Progressive Gifts and Home February 2015

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Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax: 020 7607 6411 www.progressivegifts.co.uk www.thegreatsawards.co.uk Publishers

Jacqueline Brown, Warren Lomax and Ian Hyder

Design & Production Russell Sutton

Subscriptions enquiries: maxsubscriptions@marketingreinforcements.co.uk Tel: 020 8943 9541

ABC figure 6,788 July 1st 2010 - 30th June 2011 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

This Month It was with a certain wry amusement that I read the 'Christmas Shopping Upheaval' story in December's Private Eye Christmas issue, written by the fictitious E Scrooge.

"With many online retailers admitting that Christmas orders won't be delivered to customers before March, many shoppers, angered by the delays, have taken the unprecedented step of turning off their computers and going to the shops. They actually let you see the product, you can touch it, try it on, play with it and take it home straightaway, rather than worrying for the next three weeks whether it will arrive. This is magical.

Why aren't there more of these in the high street?' an equally fictitious 20-something Anna was quoted as saying.

The article concluded: "Online retailers however, insisted that 'shops' were just a passing fad and that people would soon tire of being able to take their gifts straight home, much preferring the convenience that comes with one click of a button and 87 calls over the next three weeks to an unmanned customer service line."

As always, Private Eye has a sardonic way of hitting the nail on the head, and if my recent phone round to independent gift retailers is indeed a yardstick, then most good gift shops up and down the country did well over Christmas. And even more encouraging, a couple of the retailers I chatted to, Aspire Style and About Living, both opened new shops in November, with About Living planning more for 2015. See Feedback on pages 31-33. But, of course, it wasn't the same for everyone. Our erstwhile columnist Toni Williams, owner of Bagpuss Gallery in Ottery St Mary in Devon, bemoaned a lack of customers and no sign of panic buying in the last few days in his neck of the woods. See The Two Sides Of Christmas on page 27.

Nevertheless, with a steady recovery in consumer spending, borne out of lower inflation, lower unemployment and an improving economy, there has definitely been a greater confidence in recent months. While sales are expected to rise more slowly in the coming year, the CBI says that robust growth is anticipated, resulting in the strongest growth in orders placed with suppliers for a year. (See Industry Issue on pages 39-41 for the views of a cross section of leading gift suppliers).

Meanwhile, as the Spring seasons start to unfold, all gift retail eyes are now on Mother's Day on Sunday March 15, always a strong event for the industry, which, this year, is followed by an early Easter weekend from April 3 - 6. (Historically, Valentine's Day is never a particularly great one for gift indies).

With thoughts of Spring in mind, the Max Publishing team are, of course, looking forward to Spring Fair, which takes place at the NEC from February 1-5. We've gone behind the scenes to give you an early preview of some of the latest launches, and also discovered how a wide cross section of gift retailers will be 'shopping the show'. (See pages 49-51 and 83-85 respectively).

And finally, we're getting more and more excited about The Greats 2015, where, for the 13th consecutive year, we will be recognising and rewarding the cream of the gift retail crop at The Greats Awards at London's Savoy Hotel on Thursday May 7. There's still just about time to enter - or to nominate outstanding retailers - so don't miss out on the opportunity to see your name on the trophy!

(See pages 35-37 for more details).

As we go to press with this bumper pre-Spring Fair issue, we're looking forward to seeing you lots of you at the NEC next month. If you spot us in the aisles, we love to chat, so please stop and say 'hello'!

Above: Sue toasts a successful Christmas, a brand new year and The Greats 2015.

Cover: Summer Daisy from Lesser & Pavey designed in the UK.

Progressive Gifts & Home is published 7 times a year.

Subscription: UK; one year £50, two years £85 or three years £110. Overseas; one year £75, two years £125 or three years £165. Please send your cheque to: Progressive Gifts & Home, Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax 020 7609 4222/020 7607 6411 email: ianh@max-publishing.co.uk Copyright 2015. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

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W E ’ R E S O R RY B U T PA R L A N E D O E S N ’ T T R A D E W I T H T H I R D PA RT Y R E TA I L E R S O N A M A Z O N A N D E B AY

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IF YOU A RE LOOKING FOR N EW, CO MMER CI AL & ST Y L I S H P ROD UC TS FOR TH E HO ME, MADE WI T H N AT URA L MATE RIA LS B Y C RA FT S PEO PLE ARO U ND T H E WORL D THE N PA RLA NE IS F O R YO U. VI SI T U S AT TH E S PRING FA IR, NE C IN T HE SU MMER HO U SE,

HA L L 8 STA N D C 2 D 3 . t: 01451 812700

F EB 1 S T - 5 T H 2015.

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Inside Jakki Brown Editor in Chief

7-25

News

27

Gift of the Gab: Two Sides Of Christmas

31-33

Feedback: How Was Christmas?

35-37

The Greats 2015: A 'Great' Occasion

39-41

Industry Issue: Predictions For 2015: A Feeling Of Confidence

43

Sounding Off: Taxation Is Strangling The Economy

45-47

Retailer Face To Face Debenhams: Dedicated To Design

49-51

Spring Fair: Exhibitors: On The Launchpad

81

London Stationery Show/ National Stationery Week All's Write With The World

jw@max-publishing.co.uk

Sue Marks Editor suem@max-publishing.co.uk

Ian Hyder Publishing Director

angieb@max-publishing.co.uk

judys@max-publishing.co.uk

Face To Face: Caroline Gardner Exclusively Yours

100-101 In Profile: Best Kept Secrets A Recipe For Success 103-105 Progressive Greetings Live Magnificent Seven 107-109 Role Models: Full Of Admiration 110-111

In Profile: Kaemingk Deck The Halls

Spring Fair: Retailers Orders, Orders!

113-115

Shopping Around: Where The 'Gifties' Shop

86-87

In Profile: Stoneglow A 'Natural' Winner

117-119

Family Businesses: Keep It In The Family

89-91

Socially Speaking Getting Engaged

121

Trends: Club Tropicana

93-95

Retailer Face To Face Historic Royal Palaces: Bringing History To Life PAGES 93-95

Judy Stevens Sales & Marketing

97-99

83-85

ianh@max-publishing.co.uk

Angie Bryant Advertisement Manager

PAGES 97-99

123-125 Retailer Face To Face Giant's Causeway Visitor Attraction: Going Local 127-133 Spotlight On... Candles Fresh New Spring 141-145 Spotlight On... Jewellery & Fashion Accessories Sentimentally Speaking 151-155 Spotlight On... Nursery/Children's: Kids Mean Biz 160-161 Best Sellers 163

On The Road: Gift agent Lucy Sharp

163

Life Before Gifts: Andy Adamson, Calliope Gifts PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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GET YOUR FREE TICKET TO THE UK’S GREATEST GIFT AND HOME FAIR AT WWW.SPRINGFAIR.COM/PROGRESSIVEGIFTS

Products: Burgon & Ball, Present Time, Present Time, Suck UK, J-Me

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Industry News

The Greats 2015 Last Chance To Enter!

With the closing date for Greats entries just days away, gift retailers who would like a chance of seeing their shop name on a Greats trophy at the 2015 Greats Awards being held at London's Savoy on Thursday May 7 - need to send in their entries as fast as possible! Entry forms can be downloaded by visiting www.thegreatsawards.co.uk or entries can be sent direct to suem@max-publishing.co.uk Organised by Progressive Gifts & Home, editor Sue Marks comments: "The Greats are a fantastic opportunity for gift retailers to raise their profile in their local communities, helping to set their shop apart from others on the high street. Being shortlisted is a huge achievement in itself, generating local media coverage which in turn helps to drive footfall. Whether a winner or a finalist, it's up to retailers to make the most of the marketing opportunities that The Greats affords them."

Suppliers, manufacturers, reps and agents are also being invited to nominate the retailers they feel have been outstanding over the past year.

In addition, all retailers are invited to nominate staff who have gone the extra mile in the Gift Retail Employee of The Year category, or to nominate suppliers who they feel have given them excellent service over the past 12 months in the Best Service to the Independent Retailer category.

Entry forms can be downloaded by visiting www.thegreatsawards.co.uk or entries sent direct to: ianh@max-publishing.co.uk.

Nominations are also invited from across the industry for the 2015 Honorary Achievement Award, both from the supply and the retail sides of the industry. Recent winners have included Ken Johnson, md of Enesco Europe (2014); Gisela Graham, md of Gisela Graham (2013) and Oliver Tress, md of Oliver Bonas (2012).

The Greats Awards were first launched in 2003 by Progressive Gifts & Home, published by Max Publishing, and are now in their 13th year.

Below: The Greats winners 2014.

A 'First' For The National Trust For the first time in the history of the National Trust, an in-house designer, Laura Joynson, has been recruited who will be taking inspiration from the Trust's collections and landscapes to create exclusive and authentic ranges celebrating the best of the Trust.

"Over the past three years, we have been striving to improve our product ranges through editing fringe lines, focusing on key categories such as food, books and outdoor, and improving the overall quality of our offer," explains the National Trust's retail director Caroline Gitsham who joined the National Trust three years ago.

"We are also moving our offer to have broader appeal, that is, less traditional and more relevant to today’s customer, and with an element of seasonal newness and the customers have responded well to this."

Adds Caroline: "We are looking to build on our UK sourcing where possible and to tell the stories of UK manufacturing and craftsmanship."

See Going Local on pages 123-125.

Denby No Longer For Sale Following another successful trading period in 2014, the shareholders and Board of Denby Pottery have decided to formally bring the business sale process, that began last February, to an end.

"The ongoing performance of the business, and growth, led by our international markets, have convinced the Board that Denby's strong performance will continue to build in the coming years," stated Paul McGowan, chairman of Denby Holding and chief executive of Hilco Capital.

New Year, New Image

Greats Sponsors Line Up For 2015

The sponsors of The Greats 2015 include (in alphabetical order): Apple Display; Dansk Smykkekunst; Di Palomo; Gisela Graham; Harrogate Christmas & Gift; Joe Davies; Kaemingk; London Stationery Show/National Stationery Week; Premier Decorations; Progressive Greetings Live; Really Good/Soul; Spring Fair/Autumn Fair; The Giftware Association; Wild & Wolf; Yankee Candle.

Enjoy Lunch At The Savoy The Greats Awards lunch take place at London's stunning Savoy hotel, overlooking the River Thames, on Thursday May 7. For ticket information please contact Clare Davies at Createvents, tel: 01183 340085 or e-mail clare@createvents.co.uk.

Last year's event was over-subscribed and tickets will again sold be on a first come, first served basis.

Right: The magnificent Savoy in London.

RJB Stone has unveiled a fresh new image for 2015 designed to capture the company's newly defined mission statement, while aligning it with its retail brand Sass & Belle in order to create a united presence. To tie in with the new look, 1,000 new products will be launching.

“We always strive to create something beautiful and maintain our individuality," explains md Richard Stone. "Our design team is passionate about trends and inspiration.

Originality is at the heart of everything we do, but, most importantly, we always have fun. We want our customers to know that every RJB Stone product they buy is part of our motivation to make people smile."

Continues Richard: "Both our wholesale and retail brands are enjoying remarkable success and we are unifying them to create a consistent message to celebrate the growth of the whole family.”

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Industry News

Spring Fair 2015 Home A Major Feature

Proving that home is where the heart is, a new development at Spring Fair, which takes place from February 1-5 at the NEC, will be the unveiling of the show's transformed Home sector – formerly branded Home Interiors & Furniture – which has been relocated to Hall 1. This strategic move to the front of the show reflects both the strong growth in this sector, as well as the re-orientation towards the upper end of the home market, say organisers i2i Events, with 11 major international companies exhibiting for the first time.

Accordingly, the newly rebranded Table & Kitchen area - formerly Kitchen, Dining & Housewares will relocate to Hall 9, next to The Summerhouse in Hall 8 and the main gift hall, Hall 5, where Enesco, Joe Davies, Widdop Bingham, CGB, Puckator, Lesser & Pavey and Yankee Candle have all doubled their stand size for the 2015 show.

Elsewhere, the Retail Shop brand in Hall 4, new for 2015, has evolved from the e-commerce zones at Spring and Autumn Fair, offering cutting-edge technology and retail sector solutions to include in-store and online solutions, logistics and fulfillment experts, marketing platforms, payment providers and specialists in packaging.

“We look forward to welcoming 3,000 of the best Above: Over 70,000 visitors will be heading to Spring Fair next month. British and international suppliers to the show, offering our visitors the opportunity to source from hundreds of thousands of superb new products as well as gain invaluable business insights and trend information from our content theatres," comments Naomi Barton, i2i Events interim portfolio director for retail. "The strong growth we’ve seen in exhibitor numbers is testament to the ongoing importance of Spring Fair to the retail industry, and also serves as a crucial industry barometer pointing to a good trading year ahead.”

Returning to the show will be the popular Fashion Accessories Catwalk, featuring three daily runway shows and seminars, along with designGap and Design Lab, both in Hall 6. Elsewhere, Spring Fair 'new product' locators will highlight Creative Britain, Ethical Products and Bath, Body & Home Fragrance located in Halls 5, 6 and 20. New Product showcases will be located in Children's Gift, Toys & Gadgets in Hall 3, with a second showcase in Hall 9.

Spring Fair spans 14 different market sectors: Gift; Contemporary Gift; Greetings & Gift; Children’s Gift, Toys & Gadgets; Christmas Gift, Floral & Seasonal Decoration; Gift, Home & Volume; Home; Table & Kitchen; Fashion Jewellery, Accessories & Luggage; Body & Bath; The Summerhouse; The Party Show; Retail Shop and Jewellery & Watch Birmingham.

According to i2i Events Group, the strongest year-on-year growth has been seen in the Gift, Home and Fashion Jewellery, Accessories & Luggage sectors. Visit www.springfair.com. (See On The Launchpad on pages 49-51 and Orders, Orders! on pages 83-85).

Win A Weekend At Silverstone To celebrate the launch of its Silverstone gift and greeting card collection, Star Editions is offering customers the chance to win two weekend tickets to the Silverstone Grand Prix - taking place from July 3-5 - if they place an order on the Star Editions stand at Spring Fair stand (Hall 4, Stand D40E41), with the proviso that they include at least one item from the Silverstone Collection in their order.

“We have worked with the British Racing Drivers Club and Silverstone for a number of years, but it is only now, after extensive negotiations, that they have agreed to release these private images for use onto cards and giftware for the first time," explains sales director Will Marston. "We are extremely proud and unbelievably excited to be launching the collection Above: Silverstone Collection at Spring Fair and to be working with such an iconic British brand at a time when framed art from Star Editions. motorsport has never been more popular”.

The complete Silverstone range includes art prints, mugs, greeting cards, magnets, stationery, key rings, tea towels, tote bags, coasters and cushions, sold exclusively through Star Editions.

Products Making Their Debut Spring Fair will see thousands of new products launch across Spring Fair, among them RetroCo - borne out of the CDCard Company, founded by md Chris Leaning - with a wealth of new music related gift and card collections ready to be unveiled.

They include The Story of Your Life featuring a card, booklet, CD and code for the music that was around between 1950 and 1985; keepsake birthday boxes; deluxe eight button badge box sets, as well as retro cufflinks and fridge magnets, Above: RetroCard's birthday magnetic bookmarks and boxes.

Below: New on the Maxwell keyrings. & Williams stand, a range of "This has been two Christopher Vine Designs. years in the making," Bottom: Mud Pie, distributed explains Sian Ellis-Thomas, in the UK by Joe Davies. head of sales and marketing at RetroCo. "We knew that we wanted to take the CD card to the next level and also build on our reputation for quality retro products, but we wanted to be sure we had it right, and that takes a lot of effort and a fascination for the subject."

Also making its debut at Spring Fair will be a new range of Christopher Vine designs which will be showcased on the Valerie Graham stand in the Summerhouse in Hall 8. The company has been appointed as the distributor for UK and Eire by HAG Australia which recently acquired the distribution rights. The UK Launch Collection includes a range of vibrant mugs, bowls and pitchers in fine porcelain.

Another brand new range at the show will be Mud Pie Living which encompasses home, gifting and ceramics. Joe Davies has been appointed UK distributor for the US giftware brand becoming the exclusive supplier in the UK and Ireland. "We are delighted to be bringing the brand to the wider UK market," comments Mud Pie's founder Marcia Miller.

The initial launch collection will debut on Joe Davies' stand in Hall 5.

At Really Good and Soul, founder David Hicks has confirmed that the company will have its biggest ever gift release. "We're saving it all for Spring Fair," he confirmed. "I can't wait to present everything we've worked so hard to put together."

On the licensed front, Nemesis Now will be unveiling the company's brand new Terminator collection, which ties in with the new Terminator Genisys movie being released this summer. The range includes mugs, clocks, bags, journals and boxes as well as 3D collectable gifts, which have been designed in-house.

For more about new Spring Fair product launches, turn to On The Launchpad on pages 49-51.

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THE JAMES HERRIOT COLLECTION CONTEMPORARY CONTEMPORAR MPORAR RY CLASSICS BORDER FINE ARTS ARTS CLASSIC

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Industry News

'Meet The Buyers' Events A Further Four In The Pipeline

Following on from the successful Meet The Buyers days with John Lewis and Utility held last year, the GA has confirmed that there will be four more Meet The Buyers events in 2015. The first one takes place with John Lewis on Friday March 20 with dates still being finalised with Achica and a garden centre group.

"When I took over as chairman of the GA on June I, outlined my mission to facilitate more contact, networking and, hopefully, trade between our member companies and, as an industry, to work together to achieve common goals," comments GA chairman Michael Papé, "and our meet the buyer initiative aims to do this. Building on the success of November’s event with John Lewis, many suppliers had the opportunity to pitch to a group of key buyers. For me, it was fantastic to give members both small and large this opportunity, but it was also great to see so many suppliers sharing ideas and discussing common problems. This initiative will go from strength to strength in 2015 with a number of events planned."

Michael says he is particularly encouraged by the number of smaller companies and new entrants to the market with new and innovative products. "I feel that, for the industry as a whole to continue growing, we need to give these individuals and companies the opportunity to promote their ideas both through the trade press and events, so that they can hopefully flourish. We have some great talent in the toy and gift industry and we need to get them in front of the widest possible audience."

Above: Michael Papé, chairman of the GA. Left: John Lewis will be hosting further Meet The Buyers Days.

Bigger And Better Stationery Show

Following four consecutive years of growth, the London Stationery Show is on course to be the biggest yet, a significant 25% bigger than the event held in 2014, say the organisers, with the show almost selling out.

Taking place at the Business Design Centre in London on Tuesday, April 28 and Wednesday, April 29, it is part of National Stationery Week (Monday April 27 to Sunday May 3). The event will showcase stationery of all types - children’s, social, gift and licensed items as well as a wide range of desk accessories, storage, writing products, diaries, notebooks and organisers.

Many new suppliers and brands will be exhibiting, with one in three exhibitors exhibiting for the first time, and over 200 brands and exhibitors from around the world, “There is huge interest in stationery and writing products from across the retail sector, from gift to grocery and home stores, and from fashion to visitor attractions," comments organiser Chris LeonardMorgan. "Our exhibitors and their brands cater to the largest and the smallest and we’re delighted that the show is able to accommodate this interest. Where else will retailers get to see this range and number of suppliers all together in one place? " Visit: www.stationeryshow.co.uk and www.nationalstationeryweek.com See All's Write With The World on page 81.

Right: The London Stationery Show will be bigger than ever in 2015.

Sweet Treats From Thorntons

Buyers Power List Awards There's still time to vote for your favourite buyers in the inaugural Buyers Power List which will be making its debut at Spring Fair, and has a closing date of January 30. The results will be announced on Monday February 2 at Spring Fair. Organised by i2i Events Group, the awards set out to recognise influential buying teams and individuals across all sectors represented

by Spring Fair.

There are three different categories which encompass Power 30 - 30 noted buyers who are influential in their sector; Best Independent Retail Buyer or Team featuring 20 independent retailers and Best Multiple Retailer or Department Store Team focusing on 20 teams from the major retailers.

The Power 30 category will be voted on and ranked by the industry with the order revealed during the awards ceremony.

The Independent Retail Buyer or Team and Multiple Retailer or Department Store Team categories will also be announced at the event with one overall winner awarded the title in each category. Visit www.springfair.com/buyerspowerlist ❐ The Buyers Power List shortlist will be compiled, and reviewed, by an advisory panel consisting of The Giftware Association, bira, bira direct and BHETA.

Enesco's Finest

Two of Enesco's finest sculptors - Peter Mook and Ray Ayres - will be on Enesco’s stands E04/F03 and F04/G03 in Hall 5, working on their latest introductions which have been entirely handmade in Britain.

Peter, who, alongside Ray Ayres, created the company's new A Moment In Time and Marvel Collections, will be there on Sunday and Monday, working on new figurines, while master sculptor Ray, who has over 35 years history with Border Fine Arts, will be there on Monday and Tuesday, where he will be sculpting the latest additions to Enesco's Contemporary Classics and Border Fine Art Classics collections.

Visitors will also be able to enter the company's free prize draw to win B1568 Pinocchio and Geppetto, numbered limited edition of 250, SRP £595, and B1529 Hare SRP £150.

Above and below: Enesco sculptors Peter Mook and Ray Ayres will be demonstrating their skills at Spring Fair.

Chocolates will be on offer throughout Spring Fair on the Thorntons stand (Hall 4, Stand F02), where Han van Reen, franchise D&R manager is looking forward to meeting potential gift shop franchisees. "We are looking forward to talking with quality retailers who want to boost their sales by adding Thorntons into their store to maximise the opportunity they offer their customers," confirms Hans. "We opened the last franchise before Christmas in Ulverston with two more planned for January in Andover and Leigh. There are pending openings in another eight locations and some 20 refits into the new store concept," he adds.

Left: Thorntons is on the lookout for new gift shop franchisees this year.

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SPRING FAIR INTERNATIONAL – HALL 9, STAND E30–F31 AMBIENTE – HALL 4.1, STAND B16 t: +44(0)1782 744721 e: homesales@portmeiriongroup.com www.portmeiriongroup.com Portmeirion is a registered trademark of Portmeirion Group

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Industry News

GOTY Awards

'Crafting' Retail Sales

Big Increase In Entries

The winners and highly commended companies of The Giftware Association's Gift of the Year (GOTY) awards will be announced on Sunday February 1 at Spring Fair, after the show closes.

Across the board, Kitchen & Dining, Kids and Under £10 have emerged as the strongest categories for entries. “Kitchen & Dining is much stronger than in previous years, which may well have something to do with the improving housing market in 2014, while Under £10 always attracts lots of entries," comments chief executive Isabel Martinson. "Kids too, continues to do well as, no matter what is happening in the economy, families do not stint when it comes to buying for their children, which this category reflects.”

Entries have doubled in the Gifts for Men category, and there has also been an increase in entries in the Hot Novelty category. “Last year we commented that people were buying functional gifts, so this may mean they are lightening up a little. It’s an interesting indicator,” comments Isabel.

Other categories that have seen an increased entry include Stationery, with entries for Card and Wrap up by around 25%. Many companies are taking part for the first time this year.

The winning Gift of the Year 2015 products can be viewed at Spring Fair on The GA’s stand in both Hall 6 on Stand N49 or Hall 7 on Stand F22 –G23.

Comments Michael Papé, chairman of The Giftware Association: "My lasting memory of 2014 is Sebastian Conran’s presentation of the Gift of the Year Awards in 2014 where he commented on the art of gifting in the modern world and how much more it meant to someone receiving something that had been physically picked out for them and given, rather than just an electronic voucher of some type."

Continues Michael: "I think the art of seeking out that unique gift with someone in mind sums up our industry quite well. It’s all about those different and sometimes unique products that make us smile."

Left: Acclaimed designer Sebastian Conran presented the Gift of the Year People's Choice award to Thabto. Shown are founders James Wosiek (far left) and Steven Smith (second from right) along with Sarah McLaughlin, Spring Fair's then portfolio director, and Andrew Illingworth, the then chairman of The Giftware Association.

Popping Up In Wandsworth To boost sales in the run up to Christmas, Robert Alexander, owner of the Inside Man in Wandsworth, opened a pop-up shop in Battersea’s Northcote Road, a few miles from his existing shop.

"A larger unit and a higher footfall meant we not only saw a substantial increase in our sales figures but have also introduced many new customers to our brand, so hopefully our Bellevue shop and website will show long-term benefit too," commented Robert. "We were open for the seven weeks before Christmas and some of our all-time bestsellers continued to prove popular such as the Corkcicle, which keeps wine chilled from inside the bottle, and The Sock Exchange, our set of six odd socks. Other good sellers were Above: The Inside Man, Wandsworth. our new shower Bluetooth speakers and the new edition of Speeches that Changed the World. Our historic prints of local roads and streets were also a big hit."

Stratton Of Mayfair Teams Up With The V&A Luxury giftware brand Stratton of Mayfair, recently acquired by Widdop Bingham, has teamed up with the V&A to launch a unique collection of compacts, mirrors and pill boxes featuring three designs.

"It's a perfect partnership and we look forward to unveiling the latest pieces in our collection," says Sue Grant, marketing manager at Widdop Bingham. "Stratton of Mayfair is fortunate to boast a rich heritage and inimitable sense of opulence."

The designs feature Chevron, taken from a furnishing fabric by F. Gregory Brown and manufactured by William Foxton in 1922; Exotic Birds, taken from a furnishing fabric by Minnie McLeish and also manufactured by William Foxton in the 1920s, and Fashion Plate from L’oiseau volage fashion plate by George Barbier from Modes et Manieres d’Aujourd ‘hui, Paris, 1914.

Stratton of Mayfair, originally founded in 1860, has recently undergone a high street revival.

Left: A V&A/Stratton of Mayfair compact.

Will Hobhouse, chairman of Heal's, was among the keynote speakers at co-located shows Top Drawer, Home & Craft earlier this month.

Taking the rise of the designer/maker as his theme, along with how to successfully retail crafts, Will confirmed that Heal's had been investing in crafts for a long time, re-setting out the store's stall in a modern world.

"We can't compete with John Lewis and Amazon, so we took the view that we wanted our products to have a place in people's homes, and that, ideally, we would like them to be in every room," he explained.

However, he admitted that, although British made goods remained a priority it had thrown up challenges because of price issues. "Also, how things are made is very important in relation to sales," he continued. "Going into a workshop and seeing how something is made can be incredibly exciting. Emma Bridgewater's factory in Stoke-on-Trent is an excellent example. If people can actually see the effort Above: Will Hobhouse, that is going into the making of a chairman of Heal's. product then they will buy it. Storytelling too, is very powerful, as is online. If the story is correct, and the item is well made, then the best person to sell the design is the craftsman. We held a four successful week craft fair at our Tottenham Court Road branch last year. “ Also speaking at the show was Sebastian Conran, who was exhibiting his Universal Expert collection of home goods. "Good design must always seem effortless, but in truth, the process is complex," he highlighted.

On The Ball For Charity

The British Jewellery & Giftware Federation Benevolent Society Ball raised over £30,000 for the charity, with over 370 industry guests attending the annual event, which took place at the beginning of December at The St John's Hotel in Solihull.

The date for the 2015 Benevolent Society Ball will be December 3, with 'early bird’ tickets available from Lynn Snead tel: 0121 745 4613; email lynn@teg.co.uk

Spring Fair Discount 'Deals'

For gift retailers looking for show offers at Spring Fair, discounts of up to 10%, no minimum orders and free deliveries are just some of the deals being offered by The Giftware Association's supplier members to retail members and subscribers. Free voucher sheets are available on the GA’s stand in Hall 7, F22 –G23 or on the Gift of the Year display stand in Hall 6, N49.

Among the companies taking part this year are: Blue Eyed Sun (4L66), Cavendish French (20A34), Data Strategy Consulting (4A47), Dunk Trading (6K15), Eggnog (3H11), HHJ Trading (1EO1), Little Fingy (4J20), Mulhouse Design (4J101), Peartree Heybridge (4L106), Ravensden (3P04-Q05) and Tilnar Art (5K38).

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Fashion meets Function You always find something new at the London Stationery Show.

See thousands of stationery and writing products from over two hundred different suppliers from around the world, all in one place.

To find out who’s exhibiting and register for free entry, go to www.stationeryshow.co.uk

Join the conversations

@StationeryBytes @NatStatWeek

StationeryShow NationalStationeryWeek

Stationery Event of the Year

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Industry News

Record Breaking Christmas How The Top Retailers Performed

Upmarket retailers, to include John Lewis and House of Fraser, were the winners during the festive period, both on the high street and online, with both stores seeing total sales rise. House of Fraser reported a record Christmas after like-forlike sales increased 8% over the period. "The peak Christmas trading came late. However it was the best we have ever recorded," stated John King, chief executive of House of Fraser.

At John Lewis, total sales increased by 7.2% in the five weeks leading up to December 28 compared to 2013. "This Christmas saw trade take a different shape to previous years, with an early peak driven by Black Friday and a huge surge in the final 10 days," commented md Andy Street.

"Our Gift and Seasonal assortments performed well again this season, all recording new record seasons," Anna Rigby, head of buying home accessories, gifts and seasonal told PG&H. "The pattern of trade was influenced by Black Friday and came extremely late, but Christmas and New Year weeks were outstanding for gift and gift food assortments. Our seasonally themed gift food, gift and candle and home fragrance ranges sold through strongly and there was no denying the penguin effect created by our TV ad drove footfall and demand for specific merchandise."

Tiger Retail, the Danish homewares and accessories multiple, released group sales figures in London and the South East of £7,716,861 for December 2014, with like-for-like sales in the 24 stores opened prior to 2014 up 6.48%.

“We experienced a very robust Christmas trading period this year and it has been particularly rewarding to see an increase of 7% per average spend this Christmas, and an increase in the gross sales turnover from £5,159,684 in December 2013 to £7,716,861 for December 2014," enthused md Philip Bier. "2015 is set to be equally as busy, with new store openings planned throughout the year ahead." (The first new shops to open will be in St Albans, Milton Keynes, Islington, North London and Canary Wharf, with more openings are in the pipeline for later in the year).

Among the stores who did not 'sparkle' at Christmas was Marks & Spencer, with its online fulfilment in particular severely criticised.

Above: House of Fraser.

Left: Spitalfields in London, among Tiger Retailer's newest retail outlets.

The Black Friday Effect According to figures released by BDO's High Street Sales Tracker, sales on the high street fell over the crucial Christmas period. However, sales of lifestyle goods (up 3.5%) and homewares (up 8.2%) helped to repair some of the damage, although many retailers were still affected by weather conditions and unfamiliar shopping patterns.

“For most retailers, Black Friday took the wind out of their Above: High streets saw sales fall. sails for December," stated Sophie Bevan, head of retail and wholesale at BDO. "It seems the hype around Black Friday meant that many shoppers had spent the majority of their budget by the end of November. When like-for-like sales dropped by over 3% in the second week of December, retailers started to get nervous, resulting in early discounting."

Like-for-like sales at mid-market retailers slumped 1.4% year-on-year over December as shoppers were noticeably absent from the traditional last minute rush in the wake of November’s Black Friday shopping frenzy. ❐ The latest figures from Barclaycard reveal that consumer spending rose by only 4.1% during Christmas which equated with the previous six months. The survey suggested that retailers were denied a festive sales boost due to a record breaking Black Friday, with the major multiples slashing their prices.

NEWS IN BRIEF ❐ Looking to do business with more greeting card shops this year, fragranced gift company Di Palomo has become an official supplier to Cardgains buying group (which has over 700 independent greeting card and gift independents as its members). ❐ A retailing guide will be available at Spring Fair from exhibitor Cybertill, offering retailers advice on how to plan their sales and marketing strategy for Christmas 2015.

The guide is also relevant to other holidays such as Easter, Halloween and Mother’s Day. ❐ To celebrate the company's 40th anniversary, T&G Woodware has updated the company's logo and confirmed exciting plans are in the pipeline for its anniversary year. ❐ The average Brit spends nearly a month of their life Christmas shopping, new research

by PromotionalCodes.org.uk has found. On average, shoppers spent 11 and a half hours Christmas shopping each year equating to 29 days in a lifetime spent purchasing Christmas gifts. ❐ The Christmas crime bonanza could cost the UK economy over £1billion this year alone, predict security solutions firm The Shield Group. The cost of shoplifting hit new records this Christmas, with rates dramatically rising.

Monster Attraction It's certain to be standing room only for Spring Fair's keynote speaker this year, technology entrepreneur Michael Acton Smith, OBE, founder of online retailer Firebox, entertainment company Mind Candy and creator of the global online brand Moshi Monsters.

Michael will be speaking on Sunday February 1 at 12.15 12.45 in the eCommerce Theatre based in Hall 2, where he will be advising the UK market on how to achieve international growth as well as how to succeed in online retail.

His advice will form part of the UK Trade & Investment partnership Above: Michael Acton-Smith. with Spring Fair which is designed to support British businesses looking towards international expansion.

Elsewhere at the show, the rebranded Trends Theatre will be located within Contemporary Gifts in Hall 6, and will be home to trend presentations from WGSN as well as other seminars ranging from effective branding and merchandising techniques to specialised marketing techniques.

Visit www.springfair.com/Content/ Educational-content PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Industry News

A Rockin' Royal Christmas 'Boy' George Riding High

Wooden toys got a tremendous boost in the run up to Christmas thanks to some delightful media coverage of HRH Prince George and his Christmas gifts.

With the young prince said to like playing with train sets, it was said that he received lots of new wooden toys, in addition to the hand-me-downs from grandpa Prince Charles that he already plays with, to include a gift wrapped wooden train from Father Christmas at Santa's Magical Journey at Thursford, where he was taken for a day out on the last weekend before Christmas. Other gifts for George who receives 774 gifts a year, seven times more than the Queen - were said to include a retro style ride-on car.

With young George also known for his love of animals, grandparents Carole and Michael Middleton apparently quickly snapped up a wooden rocking horse for their grandson, despite a hefty £4,560 price tag!

As for the Royal pets, there were gifts aplenty, featuring new leads and home made doggie biscuits, while all family Above: HRH Prince George is a big fan of wooden toys. members received Christmas gifts from Kate and William's dog Lupo. ❐ Wooden toys and traditional games were also reported to have been among the winners for independent gift retailers this Christmas. (See Kids Mean Biz on pages 151-155).

The Cost Of A Christmas Stocking Londoners spend most on Christmas stocking presents (£48), and those living in the North East the least (£16), with chocolate coins (56%), sweets (48%), toiletries 41%), stationery (36%) and books (29%) topping the list of stocking-fillers, worth £37 on average. The Christmas stocking survey was commissioned by Gocompare.com

PEOPLE ❐ Sebastian Lazell joined the Denby Group as md on January 12. He was previously chief executive of GHD. Sebastian has had his own consultancy business and also spent a number of years at Unilever, becoming md of the business in Australasia and undertaking a number of senior international general management and marketing roles.

