and forever changing. What other job could a self-confessed shopaholic like me have! It’s so rewarding when you look at the sales every week and know you have bought something that the customer loves. I also love the fact that we can go down onto the shop floor and hear what the customers are saying. Their feedback is invaluable.”

As for what will be taking the Blue Diamond group forward in the coming months on the gift front, Carla emphasises: “We want to continue to offer different products to

other retailers, and to stay ahead of our competitors. Therefore, I believe that on the gifting side of things, it will be crafting, jigsaws and games that will continue to drive growth for us this year.”

Inset: Jigsaws and games continue to drive sales. Below Home fragrancing products are among the high fliers.

Inset: Popular DIY kits and puzzles.

It’s Getting To Smell A Lot Like

Christmas

With home fragrancing formats ready and waiting to give homes a cosy, Autumnal ambience over the coming months, thoughts have now turned to Christmas, with the traditional scents of the season hitting the shelves in the run up to the all-important festive season. PG&H sniffed around for the newest launches.

In the uncertain world we live in, there’s a lot to be said for upholding traditions, especially when it comes to home fragrancing over the festive season. The much loved, nostalgic scents instantly re-connect us to happy timesChristmases past spent with family, friends and loved ones – while making memories for a new generation.

Best Kept Secrets is among the companies launching seasonal fragrances as well as a new Christmas collection this Autumn.

“For winter specifically, consumers are drawn to slightly heavier, muskier, warmer scents, with our Christmas Elegance collection aligning fragrance with occasion, and our most popular fragrances in the collection being the scents combining bergamot,” confirms managing director Vanessa Curry.

“In addition, our new Spirit of

Christmas collection has been created in response to trends we identified last Christmas, with the design and messages playful and whimsical. We know how much people want to gift joy, so we have worked hard to keep the price under £10 to ensure our home fragrances remain affordable.”

As Jed Kenrick, ceo of Ashleigh & Burwood, points out: “Tradition and familiarity bring comfort for many at Christmas, and with that in mind, we are bringing back our Christmas Spice (red), White Christmas (white) and Frosted Holly (green) fragrances in a host of

home fragrance products in The Scented Home collection.”

These include favourites - the 150ml reed diffusers, scented jar candles, scented votives and sachets, as well as brand new product additions that include scent sticks and wax melts.

Continues Jed: “Another of our new launches that we expect to be among our top trending products this year are our Say it with Scent sentiment votive candles. Sitting under the Ashleigh & Burwood brand, these cute, tactile glass vessels are filled with a soy blend wax in the Christmas Spice fragrance.”

He highlights that to tie in with other products from the Ashleigh & Burwood brand, the new votives are wrapped in black paper, printed with a gold festive pattern and carry the sentiment message through to the outer packaging.

Marmalade meanwhile is launching four new fragrances for Christmas: Winter Fir, Precious Spice, Midnight Woods and Wild Berry & Bramble. “They come in white, which works with any colour combination,” says the company’s co-founder Helen McLeod. “Red is always a great Christmas colour, and a rich colour for the winter, dark blue is very on trend for 2023, and

Below: Spirit of Christmas from Best Kept Secrets.

Inset: Among the Yankee Candle festive fragrances available from Enesco.

green is, of course, a great Christmas colour which matches most people’s Christmas theme. The packaging and product designs and logo are all in gold to give each product a touch of luxury for the winter.”

At Potters Crouch, chairman David Brown confirms: “Consumers are trending back to traditional and classic red/white/gold with lots of snow. The classic traditions of Mulled Wine, Plum Pudding, Frankincense & Myrrh, as well as the traditional citrus, pine, cloves and cinnamon, will be the best sellers this year, so to ensure that we stay strongly on trend, we have tweaked our Christmas range a little, avoiding a full rebrand but remaining with tradition, with even more emphasis on the seasonal colours.”

Adds David: “With more than a nod towards the downward pressure on prices, our reed diffuser is now in our new eco format. With its zerowaste packaging and simpler presentation, we have been able to reduce the retail by £5 to only £14.99, while our Christmas candle in a tin remains at the same price for a third consecutive year despite the upward pressure on costs,” David points out.

At FYG, the company will be unveiling Back to Basics gift sets for the first time this Autumn, featuring three votive size candles across citrus, fruity and woody/floral fragrances, with the Ignite Collection offering

Table Talk

Frankincense & Myrrh, Fireside and Cuban Tobacco & Oak.

“The amber vessels in our Back to Basics range are always popular for the gifting season,” states FYG’s founder and owner Demi Pendakis. “The ambience of the flame in the amber vessel is cosy and warm and the little pop of fragrance colours on the front sits with any festive theme.”

As part of the RHS Heritage Collection, which is based around the four seasons, Freckleface has launched a wild berries fragrance with a festive scent, with illustrations taken from the engraved plates by Christian Gottlieb Geissler whose work can be found in the RHS Lindley Collections. “It smells like sweet berries with notes of wood and has floral undertones, screaming cosy Christmas,” explains Freckleface’s co-founder Tara Carlile-Swift.

Creating that extra special ambience at home is an important part of the coming season, with Bolsius’ Essentials pillar and table candles providing a warm, cosy ambience across Autumn/Winter, with a focus on the festive season.

“Each season, Bolsius introduces new trend colours, with Christmas classics including Cloudy White, Soft Pearl, Delicate Red and Velvet Red, along with metallics featuring Metallic Golden Orange and Metallic White silver for that extra sparkle,” highlights national account manager Kam Badesha. “Essentials are also a greener choice as they are made with natural vegan wax and are palm oil free,” she points out.

Inset Red is a strong theme for Bolsius’ Essentials range.

Right: Wild Berries, part of the RHS Heritage Collection from Freckleface. Left: A traditional Potters Crouch Christmas reed diffuser.

FYG’s Ignite Collection features Frankincense & Myrrh, Fireside and Cuban Tobacco & Oak.

Natural ingredients

Our candles are made with 100% Soy wax and contain essential oils

Heritage

We are a British brand, all our products are made in Britain

Ethically sourced

All our products are responsibly sourced

Sustainability

Our factory is eco-friendly and we encourage customers to recycle, reuse or repurpose our products

No

animal testing

We never test any of our products on animals

Inset: Lesser & Pavey’s Desire range features sparkles and bows for Christmas.

“Our festive fragrances are firm favourites, and each one brings the feeling of Christmas to people’s homes,” says Henry & Co’s creative director Jo Stubbs. “As the Henry & Co products are all white, colours are not added to the wax or vessels. However, for Christmas, we have added colour to our packaging, labelling, FSDU and POS.” Highlights Jo: “We are currently looking at freshening up our branding and the first changes that are coming are on the Christmas ranges where we are introducing bespoke illustrations that create a fun, festive scene,” she points out.

“Christmas is all about joy and festive smells, so what better way to fill the home than with the scent of Christmas, one of the key times of the year when purchases of fragranced wreaths and diffusers escalate,” states Lesser & Pavey’s managing director Julian Hunt. “We offer a wide variety of fragrances to capture this special time of year, as not everyone desires cinnamon,” he points out. “The vessels are attractive in their own right, adding to the festive decor of homes worldwide.”

At Enesco meanwhile, trade marketing manager Aylish Ellwood says that this year’s focus is on the classic colours of red, green and white, featuring cinnamon, winterberry and spruce. “We continue to offer multiple affordable, product types which can be layered throughout the home, allowing each space to have its own personality and unique

atmosphere.”

New formats include wax melts, diffusers, scent plugs and votives as well as gifts sets. “This enables consumers to buy into their favourite fragrances in a cost-conscious way,” says Aylish.

Of course, for many, the festive season can be a stressful time, with Cotton & Grey’s handmade pure beeswax Twenty Minute Relaxation Candles offering an opportunity for people to unwind and relax. The company offers a range of candle gift sets for the Christmas season, including a Just to Say Happy Christmas set, for a thoughtful greeting card alternative.

“Alongside our popular mini Christmas gift sets and Advent candles, we have also launched Christmas Prayer and Joy of Christmas candle sets which include scripture cards,” says the company’s Clare Sowden. “The sets add a meaningful religious touch that complements the spirit of the season.”

With so much choice, and an increasingly discerning consumer, there’s sure to be lots of sniffing around at the Autumn trade shows to capture what looks like being a very traditional Christmas for home fragrance.

That Touch Of Luxury

Few would disagree that Christmas is all about those extra special touches of luxury, with home fragrancing very much a part of that.

Candlelight’s Christmas collection - the Opulence Ombre Gold Fragrance Range –features ombre vessels and a blend of scents.

“This limited edition collection is scheduled to debut on the website from September, just in time to add an air of opulence to the festive celebrations,” highlights the company’s marketing manager Kate Winch.

Concurs Richard Wood, managing director of Broughton & Beech: “While traditional Christmas will continue to be a mainstay, we have found opulence, and the ‘more is more’ trends are increasing in their popularity,” says Richard.

“By contrast, the artisan crafted trend is continuing too, with an increased demand for sustainable products, less glitter, less plastic and recyclable. Cocodor Christmas for example, delivers great value and a plantbased alcohol-free range of reed diffusers, while Julie Dodsworth offers a range of plant based, vegan, Made in England highly fragranced melts, incense, candles and diffusers.”

Above: Candlelight’s Opulence Ombre Gold fragrance range.

Below: Cocodor from Broughton & Beech.

Below: The Happy Christmas Twenty Minute Candles gift set from Cotton & Grey.

Heaven Scent doing things naturally

1: F.Y.G Gift Sets

F.Y.G’s Back to Basics range of candles is a careful curation of timeless classics with a modern twist, designed to enhance the living space and uplift the mood. Each fragrance celebrates not only a key aroma, but a distinct character. F.Y.G has now curated its new gift sets so consumers can choose from The Invigorate, The Indulge, The Ignite or The Iconic Collection of award-winning scents.

