WINE & DINE - Gift Focus magazine

74 downloads 684 Views 9MB Size Report
Apr 18, 2018 - The sets are attractively gift-boxed and make an eye-catching display in store. Re-fill oils ..... This i
www.giftfocus.com

Issue 107 May/June 2018

www.giftfocus.com

White hot Summer product showcase

WINE & DINE Top tabletop & glassware finds

SHOW PREVIEWS Manchester Furniture Show Exclusively Shows Tendence Pulse PG Live NY NOW!

WIN!

£500 RRP worth of stock from esscentualcandles

rewind & relax Bath & body gifts

PLUS Wedding ideas Baby gifts Eco-friendly giftware

May/June 2018 Issue 107 Editor Rachel Westall Chief Sub Editor Louise Prance Marketing Manager Michael Richards Sales Manager Sarah McLean Account Manager Sharon Dengate +44 (0)1376 535 607 [email protected] Production +44 (0)1376 535 616 [email protected] Production Manager Scott Brothwell Senior Graphic Designers Chloe Edey, Stephanie Hodder, Vicky O’Connor, Sarah Young Web Development Manager Stuart Weatherley Production Assistant Charlotte Potter Subscriptions Beth Varney +44 (0)1376 514 000

contents news&events industry news All the latest from the world of gifts

6

on with the show Trade fair dates and news

10

brand spanking new 14 Latest launches and hot new products ga news 46 The very latest news from The Giftware Association bafts 94 BAFTS, the British Association of Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers, brings you the latest news in fair trade retailing hot property 97 Catch up with all the latest from the world of licensing

KD Media Publishing Ltd Pantile House, Newlands Drive Witham, Essex CM8 2AP UK www.giftfocus.com

competition Win £500 RRP worth of products from esscentualcandles

Cover image courtesy of: Winter In Venice

bookshelf 120 The latest gift books to hit the shelves

Gift Focus is solely owned, published and designed by KD Media Publishing Limited. Whilst every effort was made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal responsibility for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility of the standing of advertisers nor by the editorial contributions. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Gift Focus is published six times a year. Subscription rates for overseas readers are £75 per annum (incl. p+p), Cheques should be made out to KD Media Publishing Limited and sent to Gift Focus, Pantile House, Newlands Drive, Witham, Essex CM8 2AP UK. Gift Focus magazine is proud to be associated with and supporters of:

Average Net Circulation: 6,880

115

shows

focus on... company profile 30 Managing Director of Ancient Wisdom, David Hardy, talks to Gift Focus about business, travel and well being company profile 66 Danielle MacRae, Brand Manager for Kaytie Wu, talks us through the contemporary jewellery company retailer interview 100 Joyce Chester and Margaret Monod, owners of Pen to Paper, talk passionately about sharing their love for stationery with the people of Brighton pop up shops 104 Hannah Rowlands, Marketing & Digital Manager at Sanrio, talks to Gift Focus about how pop up shops have worked for Sanrio and how the concept can help your business too retail technology 107 David Fairhurst shares his expert advice insurance Brokers TH March answer your insurance-related questions

110

up & coming 122 Rob Cook, owner of tiddlers & nippers, talks to Gift Focus about the company’s innovative, user-friendly baby products – all to make parent’s lives that bit easier

where trends are born Pulse London

68

looking forward to Frankfurt Tendence preview

78

81

royal wedding fever Royal wedding memorabilia

29

a decade in design PG Live preview

87

to have and to hold Wedding day gifts

33

the exclusive lowdown Exclusively Housewares & Electricals

90

small and perfectly wrapped! For baby and mum

41

summer success Manchester Furniture Show what’s happening stateside NY NOW! preview

93

(01/07/16 to 30/06/17)