He replaces Garry Biggs, who has left Denby after 10 years to pursue other opportunities. ❐ Dartington Crystal has appointed David Tennant (right) as its area sales manager for the North of England. With significant experience in the gift and homeware sector David joined Dartington this month. UK sales director Rob Kindred said: "David already knows the territory and many of our existing customer. With a growing portfolio of brands and product collections it is an exciting time for him join us."

Sadly Missed

Peter Knight (right), who ran a very successful furniture and gift shop in Beaconsfield for many years, has sadly passed away. A member of the GA, Peter's shop held a Royal Warrant, with Peter enjoying receiving Christmas cards from members of the Royal family each year.

Left: Chocolate coins are the favourite stocking filler.

Give A Goat For Christmas Christmas gifts come in all shapes and sizes, but how about sending - and receiving - a goat? Card publisher Think Of Me, which also designs stationery, was quick to respond when the idea was mentioned by Richard Ives, the company's agent for the South West.

"At a company get-together at Spring Fair 2014, Richard happened to say that, as much as he appreciated the other goodies that he received at Christmas, what he really wished for was something more meaningful, such as the donation of a goat to a developing country," explains Think Of Me's director Dan Kane. "The idea struck a chord with us, so when it was time to think about our industry Christmas gifts we started to look into it. We found that Oxfam provides the ability to donate not only a goat, but a whole host of other meaningful gifts, such as school supplies, mosquito nets, livestock and water wells, in your recipient's name. You can even purchase a sack of manure for your nearest and dearest!"

Continues Dan: "We donated a selection of different products to our friends and colleagues in the industry, and the response was overwhelmingly positive! Not only did they enjoy the novelty, but the idea that these gifts really will make a difference to people's lives, and will keep on giving, was something that resonated with everyone. We were thrilled that these Christmas gifts were so appreciated, and we'll certainly be looking to expand on the idea for 2015!"

Right: A goat for Christmas, an unusual gift from Think Of Me.

Open For Business The GA’s Christmas 2015 virtual showroom is now open, featuring a host of big-name supplier members.

Among them are Enesco, Widdop Bingham, RJB Stone, Talking Tables, Meridian Import Company, Martin Baxendale Agencies, T&G Woodware, Keep This Design, 2 Little Boys, Tiscali, BB Tradesales, Laurenston Designs, Ragged Rose, Forked Up Art, Trinity Xmas, Dunk Trading, Tilnar Art, Rose and Potter and Nick Smyth Trading.

Contact the GA's Imogen Holmes on tel: 0121 237 1142 or e-mail imogen.holmes@ga-uk.org

CHSI Celebrates 40 Years

Craft Hobby + Stitch International will be celebrating its 40th show at the NEC, Birmingham, from February 15-17. Over 250 suppliers will be showcasing thousands of products from across the globe as well as providing inspiration, education and networking opportunities to visitors.

"Reaching 40 years is an amazing milestone. We are very proud of Craft Hobby + Stitch International and of the creative craft industry that has supported us over the years," says show director Troy Bennett of ICHF. "We are now looking ahead to the next 40 years with new ideas and plans." ❐ Three lucky retailers will win £1,000 in the show's retailer prize draw, which will be held each day. Trade visitors registered in advance of the show are entered and could win £1000 to spend on supplies at or after the exhibition.

Visit www.chsi.co.uk Above: Over 250 exhibitors will showcase new product launches and the latest trends at Craft Hobby + Stitch International 2015.

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Industry News

Retail 2015

Right: The reform of business rates remains a bone of contention, with David Cameron's government urged to act to help retailers.

An Optimistic Outlook

According to a survey carried out by the BRC, UK retailers are optimistic about business in 2015, with 76% predicting an improvement in sales and 67% confirming that their investment was set to increase. Almost 80% of the retailers surveyed said that they were likely to be employing more staff.

“It’s great to see British retailers optimistic about the coming 12 months," comments Helen Dickinson, the BRC's director general. "After a number of years battling against strong economic headwinds and shaky consumer confidence, it seems as though retailers are set for some cheer in 2015."

There were concerns however, to include a weak consumer demand (68%), followed by the continuing pressure of business rates (53%) and weakness in the economy (47%). When asked how the government could make the UK a better place to do business, almost three quarters of respondents (74%) opted for a fundamental reform of business rates.

Continued Helen: "Given the tentative nature of the recovery in consumer confidence, it’s natural that retailers are cautious about the longevity of the upswing we’ve seen recently. It’s also no surprise that the fundamental reform of business rates has come out as top priority for government action. It is an outdated and punitive tax. ‘’We’re therefore delighted that the government has decided to back British retailing by committing to review the business rates system and we look forward to working with Government during the course of the review. As the figures from our survey show, the retail industry will be doing its part to drive growth in 2015 - by investing and creating jobs - but these efforts will be hampered if serious solutions to the burden of business rates are not found.”

Seriously Scented Gifts Kicking off 2015, Best Kept Secrets products have been branded under the single banner of Seriously Scented, with the company significantly extending its product range this year, following the recent acquisition of an established fragranced gifts specialist. The expansion of the business sees the unveiling of over 40 new fragranced gifts.

Additional products in the portfolio include jute bags, vaisettes, cupcakes, floral boxes and pouches, containing ranges of fragranced bath bursts, bath salts or soaps. There will also be a range of gift products with bracelet bags and earring bags, featuring locally produced charm bracelets and costume jewellery alongside fragranced gifts. Additional items include fizzles and fizzle bags combining mini scented bath bursts in decorative pillow boxes and pouches.

"We saw the automatic opportunity to grow the business by acquiring a specialist and established supplier in the fragranced gift market," explains Best Kept Secrets' co-founder and director Alan Edwards. "We recognise that independent retailers have a genuine need for a wide range of products which carry a good margin, and a relatively affordable RRP, and we now have a complete range of products from our established candles and soaps to bath time products and hampers and gifts. We are excited to see the reaction from customers at Spring Fair." See A Recipe For Success on pages 100-101.

Letter To The Editor Dear PG&H, We are staggered at how inefficient some companies were over Christmas deliveries. On Sunday December 14, we placed four orders for immediate delivery. On December 17, two arrived but two others phoned to say they were closing on Friday December 19 for two weeks and could not fulfil the orders until after January 5! Meanwhile, we had emails from a couple of companies saying they would dispatch and guarantee deliveries up until December 23.

We write this with seven of the most important trading days of the year to come, and yet there are companies that simply don’t care about retailers, or obviously don’t need the orders. When will the wholesale and manufacturing trade wake up to the fact that they are supplying people who are working seven days a week to sell their goods?

More and more we are deciding not to buy from companies that supply Achica (or Amazon, Ebay and third-party websites) because they are undermining those bricks and mortar shops that used to be their lifeblood. Very major suppliers are now selling to these companies, but they are totally surprised when we ask for a list of the things they are selling at cut-price so that we can avoid buying them. We would be happy if they were just selling ends-of-lines, but, on many recent occasions the stuff they are selling we haven’t even had delivered to the shop! Having said that, we are very appreciative of the increasing numbers of companies who are refusing to supply the cut-price outlets. As with the Christmas deliveries, it seems that some companies are completely unaware of the effect they are having on the very shops that they have relied upon for years.

Yours sincerely, David and Gill Way, Present Days, Warwick

Fashion Accessories At Frankfurt

Over 250 exhibitors will be showcasing fashion accessories at Ambiente, which is being held at Messe Frankfurt from February 13-17. "Accessories are hugely important in the fashion world and that is reflected at Ambiente too," confirms Yvonne Engelmann, director of Giving. "Buyers can get a comprehensive overview of the latest accessory collections, not only for their core ranges, but as supplementary ones too. Fashion accessories are specifically not just an interesting proposition for fashion and lifestyle retailers," points out Yvonne. "They are increasingly Above: Fashion accessories will be leading the being used as supplementary ranges in jewellery shops, furnishing outlets, way within Giving at Ambiente. concept stores and by specialist glass, porcelain and ceramics retailers."

Once again, a highlight of Ambiente will be the dedicated Trends display, which includes an area reflecting the trends for history and elegance, opulence and glamour. Four trend areas will be showcased, put together by the trend bureau Stilburo bora.herke.plamisano.

With America Ambiente's official partner this year, over 90 of the 4,700 exhibitors will come from the USA. “The USA is characterised by an incredibly exciting range of different styles," underlines Nicolette Naumann, vice president of Ambiente/Tendence. "I'm looking forward to the exchange of ideas and the impulses sure to be generated by the appearance of the USA as this year’s Ambiente Partner Country."

The show will also be reaching out to the North American design and blog community by teaming up with international blogger network Modenus. A blog tour will be taking place during the event, increasing exhibitor exposure to the US and Canadian markets. Visit www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com

Gifts For The Greenfingered

In line with the expansion of the company's gifts, homewares, fashion accessories and gift stationery, Caroline Gardner has launched a first Blooming Lovely gardening range for Spring/Summer. The new range includes gloves, enamelware, a boxed fork and trowel set and tape measure. See Exclusively Yours on pages 97-99.

Above: Part of Caroline Gardner's Blooming Lovely range.

Carrier Bag Clarification

Following an article on the new carrier bag levy which appeared in the January issue, PG&H would like to clarify that the new legislation comes into force in October 2015, and that paper bags will be exempt.

Visit www.gov.uk PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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GIFT OF THE

GAB

Two Sides Of Christmas If Christmas trade was a bit of a letdown for Toni Williams, owner of Bagpuss Gallery in Ottery St Mary, the gift of giving was brought home to him by the generosity of a local OAP who treated a group of 40 lonely pensioners to Christmas lunch at Toni's local. Naturally, in his role as town crier, Toni was there to liven up the proceedings!

"Christmas 2014 has been a time of mixed emotions and experiences. I have been wondering which high streets the hordes of shoppers reported by the media were filling. They certainly weren't filling the high street in Ottery St Mary. In fact, they stayed away in droves. We have never experienced so little business. Footfall was decidedly reduced, and individual purchases were literally half what they had been the previous year.

Early warnings came before the schools closed for the holidays. Presents for teachers have been popular for many years, but this time, hardly any were bought. Teachers were either suddenly out of favour, or parents were unable to accommodate them on the present list.

Secret Santa was the next casualty. Perhaps no-one received a Christmas bonus, or they all decided to forego the idea to save money for other presents. "Ah!", I hear you say, "They all went to other shops in the town." No. Firstly, there aren't any other gift shops in the town, and secondly, the wine merchant, the clothes shops and the florist all reported the same dearth of clients.

Right: Toni Williams, in his role as town crier, at the OAPs Christmas lunch in Ottery St Mary, shown reading out his poem.

Customers reported that while there were shoppers in Exeter, our nearest large conurbation, they were noticeably fewer than usual, and they were certainly not buying as much.

The next usual peak is the two final shopping days before Christmas, when internet orders don't arrive on time, and panic-buttons are pressed. Ashen-faced gift-ors come to Bagpuss to find suitable presents to avoid disappointing gift-ees, but despite predictions of chaos and nondelivery on television and radio, the goods must have arrived, because we were underwhelmed by last minute panic buying.

The situation was slightly alleviated by a sudden influx of orders for framing.

Perhaps the reduced numbers of

customers helped, as I was shuttling between the framing workshop and the front of house, trying to meet all orders.

Fortunately, I managed to complete them, and that mitigated the situation somewhat!

On the other side of the Christmas festivities, I was privileged to be (a little) involved in an inspirational story which actually attained a few moments of national televisual fame. A local elderly widow was prompted by her own experience of loneliness at Christmas to hire a local pub - my local - and invite 40 local pensioners facing a solitary Christmas dinner to a meal at her expense. In my alter ego as town crier, I was asked to open the proceedings and extend a vote of thanks to the lady, who had tried, unsuccessfully, to remain anonymous. The national papers had uncovered her identity and praised her generous act. So well was the story received, that people from the UK and abroad sent donations to the pub to such an extent that the landlord told me that he will now be able to fund the event for the next four years.

One of the army of reporters who filled the bar remarked to me that it was good to see so many elderly folk enjoying themselves, wasn't it? I didn't have the heart to tell him that some of them were the same age as me!

My one disappointment was that the poem I had written for the occasion was edited out of the report. Oh, well, we poets are used to lurking in the wings!"

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How Was

Feedback

Christmas?

British shops had their strongest December sales for 25 years, with the CBI quoted as saying that 71% of retailers reported higher sales in the two weeks to December 11 by comparison to the same period in 2013, although, admittedly, the figures did include the effects of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

December also saw huge discounts from the majority of the multiples - John Lewis and Next were said to be the exceptions with an estimated 75% of the high street pre-empting the traditional Boxing Day sales.

So how did independent gift retailers fare over the festive season? PG&H asked a selection of indies for a snapshot view.

Better Than Expected "Christmas was slightly better than expected due to the improved economic climate, with customers who visited the shop spending," confirms Sally Jones, manager at Village Crafts, Bets y Coed. "Our WoodWick scented candles from Xystos were a really great seller. They were a new range and we will definitely be continuing with them for the new year. Even though we ordered plenty of stock we still sold out three times over."

Sally adds that the lead up to Christmas is a balancing act of having the right product on the shelf. "Too little and you lose sales, too much and you end up with surplus stock to sell in the sales. By ordering ahead, we tried to make sure we had plenty of stock in of our best sellers - Charlie Bears, Edge sculptures from Robert Harrop and Coeur de Lion jewellery - as well as Christmas glass and scented candles which are a 'must'. " Continued Sally: "Because we are a rural retail shop, our aim is always to encourage customers to come in and purchase unique Christmas gifts, shopping locally rather than heading for bigger towns. We encourage them to keep in touch through our website and our Facebook page so that they can see when the new stock arrives. We are also fortunate in that we see a lot of returning customers who have visited us during the year and who call in again at Christmas to buy a gift."

Above: Village Crafts.

Left: A best selling Hearthwick Flame candle in Marrionberry from WoodWick.

Christmas Slower To Kick-In "Although Christmas definitely lived up to expectations, it did take longer to kick-in this year," highlighted Emma Woodward, co-owner of Aspire Style, which has shops in Oxford, Solihull, Warwick, Stratford-upon-Avon and Earlsdon. "It normally starts in mid November, but didn't really begin until the first week in December, so we did start to get a bit nervous! But I think one of the reasons was that it such a mild November that it took the colder weather to get people thinking about winter and Christmas."

Overall, Emma says that she feels happy about the festive season, with the company's new shop in Earlsdon, Coventry - which opened four weeks before Christmas - exceeding expectations. "Because there isn't much else in Earlsdon selling gifts, clothes and jewellery, it was clear that we had managed to hit the right market," she states. "And it's because of the new shop that we were very much up on Christmas 2013. However, unfortunately, like-forlike sales were down on last year because Christmas came in so much later."

Across the board, Emma confirms that all five Aspire shops did well over the festive season, with travel wallets from Disaster Designs among the star performers. "They were the real Christmas winners for

Top: Aspire Style in Solihull, one of five retail outlets.

Above: Disaster Designs Day Tripper travel wallet.

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us," Emma confirms.

"We also did well with scarves, especially tartan designs, as well as with Cath Kidston toiletries from Heathcote & Ivory, which customers bought as stocking fillers."

Looking to Christmas 2015, Emma says that there will be more emphasis on gifts. "This Above: Cath Kidston Christmas we focused on clothes, hand cream. which sold very well for us, but next Christmas, we will be focusing a lot more on gift lines."

Christmas Kicked In Earlier Gary Hogan, owner of About Living in Giffnock, Glasgow, opened a new About Living shop in November, based at Newton Mearns, focusing on gifts, jewellery and cards. He confirmed that Christmas was up by 10%, with jewellery and accessories the best sellers. "In addition, we offered a new range of Millefiore candles which performed very well," he adds.

Fortunately, Christmas kicked in earlier than usual. "I think the early start was helped by the mild weather which saw more people out and about," Gary comments. "So Christmas definitely started in November, with our two busiest days of the year the Saturday before Christmas and Christmas Eve. We were also busy on Boxing Day, the first day of our sale, which was promoted on social media."

What was different about this Christmas was that Gary took a different approach to purchasing.

"We used to do a big Christmas 'buy', but this time, we ordered every few days instead. Suppliers were generally very good, and most had a 48 hour delivery, although there were a few stock issues.

However, we intend to continue to repeat more often in 2015. What also helped was that, over the past few weeks, a lot of companies have been sending through contracts designed to stop third party selling which has definitely had a positive effect."

Above: About Living, Giffnock.

Left: Millefiore candles were a star performer.

Feedback We Were Up By 25%

Below: Mantons.

"Christmas went really well for us," confirms Chris Beards, co-owner of Mantons in Port Erin on the Isle of Man. "In fact, we were up by a significant 25% on last year."

Business was helped by the production of the shop's first Christmas catalogue featuring 14 different suppliers.

"We designed it in-house and distributed it to all houses on the island using the post office as well as distribution through our local paper, the Isle of Man Courier. We saw a big increase in sales for the products that were featured."

Chris says that all product sectors did equally well over the festive season. "We literally sold more of everything," he states, "from Christmas decorations to candles.

There were no disasters and no stock left over."

Because the shop is in a seaside town, Chris says that although customers were coming in as early as July to shop for Christmas, overall, it did arrive rather late. "Like a lot of other retailers, we were affected by Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Whatever money people had they spent it online, and they were definitely holding out on fantastic deals from specialist suppliers. Fortunately, none of our suppliers were offering deals, so we were still able to sell products at the full price."

Fortunately, however, a couple of weeks before Christmas, it all swung round for Mantons. "To co-incide with Small Business Saturday on December 6, we held a Magical Christmas, complete with a fairground, double decker bus and Father Christmas. Even the trains ran up until 8pm. We stayed open late and that really helped to push sales," confirmed Chris.

A Christmas Cracker "Christmas was very good and we took no part in Black Friday, Mad Monday, Screwed-up Saturday or any of the other ghastly American imports," commented David and Gill Way, owners of Present Days in Warwick. "We just sold as we have always done, without discount or sale, and it proved to be very successful!"

Black Friday Helped "We had a good Christmas, which kicked off properly from half term at the end of October, and we also benefitted from the Black Friday weekend, with the Friday itself especially good," says Chris Bullingham, owner of two Sugar Loaf stores in Bath and Cheltenham.

The Bath shop did particularly well in the run up to Christmas. "There is a Christmas market there that runs for three weeks and finishes on December 15 which really drives people into our Above: The Sugar Loaf store in Bath. shop, although it quietens down afterwards, while at Below: Necklaces from Joe Davies' Cheltenham, we're busy throughout December, Equilibrium range. especially the last two weeks," Chris explains. "However, although sales were up in our Cheltenham shop, they were slightly down in our shop in Bath this year."

For Sugar Loaf, among the star products was the Equilibrium range of jewellery from Joe Davies. "We've only recently introduced the range and it was fantastic," enthuses Chris. Another winner was Yankee Candle. "Again, it was an absolutely fantastic seller," continues Chris. "Yankee allowed us to do some special offers, to include two reed diffusers for ÂŁ20, and it worked incredibly well. In fact, I think the reason that we were down in our Bath store was because we pulled out Yankee during the summer when another retailer opened and started selling it."

Also ringing up sales was a Christmas range from Sifcom which included plaques and ornaments. Other Christmas lines that sold well were decorations and snowmen from Heaven Sends," added Chris.

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The only awards that celebrate gift retailing in the uk. .

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35_37_New Grid 13/01/2015 14:57 Page 35

The Greats 2015

A â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Greatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Occasion The countdown to the Greats has well and truly begun, with entries a-plenty arriving to include self-nominations as well as nominations.

As the saying goes, you have to be 'in it to win it'. So could it be your shop's name that's announced at the stunning Savoy Hotel in London at The Greats Awards on May 7?

The clocking is ticking, so if you think you've got a chance to see your shop's name on a Greats trophy in 2015, now's the time to send in your entry!

As the 13th year of The Greats awards unfolds in 2015, all eyes are already on the glittering line-up of Greats trophies that recognise and reward every strand of gift retail: from the tiniest gift shop in the tiniest village in England, to the major multiples and garden centres, as well as the niche and lifestyle retailers selling jewellery, fashion accessories and furniture.

The only criteria for entering The Greats is that, over the past 12 months, your gift shop or gift department has achieved something 'great' to shout about, whether it's situated on a high street, secondary site, shopping mall, village or trades online. If you think your shop is great, then we want to hear from you!

We want to know about what you've been doing over the past 12 months, so tell us about your marketing initiatives, how good you are at display, and how you've expanded or upped the ante on the gift side.

We're delighted to receive selfnominations - please don't be shy to blow your own trumpet! - as well as nominations from suppliers, agents and reps. Having first launched The Greats in 2003, we know that there's a wealth of talent out there and we want to recognise and reward you!

"What continues to surprise and delight us each year is how gift retailers have become such clever marketeers in terms of promoting their shops, using all the marketing tools available ranging from local

community and PR initiatives to making the most of social media," comments PG&H's editor Sue Marks. "With so much competition in today's retail environment, we know that gift retailers of all shapes and Top: Big smiles from The Greats winners in 2014.

Above: Emma Woodward and Sam Yair, co-owners of Aspire Style, received their award from John Smyth, director of category sponsor Apply Display & Shopfitting.

Below left: Anna Rigby, head of buying for home accessories, gifts and seasonal for John Lewis, accepted the Best Department Store Retailer of Gifts award from category sponsor Kaemingk's Patrick Brinkcate, sales manager, UK & Ireland.

Below middle: Emma Niven, buyer and director of Loch Leven's Larder and Katie Gilmour, buyer/retail manager of gift and lifestyle, received the NonSpecialist Retailer of Gifts Award from Chris Leonard-Morgan, founder and organiser of category sponsor London Stationery Show and National Stationery Week.

Left: Audrey Forbes, gift manager and director of the Mains of Drum Garden Centre in Banchory, was delighted to receive her Greats award from John Athwal, md of Premier Decorations.

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The Greats 2015

Best Retail Employee Of The Year Award

Above: John and Paul Jackson, md and creative director respectively of Retro 36 in Scarborough, received the Best Retail Initiative award from David Crawford, head of wholesale for category sponsor Yankee Candle.

sizes are really rising to the occasion, upping their game year on year to attract business and it's our great pleasure to discover those extra special retailers each year."

If you think your gift shop could be a winner, there's still time - just - to download a Greats entry form by visiting www.thegreatsawards.co.uk

What could be nicer than rewarding employees who treat your shop as their own and go the extra mile for both you and your customers every day? If you've got that 'special someone', a right hand man or woman working in your gift shop or gift department, now's your chance to nominate them for The Greats Retail Employee of the Year Award.

We want to know more about that person and why he or she stands out.

Either download a Greats Retail Employee of the Year entry form by visiting www.thegreatsawards.co.uk or email your entry direct to Sue Marks at suem@maxpublishing.co.uk Below: Last year's Retail Employee of the Year winner was Katie Allsopp, visual merchandiser, Scape Interiors West. She received her Greats award from PG&H's advertisement manager Angie Bryant.

Greats Sponsors 2015

Greats Suppliers Award

While The Greats is dedicated to recognising and rewarding gift retailers, the awards also set out to highlight those special companies who provide exceptional service for their customers, with three separate awards - gold, silver and bronze - to be won.

To nominate your favourite suppliers, visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk and download an entry form or e-mail ianh@maxpublishing.co.uk Above: Paul Hooker, commercial director at Joe Davies, together with the Joe Davies team, with The Greats 2014 Gold Best Service Award. The category is sponsored by PG Live.

Honorary Achievement Award

The current impressive line up of sponsors of The Greats 2015 include (in alphabetical order): Apple Display; Christmas & Gift Harrogate; Dansk Smykkekunst; Di Palomo; Gisela Graham; Joe Davies; Kaemingk; London Stationery Show/National Stationery Week; Premier Decorations; Progressive Greetings Live; Really Good/Soul; Spring Fair/Autumn Fair; The Giftware Association; Wild & Wolf and Yankee Candle.

Is there someone that you think deserves to win The Greats Honorary Achievement award? If so, now's your chance to put this outstanding member of the gift industry's name forward.

You can download an entry form by visiting www.thegreatsawards.co.uk or e-mail ianh@max-publishing.co.uk

An Invitation To Lunch At The Savoy In London The winners of The Greats 2015 will be announced at a fabulous Greats Awards lunch, which is again being held at London’s beautiful and historic Savoy Hotel on Thursday May 7. (There's nowhere quite like it in London!).

To get the day 'fizzing', guests will be welcomed with a glass of bubbly at 11.45am, followed by a special Greats lunch - created by one of the Savoy's top

Above: A proud moment for last year's Honorary Achievement Award winner Ken Johnson, md of Enesco Europe. He received his very special award from Andrew Illingworth, (centre) the then chairman of The Giftware Association.

£50 Bonus For Independents

chefs - leading up to that nail biting moment as the winners of The Greats 2015 are announced!

All guests attending the event will also receive a fabulous goody bag bursting with lovely gifts as a going home present.

Tickets are available from Clare Davies at Createvents. Tel: 01183 340085 or e-mail: clare@createvents.co.uk.

Last year's event was a sell-out with a waiting list for tickets, so don't delay!

As an extra 'gift', all independent regional retailer finalists and winners of The Greats 2015 will receive a £50 bonus that can be spent against orders placed at the dedicated PG Live greeting card show which takes place on June 2-3 at London's Business Design Centre in London's Islington.

For more about PG Live, see the Magnificent Seven article on pages 103-105.

Below: All Good Gifts’ Matt (left) and Jackie Shearing are shown presenting their £50 bonus to Cardmix’s Keith Gillespie at last year’s PG Live show.

Above: Guests enjoying lunch in the Savoy's magnificent grand Ballroom.

Left: Two of last year's guests with their Greats goody bags.

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Industry Issue: Predictions For 2015

A Feeling Of Confidence As the industry enters a new year, there seems to be a lot of optimism around, with suppliers and retailers predicting a good 2015.

PG&H spoke to some leading names in the industry for their views on the next 12 months, which will see a General Election and the birth of a new prince or princess.

Opportunities "The green shoots of recovery are being seen all across Europe with significant growth both in domestic and international markets with the usual challenges for us all," states Michael PapĂŠ, director of Ravensden and chairman of The Giftware Association.

Above: The John Lewis ad campaign resulted in a big â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;penguinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; products boost for Ravensden.

"As a company, we ended the year on a high, with double digit growth and significant export growth which now accounts for over 40% of our total business. If I had to single out one success it would be the effect of the John Lewis Christmas ad campaign. It gave us a busy November and December with virtually no penguins left at all!

So what does 2015 hold for us all? We have the usual challenges in the supply chain with the increasing cost of production in the Far East, factories disappearing and the more rigorous social and ethical demands. There are, however, many opportunities for the industry - continual new product development, the move into new markets or finding different ways to serve, and increase customer service levels in existing markets.

At Ravensden we are launching over 250 new lines for 2015, as well as extending our range of personalised and bespoke products, with everything from customisation and branding of existing designs to the complete development of a product or character. I am sure 2015 will throw up many challenges for us all but also many opportunities."

Early Easter Challenge "Major contributing factors to trade next year will initially be the early Easter," highlights Matt Shaw, (right) sales director at Puckator.

"Generally, retailers do not like Easter at the beginning of April.

Being the first major holiday of the year, and with schools breaking up in March, the weather can be a deciding factor on how Easter trade pans out, while at the end of March, the weather can still be pretty bad. I also think the General Election will be a bit of a damp squib for trade. Having said that though, a new government usually brings some short term optimism."

In terms of what people are looking for, Matt says that more and more retailers are looking for UK designed products, but still with a reasonable price tag. "Originality and saleability are king at the moment," Matt emphasises.

Above: What impact will the General Election have?

Below: PM David Cameron will be gearing up for the General Election in May.

Growth Of Private Label "We had a very strong last year which was driven by a mix of sales across all segments," confirms Pat Dawson (left), md of Creative Tops.

"Private label development has risen sharply with a dedication to give the customer a more valued and focused offering."

She says that e-commerce and social media continue to be pivotal in the whole shopping experience, with retailers looking at every avenue to enhance participation and experience in purchasing.

"Off the back of this, consumers are looking for premium brands that deliver a point of difference and this has become an important part of our strategic growth plans as we develop our brands, including The National Trust and Katie Alice," continues Pat. "This year, we will also work closely with KitchenCraft in all areas so that we can pool sourcing, trends and product development. We have so many opportunities together, which is really exciting."

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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040_GH_FEBRUARY 2015 15/01/2015 22:47 Page 1

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39_41.QXD_New Grid 08/01/2015 09:40 Page 41

Industry Issue: Predictions For 2015

Retail Confidence

Quietly Confident

"I feel that 2015 will be a good one," says Perry Simmons (right), md of Stoneglow, "with lots of growth in the independent sector, especially in relation to British manufacturers. The confidence is out there," he states. "Additionally, at the last few trade shows we've exhibited at, we have found that retailers have been more confident and positive than in previous years. Orders have doubled and tripled.

Retailer are repeating because products are selling through."

"At Lagoon we're feeling quietly confident about 2015," says md Heather Watherston (below). "Although some of our bricks and mortar customers are undoubtedly suffering the effects of online competition, coupled with high business rates, many others are optimistic and some are even reporting good times. Our sales were certainly buoyant in the months up to Christmas 2014 and economic factors, such as the lack of interest rate rises, low unemployment and the number of insolvencies falling off sharply should certainly support this."

Continues Heather: "But although we feel consumer confidence is more tangible, I say we are quietly confident because the marketplace is becoming increasingly uncertain and volatile. One week you read footfall in town centres is down, the next you read that Click and Collect is becoming more popular in driving consumers back to the high streets.

Years ago, if you had a good January and February you could be confident you were going to have a great year. Now you can have a great January and lower than expected February and sales could be up again the next month. All a complete nightmare for forecasting and planning, but a reality of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marketplace where Valentine's Day, Easter and Halloween have become huge retail opportunities, and days like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and even Manic Monday are starting to become increasingly important dates in the retail calendar. We all need to continually adapt just to keep up!"

Heather says that as well as living in changeable times, we are also living in a shrinking world and hence shrinking marketplace, with retailers having to do more to differentiate themselves. "So product development will, as ever, be key to our success. Continuing to roll out our licensing program will be a priority and we will have a new range of games, kits and jigsaw puzzles from the vintage Ladybird Collection in 2015. We will also be adding new lines to our Beano and Roald Dahl ranges, and concentrating on developing Loncraine Broxton, the arm of Lagoon that employs great British minds to design new puzzles and desktop diversions."

Growth Expected "With a General Election looming, and the main battleground seemingly going to centre on immigration, it's ironic that our rapidly growing population is one of the driving forces for domestic growth of which the retail industry is getting its fair share of the benefits," comments Mal Ogg, founder and md of History & Heraldry.

Above: An ageing population "The changing retail landscape sees internet sales continuing bodes well for garden centres. their relentless growth, supermarkets reaching saturation point and still Aldi has announced 500 new store openings in the coming years - with the independent sector facing the usual challenges of rising rent and staff costs when trying to compete with Amazon selling the same things at discounted prices.

For the gift industry, there is an upside - there always is if you look hard enough! A growing elderly population who bought their houses before the property ladder was well and truly pulled beyond everyone else's reach and who have bags of disposable income.

At History & Heraldry, we expect to see a continued growth in garden centre sales, tourist related sales and sales from gift shops in the many quaint little villages up and down the country. The over 60s are our new heroes and we seek them out wherever they go!"

So far as consumers are concerned, Mal says that the company is seeing continued growth in home fragrance and home decor gifting, as well as a continuing blurring of the lines between gifting, apparel and accessories.

"You are just as likely to see jewellery, scarves and handbags in a gift environment as souvenirs, mugs and picture frames. Indeed, it is the ability to display a mix of product by colour or by season that sets good retailers apart from their internet counterparts. You can drop a price online but you can't create a 'feel' and you certainly can't create a smell! With the success of our new home fragrance range, Heart & Home, we are certainly expecting a growth year in 2015."

Challenges Ahead "Competitive times will continue into next year and the talk of more cuts to government spending will reduce consumer confidence," predicts Peter Thompson, md of Half Moon Bay. "But challenging times also create opportunities. Retailers will be looking for the basics of good value and good service but, above all, they want products that will sell, so product development and innovation will be key. There are strong themes that sell, and the latest Star Wars film next year will create a buzz and excitement that retailers need to capitalise on."

Right: All eyes will be on George Osborneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March Budget.

Below: A Royal prince or princess will be a new addition to the family for Kate, William and George.

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MIKE ADAMS

SOUNDING OFF

Taxation Is Strangling The Economy Mike Adams, owner of seven Temptation shops in the Home Counties along with two websites, is up in arms about taxation. Putting on his Chancellor' s hat, he gives his views on what George Osborne should be doing to encourage a healthier economy.

"Despite what our political leaders say about the economy growing, retail is still flat-lining.

It is now seven years, since we saw genuine, 'like for like' growth on our high streets, and I can tell you one of the key reasons why the economy is so stagnant. It is because so much money is being taken away in taxation, that none of us, whether individuals or businesses, have anything left to spend. So, playing Chancellor for the day, here are three changes I would make to our taxation system.

No Representation Without Taxation At the time of the American Revolution, British taxpayers in America rose up with a cry of 'no taxation without representation'.

They were angry because they were expected to pay taxes, but they didn’t have a vote. Eventually, the law was changed. But maybe there is an argument that the same principle should be applied in reverse.

Maybe we have now excluded too many people from paying income tax, leaving the rest of us with too high a burden. If you don’t have the pain of having some of your wages deducted at source, your attitude to how much the government should spend is distorted. So maybe you should only get to vote if you pay income tax and council tax. It changes your view on what 'the government' and 'the council' should pay for if you are personally providing the funds, and it changes your view on the rate at which income tax should be levied.

Income Tax Does NOT Start At 20% When are we going to stop swallowing the lie that the basic rate of income tax is 20%?

Under recent governments, personal allowances have increased, so most people don’t start paying income tax until they have earned £10,000. As to whether this is a good thing, see above, but at the point at which we all start paying income tax the starting level is not 20%, but a mind boggling 32%- 20% income tax, and 12% other tax which the government calls National Insurance, but which goes into exactly the same pot as income tax.