FYG

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand: 6L21

T: +44 208 914 7974

E: demi@fyghome.com

W: www.fyghome.com

2: Spirit Of Christmas

Best Kept Secrets’ new Spirit of Christmas range features its signature scented candles, each whimsically designed with different woodland animals. There is so much festive fun embodied in this collection. There are 12 in the Spirit of Christmas range, each using the bestselling fragrances and signature sparkle. The candles have all been lovingly hand-poured and created to be as sustainable as possible – even their trademark sparkles are biodegradable.

Best Kept Secrets

Visit: Autumn Fair – Stand: 6M26-20A27

T: 01670 512222

E: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

W: www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

3: ‘Say It With Scent’ This Christmas

New Christmas introductions for Ashleigh & Burwood include ‘Say It With Scent’ votive candles, fragranced with its festive bestselling Christmas Spice. They feature eight different words offering a variety of holiday and gift-related sentiments. Each tactile glass vessel is printed in gold foil, while a matching message also appears on the eye-catching gift-wrapping, paired with a holiday pattern. The beautifully packaged candles are affordably priced and make great ready-made stocking fillers and a thoughtful gift for Christmas.

Ashleigh & Burwood

T: +44 (0) 1932 267060

E: Trade@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk

W: www.ashleigh-burwood.co.uk

4: Just Because Age Three Lite Boxes

Best Kept Secrets’ newly uplifted Just

Because Collection includes the new Just

Because AGE Three Lite Gift Boxes. Created to give you the perfect gift for any occasion, the AGE Three Lite Boxes feature three of the bestselling signature colourful and sparkly home fragrances, and come in a box containing meaningful or fun messages for every occasion, particularly Christmas. The entire collection also reflects the brand’s commitment to provide pricesensitive retail and consumer choice.

Best Kept Secrets

Visit: Autumn Fair – Stand: 6M26-20A27

T: 01670 512222

E: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

W: www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

New What s ,

5:

The Scented Home Room Spray

New this season, Ashleigh & Burwood has added 100ml Room Sprays to The Scented Home range. The 100ml sprays allow the top 10 scents from the collection to be swiftly added to a room, delivered via a micro-fine mist. Presented in a recyclable glass bottle, labelled with the recognisable bright graphics of the collection, the new Room Sprays are ideal to instantly scent the air, linens and fabrics and much more.

Ashleigh & Burwood

T: +44 (0) 1932 267060

E: Trade@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk

W: www.ashleigh-burwood.co.uk

Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest home fragrance products to be showcased this month

1: Ultrasonic Cool Mist Diffuser

Boost your mood with the Marmalade of London Ultrasonic Cool Mist diffuser. Simply add five drops of the oil to the water and watch the mist fill your room with either Calm Balance or Energise fragrance. The beautifully engraved ceramic cover, which boasts colour changing lights to suit your mood, makes it the perfect addition to any home.

Marmalade of London

T: + 44 (0) 1242 257509

E: sales@marmaladeoflondon.com

W: www.marmaladeoflondon.com

2: Fabulous Festive Fragrances

Marmalade launched its new autumn/winter range at Harrogate Home and Gift show. Precious Spice is a rich, warm, festive fragrance with clove buds and cinnamon sticks, freshened with mouth-watering clementine; Winter Fir is snow-capped Fir, pine needles and crisp eucalyptus, notes of leather and smoky woods; Wild Berry and Bramble highlights the fresh juiciness of red and black berries combined with woody spicy notes; while Midnight Woods is an intoxicating blend of black lilies, violets and vanilla with base notes of Vetiver and sandalwood.

Marmalade of London

T: + 44 (0) 1242 257509

E: sales@marmaladeoflondon.com

W: www.marmaladeoflondon.com

3: New Herb Dublin Range

Contemporary gift specialist, Enesco has welcomed Herb Dublin to its growing portfolio of wellness-centred home and giftware collections. Founded by Rachel McCann, items from Herb Dublin are created by hand in Ireland using only the finest quality natural ingredients. With pieces in the collection designed to promote relaxation, detoxification and all-round wellness for a happy and healthy life, Herb Dublin is launching with 12 every day candles, six Christmas candles, six diffusers, two bath products and seven body products, as well as two gift sets.

With fragrances across the collection including rhubarb, sea salt, lemongrass and ginger, as well as buttercup and beebalm to name but a few, Rachel believes that natural is always best, and uses herbs, flowers and oils, as well as fragrance in all of her products.

Enesco

T: 01228 404022

E: uksales@enesco.co.uk

W: www.enesco.co.uk

4: New RHS Heritage And Botanical Range

Freckleface has rolled out two new product collections in collaboration with the RHS – one being a heritage range and the other a botanics range. The heritage range is based around the four seasons, while the botanics range features 10 true to life fragrances designed to bring the scent of the great outdoors into your home. Each fragrance is available as a candle, room spray, fragrance oil and reed diffuser.

Freckleface Home Fragrance

Visit: Autumn Fair – Stand 20A11

T: 01778 393699

E: hello@frecklefacehomefragrance.com

W: www.frecklefacehomefragrance.com

5: New Winter’s Eve Festive Candles

Crafted with care and infused with the spirit of Christmas, St. Eval’s new Winter’s Eve festive candles add warmth, joy, and a touch of elegance to your winter nights. Filled with the delightful scents of warming Inspiritus, comforting Orange & Cinnamon, and soothing Winter Thyme. Each pot is handmade in a family-run factory in Portugal and truly unique due to their reactive glazes.

St. Eval

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand 6F14 and Top Drawer - Stand E21

T: 01841 540850

E: info@st-eval.com

W: www.st-eval.com

6: Discover CleanLight, Maximum Fragrance, Minimum Waste

Bolsius is launching the fragrance concept CleanLight to the home fragrancing market - a double-walled glass holder for scented candle refills. The revolutionary technology behind the double-walled glass holder ensures that the refill burns up completely, leaving only the wick plate behind. CleanLight not only helps to create atmosphere; it also burns cleanly and leaves very little waste. The refill candles without a cup are available in five delicious scents, and unscented. Made from natural vegan wax and palm oil free.

Bolsius by Apac

T: 0116 2302555

E: sales@apacgroup.com

W: www.apac.co.uk

Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest home fragrance products to be showcased this month

With over 500 exhibitors across Autumn Fair, which incorporates Moda, Jewellery & Watch and Source Home & Gift, there will be a wealth of brands and products showcased to inspire buyers as they browse the aisles, with the Inspiring Retail Stage and Moda catwalk in Hall 8 unveiling upcoming trends plus more besides.

“Newness and innovation abound with everything, to include contemporary designs, personalised and licensed gifts, beauty and wellbeing products, creative and greeting cards, stationery and children’s toys, gifts and gadgets,” comments Nicola Meadows, divisional managing director, Hyve Group plc.

For visitors looking to gain further insights, there will be a focus on home and gifting trends and workshops, presented by global future agency TrendBible, alongside sustainability sessions presented by Products of Change (POC), with dedicated days for each.

Additionally, the show will be offering trade show advice for new businesses to include how to navigate through challenging economic times, alongside motivational masterclasses, and high energy, trend-led catwalk shows.

Naomi Pollard, head of publications at TrendBible, will present 2024 Home & Interior Lifestyle Trends

(4 September, morning)

revealing how householder behaviours and lifestyle choices are set to underpin product and design trends for the home over the next 12 months and beyond.

In the afternoon, Naomi will also be presenting the 2024 Gifting and Celebration Trends offering visitors insight into the key trends impacting

celebration. From ideas for Valentine’s Day through to Christmas, the presentation will set out to elevate gift and greetings ranges for seasonal retail occasions.

Source Home & Gift

Additionally, Autumn Fair will also be continuing its collaboration with Products of Change (POC), which aims to bring actionable change to the ongoing Power of One campaign, with Tuesday 5 September hailed as A Day of Purpose. POC’s founder and ceo, Helena Mansell-Stopher, will be presenting two sessions focused on sustainability, educating visitors by highlighting small daily actions and opening the conversation on systemic business transformation.

With some 430 global manufacturers confirmed from 14 countries, international responsible sourcing exhibition, Source Home & Gift, co-located with Autumn Fair, has been scaling up its accredited home and giftware line-up to meet the UK’s growing sourcing needs.

“The scale at which Source Home & Gift is growing is incredible,” states Suzanne Ellingham, director of sourcing at Source Home & Gift.

“Our team has been working with governments and agencies from across the world to bring best in class manufacturers and artisan producers to the UK to share their capabilities with the UK market.”

Using the comprehensive Pathway to Sustainability whitepapers launched early this year, visitors will be able to access bite-size sections of the papers and scan a QR code to download the full papers at the show from the Products of Change Hub.

In addition, Therese

Oertenblad, from Small Business Collaborative, will be presenting a practical workshop on How to Approach your First Trade Show, with Ami Rabheru from The Retail Business Hub presenting Maximising Revenue During Tough Economic Times.

For the full line-up of speakers, and more information on Autumn Fair, visit www.autumnfair.com

As the countdown to Autumn Fair begins, (3-6 September), gift retailers are getting ready to head to the NEC to top up their buying for Autumn and the run up to Christmas, with PG&H taking a sneak peek at what else is in store for the September show.

Inset: Daily fashion shows will be taking place on the Moda catwalk.

Below: Visitors browsing the aisles at last year’s show.

Inset: Lighting catches the eye of two buyers.

1: Perfect Gift For A

Little Princess

A beautiful new musical jewellery box has recently been added to Rex London’s collection of gifts and accessories for kids. It features a bright Tilde design, full of flowers bursting with colour. This musical box is ideal for customers who want to surprise their kids with a lovely yet practical gift as it can be used to store precious keepsakes, jewellery and other accessories. And the best part of it all? When a child lifts the lid, a twirling, musical princess is revealed.

Rex London

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand: 6M29-L28

T: 0208 746 1700

E: info@rexlondon.com

W: www.rexlondontrade.com

2: Funky Gifts

Lesser and Pavey is delighted to introduce new additions following the ongoing success of Graffiti and Supernova ranges as well as other colourful, vibrant ranges of resin studies. Designed exclusively by the Lesser and Pavey inhouse art department, it is launching a brand new and exclusive design with a number of new studies to include dogs, elephant, gorillas, highly popular balloon dogs and more. The trend also transfers over very nicely to housewares making funky gift items which includes high quality mugs, coasters, placemats, trays, lap tray, a drinking bottle, cushion, doorstop and stationery.