MEDIA SUPPORTER

20

ANTI COPYING IN DESIGN

special feature feeling hot, hot hot! Summer product showcase

19

features

treats to help you relax and unwind Bath and body

49

let’s toast to that Tabletop and glassware

55

protect our planet Eco-friendly gifts

63

giftfocus 3

KMI Brands

Is summer here yet? The Beast from the East, minus temperatures and February, March and April showers have all hit the UK. It’s been a tricky start to 2018 with close to 70 per cent of you having to close your retail outlets for at least one day due to the snow and bad weather – check out our readers’ poll full results on page 11. This issue we get ready for warmer climes with our Summer Product Showcase on page 19; wedding season is upon us and on page 33 we have gifts for the happy couple; while on page 41 we have a baby gifts feature – one I particularly enjoyed putting together ahead of my maternity leave in May. After a break from trade shows we’re now back in full swing as we look forward to walking the aisles of the Business Design Centre for PG Live and Exclusively Houswewares both coming up this June – read our previews inside. We have also dedicated six pages to the design-led show, Pulse. From page 68, you can read all about what the Olympiabased show has to offer. And that’s not all, the Manchester Furniture Show, Tendence and NY NOW! are all just around the corner, so register to secure your place. I hope to see as many of you as possible as I waddle the showgrounds over the coming weeks! Happy reading

Rachel Westall Editor

VISIT US ON facebook.com/giftfocus twitter.com @gift_focus pinterest.com /giftfocus Instagram.com /giftfocusmag

Editor loves… I love these wine glasses from Gaeltag Keltika. The Moroccan-inspired gold pattern makes these stand out from the crowds of wedding gifts and don’t look too bridal to get out any day of the week. giftfocus 5

industry news Catch up on all the latest in our news round up

THE WINNERS WERE: Best Product & Overall Winner - under £1m National Museum of the Royal Navy, Ernie the Knitted Sailor Best Product - over £1m Imperial War Museums, Spitfire Pilot Watch

ASHLEIGH & BURWOOD’S SCENTED CANDLES GIFTED TO STARS STA OF THE BRIT AWARDS 2018 Ashleigh & Burwood was delighted that three products from its collection were selected for inclusion in this year’s Universal Music BRIT’s After Party goody bag.  The 2018 BRIT Awards took place at London’s O2 Arena last week. Hosted by comedian Jack Whitehall and attended by the biggest names in pop, the star-studded event was filled with glamour, style and fun. Wild Things, Pinemingos Luxury Scented Candles as well as Tales of London, Notting Hill scented candles and reed diffusers and were the products chosen to be gifted. Ellie Goulding, Gary Barlow, Lottie Moss, HAIM and RAYE were among the lucky artists and celebrities to receive the goody bags, after attending the Universal Music and Soho House party at The Ned.

THE ASSOCIATION FOR CULTURAL ENTERPRISES ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF ACE BEST PRODUCT AWARDS The Association for Cultural Enterprises is delighted to announce the winners of the ACE Best Product Awards for the 15th year in a row. The prestigious awards celebrate quality, innovation and creativity in cultural retail through products, publication, shops and cafés. Winners range from national to local teams, from the National Museum of the Royal Navy, the National Trust to Edinburgh Castle. This year saw 146 entries in 17 categories, from Best Range to Best Guide Book alongside Best Café and Best Shop. The judging panel, made up of industry experts, expressed delight at the standard of entries which continues to strengthen every year. As priorities change in national budgets, cultural organisations’ retail offerings and services are needed to bring vital income to national treasures by relying on original brand identities and quality designs, cultural institutions remain top of their game to compete with high street offerings. “The entries this year have shown strength in all areas. It’s clear that retail teams within the sector are full steam ahead in considering in-store customers as well as those who shop from afar in product development and choices,” said Jill Fenwick, Managing Director, Association for Cultural Enterprises. 6 giftfocus

Best Range - under £1m The Hepworth Wakefield, Howard Hodgkin: Painting India Best Range - over £1m Fitzwilliam Museum, Alan Turing’s Zeta Function Machine Best Children’s Product under £1m National Army Museum, Monty the Dog Best Children’s Product over £1m National Theatre, Play in a Box Best Licensed Product over £1m Imperial War Museums, IWM Construction Sets Best Licensed Product under £1m William Morris Gallery, William Morris Ecoffee cup Best General Publication under £1m Sir John Soane’s Musuem,