Take this example of one of my team who earns £24,000. Out of her monthly salary of £2,000 she gets stopped £233 in income tax and £160 in National Insurance, so she pays £4,722 in tax annually, which is 33.7% of the income on which the government claim she should pay tax. That is Above: Mike Adams.

Above: Chancellor George Osborne.

over £1 in every £3. And on top of this, Temptation also pays another £184 a month to the government in employer National Insurance contributions, so on this one individual, a girl in her twenties, who is being paid at a rate just below the 'national average annual wage', the government is reaping a fraction under £7,000 a year in 'income tax'. Is it just me, or is this not an obscene amount of money for the government to take from a single individual earning £24,000 a year? National Insurance contributions are no longer ring-fenced to pay for our pensions, so they shouldn’t be separated from income tax. I wonder how quickly tax rates would come down, if successive governments had to sell a 32% basic tax rate at elections?

Business Rates Are Strangling Business Growth This year, Temptation paid almost £200,000 in business rates. I would be happy to make an absolute binding promise to any government that if they abolished this tax, I would commit to spending exactly the same amount on business expansion. I would be happy to spend every single penny in opening new stores, refurbishing existing stores, investing in new software, and in doing so, I would create lots of new jobs, generating lots more income tax, lots more National Insurance, lots more corporation tax and lots more VAT. I might also be in a position to increase wages to my 100+ staff who would then pay more tax themselves.

Is it any wonder that people are fed up with their politicians? Is it any wonder that they are turning increasingly frantically to any Tom, Dick or Nigel who they think might just want to reduce the taxation burden that is crippling entrepreneurialism, crippling the lives of ordinary hard working people, and crippling the economy?”

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Retailer Face To Face: Debenhams

Dedicated To Design As Debenhams celebrates the first anniversary of its newly refurbished flagship Oxford Street store - which saw a major make-over of the fourth floor 'home' department - and with an impressive five new stores opening over the next 12 months, the department store multiple has a lot to shout about.

Boasting great design and designers at its heart, PG&H headed to the company's new, state-of-the-art London HQ to meet up with head of buying Alice Duggan to discuss the trend for 'new gifting', along with Alice's plans to up the innovation ante over the coming year.

If Alice Duggan could describe her dream job, it would almost certainly be the one she has already as head of buying for home and furniture at Debenhams.

She initially trained as a fashion designer, joining Debenhams 15 years ago, and was promoted to her current role three and half years ago from men's fashions. Aside from a 10-12 hour day spent in the office and at meetings, there are visits to the factories as well as to major trade shows both in the UK and Europe. ‘’We work with many suppliers and factories all over the world, each having different capabilities and strengths,’’ she explains.

Alice says that what she most loves about her job is the diversity. "Every day I have to think about something different because the product range is so vast.

One day I can be looking at candles, the next day at sofas."

What defines the concept for Alice is that Debenham's offers 'fashion for the home', and with her fashion background, one of the joys is working closely with internationally renowned designers that include Jasper Conran, Julien Macdonald, Matthew Williamson, John Rocha and Ben de Lisi, who

Above: Alice Duggan, Debenham's head of buying for home and furniture.

Below: Abigail Ahern's unique, giraffe wall mounted head for Edition.

Bottom: Debenhams' flagship Oxford Street store.

are just some of the illustrious names who comprise the Designers At Debenhams offer, not only on the fashion side of the business but on the home side too.

Alongside these established designers is an evolving 'hot bed' of creative talent, young designers who are starting to get a foot on the ladder. Alice calls it 'the new gifting', representing those who don't have a stretch in the wider market. Under the branding of Edition, the collection started with a small home range designed by Ashley Thomas, who has gone on to become one of the most popular designers in Debenhams' cookshop and kitchen sector, where the store has seen a big growth in ceramics gifts. “The partnership between Debenhams and Ashley Thomas has been hugely successful, and, of course, has been mutually beneficial," Alice highlights.

Interior designer Abigail Ahern is another designer who has been a tremendous success for Debenhams, with her unique statement pieces proving a huge hit with design savvy customers. For 2015, Laura

Alice's Favourite Store "I love ABC Carpet & Home in New York," reveals Alice. "It's visual displays are incredible, with the focus on beautiful things from artisans around the globe.

The store acts as a curator of choice, from mid century furniture through to gorgeous bed linens and decorative home accessories. It's a beautiful store that really does offer something different."

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design, colour and function for the home ADDIS HOUSEWARES AEROLATTE AMEFA ANNIVERSARY HOUSE APOLLO HOUSEWARES ARTHUR PRICE CHARLES BENTLEY & SON BERGHOFF WORLDWIDE BHL BLACK & BLUM BOBBLE BODUM BRABANTIA BURTON MCCALL BUTTERCUP CHINA BWT CHARLES VIANCIN CHARTERHOUSE COOKWARE CITY LOOK IMPORTS COUNTRY MATTERS CREATIVE PRODUCTS CURVER DARTINGTON CRYSTAL DAVID MASON DESIGN DENBY BRANDS DEXAM DKB HOUSEHOLD DNC THE DRH COLLECTION E-CLOTH EDDINGTONS ELIA

ETHOS EUROPASONIC FISKARS FOSSEWAY TRADING GEH GILBERTS GIMI GOURMET GADGETRY GREEN PIONEER I GRUNWERG HAUS HOME ACCESSORIES HORWOOD HOMEWARES HOT PLATE PRODUCTS ICB NOSTICK IC INNOVATIONS ICTC IMPERIAL GROUP JEAN DUBOST JERAY JOSEPH JOSEPH JUST MUGS JVL HOMEWARE SOLUTIONS JWP KILNER KINETICO KUHN RIKON LADELLE LE CHATEAU TEXTILES LE CREUSET LEKUE-EMILE HENRY MAHITTI

MAKE INTERNATIONAL MASON CASH, RAVENHEAD AND PRICE & KENSINGTON MASTRAD MAXWELL & WILLIAMS METALTEX MEYER N J PRODUCTS NAVIGATE NEAT IDEAS NORDIC WARE OCTOPUS PUBLISHING OXO GOOD GRIPS PENDEFORD HOUSEWARES PHA KITCHESSENTIALS PREMIER HOUSEWARES PYREX READY STEADY COOK RKW ROBERT WELCH DESIGNS ROOT 7 ROSTI MEPAL H & L RUSSEL SABICHI HOMEWARES SALTER SCOTT BROTHERS SIMPLEHUMAN SISTEMA SMASH GLOBAL SODASTREAM SWAN T&G

And don’t forget to visit Exclusively Electrical our sister show running alongside Exclusively Housewares ARIETE (JALENO) BAMIX (PROVEN PRODUCTS) BEURER DUALIT EPE INTERNATIONAL EWBANK GROUPE SEB

HOMESPARES CENTRES HOSTESS (CROSSLEE) JURA KITCHENAID KUVINGS (IPAS) MAGIMIX MEYER

REDMOND SMART WORLDWIDE TEAM UKI UP GLOBAL SOURCING VITALITY 4 LIFE VITAMIX WITT

For more information on the show take a look at www.exclusivelyhousewares.co.uk or call 0121 237 1130

TAYLORS EYE WITNESS TEFAL TERRAILLON THE COOKWARE COMPANY TONTARELLI TRADESTOCK TYPHOON ULSTER WEAVERS UNIKIA UP GLOBAL SOURCING WESCO WESTERN HOUSE WHAT MORE WHITEFURZE WHITFORD WILTON XYSTOS ZODIAC STAINLESS PRODUCTS ZWILLING J A HENCKELS

Run by the industry, for the industry

Exclusively Housewares will run alongside its NEW sister show Exclusively Electrical, designed especially for small domestic appliance buyers

www.exclusivelyelectrical.co.uk

45_47.QXD_New Grid 15/01/2015 17:28 Page 47

Retailer Face To Face: Debenhams

Above and left: Laura Oakes' colourful wall art and other decorative accessories will be new to the Edition range this year.

Below: A striking flamingo cushion, part of the Butterfly

by Matthew Williamson collection.

Oakes, the 'new kid on the block' for Edition, will be introducing her collection of decorative home accessories, such as cushions, wall art and trinket boxes.

"Laura’s work is really fresh and original, I haven't seen anything like it," highlights Alice. ‘’We want to introduce innovation and give product the ‘wow’ factor. The aim is to stop people in their tracks and create a talking point.’’

Alice says she believes it is this huge emphasis on design and designers that helps to give Debenhams its USP. "It's what makes us successful as a department store," she emphasises. "Each designer delivers a different 'look' - for example, Star by Julian Macdonald is flamboyant and glamorous, while RJR.John Rocha is more relaxed and laid back. Designers at Debenhams allows us

to create capsule collections and different looks on the home side that appeal to a broad spectrum of consumers.

The main objective is to bring great design and innovation to our customers at accessible price points."

Although Designers at Debenhams and Edition are exclusive to Debenhams, the retailer also offers bespoke 'own label', with a brand new home fashion range called Copenhagen launching for Spring. "It has strong Scandi/Nordic influences, a popular trend at the moment.

It’s very relaxed and gentle with a focus on surface texture, organic shapes and translucent lusters. The aim is to create an effortless look that goes from the living room into the garden for Spring."

Debenhams: The Lowdown ❐ Debenhams is a leading international, multi-channel brand with a British heritage, which trades

out of 243 stores across 28 countries. ❐ The stores offer an exclusive mix of own brands, international brands and concessions. ❐ Debenhams is available online in 70 countries and is the 11th* biggest UK online retailer by

traffic volume. (*At the beginning of January, Debenhams were No. 7 overall and No. 3 when only comparing department stores). ❐ In 2012, Debenhams was awarded Multichannel Retailer of the Year at the Oracle Retail Week Awards. ❐ For over 20 years, the retailer has been investing in British design through its Designers at Debenhams portfolio of brands.

With a more confident consumer emerging over the past 12 months, has the store seen a change in buying habits over the past year? "As a family department store we have a broad spectrum of ages and demographic grouping shopping with us and people are definitely still price aware and want great value for money. If you are delivering great product with obvious quality clues, customers understand the value and will pay the higher price points. For example, the Abigail Ahern lamps are fantastic sellers.

If the 'wow' factor is there then people will buy. But what we have noticed is that consumers are definitely getting bored a lot quicker, so newness and innovation is more crucial than ever,” she stresses.” “But having said that, there are nevertheless staples that people always love in their homes, such as sentiment, which has been very successful for us. Product including photo frames, hanging signs, cushions and ceramics have all been very strong. They help customers to feel good about their homes as well as themselves. Fundamentally, we aim to deliver the most beautiful collections we can whether that's home fragrancing or a piece of furniture."

Talking of furniture, Alice is delighted to say that since she has taken over as head of buying, the product proposition is now in line with what Debenhams stands for in terms of aesthetics. "We have gone from strength to strength and the department is doing really well," she points out. "Last year, we introduced Ben de Lisi and RJR.John Rocha, and for Spring/Summer we will be introducing J by Jasper Conran.”

So what's in the pipeline for this year?

"At the beginning of the year, we will be taking another look at the presentation of the home offer on the fourth floor of our flagship Oxford Street store, where we are working closely with the in store team. People often judge Debenhams by their local store, but Oxford Street offers something more. It’s about creating theatre and inspiring people.’’

Continues Alice: "Across the board, customers trust our brands and come in season after season to see what we believe they should have in their home. But we recognise that the market is full of great offers so we have to continue to work hard to attract the customer's attention. They want to find great design and to see something different. Therefore newness and innovation remain key. Our customers have a huge appetite for it and it's a big mouth to feed!"

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Spring Fair: Exhibitors

On The

Launchpad As the excitement builds for this year's Spring Fair, eight companies reveal what their brand new launches are going to be at the show this year, ranging from metal wall signs and glassware through to ceramics, stationery and nursery. For some exhibitors, there will be a move to a new Hall too.

PG&H went behind the scenes.

More In House Designs

A Change Of Location For Spring Fair 2015, Red Hot Lemon is making a leap from Hall 5 to a new position in Hall 6. Coupled with its new location, the company also has a vibrant fresh stand.

"At Spring Fair, we will be displaying our largest range of metal wall signs to date," confirms director Jo Willis.

"With even more exclusive releases in our Volkswagen Officially Licensed product range we also have new licences including Ford and Route 66 with designs created in-house to offer something new to market. The show will give us the opportunity to showcase our first range of Ford."

Above and below: Ford, a new license from Red Hot Lemon.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our new product launch for Spring Fair, in total number of products, will be around the same as usual.

However it will contain our highest-ever number of inhouse designs," says Rod Mahony, md of Transomnia.

"With barriers to entry lowered through the growth of the Far East trade shows in recent years, the gift market has become ever more commodified, and exclusive designs are one of the best ways for companies to create and maintain a point of difference from their competitors.

"We're also working on ways of making it ever-easier for our customers to buy from us.

We've used hand-held scanners for order taking for a number of years, but at Spring Fair, these will be replaced by a new iPad-based order-taking system, which will then be rolled out to all our sales agents on the road immediately after the show. We're also developing a transactional website (B-B only - we don't believe in competing with our own customers!) which will go live around Easter 2015."

Above and left: Among the latest in-house designs from Transomnia that will be launched at Spring Fair.

New Location: New Mug Shape A major change for Dunoon at Spring Fair will be a re-location, with the company now showcasing its products in Hall 9. "We had a very good location within Hall 1 in the past but I think the move to Hall 9 will be an improvement as we are closer to Summerhouse and the upmarket gift/lifestyle section in Halls 7 and 8 which many of our customers visit," explains Peter Smith, sales director at Dunoon. "In addition, Hall 9 is a link between Halls 5 and 8 which will help traffic flow. I think the change will be better for us and our customers."

Launching at the show is Iona, a new fine bone china tankard shape. "The mug, which is handmade at our factory in Staffordshire, has a striking ridged base which allows for extra detail, with designs featuring flowers, birds, and animals," Peter continues. Ranges include a Best Ever collection as well as a set of Characters that feature, for example, The Cook and The Gardener.

Right: Dunoon's Iona Best Ever fine bone china mug collection for 2015.

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Spring Fair: Exhibitors

Golden Jubilee "Spring Fair 2015 is extremely Below: Spring Fair will see the launch significant as not only is it the first of Dodo Pad's 'golden' 50th anniversary diary. show of the year for us, but the one where we will be unveiling our 50th anniversary 2016 edition of the iconic Dodo Pad diary, which started life in 1966 and was the very first family organiser," comments Rebecca Jay, md of Dodo Pad. "Some 50 years on, over the years, the original desk diary has been joined by a selection of diary and calendar formats, all drawing directly or indirectly from the artwork in the original diary," Rebecca continues. "As it’s our Golden Jubilee, and with the Dodo Pad well known for its bright, annually altering cover colour, the entire range will be dressed in gold and purple. We’ve got a brand new stand design too - specially created for this occasion - which we will be using throughout 2015 and 2016. Of course, being the Dodo Pad and a diary, we are stretching our celebratory period out as long as we can, but we’ve also got a major new announcement planned for the 2017 edition that will spring us straight into our second half century."

Other new launches for the company include the 10th anniversary edition of the Acad-Pad - the mid-year version of the Dodo Pad - which first came out in 2006.

"The brand has grown over the past few years through a series of everyday organisers. More recently, stationery items have been added and a few more are set to launch at the Spring Fair, all with classic Dodo Pad humour and quirky twists on organisation," highlights Rebecca.

Made In Britain

"Spring Fair 2015 is our biggest product launch event and will feature many exciting new products for Dartington and our other glass and ceramic brands," confirms marketing and design director Richard Halliday.

"Our high traffic position in Hall 5 means we can really showcase new products well to our many existing customers as well as attracting new ones."

This year, the company will be reflecting a significant element of Made in Britain with new handmade crystal drinkware and gifts.

"With growing buyer enthusiasm for products still crafted in the UK, we are proud to be among the exhibitors able to offer original designs made in our British factories," states Richard.

Below: The new Dartington Crystal Bella collection of drinkware.

Sophisticated Glassware "Spring Fair is all about the potential world stage you find yourself on so it's a very exciting show," says Clare Davis, md of Davis and Brown.

"Overseas buyers are eager to find the next outstanding product and no other show has quite the same atmosphere or buzz. It's the start of the new year and new products are launched to one of the best audiences you can get with the show all about presence."

This year, Davis and Brown will be launching a new range of glassware. "We have been very successful with the glitter glass and have decided to exclusively use Spring Fair to launch our next big product range. It's more sophisticated, elegant and stylish but is still unmistakeable Clare Davis!" Clare adds.

Left: New glassware from Davis and Brown.

New Room Sets Libra will be adding four new room sets to its Spring Fair stand in 2015, its largest to date. "A key theme for Libra in 2015 is paired back nature," explains md Paul McLaughlin.

"Waxed teak, petrified wood and natural stone and slate have all been combined to create Bali Beach Club which has accents of blue sea glass and smooth coppers. It brings a bright yet laid back twist."

Also being showcased at Spring Fair will be the company's Rug Republic collection of handwoven and hand loomed rugs and dhurries.

New Nursery Collections "We have a lot of new products to showcase at Spring Fair 2015 across many of our collections," highlights Anthony Temple, md of Rainbow Designs. "Brand new to our nursery ranges is Peppa Pig, which focuses on both Peppa and her Little Brother George. Also taking centre stage is our new Shaun the Sheep Movie Collection launch, which coincides with the cinema release of the Shaun the Sheep film out on February 6, and our new Air Puppy range."

Right: Peppa Pig, new from Rainbow Designs.

Right: Among the new rugs from Libra.

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Birmingham Spring Fair 1st â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5th February 2015 Hall 9 Stand H01

NEW LOCATION

Come and see our new collections for 2015 Telephone: (01785) 817414 Email: sales@dunoonmugs.co.uk

www.dunoonmugs.co.uk

FINE BONE CHINA MADE IN ENGLAND

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Interior Lighting After the successful introduction of Lumineo, home interior lighting for Spring/Summer 2015, Kaemingk now proudly presents its Christmas 2015 collection. The Lumineo home range includes a wide variety of pendant lights, chandeliers and table lamps for a romantic, modern and classic interior.

Kaemingk Tel: 0031 543 498 800 Email: info@kaemingk.com www.kaemingk.com Spring Fair: Hall 2 Stand C04-D05

Letter Books High quality letter-shaped books that can be used as stationery or for decoration are introduced by That Company Called If . Each letter-shaped book is finished just like a real book with plain cream pages inside. The board covers are printed in a range of attractive patterns, perfectly bound with a buckram spine and embellished with gold detail.

That Company Called If Tel: 01751 475757 www.thatcompanycalledif.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand N01

Wall Hangings Exclusive in the UK, five unique collections of stunning hand-woven wall hangings from Sage Green Designs. The floral, nautical, animal, seasons and countryside collections feature richly textured, colourful images, which are ethically sourced with GoodWeave accreditation. They are ideal for gifting, souvenirs and interior design, with prices starting from £8.25.

Sage Green Designs Tel: 01793 686516 Email: sales@sagegreendesigns.com www.sagegreendesigns.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand T13

Raise A Glass

British Birds & Butterflies Tradestock will be unveiling two magnificent new Royal Mail collections British Birds and British Butterflies - on their new stand in Hall 5. Both designs will feature across a selection of tabletop and gift items, (including these coaters), and will be presented alongside the Definitive Collection. The company will also present new designs from both Howard Shooter and the inhouse design team.

Tradestock Tel: 01823 661717 Email: sales@tradestockltd.co.uk www.tradestockltd.co.uk; Spring Fair: Hall 5, Stand J41

For those who want to add a little fizz to their celebrations, Boxer are set to launch their new Sherbet Fizz champagne flutes, in a lip-licking range of sorbet colours. Perfect for summertime celebrations, the glasses make full use of the trend for bright and sugary shades, adding an effervescent pop of colour to any retail space.

Boxer Gifts Tel: 0113 955595 Email: sales@boxergifts.com www.boxergifts.com Spring Fair: Spring Fair Hall 5, Stand A04-B03

Save For Something Special Boxer Gifts’ new range of saver tins holds £500 in £1 and £2 coins and features themes for three big occasions.

Each tin has gorgeous editorial and designs to keep the saver’s dreams alive.

The new tins come complete with a mini padlock to keep the pounds safe. This range will be a big hit with customers, as well as adding a bright and fresh look to any retailer’s giftware range.

Boxer Gifts Tel: 0113 955595 Email: sales@boxergifts.com www.boxergifts.com Spring Fair: Spring Fair Hall 5, Stand A04-B03 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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VILLAGE CANDLE

Spring Fair -1st-5th February 2015 Hall 5 Stand H22

www.villagecandle.co.uk Tel: 01254 300268

Email: sales@villagecandle.co.uk

R

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Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Noir Premium Pans

Henley Sea Breeze

Supreme quality and classic design brings the Sabatier brand back to its traditional heritage of superb craftsmanship in 2015. These induction-hob friendly pans sport the latest feature in energy efficiency and have an innovative non-stick ceramic coating which requires less oil. Great news for stylish customers who like to cook healthily at home.

Creative Tops Tel: +44 (0) 1536 207710 Email: sales@creative-tops.com Spring Fair: Hall 9, Stand G10-H11

Sea Breeze is a set of two very striking designs on Dunoon's large size Henley shape. They feature sailing boats painted by artist John Harris in a very expressive style to show the drama of each scene. The mugs are fine bone china and Made in England.

Dunoon Tel: +44 (0)1785 817414 Email: sales@dunoonmugs.co.uk www.dunoonmugs.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 9 Stand H01

Frames & Albums

Cairngorm Highland Retreat Highland Retreat is a set of three fine bone china mugs on Dunoon's Cairngorm shape and are made in the UK. The designs feature crofts in peaceful Highland scenes, painted by artist Ron Lawson in minimal, almost monochromatic colours with flashes of red.

Dunoon Tel: +44 (0)1785 817414 Email: sales@dunoonmugs.co.uk www.dunoonmugs.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 9 Stand H01

Kenro will be showcasing their latest frame and album ranges, popular with retailers due to their desirability and excellent profit margins. New lines include: Avenue Frames with slim profiles; the Madison Modern in either smooth black or brushed pewter finish; Senator flat profile frames in black, white or matt silver; and black or white Chester frames with raised filigree design. Latest album ranges include: Tundra, Flower and Summer Breeze.

Kenro Tel: 01793 615836 Email: sales@kenro.co.uk www.kenro.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 4 Stand B03

Personalisable Christmas Keepsakes For 2015, GiftScribes will be adding 50 NEW individual hanging decorations to an already comprehensive range of high quality, design-led, personalisable Christmas keepsakes. NEW designs in the ever popular series of piggy banks and money boxes will also feature at the NEC Spring Fair for a UK launch.

GiftScribes Tel: 01584 811 190 Email: sales@giftscribes.co.uk www.giftscribes.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand: F36

Iona Best Ever Dunoon's Best Ever range is on their new fine bone china shape called Iona. This mug is a generous size, with a capacity of 400 ml, and is Made in England. The mugs would make a perfect gift for that favourite Best Ever person and are in a classic blue and white pattern.

Dunoon Tel: +44 (0)1785 817414 Email: sales@dunoonmugs.co.uk www.dunoonmugs.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 9 Stand H01 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Be inspired. Visit us in Hall 5-B49 Contact us today: gifts@maranda-ti.com | 01628 523866

Artist designed gifts and handbag essentials Our ever-popular range of personal torches is now available in the Glamour range – the perfect accessory for your handbag, glovebox or kitchen drawer.

A range of stunning glassware to adorn your dressing table.

GLASS TRAY PERFUME BOTTLE LARGE AND SMALL TRINKET BOXES

NEW MAGNOLIA

AMELIA

SOPHIA

Come and see our new season collection at the fair Hall 5 – B49

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Headchefs

Mud-Pie Platters Joe Davies has been appointed as exclusive distributor for the hot US brand Mud-Pie for the company’s Living Collection. Making its debut at NEC Spring Fair, these stylish platters are a move on in the shabby chic genre. The whole Mud-Pie range is very stylish and unique, combining great ceramic, metal and wood combinations with a home sentiment twist to make a truly exceptional gift.

Joe Davies Tel:0161 975 6300 Email sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand C30/D31

Kitchen Craft will be introducing visitors to their new kitchen crew - Headchefs a happy team of tools, gadgets and accessories, with the sole purpose of giving you a hand (literally) in the kitchen. The items feature suction feet and also have comical bendy arms and legs. So come along to the stand where Molly Masher, Lucy Ladle, Jackson Turner and the rest of the gang look forward to welcoming you!

Kitchen Craft Tel: +44 (0) 121 604 1111 Email: sales@kitchencraft.co.uk www.kitchencraft.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 9 Stand G24/H25

Metal Wall Art Our unique, vibrant metal wall art is produced at exceptionally high quality. Official VW, Ford & Route 66 license holders for metal wall art, showcasing exclusive designs for 2015. Other licenses - Eddie Stobart, Will Patrons and MG - coming soon. Eye-catching and captivating, exclusive signs make us one not to miss! Innovative and bold, our approach is different and our signs…well, they do the talking for us! Join the RHL experience!

Red Hot Lemon Tel: +44 (0)121 552 5338 Email: jo@redhotlemon.co.uk www.redhotlemon.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand N46

Nautical Blue Lesser & Pavey bring to buyers, under license, the Macneil Beachtime range of bright, fresh, metal plaques in various rectangular shapes as well as the ‘collage’ styled shape. The main themes are 'Life is better on the beach' and 'Happiness is a day at the beach.' The range encompasses a shopper, cooler and jumbo bag, fine china mugs, as well as a gift set of mug with a coaster, extending to a melamine teabag tidy, spoon rest, coasters, placemats and small, medium and extra large trays.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand C04-D03

Disney's Heroines and Villains In the Disney Showcase Collection no detail is overlooked, from faux jewels and diamanté details to textured materials and opalescent paints, as is evident in each of the new introductions for January 2015: a Live Action Maleficent; two Disney princesses - Belle Bride and Cinderella Bride - Jessica Rabbit, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Pictured here, Elsa, inspired by Disney’s Academy Award-winning film Frozen. Every detail has been captured, right down to her magical see-through icy cape.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand F04/G03

Retro And Trendy Retro Glass Drinking Jar with handle and straw, how original, how very ‘vintage’ and how well they are being sold. Launched by Lesser & Pavey, they are a favourite with buyers and new designs are on offer at Spring Fair in Hall 5 stand C04-D03. Ideal for cocktails and other fruity drinks, this is a new craze here in the UK as they are already used in trendy bars overseas.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk/ Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand C04-D03

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Come and see us at the NEC Spring Fair.

Hall 4 Stand K100 - L101. www.reallygood.uk.com

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Quirky Vases Quail has a new range of quirky, fun, practical flower vases that simply cannot be ignored. The goat vase has been shortlisted for Gift of the Year, and others in the range were extremely well received at Top Drawer. The pug vases especially caused a bit of a flurry, with wall vases, salt and pepper sets, egg cups and jugs available in a huge array of animals and birds.

Quail Tel: 01304 379901 Email: info@quailceramics.co.uk www.quailceramics.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand T21

Cocktails and Dreams Solo will be showcasing Philippi’s new seasonal Spring collection at Spring Fair, featuring an exciting collection of great gift and interior product ideas.

This distinctive stainless steel Skyscraper bar set combines an ice bucket, drinks tray, wine cooler and cocktail shaker. There will also be new products featured from Philippi’s new brochure packed with great gifts and interior ideas, from flasks to key rings, and from fruit bowls to photo frames. Solo Trading are the exclusive distributors for the UK and Ireland.

Solo Trading Tel: 01789 262900 Email: sales@sololtd.com www.sololtd.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand P21

New Collections Village Candle will launch their new collections at Spring Fair and have already received a fantastic reaction to their ranges which are available to view in their showrooms now.

They have increased their exhibition space to accommodate their vast range of fragranced wax and candle accessories. Some 15 new fragrances have been added into the collection across candle jars, wax melt packs and votives. There are now 67 fragrances in total, and all are available for immediate delivery.

New designs have also been added to the accessory collections to complement the candle offer and the Spring/Summer seasons.

The company continues to offer the very best prices for the highest quality products available on the market. To order a copy of the new catalogue, visit the showroom or have a sales agent call, please contact them on the details given below. You will also receive a very warm welcome at the upcoming Spring Fair.

Village Candle UK Tel: 01254 300268 Email: sales@villagecandle.co.uk www.villagecandle.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand H22

Summer Living Solo’s lifestyle range of interior products and gifts has tripled in size since its launch at Spring Fair 2014. The collection now includes candles, cake stands, photo frames and dining accessories, with Spring 2015 seeing the addition of a new bright, iridescent Aqua. The uplifting colourway is perfect for Spring/Summer giving a sparkle to outdoor dining and a contemporary edge to interior products. The collection is handmade in India from recycled aluminium and features iridescent colours.

Solo Trading Tel: 01789 262900 Email: sales@sololtd.com www.sololtd.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand P21

New Licenses We've doubled our stand size because we've got twice as much to shout about. With brand new licenses launching at Spring Fair, across greeting cards and gift ranges, including Silverstone, Shirley Hughes' Alfie and a host of new homegrown talent, there's more reason than ever to visit us at the NEC. We're even giving away two weekend passes to the British Grand Prix!

Star Editions Tel: 01449 721304 Email: info@stareditions.com www.StarEditions.com Spring Fair: Hall 4 Stand D40-E41

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Come and see us at the NEC Spring Fair.

Hall 4 Stand K100 - L101. www.souluk.com

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

As Charming As Ever

Vibrant & Contemporary

C&S continues to thrill Betty Boop fans with their exclusive range of figurines and gifts. With the new Betty Boop movie in the pipeline, her fan base can only grow. Also, our new exclusive, unique porcelain charms can be seen for the first time at the Spring Fair.

C&S Collectables Tel: 01243 555371 Email: sales@cscollectables.co.uk www.cscollectables.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand C54

Jonesy Charismatic Stationery is thrilled to bring new designs and products to Spring Fair 2015.

Adding more vibrant and contemporary paper products into the line makes Jonesy more charismatic than ever! Jonesy offers well designed paper products which are sold in fabulous stores around the world. Visit 4K09. White Pebble International for Jonesy.

Jonesy Charismatic Stationery Tel: 1243 780501 Email: alyson@jonesy.ca www.jonesy.ca Spring Fair: Hall 4 Stand K09

Tea Time Collection At Spring Fair you will see the brilliant new Tea Time Collection by Fiesta Studios for the first time. It’s an eclectic mix of quirky animals and homely cottages that forms a brilliant range of collectable teapots. Come to Spring Fair to see them for yourself!

Fiesta Studios Tel: 01460 242464 Email: sales@fiestastudios.com www.fiestastudios.com Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand G20-H21

Scentsational ScentChips The original Create your own Fragrance vibrant wax melts release a wonderful intense fragrance when melted in a ScentBurner. Select from over 80 scents and create a fragrance that suits your individual lifestyle. ScentBurners offer over 100 design/colour variations of oil warmers designed to enhance the experience of wax melts.

Triple S Supplies Tel: 01259 751009 Email sales@triplessupplies.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand H76/J77

Campervan Inspired Happy New Year and thank you to all Richard Lang’s customers for making 2014 an outstanding success. Make sure you visit our stand at Spring Fair and treat yourself to something different.

Richard Lang & Son Tel: 01332 340927 Email: sales@richardlang.co.uk www.richardlang.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand C20/D21

Retro & Trendy The Lesser & Pavey range of retro jam jars, looks, and is, setting a trend in the current giftware market. Brand new Mr Right and Mrs Always Right additions to the range are perfect for a greetings or gift outlet. Nostalgic in shape and form, the jars are fun and fashionable, bringing a new concept to a drink container, whether it be out and about or in a trendy night club or bar.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225.

Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk/ Spring Fair: Hall 5 stand C04-D03

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For memories worth keeping

Kenro specialise in high quality photo frames and albums. Our stylish 2015 collection features a range of Wedding, Baby, Holiday and Nature themed albums along with innovative gift and gallery style frames.

Visit our stand for a copy of our new catalogue.

Supplying the photographic & gift trade for over 40 years

Kenro Ltd, Greenbridge Road, Swindon, SN3 3LH t: 01793 615836 f: 01793 530108 e: sales@kenro.co.uk

www.kenro.co.uk Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Beautiful Bone China 2015 sees Clare Davis launch an exciting new collection of homewares. Displayed for the first time at Spring Fair, the initial range captures whimsical butterflies, buzzing bees and floating dragonflies.

Designed in a beautiful hand painted style and simple packaging, this fine bone china will look good on any table. Come to our stand at Spring Fair to view this and the rest of the Clare Davis collection.

Davis & Brown Tel: 01494 883097 Email: sales@davisandbrown.co.uk www.davisandbrown.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 4 Stand K47

Gorgeous Gifts For Spring Fair 2015, Black Ginger will be adding new look items to their range while, of course, still doing scarf hangers, scarves, jewellery and all the other bits you would expect to see from them. This year however, will see the addition of some gorgeous clocks and hooks along with cushions, stationery, beach bags and lots more. It is a must see stand for its variety alone.

Black Ginger Tel: 0118 940 3731 Email: info@blackginger.co.uk www.blackgingertrade.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand G44

New Tinware Range Great new range, very fashionable and perfect for the kitchen, Lesser & Pavey will be showing a new range of tinware on stand C04-D03 in Hall 5 at Spring Fair. A fashionable new colourway, plus sage tin with pastry cutters, cat and dog food tins in a new shape and a cake tin, are among the items in the new range, a part of Lesser & Pavey's offer for the home and kitchen, with gifts to suit all.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225.

Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk/ Spring Fair: Hall 5 stand C04-D03

Official VW Gifts

Coast to Coast SIL have given their Coastal range a modern twist. They have applied striking geometric patterns to their textiles in a strong combination of Ink Blue, Taupe and White. Using a combination of wood, rope and glass, SIL have put together a stunning collection which includes hurricane lanterns, doorstops, home fragrance and even some furniture.

Sifcon Int’l Tel: 01992 718033 Email: sales@silplc.com www.silplc.com Spring Fair: Hall 10 A05-B04

You needn’t look far for an extensive collection of officially licensed Volkswagen gifts at Spring Fair in 2015. Fiesta Studios are set to unveil some brand new products including bags, canvas artwork, cushions and more. The company's immense licensed collection grew last year and will continue to grow in 2015.

Fiesta Studios Tel: 01460 242464 Email: sales@fiestastudios.com www.fiestastudios.com Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand G20-H21

Blooming Marvellous SIL are launching their truly beautiful In Bloom range at this year’s Spring Fair. Inspired by floral watercolours from the early 19th century, they have developed a delicate palette of pinks, purples and lilacs and created an unbeatable range which includes home fragrance, decorative accessories and wall art. Our particular favourite is this sublime set of suitcases. Please make sure you visit their stand at Spring Fair.

