The Great British Exchange Magazine

Magazine 2018

A one source solution for retailers looking for British made goods

Contents We are operating in some of the most exciting but turbulent times in history and, to be a successful business in the retail industry in 2018, your business has to be remarkable.

With consumers having more and more choice and being increasingly savvy, there is enormous pressure on retailers to create a compelling offer and for manufacturers and makers it is increasingly difficult to stand out from the crowd.

The Great British Exchange (The GBE) has been created as a single source for newness, variety and exclusivity, acting as a marketplace hub where retailers can easily buy the best upcoming British made products and producers can get their goods into the retail sector.

In short: 1. The GBE is a solution for retailers looking to find products and exclusive collections, which differentiate them from their competition.

2. We provide a simple and affordable route to market for emerging British brands looking to grow their business and expand their distribution.

3. The GBE and its community partners offer help and advice to its members, aiming to help them improve their businesses.

The friendly team at The GBE are always on hand to help.

Matthew Hopkins, Founder/Managing Director The Great British Exchange

4 John Lewis Locally Made 5 Isle of Skye Interview 6 Our Year in Numbers 7 Collection 01 | Home Fragrance 8 Independent Retailers 9 Retail Collections 10 Collection 02 | Tom Kerridge 11 Collection 03 | Father’s Day 12 Gin Club 13 Firebox: Unicorn Tears Interview 14 Collection 04 | Contemporary Home 15 Collection 05 | Mother’s Day 16 Focus for 2018 18 Our Community

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JOHN LEWIS LOCALLY MADE

SPOTTED

Lara Quin John Lewis, Nottingham

Izzi Rainey John Lewis, Norfolk

The ‘Locally Made’ initiative is a new and exciting collaboration between The Great British Exchange and John Lewis. The Great British Exchange sources products from local suppliers, which are then stocked at the nearest John Lewis store. The products are also available to buy nationally through John Lewis.com. The project has launched in 13 stores across the UK, from Aberdeen to Westfield, with plans for it to be extended into more stores.

The project gives smaller suppliers the opportunity to gain access to retail giants, which often can be difficult. For retailers, the initiative offers newness, quality and products with provenance and inspiring stories to engage consumers. Whether you are a British supplier looking to get involved in the project or a retailer looking for similar projects tailored to your specific requirements, please contact The Great British Exchange for further details.

NOVELTEA, Beckett’s & Masons John Lewis, High Wycombe

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ISLE OF SKYE INTERVIEW

Inspired when working for a local soap company on the Isle of Skye back in 2006, founder James noticed a gap in the market. James set up a small workshop where he started making his first candles. Since then, the company has continued to grow and now has four more of its own stores in Scotland, as well as selling to over 150 outlets across the UK and overseas, including the USA, Australia and Germany.

Could you tell me the benefits you have seen from being featured in the John Lewis Locally Made department?

At the Isle of Skye Candle Company we make a big deal about our products being handmade in the Highlands, so in terms of the brand fitting into the ‘Locally Made’ marketing, it’s a perfect fit. Most importantly, we feel there’s a real vogue for both British and locally made products and this has been reflected in the success of our sales in John Lewis.

You recently took part in a My John Lewis Evening event in Glasgow. How did you feel this was received in-store by customers?

The evening was very well received and sales benefited directly from the experience. Customers responded well to the concept and we were able to build further on our relationships with the Glasgow team. The team at The GBE were readily available and very helpful with the opportunity.

What do you see as the next, future steps for Isle of Skye Candle Company in 2018?

We would like to increase our presence within the UK, in England especially, either through representation in more John Lewis outlets or independent GBE represented stores.

In addition to this we have plans to continue to grow our international exports.

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OUR YEAR IN NUMBERS

200,000 UNITS SOLD

10,000 BOXES SHIPPED

1,000

NEW RETAILERS IN 2017

100 EXPORTS 2,500 INDEPENDENTS 3,000 RETAILERS 50 DEPARTMENT STORES 350 CHAINS

SHIPPING TO

55

UK COUNTIES

5,000

PRODUCTS IN THE SHOWROOM

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NEW BRANDS PER WEEK 5 NEW COUNTRIES IN 2017

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COLLECTION 01 | HOME FRAGRANCE

DREAM Vanilla Musk & Lavender Reed Diffuser 200ml SKU 507527 DREAM Vanilla Musk & Lavender Mini-Mood Candle 10cl SKU 507418 DREAM Vanilla Musk & Lavender Sandalwood Signature Candle 30cl SKU 507406

Bay Leaf, Lily And Precious Woods Candle In Glass SKU 513546

The Floral Soap Collection SKU 517954 Please visit our website to view the full collection.