Sir John Soane’s Greatest Treasure: The Sarcophagus of Seti I Best General Publication over £1m National Trust, The National Trust Book of Scones Best Guidebook under £1m The Charterhouse, The Charterhouse: The Guidebook Best Guidebook over £1m The Postal Museum, The Postal Museum Guidebook Best Exhibition Catalogue - under £1m The Hepworth Wakefield, Disobedient Bodies Best Exhibition Catalogue - over £1m Published with Bloomsbury in association with the British Library Harry Potter: A History of Magic Best Shop Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art Best Cafe Edinburgh Castle Tearooms Best Supplier Just Trade

news and events

JOE DAVIES, PROUD DISTRIBUTORS OF LANDON TYLER AND SOCK SOCIETY Joe Davies is delighted to announce it is now a proud distributor of Landon Tyler, the home fragrance brand of candles, diffusers and gift sets. The Landon Tyler brand is affordable and features attractive frosted glass bottles and elegant packaging. All Landon Tyler products have been exclusively developed using the finest ingredients and contain particularly high percentages of scented oils to ensure rich long lasting scent throughout their long burn time. The 2018 Australian Gift of the Year Winner, Sock Society, is about to hit the UK gift market exclusively distributed by Joe Davies. These unisex, one-size fits all socks are stylish, bright and right on trend. Each sock is made with 80 per cent cotton, three per cent elastane and 17 per cent nylon, and hits a great value £4.99 retail price point. Phase one, consisting of 16 funky designs for men and women launched at the Spring Fair with great success and will be available from May. There are a further two phases already planned, with phase two due in the autumn. Joe Davies is giving an attractive spinner display that holds all 16 designs free with every order for the launch collection. For all enquiries regarding the latest launches, please call +44 (0)161 975 6300 or visit joedavies.co.uk

HALLMARK BRINGS PRODUCTION BACK TO THE UK Hallmark UK has announced new investment at its Yorkshire manufacturing site, allowing it to bring roll wrap production back to the UK from previously outsourced, overseas production. The funds will be invested equipping the current manufacturing site with the latest flexographic printing technology, in addition to upgrading existing machinery and operations. The investment means from late 2018, Hallmark UK expects all roll wrap will be produced from its Brighouse site, here in the UK. John Franey, Supply Chain Director said, “It’s fitting that in the year Hallmark is celebrating the centenary of inventing gift wrap, that we’re announcing our commitment to improvements that will help serve us for the next 100 years. The investment is the first step in growing our gift wrap production, allowing us to better serve our customers with the innovative and quality products that we’re famous for.” Gift wrap is the first product Hallmark made that was a departure from greeting cards. For more information, visit the website hallmark.co.uk

SUNDAY TIMES RECOGNITION FOR PUCKATOR Puckator is delighted to announce that it’s been ranked in the prestigious Sunday Times Lloyds SME Export Track 100 for 2018. Published in the Sunday Times on Sunday 25th February, the list ranks SME’s with the fastest growing international sales over the last two years. With international sales of just over £9 million and average export growth of 38.99 per cent, the staff at Puckator were delighted to be included. The success justifies the investment made in international trade fairs and websites, the warehouse and office extension at its head office in Cornwall and product design from its new Sheffield office at Urban Splash’s Park Hill development. The full list can be viewed at fasttrack.co.uk/league-tables/ sme-export-track-100/