Sifcon Int’l Tel: 01992 718033 Email: sales@silplc.com www.silplc.com Spring Fair: Hall 10 A05-B04 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Homewares Launch Clare Davis is pleased to announce the company's first range of homewares for 2015. Painted in conjunction with a ceramic artist, Clare has managed to capture fantastic detail in the Millstream Collection. Entwined within the foliage sit little whimsical insects carefully positioned to peek around the edges of the ceramics.

Visit us at Spring Fair for further details.

Davis & Brown Tel: 01494 883097 Email: sales@davisandbrown.co.uk www.davisandbrown.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 4 Stand K47

Chalk Boards Securit, founded in 1948 in Amsterdam, is a third generation family business thriving on innovation. The Silhouette chalk boards bring fun, decorative and practical to your home, and we will be featuring many of their best selling lines at Spring Fair (Hall 9-A77). So if you need help with point of sale or simply to relay a to-do list, then contact us. We have some great show offers and hope you will come to see us in Birmingham! ticc uk Tel: 01508 489010 Email: office@ticcuk.com www.ticcuk.com Spring Fair: Hall 9 Stand A77

Vintage Cutlery The hand stamped vintage cutlery collection from La de da! has just got even better! There are over 40 new and exciting designs that have been added to the range alongside a very popular personalised service that is offered to all stockists making them the perfect packaged gift suitable for all occasions. If you would like to know what La de da! has to offer then don't be shy and get in touch!

La de da!

Tel: 01242 250653 Emaill: enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk www.ladedaliving.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand P37

Humorous Men’s Gifts Gents gifts have always been a tricky category for retailers, and Widdop Bingham have been working hard to make buying this category easier with two new innovative, humorous men’s gift collections.

Ministry of Chaps (for officially brilliant blokes) caters for the modern day guy who loves nothing more than a good laugh, while Movember features an amazing collection of moustache Movember gifts. See both collections (and thousands of other lines from Widdop's) on the company's Spring Fair stand.

Widdop Bingham Tel: 0161 688 1226 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk www.widdop.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand J4/K3

Tabletop Teak A natural teak bowl lined in capiz shell, part of Libra’s SS15 Bali Beach Club collection. Pared back natural beauty.

Libra Tel: 01223 895800 Web: www.thelibracompany.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 8 Stand B2

Sellout Sorelle Collection The best selling Sorelle range has trebled in size due to popular demand. La de da! Living launched the fun giftware range, based on the sisters, at Harrogate 2014 and saw sales reach their climax at the end of last year. There have been over 70 new lines added to the collection and all promise to be as popular as ever. If you want to be a part of a unique gift company then come and see us and enter the world of La de da! You won't be disappointed!

La de da!

Tel: 01242 250653 Email: enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk www.ladedaliving.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand P37 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Highland Cattle Frith Sculpture are introducing two more designs in their successful Highland Cattle collection, a delightful Cow resting and a Bull standing. Created by Veronica Ballan in her distinctive ‘woolly’ finish, they have been selling well as far away as New Zealand!

Blue Poppy Art Tel: 0166 577110 Email: sales@frithsculpture.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 stand G48

Harmony Hare Frith Sculpture are celebrating their 21st birthday by introducing more Hares in what is their best-selling subject. See these and Frith's other fine sculpture at Spring Fair. Harmony Hare has been created by veteran sculptor Paul Jenkins whilst Thomas Meadows has added two new creations to his group of five Hares which have sold with considerable success. This year it is Topsy (pictured) and Tiffany who join the clan!

Blue Poppy Art Tel: 0166 577110 Email: sales@frithsculpture.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 stand G48

Staggering Sculptures A magnificent Stag sculpture is just one of Frith Sculpture’s new products for 2015. Celebrating their 21st anniversary they are continually introducing new innovative designs. Other new work for this season are Foxes, Otters and Dancers. They invite everyone to come and take a fresh look at their collections which have changed dramatically over the last few years.

Blue Poppy Art Tel: 0166 577110 Email: sales@frithsculpture.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 stand G48

Tea for One

Best Sellers Our system to print coats of arms and surname histories is so easy allowing you to capitalise on the trend for personalised products. Each scroll is printed to order from a database of over a million, and makes a memorable gift or souvenir. All you need is a power point and minimal space for a screen and printer. At £13 profit per print, it has been called a 'licence to print money'. Ring us now to find out why these are best-selling items for many of our retailers.

Hall of Names Tel: 01984 632120 Email: info@hallofnames.org.uk www.hallofnames.org.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand A101

Functional and compact, the new Brights tea-for-ones feature a halfsized teapot and perfectly-sized teacup to make enjoying your favourite drink all the more blissful. Available in four striking colours (red, green, orange and blue), each teapot works with or without a Price & Kensington stainless steel infuser. Please visit us at Spring Fair, Hall 9, Stand B10-C11.

Rayware - Price & Kensington Tel: 0151 486 1888 Email: sales@rayware.co.uk Web: www.rayware.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 9 Stand B10-C11

To The Moon and Back PMC is the UK's largest supplier of personalised gifts. New to their range is the personalised Moon and Back range, ideal for Valentine’s gifts but also a cute gift range for the whole year. Its sentiment is perfect for couples, parents and special aunties, uncles and godparents alike. The range of gifts extends to trinkets, candles, photo frames, chocolate bars, and a range of slate, wooden and ceramic decorations.

PMC Tel: 01782 744900 Email: Sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk www.personalisedmemento.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 L20-M21 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Scented Sachet Giveaway What? Heart of the Country’s Scented Sachets are available in over 100 fragrances in three brands, Greenleaf, Bridgewater Candle Company and Willowbrook Fresh Scents. Each beautifully designed envelope contains vermiculite (a natural mineral) blended with essential oils. Just unwrap the shelf life extending cellophane and the sachet will fragrance a room for four months Why? Heart of the Country’s Scented Sachets are an addictive consumable that keep your customers coming back for more.

Priced at a very 'pick-up-able' £3.50 for large and £2.50 for slim, the sachets are the most affordable and effective home fragrance product. Un-breakable, un-spill-able and with no naked flame, the scented sachet can fragrance your home without the hazards associated with candles and reed diffusers.

How? Heart of the Country offer various different displays to display the scented sachets. With a-frames and spinners that hold hundreds of sachets on very little floor space, and table top displays for smaller quantities, all your needs can be catered for.

Have been distributing these UK and world market leading scented sachets for over 20 years. They offer a friendly professional service with minimum orders starting at only £100, carriage paid order £200.

Heart of the Country Tel: 01543 481612 Email Sales@HeartoftheCountryLtd.co.uk www.HeartoftheCountryLtd.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand E74

Happy Anniversary Discount The Music Gifts Company is celebrating 20 years in 2015.

Come and see the entire range at Spring Fair NEC Hall 5 Stand A53. Join the celebrations as they are offering 10% discount on all orders placed at the show (except floor display). New scented candles carefully match the name with the scent and design. Men’s gifts, stationery, mugs and more than 500 gifts on a music theme!

The Music Gifts Company Tel: 01202 570057 Email: orders@musicgifts.co.uk www.musicgifts.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand A53

Mrs Brown's Boys Looking for something "that's nice"? Look no further than the brand new Instant gifts international range of Mrs Brown's boys.

Featuring the iconic Mrs Brown and her famous lines on various products including signs, chocolate bars and keyrings plus many more. After the massive success of the TV shows, tours and film, these items will be a must for 2015! For these and many other exciting products come and find us at Spring Fair.

Instant Gifts Tel: 01580 765040 Email: sales@instant-gifts.co.uk www.instant-gifts.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand A09

Ted Baker at Portmeirion 2015 promises to be an exciting year for Portmeirion Group. Two mesmerising collections spring forth from the new Ted Baker Portmeirion collaboration - a beautiful fine bone china tableware collection featuring Ted Baker’s fanciful rose print, and an extraordinary range of porcelain giftware in this season’s hottest hues. The Sophie Conran for Portmeirion range is also strengthened with yet another timeless design, Sophie Blue.

Portmeirion Group www.portmeiriongroup.com Tel: +44 (0)1782 744721 Email: homesales@portmeiriongroup.com Spring Fair: Hall 9, Stand E30-F31 Ambiente: Hall 4.1, Stand B16

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HALL 5 ST STAND TAAND C20/D21

RICHARD LANG & SON NL LTD TD T 1 Little Chester Park Derby, DE21 4AA

Tel:0 e 1332 340927 Fax:01332 299115

email:sales@richardlang.co.uk or visit www.richardlang.co.uk

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Scent Diffusers A welcome change to plain bottles, D & J Glassware’s stunning handcrafted and unique glass globe scent diffusers are the stylish way to fragrance the home. The gorgeous English-blended oils complement the colours of the glass. Gift sets containing everything your customer needs are packed in eye-catching boxes that stand out on the shelves, making this a must-have collection.

D & J Glassware Tel: +44 (0)1953 450 280 www.dandjglassware.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand F35

Dolly the Sheep Who can resist Dolly the Sheep? Her cute face is characteristic of D & J Glassware’s beautiful fused glass animals that are firm favourites with customers.

The colourful handcrafted pieces are part of a wider collection that includes pictures, coasters, mirrors and jewellery. New designs will be launched at Spring Fair, so make sure you visit the stand!

D & J Glassware Tel: +44 (0)1953 450 280 www.dandjglassware.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand F35

Making Cosmetics Fun MAD Beauty are 'serious about making cosmetics fun' and in 2015 they are extending this theme with much more from their licensed Kellogg’s range as well as MAD’s own their own extensive range of novelty cosmetic gifts incorporating many more gifts sets. Visit MAD Beauty’s iconic cardboard exhibition display for seriously fun cosmetic gift ideas. STOP PRESS: See the prelaunch of the MAD STUFF Kellogg’s Licensed stationery range at Spring Fair on the MAD Beauty stand!

Mad Beauty Tel: 0208 958 0555 Email: sales@madbeauty.com www.madbeauty.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand Q01

Gentlemen’s Hardware

Porcelain Tableware The colour red is symbolic of good fortune and joy in China and helps this teapot to make a cheerful addition to Mandarin Arts' range of porcelain tableware. Just the latest addition to a range which includes teapot sets, infuser mugs, sake and sushi sets, tea caddies, vases, jars and some beautiful table lamps. Take a look at Mandarin Arts website for full details or visit their stand at Spring Fair for some great show offers.

Mandarin Arts Tel: 01873 812255 Email: info@mandarinarts.co.uk www.mandarinarts.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand K79

We’ve added some newness to our dapper Gentlemen’s range for Spring, introducing shoe trees, a fabulous torch, stylish notebook and man sized lunch tin to our bestselling men’s range. Our shoe trees have been designed and crafted to keep favourite shoes in tip top shape, feeling and smelling like new! Made from 100% North American aromatic cedar wood which helps absorb moisture and odours with a long lasting fragrance. Visit us at Spring Fair or Top Drawer to view the whole collection.

Wild & Wolf Tel: 01225 789909 Email: sales@wildandwolf.com www.wildandwolf.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand H42-J43

Trio Of Masks Mask-arade has collaborated with Rubie’s Masquerade on Warner Brothers' property The Dark Knight. This fantastic trio of licensed face masks depicts characters of Gotham’s very own Batman, Catwoman and The Joker. These iconic faces are out now and can be ordered direct from Mask-arade.

Mask-arade Tel: +44(0)1926 814292 Email: info@mask-arade.com www.mask-arade.com Spring Fair: Hall 3 Stand P54 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Ringalings Brand new for 2015 are Fiesta Crafts’ new jingly and crinkly soft teething activity rings - Ringalings! Combining beautiful soft fabrics in vibrant colours in six fun designs - Elephant, Lion, Zebra, Giraffe, Cat and Tiger - they're very tactile, introducing baby to new sounds as well as colours and textures, with cords and a teething piece to pull and chew on.

Fiesta Crafts Tel: 0208 804 0563 www.fiestacrafts.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 3 Stand J18

100% Natural Aroma Holiday candles are handmade in Yorkshire using 100% natural, vegetarian and non toxic wax producing candles which have much longer burn times than paraffin wax and almost no soot. They are available in a range of sizes and evoke the spirit of the world’s most captivating places with a range of beautiful fragrances. Founder, Mark Jordan says, "Holidays are the times when we are most relaxed. Recreate that mood than with a beautiful scented candle!"

Aroma Holiday Tel: 07882610705 Email: sales@aromaholiday.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand S35 www.aromaholiday.com

StickR TrackR

New Look Salve For 2015, Rose Petal Salve has had a bit of face-lift, with an updated tin design and a lower RRP. It was the first salve Caroline Rose created on her stove over 25 years ago and it has become a celebrity favourite. Feminine in its fragrance and pretty pink ointment tin, Rose Petal Salve has fans all over the world including Kate Winslet, Paris Hilton, Rosie Fortescue and Gizzi Erskine, and has won or been shortlisted for countless awards over the years. RRP: £3.99 Rose & Co. Tel: 01827 280 080 Email: roseandco@graftons.co.uk www.graftons.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 20 Stand A41

Fabulous Homewares For elegant dining and balmy summer evenings, Globe Home is the last word in fabulous homewares. Whether your style is classic or contemporary, Globe has everything you need for your home, offering both luxury and excellent value. The company is committed to making gifting a pleasure, sourcing products with flair and class to be treasured forever.

Globe Enterprise Tel 0208 845 5057 Email: info@globebenterprise.co.uk www.globeenterprise.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand M01

The StickR TrackR is a coin-sized device that attaches to valuable items. It can be stuck on using the self-adhesive label provided, or attached to anything using the 2 inch lanyard lace supplied, ideal for keys rings, bag handles or straps. The device wirelessly connects to a mobile through an App called ‘TrackR’ which is free and downloadable from either the App Store for Apple devices or Play Store for use with Android devices. Two way tracking enables users to ring from the device to the mobile or from the mobile to the device.

The TrackR-UK Tel: 0208 502 2910 Email: enquiries@thetrackr-uk.co.uk www.thetrackr-uk.co.uk

Wallet TrackR The Wallet TrackR is a thin device that can slip inside a wallet, purse, and pocket or be attached to any commonly misplaced item. The device wirelessly connects to a mobile through an App called TrackR which is free and downloadable from either the App Store for Apple devices or Play Store for use with Android devices. It has been specifically designed to withstand being sat on continuously. Two way tracking enables users to ring either from the device to the mobile or from the mobile to the device.

The TrackR-UK Tel: 0208 502 2910 Email: enquiries@thetrackr-uk.co.uk www.thetrackr-uk.co.uk

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Heart Pomander & Home Spray New from The Scented Home, the Heart Pomander is an evolution of Ashleigh & Burwood’s original, highly-coveted Scented Pomander. The new pomander takes the form of a desirable heartshape and, together with a refreshing 20ml Home Spray, is presented in an attractive gift box, making an ideal gift for friends and loved ones.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5, Stand L04-M05

Licensed Ceramics Enchanting Disney Large size statement figurines, water balls and money banks portraying some of the most loveable of Disney characters, are to join Enesco’s Enchanting Disney collection in January 2015. The impressive statement figurines range bring the personality of Disney characters, from Bambi and Thumper to the Seven Dwarfs, to life. Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Tinker Bell, Dumbo, Bambi and Disney Princesses feature in the extended water ball collection.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand F04/G03

Clare Davis is very proud to announce licensing work for Decorum Ceramics. Designed in Clare's unique style and understanding of surface pattern, the initial range includes jugs, tea pots and plates. Clare's inspiration came from butterflies, bees and dragonflies situated in tumbling foliage. The original artwork was done in conjunction with ceramic artist Michelle Mouton who has over 20 years experience in ceramics herself. The range will be packaged in pale blue boxes. Call the studio for further details.

Davis & Brown Tel: 01494 883097 Email: sales@davisandbrown.co.uk www.davisandbrown.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 4 Stand K47

Sophie Conran For T&G

Iconic Beano Dennis the Menace & Gnasher are enjoying great success in licensing with a raft of new licensees using these iconic characters to create eyecatching products. With a successful TV series on CBBC, and featuring in the best selling Beano Annual, the characters are high profile. Licensees include Rubie's for Dress Up , Shreds for Aprons , Trade Mark Collections for bags , Blue Sky Designs for stationery , Gibson's for jigsaws and Neviti for partyware. A further piece of high profile activity sees The Diary of Dennis the Menace published by Penguin featured as one of the World Book Day titles for 2015. For more details call Ian Downes at Start Licensing Start Licensing Tel: 0208 337 7958 Email: ian@startlicensing.co.uk

T&G has everything from the humble wooden spoon, Sophie Conran for T&G (featured), the award winning CrushGrind salt, pepper and spice mills full of design, function and quality, and a splash of vintage! Celebrating 40 years in the housewares industry T&G have the perfect kitchen products for the perfect kitchen gifts. Come and see us at Spring Fair in Hall 9, Stand F30-G11 for some exciting new additions to popular ranges and some great new products for 2015!

T&G Woodware Tel: 01275 841841 www.tg-woodware.com Spring Fair: Hall 9 Stand F30/G11

Giftware Team If you’re visiting Spring Fair at the NEC look out for members of T H March’s specialist giftware team (pictured), who will be out and about visiting stands in all the halls. Contact them for advice on all giftware insurance matters.

T H March Tel: 01822 855 555 Email: giftware@thmarch.co.uk www.thmarch.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 17 Stand S48 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Visit us at Spring Fair 2015

Hall 5 L20 - M21

ONE STOP SHOP FOR PERSONALISED GIFTS

A licence to print money Coats of arms and surname histories, printed to order at point of sale.

SPRING FAIR: HALL 5, STAND A1 01.

CALL

TO FIND

OUT MORE

01984 632120

Find out how to Register Here

www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

www.hallofnames.org.uk

Cozy Time is well-established in the UK toy and gift market and its product ranges consistently delight children and adults with their innovation, colour, and quality.

VISIT US AT...

HALL 3, STAND J12 1–5 FEBRUARY 2015 NEC BIRMINGHAM www.springfair.com

Tel. 01905 82 00 88 www.cozy-time.co.uk

One of the largest selling plush products of 2014, the incredibly popular 30 cm round hedgehog and owl handwarmers, will return in 2015 along with brand new sheep and penguin variants... plus lots of other surprises!

Cozy Time, Units 1–3 Pack Barn, Baynhall Farm, Kempsey, Worcestershire, WR5 3PA

Visit us at the Spring Fair to find out what other exciting big volume products will be launched!

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products launching this spring

Extra Shot Option Jura, a significant innovator in luxury Swiss made bean-to-cup technology, is setting new standards in the coffee world with the introduction of its Impressa A9 which features an in-built extra shot option for those who love their coffee strong. This high-performance machine also features the latest slide and touch technology, along with a high-resolution TFT colour display screen enabling users to select their ‘preferred-perk’ from an à la carte menu of 12 different coffees.

Jura Tel: 0800 6525527 Email: web@juraproducts.uk www.jurauk.com

The 'Wow' Factor Famous for putting the magic of Christmas into home decor, SIA have passed even their own expectations this year! Simon Pykett, Country Manager & Director enthuses, "As soon as I arrived at the Paris preview I could sense the air of excitement. The door was opened and we were met by an explosion of ‘Gold’, a truly amazing Christmas tree beautifully adorned with handmade Christmas decorations - a real SIA wow factor!" Now it is being revealed at the company's Newbury showroom opening from Monday the 26th January.

SIA Tel: 01635 39881 Email: simon.pykett@sia-homefashion.com www.sia-homefashion.co.uk

Stylish Clocks New to the market, iSTRA offer a superb collection of 22 new contemporary stylish clocks, suitable for just about any room in a modern home. The new superior Quartz movement V-07 model features a best quality hand-polished stainless steel case and rotating dial with a cut out to indicate the hour hand. Among other new contemporary clocks being exhibited is model C-47, featuring two clocks with a black or white dial design, a best quality hand-polished stainless steel case and a top-end Quartz movement.

Oldeani Tel: 01245 262611 Email: malcolm@oldeani.com www.oldeani.com

Own Label Parks is the premier manufacturer of the highest quality 100% natural wax candles and has seen massive growth in the demand for own label products, both from individual shops who can buy as little as 150pcs to major corporations who buy 50,000pcs.

Parks create high quality bespoke candles and diffusers, customised to individual requirements, with the shop's name and logo on the glass and box, providing a full start to finish service. Why sell a brand that is available in hundreds of shops? You too can have your own exclusive product promoting your business whilst at the same time building customer loyalty.

Your customers will return to your shop to purchase your unique and exclusive creation.

Customised products developed by Parks also allow retailers to set prices, increase margins and improve their brand awareness.

Parks (London) Tel: 0208 830 6300 Email: Info@parkscandles.com www.parkscandles.com

Display Suppliers SDEA has 130 specialist retail display suppliers offering thousands of shopfittings and display systems, props, PoS, lighting and signage. The highly regarded Retail Display Directory is available free on request, and the popular online resource, www.shopdisplay.org, has a comprehensive keyword search facility.

Shop and Display Equipment Association Tel: 01883 348911 Email: enquiries@sdea.co.uk www.shopdisplay.org

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some perfect ‘Mother’s Day’ gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Love Mum Collection

The Gift Of Wildflowers

Mum’s the word with Joe Davies’ Love Mum collection. Perfect for Mother’s Day, the range features sentiment messages, delicate colours and beautiful button decals on wooden keepsake boxes and message plaques. All the items are perfectly priced to hit key impulse buy price points and are available using the company’s Little & Often order system.

Joe Davies Tel:0161 975 6300 Email sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand C30/D31

Wildflowers servingware is inspired by the palette of a cottage garden in the Spring. Each piece is intricately patterned with garlands of tulips, daffodils and daisies within borders of soft aqua tones. Delicate in appearance, but made from high quality ceramic, the Wildflowers range is dishwasher-safe for easy entertaining.

Selected pieces are available beautifully giftboxed - in case you can give it away!

Valerie Graham Tel: 020 8200 5100 Email: sales@valerie-graham.co.uk Spring Fair: Summerhouse Stand C12/D11

Love To Grow Original design on a large range of decorative and practical gardenware. Our heraldic Love to Grow logo and smaller repeat pattern is printed over a gardening apron, a kneeler, a set of tools and various aluminium plant pots, buckets and watering cans. Choose from dark grey or pale green as a base colour. Would make perfect gifts whatever the budget.

Parlane International Tel: 01451 812700 Email: sales@parlane.co.uk www.parlaneinternational.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 8 Stand C2/D3

Miel Collection Our Miel ceramic kitchenware is handmade in Portugal. It combines beautiful transparent glazes with a rustic finish in nine harmonising bright pastels and neutrals. The collection is large: oven bake/serveware in various shapes and sizes, utensil pots, salad bowls, footed serving bowls, pitchers, mugs, storage jars and flat serving platters. Printed waffle tea-towels and paper napkins designed in-house complement the collection.

Parlane International Tel: 01451 812700 Email: sales@parlane.co.uk www.parlaneinternational.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 8 Stand C2/D3

Colourful Cosmetics Pretty by Quest is a leading manufacturer of health and beauty products. Specialising in our own brands and private label, we offer a wide range of affordable gifts and everyday health and beauty products. To find out more please visit our stand at Spring Fair.

Quest Tel: 0845 130 5335 Email: info@qpcglobal.com www.qpcglobal.com Spring Fair: Hall 11 Stand K11/L10

Mother’s Day Gift Choose a special gift for the person who has given you so much from the Sophie Conran for T&G range. There are 15 gorgeous boards in uplifting colours and five different shapes. Each piece, made from FSC certified natural beech, has natural simplicity, stylish form and individual detail, and all boards are perfect for general food preparation or can be used as serving pieces.

T&G Woodware Tel: +44 (0) 1275 841841 Email: enquiries@tg-woodware.com www.tg-woodware.com Spring Fair: Hall 9 Stand F30/G11

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LAUNCHING AT S P R I N G FAIR!

Visit us at Spring Fair 1-5th Feb 2015, Hall 4 Stand 4E90 and 4E84

w w w. p o r t i c o d e s i g n s . c o m

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London Stationery Show/National Stationery Week

All’s Write With

The World From little acorns big oaks grow, just ask Chris Leonard-Morgan, founder and organiser of the London Stationery Show, National Stationery Week and the Get Britain Writing campaign.

Now in its fifth year, the show - the home of stationery in the UK - is bigger than ever, with National Stationery Week running in tandem, gaining such huge interest around the world that there will now also be the first ever World Stationery Day on April 29.

Chris tells PG&H how the media, and especially social media, are helping to spread the hand written word worldwide.

Since he first thought of the idea of a niche show dedicated to stationery, Chris LeonardMorgan hasn't doubted for one nanosecond that the handwritten word will live on, with social stationery an increasingly strong retail sector, especially for gift shops. "Stationery has moved from being purely functional to being fashionable," states Chris.

While the first Stationery Show, held in 2011, may have started modestly, today it is riding high as the London Stationery Show,

World Stationery Day

with 90% of stands sold at the time of going to press - one in four companies are brand new to the event - and around 130 exhibitors showcasing products from over 200 different suppliers to include 'first timers' such as Wild & Wolf and Paperblanks. "One of the big attractions of the London Stationery Show for buyers is that they can see so many companies and products that they don't see at other UK events, and all in one place," explains Chris.

"This year’s exhibition is our biggest yet," he continues, "with a fantastic line-up of exhibitors that include many of the biggest names in the business.

You can't see more stationery or writing products anywhere in the UK. It's a real one stop shop."

Three years ago, Chris, who still uses an early Parker 51, launched National Stationery Week in tandem with the Get

The second day of the London Stationery Show, April 29 - and day three of National Stationery Week - has been designated World Stationery Day. It will have its own identity and website, and will be promoted to the consumer and trade media worldwide as well as on social media.

"The message is the same wherever you are - writing by hand is important and really does matter," Chris states. "It is forever, and the aim of World Stationery Day is to get people around the world talking about stationery with Twitter and Facebook bringing them together."

Sponsors of this year's National Stationery Week are Sheaffer, Maped Helix, Dodo Pad, Kokuyo, Zebra Pen and Nu: Notebooks.

The Lowdown

❐ London Stationery Show takes place from April 28-29 2015, at the Business Design Centre, London. Visit www.stationeryshow.co.uk ❐ National Stationery Week takes place from April 27-May 3, 2015. Visit www.nationalstationeryweek.com

Above: Chris Leonard-Morgan.

Below: Visitors enjoy browsing at last year's show.

Britain Writing campaign, which has taken the handwritten word to another level. Trending on Twitter, and achieving unprecedented levels of consumer and retailer engagement, as well as media coverage in print, on air and online, it generated over £5 miilion of coverage in 2014, excluding social media, blogs and retailers' own marketing activities no mean feat!

"National Stationery Week is a huge sales opportunity for retailers," he emphasises.

(Visit www.nationalstationeryweek.com for more details).

"Consumers, especially women, love stationery, and I'm a passionate believer that children must be taught to write, which is why we also have a Get Kids Writing campaign.

Writing by hand starts in childhood."

While a lot of stationery is bought as a gift, he's quick to point out that it is also bought as a self-treat too. "It's wonderful to hear and read what real people say about stationery on social media and happily, the world is full of people who love it!" he beams. "It's a wonderful feeling to be able to bring them all together." Visit www.stationeryshow.co.uk Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Sterling Silver Jewellery

Keep the cork... treasure the memory Champagne moments will never be forgotten with the NEW Bubbly Bauble. Why drop a cork into a drawer, when it can nestle inside a Bubbly Bauble! The original gift for all to share that special moment.

Afternoon Tea!

Call us for our latest catalogue www.kitheathretailer.com Tel 01271 329123 Email sales@kitheath.com

Vis Stanit us on Con d 6S1 te 7 Hom mpora ry e& Gift at t s h Spri e NEC ng F air

The Bubbly Bauble Company Limited T: +44(0)845 4310447 info@bubblybauble.co.uk

www.bubblybauble.co.uk

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Spring Fair: Retailers

ORDERS, !

S R E ORD From February 1-5, Spring Fair, which takes place at the NEC, will be home to 3,000 British and international suppliers, 400 of them new to the show in 2015, providing the ideal launch platform for more than 300,000 new products across 14 different market sectors.

PG&H spoke to a handful of gift retailers across the spectrum about their strategy when it comes to the industry's biggest trade show of the year.

Garden Centre

The Mains of Drum Garden Centre in Banchory, Aberdeenshire, stocks an extensive range of home furnishings and giftware. A team of three are making the journey down to Birmingham, providing a good cross section of opinions and tastes.

"Spring Fair is one of the most important trade shows of the year for us so we normally spend three or four full days there where we place a considerable number of orders - at last year's Spring Fair we placed 28!" enthuses manager Craig Forbes.

He says that space is currently at a premium, but that the team are always on the look for something new or different that hopefully sets Mains of Drum apart from the competition. This February, they will also be looking for product lines that could be incorporated into the eagerly awaited extension that will double the size of its gift and homewares section.

"Before leaving for the show, we look at the ranges and suppliers we currently have and decide who we should concentrate on, or whether it's time for something new," explains Craig. "We then structure our visit, so we look at the different sections within the gift and indoor lifestyle department and decide on the direction we will heading for in the upcoming season. I also take a look online, prior to leaving for Birmingham, to see who is and who isn't attending to save time while we are away."

The team's first day, typically on Sunday, sees them heading for suppliers that are currently stocked, or suppliers with whom the team want to place orders. "For us, it is extremely useful to see their products ‘in the flesh’, such as artwork, cushions and glassware," continues Craig.

He says that days two and three are more about honing in on certain categories rather than specific suppliers. "For example, we may spend some time looking at our Cook and Dine offering, or our wellbeing section, as well as taking a peek at the jewellery halls - probably the hardest from my point of view!

Each evening we reconvene to discuss and go over what we have bought. I create a spreadsheet, monitor our totals and planned delivery dates, and set our mark up plan. This gives us the opportunity to track what we have bought and spent, and check we are not over burdening ourselves with stock on certain dates.

We also note down locations of the companies we will be targeting the next day. We try and keep Spring Fair primarily for Spring and summer buying, preferring to do our Christmas buying at the Harrogate show in January. We find it far easier to keep the two seasons completely separate."

Above: Some 70,000 visitors from the UK, and internationally, will be heading off to Spring Fair at the NEC in February.

Left and below right: Mains Of Drum.

Six Top Tips 1.Send At Least Two Team Members There is often a lot of ground to cover and this will be far easier if there are more people to 'divide and conquer'.

2.Have A Plan Decide before you go which sections of the show are going to be the most valuable for you and plan to cover these first. Brief your team on anything specific to look out for or be aware of.

3.Take Notes If you aren’t press you won’t have permission to take photos, which means that noting down any thoughts as you’re going around is essential. Hand out business cards - take far more than you think you need - so that exhibitors can email you high resolution photos. Take a spare bag for collecting product packs.

4.Analyse Your Findings What’s new this season? Are there any particular trends you should be paying attention to?

5.Cross-reference Findings Combine notes and create an easy to read document so that you can effectively use the information and share it with other colleagues when you get back.

6.Debrief Your Team Maximise the value of your attendance by debriefing the rest of your team so that research is shared.

(Source: Trend Bible)

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collectable, country, & vintage reproductions for home, gifts & textiles

Home, Gifts, Textiles

online ordering: www.orchid-designs.co.uk tel: 01484 866903

Spring Fair : Hall 5 stands C50-D51

fax: 01484 866955

Aroma Holiday English Handmade Luxury Candles

orchid@orchid-designs.demon.co.uk Dearne Park Ind. Est., Park Mill Way, Clayton West, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD8 9XJ, England.

TAKE A TRIP OF A LIFETIME WITH AROMA HOLIDAY CANDLES! Spring Fair Hall 6 Stand S35

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BEST W WASHES LOVE LOV OVVE SUDZFUN NXX Spring Fair, Birmingham B NEC NE EC February ary 2015 1 - 5 Februa Stand: Hall 20, A18

Twelve fragrances conjure up the sights, sounds and aromas of some of the world’s most colourful cities.

Recreate the atmosphere of Paris, New York, London, Rome, Istanbul without leaving the comfort of your own armchair. Let the fragrances transport you to Tokyo, Agra, Valencia, Rio and Dubai. Relax and you’re in Hawaii or Sydney!

Aroma Holiday is the new luxury scented candle brand which captures the spirit of the world’s most enthralling places with a range of beautiful, evocative fragrances.

Handmade in Yorkshire, the range of expertly created eco-friendly soya candles make perfect gifts for travellers and would-be travellers alike. This 100% natural, vegetarian and non toxic wax produces candles which have much longer burn times than paraffin wax and produce almost no soot.

Aroma Holiday candles are available in a range of sizes, including single 245g votives, 3 wick 1kg luxury footed bowls and travel candle gifts sets comprising 5 80g votives.

All packaged in stylish gift boxes.

Call 07882610705 email sales@aromaholiday.com www.aromaholiday.com

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Spring Fair: Retailers

Gifts & Furniture Multiple Four members of the team from gifts, home accessories and furniture retailer Utility - which has three shops in Liverpool and one shop in London - will be spending two days at Spring Fair this year, and will concentrate on seeing new products from existing suppliers as well as taking the opportunity to check out new suppliers.

"We'll ensure that we'll do each hall systematically so that we don’t miss a thing!" underlines co-founder and director Kate Cowie. "Although we don’t place orders at the show, we try and gather as much information as we can so that we can discuss everything with the rest of the team when

we get back and agree our strategy for the following few months. That said, my top tip would be that if any suppliers are offering show discounts, it's a good idea to do an order at the show. I also always ensure that I write down anything and everything of interest so that I have a record of what I saw for future reference.”

Above and right: Utility.

Jewellery, Lifestyle & Gifts Phil Parkes, director of Cliftons in Lytham, will be spending three days at Spring Fair, with different staff visiting on different days so that the team get a good all round view of the show.

"We always go with an open mind, and our main focus will be looking for new brands that will have longevity, with good plans for the future in terms of stock line extensions etc.," confirms Phil. "We normally plan our visit using the online 'Black Book' as there are often late amendments to the show."

He says he budgets by department. "But we also have a reserve for that ‘special product’ should we find one," he confirms. "Plus, this year, we will be looking into leather goods."

Phil says that orders are sometimes placed at the show and sometimes when he gets back.

"With most suppliers using online ordering tools, we analyse orders each night and enter them into our system."

He says his top tip is that once you’ve walked through a hall, to turn round and walk the other way. "It’s amazing what you find hidden away at the back of the stands!" he highlights.