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INDEPENDENT RETAILERS

“We first discovered The Great British Exchange at the Spring Fair. We were looking for products that were predominately made in Yorkshire. The eye-catching display of quality British made goods was something we wanted to explore. Through The Great British Exchange we immediately found what we had been looking for and all available from one supplier.

The Great British Exchange is now one of our main suppliers of Yorkshire spirits. In the future, we are hoping to stock more of the ranges that they offer, including homeware and gifts. They offer competitive pricing and an excellent service. The website is easy to use and delivery of products is always prompt. The quality of British made products is something that is worthy of support and promotion. The Great British Exchange plays a huge part in assisting British producers to become established through the excellent service they provide.

Moor and Tide is situated on the famous cobbled Church Street that leads to Whitby Abbey. We offer mainly quality British made goods and we are perhaps best known for our huge selection of

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British gins. Amongst the most popular are the Yorkshire spirits from Masons and Spirit of Harrogate both bought through The Great British Exchange. Here at Moor and Tide, we offer around 60 to 70 different gins most of which are produced in Britain.

In recent years, many companies have been taken over by foreign names, meaning that many products, we assume are still quintessentially British, no longer are. Our customers can buy a vodka from Yorkshire, a gin from a Dorset distillery or a toffee vodka from the Lakes.

Moor and Tide is a relatively new business venture, but looking forward we are planning to increase the selling space in 2018 which will double the size of the shop. We have also recently developed a new website and The Great British Exchange will play a key part in this expansion by supplying the business with more, quality and interesting “Made in Britain” goods.”

RETAIL COLLECTIONS

One of the unique benefits The Great British Exchange offer customers is our ability to curate collections for them. Whether they are themed collections such as our Country Style / Contemporary Home or those we have created to coincide with annual retail events, like Mothers Day / Halloween. We work closely with our retail partners to create bespoke and enticing ranges.

CONDOR FERRIES

We jumped at the opportunity to work with Condor Ferries, who are always looking to offer their passengers something unique. The GBE team helped Condor Ferries pull together a handsome range of British gins for their on-board duty free catalogue.

Partnering with The GBE in early 2017, Forest Holidays are working with the team to inject newness and variety by sourcing locally to their holiday sites. Centred around food initially, we have been inspired by the positive response to the collection. Some of the more popular products have even featured in Forest Holidays guest welcome hampers!

DOBBIES GARDEN CENTRES

We are looking forward to an exciting new Easter collection launching in spring 2018. Centred around a rural theme, the products curated for this collection bring together neutral earthy tones and layered textures. Traditional country wildlife such as hares and stags combine to make a beautiful contemporary selection.

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COLLECTION 02 | TOM KERRIDGE

Fully Forged Cooks Knife - 10cm/ 4�

Tri-Ply Stainless Steel Saucepan 15cm/ X.XL

SKU 509962

SKU 510132

Durable Enamel Baking Tray Large SKU 509975

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Hand Crafted Ash Wood Rolling Pin SKU 510131

Please visit our website to view the full collection.

COLLECTION 03 | FATHER’S DAY

‘Lumberjack’ Check Apron SKU 508409

I Love My Dad Gull Card SKU 508421

Pig N Mix Pork Crackling Gift Set - Piggin Hot Stuff

Slingsby Navy Strength Gin

SKU 517352

SKU 512659

Please visit our website to view the full collection.

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GIN CLUB

Right now, we’re obsessed with...

GIN Over 100 spirits available!

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The Gin Club is a collection of fantastic and unique British made gin brands brought together by The Great British Exchange. The collection showcases a variety of different gins, from the novel and fun Unicorn Tears to the sublime tasting Slingsby rhubarb gin. Each brand has its own unique story of how the product has been developed and distilled, each with distinctive branding and unique bottling. It allows retailers an opportunity to bring something new, exciting and engaging in-store. Whether you want to tell consumers the story of how gin is made or feature a specific brand local to your store, you can tailor a collection to your wants and requirements. So whether you are a gin producer looking to increase your current distribution or a retailer looking to stock gin brands, please contact The Great British Exchange for further details.

FIREBOX: UNICORN TEARS INTERVIEW

Please could you tell us a bit about Firebox as a business...

Firebox is a London-based online retailer that is on a mission to shake up the homeware and gifting sector by curating a range of unconventional homewares, food, drink and ‘gifts with a twist’.

What is your company mission?

Firebox’s mission is to shake things up and get people to embrace their more imaginative side. Our best selling product, Unicorn Tears Gin Liqueur, is a fine example of our ethos.

The gin is an iridescent, shimmering, magical concoction made from the tears of real unicorns.