LING DESIGN ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION OF SAFFRON CARDS AND GIFTS Greetings card publisher Ling Design has announced the acquisition of the goodwill and assets of Saffron Cards and Gifts, in a move that will grow and strengthen the Ling portfolio by adding a significant new brand to the group. The Saffron card offering is high quality and design-led, so forms a natural fit within the Ling portfolio, which is recognised for design excellence along with premium looks and innovation. Saffron will sit independently within Ling Design, which will continue to develop the Saffron brand. Saffron has a well-respected reputation with national customers, a very strong export business and is currently rapidly gaining traction with the independent sector. The news follows an excellent Spring Fair 2018 for Ling Design, where fresh new looks and finishes were launched to a great reception. It also follows the recent launch of The Curious Inksmith, a new greetings card brand created by Ling to resonate with a millennial audience. Moving forwards independent customers will be able to place orders for Saffron Cards with their Ling Design Sales Manager. For more information visit lingdesign.co.uk

giftfocus 7

industry news CELEBRATING CREATIVITY IN RETAIL DESIGN Launching this June, the Creative Retail Awards are a new and exciting annual event designed to recognise and reward innovation and excellence in retail design. Organised by the Shop & Display Equipment Association (SDEA), the awards will span a number of disciplines, including store design, visual merchandising, lighting and POP, and will be judged by a panel of industry leaders. The inaugural Creative Retail Awards are free to enter for SDEA Members and the winners will be announced at an evening drinks reception and party at Bunga Bunga, Covent Garden on Tuesday 5th June, 2018. Bringing together the whole industry, the Creative Retail Awards is a new type of awards ceremony that blends networking with an informal party atmosphere celebrating the diversity in our industry. The awards will recognise talent across the full spectrum of retail design and display in a broad range of awards categories, encompassing store concepts, visual merchandising, POP, lighting, signage & graphics, and much more. You can enter as many categories as you like – visit creativeretailawards.com to enter. For more information on tickets and sponsorship opportunities, and to enter, telephone +44 (0)1883 348 911, send an email to [email protected] or visit creativeretailawards.com

FIRST MEET THE BUYER OF THE YEAR The Giftware Association’s 2018 series of ‘Meet the Buyer’ events have got off to a flying start with a change of location, new buyers and eager suppliers. The event, held at The Button Factor, a stone’s throw from The GA HQ, lent itself perfectly to the variety of products on display, with a comfortable atmosphere for buyers and suppliers to have meaningful conversations. There were buyers in attendance from Choice Marketing, The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, The Royal Horticulture Society and The Scout Shop, and they were not disappointed with the mix of products on display ranging from specialist jewellery from Eton Watches, Life Charms and SL Designs; beautiful ceramics from Jersey Pottery and Villeroy & Boch UK Ltd; as well as everything in between including toys and games from Ravensden and Tactic Games; and fashion accessories from C&C Hats. Many of the suppliers left with future contacts, but also with important feedback from the buyers about their products and added directional focus for the brands on display. Simone Rose, Meet the Buyer organiser and The GA’s Business Development Manager, said of the event, “The event has been hugely successful, and has been great fun to organise, the more of these events we do, we learn a little more each time at how the interaction between buyers and suppliers work, as well as coaching new to business members with our existing skills”

Appointments CLIVE HARPER JOINS VILLAGE CANDLE Village Candle is proud to announce the appointment of a familiar face in the world of home fragrance, Clive Harper. Joining the Village Candle leadership team at an important stage in the growth of the brand, Clive is ready to extend the Village Candle brand into new markets whilst working to expand existing ones, giving it a global presence. Clive Harper has joined the leadership team as President of International Sales. He has a stellar career in growing the fragranced candle market in Europe having worked at Director level within the candle industry for more than 30 years.

CURTIS ALDER JOINS WIDDOP Widdop and Co. is delighted to welcome its latest recruit to its 17-strong sales team. Curtis Alder joins the company as the Territory Manager for East Anglia, Essex and the eastern counties. He brings with him a wealth of experience after 20 years of working in a number of sales roles in both family and corporate companies. Curtis replaces Graham Miller who retires from the company in April after 14 years of sterling service for the company.