Gifts & Home Accessories Josie Rossington, owner of Follie and Follie Home in Lincoln, will be going to Spring Fair on Sunday as the stores are closed which means she doesn’t have to staff the shops.

"My mum usually comes with me as it's great to have someone to bounce ideas off, and who has a different opinion to me," says Josie. "I like to keep my options open, although I'm still trying to find christening and baby gifts that fit in with the style of my shops, as well as some really lovely men’s gifts which aren’t gimmicky."

She says she goes online to track down the location of the suppliers she already uses, as well as the locations of other suppliers who look interesting.

"It's such a big fair area wise, that you can’t go up and down every single hall," she points out. Although she's never been to a trade fair with a budget in mind she says she has a pretty fair idea when she's spent enough! "Although I mainly place orders at the fair, I sometimes need a few nights to consider what I’d like to order so I take as much information away with me as I can."

Her top tips are to get to the show as early as possible. "Sometimes new companies work on a first come first served basis, so it's important to get there first if you want exclusivity of products in your area."

Her other tip includes taking lots of business cards.

"It's very important to include your VAT and company number as most European companies like this information when you order," she adds.

Above: Follie and Follie Home (below).

Left: Cliftons, Lytham.

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In Profile: Stoneglow

A 'Natural' Winner With home fragrancing currently one of the biggest growth areas in giftware, Stoneglow is looking forward to an exciting year. Not only is the company moving into large new, owner-occupied premises in February, but there is also a brand new Spring/Summer range that will be unveiled at Spring Fair next month, as well as the launch of a unique formula, described by chairman and md Perry Simmons as "the Coca Cola of wax".

But as PG&H discovered, that's not all...

In a market place that's awash with candles and reed diffusers, it is, of course, essential for home fragrancing companies to stand out. With suppliers upping their game, and an increasingly discerning consumer, there is a constant need to go on pushing the boundaries.

With that in mind, Stoneglow couldn't be more excited to unveil its new natural wax formula that has been bubbling away in the company's Essex factory on and off for four years. "We've been working on it for a very long time," concurs Perry Simmons.

"However, we put our full weight behind its development last year and will be launching it at Spring Fair in conjunction with our brand new Spring/Summer collection, Modern

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Apothecary. Going forward, it will be used in all our natural brand candles and we will also be offering it to our own brand customers too."

If this candle wax sounds ground breaking it is, according to Perry. "It's a special blend that we have developed ourselves and we believe it is far superior to anything else on the market," he explains.

"The wax has a lovely finish and burns very well. It features all the benefits of natural wax, but offers a better finish and fragrance throw which has previously been lacking in natural wax, and the unique formula is obviously something that we are very, very excited about."

Top: Perry Simmons, md of Stoneglow.

Inset: Spring/Summer sees a new fragrance and colour introduced into the company's Art Glass range.

Spring Fair will be its first unveiling to the trade, with the company's Modern Apothecary brand inviting retailers to discover more.

The collection has been created around new rectangular glass bottles, and builds on the company's successful Modern Classics range which has been ringing up sales for the last two seasons.

"Our objective was to bring this simple classic up-to-date," explains Hazel Simmons, who is head of design and new product development. "It's been about taking something old and making it new, and we've done that by using simple white matt packaging and a plain, simple label that spells out the top, middle and base notes of each of the six fragrances." Each fragrance has a number (1-6) printed on its box, as well as on its white and frosted glass container, and has also been colour coded. "For retailers, these details will help to make merchandising very easy," Hazel points out.

The fragrances are all essential oil based, with each one carrying a high level of

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In Profile: Stoneglow

natural, traditional ingredients. Combinations range from Geranium & Clary Sage, and Sandalwood & Cardamom, to Lavender & Camomile and Grapefruit & Lime, which Hazel reveals is a personal favourite.

She emphasises that the company is always moving forward with development.

"It's always about taking our products to another level, so we are constantly growing and developing both creatively and in terms of manufacture. It's always a 'eureka!' moment when you suddenly think, yes, that will work, although sometimes it can be hard to do it to order!"

She adds that what also helps to give the company its edge is that all its home fragrancing products are made in the UK. Adds Perry: "it means that we can offer quality, service and a fast turnaround, something we wouldn't be able to do if we were manufacturing in the Far East."

Top: Modern Apothercary, launching at Spring Fair, features the company's new natural wax formula.

Above right: Botanical gel candles in the Nature's Gift range.

Right: Red Rose, from Nature's Gift, is a new addition to the range.

Hazel says that one of the company's key criteria is that its products must be able to sit well with all styles of home decor. "In the Modern Apothecary range for example, the reeds are white. While I can't see us ever producing reeds in bright, primary colours, our dark brown, and also our black reeds are very popular, because, despite being coloured, they sit well in all environments."

Staying with reed diffusers, Perry confirms that they are rapidly taking over from candles in terms of volume of sales. "Year round, they definitely sell better than candles, although at Christmas, obviously candles are still top of the list.

We had two filling machines working full time in November and December, with the factory on nights to keep up with demand," he comments. "In fact, over the past five years, the company's sales overall have grown by 30-40% year on year."

Hazel puts the success of reed diffusers down to the fact that Stoneglow is a market leader in innovation. "Not only do we offer botanical reed diffusers and coloured art glass, but we also offer containers in a diverse variety of shapes and sizes."

Also helping to grow the company is the export side of the business, which soared by 300% in 2012/2013, growing a further 50% last year. Currently, Stoneglow has a strong presence in Russia, Japan, Spain, Australia, South Korea, Norway and Italy, with plans to expand into new territories in 2015.

Bespoke/Own Label One area that is really seeing growth for the company is bespoke/own label, with Perry confirming that the market place has been growing by 40-50% a year for the past six years.

"We're dealing with ‘the UK's favourite retailer’ as well as working with the top designer brands," he comments. "But we also run a service that is aimed at independent retailers who can't do big runs, with an easy system whereby a customer can choose from 15 tried and tested fragrances. We apply their own brand label to the packaging, with options ranging from simple white to foiled edged boxes and coloured glass. They can also purchase a sample pack which makes the process even easier."

Perry is also rightly proud to have been commissioned to produce, arguably, the industry's most expensive candle for the No. 1 'nose' in the industry, whose fragranced products adorn the shelves of London's 'top people's' store. With the candle selling for a mere £795, he's almost certainly right and the repeat orders, says Perry, are staggering!

Stoneglow: The Lowdown ❐ Since its inception in 1992, Stoneglow has evolved to become an award winning home fragrance business spanning candles and reed diffusers and soaps and lotions. ❐ All home fragrancing products are either hand or machine made at the company's factory in Essex. ❐ New fragrances are introduced twice a year, in Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. ❐ At the 2014 London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Business Awards, Stoneglow was honoured to win both the Growth Business of the Year Award as well as the prestigious Business of the Year award. ❐ Last year, the company turned down the opportunity to appear on The Apprentice.

"We would have had to turn round the contestants’ home fragrancing products in a day which went against our company ethos," states Perry.

So what else is in the pipeline for 2015?

"Aside from our move into our new premises, which will double our unit space and encourage further growth on all fronts, we will also be diversifying into a new product sector linked to home fragrancing," Perry reveals. "When we started Stoneglow, we were a one product candle company. Today, we're a home fragrancing business which allows us to further evolve and to grow the business yet again." Although there's no firm date for the launch, Perry hints that it will probably be in the Autumn. "The market is growing and, as a company, you have to find your niche," he continues. "The reason that Stoneglow is so successful is that we continue to do what we do best which is to produce candles and reed diffusers, but, as 2015 will demonstrate, there will be a new string to our bow. The home fragrancing market place is always open ended, always evolving, which, for us, continues to make it endlessly fascinating."

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NEW VOLKSWAGEN, TILES, MONICA RICHARDS, TEAPOTS, POMME PIDOU & MORE!

Come and see us at Spring Fair Hall 5 Stand G20 - H21

Unit 11, Lopen Business Park, Lopen, South Petherton, Somerset, TA13 5JS Tel: 08450 723 525

Fax: 01460 242 649

Email: info@fiestastudios.com

Website: Fiestastudios.com

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Socially Speaking

The word 'engagement' seems to be on everyone's lips nowadays, although not necessarily in the traditional sense.

Today, 'engagement' often refers to companies communicating with their customers, with four gift independents telling PG&H why they are delighted to join in the global social media conversation.

Daisy Parkers "Social media is a really important element of our business as it provides an extra opportunity to interact with our customers," comments Emma Paisey, owner of Daisy Park in South Molton. "They love to see what we have been up to and what’s new. We're very lucky to have staff who believe in this and are willing to share with the rest of the world."

Emma reveals that the shop calls its Facebook fans ‘Daisy Parkers’. "We share special offers, news and advance notification of sales and events and have seen these fans grow over the years to over 5,000. We also ensure that we tie in with other local businesses and organisations to help promote South Molton, sports events with the local running club and so on."

As Daisy Park fans live all over the world, Emma tries to share the ‘bricks and mortar’ store with them at every opportunity. "For example, we share all our shop window displays, reflecting the products in the display within a special ‘shop the window’ collection on our website." Local customers can scan a QR code displayed in the window which also takes them to the collection page on the website.

"We have expanded our social media coverage to include Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter which allows us to reach more people," continues Emma.

"In 2015, we will continue to engage with our customers using social media platforms while always looking out for new developments in apps and programs to see how we can use them to communicate and engage with our customers."

Invaluable Feedback "Social media is possibly one of our most effective methods of interacting with customers," says Heather Ballantyne, marketing assistant at The Pod Company, which has shops in Bristol, Cheltenham and Oxford.

"It's a great way to present new and best selling products, and when people share our posts it also allows us to reach a whole new audience as well. But perhaps most importantly, it allows people to reach out to us with questions and comments, so, not only do we provide even better customer service, but we can also monitor how our followers respond to different products."

To keep their social media sites interesting and engaging, Pod frequently runs competitions, and confirms that they always get great responses from existing followers, as well as new customers.

"One of our favourites in 2014 was a Pinterest competition," explains Heather. "We asked our followers to create their dream wedding board, where we then chose our favourite as the winner. In this way we were able to really get the entrants thinking creatively, making for a much more exciting competition."

Heather confirms that Pod has lots of ideas brewing for 2015, including interacting with other prominent social media accounts to try to reach new audiences and increase brand awareness. "By running competitions with bloggers we're able to gain much more exposure for our social media initiatives," she points out.

Above right: Daisy Park's QR code is prominently displayed in the front window.

Left: The shop's Pinterest board.

Above right and right: How The Pod Company engages with its customers.

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Socially Speaking

Going Behind The Scenes

Connection With Customers "We really appreciate the value social media offers to our business, with Facebook and Twitter still the two main platforms," says John Jackson, director of Retro 36 in Scarborough. "We track engagement rates on Facebook, especially via Facebook Insights, and have a daily meeting to discuss content for the day, and a weekly meeting to review engagement rates and plan a strategy for the coming week."

He says that when a Facebook post is particularly successful, the team ask themselves three key questions at the weekly meeting: what was the post about? Why it was successful? How are they going to replicate that success again? "We also love the clear bar graph system which gives a quick visual clue as to how each post has performed," he adds.

John says that consistency in updating works well.

"The quality of content - words and photography - is important. We do everything in-house so we can control this and are now pretty proficient on social media, but continue to hone our craft. As an independent retailer, we believe that social media is a vital tool and use it to establish a ‘connection’ with our customers. In fact, it’s getting more and more important. It’s free advertising and allows us to tell our story while keeping our customers abreast of new products and other exciting things that are happening in-store or online."

At Christmas, Retro 36 ran a very different and very unique Christmas social media campaign which was a month long. "There was no actual participation required and everyone got to enjoy things as they unfolded. It was like a little Christmas gift from Retro 36," explains John.

He says that the social media cardinal sin is shortened Facebook URLs on Twitter. "We see numerous tweets which include no text or picture, just a shortened Facebook URL leading to a post on Facebook. This gives the customer no clue what the link pertains to. If they do click on it and they’re not logged into Facebook, they won’t have access to the full content anyway.”

Top right and centre: Rose & Co. is continuing to make the most of social media.

Above: The most successful recent update for Retro 36 was Cosy Christmas, which had a reach of 392, and engagement rates of 82 clicks and 15 likes, significantly outperforming other posts.

"We use both Facebook and Twitter to get feedback from customers, preview new products and run competitions," says Caroline Rose, md of Rose & Co., and Rose & Co. Apothecary in Haworth. "This year we’ve been looking at growing our fan base and engagement rates on social media via competitions and surveys. Our Friday Freebies have been really popular and we’ve also been able to ask our fans direct questions, such as ‘do you prefer a lip balm tin or tube?’ and sometimes have been surprised by the results."

Caroline says that, in 2015, the company has got some exciting things in the pipeline to talk about to fans, both trade and consumer. "With the recent changes to Facebook it will be a challenge to make traditional page posts work as well as they have in the past so we’ll be experimenting with other communication methods such as apps. Also, Pinterest and Instagram are becoming increasingly important, so we will be investing more time into these platforms as well. We try and keep the content personal and not too corporate," she adds. "For us, it's an opportunity to really engage with our customers and followers and give them a view 'behind the scenes'."

Extension Of The Brand "Social media is a massive part of our business model," states Richard Smart, director of Hintons in Wimborne and Broadstone. "It’s the foundation of what makes HintonsHome.com and our stores different in the current market place.

Our customers look to our social media platforms as an extension of the brand and enjoy getting a deeper sense of what that means - our core values and how we communicate with them."

Richard says that with around 10,000 likes and followers across Hintons' social media channels they are 'small fry' in comparison to the big boys like John Lewis or Next. "But among our peers we are holding our own and seeing real growth each month," he confirms. "In fact, some of the best fun we had in 2014 was on Above: How Hintons has been engaging with its customers. social media. We regularly run competitions and flash promotions and find that it's the fastest most direct route to our customer base and they love it. But that said, we have found it important to get the balance between selling and telling right. Customers love it just as much when we share photos of them using our products, or fun creative projects or our favourite recipes, which are totally unconnected with the business."

Coming up in 2015, Richard says that Hintons will continue to promote and expand its #HintonsSelfie hash tag, where customers can win their favourite products simply by taking a selfie and sharing it with their friends.

"We’ve also got some cool technology on the website where customers can earn rewards for sharing and reviewing their online purchases," he continues. "It’s a fun, unique way to spread some love and we’ve got lots of other fun ideas up our sleeves too!"

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Historic Royal Palaces: Licensing

Bringing History ToLife

With 14 themed palace gift shops, a thriving website and a strong licensing programme, Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) - an independent charity covering six palaces - is a retail force to be reckoned with.

PG&H went back to the future with Emma Saunders, retail business development manager for Historic Royal Palaces Enterprises, to discover how the HRP's already very successful licensing programme will be expanding still further in 2015, and which new licenses are going to be unveiled at Spring Fair next month.

Nothing gives Emma Saunders more pleasure than being out and about at the weekend and seeing someone carrying an HRP carrier bag. "I'm very tempted to ask them what they've bought," she confides.

It's the same feeling of elation when she spots someone wearing a piece of HRP licensed jewellery from Clogau Gold, (Welsh gold was used by each of the female members of the Royal family including the Queen, the late Queen Mother, Kate and Camilla) or a Delftware inspired silk and wool scarf, designed and manufactured by Halcyon Days (Queen Mary was a passionate Delft collector), or a dress inspired, for example by a mural from Above: Emma Saunders, retail business development manager for Historic Royal Palaces Enterprises.

Above right: The imposing West Front entrance to Hampton Court Palace.

Hampton Court Palace (available from Hobbs, of which more later) that she and her team of five people have been involved with.

With a remit that stretches from retail development to licensing, new business, e-commerce, wholesale and corporate gifts, Emma and her team live and breathe the development of giftware and fashion items reflecting the history of six iconic palaces the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and, most recently, Hillsborough Castle in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The aim is to bring the palaces and

Double Award Success

The Briers collection, in association with Historic Royal Palaces, recently won The Glee Award 2014 along with the Home, Gift & Clothing Award. The collection incorporates three HRP designs - Royal Crown, Tudor Rose and Baroque - each of which was inspired by the palace collections, interiors and gardens.

The award winning range includes wellington boots, clogs, gloves, kneelers, cotton bags, secateurs, umbrellas and a fork and trowel set.

Above: The award winning licensed Briers collection.

their royal heritage to life, while creating revenue that will be ploughed back to conserve them for future generations.

Products across the board - both licensed and non-licensed - range from china and jewellery to kitchenware, homewares, collectables, plush, toys and games, clothing and accessories, books and media, food and drink and Christmas, which

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Historic Royal Palaces: Licensing

Time For Tea

Maxwell & Williams is the newest HRP licensee to come on board. The company has produced a range of tea pots, tea cups, saucers and plates inspired by the Tijou Gates at the end of the imposing privy garden at Hampton Court Palace, with the range officially launched to buyers at Spring Fair in February. Items come beautifully boxed, with a provenance card about the design in each box, adding to their appeal and their gift-ability.

A range of mixed cutlery has also been designed.

are sourced by a six strong buying team with exclusivity at its heart.

As with all HRP giftware, bespoke product is the major remit behind the growing licensing programme, headed by Emma, which first launched over10 years ago.

Currently, licensed product covers home, garden, tabletop, fashion, jewellery and gifts, helping people to explore the story of how monarchs have shaped society in some of the greatest palaces ever built.

"Our licensing programme reflects our palaces, gardens and collections and initially concentrated on giftware. However in 2015, we want to expand into licensed homewares as well as heritage food and drink," explains Emma. "We also want to build on the fragrances and toiletries sector," she adds.

"Companies are now approaching us directly to be licensees, and we are continuing to look for the right type of businesses ourselves that we think will be a good brand fit. These will be companies who know their strengths in the same way that we know our

Above and right: The new licensed HRP design from Maxwell & Williams features the Tijou Gates and cutlery (inset) also from Maxwell & Williams.

Below: Among the HRP inspired Spring 2015 collection by Hobbs.

brand and our collections, and that have good retail distribution."

Currently, licensees include Ashleigh & Burwood (home fragrance products such as reed diffusers, candles, scented pillows and fragranced ceramics inspired by the flowers and herbs of the gardens of the palaces, with the packaging exuding the HRP brand); Halcyon Days (collectable enamel boxes inspired by, for example, the Tower of London and the Crown Jewels); Cole & Son (wallpaper collections inspired by papers, ceiling papers and borders from all six palaces) and Harney & Sons (a collection of teas introduced by Catherine of Braganza, who, in her day, made tea - a luxury drink - fashionable).

In addition there is high street fashion retailer Hobbs which will be bringing out a

fourth fashion collection this Spring, which will also be going into Bloomingdale's in New York, New Jersey and Washington DC as well as into the company's UK flagship stores and Hobbs online shop. Also taking HRP licensed product Stateside is wallpaper company Cole & Son. For high spending high flyers, Clogau Gold HRP licensed jewellery has previously been sold via the British Airways on board gift magazine. This showcased the Kensington Palace Golden Gates filigree collection, inspired by the palace gates. In addition Clogau launched the popular Tudor Court Mother of Pearl collection, inspired by Anne Boleyn's gateway from Hampton Court Palace. Emma says this range has been so successful that Clogau has also launched it in black Mother of Pearl by way of a contrast.

"Thanks to our collaboration with these licensees, we're also reaching new territories, enabling us to get our brand out to as wide an audience as possible," Emma emphasises.

Looking to the next 12 months, something else that Emma is keen to see is existing licensees evolving their ranges. New for 2015 is a Halcyon Days range inspired by the Chapel Royal and the Kensington Palace Gates plus the famous iconic Maze at Hampton Court Palace. The range will include enamel boxes, fine bone china mugs, trinket trays and silk scarves. Emma and her team find it endlessly fascinating to go around the palaces with potential licensees.

"Companies look at the same objects but view them completely differently depending on their product category, so I'm constantly learning!" says Emma.

Jewels In The Gift Crown With London one of the busiest and most popular cities in the world, HRP's gift shops are thriving across all six palaces. Visitor numbers have soared substantially over the past couple of years, with high end product such as jewellery seeing record sales both in the palace gift shops and online. According to Emma, visitors are happy to spend on quality products that are value for money, reflecting HRPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy and heritage.

"Many souvenir items are branded with the individual palace names, but all onsite palace shops include HRP branded product, such as our palace china range, and licensed gift products," Emma underlines. "Each gift shop, like each of our palaces, is very individual. For example, the Kensington Palace gift shop sells a variety of high-end female fashion items, while the shops at the Tower of London range from a magnificent Jewel House and a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gift shop to the main flagship store."

Continues Emma: "Ultimately, we want people to take something away with them that is unique. It really adds to the appeal, as does buying into a royal brand."

Almost all the items sold have been inspired by HRP's collections or exhibitions, such as the brand new Hampton Court 500 which launches in January 2015. "Although our development team will be looking at the core products that we know will sell well, we will also be looking at special ranges to suit the customer experience," confirms Emma.

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Exclusively Having firmly established the Caroline Gardner brand as a market leader in greeting cards and stationery, the company - currently celebrating its 21st milestone anniversary year - is now rapidly becoming a rising star in the world of gifts, home, jewellery and fashion accessories.

With the opening of two shops in prime London locations, tied in with an exciting range of exclusive products launched under the new 'cg' label, it's all systems go.

PG&H caught up with founder and creative director Caroline at the company's new London HQ in Fulham.

Unlike many big name designers, Caroline Gardner doesn't have a signature style. "I'm quite eclectic really, so I suppose it's hard to pinpoint our signature," states Caroline.

"However, if you look at our designs, while they all look different, there is a certain language of space and colour than runs through them."

In fact, Caroline says that, as a designer, she has never wanted to have one look. "I know that's how many other designers work," she continues, "but I don't follow a theme as I'm always looking to design something different. I don't like to produce something that has already been

done, because it takes the fun out of it.

There is an unquenchable thirst for newness today, so I always try to do something unexpected by thinking differently, something I've subconsciously done since I was little."

A bundle of energy and ideas, she describes herself as "probably being annoyingly enthusiastic(!)," always on the lookout for inspiration. "I think I must look at things in a bit of an odd way - sometimes it keeps me up at night, but it seems to work," she laughs.

Face To Face: Caroline Gardner

Having initially established her design credentials in the world of greeting cards (see Right Time, Right Place on page xx), Caroline couldn't be more excited about her 'cg' range of products that are currently exclusive to her eponymous shops which opened before Christmas. It was the realisation of an 18 month location search, and having signed the lease to 182 Kings Road, an outlet at 17 Marylebone High Street suddenly became available.

"Our plan was to open our second shop perhaps a year down the line, having learned some retail lessons from the Kings Road shop, but the Marylebone site came up and the landlords were very keen to get us in we're an independent, and our products plugged a gap. It ended up being an opportunity that was too good to pass up."

She says that the shop is beautiful, "a really interesting space that's twice the size of the Kings Road outlet. It has four different sections, all slightly different widths, and three different ceiling heights. There are roof lights, and windows at the back, and when we saw it, we were all very excited.

Also, we don't have a stockist in the area, which was important, as it plugs that gap too! We're having to learn about

Centre: Caroline Gardner.

Inset: The interior of the new Caroline Gardner store on the Kings Road.

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Face To Face: Caroline Gardner retail that bit faster, but with the benefit of working with a retail consultant Oliver Spark, formerly the md of the White Company."

Far from competing with the company's retail customers, Caroline firmly believes that the shops will actually boost business for independent retailers, attracting consumer PR that will drive customers to seek out the brand.

"Wholesale is our business, and it has always been. Our move into retail is to support our existing stockists by encouraging long term brand awareness. No business can afford to stand still," she adds.

Although there is an edited selection of the company's mainline products in each outlet - greeting cards, giftwrap and stationery - in some ways, the real star of the show will be the 'cg' collection, exclusive to the Caroline Gardner shops, giving the outlets their real USP. Products include leather handbags and accessories, such as wallets, silk scarves, cushions, ceramics, and jewellery.

"We wanted to differentiate our own retail operation clearly from that of our wholesale," explains Caroline. "While the shops are flagships for our brand, they also allow us to trial new categories in small quantities," she emphasises. "For example, we only make 40 each of our leather bags, yet their price is still less than a similar quality bag would cost elsewhere. The very best quality for a reasonable price has always been

our mantra, and obviously one day this may lead us to brand new wholesale categories."

When it comes to the secret of the company's success, Caroline stresses that the business has always been about focusing on independent customers. "They are unquestionably at the root of everything we do," she states. "But really, success is about having an extremely good team of people and we have that in spades."

Export too, is playing an increasingly large role for the company, spearheaded by Angus Gardner, Caroline's husband, who looks after the business side of the company.

"We have a renewed focus on export," he confirms. "Sometimes we exclusively use a distributor - for example in America, parts of Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East. At other times, we also work directly, as we do with our giftware ranges for upmarket department store Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

The buyer told us that our line sold through quicker than any other brand and it is now rolling it out across the whole estate."

Two years ago, the Top: The new Caroline company opened an office Gardner SS15 Chroma range in America. "You can't run which includes a colourful shopper and stationery. the business remotely. You Above right: A selection of need someone who 'speaks products on display at the new Caroline Gardner store at American' to Americans," 17 Marylebone High Street. comments Caroline. "It's Inset: Also new for SS15, the new Blooming Lovely range of been tough, but we're garden gifts. finally starting to get there with our US team," she continues. "As well as

exhibiting at all the major USA gift shows, we are also part of permanent showrooms in Atlanta, LA, Boston, Seattle, Las Vegas and Dallas."

So what do Caroline and Angus see as the biggest challenges going forward in 2015? "There is a lot of competition out there and, at the end of the day, we're all after the same ÂŁpound," states Caroline. "There are some great products in the market place but this drives us on and increases the desire to do something different. Our biggest task now will be capitalising on what we have already achieved, making the most of our two shops and spreading the good word. We'll also be

continuing to offer lovely products and to produce them on time, as well as doing everything we can to drive and support the wholesale business. We definitely won't be opening lots more retail stores! We want to test products, find out what's working and what isn't, and having our own shops is a great way to do that."

However her love of interiors, especially fabrics, could see Caroline diversify again one day, although it will be a while off yet. "I love working with fashion and leather, so who knows, I might yet decide to do something completely separate along those lines," she says with a smile.

Right Time, Right Place When a motorist had a flat tyre outside Caroline's house some 20 years ago, she came to the rescue by offering to drive the car owner to her destination.

(Both were going to pick up their children from school).

As luck would have it, the woman, Yvonna Demczynska, who worked for the Design Council, had been let down by a designer, and asked if Caroline, newly graduated from the Chelsea College of Art in London, could help with a range of cards featuring metal, needed for a small commission from The Conran Shop in Tokyo.

Caroline immediately set about making 36 different handmade greeting cards, using electrical wire, which sold out in two days, with a further 100 commissioned. A die-stamped range followed that flew off the shelves. "I remember that we had difficulties keeping up with demand," Caroline recalls.

"In fact, two of those original designs still feature in our Archive collection today. As for Yvonna, we've remained the closest of friends ever since!"

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A Recipe ForSuccess

In Profile: Best Kept Secrets

Following a major rebranding on January 1, home fragrancing company Best Kept Secrets will be unveiling an exciting new look for two of its recent bath and body acquisitions - Thistle Soaps and Sepia at Spring Fair in February.

A brand new fragranced product range will also further broaden the company's offer in the fragrancing sector.

So what else will be taking Best Kept Secrets onwards and upwards in 2015?

PG&H visited the company's factory in Morpeth to find out more from owners Denise and Alan Edwards.

With the UK's major trade shows the main selling tool for Northumberland based Best Kept Secrets - the company doesn't employ reps or agents - Denise and Alan Edwards are eagerly looking forward to trumpeting 'what's new' at Spring Fair.

This year, a larger stand will see the company's scented glass candles and candle tins sit side by side with natural soaps from the former Thistle Soaps, and bath and body goodies from the former Sepia.

Marking a milestone for the company, all products will be branded Best Kept Secrets -

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the strongest of the three brands - and will be joined by a new collection of wax melts and burners, as well as the new Bath Bursts, which had a soft launch at Home & Gift in Harrogate last July. Following their success, a packet of five pretty scented heart shapes will be joining the more traditional, individual scented ball shapes, further extending the company's expanding bath and body collection.

Above: Classic Cotton, the company's No. 1 best selling fragrance.

Inset: Denise and Alan Edwards, owners of Best Kept Secrets.

"It was our acquisition of Sepia in 2014 that made us take the decision to re-brand," explains Alan, a former chartered engineer/marketeer. "We had acquired Scottish company Thistle Soaps two years earlier, and our aim is to bring both brands under the Best Kept Secrets umbrella to make it easier for our independent customers to 'one stop shop'. The Sepia acquisition was a good time for us to take a more progressive step, and the 2015 Spring shows - to include Scotland's Trade Fair Spring - gave us the ideal opportunity to show everything together for the first time."

Best Kept Secrets: The Lowdown ❐ When Alan and Denise Edwards bought Best Kept Secrets in 1996, the company manufactured decorative candles similar to Phantom of the Opera. ❐ Learning about candle making on the job, the couple also sold golf gifts and fragranced oil lamps under the Best Kept Secrets brand, operating from a factory site on a farm/visitor attraction, where Denise also ran a successful gift shop. ❐ When the foot and mouth epidemic hit the UK and Northumberland in particular, the farm closed and Best Kept Secrets lost both retail customers and farm visitors.

"We had no business for four months apart from a large consignment to Switzerland," recalls Denise. ❐ New EU legislation had also affected the fragrance oil lamp side of the business, resulting in products being withdrawn. ❐ The growth of the scented candle market encouraged the company to concentrate on this developing opportunity. ❐ Best Kept Secrets moved to its current premises in Morpeth in 2010. ❐ Two acquisitions followed: Thistle Soaps in 2012 and Sepia in 2014.

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In Profile: Best Kept Secrets Denise adds that, from now on, there will be only one order necessary and one delivery. "Our whole focus is on our independents and we continue to support them in every way we can."

With natural soaps now firmly integrated into the company's portfolio, the spotlight will be very much on the former Sepia, whose product range encompasses bath salts, bath fizzlers, shower gels and soaps, presented in pretty, colourful bags and boxes with adornments such as rose buds. "These products fit in very well with our other ranges, and at ÂŁ5 at retail, they make great pick up items for gift shops. We knew Janet, the previous owner of Sepia very well, and could see that there was a natural synergy for us," comments Denise.

While Alan and Denise have decided to leave the Sepia range very much as it is this time around - with the exception of the new branding - they are excited to be unveiling new packaging for the natural range of soaps. Gone are the coloured wrappers.

Instead, there are now eye-catching boxes in trend colours featuring pink, rust red, bright green, mauve and yellow.

Interestingly, despite a growing number of products, everything continues to be made by hand in the company's Morpeth factory, with a small, dedicated team of 10 multi-skilled people, plus Denise and Alan, doing everything from hand filling containers to labelling, picking and packing, despatching, selling, marketing and new product development. In fact, when customers phone up to place an order, the chances are that it will be Denise, Alan or their daughter Vanessa who will answer the

Top 3 Fragrances 1. Classic Cotton/Snowflake; 2. Faerie-Wishes & Kisses/Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh; 3. Tuscan Velvet/Yuletide Cheer.

Above: Super 3 T-Lites continue to be a winning, gift-led combination.

Below left: A group of colourful glass votives.

Below right: One of the company's many scented candles presented in a glass container.

call, which further helps to cement their relationships with their customers.

Like her husband, Denise comes from a marketing background, and also worked in hotel management before coming into the home fragrancing industry. She quips that coming up with new product ideas is very much akin to developing a new recipe, putting her skills to use on the production and creative sides of the business, where she dreams up everything from fragrance combinations to label designs, working closely with a local marketing consultancy on campaigns and printed material.

Although the company is still developing the export side of the business, which currently represents 6% of sales, the bespoke side of Best Kept Secrets is moving ahead at a cracking pace. A long list of visitor attractions are among those requesting own label products, with outlets as diverse as the Sherlock Holmes Museum, The Castle of Mey, Princess Cruises and the Royal Opera House. "However, we are always happy to do bespoke for our independent customers too," states Alan, re-emphasising the importance of the company's core customer base.

Together with Denise, he believes the secret of the company's success over the past two decades - aside from a loyal

workforce, some of whom have been with the company for over 16 years, and a loyal independent retailer base - is that they are both sticklers for detail.

"Within our price structure, all fragrances are the very best they can be, with customers confident that they will get what they ordered, and that's consistent across the board. Fragrancing is paramount, and we only buy from trusted UK manufacturers," Denise confirms.

The company, which uses highly refined mineral wax, with added vegetable oil, also does rigorous testing to get the burn right. "It means that there's no residual wax ensuring that our candles are always value for money," Denise points out.

The company is an active member of the British Candlemakers Federation, where Alan has been a past president. "There's a lot of camaraderie between all the members, even though we're all in competition. We're pals, and gladly help each out with a problem if we can," he comments.

Looking to the next 12 months, Alan says that the focus will be to continue to drive new business. "We are strong in Scotland and Northern England, so the push will be to further expand our customer base across the UK," he states.

On the new product development front, he and Denise are already looking ahead to Home & Gift, Harrogate, in July, where they will be re-launching their range of reed diffusers. "We are very confident about the year ahead," Alan continues. "We have a wide range of products and a brand new advertising campaign, both of which will help to take us forward. After almost 20 years, we can honestly say that there is still so much passion, and that continues to make home fragrancing a very exciting and fast moving sector to be in!"

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Seven

For gift retailers looking to find those extra special greeting cards that set their shops apart, Progressive Greetings Live - affectionately known as PG Live is the UK's only dedicated greeting card show, offering a mix of both established publishers and raw new talent under one roof.

Now celebrating its seventh year, a date change sees the highly acclaimed show opening its doors slightly later - from Tuesday June 2-Wednesday June 3 - at the Business Design Centre in London's trendy Islington.

PG&H reveals some of the show's early highlights, and also asks gift retailers for their views as to why it's a show that cannot be missed.

Holding the distinction as the only dedicated trade show for greeting cards, PG Live continues to strengthen its position both in the UK and the international market place, offering an opportunity for buyers to see the latest greeting card designs from the largest to the smallest publishers.

Over the past seven years, the show has established itself as the perfect launchpad for new ranges and promotions, with thousands of original designs, illustrations and creative properties also available to buy or licence.

"Progressive Greetings is not only one of my favourite shows - easy to get to, with a fabulous complimentary lunch and drinks - but it gives me some time to concentrate on just the greeting card

portion of my business," says Maggie Thornton, owner of Alligator Pear in Tadworth, Surrey. "I have been an enthusiastic attendee since it started, hoping to tweak my range to include some of the talented young card publishers from novelty

Above: Dedicated sections make it easy for visitors to find new artists and publishers.