Lesser & Pavey

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand: 7J40-6A41

T: 01322 279225

E: sales@leonardo.co.uk

W: www.leonardo.co.uk

3: Stunningly

Stylish

These gorgeous pouches (21x14cm) from Hot Tomato come in six glorious metallic colours and form part of their hugely popular Genuinely Not Leather collection. Each is embossed with a simple, life affirming word being both a wish and a blessing. The contrasting zippers and beautifully choreographed floral linings make for a wonderful gift – if you can bring yourself to part with them that is!

Hot Tomato

Visit: Autumn Fair: Hall 20 - Stand H20

T: 01225 422188

E: sales@hot-tom.com

W: www.hot-tom.com

4: Gorgeous New Designs

All the colour from Miss Milly! From mustard to purple - to emerald green, retailers will find gorgeous new designs in the AW23-24 jewellery collection alongside fresh colourways on bestselling pieces. Choose from floral, striped, chequered and abstract designs in its new super soft scarf range. And lots more fantastic new designs in the popular magnetic brooch and keyring collections. Reasonable prices and £100 minimum order with no MOQs. Branded displays, FSC certified packaging and POS available.

Miss Milly

Visit: Autumn Fair – Stand: 7D54-E55

T: 01905 622509

E: hello@missmilly.co.uk

W: www.missmilly.co.uk

5: Heartfelt Art Plaques

Joe Davies is excited to introduce its new Heartfelt Art Plaques range of framed ceramic sentiment plaques. These plaques feature delicate cream ceramic shapes such as a heart, butterfly, house, star, and angel decorated with pretty pastel designs, a special message, and accents of metallic gold. The ceramic shapes are mounted onto a stylish grey board and framed with a white frame to match any home interior. Heartfelt Art is available in both small and large sizes, with 24 designs of each size to choose from, they feature a variety of sentiment messages suitable for friends and family. They are ideal as the perfect gift for loved ones and make great works of art for the wall. All designs fit onto a 4-sided spinner which holds 72 small frames and 72 large frames.

Joe Davies

Visit: Autumn Fair, Hall 7 – Stand: C40-E41

T: 0161 975 6300

E: sales@joedavies.co.uk

W: www.joedavies.co.uk

New What s ,

1: Equilibrium

Te Amo Collection

The new Equilibrium Te Amo Collection from Joe Davies is an exquisite new range of classic heart shaped jewellery. Each piece features exquisite heart shaped designs adorned with sparkling diamantes adding a touch of classic elegance. The name ‘Te Amo’ translates to ‘I Love You’ in Spanish making this range the perfect gift to give to a loved one or friend. To see this range and much more of Joe Davies’ jewellery and gifts visit them on their stand at the Autumn Fair held at the NEC Birmingham. Find them in Hall 7 – stand C40-E41. With a remarkably low minimum order value of just £100 for carriage paid orders, customers can enjoy the added benefit of free delivery.

Joe Davies

Visit: Autumn Fair, Hall 7 – Stand: C40-E41

T: 0161 975 6300

E: sales@joedavies.co.uk

W: www.joedavies.co.uk

2: Festive Family Fun

House of Marbles has added some new festive games in colourful packaging and at competitive prices, making them an irresistible impulse buy. Santa’s Silly Stocking Search Game is a must-have for retailers. This compelling game of memory and strategy comes in a one-of-a-kind gift box with a fun cartoon of Santa and vibrant stocking playing pieces. It will make an excellent stocking filler and be a family favourite during the holiday festivities.

House Of Marbles

Visit: Autumn Fair, Hall 20, Stand: F50-G51

T: 01626 835358

E: uk@houseofmarbles.com

W: www.houseofmarbles.com/tradeuk

3: Make A Statement

Hot Tomato has just launched some of the loveliest bracelets for the coming season –whether wearing solo or stacking to make a statement / party or day-wear - they really do have something for every occasion. Pair with some of their glorious earrings or a superstunning necklace and you’re good to go.

Hot Tomato

Visit: Autumn Fair: Hall 20 - Stand H20

T: 01225 422188

E: sales@hot-tom.com

W: www.hot-tom.com

4: Something For Everyone

Gift Republic has some great products launching this Autumn which they can’t wait to share. From new additions to their bestselling ranges to exciting new products sure to become firm future favourites. They hope you love their new Mushroom Grow Kit which provides all the essentials to cultivate your own mushrooms at home or if you’re looking for romance, ignite the flames of passion with our enchanting Love Spell Candle!

Gift Republic

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand: 20C20-D21

T: 020 3146 9511

E: sales@giftrepublic.com

W: www.giftrepublic.com

5: Celebrating The Beauty Of Nature

Which came first? The blue of the lavender growing or the bees pollinating?  Whichever way, nature is at the forefront of many a consumer as such this new range from Jennifer Rose for Lesser and Pavey featuring both must be a winner. Lavender and Bees beautiful designs feature on quality tableware items, as well as wooden housewares, to name a few plaques, letter rack, key cabinet, a charming clock and calendar. Glassware and stationery make up other items featuring these delightful designs exclusively for Lesser and Pavey.

Lesser & Pavey

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand: 7J40-6A41

T: 01322 279225

E: sales@leonardo.co.uk

W: www.leonardo.co.uk

New What s ,

1: Butterfly Beauties

Papillon Chic and exciting new Lesser and Pavey ranges of very high quality, attention to detail, magnificent quality crafted young beauties with nature in the form of standout crafted butterflies. Each size is available in three pastel colourways. Each piece comes in quality packaging for excellent presentation and to ensure no damage during transit. The sizes range from 20cm – 32cm. Features are one young lady holding a flower vase and one the showstopper, the extra-large piece featuring at 60cm tall; please note this item is not gift boxed.

Lesser & Pavey

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand: 7J40-6A41

T: 01322 279225

E: sales@leonardo.co.uk

W: www.leonardo.co.uk

2: Fairies Do Exist

Rex London has been expanding its Fairies in the Garden collection by adding fancy dress accessories. This fairy skirt is decorated with sparkling sequin butterflies and has a gold glitter waistband. It’s perfect for dress-up parties or imaginative play, and it can be matched with glitter bracelets, rings, wings and other magical elements for the ultimate fairy outfit - all available at Rex London!

Rex London

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand: 6M29-L28

T: 0208 746 1700

E: info@rexlondon.com

W: www.rexlondontrade.com

3: New Stylish Gentlemen Range

This year, Life Charms made the decision to create something especially for men. Gentlemen is stylish and sophisticated masculine range inspired by semi-precious stones. Presented on grey suede insert with a meaningful message and packed in elegant black boxes. With two types of bracelet elastic and adjustable to make sure they will fit on each mens wrist.

Life Charms

Visit: Autumn Fair – Stand: 6A40

T: 0203 488 2656

E: sales@lifecharms.co.uk

W: www.lifecharms-trade.co.uk

4: Raise A Glass

To drink and enjoy this is offered by this new Lesser and Pavey range by Lynsey Johnstone. Hand painted glasses with eight new designs, relaunching the popular stemless glass as well as adding a brand-new shape of a cocktail glass. This range continues to be a top selling feature of the Lesser and Pavey ranges offered in the way of social dining, housewares, and homewares. All glasses are featured in window gift boxed.

Lesser & Pavey

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand: 7J40-6A41

T: 01322 279225

E: sales@leonardo.co.uk

W: www.leonardo.co.uk

5: Fun For Everyone

Fizz Creations is delighted to announce its biggest collection of games yet - from the interactive Solve the Case escape room through the geographical challengeWhere in the World? There is something for all ages in the collection from party games to quizzes... and let's not forget the totally awesome Trick Shot! where players battle it out to complete the most insane trick shots with ping pong balls, cups and frisbees. All games are available from stock now and will be on display at Autumn Fair – new retailers very welcome.

Fizz Creations

Visit: Autumn Fair - Hall 6, stand L32

T: 01903 327006

E: ales@fizzcreations.com

W: www.fizzcreations.com

6: Brighten Up Your Coffee Break

Introducing the new Lifestyle range of ceramic mugs that are dishwasher and microwave safe. These mugs come in a variety of designs featuring quirky and lifestyle imagery that will brighten up any day. The images appear on both the inside and outside of the mugs. Made from highquality ceramic material Lifestyle Mugs are novel, durable and fun. The range consists of 27 designs with matching coasters and come on a customised display measuring only 45cm wide.

Global Journey

Visit: Autumn Fair – Hall 6H29

T: 0161 872 0333

E: isamuels@global-journey.com

W: www.global-journey.com

New What s ,

1: New Hand-Crafted Wooden Keyrings

Global Journey’s new range of handcrafted wooden keychains with colourful animal designs are billed as being perfect for animal lovers. The keychains are FSC certified, which means that they are made from wood that comes from responsibly managed forests. With 84 different animals to choose from, there will be something for everyone, at a retail price of £3.99. The display is very compact at just 50cm wide x 40cm deep so will fit in the smallest of spaces, generating fantastic profits per sq.ft.

Global Journey

Visit: Autumn Fair – Hall 6H29

T: 0161 872 0333

E: isamuels@global-journey.com

W: www.global-journey.com

2: New Bold and Striking Jewellery

Midhaven will be showing its new range of bold and striking animals, insects and fantasy pendants and rings made from 925 silver. All items are beautifully made and finished, and are a good weight (RRP £19.50 - £60.00). Also on show will be the extensive range of skull, skeletons and dinosaur jewellery in silver (RRP £20 - £250) and in stainless steel (RRP £10 - £50).

Midhaven Ltd

Visit: Autumn Fair -  Stand 7C50

T: 01299 851513

E: info@midhaven.co.uk

W: www.midhaven.co.uk

3: F.Y.G Gift Sets

F.Y.G’s Back to Basics range of candles is a careful curation of timeless classics with a modern twist, designed to enhance the living space and uplift the mood. Each fragrance celebrates not only a key aroma, but a distinct character. F.Y.G has now curated its new gift sets so consumers can choose from The Invigorate, The Indulge, The Ignite or The Iconic Collection of award-winning scents.