Can you tell us about the benefits of being part of the John Lewis Gin Library?

We were invited to become part of the John Lewis Gin Library, which contained a number of artisanal gins, and we were delighted for Unicorn Tears Gin to become a part of the category. Being promoted through the Gin Library meant that the product received more and more widespread

attention - initially Unicorn Tears Gin started out at twelve John Lewis stores, and as a result of its popularity, it ended up in every store and was listed on their website, which has increased the products’ reach across the nation.

Can you tell us about your GBE experience...

Our experience with The GBE so far has been great. The GBE has had a brilliant attitude towards the product from the start, and wanted to help us in any way they could.

Following on from this initial success, we are now continuing to work with The GBE in order to help us get not only our Mythical Spirits range into stores, but also our extensive range of Own Brand Gifting, as we hope to expand our presence.

The GBE provide everything you could ask for in a distributor! Our account manager is always on hand to assist and support. The process has been very smooth, they’re very fast at solving queries, and dealing with them has been straightforward.

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COLLECTION 04 | CONTEMPORARY HOME

Smoky Quartz & Coco Fig - Large Luxury Candle SKU 513059 Smoky Quartz & Coco Fig - Luxury Diffuser SKU 518548

Cotton Marble Purse - Silver & Charcoal SKU 513059

Leeds - Armley Bone China Mug SKU 509695

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Please visit our website to view the full collection.

COLLECTION 05 | MOTHER’S DAY

Love You To Pieces Necklace SKU 519514

Soothe Mama Gift Set SKU 518540

Slingsby Rhubarb Gin

Oyster Knitted Lambswool Scarf

SKU 510548

SKU 505199

Please visit our website to view the full collection.

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FOCUS FOR 2018

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT

Anna Hillyard, Web Content Manager

“It’s really important to us that retail buyers can easily discover the fantastic products on offer from our producer partners, in a way that makes curating ranges for their retail spaces simple and enjoyable. With this in mind, we’re working on a new-look website to launch early 2018.”

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“With a number of developments planned, retailers will be able to search products by type, brand or collections of products we feel sit well together - taking the effort out of searching and buying across multiple producers. We’ll also be improving the experience for our producers, with better behind-the-scenes functionality.”

FOCUS FOR 2018

RETAIL PARTNERS

One of our key objectives in 2018 is to continue to seek out key retail partnerships. The GBE partners with retailers from small independents to large chains. Over the next 12 months we aim to expand our network of partners, providing them with a continual flow of new brands and exclusive collections.

We aim to create an even spread of geographical distribution for our British brands, benefiting both producers and retailers.

EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES

The Great British Exchange has sourced over 25,000 British made products across a number of categories including gift, homeware, jewellery, food and drink to name a few. Whilst there has been significant success selling these products into the UK market, The GBE considers a key growth area to be export. There is a real appetite for products featured on The Great British Exchange internationally and already The Great British Exchange has sold in markets such as Australia, Hong Kong and the US. Working with DIT, The Great British Exchange will have a focussed and concerted effort to increasing export activity in 2018.

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OUR COMMUNITY

aRE YOU a producer?

- Instant access to a large retail network.

- Your brand accessible to thousands of retail buyers through The GBE marketplace.

- Help grow your retail sales and distribution network across the UK and internationally.

- Assistance with sales and marketing, enabling you to concentrate on making and designing.

aRE YOU a retailer?

- We are a one source solution for retailers looking for British made goods.

- Thousands of brands at your fingertips.

- Continual newness.

- Access to exclusive ranges.

- Reduce your number of suppliers.

- A network of business support at your fingertips to help grow your business.

- Bespoke operational solutions depending on your requirements.

- Access to trade shows.

- We provide retailers with products and exclusive collections, which differentiate them from their competition.

- Products displayed in our showroom.

Sign up at www.thegbexchange.com

Sign up at www.thegbexchange.com

If you would like to speak to a member of our team please call 01423 229988

GS1: THE GLOBAL LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS

When you join GS1 UK, you’ll become part of a community of businesses from all over the world – over 2 million globally and 32,000 in the UK. In order to trade with most of the UKs leading brands, retailers, marketplaces and even the NHS, you need to be part of the GS1 UK community and have a unique product identifier - the GTIN (Global Trade Item Number).

GTINs are the numbers that sit under the barcode you see on almost every product. Previously known as an EAN or UPC. It’s like a passport number for your products, enabling them to be identified and linked back to your company anywhere in the world.

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OUR COMMUNITY

PHOTOGRAPHY: PACKSHOTS DIRECT

www.thegbexchange.com 01423 229988