Below: PG Live is the largest dedicated greetings trade show in the world.

Show Highlights Springboard@ PG Live Springboard@ PG Live is an invaluable element of PG Live, dedicated to fanfaring new and emerging publishers.

Artists' Quarter The Artists' Quarter showcases a group of talented artists, creative designers and knowledgeable agents presenting their latest creations. Portfolios are packed to the brim with fresh new works, all available to buy or licence.

cards such as Little Fingy to a budding Rossanna Rossi, which has become a much more mainstream card company." Adds Maggie, "I'm extremely pleased to report that my card sales have increased significantly over this period."

Karen Ebers, buyer at Something Special in Edenbridge, has also been going along since the show first opened its doors.

"I have visited the show every year since its inception and enjoyed every one," she comments. "It's well organised, meets the needs of both the publishers and the buyers, and also takes place at the perfect time of the year. With the major Spring seasons out of the way, I will be looking for new ranges and new publishers."

With new talent in mind, Karen heads straight to the Springboard section to get a feel for emerging trends. "It's great to chat to these newcomers to the industry and then Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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PG Live 2015 Left: The international greetings card community comes together for two days of networking, business and fun.

Below right: Even the meeters and greeters are in greeting card mode with dresses made from exhibitors’ cards.

Below left: PG&H’s editor Sue Marks (in blue) joins retailers Skybluepink, All Good Gifts and Alligator Pear at the Wall of Fame (which fanfares Greats and Retas finalists and winners) at last year’s PG Live.

Lunch Is On Us! It's the little extras that make a visit to PG Live extra special. They include: ❐ free refreshments throughout both days of the exhibition; ❐ a free two course hot or cold lunch on both days; ❐ an invitation to a free post-show industry party on Tuesday June 2; ❐ free use of the Henry Cole Buyers’ Lounge

watch or read about their progress over the following years," she highlights. "After that, I head on to the main areas to mingle with some familiar faces while keeping a keen eye out for fabulous new products."

Adds Karen, "PG Live has a great feel to it, an energy and a buzz. Everyone is smiling, happy and friendly. It's a great place to do business and once that's done there's the after party on the first day for a spot of socialising. A perfect end to a pleasurable day's work!"

Another big fan of the show is Penny Crook, owner of Home & Gift Boutique in Birkdale, Southport. "We travel a long way to attend the show because it's the only dedicated exhibition there is for greeting cards," comments Penny. "I've been going for the past two years and wouldn't miss it

because the show keeps me up to date with what's happening in the card industry - I don't want to miss out! I always like seeing what's new and what's available."

Rather than structuring her visit, Penny enjoys wandering round. "I think it's important to keep trying to find new publishers and to ring the changes, in addition to buying from the more established companies."

Because she travels from Southport, she also makes the most of her time in London. "We always coincide PG Live with a bit of retail therapy too!" she comments. "We will definitely be attending the show in June, and look forward to re-acquainting ourselves with the industry."

At Rhubarb in Malvern, Worcestershire, co-owner Sara Morris says that PG Live is definitely her favourite trade show for greeting cards. "There are no distractions.

I know that I'm there to concentrate solely on cards. Plus, I'm always looking for something new. Right from the very first show in 2009, we've discovered exciting new publishers such as Special Delivery, which we still stock to this day seven years on. The cards continue to sell really well for us."

Sara also enjoys the show from an industry perspective. "It's lovely to catch up with the suppliers we buy from already, and the atmosphere at the show is always very warm and friendly.

We also love the fact

Staying Over In London For retailers who would like to combine a trip to PG Live with a spot of shopping in the West End, or a sightseeing tour of London, best rate hotels can be found by contacting PG Live's free accommodation and travel booking service Jigsaw Conferences on + 44 (0) 845 0000 792 or by visiting www.jigsawconferences.co.uk.

that there is hospitality throughout the day to include a complimentary lunch plus teas and coffees which help to keep us going."

As with previous years, the 2015 show will again offer a relaxed, enjoyable opportunity for buyers, both UK based and international, to see the latest offerings from the greetings card world, with the friendly, supportive atmosphere a key part of the show's appeal. “It's always a real honour to be able to bring so many card suppliers and

buyers together, but the real joy comes from seeing the industry working together to do business, network and exchange ideas,” says Warren Lomax, joint show director. “The 2015 show is going to include all the special touches we have added in the past, with a few new surprises in store as well."

The impressive exhibitor line-up is a testament to the quality of buyers, with a number of leading publishers choosing to make PG Live their only trade show of the year.

The 2015 exhibitor line up is already incredibly strong, with sought after brands showing alongside brand new, ready to be discovered companies.

"With so much going on, everyone in the industry has the opportunity to get involved, make great business contacts, and - most importantly of all - enjoy themselves," Warren underlines.

PG Live 2015: The Lowdown

PG Live 2015: The Lowdown

PG Live takes place on Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 June, 2015 at the Business Design Centre, London. Tel: +44 (0) 1635 297070; e-mail info@progressivegreetingslive.com or visit www.progressivegreetingslive.com to pre-register or to discover more about the show and who is exhibiting.

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Role Models

Full Of

Admiration

For many successful business people there has often been a role model to whom they have aspired.

This person has often driven them to start a business and follow a similar path, even if it's in a different sector of the market place.

PG&H asked six entrepreneurs from the industry where their business inspiration has come from.

Terence Conran For Gisela Graham, founder and creative director of Gisela Graham, her role model was unquestionably Terence Conran.

"I was deeply impressed by the original Habitat that he started," she explains. "It was really revolutionary in English retailing at the time. His style was very clean, uncluttered and unfussy. It appealed to my German and rather Scandinavian-influenced taste. I bought four of his rush seated chairs which I’ve still got in my kitchen in London, and a Habitat plain wood-framed mirror and a lamp. And he had items like those typical dark green French café cups and plain coloured enamel coffee pots and colanders. So when I’d just started in business, and he came to my three metre stand and gave me an order for my dolls house, I was bowled over. It was a flat- pack red wooden design that I had made with out-workers around West London."

Gisela says that she also in sympathy with the way that Sir Terence is absolutely meticulous in his attention to detail.

"There was a documentary about him which showed that he really insisted on having the last word on every product. I also remember being terribly disappointed when he was the judge for the Best Stand at Top Drawer a bit later on and he didn’t award it to me! But aside from that I’m still an enormous fan of his.

He's a real pioneer."

Far left: Gisela Graham.

Bottom left: Terence Conran.

Below: Oliver Bonas.

Below right: Paul Smith.

Below left: Miuccia Prada.

Bottom right: David Robertson.

Paul Smith Oliver Tress, founder and md of lifestyle, fashion and homewares retail outlets Oliver Bonas, currently has 44 shops in the UK, and is celebrating the 21st anniversary of the business. "One of my role models, both as a designer and a retailer, is Paul Smith. "I'm a great admirer," Oliver reveals. "I think he has a lot of integrity. He is also very astute and very good at what he does. I like the way he has built up a very substantial business while appearing to retain his identity and personality. In the same way, we want to become a very well established, well known and well respected design house/retailer on a global scale."

Another international designer that Oliver holds in high esteem is Miuccia Prada.

"She had no formal fashion training, so her perspective is doing what she likes," Oliver explains. "As a businessman, I respect her approach and like her fearlessness. That's the way you have to go.

You have to take risks and have the courage of your convictions. I want to build something big that leads by those convictions. That would give me the greatest satisfaction."

Parents David Robertson, director of award winning gift shop Bijou in Elgin, Scotland, highlights a business parallel between designer Wayne Hemingway, who co-founded Red or Dead and Wayne Hemingway Design, and David and his parents.

"Wayne Hemmingway was a keynote speaker at a recent event I attended and he has really affected me with his story," David recalls. "He is a self-made man who, in partnership with his wife Gerardine, went on to create an amazing company. Coming from a working class background they have reached heights in terms of creating a brand, jobs and an Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Role Models ethos that are unmatched. Stories like theirs, where a young couple with no formal trading except an instinct for how things should be done, had a work ethic which has resulted in their company growing organically with no debt, are really inspirational."

Above: David Robertson with his parents, James and Lynda, at the opening of Bijou in June 2010.

Right: Wayne Hemingway.

Continues David: "My parents are my real business heroes because at the age of 52, my dad sold his house and bought a newsagent which was very run down and was losing money. My parents turned it around and created an entirely new card and gift business where there was nothing. They could not afford to go to university and worked for others for many years, yet they have gone on to create a business which is respected and valued within our industry with my mum's buying skills highly thought of. Today they both still work and are active in it 28 years later. While they have not reached a £25million turnover, or shops in 15 countries, they both are still very interested and involved in the business and, more importantly than that, they support me in my many ventures. They say to never met your heroes but to me they are the people that have given me the opportunity to indulge my dream of running and owning my own business."

It's Good To Talk David Hicks (right), founder of Really Good and Soul, is the man behind high profile product ranges that include Waldo Pancake, Edward Monkton and The Bright Side.

"I really don't have a role model or a mentor," David admits. "and never have. Instead, I seem to have rebelled against things that I didn't want. Those who know me know that it starts with me never wearing a tie, or a suit, or pretty much anything neat! I started with my (long gone) long hair, having come out of the restaurant industry. That has stood me in good stead, as I still have a strong sense of service based on those days. I often compare my business with a restaurant. That, and knowing how I like to be treated.

Further on, I recall a bank manager in the early days who refused to back me and told me to get a proper job! Well nothing adds fuel to the belly when someone says you can't do it! That incident still stays with me, along with a stubbornness to make things work. I'm privileged to have made some good friends in this industry, and just chatting sometimes really gives you a different view or extra strength. But there's still no mentor as such.

Inspiration comes from all “...just chatting sometimes sorts of people, articles or really gives you a different books. And having a sense of view or extra strength.” humour helps!"

Cath Kidston Scottish designer Gillian Kyle is best known for her Scottish themed giftware, especially her Tunnock's Teacake designs.

"I’ve always really loved the Cath Kidston model," reveals Gillian. "I think their design development and the way they build ranges is outstanding. I also admire Jonathan Adler Above: Gillian Kyle. for his whacky yet Below right: Cath Kidston. sophisticated style."

Below left: Jonathan Adler.

Auntie Mary Kitty Hope, one half of Hope & Greenwood, is the co-creator and retailer of award winning, traditional gift confectionery with a twist. Together with her husband Mark Greenwood, the couple have become familiar faces through their recent BBC 2 TV series Sweets Made Simple, and their spin off book. Their sweets can be found in leading retailers that include Waitrose, John Lewis, Selfridges and Partridges as well as in their eponymous shop in London's Covent Garden. Hope and Greenwood also have 35 stores in Japan in partnership with PlazaStyle.

"My role model was my Auntie Mary," confirms Kitty who hails from Sunderland and was the original creator of the iconic Gruffalo illustration. "She was a smart, glamorous businesswoman, and I modelled myself on her. We even looked alike." Continues Kitty: "She owned 26 hair salons, and I really admired her and wanted to be like her."

Below: Kitty Hope with her husband Mark Greenwood.

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In Profile: Kaemingk

Deck The Halls

While Christmas '14 is a fading memory for most of us, for Netherlands based Kaemingk, Christmas '15 is already underway, with over 12,000 items displayed in the company's recently redesigned, glamorous, 5,000sqm showroom in Aalten.

PG&H quickly got back into the Christmas spirit, and popped in for a sneak preview to discover what UK retailers should be on the lookout for as they start shopping for the new festive season.

The company's Stefan Koldeweij led the way.

Although, officially, ‘Christmas comes but once a year’, for Kaemingk, one of Europe's largest seasonal decorations companies, it's Christmas right through from the very beginning of December until the end of April. Based on the company's Autumn/Winter '14 collection, the UK is one of the fastest growing market places representing nearly 20% of sales - third only to Germany and France.

"Independents, garden centres and department stores are our key growth areas," says Stefan Koldeweij, responsible for sales in UK & Ireland. "In fact, before the start of Spring Fair, we will already have

seen 85% of our customers. Over the past year, we’ve not only completely changed the Kaemingk experience by a new routing in our showroom, we've also extended our space by a further 1,600sqm, bringing the total to 5,000sqm of inspirational products for Christmas 2015," he underlines.

"Customers can find spectacular display features in our entrance, as well in the theme rooms, trees and lighting areas."

Naturally, all features are specially created to display the latest ranges, with 70% of products entirely new so that visitors can see something different each time they visit. "It's an important advantage for us," states Stefan.

For Christmas 2015, the company's collection is based around the latest fashions and trends. For the new season, these will be presented in eight themes with each one

displayed in Kaemingk's recently extended showroom which is brimming with an inspirational, festive ambience - think glamour and glitter - and a myriad of exciting display features, to include plenty of trendy seasonal colours.

The themes this year reflect elements to include materials inspired by nature, industrial designs, vintage touches and Christmas traditions with, of course, a new twist. There is also dazzling lighting, a myriad of spectacular Christmas trees, as well as

Christmas 2105: Best Sellers 1.Lumineo Compact lighting: "This offers a high density of lights, with the bulbs closer together compared to normal LED Christmas lighting," explains Stefan. "Additionally, it is a longer length making it easy to decorate a tree with only one set of lights."

2.Nobilis tree: "This is a realistic looking tree which was a trend among artificial trees last season. For Christmas 2015 we will see more real look trees in our range," Stefan confirms.

3. Jumbo candles: "A set of 30 jumbo candles gives the tree the traditional look and turns it into a real feature," he points out.

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Above: New from Kaemingk for Christmas 2015, a season of luxury.

Left: The company's best selling lines include the Nobilis tree, which looks as good as the real thing.

Inset: Looking ahead to Christmas 2015.

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In Profile: Kaemingk eye-catching wreaths and garlands, all of which are naturally manufactured to the highest standards.

Over the last couple of years, lighting has become a growing product sector for Kaemingk. With an extensive range of over 500 styles of Christmas lighting, ranges include indoor/outdoor LED, novelty lighting, battery operated, acrylic figurines and low voltage connectable. Explains Stefan: "This year, a large part of our extension is dedicated to a new innovative light set, exclusively design by and for the company."

Elsewhere, the Everlands Christmas tree collection offers trees of all shapes and sizes, varying from unlit and pre-lit, luxurious, snowy finishes, real-look and affordable styles. To complement the tree range, visitors will also find a collection of decorated and plain wreaths and garlands.

For 2015 the trend is for a realistic feel and look.

"We need to cater for a broad customer base,

Showing Off ❐ Kaemingk's whole collection, both Christmas and Spring/Summer, is shown twice a year at Christmasworld and Tendence in Frankfurt. ❐ The company also has a major presence at Spring Fair in Birmingham, Home & Gift in Harrogate, Autumn Fair and Glee, both of which take place at the NEC in Birmingham. ❐ Stateside, the company has a showroom in Atlanta at AmericasMart, and also exhibits at the IGC Garden show in Chicago and Maryland.

ranging from European countries and the USA to a global stage," Stefan explains.

"Over the years, our buying team has become very experienced in how to combine all these individual needs and specific requirements, country to country, which are reflected

Kaemingk: The Lowdown ❐ Kaemingk, which has one of the largest showrooms in Europe, has been a significant distributor of decorative, seasonal items for Christmas and Spring for over 75 years, offering value for money products that help retailers to gain a point of difference. ❐ In addition to the flagship showroom in Aalten, close to the Germany border, the company also has showrooms in Germany and Belgium. ❐ A team of 27 buyers and designers continually travel the world looking for new ideas, materials, colours and products. ❐ As well as items for Christmas, the company has also built up a reputation in home decoration for Valentine's Day, Easter and Spring/Summer. ❐ The company has eight warehouses covering 70,000 sq ft, with products distributed in Aalten. ❐ Over 23,000 sea containers are handled every year for distribution to customers in over 30 countries in Europe and globally.

Top: Blue, among the Christmas themes for 2015.

Above: Lighting is an important product sector.

Inset: A traditional Christmas.

in our themes. The way we achieve this is by offering eight themes and over 12,000 items."

He says that Kaemingk is in a fortunate position to have a very loyal customer base, most of which are garden centres. "However, in recent years, we’ve enjoyed an increasing number of new customers from the independent gift shop and department store segment," he confirms. "We've found that our stand at Spring Fair is an ideal time for product ranging, so at the show in February, we will be showcasing an extensive range of seasonal decorations and giftware as well as Christmas trees, wreaths garlands and lighting."

Stefan says that he feels very confident about the lifestyle home and gift market for 2015. "The feedback received so far is very positive, initial sales are very good and the momentum for the Christmas rush is yet to come."

Spring/Summer 2015 ❐ Kaemingk's Spring/Summer showroom will open on June 3, 2015, to enable customers to place their order early in the season. ❐ The Christmas showroom, which runs from December to April, remains open for customers who want to pay a visit.

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Shopping Around

Where The ‘Gifties’ Shop Super Sexy Stores "I really like Kitson in LA," says Li Case, founder and owner of Orange Tree in Topsham Devon, who splits her time between the UK and the USA. "I know it's a bit ‘celeb-y’ but I think they do a fun range of gift ideas and a good picking of bags and designers which are fun and on trend. We often carry the same lines, but every now and then I find the odd gem that I haven't seen before."

For furniture, Li says she loves Mogul, also based in LA. "For a mainstream store, Mogul is always interesting - good value and not bland like Crate and Barrel/Pottery Barn. In New York, I love ABC Carpets, need I say more? A classic. In Paris, it's Collette. Super sexy, great cherry picked pieces, which always inspires me.

Excelsior Milano in Milan is a recent find but a very cool concept store, beautifully laid out and presented. It's primarily clothing but a feast for eyes - I love it. In London it's Andrew Martin, my favourite designer. The shop is always full of exciting pieces, very sexy! I also like Selfridges because everything is so well displayed and easy to negotiate with a great selection."

Everyone has those special shops in their life, their favourite stores, big or small, that they love to browse in whenever they get the chance whether it's as a shopper or just for ideas for their own shop(s).

PG&H asked seven gift indies to reveal the global retailers they most admire, the ones that inspire, as well as the stores that can't help but brighten up their day whenever they get the opportunity to pop in.

A Feast For The Eyes

"By far my favourite shopping destination is Paris, where I visit regularly," comments Fiona Fabien, owner of gift shop Papyrus in Glasgow, which includes a Basement Cookshop. "In fact, there are a couple of shops that I never tire of visiting and always try and squeeze in a visit. One is Dehillerin in Rue Coquillerie near Les Halles, an old fashioned cookshop that supplies many of the famous restaurants in Paris. "As I have a cookshop and love cooking it's a visit that's work and pleasure rolled into one!"

Fiona describes it as an ‘Aladdin's cave’ filled with copper pots, cooking, baking and equipment that fills every nook and cranny. "It's like stepping back in time to a bygone era, wonderful displays and good old fashioned customer service. It's been a definite influence for my cookshop over the years."

Just around the corner is a haberdashery, La Droguerie on Rue du Jour. Fiona says it's a feast for the eyes, with the antique shopfittings filled with fabulous ribbons, buttons, wool and bits and pieces.

She also loves visiting a 'vide grenier' - similar to a car boot sale - in rural France. "It's filled with all the interior accessories and antiques that are now reproduced and distressed to make them look old and shabby chic. But these are the real thing plucked from attics and barns of rural France, where they tend to hoard bric a brac from the last 100 years!"

Fiona reveals that when she last visited, she came away with a set of antique kitchen scales complete with weights, some beautiful china jugs and cups, original fashion magazines from the 50's and a linen and lace camisole in perfect condition all bought for a few euros!

Top left: Andrew Martin, London.

Above: Dehillerin, Paris.

Above left: Mogul, LA. Left: Collette, Paris.

Right: La Droguerie, Paris.

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Shopping Around

Always Inspirational

For Helen Duff, co-owner of Darch & Duff in West Ealing, London, her favourite store is Anthropologie, both in London and New York. "I like their eclectic mix of garments, home accessories and jewellery," states Helen. "The interior is industrial/Bohemian with colour, textiles and pattern everywhere.

Many items are hand-crafted and from all over the world. I recently visited the store in New York and was won over by the big comfy sofas, friendly staff and vibrant stock.

It’s a store that always inspires me."

Adds Helen: "London's Regent Street branch has a wonderful garden wall which gives a whole new dimension to the store. It’s my idea of great merchandising and design."

Below: Anthropologie, London.

Contemporary Rural Idyll One of the places Sophie Edwards, a partner at Narborough Hall in Leicestershire, loves to shop in is the Daylesford Organic Farm Shop in Gloucestershire. "Outside you find understatedly elegant topiary in huge rustic planters and as you step inside, there's a beautiful display of fresh produce in wooden crates with handwritten labels," explains Sophie.

She says that the Daylesford brand is clearly reflected throughout the space. "Overall, it presents a very clear vision of what it stands for: high quality Above: Daylesford Organic Farm Shop, Gloucs. food, sold where it is grown, by knowledgable people. I find Daylesford's attention to detail, meticulous selection and presentation of product really inspiring. It shows the importance of deciding exactly what you're trying to communicate to customers and always keeping that in mind."

Adds Sophie: "The setting of the shop is idyllic too, based in rolling English countryside.

Every time I visit the sun seems to be shining!"

Destination Store

Unique And Quirky

One of gift retailer Mary Darch's favourite shop's is Shelley’s Vintage & Shabby Chic Emporium, based at the Foundry Shopping Village in Hayle, Cornwall.

"It's a mixture of old and new, English vintage and ethnic handmade, all brought together by Shelley who sources retro furniture and accessories, Fair Trade cushions and china, all imaginatively displayed," explains Mary, who co-owns Darch & Duff in West London with Helen Darch. "It's everchanging and varied due to all the individual old pieces of crockery, rugs and furniture and really is a delight! You never know what you'll discover when you visit because there’s always something new and interesting. It's a great source of ideas for presents and display."

Below: Shelley's Vintage & Shabby Chic Emporium, Cornwall.

Below left: Harrods.

"I’m not a great lover of shopping but I LOVE looking at shops!" says Sonya HaandriksmanSibbald, director of Celebrations in Carlisle. "Looking at lighting, store design, layouts and merchandising excites me so much more." However, if there is one place in the world that Sonya loves to visit, and that can make her buy, it has to be Harrods.

"With the vast array of products and brands available all under one roof there really is something for everyone," she comments.

"I love the grandeur of the building and the theatre of the displays. Also, their customer service is second to none. From the doormen as you enter, to the Egyptian escalators, to the maze of floors and departments to discover... it takes me back to being a little girl and I just want to explore more of the store to see what's around the next corner. From my favourite designer Roberto Cavalli to Dior handbags and gorgeous pet accessories, I can occupy myself for hours. Fuelled with a glass of champagne or two and a lovely lunch, Harrods really is a destination store and somewhere I always look forward to visiting."

Markets That Inspire Designer Caroline Gardner admits that she hardly ever goes shopping. "But when I do I love ABC Carpets in New York - it's gorgeous - and Merci in Paris which is actually more New York than Paris. I also love browsing around the markets in Marrakesh. But best of all, I love going to the markets in Paris which are set up in fields. They sell everything from utter rubbish to cheese, breads, salami and pieces of furniture. I often look at something and think, now what could I do with that?" (See Exclusively Yours on pages 97-99).

Above: ABC Carpets, New York.

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Family Businesses

The gift industry is well known for its family ties, with many suppliers and retailers working successfully alongside husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, cousins, parents and in-laws!

PG&H asked two sisters, two brothers and a mother and daughter to comment on the advantages - and disadvantages - of working together.

Sister, Sister

Sisters Rita Davanzo and Dominque Fracasso-Stroud opened the doors of La de da! in Cheltenham in December 2010. Dominique was in the gift industry already, and Rita had previously worked in the automotive trade.

Having been brought up in the family business managing a shop called Hidden Treasures as teenagers, aged 17 and 19, it was when they had their own children, Harry and Amelia, that they decided to open a shop together. Subsequently, they have also launched La de da Living, which supplies luxury gifts to include handstamped vintage cutlery.

Advantages: Rita says that working with Dom, who is her best friend and sister, is very rewarding.

"We are both creative, but in very different ways, so it's always so much fun designing new products.

The passion that we have for what we do is incredible - I simply couldn't do it without her!"

Dom adds that working with Rita is never boring. "Together we are a force to be reckoned with. In this industry you have to have a lot of trust and respect for your business partner, and being sisters, that vital factor is unquestionably always there. We bounce off of each other in such a natural way I couldn't imagine being in business with anyone else."

Rita and Dom both say that there aren't any disadvantages of working with each other. "We rely on each other heavily and our wonderful hubbies are always a tower of strength.

This is so important as we work away a lot on buying trips and at exhibitions.

The family unit that we have is incredible."

Above: Rita, left, and Dominique.

Left: La de da! in Cheltenham.

Mother & Daughter

Mother and daughter Trudy and Tilley Tebbutt (above) fulfilled a dream by opening Marmalade Meringue in Hinckley in June 2011, the first time they had ever worked together.

Trudy has brought over 30 years of retail experience, having started out in her grandfather's electrical shop on Saturdays when she was 12 years old, while Tilley holds a BTEC in Fashion and Clothing, and has also worked as an outdoor pursuit instructor as well as doing a ski season in Italy. Although Trudy left the retail sector for eight years to work in education she says she has come back to her real love with renewed excitement and feels very privileged to have the opportunity to work with her daughter.

Trudy says that Tilley brings a younger, more on-trend element to the shop, while Tilley says that Trudy is hugely experienced so knows exactly what to do in any given scenario. "Together we are very charismatic and positive, helping us to make a strong bond with many of our lovely customers, which in turn helps us to relate to them and Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Family Businesses

know what they’re looking for when they come in to Marmalade Meringue," says Trudy. "We do everything together, from the menial jobs to the exciting and are very much on the same wave length, so sometimes all it takes is a look from one to the other and we know exactly what each other is thinking!"

Advantages: Tilley says that she and her mum get on like a house on fire.

"And because we’re always having a ball at work, it doesn’t really feel like work at all," she enthuses. "We both have different strengths, complementing one another, which, we hope, results in a better business all round. In addition, as we know each other so well, when doing one of our larger window displays we can each do a half and you can’t tell where one of us stops and the other starts."

Trudy agrees that she and Tilley are very attuned to each other and bounce ideas around. "Knowing someone so well you don’t have to think about where they are. We glide about the shop like a synchronised swimming team. One of the best bits of working together is that we both like chocolate and cake, which keeps us going on a busy day."

Disadvantages: "Mum is always losing her glasses and it drives me mad," laughs Tilley. "We often have to play a game of hide and seek to try and find them again so that mum can actually see what she’s doing.

They have ended up outside the shop before now, in the dishwasher, or my personal favourite, on her head!"

Trudy points to Tilley’s thermostat being slightly off kilter. "It sometimes means we have an arctic wind blowing through the open door with me shivering and Tilley in her summer dress!"

Brothers In Arms

Brothers Jamie and Mark Antoniades started working together in September 2000 when they launched at 100% Design. They casually came together with no formal agreement, contract or idea of which design sector they wanted to be in.

Advantages: Jamie says that the advantages are two minds, two sets of eyes, two different sets of ideas and two different ways to tackle problem solving.

"It's good to bounce all matters of design and business off each other as it makes for a more thought-out solution.

Mark is extremely thorough, particularly in finance, analysing cash flow, profit margins and stock control which are vital in any business. I look at the product direction and marketing of j-me. But we both have a sales head and are very tenacious in this area."

Mark says that for him, the main advantage in working with Jamie is trust. "I can travel around the world and know my brother is still back at base to steer the ship away from any icebergs! It’s also nice to have a brother as a partner who will also know my personal movements and be very accommodating." He says that, although brothers, they both enjoy the core aspect of the business which is design. "But we have also found separate parts of the business we both enjoy and thrive in," adds Mark. "I love the finance side - never thought I would! and my brother

really enjoys the marketing and exhibition side. I am extremely analytical too which is great for the business. Jamie is very decisive which helps when we are procrastinating over a design detail or business strategy. He also has very good creative flair and I am very good at taking that creativity and harnessing it into a commercial product."

Disadvantages: According to Jamie, many decisions can last longer than they have to, for example, product development.

Above: Marmalade Meringue in Hinckley.

Below: Brothers Jamie and Mark Antoniades, founders and directors of j-me.

"As we are both involved in product development we often have a difference of opinion on the details. On other occasions, an idea may be proposed - anything from sales to marketing to product - and the other director is not excited about it. This often starts as an intensive debate challenging and defending the idea, but very often, as a consequence, a good common ground is found."

Concurs Mark:"We can sometimes debate about the business as if we are having a family debate. It’s okay to do this at times, but business debates often require more composure. On a plus point, the staff find them very entertaining!

Another disadvantage is we both come from the same cultural background, upbringing, schooling and area.

Although this is also means we understand each other well, it is also limiting at times as we both see things the same way and this may not always be the most effective way."

Joint holidays can also throw up problems. "Having a business partner as a brother, who is also one of my best friends, becomes difficult when we want to go on holiday together! We no longer do the ‘two weeks’ away, but instead long weekends or maybe one week maximum if we are very lucky although this hasn't happened for a few years."

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TRENDS: TROPICANA

Club Tropicana

With The Greats taking a topical, tropical theme this year, PG&H headed for a sun-drenched beach to sip a cocktail and enjoy a preview of the pineapples, parrots, flamingos and humming birds that are finding their way onto giftware for Spring/Summer.

Left: A tropical twist to Lesser & Pavey's retro drinking jars.

Right: A tropicana themed greeting card from Roger La Borde.

Above and left: Pineapple salad servers and a flamingo wash bag, both from Oliver Bonas.

Below: From Gisela Grahamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popular Dorabella range: vibrant colours, a ceramic pineapple and parrot ornaments.

Right: Widdop Bingham's Tropical Butterfly collection includes jewellery box as well as a purse, cosmetic bag and glasses case.

Below: Puckatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bold and colourful new designs fly in for 2015.

Below: A Secret Paradise Treats flamingo and humming bird wash bag from Heathcote & Ivory with bath and body treats inside.

Above: A trendy handbag mirror featuring a striking parrot design from Disaster Designs.

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Going

Retailer Face To Face: Giant’s Causeway Gift Shop

Local

Flanked by the wild North Atlantic ocean, and a landscape of dramatic cliffs, the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland's only World Heritage site, has inspired artists for centuries. It's stirred scientific debate and captured the imagination of everyone who sees these the world-famous basalt columns. And invariably, when they've got up close to this natural phenomenon, holidaymakers head for the National Trust's new Giant's Causeway Bay Visitor Centre - winner of The Greats Best Museum/Visitor Attraction Gift Shop award in 2014.

PG&H caught up with retail and visitor information manager Bob Kane to hear what makes the shop a winner.

The Visitor Centre at the Giant’s Causeway was designed by Dublin-based architects Heneghan Peng to sit seamlessly within the landscape. It doesn't impact on the view from the stones, and acts as a gateway to the world famous site.

Within it is a relatively new retail area which opened three years ago, priding itself on selling an extensive range of quality, bespoke, locally produced products to include books, ceramics, craft candles, confectionery, food, jewellery, knitwear, a children's range of pocket money gifts, prints, stationery, textiles and wood turning.

"Local sourcing is hugely important for us and ties in with the National Trust’s ethos of ‘going local’ as we seek to spread the popularity of the Giant’s Causeway to the local economy and showcase the best of

local talent," explains Bob Kane, retail and visitor information manager, who was there from the start. "We firmly believe it is our duty to introduce our visitors to the skilled and extremely talented designers, artisans and crafts people we have here."

The product range stocked is now approximately 75% locally sourced - from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland

Above: The interior of the gift shop, with the majority of giftware products produced locally.

Below left: Last May, Michael Papé, director of category sponsors Ravensden, presented the Best Museum/Visitor Attraction Gift Shop Award to Margaret Dunlop, North Coast retail buyer, and Bob Kane, retail manager at the National Trust's gift shop at Giant's Causeway.

Bottom: Giant's Causeway attracts visitors from around the world.

- with 25% of product coming from the UK, often sourced from shows such as Spring Fair and Home & Gift, Harrogate.

"Locally produced products have increased substantially since the Visitor Centre opened, as the previous shop only carried around 30% of local products," Bob underlines. To reinforce the point, a 'floating stones' logo has been specially developed for relevant products, although many items still carry the National Trust's oak leaf branding.

Initially, the retailer approached local artisans and crafts people to ask them to design ranges inspired by Giant's Causeway.

"We took them through the interpretation that was being developed and shared our palette of colours, which takes its lead from the grey of the basalt stones, the green of the grass that frames the famous stones and also covers our Visitor Centre roof - and bright red, the colour of the piping hot lava which, over many years, cooled and hardened into basalt."

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This Spring we’re really going to town.

We’d love to tell you about our stunning new gift candle concepts: • Town & Country collection • Paris-inspired collection • plus many new fragrances

Home fragrance redefined – made in the United Kingdom.

Visit us at the Birmingham Spring Fair 2015 – Hall 5 Stand A31. t 01225 794920 · e sales@thecountrycandlecompany.com · w thecountrycandlecompany.com The Country Candle Company · Aroma House · Unit 10, Hercules Way · Bowerhill Industrial Estate · Melksham SN12 6TS

123_125_New Grid 08/01/2015 16:21 Page 125

Retailer Face To Face: Giant’s Causeway Gift Shop Further colours were then introduced. A its sales of impulse purchases people who really know the soft blue reflects the sky, which can be seen of magnets, keyrings etc, have customer and take part in facethrough the glass roof lights in the Visitor increased by approximately to-face interactions with our Centre’s ceiling, and the wild North Atlantic 2%. “Who doesn’t want a visitors from around the world.

Ocean. A shot of hot pink, representing Giant’s Causeway magnet for Their opinion counts and can Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s signature their fridge door? What a really help us to shape and colour, also runs through some of the designs. great souvenir to remind you mould a new product into a fly Local suppliers rose to the challenge, of the awe-inspiring off the shelf success." with some designers being inspired still landscape," he says. Other So what new retail further by the range of local flora and fauna popular gifts are prints, plans are in the pipeline for as well as the site’s rich history, resulting in a magnets, T-shirts, T-towels, 2015? Following the unique shopping experience. postcards and keyrings. massive success of The effort put in has clearly paid off.