FYG

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand: 6L21

T: +44 208 914 7974

E: demi@fyghome.com

W: www.fyghome.com

4: Pretty Little Birds Have Flown In

Just in time for Autumn Fair, the products are individually boxed, with six colourful designs and a reasonable RRP. Sure to be a hot seller, each is handmade, hand-painted and embellished with 24carat gold paint and a sparkly little crystal. Visit the Wild Things stand at Autumn Fair to take advantage of the company’s special introductory offer.

Wild Things Gifts

Visit: Autumn Fair, Hall 7 – Stand G30

T: Lisa on 01392 211268

E: sales@wildthingsgifts.com or see our website

W: www.wildthingsgifts.com

5: Perfect for the Whole Family

Baffies’ are fun supersized krazy kicks for the whole family to enjoy. Choose between themes that include Football Pro, Queen Bee, Gamer, and Top Dad (RRP £19.99). The comfortable themed slippers make ideal gifts for every occasion and are available for October delivery. Come and see the full Xystos range at Autumn Fair.

Xystos

Visit: Autumn Fair, Hall 6, Stands G13, G14 & G18.

T: 0191 499 1570

E: sales@xystos.co.uk

W: www.xystostrade.co.uk

6: Zodiac Charm Necklaces

Shrieking Violet is launching a new collection of sterling silver necklaces handmade with real flowers and a zodiac charm. Available in 12 zodiac signs across six flower designs, each necklace includes a sterling silver chain, gift box and information booklet. Other new collections include birthstone charm necklaces, initial charm necklaces, silver and gemstone beaded bracelets, plus colourful bead and friendship bracelets, all with real flowers.

Shrieking Violet

Visit: Autumn Fair – Stand: 7E61

T: 0208 521 9151

E: sales@shriekingviolet.co.uk

W: www.flowerjewellery.com

New What s ,

Reeves & Reeves design and create an array of stunning and exclusive jewellery collections.

Based in the heart of the Dorset countryside, the husband and wife team are passionate about jewellery and their enduring designs reflect much of what is around them, from the fields and woods to the Jurassic Coast. Their Jewellery is contemporary in style with a unique fashion edge, at very competitive prices and superb attention to both detail and quality. Heath, Caroline and their talented team have an innovative creative ability and empathy with their customers is a very unique selling point. They utilize a charming combination of sterling silver, 18ct yellow and Rose gold vermeil with accents of colour through the use of hand picked stones and exquisite enamel detail.

The varied collections range from the sleek and modern Stellar collection to imaginative animals and plant life designs, many with an elegant modern twist, evoking favourite memories from the past and creating new ones for the future. The Reeves & Reeves team really do love what they create and know that you will too.

1: Colourful New Products

Tilnar Art has shared a number of the new products which are on the horizon including a Recycled Aluminium Heart Collection and a Brushed Green Collection in the popular Azeti Collection. Each of Tilnar Art’s products are not only recycled but completely recyclable, making a perfect eco-friendly gift, which help consumers to move away from plastic items. Take a sneak peek at Autumn Fair.

Tilnar Art

Visit: - Autumn Fair - Hall 6, Stand J30

T: 01277 297259

E: sales@tilnarart.co.uk

W: www.tilnarart.co.uk

2: Stunning New Designs

A new collection from Reeves & Reeves includes a Silver and Golden Hummingbird Necklace which is a new take on the bestselling Hummingbird design. The company has added touches of 18ct Gold Vermeil to the exquisitely textured sterling silver to create the necklace.

Reeves & Reeves

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand 7C61

T: 01460 221630

E: caroline@reevesandreeves.com

W: www.reevesandreeves.com

3: 16 ways to say thank you

The new ‘Thank you for’ range are candle gift sets that come wrapped in little thank you messages for every occasion, making them a gift to lift the spirits and show appreciation for a kindness. There are 16 titles in the range. Take 20 minutes for your relaxation and wellbeing with the handmade pure beeswax 20-minute candles from Cotton & Grey. Supplied with an attractive point of sale stand for easy display. Each box contains 12 candles with a ceramic holder. Visit the website to see all the designs across five ranges.

Cotton & Grey Ltd

Visit: Autumn Fair – Stand 20A14

T: Claire on 07876763774

E: info@cottonandgrey.com

W: www.cottonandgrey.com

4: New Luminara Autumn Winter Designs

New from Luminara - the Living Flame LED Wax

Candle brand - are Red Berry and Autumn Leaves designs. Luminara gives you all the ambience and fragrance of real candles without the risk or worry. All Luminara candles are remote control enabled with built-in security time. Come and see full Luminara range at Autumn Fair.

Xystos

Visit: Autumn Fair - Hall 6, Stands G13

T: 07909 539574

E: paultravis@xystos.co.uk

W: www.xystostrade.co.uk

5: New Exclusive Fabrics

The Wheat Bag Company has introduced new and exclusive fabric designs for its wheat bags. Woodland Hedgehogs and Fantastic Foxes are now available in both cotton and duo options. The handmade microwaveable wheat bags can be placed on the body for a natural way to soothe aches and pains. Comforting, warming and relaxing they make the perfect gift. Filled with cleaned English wheat, they are available in either unscented or with added lavender.

The Wheat Bag Company

Visit: Autumn Fair – Stand 6M31

T: 01747 480499

E: sales@thewheatbagcompany.co.uk

W: www.thewheatbagcompany.co.uk

4: Beautiful Unique Collections

Sea Gems is an established family run jewellery and gift company, which boasts stunning and original, handcrafted silver jewellery and gifts designed in Cornwall. Featuring Silver Origins, Celtic Lands and Fine Enamel jewellery brands. The gift collections include Mood Rings, pens, bookmarks, pillboxes and scarf-rings. The unique collections are inspired by the landscape and heritage, capturing the essence of nature, ocean, sea life, flora and wildlife.

Sea Gems Ltd

Visit: Autumn Fair - Stand 8F50 - 7A51

T: +44(0) 1736 335840

E: sales@seagems.co.uk

W: www.seagems.co.uk

New What s

SPOTLIGHT ON . . . LICENSED GIFTWARE

From

Barbie soaps to a Scion pet bed,

giftware

formats

product sectors. Ahead of Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) - which takes place at London’s ExCeL on 4-6 October - PG&H took a peek at some of the newest licensed launches.

Brand New

Puckator: Moomins

Puckator’s recent collaboration with the Moomin brand is continuing this Autumn, with new product including the company’s brand new Moomin Relaxeazzz travel cushion, (a former Gift of the Year winner).

“We are also launching an array of Moomin beauty products to include hand creams, bamboo hairbrushes, tweezers, and manicure sets,” confirms Puckator’s content creator Alistair Brook. “There will also be a Moomin doorstop coming out, letting people pop a bit of fun into their homes.”

He adds that the Moomin range is a good fit with the company’s portfolio. “It carries on the trend of bright, engaging designs on everyday products,” he highlights.

Enesco: Scion Living

Following on from Enesco’s successful Scion Living Baby range, which launched in Autumn 2022, the company has recently introduced products for the home in the Scion Living range featuring coordinating items that include planters, vases, lidded candles, placemats and coasters in four designs – Lintu, Spike, Padukka and iconic Mr Fox – all of which come in kraft giftable packaging.

“With pet gifts a growing category, we have also introduced pet beds from Scion Living that are made in the UK across collars, leads, bandanas and pet bowls, all of which feature Mr Fox,” explains trade marketing manager Aylish Ellwood.

Freckleface: RHS

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) recently appointed Freckleface – winner of the Gift of the Year’s 2023 Best Home Fragrance Product or Range categoryas the RHS licensee for products in the home fragrance category.

“We are thrilled to be working with one of the most respected names in gardening and horticulture, and thoroughly enjoyed creating these fragrance ranges that are all

Fizz Creations: The Gruffalo, Zog and L.O.L. Surprise!

Fizz Creations is unveiling an array of new licensed product ranges to include The Gruffalo, Zog and L.O.L. Surprise! featuring an assortment of games, puzzles and lighting, complemented by collectable characters Comic Ons.

“This expansion builds on the success of our award-winning Gruffalo range developed for Primark, as we strive to bring smiles to an even wider audience,” comments Fizz Creations’ head of marketing Zoe Ryan.

“In addition, we are eagerly anticipating the reception to our NASA-inspired range of lighting and giftware. This collection showcases our strength in crafting innovative designs with a globally recognised brand.”

inspired by the natural world,” comments Freckleface’s owner Tara Carlile-Swift. There are two launch ranges: a classic range of fragranced products, based on the four seasons, which feature packaging designs inspired by artwork from the RHS Lindley Collections, plus a Botanics, apothecary range of fresher fragrance combinations, aimed at a younger market.

licensed

is everywhere this year, across all

and

Inset: A Scion Living pet bed from Enesco.

Below: The Moomin beauty range from Puckator.

Right: A Scion Living pet bed from Enesco.

Above: The RHS/Freckleface Botanics range.

Below: NASA giftware from Fizz Creations.

Eco Chic: The National Gallery

This Autumn sees the launch of Eco Chic’s debut range with The National Gallery with products including lunch bags, folded bags, backpacks and ponchos featuring a range of designs depicting some of the Gallery’s most iconic designs.

“We like the Eco Chic story, ethos and distribution, making them a very good partner for us,” explained Judith Mather, The National Gallery’s buying and brand licensing director.

The English Soap Company: Barbie

With Barbie one the one of the biggest movie blockbusters this summer, The English Soap Company has partnered with Mattel to create a collection of gift-led, fun, positive soaps.

“Whether someone is reigniting childhood memories, gifting positivity or sparking the imagination of a young person, the soaps have been created to make people smile,” comments business development manager Ailsa Cunningham.

Above: A National Gallery/Eco Chic bag.

Below: The English Soap Company has brought out a range of licensed Barbie soaps.