8 giftfocus

FAMILY FAVOURITE HOMEWARES AND GIFTS BUSINESS REBRANDING AS REX LONDON Rex International has enjoyed phenomenal UK and global retail success, trading for over 35 years through 20,000 retailers in excess of 70 countries worldwide. The consumer arm of the business, e-retailer dotcomgiftshop – now 10 years old – has through its extensive press coverage helped to develop the company’s enviable reputation for designing quirky and continually refreshed ranges of homewares and gifts. Spring 2018 will see the company embark on its next evolution when both the trade and consumer arms of the business will be rebranded under the one Rex London umbrella. Nigel Biggs, Sales Director, explains, “This name change helps reinforce the British legacy and design credentials of the company – born and bred from its humble origins on London’s Portobello Road market in 1975, selling candles, jeans and ponchos. “The name change is also likely to appeal to the overseas market who will enjoy the celebration and emphasis on the company’s UK history.”

on with the show Trade show updates from home and abroad

Diary dates Pulse When: 13th - 15th May, 2018 Where: Olympia, London Website: pulse-london.com Progressive Greetings Live When: 5th - 6th June, 2018 Where: Business Design Centre, Islington, London Website: progressivegreetingslive.com Exclusively Housewares When: 12th - 13th June, 2018 Where: Business Design Centre, Islington, London Website: exclusivelyhousewares.co.uk Tendence When: 30th June - 3rd July, 2018 Where: Messe Frankfurt, Germany Website: tendence.messefrankfurt.com Manchester Furniture Show When: 15th - 17th July, 2018 Where: Manchester Central, Manchester Website: manchesterfurnitureshow.com Home & Gift When: 15th - 18th July, 2018 Where: Harrogate International Centre, North Yorkshire Website: homeandgift.co.uk (All dates are subject to change. Contact the organisers for more information before making arrangements).

10 giftfocus

Brand Licensing Europe announces F&B theme for 2018 and calls on the industry to contribute & collaborate As Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) approaches its 20th anniversary, organiser UBM has announced that this year’s theme will be food and beverage (F&B) and is calling upon the industry to contribute and collaborate with the team to create a truly vibrant celebration at Olympia this October. “F&B is one of the fastest-growing and most robust categories within licensing,” explained BLE Brand Director Anna Knight. “But it’s also incredibly innovative and dynamic, reinventing itself continuously in line with new trends and lifestyle choices. Health and fitness has been a huge influence over the sector since the ’80s, but most recently the whole wellbeing and clean-eating phenomenon has had a huge impact on the category with no signs of fading any time soon.” Brand Licensing Europe will take place in London from 9th – 11th October, 2018.

BIG THUMBS UP FOR GIVING & LIVING 2018 It looks like this year’s Giving & Living trade show was a win, win for South West retail trade, with happy visitors placing orders, satisfied exhibitors finding new customers and leads, and one lucky visitor winning a Taste of the West hamper! The visitor survey carried out by Hale Events, the show’s organisers, showed that 90 per cent of those who attended said they’d recommend the show to a colleague or related business. Almost 70 per cent were very satisfied, or satisfied, with the variety of exhibitors and, best of all, more than 93 per cent of visitors said they’d be back next year! The show got the thumbs up from exhibitors too. The survey showed that 87 per cent of visitors placed orders at or shortly after the show, which would explain

why nearly 100 companies are already booked in for the 2019 show. Donald Clark of Proctor & Clark, which offers imaginative gift and homeware ranges to the trade, commented, “It’s a good show for us, with a great atmosphere. We like it because it attracts buyers with a very specific interest in coastal themed products. This year we certainly generated some interest from a type of customer that we haven’t seen before, so that was good.” Next year Giving & Living takes place from Sunday 13th to Wednesday 16th January, 2019 – so put those dates in your diary now. For more information about the show, to book a stand, or register to attend, please telephone +44 (0)1934 733 433, follow @giving_living, or visit givingliving.co.uk