Although the National Trust has 2013/2014, it is adding a small "We find that the majority of our visitors are an online shop, the Giant's Causeway number of new products to the delighted that the scarf they are about to store doesn't, instead dealing with phone current range. As Bob explains. "It's purchase hasn’t been made in China and orders and posting products to visitors in the important to realise that although we may shipped to Giant's Causeway, or that the Ttime honoured way. view some of the products as ‘old’, in that we shirt they've just bought was printed in However, the shop does have a strong have carried them since July 2012, the mainland UK and not overseas. online presence on the main social media majority of our visitors are enjoying a once-inTo further enhance the experience, the sites, Facebook and Twitter, with a growing a-lifetime visit and they are viewing these shop displays a short supplier biography following on Instagram. There is also an products for the first time." beside each product range. "In fact, I would actively managed website which sits within the Bob says what he loves most about his go as far as to say that these supplier stories National Trust portfolio, and a separate site job is the people. "I really enjoy interacting with have become a key marketing and solely for ticket sales. people and seeing them get the most out of promotional tool for each supplier and has "We use all of these channels to promote their often once-in-a-lifetime visit to the Giant’s made a marked difference to retail sales," the events that are happening, encouraging Causeway. I love selling local crafts and confirms Bob. "We are in the process of local people to come and volunteer with us, products made by local enterprises, most of putting together a small book showcasing showcasing new product lines and staff whom I know personally, and I enjoy the fact our local suppliers which will be free of favourites. We also find quirky stories - species that the money we make goes back into the charge for our visitors to browse, even when of rare moths found at the Causeway for vital conservation work here on site and across their holiday is over." example - are extremely popular." the North Antrim coast and helps to support Although the average spend is just over Although Margaret Dunlop, North Coast our local economy." £2, Bob reveals that consumers are often retail buyer, who has been with the Trust for He adds that winning the Best only cautious initially. "Some of our pieces 10 years, initially sources the products, up to Museum/Visitor Attraction Gift Shop category are priced as almost investment buys, such five people are involved in the product at The Greats last year has been really as our exclusive range of jewellery from development meetings. positive, with regional coverage helping to give Steensons of Belfast. Once you’ve interacted "We also actively seek the shop and the Visitor Centre a high profile. with that consumer and they understand that frontline staff opinions on "It's key for me that the retail experience the necklace they’re about to purchase cannot products going through the at the Giant’s Causeway is seen as a major be found anywhere else, then we find that development process," Bob part of the visitor experience. I like to imagine they’re less cautious and more willing to highlights. "It's these local that somewhere in Australia a person is invest their money in a locking their front door, beautifully crafted Giant’s Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre: The Lowdown looking at their Giant’s Causeway product.”

Causeway keyring and fondly ❐ The Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre and gift shop is surrounded by polished basalt At the other end of the remembering their visit to this columns and glass. ❐ A third of the building is dedicated to a permanent interpretative experience which cost scale, Bob reveals that beautiful part of the world." gives visitors an insight into the Giant’s Causeway before they view the 40,000 columns for themselves. ❐ Approximately 750,000 people from over 170 countries visit each year. ❐ The average transactional value is £11.

Above: Steensons of Belfast cufflinks.

Above left: The bespoke 'floating stones' logo.

Inset: The gift shop is a ‘must visit’ for tourists

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Spotlight On... Candles

Fresh New

Spring

As candles that are Made in Britain continue to vie with the big American and European brands to win over consumers, candle manufacturers and suppliers are looking to create that 'something different', be it through formula, unusual fragrance combinations, distinctive containers or striking packaging, inevitably with an eye to creating a point of difference.

PG&H highlights the trends that will be taking the market place forward into Spring/Summer.

As the home fragrancing sectors continue onwards and upwards as one of the strongest growth areas in gifts, so candle companies are determined to up the ante year on year. For many, their success is down to being niche, knowing their market and understanding the trends, while producing quality products at the right price for an increasingly knowledgeable and discerning consumer.

SIA is among the suppliers continuing to focus on offering a point of difference. "For us, it's all about being unique, whether this is because our candle looks like a flower or because we offer scents which reflect the

freshness of Spring/Summer," says country manager and director Simon Pykett.

As he explains, "for the company to be successful in this very competitive category we have to offer candles which are uniquely appealing. For the coming season, we have been developing a new collection of candles with beautiful packaging and pleasing scents, and are looking forward to an increase in sales.”

At Parks London, founder and md Sidney Symons is confident that Parks will see a further 15-20% growth this year, with the company upping the ante in 2015 by manufacturing high end candles - all UK manufactured from 100% natural wax costing from £200 to £400.

Parks has already produced

Keeping A Lid On It

Echoing a trend for a silver containers and trims, one supplier, Rosemoore, points to the need to keep candle wax clean. "There is a move away from candles in elaborate packaged boxes, as retailers realise that customers like to see the product and not have to open the box in-store," comments Jason Tongue, md of Rosemoore. "But open candles are prone to gathering dust, and if left on the retail shelves for too long they start to look a little dirty, which is why we have the smart metal lids on our glass candles. They not only look very high quality, but also help the retailer protect the candle in-store, as well as giving protection in the home when the candle is unlit."

Top: Candle fragrances are stepping into Spring with floral and foodies scents already wafting through.

Above right: Parks' upmarket 10 wick candle.

Left: New for Spring/Summer from SIA. Right: Egyptian Cotton scented candles by Rosemoore.

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Spotlight On... Candles

Left: Stoneglow's Modern Apothecary range features the company's new wax blend.

Below: The new, luxury 7 wick candle from Best Kept Secrets.

Below left: Spring Harmony from The Music Gifts Company.

Below right: Colonial Candle's Cranberry Cosmo fragrance, distributed in the UK by Widdop Bingham.

Bottom left: Sweet Pea from Wax Lyrical's new Fragrant Gardens range, part of the company's RHS collection.

a 10 wick candle costing £350, which is poured into a glass container with a silver rim, and Sidney feels confident that these new candles will sell well despite the hefty price tag. "We've already taken substantial orders," he reveals. "We are also continuing to go more upmarket by producing candles in silver plated containers, something we offered at the start 20 years ago, but this time around, the containers are made from non-tarnishable silver."

Also offering something different in 2015 is Stoneglow. "We are very proud to be bringing something completely new to the candle market this Spring," says Hazel Simmons, head of design and product development. "We have been working for some time on a new natural wax blend and are pleased to say it's now ready for market. This is a unique formula created and blended to our own recipe, using a number of different natural ingredients. The wax offers a smoother, cleaner finish than

other natural waxes on the market, and we believe it provides an unparalleled fragrance throw that is even better than paraffin wax."

She highlights that the company's brand new Modern Apothecary range features the new wax blend in six different fragrances, created with a blend of harmonious ingredients with high levels of essential oils that have been brought together to create a selection of scents that cover all natural fragrance types: floral, fruity, citrus, woody and herbal. "The new wax will also be introduced through our whole range, so all existing

natural wax products such as Nature’s Gift, Nature’s Friend and Give Back to Nature, will now be made using this new improved formula," Hazel confirms.

"At Wax Lyrical we acknowledge the desire for newness and choice, and will be launching two new collections in 2015 alongside new fragrances and products in our existing ranges," says Richard Wood, sales and marketing director. From January, the company will be launching a new range of products under its best selling licensed collection The Royal Horticultural Society, named Fragrant Gardens, which will present a fresh, contemporary look combing the illustrations from the RHS' historical archive library with striking accent colours. "It's already been receiving great reviews from preview selections with this new collection set to grow the RHS brand even further,” Richard states.

Best Kept Secrets too, is entering 2015 with a wide range of new product launches across all fragranced gift lines. New candle offerings for Spring 2015 include exclusive Continued on page 131

Mother's Day In Mind

"Having the right product at the right price for the 'try me' candle and the 'I’m your favourite fragrance' candle sector is key," emphasises Sue Grant, marketing manager at Widdop Bingham, which was recently appointed exclusive distributors of Colonial Candle for the UK, Ireland and Europe.

She says that 2015 will see continuing growth as candles move into the sentiment arena, with fragranced candles offering a new and exciting opportunity for the company.

"The collection’s flagship product is the patented double-wick, oval glass jar, with a Mother’s Day counter top display including pretty votive holders and candles," she highlights. "Later in 2015, we will be launching Christmas fragrances together

with boxed gift sets."

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SCENTS FOR YOUR

BEDROOM

Highly elegant fragrance notes that cater to a relaxing atmosphere. The custom blown glass mixes a dynamic crackle finish with a warm, metallic ombre.

TO SEE THE FULL RANGE - VISIT US AT SPRING FAIR

HALL 5 5K04 For or more info please email sales@xystos.co.uk or call 0191 499 1570 or order online at our trade website www.xystostrade.co.uk xystostrade.co.uk

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Spotlight On... Candles three wick, five wick and seven wick candles. "The seven wick candle is a luxury gift for any occasion or celebration, and comes in a new large circular glass container. Its a centrepiece for any room and the 12 fragrance variations each have distinctive hand finished toppings," highlights director Denise Edwards.

Meanwhile, a newcomer to the candle market place is The Music Gifts Company.

"Candles are a recent addition to our range, aimed at the more exclusive market which appeals to a different, more discerning customer, and they are already proving to be an important new sector," says David, Gee, md. "Our offerings are unique, as we have selected fragrances to complement our designs, with one of our candles aptly named Spring Harmony."

Despite such a hugely competitive market place, with candles not just made in Britain, but made in America and Europe too, fighting for shelf space and a place in people's homes, it's clearly down to having that special USP that is continuing to give companies the edge and a slice of the market.

Candles With 'Culture' Among the many candle fragrance themes for 2015 will be travel, with the world at large providing inspiration. As Melanie Stack, Yankee Candle president and general manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa puts it: "Once a luxury item, fragranced candles have become part of a consumers everyday life and a welcomed gift. As such, 2015 trends have developed towards candles which offer a slice of indulgence and

fragrances that are inspired by world travel and a variety of cultures. Consumers use candles as an escape, a momentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s peace and to evoke fond memories. For 2015 they will turn towards refreshing, aromatic scents and fragrant reminders of weekend breaks spent discovering new cities."

Wax Lyrical too, is looking to holidays with its new collection for 2015, Fragrant Escapes, inspired by scents from around the Continued on page 133

Adding Sparkle

Containers are, of course, a vitally important part of the scented candle market place.

"Competition in the candle sector is fierce, and to compete with the plethora of established, branded labels, independent retailers have to offer something that little bit different," comments Steve Davies, md of Joe Davies.

"Our Sparkle diamond cut candles are eyecatching, beautifully packaged and have a lovely, long lasting fragrance."

Right: Joe Davies' Glow candle adds glamour.

Bringing The Outside In

Top: Pure Essence, new for 2015 from Yankee Candle.

Left: Spring colours from Village Candle.

Inset: Vivid Flowers from Bolsius.

Although Spring traditionally heralds the arrival of pastel colours, brights seem to be the order of the day. Big and bold in both colour and fragrance, Bolsius' Vivid Flowers Spring/Summer range has been created to make a big impression, say the company, maximising on colour and adding a fresh garden scent. "We are bringing the outside in with Vivid Flowers and emphasising this further with the strong use of floral printed designs in our glass filled candles with their complementary fragrance," says sales manager John Barthorpe. "This selection is about celebrating the seasons. We believe such exuberant and expressive product designs will create strong sales, reflecting a more positive climate."

Also looking to strong colours is Village Candle. "Bright, vivid colour palettes have been used to enhance the wax ready for the Spring season," says md Marvin Lomax. January sees 15 brand new fragrances launched across five product categories along with multiple new designs for candle accessories. Fragrances include Warm Buttered Bread, Palm Beach, Raspberry Rose Tea and Rio Carnival.

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scented candles natural soaps fragranced gifts Just relax and see the Seriously Scented ranges from Best Kept Secrets.

SEE US AT SPRING FAIR AT NEC // 1ST - 5TH FEBRUARY 2015

STAND NO: 5L31 T. +44 (0)1670 512222 E. sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Best Kept Secrets, Coopies Field, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 6JT, UK www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

HANDM

IN THE ADE UK

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Spotlight On... Candles

What's New Stateside

Above: New Spring fragrances from The Country Candle Company's Wonderwick collection.

world. "Consumers continue to be fascinated by the unique cultures, foods and age old traditions of different countries around the world, and with so many places to explore this trend is set to stay,“ says Richard Wood, the company's sales and marketing director.

The Country Candle Company is also focusing on cities, and will be launching fragrances inspired by Paris, such as the Wild Lime & Rose Tea, Parisian Café & Tuberose Bouquet. "There's an exciting romantic theme giving the consumer an element of escapism and sophisticated blends," comments director Hamish Smith.

"The home fragancing market place is becoming very advanced with fragranced blends, quality of fragrance and design elements. We are really going to town for 2015 and are excited to be launching a new Town & Country range."

The company will also be focusing on fragrances for Spring, with Hamish highlighting clean florals and fresh ozonic fragrances such as Apple Blossom from its Wonderwick collection and Fresh Linen from the Polka Dot collection that will help consumers to shake off the cold winter months. "With that in mind, we're also excited to be launching our new Wild Lime & Rose Tea," adds Hamish.

With more and more American brands entering the UK market place, Tom Sykes, Xystos' general manager, says that the company is always looking to increase its market share. "A succession of stunning fragrances and creative candle technology from the US is helping us to build our reputation as ‘the home of flame and fragrance’, with stockists able to choose from many new scented products. They are always looking for new, new, new and that isn’t going to change in 2015," he states. "I expect high-end candle products such as Anderson Lilley - superb scents in gorgeous packaging - to grab a bigger share of the luxury giftware market, while designers will create even more beautiful candle containers as consumers make flame and fragrance products their lifestyle choice."

Tom adds that Luminara, which has no naked flame, has also carved out a special niche in the market. "If you add in our complementary candle accessories, and the new Sienna Gold home lighters, we're extremely optimistic,” adds Tom, who also confirms that Xystos' best selling WoodWick range, known for wicks that crackle as the candles burn, will be adding two new collections for Spring.

When it comes to trends Stateside, Rachel Parker, product manager at The Fragrance Lounge, says that the US is usually one step ahead, with American brands such as Paddywax reflecting this.

"Paddywax’s artisan approach to candle making highlighs the trends each season," comments Rachel. The company's new Terrain collection has a handmade appeal with earthy stripes that have been hand-painted on to crafted pots to create not only a striking candle but a unique piece of art. “Botanical fragrances complete this nature inspired collection," continues Rachel.

She says that a key look in the American market is metallic accents, with Paddywax's Foundry collection of metallic Top: Satin Sheets, among the new fragrances in the new WoodWick range The bowls in copper, brass, silver and gunmetal topped Bedroom Collection, distributed by Xystos. with raw wood lids, right on trend.

Above: Paddywax's Terrain collection from The Fragrance Lounge.

As for Spring fragrances, she points to Below: Northern Lights from Lesser & Pavey. floral/botanical notes and others that are food based, with oud (agarwood) also filtering through into the market combined with softer notes such as the floral tones of rose.

Candles and home fragrancing products, such as reed diffusers, have also become a growing area for Lesser & Pavey. As the exclusive distributor in the UK and Europe for the American Northern Lights brand, the company will be extending its range in 2015 following a successful launch in the second half of 2014.

In addition, the company offers an extensive range of its own Desire brand of candles and fragranced gifts, featuring high quality gift candles in a wide variety of glass holders. "As with the Northern Lights brand, the Desire candles and accessories are all about superb gift packaging, fine quality scents and original holders such as the Esque candle bowl, jam jars and Mason jars," says Lesser & Pavey's md Julian Hunt. He adds that favourite fragrances are still Jasmine, Pink Champagne & Fresh Linen, but that 2015 will see the introduction of more choice and more adventurous fragrances to include Strawberry & Cream, Milk & Honey, Cucumber & Watermelon.

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01225 868788

email: contact@heavenscent.co.uk www.heavenscent.co.uk Facebook.com/heavenscentincense, Twitter/ heaven scent incense @SarahBellis1

2015 Covered in Fragrance... with our NEW Body Mists & Room Sprays

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Made in England

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some candle and fragranced gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Show Stoppers The Fragrance Lounge is excited to celebrate the fresh beginnings of Spring with five new Paddywax collections Foundry, Flower Market, Provisions, Terrain and Watercolour. Foundry is a stunning collection of striking metallic bowls in copper, brass, silver and gunmetal. Handpoured with rich earthy fragrances, and topped with raw wood lids, these vessels will make a show-stopping decorative addition to any room.

The Fragrance Lounge Tel: 01829 730028 Email: sales@thefragrancelounge.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand T26

Gentle Geometric Soft colours of green, pink and blue and geometric patterns are the hallmark of Gentle Geometric. Rustic pillar candles in two sizes are available in all three shades. They coordinate with opaque glass tealight holders (£4), each with a geometrically patterned, silicone outer shell. There are two designs of fragrance filled glasses, both enjoying a Vanilla and Coconut scent; Gentle Hexagon (£4) and Gentle Blends (£4).

Bolsius Tel: 0800 169 5126 / 0870 442 0731 www.bolsius.com or contact our distributors Junction 18 Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand G80-H81

Art Collection

Fragrant HearthWick HearthWick Flame sees 12 fragrances added by Xystos, including Baby Powder, Island Coconut, Jasmine, Dew Drops and Marionberry. WoodWick Reserve has candle scents Royal and Midnight, as well as 12 reed diffuser fragrances. The Hourglass shape WoodWick Wax Melts are introduced in all the core fragrances. Odour Neutralisers are now in new 3oz mini and 22oz jar sizes and available as wax melts. Look out too for Flame & Fragrance Snowflake accessories; new candle line Anderson Lilley; Sienna Gold home lighters; Luminara; RibbonWick; Simply Shining, and La-Tee-Da! lamps.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand K04-L05

New, fresh, vibrant green glassware is the perfect new colour introduction to this popular Stoneglow range for Spring.

Fragranced with a gorgeous citrus accord of lime, litsea cubea, grapefruit & mandarin. This zesty fragrance is calmed with herbal notes of lavender and basil, leading to a heart of orange blossom and fresh green patchouli. The range carries five fabulous colours/fragrances, in both reed diffusers and high fragrance candles.

Stoneglow Tel: 0208 595 8878 Email: sales@stoneglowcandles.co.uk www.stoneglowcandles.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand K51

Fired Earth Brand new for 2015 are two new fragrances with this highly exquisite collection set to become a must stocked range for the specialist retailer. Peppermint Tea and Thyme adds a refreshing sweet fragrance to this beautiful selection, and the fresh aromatic Earl Grey and Vetivert is the perfect complement to the portfolio of tea infused fragrances. Wax Lyrical has also added large two wick fragranced candles to all Fired Earth fragrances after their huge popularity in 2014.

Wax Lyrical Tel: 01229 461111 Email: sales@wax-lyrical.com www.waxlyricaltrade.com Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand D30

New WoodWick Collections Xystos will unveil two new WoodWick ranges, each with six fragrances. The Bedroom Collection - in medium and large sizes - has Terrace Breeze, Lasting Love, Quiet Bliss, Sultry Spice, Satin Sheets and Warm Slumber, while the Macaron Collection debuts with Pistachio, Lavender, Tiramisu, Pineapple, Coconut and Berry.

New scents in WoodWick’s core range are Cherry Bark, Ginger Macaron, Cedar, Seaside Mimosa and Soft Chambray (3oz, 10oz and 22oz), which are also available as wax melts. Beachfront Cottage joins the Trilogy range (10oz & 22oz).

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand K04-L05 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some candle and fragranced gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Fresh Take On Fragrance

Escapology

Ashleigh & Burwood present their latest trend-driven fragrances, including Vine Tomato, Cappuccino and Watermelon & Cucumber, for fragrance lamps. Leading the launch is the vibrant Vine Tomato.

Featuring verdant green notes, the scent is joyously bright and happy and is a perfect answer to the SS15 trend that sees a desire to escape to nature.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand L04-M05

Ashleigh & Burwood invite you on an aromatic journey with Escapology in Spring 2015. With fragrances inspired by some of the world’s most captivating locations, they present a brand new look for the concept brand; products have been refined and reformulated to enhance the performance of the fragrance. They also launch the brand new Luxury Home Fragrance Collection, which packages a 50ml reed diffuser with two votive candles, for the ultimate gift or self indulgence.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand L04-M05

Seriously Scented

Aroma Diffuser Following the success of the Carina aroma diffuser, Rosemoore Home Fragrance has launched two new styles of ultra sonic electric aroma diffuser.

The Lyra and the Vela diffusers are both designed to look decorative in the home, while also providing a long-lasting fragrance. Both styles are available in the popular light birch wood effect and dark walnut wood effect. Visit the Rosemoore stand at Spring Fair for a demonstration of this innovative product.

Rosemoore Home Fragrance Tel: 00 44 (0) 1227 806111 Email:sales@rosemoore.co.uk www.rosemoore.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand J23

Following the recent acquisition of an established fragranced gifts specialist, Best Kept Secrets is launching over 40 new fragranced gifts at Spring Fair. Branded as Seriously Scented, additional products include jute bags, vaisettes, cupcakes, floral boxes and pouches, all containing ranges of fragranced bath bursts, bath salts or soaps. A range of gift products with bracelet bags and earring bags, containing locally produced charm bracelets and costume jewellery will also feature.

To complete the new range are fizzles and fizzle bags combining mini scented bath bursts in decorative pillow boxes and pouches.

Best Kept Secrets Tel: 01670 512222 www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand L31

New Fragrance Sprays Leading bath and body brand Di Palomo has introduced two new sprays to its growing collection of fragranced products - a Body Mist Spray and Room Spray available in White Grape, Tuscan Rose, Wild Fig & Orange Blossom. Both products have a RRP of £10 and launch in 100ml size providing retailers with more fantastic gift options. Like all Di Palomo products, the Body Mist Spray and Room Spray contain the highest quality ingredients.

Di Palomo Tel: 01803 612772 Email:Debbie@dipalomo.com www.dipalomo.com

New Travel Kits Two kits have been added to The Naked Bee collection of natural personal care products from Xystos. The Orange Blossom & Honey Travel Kit comprises hand and body lotion, triple milled soap, travel candle, shampoo and conditioner and lip balm, while its counterpart – the Mini Bee Kit – includes hand and body lotion, lip balm and hand sanitizer. The Naked Bee products comprise ‘All the good stuff, none of the bad stuff’, being paraben-free.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand K04-L05 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some candle and fragranced gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Under Cover Candlecovers are heat resistant covers for tealights which look like glass but are plastic. Since being introduced to the UK 18 months ago they’ve proved extremely popular and, with over 130 designs to choose from, including a tattoo and festive range, there’s something for everyone.

Candlecover UK Tel: 07810208463 Email: info@candlecover.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand 5L70

Fragrance At Its Best

Bees Are Buzzing Bestselling Magik Beanz wax melts, stunning Elegance candles, fabulous wax tarts in flip top pots, unique No Clean wax tarts, bath and body ranges and more will be on show

by Busy Bee Candles. The company's new Signature candle range and new mind blowing super strength wax melts will be shown for the first time. With over 200 fragrances, there is a range of scents for everyone. Enter the Busy Bee Candles prize draw to win £500 worth of stock!

Busy Bee Candles Tel: 07511 642733 or 01550 750419 www.busybeecandles.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand 5L76

RHS Fragrant Gardens

Yankee Candle, the world’s best loved candle, is ready to reveal its 2015 fragrance offering, including its innovation for the Autumn and Winter seasons. For Autumn, explore the exotic with four luxurious new fragrances. The Out Of Africa collection will transport your senses on a romantic adventure, with treasured perfumes and rare notes of musk, orchid and amber as well as a new range of accessories to help bring the range to life. View the whole year of innovative fragrance at Spring Fair.

Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1200 www.yankeecandle.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand B04-C03

Fun Outside And Cosy Inside

Brand new for 2015, Wax Lyrical will be launching a new range of products under its best selling license collection The Royal Horticultural Society.

The new range, named Fragrant Gardens, will present a fresh contemporary look combing beautiful illustrations from the historical archive library with striking accent colours. Already receiving great reviews from preview selections this new collection is set to grow the RHS brand even further and maintain Wax Lyrical as their number one partner.

Wax Lyrical Tel: 01229 461111 Email: sales@wax-lyrical.com www.waxlyricaltrade.com Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand D30

From Yankee Candle for Winter, Baby Its Fun Outside… and Cosy Inside. As the all important festive season approaches, Yankee Candle has a fun new range for the season. The four new fragrances evoke memories of fun times playing in the snow, and when it’s time to warm up, the fragrances will give a heart-warming feeling of gatherings by the fire with family and friends.

Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1200 www.yankeecandle.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand B04-C03

White Tea & Bamboo The classic simplicity of this stylish range has proved to be a winner in store. White Tea & Bamboo adds another winning fragrance to the collection: refreshing white tea with zesty notes of bergamot and mandarin. A floral heart of neroli and geranium sit on a lush green base.

Candles and reed diffusers are available in three different options and nine fragrances.

Stoneglow Candles Tel: 0208 595 8878 Email: sales@stoneglowcandles.co.uk www.stoneglowcandles.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand K51 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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New Spring/Summer 2015 Collection

P & A Agencies Ltd - Authorised Agents for UK & Ireland Tel: 0161 653 1586 Email: info@pa-agencies.co.uk Web: www.pa-agencies.co.uk 813 Manchester Old Road, Middleton, Manchester M24 4RE Twitter - @danskjewellery Facebook - Search > Dansk Smykkekunst Official

141_143_145_New Grid 10/01/2015 14:50 Page 1

Spotlight On: Jewellery & Fashion Accessories

Sentimentally Speaking As a cautious confidence has continued to As neons continue to trend in all sectors of the industry, from gifts to emerge over the past few months, with greeting cards, so many jewellery and fashion accessory suppliers are turning people starting to treat and spoil themselves again, so suppliers are reporting a stronger to their brightest colour palettes to ensure that what goes into the ears, retail market place, with Spring 2015 round the neck and on the wrist reflects the trend for 'brights' for Spring. reflecting the current upturn.

“The jewellery and accessories market is But there will still be plenty of sentiment and silver and rose gold jewellery one of continued expansion,” comments Joe around, with many suppliers also introducing children's jewellery ranges Davies' buyer Mary Richards, who sees this continuing in 2015. “Our which are brand new for the Spring/Summer season. range of Equilibrium has fast become a 'must have' re-establishing," she Above: New Equilibrium sentiment designs from for both independent and comments.

"We have Joe Davies. multiple retailers alike, with been developing many Below: Sentiment from Balagan. sentiment jewellery providing new lines and categories, the major impetus. We will especially in relation to the therefore be launching many new introduction of our children’s pieces for 2015 featuring new jewellery collection, so we have messages and designs." Joe Davies been able to offer a huge range is also experiencing growth in of styles for all ages which has children’s jewellery, with the company been key for us over the past year." introducing sentiment jewellery into its Katie highlights that the company's Equilibrium for Girls collection. With regard bestselling collection of 'a little' carded to colour, Mary confirms that silver remains pieces will be helping to drive sales in the company's best-selling finish. "But rose Spring/Summer. "We have introduced a new gold continues to grow in popularity and line of rose gold pieces which is a brand new many new pieces will be introduced into the area for us. Plus, our brand new Life’s A across the board." She says that the collection to take advantage of this," she adds.

Charm range of friendship bracelets are just company's new Narrate collection fits the At Joma Jewellery, co-founder Katie right for an easy summer style and look demographic, with its warm gold and rose Loxton says that the company has also fabulous stacked high with summer bangles gold hues and script driven collections, experienced huge growth, with clear signs and our classic silver bracelets." coupled with Balagan's new Spring One that the market is strengthening. "As a Sentiment jewellery also continues to be Wish collection featuring sentiment inspired brand, we focus on the gifting market a driver for Rachel Parkin, md of Balagan, sterling silver pieces. ensuring quality for an affordable price. I who says that Spring 2015 will see even Also bursting with new ideas for believe that this combination has given us more interest in sentiment driven jewellery.

Spring/Summer is PoM. "For us, it's all strength while the markets are "Jewellery that embodies sentiment, talisman about being fresh and staying ahead," says qualities or tells a story will be a key trend and a driving force," she predicts.

"Marsala is the Pantone colour for 2015, embodying a sophisticated natural earthiness, as well as a feeling of security, home and comfort, so we'll be seeing splashes of it appearing Above right and right: The new season's jewellery and scarf designs from PoM. Left: From Joma's 'a little' range Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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See us at Spring Fair HALL 19, STAND C18 Pure STAND V11

01905 622509 www.missmilly.co.uk

141_143_145_New Grid 10/01/2015 14:51 Page 3

Spotlight On: Jewellery & Fashion Accessories Left: A bright neon sentiment necklace from Carrie Elspeth.

Right: Spring Fair's Fashion Accessories Catwalk.

Below left: Miss Milly plays with light effects for Spring 2015.

Below right: Ethereal pastel colours, such as Miss Milly's mint green scarf, are in vogue this season.

creative director Chris Holden. "We had a brilliant 2014 and hope to continue and improve on that. We've added some fabulous new elements to our jewellery range, including gold and rose gold, as well as some fantastic new prints into our scarf collection. With retailers always looking for something new, it's fresh and bright and features wonderful fabrics."

Carrie Elspeth also reports a strong market place. "The market has been quite buoyant, with our sales significantly up on last year, although customers are still cautious," says creative director Carrie Shapiro. She sees jewellery trends focusing on bright colours this Spring, with neons continuing to lead the way, and the company's new range of 'brights' sentiments bracelets reflecting the trend.

"Rainbow metallics, as seen in our Spectrum

Teardrop range, are also making a big splash as designers look to sci-fi and technological advancements for inspiration," Carrie explains. "Accessories are being featured as bold colourful pops and dazzles, as seen in our Candy Pop range, standing out against all the on trend fabrics, while, for a softer look, our Pastel Perfection features feminine pinks and pretty baby blues which are making a significant comeback and can be teamed with other subtle shades of lemon, rose and coral for a contemporary take on the 'gorgeous girlie' look."

Meanwhile, Sara Watmore, md of Miss Milly, believes that fashion is attacking the senses this season with a variety of textures and finishes. "We will see an infusion of light, with iridescent and pearlescent finishes, as well as the use of bubble and droplet patterns. Also, there will be experimentation with colour from light ethereal shades to rich, tropical tones,” continues Sara.

Men's Jewellery Cufflinks are still one of the most popular men's gifts. "I think if you offer the right selection of products, present them well and pitch them at an attractive price, the market will react accordingly," says David Gee, md of The Music Gifts Company.

"For example, last Spring we launched a completely new range of cufflinks at £9.99 and their success was phenomenal. As a result, we will be concentrating more of our efforts on men’s jewellery in 2015."

Strong cufflink sales are also continuing for Gaventa London. "However, the stars over the past year, and set to continue, have been wrist wear for men," says senior sales consultant Alan Ridgway. "Stainless steel, leather, leather and steel combinations and semi-precious bead bracelets have all had a fabulous response with great sell-through."

Above: An eye-catching men's cufflinks box and cufflinks from The Music Gifts Company.

Left: A selection of cufflink designs from Gaventa London.

Fashion Accessories Catwalk The very latest fashion jewellery, accessories and luggage will all be showcased on Spring Fair's Fashion Accessories Catwalk, with runway shows taking place three times a day alongside trend presentations.

A vast selection of costume jewellery, and a full range of fashion accessories, from over 330 exhibitors, will be unveiled, to include scarves, belts umbrellas, purses, handbags and iPad cases.

The inclusion of luggage represents an important expansion, says organisers i2i Events.

The show takes place at the NEC from February 1-5.

Visit www.springfair.com

"At Miss Milly, we have adopted a theme of Light and Bright, with our flagship Floria collection focusing on iridescence in resin jewellery, sitting alongside the soft pastels and matt silver of our Amora collection.

Again, to reflect the trends, our new scarf collection features new cotton scarves in pretty pastels, and the full spectrum of colour in our viscose pieces."

Staying with colour trends, Alan Ridgway, senior sales consultant at Gaventa London, says that the use of colour has been foremost in the design of the company's brand new sterling silver capsule collections created by Valentina, which are launching for Spring/Summer.

Continued on page 145 Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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144_GH_FEBRUARY 2015 10/01/2015 13:52 Page 1

We look forward to seeing you at Spring Fair 2015 19 A05

Little Shop Of Limited The Original and only Little Book of Earrings

Designed to hold up to 48 Pairs of earrings safely & securely on softly padded pages. Ensuring a matching pair is always easy to ďŹ nd.

The Little Book of Necklaces Designed to hold necklaces safely and securely at home or when traveling.

Prevents necklaces becoming tangled and possibly damaged.

The Little, Little Book of Earrings Designed like the Little Book of Earrings but smaller. Able to hold up to12 pairs of earrings.

If you would like any further information please phone +44 (0) 2033711522 or email info@littleshopof.co.uk www.littleshopof.co.uk

All these books are available in a range of colours, in faux leather or fabric.

No MOQ.

141_143_145_New Grid 10/01/2015 14:51 Page 5

Spotlight On: Jewellery & Fashion Accessories

“...a new jewellery trend emerging combines pearls and soft coloured crystal.”

"Soft Nappa leather bracelets in many different hues, from deep emerald to oyster pink, combined with matching frosted or pave crystal hearts, make this a very special and on trend focal point of the Velvet Heart Collection," he reveals.

The range features coloured cotton cord, Liberty ribbon in soft ‘feelgood’ shades, and vintage patterns, combined with sterling silver and Swarovski Elements, along with crystal and birthstones within the company's Sweet Silver collection. Adds Alan: "Gifting, rather than self purchase, is where we've noticed a steady increase in sales."

Michaela Davies, product director and designer for Shruti, says that easily wearable jewellery is still very much in demand, with casual cord threads replacing metal chains in soft greys and tans. “Natural fibres continue to dominate for Spring/Summer handbags and scarves, with relaxed styles reflecting themes from the countryside."

She says that Shruti will be launching a new focus on great British design talent this season, introducing new collections from Susie Faulks, Lisa Buckridge and Casey Rogers, who have all developed ranges of scarves, handbags, cosmetic purses and washbags for the company.

Above right: New for Spring, Shruti's floral handbag and co-ordinating scarf.

Right: New designs from Pink Broccoli.

What's Trending p According to Mary Richards, buyer at Joe Davies, a new jewellery trend emerging combines pearls and soft coloured crystal. "It will be a key feature of the range for Spring/Summer 2015 ensuring Equilibrium remains 'current' and fresh in the market place,” she comments. p With Tropicana a big theme for 2015, Neil Gaukwin, general manager for Disaster Designs, says that pineapple and parrot icons will be the big trend for Spring, with leaf and frond prints looking strong from the catwalks, and featuring on the company's products. "It’s great for the stores to get a vibrant pop of colour to really signify the new season's trends," states Neil.