Mad Beauty: Disney; Warner Bros

Autumn/Winter 2023 will see four brand new Mad Beauty collections under the Disney licence, across bath, body and beauty products. They include Frozen, The Aristocats’ Marie and Bambi’s Thumper and Stitch. There are also three brand new collections across the Star Wars franchise.

The joyful collaboration with Barbie offers eight soaps with positive graphics, with fragrances including Matcha Iced Tea, Vanilla Peach and Lemonade Fizz. “The scents embody the playful nature of Barbie allowing people to take on the day feeling fresh and focused on the good,” adds Ailsa.

PMC: Me To You Tiny Tatty Teddy

PMC has released a range of brand new personalised gifts that feature Tiny Tatty Teddy from Carte Blanche Greetings’ Me To You family. “The range spans a variety of products, including height charts and photo albums, making it a lovely keepsake for celebrating a new arrival or as a cute addition to the nursery,” says PMC’s marketing director Keren Dicken.

Half Moon Bay: Nightmare Before Christmas, It, Wizard of Oz, Moomin and The Beatles

Half Moon Bay, will be launching new snow globes this Autumn across several key licences: Nightmare

Before Christmas, It, Wizard of Oz, Moomin and The Beatles. “These are really popular and ideal for all types of customers, both tourists and fans,” says head of product Lucy Earing.

The Puppet Company: Elmer

Under the Warner Bros. licence, Gremlins’ Gizmo takes centre stage, with The Flintstones featuring on a brand new bath, body and beauty collection. In addition, pop culture icons The Powerpuff girls feature on sheet masks, alongside Superman, Batman and Wonderwoman bath fizzers.

“From reimagining classic characters to exploring new themes and collaborations, we've added a touch of sparkle, sass and mischievousness ensuring that every collection embodies the spirit of fun,” comments Mad Beauty’s creative director Julia Cash.

Left: PMC’s personalised Tiny Tatty Teddy from Carte Blanche Greetings’ Me To You Range.

Below: New snowglobes from Half Moon Bay.

Bottom right: Finger Puppet Elmer from The Puppet Company.

The Lowdown

DATES:4-6 October, 2023

VENUE:ExCeL, London

WEB: www.brandlicensing.eu

The Puppet Company has taken its first foray into licensing, partnering with Andersen Press.

“We are delighted to have brought the most-loved Elmer character to life and to continue sharing the magic and power of puppets,” states The Puppet Company’s co-founder and director Sue Lockey. “As a former teacher I know first-hand the importance of sharing stories such as Elmer’s and celebrating each child’s individual character and differences. We hope to continue inspiring future generations by bringing this wonderful character to life.”

Products include the Elmer My First Puppet, which is suitable from birth, and a stand-alone Finger Puppet Elmer, encouraging speech and language development in young children.

1: Bring A Touch Of Disney Magic Into Your Home

Following on from the successful launch of its licensed Disney Home collection, contemporary gift specialist Enesco has added even more pieces into its range inspired by the magic and wonder of some of Disney’s best-loved characters. New into the Disney Home collection are sets of four placemats, with the first in the collection being Never Grow Up (Disney Peter Pan Placemats Set of Four). Helping to make mealtimes more magical and memorable, whether it’s for a special family gathering or just a lazy lunch at home, your customers will never want to grow up with these gorgeous placemats in their homes. As well as Never Grow Up (Peter Pan Placemats Set of Four), fans of Disney’s classic Peter Pan can add to the magic across their homes with the coordinating Pixie Dust (Peter Pan Coaster Set of Four).

Enesco

T: 01228 404022

E: uksales@enesco.co.uk

W: www.enesco.co.uk

2: It’s Time To Mine

Is your work desk looking a bit bare? Or does your book shelf have a space in it which you just don’t know how to fill? Well luckily Puckator has expanded its already impressive range of Solar Pals to include new Minecraft versions styled as the iconic Steve and Alex characters. The novelty ornaments animate when exposed to sunlight - Alex starts mining and Steve swings his sword. So grab your pickaxe and pop your mining helmet on, and watch these new Minecraft Solar Pals make your desk a little more fun.

Puckator

T: 0800 0116969

E: customerservices@puckator.co.uk

W: www.puckator.co.uk

3: New Mickey Mouse Love

Figurine

Enesco has unveiled a new Mickey Mouse figurine inspired by romance and the theme of love into its popular Britto’s Disney collection. The collection pairs one of the world’s best-loved family brands with the sought-after contemporary artist, Romero Britto. An international pop art sensation, he has interpreted some of the world’s favourite Disney characters in figurines through his signature style. The new Mickey Love Figurine is the perfect present full of heart-felt sentiment for special occasions that celebrate all-things love; from Valentine’s Day to wedding day gifts and everything in between. Like all figurines in the Disney Britto collection, the piece has a carefully hand-painted, high gloss finish. Presented in a branded gift box, Disney Britto is a range with huge heart and guaranteed mass appeal.

Enesco

T: 01228 404022

E: uksales@enesco.co.uk

W: www.enesco.co.uk

4: Ready For Blast Off

Introducing Fizz Creations' latest NASA-inspired lighting products. Elevate your space enthusiast's experience with the captivating lava lamp featuring red lava and blue liquid, reminiscent of distant galaxies. Illuminate your home using the sleek logo light, proudly displaying the iconic NASA emblem. Add a galactic glow and transform any space into an otherworldly oasis.

Fizz Creations

T: 01903 327006

W: www.fizzcreations.com

5: New Lion King Figurine

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of Disney’s The Lion King, Enesco has introduced a new format figurine featuring fan-favourites from the 1994 film into its Disney Traditions by Jim Shore collection. The new Lion King Carved Stone Figurine from Disney Traditions by Jim Shore aims to capture the magic of that moment in the movie, when all of the characters gather on Pride Rock, surveying the savannah below, to the rousing lyrics of The Circle of Life. In a new format for Jim Shore, Pride Rock forms the base of the Lion King Carved Stone Figurine, featuring all of the main characters from the 1994 film. Jim has left no detail untouched in the piece, even down to the inclusion of Rafiki’s drawing of baby Simba, hand-drawn using the dyes from exotic fruits and spices onto the Tree of Life.

Enesco

T: 01228 404022

E: uksales@enesco.co.uk

W: www.enesco.co.uk

New What s ,

Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest licensed gift products and ranges available to retailers now

1: Gremlins Gizmo Sleep Mask

Keep the ‘bright light’ locked out and ready for a restful night’s slumber with this furry Gizmo inspired sleep mask! Stitched with a super cute Gizmo face design this super soft and fluffy plush mask is gentle on tired eyes and features a soft elasticated head band for added comfort.

Mad Beauty

T: 0208 958 0555

E: sales@madbeauty.com

W: www.madbeauty.com

2: New Sleeping Beauty Figurine

New for summer 2023, contemporary gift supplier Enesco is delighted to present new figurines into its ever-popular botanical range - calling on all things floral - into its licensed Disney Showcase Collection. The ever-growing Botanical Range from Disney Showcase sees your customers’ favourite Disney Princesses and other much-loved characters presented in ways they’ve never seen before, with each figurine perfectly poised on a bed of flowers that helps to capture the essence of the character and harness the themes that run through the plots of their respective films. Having launched in January 2023 to much acclaim, Disney Showcase is now expanding its Botanical Range to include three new Disney princesses. One of the new figurines into the Botanical Range is the Briar Rose (Aurora) Botanical figurine. Sleeping Beauty, as your customers may know her, is presented in her peasant outfit akin to when she lived deep in the forest with her three Fairy Godmothers, in an attempt to escape Maleficent’s wicked curse. In keeping with this theme, Briar Rose is positioned as if walking through the flowerbeds of the forest, with delicate blue and white flowers trailing from her wicker basket down into the folds of her long flowing skirt. Enesco

T: 01228 404022

E: uksales@enesco.co.uk

W: www.enesco.co.uk

3: The Flintstones Bedrock Bath Fizzers

Lay back, relax and travel back in time with these playful The Flintstone inspired Bedrock bath fizzers. Fragranced with cedarwood and lime, pop one of these rock shaped fizzers under warm running water and get ready to indulge in a refreshing and uplifting bath time experience. Let’s rock…

Mad Beauty

T: 0208 958 0555

E: sales@madbeauty.com

W: www.madbeauty.com

4: Scion Living Pet Accessories

Alongside the eye-catching homewares and baby collection, Enesco is also delighted to introduce Scion Living Pet Accessories. All furry friends deserve a treat. Your customers can look no further than the delightful Pet Accessories range, exclusively from Enesco. Happy homes mean happy pets, so it’s all about sharing simple joys that’ll please customers and their pets. A delight for pet and owner, the selection of accessories, which includes bowls, leads, collars, beds and bandanas, are on-trend mustard or navy and feature all-time Scion favourite design, Mr Fox bringing uplifting colours to every home. Animals are often the stars of Scion’s characterful collections, so, Enesco are thrilled to have the chance to show their love for cuddly companions up and down the land.

Enesco

T: 01228 404022

E: uksales@enesco.co.uk

W: www.enesco.co.uk

New What s

5:

The Perfect Plush For Everyday Gifting

Posh Paws’ licensed range of beautiful Swizzels Love Hearts plush includes a variety of fun, trending and sentimental products for every day, seasonal and celebratory gifting opportunities all year round. New for tween, teen and adult gifting, you can order the adorable You Grow Girl succulent flowerpot for positive vibes, the Olive You Olive and I Love You A Latte coffee cup and Perfect Pear pears to spread some love and to show someone how special they are, they have the Greatest of All Time Football and You’re Bun in a Million burger. All the Swizzels Love Hearts plush gifts are made using the highest quality fabrics, softest stuffing and finished with exquisite detailing. Posh Paws International

T: 01268 567317

E: sales@poshpawsinternational.co.uk.

Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest licensed gift products and ranges available to retailers now

CME is a friendly, family-run business that started from modest roots on a market stall in 1975, moving into wholesale three years later. Over the past 45 years, the company has become one of the UK’s leading wholesalers of high-quality sterling silver and 9ct gold products, with over 5,000 designs in the collection.