news&events

New collections shine at Jewellery & Watch 2018 Jewellery & Watch closed its doors on a strong show for 2018, with visitors from across the globe seeking the latest collections of loose gems, diamonds, watches, bespoke jewellery, Silver, semi-precious and wholesale fashion jewellery from more than 270 exhibitors. A spectacular array of new collections was on display from 4th - 8th February from brands including Unique & Co, Alex Monroe, Gecko, Beach Art Glass, Clogau, Dogfever and Fiorelli, together with new international brands including Astra from New Zealand, Carini Gioielli from Italy, Chordia Gems from India and Mioro from Turkey, which debuted for the first time. The quality of exhibitors was a high point for a number of visitors including Julie of Jewels Angel, “I haven’t seen such a good selection for many years. There are more products to choose from than in previous years.” Jewellery & Watch 2018 attracted some of the nation’s most loved high street names and prestigious jewellery boutiques, with the likes of J M (Goldsmiths), Fenwick Limited, Banks Lyon Jewellers, Jessop Jewellers Ltd, The British Museum Co., Beaverbrooks, Marmalade Fine Jewellery, John Lewis and ChloBo Jewellery in attendance. Enhancing the visitor experience, The Atelier provided an allimmersive trend showcase experience of what’s new, what’s hot right now, what exciting trends are ahead for AW18/19 and SS19, and crucially, how visitors can make it work for their business. Jewellery & Watch will return to the NEC Birmingham from 3rd th 7 February, 2019. To register for the show please visit the website jewelleryandwatchbirmingham.com

TENDENCE.IMPULSE – GUIDANCE ON ‘BEING INNOVATIVE’

Congratulations! The winner of our January/February competition is Lucy Nixon from Thetford garden Centre in Norfolk. She’s won £500 RRP worth of Blue Eyed Sun cards. To win more than £500 RRP worth of esscentualcandles stock, please turn to page 115. Readers’ poll What we’ve learnt from the latest reader poll at giftfocus.com We asked: How was your gift business affected in the recent snow? You said: Not at all - business as usual! – 38% We closed for 1-2 days – 25% We were closed for three days or more – 25% We had very limited opening hours but tried to run like normal – 12%

Online retail offers many things, but not everything. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can browse through the whole range of products on offer, find detailed information, and order from the comfort of your own home. What it does not offer is qualified advice and the opportunity to touch. This is something that only the retailer on the ground can provide, as well as many other things: elements of surprise, an experience and entertainment. It remains exciting to see how stationary retail will develop in the future. From 30th June to 3rd July, 2018, the international consumer goods fair Tendence will be demonstrating various avenues, in the special Tendence. Impulse area in Hall 11.0, including ways in which the retail trade can make their customers’ lives faster, simpler and, ultimately, more beautiful. The name says it all: Tendence.Impulse serves the retail trade as a source of inspiration and ideas for appealing to customers at the point of sale (PoS), particularly in terms of table and decoration themes. Tendence.Impulse is not a new feature. Introduced at Tendence in 2017, it has grown out of its infancy and is being continuously developed. Once again this year, the special area in Hall 11.0 will be the analogue core. It’s where there will be information, training and interaction on the main theme: ‘creating shopping experiences’. In four different sections, the area will provide its trade visitors with the ideal platform for coming into contact with industry representatives and an expert audience. In the Point of Event area, it will be all about implementing innovative concept solutions at the PoS. Among other things, retailers will give their own accounts of how they've been able to develop creative ideas with the online impulse.tool, in order to stage their own sales events perfectly. Valuable expert advice on retail promotions and targeted sales pitches will also be on the agenda.

Call for New Talent! The autumn/winter 2018 edition of Spotted at Top Drawer is open, the selection process has begun and stands are already filling fast, indicating that this edition is on track to be the best yet. Open to brands from across the world looking to make their UK trade fair debut, Spotted encompasses each of Top Drawer’s sectors: Home, Gift, Fashion, Craft, Greetings & Stationery and Food. Over the past eight years this programme has helped to launch more than 200 small businesses and is now firmly established as one of the show’s main attractions. Spotted is Top Drawer’s curated showcase of innovative, market ready, design-based businesses new to the trade fair market. Specially designed within the UK’s longest established and most highly regarded trade events, Spotted is a must-visit destination for UK and international buyers at the show. All Spotted brands receive a three-year plan discount programme and are also eligible to enter the Spotted Award, a prestigious new prize judged by a panel of industry professionals. Awarded to the three most original, best designed and most promising brands at the showcase, the prizes include a free stand at Top Drawer Spring for the winner and a series of mentoring sessions with key designers, retailers, brand consultants and PRs for the three finalists. To take advantage of this opportunity visit the website topdrawer.co.uk/spotted giftfocus 11