Right: Among the Tropicana scarf designs from Disaster Designs.

Left: Gaventa London's Nappa leather bracelets.

At Dansk Smykkekunst, a brand new Spring/Summer 2015 collection includes Scandinavian designed jewellery in bold geometric shapes which can be mixed and matched. Creative designer Malene Storm has developed new bracelets and necklaces using leather and haematite with white diamante detailing, available in new colourways that include slate black and rose gold, and sand and gold. "Following on from the success of previous collections, handbags and scarves are also part of the new collection, with brand new designs available in clutch and tote handbags," says Malene, "with the scarves included in a range of pastel colours and designs."

Meanwhile, new jewellery company Pink Broccoli says it will be staying with an antique silver finish across all the company's lines due to its appeal.

"But we will be adding in a few more dainty and delicate designs as requested by

our retail customers," says co-founder Karen Wilbourn.

For retailers looking to offer something different in 2015, there's clearly plenty of choice, from new sentiment styles to statement pieces, as well as jewellery and scarves with that 'stepping into Spring' feel.

While pastels will be strong, Spring/Summer definitely has a bright feel to it.

A One Off Monogramming is currently one of the hottest trends around, with everyone looking to personalise belongings with their initials, particularly jewellery.

Accessorize, for example, has introduced 'make your own' necklaces and bracelets which come with a bag of letters.

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Carrie Elspeth EXCLUSIVE DESIGNER JEWELLERY H A N D M A D E I N WA L E S

Spring Fair Stand 19C20-D21 Follow us on CarrieElspethJewellery @carrieelspeth CarrieElspethJewellery www.carrieelspeth.com

For a beautiful range of Fairy & Angel jewellery hand cast in the UK, visit Westair at Spring Fair, Hall 5, Stand A75 XXX XFTUBJS DP VL t 5FM

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Spring Spring Fair: Fair: Stand Stand 7D04-E03 www.facebook.com/shrutidesigns www .facebook.com/shrutidesigns www.junction18.com www .junction18.com

+44 (0)1985 847774 E mail: h ello@shrutidesigns.co.uk Email: hello@shrutidesigns.co.uk

147_52-53/55 13/01/2015 15:48 Page 147

What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some jewellery & fashions accessories launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Spring Sentiments

Handmade With Love Whether you’re looking for a gift for that special someone or a treat for yourself, Calleesy Jewellery has something for you, offering a wonderfully feminine and imaginative collection of jewellery that’s as versatile as it is beautiful.

Calleesy’s passion to accessorise life with gorgeous handmade treasures is the soul of the brand. The result is romantic, chic and colourful designs that are refreshingly unique and handmade with love.

Calleesy Jewellery & Gifts Tel: 07477377205 Email: info@calleesyjewellery.com www.calleesyjewellery.com

Carrie’s brand new Sentiments bracelets are bursting with colour and energy! These exclusive Brights charm bracelets are made with gorgeous glass beads that have a frosted matt finish - the colours are fresh, cheerful and full of pizazz! Each bracelet has a beautiful smooth, plump, silver-plated heart charm and the backing card is now even bolder to give a strong contrast and stunning final touch to these gorgeous gifts.

Carrie Elspeth Tel: 01446 771271 Email: sales@carrieelspeth.com www.carrieelspeth.com Spring Fair: Hall 19, Hall 20 Stand 19C20-D21

Light & Bright Try a new range this spring. Miss Milly, the award-winning, British jewellery and scarf supplier, has beautiful new designs at great value prices. The theme this season is Light and Bright, with a palette of fresh pastels and sunny, bold colours. With mint greens, soft mauves and dusky pinks alongside lime green and cobalt blue, there really is something for everyone. Plus, the Miss Milly jewellery features iridescent finishes in line with seasonal trends.

Miss Milly Tel: 01905 622509 Email: hello@missmilly.co.uk www.missmilly.co.uk Spring Fair: Stand: Hall 19 Stand C18

Dazzling Dansk

Inspired By Nature PoM is introducing some beautiful new elements to their spring collection. Mellow gold, rose gold and glorious Liberty prints elevate their nature inspired jewellery. Dragonflies, bees, flora and fauna are not only beautifully hand crafted into their jewellery but is echoed in their very popular scarf range. Wonderful prints on super soft cotton, superb detailing and well, just wait and see. It's all very exciting. Roll on spring!

Peace of Mind Tel: 01225 777749 Email: sales@pom925.com www.pom925.com Spring Fair: Hall 19 Stand F20/G21

Danish jewellery brand, Dansk Smykkekunst’s new Spring/Summer 2015 range includes new designs available in four stunning colour ways - slate grey and rose gold, black and silver, sand and gold and black and haematite. "The aim of the new collection is to layer the jewellery together to create a bold look," explains creative director Malene Storm. "We have combined leather and metal together in our jewellery to create dramatic pieces." The new collection is influenced by Scandinavian design and includes circular and oval shapes, which are a big trend in Scandinavia this season.

The new range also includes necklaces and bracelets made of multi strands of leather combined with delicate beads. Dansk Smykkekunst have also designed brand new classic tote and clutch bags in three shades: navy, black and sand tones. The new spring/ summer 2015 collection also includes new scarves in bright pastel shades- ideal for summer 2015.

Dansk Smykkekunst Tel: 0161 653 1586 Email: info@pa-agencies.co.uk www.dansksmykkekunst.dk Spring Fair: Hall 18 Stand A14-B15

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some jewellery & fashions accessories launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

One To Watch This year, Spring Fair will provide our debut launch for 2015.

Always aiming to delight and inspire, we will be showcasing many new and exciting designs, adding further categories to our collection of fashion accessories. Also new to the fair, our bespoke and unique point of sale merchandise, lovingly thought through and crafted especially for you - treasure found!

Hot Tomato Tel: 01225 422188 Email: sales@hot-tomatouk.com www.hot-tom.com Spring Fair: Hall 8 Stand A19

Quirky PoS Here at Hot Tomato we have been super busy perfecting our very own bespoke and highly original point of sale. Quirky and just a bit clever, we have looked, listened and - ta-dah - here’s the launch! Designed to delight and amuse while selling, selling, selling for you all day long!

Hot Tomato Tel: 01225 422188 Email: sales@hottomatouk.com www.hot-tom.com Spring Fair: Hall 8 Stand A19

100% Cotton Scarves

Quintessentially British Dew, the essential everyday sterling silver jewellery collection from the team at Kit Heath. Introducing for Spring quintessentially British themes and motifs: cute and unique.

Expanding on the popular stone ranges, Dew features ‘season must have’ synthetic opal in new and most popular designs. A 'must have' collection of beautiful, contemporary designs at affordable prices.

Kit Heath Tel:01271 329123 Email: sales@kitheath.com www.kitheathretailer.com

Miss Milly has launched a pretty, pastel palette of 100% cotton scarves. Featuring dots, birds and flowers, as well as a classic plain style, the new range has a trade price of £5.65 ex VAT, and will be on show at Spring Fair (19C18) and Pure (V11). Miss Milly has also added gorgeous new designs and colours to its viscose scarf collection, coordinating well with its new Spring/Summer jewellery.

Miss Milly Tel: 01905 622509 Email: hello@missmilly.co.uk www.missmilly.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 19 Stand C18

New Designs, New Catalogue Heritage by Kit Heath introduces the company's new look catalogue for 2015, with over 100 new designs.

The collection this year is defined by an emphasis on an array of stones: turquoise, synethic opal, amethyst, peridot and pretty freshwater pearls. Traditional inspired Celtic designs in sterling silver, is at the heart of Kit Heath.

Kit Heath Tel:01271 329123 Email: sales@kitheath.com www.kitheathretailer.com

Angels & Fairies Beautifully hand cast in Birmingham from traditional pewter, these new ranges of angels and fairies make the perfect gift.

Come and see over 40 different designs of pendants, pin badges and rings with prices starting at £1.00.

Westair Tel: 0121 603 3030 www.westair.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand A75

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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All Light Boxes have a two hour timer making them perfect for use as childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s night lights!

All Light Boxes are also supplied with batteries!

Available April 2015!

SCENTED CUSHIONS

FEATURING FRAGRANCES Also NEW for 2015 - LED Canvases, Colour Changing Umbrellas and Jigsaws!

Order online at www.thinkpinkblue2.com Or come and say hello!

Maison & Objet, Paris, 23rd - 27th January 2015, Hall 6 E119 Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham, 1st - 5th February 2015, Hall 6 M20 You can order online by logging into the secure trade only area at www.thinkpinkblue2.com or by phoning Denise on 01253 831512 or Lynda on 01253 831540.

Having problems signing in? Email enquiries@thinkpinkblue2.com or call Denise or Lynda on the numbers above.

151_153_155_New Grid 10/01/2015 15:04 Page 1

Spotlight On... Nursery/Children’s

With the excitement already building around the birth of a new prince or princess in April, nursery products will once again be finding their way into the media, with Prince George sure to receive some 'big brother' toys too, that will be trumpeted in the press and on social media.

As the countdown begins, PG&H spoke to gift shops who are extending their nursery and children's sectors in response to their customers' continuing demand for retro products, as well as to some of the leading suppliers in the sector to see what will be trending in 2015.

While the department stores, supermarkets and major multiples such as Argos and Toys R Us slugged it out before Christmas, heavily discounting on the major toy brands to win over customers, gift retailers were seeing shoppers looking for the opposite end of the market place - predominantly, the retro, nostalgic toys and games that they played with when they were young.

"Toys and children's gifts has been a really big growth area for us," says Louise Heyler, owner of Forget-Me-Not in Stubbington. "We really grew the sector in 2014, and they now represent a quarter of our mini department store," she confirms.

"We're selling lots of wooden toys from, for example, Melissa & Doug."

Louise highlights that there's a big push by parents to get back to quality non-plastic

toys. "They sell all year round, not just at Christmas," she points out, "and it's the same with games, with Orchard Toys one of our biggest suppliers. Their games tend to be educational and fun, and very bright and cheery too. At £10, they make ideal party gifts."

At Calliope Gifts' outlets in Dorking and Alton, children's products represents 20% of the company's turnover.

The shops stock toys,

Above: HRH Prince George seen enjoying playing with a traditional wooden toy.

Below left: Ridley's bouncer from Wild and Wolf.

Bottom: A wooden play set from Melissa & Doug.

Below right: Miffy celebrates her 60th anniversary this year.

children's and baby clothing, books as well as kids CDs and DVDs and Disney Classic greeting cards.

"We're finding it's the small value, good quality products that are doing best," confirms md Philip Downer. "People will go to a department store for the £30-£40 items, but visit gift shops if they want to see a selection of items, with the £10 and under price point still key."

According to Philip, while it's important for product to have robust packaging, it needs to convey what's inside. "We've done very well with nostalgic toys from House of Marbles and Wild and Wolf, such as the

Miffy Turns 60

Miffy, Dick Bruna's iconic children’s book character, will be celebrating her 60th Anniversary in 2015 with a host of events, partnerships and product launches.

Worldwide, Miffy's 60th celebratory events in 2015 include exhibitions, a new musical and TV show, commemorative stamps, floral displays and children's parties.

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Spotlight On... Nursery/Children’s company's Ridley’s range of retro toys, with retro toys from both companies flying out of the door. Adults want to buy the toys and games they played with as kids and retro seems to be never ending. We do a range of baby clothing too, with socks a big focus for us, especially Bluebell's Diddywear."

Another gift retailer who will be expanding the shop's toys and games sector this year is David Theobalds, coowner of Emporium, which has shops in Winchcombe and Cheltenham. "The section represents about 15-20% of what we sell, and it's continuing to grow," confirms David.

"In fact, in the New Year, we are going to revamp the children's sector in our new Cheltenham shop to maximise on its importance. We have the right demographic of young mums in both of our locations who want to buy toys."

So which ones are the winners? "Aside from a wide range of products from Melissa & Doug and Tobar, products from the Manhattan Toy Company are also very popular, while Jellycat does extraordinarily well for us at our Winchcombe shop."

Good news for retailers is that plenty of new trends will be coming through for 2015, with Sue Grant, marketing manager at Widdop Bingham, confirming that there are some exciting and creative developments afoot giving the nursery and children's sector new impetus. "Vintage and hand-crafted trends can now be seen on many baby gift and nursery lines," Sue highlights. "These trends are not new within the home, but this popular design style is now being translated to the baby sector too."

Above: Tobar’s Ernest Moody wooden puzzles.

Below: Baby animal snoozies from Joe Davies.

Below left: Widdop Bingham's Bambino range.

Below right: Bear hugs from Lesser & Pavey.

While pink and blue coloured products remain firm favourites, having always been viewed as the more traditional end of the spectrum, Sue reveals that this too, is changing.

"Simple stylish pink and blue collections are modernising this style in new and innovative ways with a chalky look to the colour palette," she underlines. But neutrals haven’t gone away. "They are still important but they too, have been up-dated," she continues, "with cream and fawns

making way for the new taupe, mushroom and soft grey."

At Joe Davies, the nursery and children’s market is one of continued expansion for the company, but by contrast, traditional colours are still key, with neutral colours not selling as well as the traditional pinks and blues, advises sales manager David Cree.

"Messages are a significant seller, and we expect this to carry on into 2015 and beyond," confirms David. "We are doing particularly well with our Buttons and Bows collection of hanging message plaques, boxes and photo frames, which are decorative accessories for a child’s room."

He says that 'cute' also remains a key factor in the success of children’s ranges, such as the company's collection of Baby Animal snoozies which he says have been a phenomenal success, and come in starter packs covering a baby's first year. "They're repeatable and practical," points out David.

Also continuing to offer traditional, well proven gifts for the nursery and children's market for 2015 is Lesser & Pavey. "Great selling ranges such as Little Bird & Ellie, and the recently launched collection Little Bear Hugs will continue featuring high quality ceramic money boxes, double handled mugs, feeding sets, first tooth and first curl trinket boxes as well as birth and christening certificate holders," says md Julian Hunt, with new ranges of baby and children gifts for birth, christening and confirmation, in white and silver, presented in gift packaging. He confirms that L&P will be continuing with its range of silver plated baby and kiddies gifts with numerous new gift lines and photo frames added to cater for the Continued on page 155

Bespoke Giftware

With personalisation a strong trend for everything from clothes to the home, Sue Grant, marketing manager at Widdop Bingham, confirms that baby gifts which can be personalised, are going from strength to strength. "Gone are the days when personalisation meant just engraving. New technologies and processes have seen a plethora of new products aimed at personalisation," she comments. "In 2015, we will be refreshing our popular Bambino baby collection with hand-knitted plush and a new colouring in a soft taupe colour way. Our licensed baby designs from Wendy Jones-Blackett lend themselves to a modern take on pink and blue with a sophisticated simple design style and colouring. And the Bebunni range launched at the beginning of 2014 now incorporates baby gifts including Above: Bebunni giftware from Widdop many lines designed to be personalised."

Bingham can be personalised.

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Spotlight On... Nursery/Children’s wrapper, alongside New Brew, a vintage teacup filled with essential baby clothes, with both items having a RRP of £9.95. "As ever, the nursery market remains an area where customers will always spend money," says Tania. "The average customer spend is up at both the higher end of the market as well as the lower end, to include impulse

demand. "We're confident that with forthcoming events like the birth of a new Royal baby it will highlight this important area of gifts and give a big boost to an already highly successful area of product for the giftware market," Julian states.

"Everyone likes to join in and celebrate a new arrival, with our impulse gift range remaining popular with gifts in the under £10 market," says Tania James Price, creative director at The Flower Stork. New arrivals include the company's Babyccino, a smooth blend of 100% cotton baby clothes in a smart takeaway coffee cup with a gift

Frozen Still A Hot Property Frozen has been one of the best selling children's licences of recent times, with children clamouring to buy into the brand. "The emphasis is still on licensed products and trusted brands," confirms Helen Shields, Enesco's director of marketing. "But celebrity endorsement is also a factor. The high end brands are no longer just for the wealthy. I believe Frozen will remain the hot property for preschoolers - and adults - during 2015. Our Frozen offering is expanding too as this licence appeals to adults and children alike and our products fit perfectly into a Frozen themed bedroom. Watch this space for some true Frozen collectables," adds Helen.

But it's not all above popular movie merchandise.

"Our Peter Rabbit collection has had a great year and our 2015 launch is extremely strong," Helen continues. "We have enjoyed lots of general publicity around the brand, not least the Royal endorsement, and, of course, the first TOWIE baby being a fan! Our plush range appeals to the adult and tourist market but the Above right: Rainbow Designs' Peppa Pig. Right: Enesco’s, attractive nursery decorations.

Inset: Elsa from Frozen, from Disney Showcase by Enesco.

Left: The Flower Stork’s Babyccino.

Below: Among 12 different designs in Willow Greetings' baby Coin range.

gifts. But customers, while spending more, are also continuing to look for value for money gifts, something new and quirky, a nod to tradition for a new baby, and something useful that can be used for some time which will therefore be well remembered. With another Royal baby due in 2015, we expect traditional colourways of soft pinks, baby blues and classic whites to remain popular."

Meanwhile, Willow and Company Greetings is also looking forward to bringing out new baby/children's ranges for 2015.

These include the new brand Adorabelle, a new character, based on a pixie, along with a range of stationery, with gifts to follow later in the year.

"We are also bringing out a baby coin range," confirms Peri Paymani, sales director. "These quality hanging coins are perfect to celebrate the birth of new baby or a christening." Other new products from Willow include new gold and silver Moji necklaces that are suitable for children.

"We're hoping that these teeny little necklaces are going to be one of our best sellers for 2015," enthuses Peri.

oversized Peter has huge nursery appeal, alongside our fantastic new ceramic alphabet.

It's a great combination of a well established trusted brand and the opportunity to personalise."

Although the nursery and children’s market is relatively small in relation to the toy market, Anthony Temple, md of Rainbow Designs, says it is growing and annually increasing.

“It's characterised by being classic and traditional in consumer product taste, which can be seen through the evergreen interest in our classic nursery brands such as Peter Rabbit and Miffy. The nurturing endearment of these traditional brands and the brand messages are timeless."

He adds that through today’s generation of parents, there are also trends towards a greater influence of more contemporary entertainment character brands. "We see this directly with the launch of our very own Peppa Pig nursery collection which appeals to the new generation of mums,” he points out. "Our Guess How Much I Love You collection is growing ever more popular and will be celebrating its 20th anniversary next year, while Peter Rabbit is the No.1 choice in classic baby softs.

Paddington too, had an extraordinary year in 2014, while Shaun the Sheep will have his year in 2015 linked with activities that include a movie release on February 6, a DVD release in the summer and a Christmas Special airing on BBC."

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157_52-53/55 16/01/2015 11:41 Page 157

What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some children’s & nursery gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Classic Pooh Spells It Out

New Pocket Pals

New for 2015, Enesco’s Classic Pooh has created a range of colourful ceramic Alphabet Letters with individual images of favourite characters. Featuring Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore, the new Alphabet Letters are produced in a fresh colour palette and bolder style allowing you to spell out a name, an age, a special occasion or any message you like! Each comes in its own windowed packaging with full colour labels.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand F04/G03

Extending their range of microwaveable toys, Cozy Time is launching four new Pocket Pals including an owl and penguin, to sit alongside the fox, puppy, giraffe, elephant, and monkey. Cute, bright Hedgehots will now be fully heatable as will the new soft, tactile Cordlings. Animals with both ranges contain all new Bodybeads for great heat retention and safety. This non-flammable, non-toxic silica filling offers a very safe alternative to grain.

Cozy Time Tel: 01905 820088 Email: david@cozy-time.co.uk www.cozy-time.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 3 Stand J12

Baby Animals Royal Worcester’s heart-melting Wrendale Designs nursery collection features beautiful interpretations of baby animals illustrated in Hannah Dale’s signature style. Available as a double-handled mug and bowl set, 3-piece set, money box, trinket box and individual mug, cuddled in cute gift packaging, this collection makes wonderful new baby or christening presents. With hatching chicks, cheeky piglets, little lambs and floppy bunnies, the range is simply delightful.

Portmeirion Group Tel: +44 (0)1782 744721 Email: homesales@portmeiriongroup.com www.portmeiriongroup.com Spring Fair: Hall 9 Stand E30/F31 Ambiente: Hall 4.1 Stand B16

New Additions

Disney Traditions’ Latest Additions In Disney Traditions, award winning artist Jim Shore combines much loved characters from Disney films with American folk art inspired patterns and bold colours, in a style that is unique and instantly recognisable. Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Disney’s Pinocchio and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Jim Shore has also created two stunning sculptures featuring the characters from these well-loved classics.

Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand F04/G03

Babyface introduces its latest new product to their collection, very vintage patchwork teddy bears and rabbits. Not only are these soft toys made from handpicked cotton fabrics they are also individually packaged in their own drawstring bag with the bear’s name beautifully embroidered on it. Meet Lola & Toby Bear and Edie & Neddy Rabbit Babyface Designs Ltd Tel: 01483 481550 Email: enquiries@babyface.uk.com www.babyfacedesigns.co.uk

Once Upon a Time Signature Gifts, based in Hall 5 Stand H20-J21, can definitely boast one of the largest ranges of personalised children’s books. Their in-house design and writing team means that they can add to their ever growing library with innovative and creative gift ideas. The latest edition to their catalogue is the personalised collection of classic fairytales Once Upon A Time. With a foreword that provides history of the tales themselves, this book can be treasured long after the tales have been outgrown.

Signature Gifts Tel: +44(0) 844 669 9900 Email: enquiries@signature-gifts.co.uk www.signature-gifts.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand H20-J21 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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The UK’s PREMIER Supplier

of Personalised Gifts CHILDRENʼS BOOKS

CERAMICS

ʻL.I.F.E.ʼ EDUCATIONAL BOOKS

TEA & COFFEE SETS

ORIGINAL NEWSPAPERS

CALENDARS & DIARIES

NEWSPAPER BOOKS

WINES & SPIRITS

ENGRAVED GIFTS

Spring Fair Hall 5 – Stand 5H20-J21 Web: www.signature-gifts.co.uk Tel: 01582 464809

159_52-53/55 13/01/2015 15:51 Page 159

What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some children’s & nursery gift products launching at Spring Fair, NEC Birmingham 1-5 February 2015

Snuggle Me

Meet The Warmies

This year Aroma Home are extending their hugely successful knitted gift ranges to include a new knitted Snuggle Me range of animal designs. In addition, they have introduced new Spring candle and diffuser ranges from Voluspa. With new Fuzzy Slippers and Fun for Feet, the 2015 range offers a great gift selection.

Aroma Home Tel: 01793 487684 Email: sales@aromahome.com www.aromahome.com Spring Fair: Hall 19 &20 Stand 20A21

Heatable soft toys inventors Intelex Group have been warming the nation since 1995 and have an exciting line-up of 20 totally fresh, new and on trend designs to showcase at Spring Fair 2015. Intelex has recently announced that they are rebranding their entire warming product ranges under the brand name Warmies to create a very strong, internationally recognisable brand. Visitors can look forward to seeing the new Warmies branding at this year’s Spring Fair.

Intelex Tel: 01933 679 777 Email: sales@intelex.co.uk www.intelexgroup.com Spring Fair: Hall 5 Stand G10-H11

LED Night Lights Think Pink is very excited about the launch of the company's brand new, exclusive LED night lights. Following on from the success of their LED illuminated canvases, these handmade wooden night lights are battery operated (batteries included!) with a two hour timer function, and come in four different designs. Starter packs are available which include two each of the four designs. Along with many other brand new lines these night lights will be launched at Spring Fair (NEC).

Think Pink Tel: 01253 831 512/540 Email: lynda@atelierhomeandgift.co.uk/ denise@atelierhomeandgift.co.uk www.thinkpinkblue2.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand M20

Kids In The Garden Introducing our new Little Thoughtful Gardener range designed for small hands and curious minds. The range includes everything they need to create their own garden and to get up close and personal with wildlife.

Featuring fun illustrations and bright colours, kids can learn all about nature with the bug box, insect hotel and paintyour-own bird house. There is also a watering can, garden apron and protective gloves, and a traditional wooden flower press to help preserve the fruits of their labour. Prices from £7.95 RRP Wild & Wolf Tel: 01225 789909 Email: sales@wildandwolf.com www.wildandwolf.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand H42-J43

Licensed Plush At Spring Fair, Posh Paws will showcase their extensive range of plush and bags from the hottest movies and TV including: Frozen, Star Wars, Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, DreamWorks, My Little Pony, Winnie the Pooh and Minions. In addition, on display will be an exciting plastic and plush pocket money range which offers real play value at low prices.

Posh Paws Tel: 01268 567317 www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk Spring Fair: Hall 3 Stand K43

Squish ‘n’ Sniff Cushions Another new launch from Think Pink are these exclusive Squish’n’Sniff cushions filled with some of the massively successful Snifty scents! Featuring chocolate cupcake, bubblegum cupcake, cherry jelly bean, choc chip cookie and popcorn these are sure to be an instant hit for kids bedrooms. Along with many other brand new lines these night lights will be launched at the Spring Fair (NEC).

Think Pink Tel: 01253 831 512/540 Email: lynda@atelierhomeandgift.co.uk/denise@atelierhomeandgift.co.uk www.thinkpinkblue2.com Spring Fair: Hall 6 Stand M20 PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Best Sellers Progressive Gifts & Home asked a selection of retailers about the new products which have been flying off their shelves this month.

Stuart Delahoy, owner, My Set, Leicester A medium sized gift shop on the high street.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

RJB Stone: angel wings;

Miho: stag's head

A resin pair of vintage style angel wings that can be hung on the wall. Great for the bedroom.

This is fantastic as a design accessory.

Pintail: tin candles; Catisserie de Bain: bath and body

Great quality and price. They sell themselves.

Fantastic packaging, fantastic products.

Bright colours. Vintage style.

Jewellery

Tutti & Co: costume jewellery; And Mary: ceramic

Beautiful designs. Very affordable and contemporary.

Jewellery featuring little characters such as dogs, cats and woodland creatures.

Quirky and unusual.

Fashion Accessories

Pure Fashion: scarves

Large, contemporary style scarves in varied designs and trend colours.

Greeting Cards

Pigment Productions

Our two best sellers are the elegant Alice Scott range, and Happy Jackson, which is immediate and witty.

Giftwrap

Penny Kennedy

The Orla Kiely wrap has a beautiful texture which makes it a winner.

Other Hot Hits

Lucky's of London: Smartphone projector

It's very 'now' and was our No. 1 best seller for Christmas.

Fragranced Giftware

Liza Smith, owner, Made, Clifton Village, Bristol A small gift shop.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Nkuku Kiko: photo frames; Orwell & Goode: cushions

Simple and on trend.

A new spin on the stag cushion.

Fragranced Giftware

Parkminster: mini candles

At just ÂŁ5, they're a great pick up price, a quality product in a range of fragrances.

Jewellery

Cinderela B: Charmology;

Fabulous designs at a great price. Best sellers are the Liberty wrap bracelets.

Customers love the meaning that go with their pieces.

Muru: sterling silver

Fashion Accessories

Mimi Berry: bags

Stylish, quality, British made handbags.

Greeting cards

Freya Art

These are so beautifully illustrated that we sell loads destined to be framed for nurseries.

Other Hot Hits

Anorak: homewares and accessories

Bold animal prints, with a new print each season. Always a best seller.

Top: Orwell & Goode owl pouffe.

Above: An Anorak washbag.

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Above: RJB Stone's angel wings.

Above: And Mary hare necklace.

160-161_72-73 10/01/2015 15:10 Page 3

Alexandra Chan, co-owner, Embrace Life, St Andrews A small gift shop.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Riverdale: homewares;

A great interior design look. The lanterns and tea light holders have been especially popular.

Products are hand cut in Scotland with the packs of casters and antler handled trays among the best sellers.

Just Slate Company: coasters and trays

Fragranced Giftware

Isle of Sky: candles

The candles are made on the Isle of Sky. There are a variety of scents, with good pricing and packaging.

Jewellery

Edblad: contemporary;

Innovative and fashionable designs from Sweden. We do well with the rose gold range which is plated onto stainless steel.

Suits most people and is a good collection to build up sets with.

Tianguis Jackson: sterling silver/copper Fashion Accessories

Kris Ana; handbags; Jewelcity: scarves

Not real leather but good quality and soft, with a second inner bags, so 2-for-1!

Great range of prints and designs. A wonderful pick up gift.

Greeting Cards

Doodle Love

Very quirky designs.

Giftwrap

Meri Meri Christmas

A range of tags, gift bags and accessories.

Other Hot Hits

Jola Designs: City range;

Hand printed cushions and cosmetic bags.

We can't keep our London, Paris, New York and St Andrews City range on the shelf at the moment!

Something different and a great keepsake present.

La De Da! Living: engraved vintage spoons

Above: Among the vintage cutlery from La De Da! Living.

Below: A colourful Kris Ana handbag.

Sally Jones, manager, Village Crafts, Betws-y Coed A medium sized village gift shop.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

J J Vaillant: wood carvings; Bowbrook: hand painted wildlife; Amelia: hand blown glassware

Unusual items, such as pretty photo frames and boxes.

Equisite, detailed ornaments with appeal to wildlife lovers.

Vases and bowls in fabulous colours to include red through to blues and purples.

Fragranced Giftware

Xystos: Ribbonwick and Half Wick; Casa Grande: Handwerk tea light holders

Beautiful colours and fragrances. We can't keep them in stock as they fly off the shelves!

The holders are very decorative on the outside and sell like hot cakes!

Jewellery

Coeur de Lion: across the board

Exquisite, handmade, made to order jewellery. Very sassy, very classy.

Fashion Accessories

Adini: tops and cardigans

Comfortable, classic clothing.

Collectables

Charlie Bears: across the board

Our shop is a teddy bear paradise. We do everything the company brings out. People want want to see them all as each bear's face is individual.

Greeting cards

Splimple: Alison Animals

These appeal to anyone that has a pet.

Giftwrap

Santoro

Something a bit different with designs that include maps and the London tube map.

Other Hot Hits

Robert Harrop: Edge sculptures

People look at these sculptures and go 'wow!'.

The company is always bringing out new pieces and they are one of our very best sellers.

Above: Made to order Coeur de Lion jewellery.

Middle: A collection of Charlie Bears.

Bottom: An Edge sculpture from Robert Harrop.

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Lucy Sharp

On The Road While there are signs of optimism currently running through the gift industry, Scottish agent Lucy Sharp, whose principals include Caroline Gardner, Talking Tables, Molly Mae, Roger La Borde, teNeues, Broste and Carrie Elspeth, says that buying is still very considered, although, in the run-up to Christmas, she found that retailers were prepared to invest more heavily in trusted brands and best sellers than in 2013.

"There were strong advance orders for Christmas stock, but alongside that, I took a lot more last minute orders than in previous years for Christmas launches," confirms Lucy. She says that, in many instances, retailers were buying more tightly in terms of the size of product range, but in higher quantities of particular products.

"I feel the growing optimism that is out there is still fragile and subject to wobbles along the way," she continues. "Primarily, it is coming from retailers that have a unique location or offering, and/or know their customer base inside out, or have been able or willing to invest in updates and improvements to their business. For some customers there still isn't the buffer they would ideally like against factors out of their control such as sustained adverse weather and roadworks etc. But hopefully, many of these customers will have seen

a bit of an upturn this Christmas and will be able to go into 2015 feeling more confident than they have for a while."

Lucy highlights that a large chunk of the design-led market that she operates Lucy Sharp in continues to be very brand driven. "In the run up to Christmas, those companies with an established name, quality product and a good injection of new designs were well positioned to take a sizeable chunk of a retailer's spend," she points out.

Interestingly, Lucy adds that she saw a lot more space given to Christmas decorations than in previous seasons. "After making do for a few years, I think consumers were ready to spend again on fresh festive home accents," she comments. "In addition, scarves continued to sell well, as did anything with a sentiment attached. It was also good to see the gold and copper tones that are still so strong in homewares continuing into gift and jewellery product offerings."

Lucy predicts that the first quarter of 2015 will be very positive.

"Due to well planned, considered buying there will be a lot of empty shelves out there that retailers will be looking to fill. Although the upturn is still not being felt by everybody, I still feel confident that there will be plenty of good opportunities out there this year."

Andy Adamson

Life Before Gifts Andy Adamson, director of The Greats 2014 Best Newcomer category winner Calliope Gifts, which has shops in Dorking and Alton, started his working career at HMV some four recessions ago when he took a temporary job at his local HMV.

"My 10 lessons from my previous careers are: 1. Always put yourself in the customer’s place.

How would you like to be served? Is it easy and pleasant to shop at Calliope? 2. Manage the cashflow first. That was our priority at Calliope in the first year. You need headroom and suppliers appreciate a prompt payer. Discounts can come later. Price according to the perceived value of Andy Adamson your selection. If that doesn’t leave you enough "Being a mad keen music fan, I stayed in the industry for margin, buy something that does. 3. Invest in a over 25 years, originally managing record shops, moving stock control system. You can’t be everywhere at once and you onto head office buying roles, and eventually ending up running certainly can’t expand without it. 4. Push suppliers to deliver and the music side of the business for one of the (then) largest present in a way that suits you. 5. Never make a decision just wholesalers in the UK," he explains. because of time pressure. If you have doubts, wait. Those feelings When the bottom dropped out of the retail side of music about are right more often than not. 6. Conversely, when you believe in eight years ago, Andy switched to supply chain, working at the something, go for it. Don’t hide that new range you’ve bought at National Gallery and then at Borders for Philip Downer, now md of the back of the shelf. 7. If it’s not working, exit fast. There's no Calliope Gifts. point in having stock sitting there just because you bought it. Cut After the demise of Borders, he became a consultant on buying and clear. 8. Get good people around you. Above all else, look for and supply chain, working for a number of companies and finally commitment and willingness. People can learn pretty much anything doing a year in India for the largest book and entertainment retailer else, but it’s the commitment that counts. 9. Find your niche. I’ve in the country. seen the music and then the book business undermined by online "However, the desire to see something through, as opposed to and digital because people didn’t react fast enough. Calliope was proposing it for other people to do or not, drove me back to getting the culmination of those lessons. 10. Enjoy your work. Life’s too my hands dirty again, so when Philip raised the idea of a gifting short not too." business, it didn’t take any persuading," comments Andy.

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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by Kit Heath

Introducing our new sterling silver designs for 2015

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Apply in writing with a copy of your CV to: Bill Caddick Mele & Co. Sanatorium Road, Cardiff, CF11 8PN. ALTERNATIVELY CALL ON OUR STAND AT SPRING INT FAIR NEC FEB 1st - 5th HALL 5 K23 166

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