Timeless To

Onon-brand, finished jewellery, designed to suit all styles, the jewellery ranges from traditional and timeless classics to trend-led, fashionable pieces. Over 300 lines are added every year to keep ranges fresh and interesting.

“We set extremely competitive prices which offer strong profit margins for retailers,” explains general manager Debbie Hunt, whose father founded the business. “We operate on a trade-only basis, so retailers have the freedom to market the goods with their own unique branding. Our aim is to give them the look and quality of non-branded jewellery at affordable prices.”

Continues Debbie: “We work with large and small companies and love to share our expertise with new businesses. Three years ago, we launched a new website to keep up with the demand for online sales and continue to evolve our systems and services. For example, customers can take advantage of our image sharing and competitive delivery options.”

She says that Autumn marks a return to sparkle and glamour with both classically inspired cubic zirconia ranges as well as more contemporary styles inspired by the sun and moon. “Hoop earrings remain very popular where we’re adding pieces with bold twists, along with amber and enamel,” Debbie confirms. “Dropper earrings too, seem set to swing back into popularity, with dangle earrings - from teardrop and oval to longer sophisticated drops – ideal for the party season.” Chain also gets the sparkle treatment with curb chain bracelets for men and women, embellished with pave. Other strong sellers for the company

Trendy

include pearl, feelgood colours, hearts and paper chain, with new options including larger pearl studs and dazzling pink and clear CZ bracelets. “Our Italian designed collection features catwalkworthy ankle chains and new varieties of neck chains that can be worn alone or with a pendant,” Debbie highlights. “Plus, our amber collection features a range of creatures, as well as modern, minimal contemporary designs.”

Naturally, the company keeps a keen eye on upcoming trends and build collections around them. “Pearls, for instance, are everywhere in fashion, with our pearl jewellery reflecting that,” says Debbie. “Designs offered are modern, asymmetric and mixed with other stones, feature some stunning pieces. Colourful stoned and enamel jewellery has also made a big splash this year with pink particularly in demand, perhaps influenced by the new Barbie film.”

On the traditional front, the CME ranges include lockets, hearts and

crosses to symbolise personal expressions of love or belief, as well as to mark milestones in people’s lives.

Going forward, the company is focusing on sustainability, working on reducing its carbon footprint and supporting wildlife charities. “We’ve just taken delivery of a new electric van as part of the process, and would also like to develop a range of eco-packaging to offer packaged goods and point of sale that we feel will appeal to gift shops. In addition, a range of recycled silver is also on our agenda,” adds Debbie, “although we are moving carefully to make sure that we have all the relevant certifications.”

She says that what she loves most about working in the jewellery sector is supporting small businesses. “It’s such a pleasure to see people grow from small beginnings, with independent retailers offering that allimportant variety.”

Left: Pearls reflect current jewellery trends.

Inset: Part of the company’s new pink collection.

Left: CME’s Debbie Hunt.

Below: Traditional lines include lockets.

Top Drawer Autumn will be welcoming visitors to London’s Olympia from 10-12 September, showcasing curated cutting-edge products across gifts and home décor, along with seasonal accessories and stationery. PG&H takes a peek at the show highlights.

At The Cutting

Celebrated British fashion designer Amanda Wakeley will be among the keynote speakers at Top Drawer’s RetailFest which will be returning with daily sessions throughout the three days of the show. Also taking to the stage will be Ami Rabheru from The Retail Business Hub, Kirsty Raper from @ReBuildagram and fashion writer Emily Jane Johnston.

In addition, visitors will also be able to attend insightful discussions on creating social media videos, understanding the Metaverse, using AI and mastering digital marketing.

For trend spotters, The Better Trends Company will be showcasing leading trends for the upcoming season, with a trends area featuring emerging trends for 2024 along with gifting inspiration for Christmas 2023.

The show will see over 500 exhibitors showcasing product across nine sectors: Home, Gift, Play, Food Emporium, Fashion, Wellbeing, Craft, Greetings and Stationery and Launchpad.

Some 30% of exhibitors will be showing for the first time to include Aarke, Caroline Svedbom, Chipolo, Elizabeth Scarlett, JT England, Live VIDA, Made Happy Gifts, Mantidy, Tiptree and West Design Products, with international exhibitors attending from Australia, Chile and Japan. Companies

returning to the show include Aery, Bookspeed, CHALK, Ginger Ray, Kikkerland, LIGA, Lisa Angel, My Doris, Roka London and Suck UK.

Once again, the Launchpad sector will be putting fresh, emerging talent in the spotlight, with Top Drawer continuing its partnership with the University of Arts London, which will showcase handselected products from recent graduates.

“I can’t wait for Olympia’s doors to open –the team have worked their socks off over the last 12 months to ensure the show is bursting with newness this September,” enthuses show manager David Westbrooke. “With 150 exhibitors making their Top Drawer debut, new brands, new launches and new products will be absolutely everywhere this season. Most of these exhibitors are also showing

Meet Up With An Expert

here exclusively, so buyers won’t find them anywhere else.”

Adds David: “Additionally, some 10% of our exhibitors are now coming from outside the UK, giving buyers the chance to source the very best products from around the world. All of this, combined with our fantastic trends feature and Retailfest seminars, makes Top Drawer the place to be – miss it, miss out!” To register, visit www.topdrawer.co.uk

This season, Top Drawer will be launching a brand new Business Hub where visitors and exhibitors will be able to book free 15 minute sessions with industry experts to discuss their business and gain invaluable advice from the best in the business.

The Hub will take place on Sunday 10 September, from 1-4pm. To book a session email Businesshub@clarionevents.com

Inset: Buyers browsing last year’s show.

Inset: Top Drawer will be back at London’s Olympia from 10-12 September.

Below: Mugs from Musango.

Left: Suck UK will be among the exhibitors.

Inset: Amanda Wakeley is a RetailFest keynote speaker.

1: Luxury Home Fragrance

An English home fragrance brand, handmade in Sussex, Purnima is inspired and defined by soft silhouettes, intricate design and delightful textures. Founded with a vision to be a celebration of beauty, harmony and quality, Purnima hopes to help you create space in this busy world. A space to think, dream or just be.

Purnima Fragrances

Visit: Top Drawer - Stand K48

T: 07396 720164

E: sales@purnimafragrances.com

W:  www.purnimafragrances.com

2: The Gift of Hope

This handcrafted soy wax candle represents hope. It’s a biodegradable glass candle infused with luxury which provides sustained employment, mental health and qualifications to people experiencing homelessness. As the two wicks burn, notes of white florals, vanilla and coffee diffuse into the air, along with hope that there is a brighter future tomorrow for those experiencing homelessness. It’s a product handmade for the home, so people can rebuild theirs.

Labre’s Hope

Visit: Top Drawer – Stand G40

T: 07518 021148

E: Aaron@labreshope.co.uk

3: The Joy of Christmas

Take 20 precious minutes for your relaxation and well-being with these handmade pure beeswax 20-minute candles from Cotton & Grey. New for the 2023 Christmas season, the candle sets each contain scripture cards inside, adding a meaningful religious touch with an uplifting message, complementing the spirit of the season. Each box contains 10 candles with a ceramic holder and 10 scripture cards. See all the designs across six ranges on the website.

Cotton & Grey Ltd

Visit: Top Drawer – Stand M48

T: Claire on 07876763774

E: info@cottonandgrey.com

W:  www.cottonandgrey.com

4: Incense Renaissance

Heaven Scent started its business selling incense back in 1993. "We sold incense to shops that were slightly different to the usual ethnic smells that were around and popular at the time; we sold fragrances like Melon and Strawberry or Vanilla, something no one was doing so our incense became very popular,” commented Daniel Pettitt, md of Heaven Scent. The company still sells incense – which is made in Wiltshire - with popular fragrances including Black Pomegranate and Lime Basil and Mandarin. It also sells a full essential oils range. Daniel continued: “There is a renaissance of incense at the moment. Since lockdown, people have sought other ways to fragrance their homes other than candles; incense seems to bring with it a sense of ritual and calm which seems to appeal to people."

Visit the company at Autumn Fair and Top Drawer.

Heaven Scent

Visit: Autumn Fair and Top Drawer

E: contact@heavenscent.co.uk

W:  www.heavenscent.co.uk

5: Autumn Garland

Felt Craft Kit

Welcome autumn's embrace with Hawthorn

Handmade's Autumn Garland Felt Craft Kit.

Billed as ideal for budding crafters, the kit includes easy-to-follow, detailed instructions. Complete with everything you need, let your imagination run wild amid the season's hues. Get ready for cozy, creative afternoons and festive displays. Your fun-filled crafting adventure awaits.

Hawthorn Handmade

Visit: Top Drawer - Stand L20

T: 01258 863873

E: wholesale@hawthornhandmade.co.uk

W:  www.hawthornhandmade.com

New What s

1: Keep Toasty and Warm

Cosy Panda has upgraded the beloved hot water bottle to keep families cosier for longer. All of its covers are handmade in the UK and are developed with only premium sustainable materials from natural bamboo to upcycled fashion deadstock. As part of its commitment to nature, Cosy Panda also donates 2% of sales to the Red Panda Foundation to support wild red panda conservation in Nepal.

Cosy Panda

Visit: Top Drawer - Stand: H25

T: 07419 825854

E: freddie@cosypanda.com

W: www.cosypanda.com

2: Christmas Indulgence

Crafted with care and infused with the spirit of Christmas, St. Eval’s new Winter’s Eve festive candles add warmth, joy, and a touch of elegance to your winter nights. Filled with the delightful scents of warming Inspiritus, comforting Orange & Cinnamon, and soothing Winter Thyme. Each pot is handmade in a family-run factory in Portugal and truly unique due to their reactive glazes.