on with the show The Giftware Association takes your voice to the House of Lords Sarah Ward, Chief Executive of The Giftware Association, attended the House of Lords on 27th March, 2018, after an exclusive invite to present the home and gift industry’s views at a Genesis Initiative meeting. The views were gathered through a survey sent out to the wider home and gift industry about their experiences in getting access to finance either through bursaries and grants or normal lending from their business banks. Sarah is no stranger to the Genesis Initiative. However, this is the first time she’s had the incredible opportunity to take the results to the House of Lords and a discussion focussing on getting access to Finance. The Genesis Initiative is a senate set up to consult with business throughout the UK and feed its results back to government in an effort to guide policy that favours SMEs. Sarah Ward said, “I’m incredibly honoured to have been invited to such an exclusive event and be able to present, with various MP’s, Lenders and Association’s, our industry’s views on how they have accessed finance in the past, whether there have been barriers to it, or if there needs to be an education around it.” She continues, “It’s massively important NY NOW that The GA has been invited to this event as we’re the voice of the industry we serve and When: 12th - 15th August, 2018 we can take your views and hopefully shape government policies with it and have come Where: Javits Centre, New York away with a lot of positive views.” Website: nynow.com The results that Sarah presented highlighted a need for further education around the process of accessing finance and where to look for it, with a large proportion of the survey Formex respondents aware of some finance options, but not all, that would be suitable for them When: 21st - 24th August, 2018 and an overarching theme of a lack of trust In the UK’s economy and banks. Some of Where: Stockholmsmassan, Sweden the conversations and discussions had will create further projects amongst the Genesis Website: formex.se Initiative about helping promote the UK lending market and to ensure every business has the right to finance dependent on their needs. Autumn Fair Adam Tyler, The Genesis Initiative Director, said, “We now need to consider the next When: 2nd - 5th September, 2018 phase and that will be to bring in the opinions of the Genesis Members, totalling around Where: The NEC, Birmingham 1.2 million. The most straightforward way to get this started will be to ask a number of Website: autumnfair.com suitable questions to each audience.” The central question the meeting was based around was: How can we make a change IJL to ensure that the overall UK economy benefits from today’s positive business lending When: 2nd - 4th September, 2018 landscape? With the outcome being that SME’s need help with moving forward, and Where: Olympia, London questions need to be asked to a wider audience to learn about SME’s needs and wants Website: jewellerylondon.com regarding finance, watch this space as we hear more about how the Genesis Initiative is committed to helping the business world. Top Drawer Following on from Sarah Ward’s visit to the House of Lords finance committee, she’s When: 9th - 11th September, 2018 been invited to attend an exclusive Fringe Summit on the afternoon of 18th April, 2018. Where: Olympia, London Held at the House of Lords, the event will cover the all-important subject of SME finance, Website: topdrawer.co.uk the various platforms of funding, industry trends and emerging opportunities. During the next 15 months and beyond, small businesses across the UK will be presented with (all dates are subject to change. Contact organisers new challenges and opportunities, particularly post Brexit. Investment, and indeed the for more information before making arrangements) right investment channel, will be a key factor to success. This is to be part of the exclusive Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. For further in depth show previews and reports For the first time in more than 20 years, the UK will host the Commonwealth Heads of turn to: Government Meeting (CHOGM) this year so we’re very excited for The Giftware Association to be part of this event and to present the views of its members about our industry. p68 Pulse During the week commencing 16th April, at various locations in London, and across p78 Tendence the country, leaders from business, politics, academia and culture will showcase the p81 PG Live Commonwealth’s diverse network, exploring the prospects for collaboration and p87 Exclusively Housewares opportunities for trade among the 53 commonwealth countries. P90 Manchester Furniture Show As only two representatives from the previous Genesis Initiative meeting have been P93 NY NOW invited, The GA is especially delighted to attend this important event.