St. Eval

Visit: Top Drawer - Stand E21

T: 01841 540850

E: info@st-eval.com

W: www.st-eval.com

3: New Unique Home Décor Range

Concrete & Cacti is a North Yorkshire-based studio specialising in handcrafted concrete pots, homewares and gifts paired with easycare houseplants, succulents and cacti. It offers a great range of home decorations. Each of the concrete items are individually handmade, which makes each one unique in character. The company loves the raw and rustic nature of concrete paired with the simplistic beauty of bright green leaves. Surface pattern and texture is celebrated.

Concrete & Cacti

Visit: Top Drawer – Stand: Craft - CR35

T: +44 7568 360714

E: trade@concreteandcacti.com

W: concreteandcacti.com

4: Candlemeleon Colour Changing Candles

Candlemeleon - the colour changing 2023

Highly Commended Gift Of The Year finalistis back on launchpad at Top Drawer. The now international, game changing disruptive company is looking forward to its first official Q4 and is inviting visitors to the show to indulge in its autumn/winter scents, Miami Art Deco, Red Snake and Forest of Dean.

Candlemeleon

Visit: Top Drawer – Stand: Launchpad B19

T: Lewis Davis on 07494 042024

E: info@candlemeleon.com

W: www.candlemeleon.com

New What s ,

5:

New Hand and Body Range

Autumn/Winter 2023 is set to be an exciting season for CAHM, with its Hand & Body Wash and Lotion launching at Top Drawer. Screen printed in Yorkshire on Europeansourced glass with fully recyclable pumps, no tiny detail has been missed - available in 10 core fragrances from the CAHM range. New for A/W are winter diffusers in Spiced Orange & Nutmeg, plus Vanilla & Cinnamon.

CAHM

Visit: Top Drawer – Stand H41

T: 07487 264762

E: trade@thecahmcollective.com

W: www.thecahmcollective.com

Following a major rebrand of what was formerly Think Pink, Floss & Rock was launched by husband and wife team Tim Hislop and Gill Stratton in 2016. Today the King’s Award-winning company offers a multi-gender range of children’s gifts and toys, primarily targeting the two to ten age group, with a raft of new launches being unveiled for Autumn/Winter.

Child’s Play

Based in Blackpool, which is famous for its candy ‘floss’ and sticks of ‘rock’, we wanted the brand to make a playful nod to the famous English seaside resort that is our home,” explains Floss & Rock’s creative director Gill Stratton. Products feature in five key categories: Creative Art (magic water, learn to paint/draw, reusable stickers, secret diaries); Magnetic Play (magnetic games, puzzles and activities); Puzzles (jigsaws in all shapes and sizes); Play (playhouses, tea sets, memory games and dominoes) and Lifestyle (colour changing umbrellas, backpacks, jewellery boxes).

Brand new for Autumn/Winter 2023 is Pets illustration, which features a fun collection of animals on a bright background. The Creative Art category is also having a major injection of newness after a very successful launch in January, with Chalkboard Sketchbooks, Transfer Fun and Scratch & Play among the new product line-ups. Plus, a new addition to Magnetic Play is a Magnetic Playtime tin featuring two play scenes, and over 50 magnetic accessories, housed in a colourful tin, which Gill says is ideal for onthe-go play as well as for gifting.

“Something we’re very passionate about is our ‘no plastic, no tech’ approach to our product development strategy,” Gill states. “We create products that hold traditional play values with a modern twist. By avoiding screen time and increasing time spent playing, creating, imagining and learning new skills we’re able to focus on the

King’s Award Honour

educational elements while making them fun for children.”

Gill emphasises that sustainability is a huge focus across the gift and toy sector, with the company proud to have launched a ‘single use plastic free’ plan. “As of January this year, all of our new stock and re-buys arriving in our warehouses worldwide are plastic free and made using responsibly sourced materials. That includes recycled paper, tin and card, vegetable/soy inks and FSC and biodegradable materials. To make it clear to our end users, customers can look for the ‘eco tree’ on the front of all products and an easy to read mission statement on the back of each individual item.”

Looking ahead, she says that the company will continue its ambitious growth and development strategy. “We will be working with our in-house team of talented designers and technicians to bring new and exciting products to shelves worldwide.”

In April, Gill and Tim Hislop were incredibly proud to be among the very first companies to win a King’s Award for Enterprise for International Trade.

“This was a huge commendation for the massive growth in our export sales since 2016,” states Gill. “In that year, exports were 20% of our total sales. In 2022 they had grown to 80%! Outside the UK, the USA is our largest market and we hope to continue our growth worldwide with a particular focus on growth within the UK.”

Right: A colour changing umbrella in Construction.

Above: A magnetic playtime tin in Rainbow Fairy.

Below:

Top: Floss & Rock’s founders Gill Stratton and Tim Hislop.

The 80 piece Pets jigsaw.

1: New Freeform Collection

Lila’s all-new Freeform collection has just been launched and is already making a big impression. Featuring freeform stones and freshwater pearls with organic shaped metal mouldings in gold or rhodium colour plating, our new Freeform collection is right on trend and will delight your customers. Each piece comes boxed and at a trade price of just £6 they are sure to make an instant impact on your sales.

Lila Jewellery

T: 01582 841158

E: sales@lilajewellery.co.uk

W:  www.lilajewellery.co.uk

2: Personalised Garden Sign Outdoor Solar Light

This personalised garden sign solar light is part of PMC’s brand-new range of LED lights, spanning across a large range of different designs including memorial and photo upload. Easily installed using either the supplied ground stake or by fixing onto a wall and charged using the solar panel so there are no batteries or wires required. Visit PMC’s website to see their full range of LED signs.

PMC

E: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk

W:  www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

3: Have Fun

CME adds these playful robots to its Junior collection. Jewellery for every occasion from dogs, cats and dinosaurs to quality classical keepsake pieces. Choose from a wide range of styles including their own exclusive in-house junior designs of earrings, pendants and bangles featuring a heart or crown. For children ready to explore their sense of style come dazzling pink cubic zirconia, pearls and enamel.

CME Leicester Limited

T: 0116 283 2240

E: sales@cmejewellery.co.uk

W:  linktr.ee/cmejewellery

4: Personalised Wooden Dinosaur Stacker Toy

PMC is excited to announce its excting new range of wooden toys, including this adorable wooden dinosaur stacking toy, personalised with a message or single name. With colourful easy to use pieces this personalised dinosaur stacker toy is a wonderful gift for any little one, whether as a toy to encourgage their development or as an ornamental keepsake, this gift can be treasured for years to come. Visit its trade website to find out how to add drop-ship personalised gifts to your offer.

PMC

E: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk

W:  www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

5: Pretty In Pink

This 12 "hand-painted highly detailed Betty Boop Diner Waitress is one of its best-selling items in a range of over 60 figurines.

Now available in the New pink colourway, it is sure to be a must-have addition to the 1,000's of Betty Boop collectors. Trade: £20.97 SRP: £48.00

JJ Vaillant Ltd

T: 0121 667 3629

E: info@jjvaillant.co.uk

W:  www.jjvaillant.co.uk

New What s ,

Progressive

Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products and ranges available to retailers now

Anne Boleyn Book of Hours Collection produced for Hever Castle

1: The Signature Collection is Back

Katie Loxton's bestselling Signature Collection returns and has been elevated for the new season. While the on-trend monogram logo print remains, the heritage-inspired range has been refreshed with reimagined hues of Emerald Green and Chocolate. It also proudly showcases the new additions of Scarves and sweet Cell Crossbody Bags. A firm favourite among customers and stockists alike, this collection is sure to inspire captivating instore displays.

Katie Loxton

T: 01295 250879

E: enquiries@katieloxton.com

W: www.wholesale.katieloxton.com

2: Classically Stylish

Walking stick specialist, Classic Canes also stocks a capsule collection of classic umbrellas to complement its cane ranges. New additions to its umbrella lineup this autumn include a chic ladies’ bamboo handle umbrella with a burgundy canopy and a formal gentleman’s equivalent with a grey canopy - perfect for use with a grey suit, as well as for everyday use. Other umbrellas in the range include plain and checked models, walking and folding umbrellas.

Classic Canes

T: 01460 75686

E: info@classiccanes.co.uk

W: www.classiccanes.co.uk

3: Stacks Of Style

Joma Jewellery’s dazzling new mix and match range - Stacks of Style - has landed. Created to help your customers perfect the art of easy layering and seamlessly transition their staple pieces from one occasion to the next, why not add a little shimmer to your in-store display with these matching jewellery styles this season? Whether they are being bought as a gift or self-care treat, the range is sure to inspire a little star-studded stacking.

Joma Jewellery

T: 01295 263430

E: enquiries@jomajewellery.com

W: www.wholesale.jomajewellery.com

4: Elegant And Stylish Table Lamp

A new table lamp design from Mandarin Arts features two birds poised to enjoy a harvest of ripe blueberries growing on interwoven branches of a stylised bush. The lamp is made from a ‘flattened’ vase which makes it an excellent choice for a narrow window sill or shelf. The lamp shade is oval and is made from off-white textured linen. For the full range of lamps and other products, simply check out the website.

Mandarin Arts

T: 01873 812255

E: info@mandarinarts.co.uk

W: www.mandarinarts.co.uk

5: Cosy Up At Christmas

As the days get shorter and colder, it feels like Christmas is creeping up on us, not that summer has been much different than autumn. But it does mean that the time for buying presents is nearly upon us. Over at Puckator, it has some lovely glazed ceramic incense holders and oil burners. The ceramics sport tasteful and minimalist designs of snowflakes and Christmas trees, making them fit perfectly into any home during the winter. Light a candle, pop in some essential oils and create the perfect cosy Christmas environment.

Puckator

T: 0800 0116969

E: customerservices@puckator.co.uk

W: www.puckator.co.uk

New What s

Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products and ranges available to retailers now

Eco-friendly - recycled & recyclable Fairtrade & handmade by Indian craftsmen

NEW FOR 2023

Tilnar Art is very proud to have designed and now be launching our new AluminArk Collection of New Mini Animals and Keyrings along with our new AluminArk Garden Collection plus additions to our current collections.

Autumn Fair 2023 - NEC – 3-6 September 2023 - Hall 6 Stand J30

Spring Fair 2024 –NEC- 4 – 7 February 2024 – Hall 5 Stand A20-B23

sales@tilnarart.co.uk

1: New Julie Dodsworth

Seasonal Fragrances

New for Autumn/Winter 2023 is Angel Wood from Julie Dodsworth. The seasonal addition to the range is inspired by Sunday morning walks with Julie’s father as a little girl. “He gave me the priceless gift of opening my eyes to the changing of the seasons and the wonder of the world around us,” commented Julie. An autumnal Orange & Clove Fragrance is available as Wax Melts, Reed Diffuser, Candle Tin & Incense, all made in England and with retail prices from £6.99.

The new addition for 2023 adds to the rest of the collection and two other seasonal fragrances, Christmas Eve and Figgy Fox.

Broughton & Beech

T: 01270 335034

E: sales@broughtonandbeech.co.uk

2: Perfect Ready-Made Gifts

Love Country has come up with some perfect readymade gifts this winter. The Beauty Gift Bags contain a luxury hand and body cream, plus lip balm presented in a linen drawstring bag printed in a matching design. There are 13 fragrances and designs to choose from. The Fragrance Gift Bag contains a Home Fragrance scented sachet and a 50ml Room Spray with a matching linen bag available in five festive fragrances and six everyday fragrances. With a focus on eco-friendly products this year, there are lots more new textile items including tote and jute bags, purses and Christmas sacks featuring the popular country style artwork. Request the new Winter Brochure to see what's new this year.

Love Country

T: 01502 507352

E: support@lovecountryuk.co.uk

W: www.lovecountryuk.co.uk

3: Nature's Charm in Handblown Glass

Dreamlight Collection combines floral decorations with hand blown glass to create stunning and exclusive tea light holders and decorative angels. Each glass piece is handmade in Germany and features high-quality natural materials, such as petals, seasonal fruits and foliage carefully selected and colour-coordinated. The result is a complex process down to the tiniest detail, creating exceptional pieces that bring a ray of light to every living space.

Zinc Home

T: 0141 459 0529

E: sales@zinchome.co.uk

W: www.zinchome.co.uk

4: Commemorate All of Your Travels

Storyteller has unveiled FlagMate, a keyring designed and handcrafted in the UK that helps capture and commemorate all of your travels in one place. Each flag is individually hand-painted with the added option to engrave the back with your special memories. With each new country you visit, simply add another flag to the FlagMate and relive every chapter of your travels. 10% of each purchase also goes directly towards helping those less fortunate around the world access quality education. FlagMate has recently been listed in the best travel accessory category at the 2023 Global Travel Retail Awards.  Storyteller

E: hello@storytellertravel.co.uk

W: www.storytellertravel.co.uk

5: Enchanted Woodland Collection

Introducing the Enchanted Woodland Collection. With its timeless design, nostalgic feel and the nation's favourite festive fragrances, the whimsical collection is billed as an absolute musthave for any Christmas lover and retailer alike. Look out for the new POS display, bringing the collection to life and making it perfect for those in-store displays.

The Country Candle Co

T: 01249 478660

E: sales@thecountrycandlecompany.com

W: www.thecountrycandlecompany.com

New What s ,

Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products and ranges available to retailers now

ANNE BARBER, OWNER OF IN HEAVEN AT HOME, MARKET HARBOROUGH

A medium sized gift store on a high street

CATEGORYSUPPLIERS/RANGES COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

The Libra Company: sculptures; clocks;

Scatterbox: cushions, throws, bedspreads

Fragranced Giftware

Jewellery

Fashion/Fashion Accessories

Marmalade of London: Wellbeing;

Betty Hula: Wonder oil

Joma Jewellery: A Little bracelets

Lua: bags

Greeting Cards

Giftwrap

Other Hot Hits

Sarah Kelleher

Deva Designs

Bunnies By

Bronze sculptures, as well as wall and mantel clocks, are very popular for special gifts.

The best velour and velvet cushions, along with throws and bedspreads, in an amazing array of colours.

A beautiful range of candles and reed diffusers with a luxury spa ambience.

This is magical. It’s100% natural and ideal for people with sensitive skin.

They are loved by all and make sweet presents.

Our customers especially like the velvet purses, makeup and wash bags. The Geo Leaf range is selling well.

The gold foil range is our best seller. We stock all of Sarah’s ranges and have recently re-decorated using her wallpaper.

We offer the whole wrapping solution: wrap, tags, bags and ribbons.

The softest, cutest most cuddly plush.

BEV YATES, MANAGER, MADDISON, HARBORNE

A large gift shop on a high street

CATEGORY SUPPLIERS/RANGES COMMENT

Home Fragrancing

Jewellery

Fashion/Fashion Accessories

Greeting Cards

Giftwrap

Other Hot Hits

Marmalade of London: across the board;

Life Charms: bracelets;

Indulgence: across the board

Alice Wheeler: bags;

Butterfly; scarves

Five Dollar Shake

Glick

House of Sarunds: chocolates;

Jellycat: plush

Soya wax candles with beautiful fragrances.

The bracelets feature lovely sentiments for all occasions.

Very pretty jewellery.

Good designs in lots of different colours.

Very soft scarves featuring beautiful designs.

The cards keep getting better across all ages.

Good quality wrap, good designs.

Absolutely beautiful chocolates. Customers can make up their own box.

Simply the best soft toy.

The Bay: plush

Above: Libra clocks against Sara Kelleher wallpaper.

Below: Among Joma Jewellery’s Christmas ’23 A Little collection.

Top: Peony from Marmalade of London

Above: Life Charms’ new Birthflower design.

CLAIRE JARVIS AND NICKY STEPHENSON, CO-OWNERS, THE TUTBURY PRESENT COMPANY, TUTBURY

A medium/large gift shop on a village high street

CATEGORYSUPPLIERS/RANGES COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Home Fragrancing

Tweed Mill Textiles: throws;

Art Marketing: frames and prints

Stoneglow: across the board;

Freckleface: pick & mix soya wax melts

Jewellery

Reeves & Reeves: silver jewellery;

Suzie Blue: across the board

Fashion/Fashion Accessories

Powder: scarves, socks and gloves;

Katie Loxton: scarves and pouches

Greeting Cards

Giftwrap

Other Hot Hits

Five Dollar Shake

Glick

Allsorted: gift books;

House of Sarunds: loose chocolates

They are handmade in Wales and really beautiful.

Classic, stylish designs that are competitively priced.

Beautiful fragrances. Products are made in Britain.

Pretty melts in distinctive packaging, with fabulous fragrances.

Classic pieces with the bee an especially strong seller.

Statement jewellery in summer colours.

Always a winner. Strong designs and unbeatable packaging.

The scarves fly out of the shop.

Sales have gone crazy. We sell a huge number of cards at £6.99.

Good quality, great designs. Our customers love it.

Books add to the experience of shopping with us.

In four years, we have sold almost 80,000 chocolates! Customers choose what they want.

SHIRLEY MACIVER, OWNER, ORANGE BLOSSOM HOME & GIFT, POLLOCKSHIELDS

A small gift shop in the suburbs

CATEGORY SUPPLIERS/RANGES COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Casa Verde in Association with Terrace & Garden; Walton & Co: throws and cushions

Home Fragrancing

Love Scottish: candles and diffusers;

Freckleface: pick & mix soya wax melts

Branch: statement jewellery;

Jewellery

Fashion Accessories

Claire Elizabeth Kilgour: brass and sterling silver jewellery

Miss Shorthair: scarves and bags;

Sole Panda: socks and belts

Greeting Cards

Giftwrap

Other Hot Hits

Rosie Made A Thing

Caroline Gardner

Jomanda: soft toys

Lovely colourful pieces with a Spanish influence.

Homely, soft colours that our customers love.

Soya based candles with essential oils that have the most wonderful fragrances.

Customers comment that the shop smells amazing. The melts fly out of the shop.

Beautiful items from a company with an amazing ethos.

Beautiful, delicate, handmade pieces.

Vibrant, fun, contemporary scarves and bags for all occasions.

Distinctive products with sustainability at their heart. Customers go away with a handful of cards, crying with laughter.

Great quality, great designs.

Cute adorable products.

Top: Pick & Mix soya wax melts from Freckleface.

Below: Silver jewellery from Reeves & Reeves.

Bottom: Jomanda’s Highland Coo Cow.

Below: Statement jewellery from Branch.

Opinel knives were born in 1890 in the heart of the French Alps. The simplicity and universal functionality of the design made them instantly popular, and today they are recognised as one of the world’s foremost design icons.

Still made by the Opinel family in Chambéry, in the Savoie region of France, the classic Opinel pocket knives and tools are virtually unchanged from the original 1890 designs.

From farm to forest, garden to kitchen, and ship to shore, Opinel knives mean lasting quality and style from one generation to the next.

REEVES & REEVES

T: 01460 221630

E: caroline@reevesandreeves.com

W: www.reevesandreeves.com

MARMALADE OF LONDON

T: + 44 (0) 1242 257509

E: sales@marmaladeoflondon.com

W: www.marmaladeoflondon.com

JOMANDA

T: 0116 259 9800

E: Josales@jomanda.co.uk

W: www.jomandatrade.com

LIFE CHARMS

T: +44 0203 488 2656

E: sales@lifecharms.co.uk

W: www.lifecharms-trade.co.uk

KATIE LOXTON

T: 01295 250879

E: enquiries@katieloxton.com

W: www.wholesale.katieloxton.com

FRECKLEFACE HOME FRAGRANCE

T: 01778 393699

E: hello@frecklefacehomefragrance.com

W: www.frecklefacehomefragrance.com

STONEGLOW

T: 020 8595 8878

E: admin@stoneglowcandles.co.uk

W: www.stoneglowcandles.co.uk

JOMA JEWELLERY

T: 01295 263430

E: enquiries@jomajewellery.com

W: www.wholesale.jomajewellery.com

ALICE WHEELER LONDON

T: 0121 459 9777

E: orders@fmgsales.co.uk

W: www.alicewheelerlondon.co.uk

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!