Looking ahead

12 giftfocus

brand spanking new

brand spanking new Check out some new and exciting products in the current market ClimeMET RRP: £40 Bring memories of the ocean into your home with a clock or tide clock, mounted onto a unique surf-inspired piece of driftwood. No matter where we are in life, we still often turn to water for a sense of calmness and clarity, whether walking along the beach or surfing the crest of a wave. With this in mind, our affinity with the sea is reflected with the surfboard mount board, complete with miniature ClimeMET clock or tide clock. The dials are available in either cream, a stormy slate grey, copper, or bronze, and will add some oceanic charm to any living room, beach hut or holiday home. The surfboard can be wallmounted either horizontally or vertically and there’s a wide range of mini weather dials to choose from, so you can collect additional instruments to match your surroundings, whether you’re changing them for the seasons or transforming the setting. T: +44 (0)1787 883 138 E: [email protected] W: climemet.com

Henryka RRP: £40 - £120 Fast-growing British jewellery brand Henryka is tapping into the nation’s obsession with animals with a range of best-selling pendants, including four Dachshund pendants and necklaces. The sterling silver designs recreate the iconic sausage dog with cognac amber ears, eyes and bodies. The sterling silver Dachshund Sausage Dog necklace set with a cognac amber ear is a particularly popular gift at RRP £70. Prices across all four Dachshund designs range from £40 to £120. Other popular animal-inspired designs include the Amber and Silver Tiny Honey Bee necklace and the Silver Indian Elephant necklace set with amethyst, agate or pink quartz. T: +44 (0)1432 266 538 E: [email protected] W: henryka.co.uk

14 giftfocus

Groovy UK RRP: from £25 With female lead roles becoming more dominant in front and behind the screen, strong role models are here to stay. Groovy UK love its powerful female licenses,which include Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman and Frida Kahlo – a strange mix but the success of these ranges is testimony to what customers really want. The Harley Quinn bags are especially popular due to their original designs, which include vegan leather, custom-made metal zip pulls, embroidered motifs and printed inner linings. All ranges include bathrobes, matching slippers and bags. So, go ahead, choose your heroine! Groovy’s other licenses include Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, DC Comics, Assassins Creed, Mr. Men and Brandalised. T: +44 (0)844 372 7820 E: [email protected] W: groovyuk.com

D & J Glassware RRP: £29.99 D & J Glassware has launched three gorgeous new fragrances in its hugely popular Scent Diffuser Collection, bringing the total to 12. Rose Garden is exactly as its name suggests: like smelling a real rose. The other scents: Secret Garden and Mountain Meadow have been instant hits with existing stockists. All fragrances are sourced in Britain and are of the highest quality and competitively priced. The glass globes are individually mouth blown, so no two are identical. Each one a work of art in its own right and unlike plain glass bottles, these diffusers make a decorative statement in any room. The sets are attractively gift-boxed and make an eye-catching display in store. Re-fill oils and reeds are also available to ensure your customers keep coming back for more. T: +44 (0)1953 450 280 E: [email protected] W: dandjglassware.co.uk

The Art File RRP: £2.65 The Art File is delighted to announce the launch of a fun new collection of nine designs called ‘London Calling’. As the name suggests, these cards feature iconic London landmarks together with the capital’s most endearing birds, pigeons and doves. Released in time for the upcoming tourist season, these cards come with fabulously patriotic Union Jack envelopes, embossed lines and hot foils. There’s even a marrying couple standing in front of an enchanting castle – I wonder where the company got that idea from? London Calling is available from April and will be showcased at PG Live. T: +44 (0)1158 507 490 E: [email protected] W: theartfile.com

brand spanking new

Kit Heath RRP: £15 - £30 Fun motifs are the new order of the day for Dew, the sterling silver gift collection by the award-winning silver jewellery supplier Kit Heath Ltd. Capturing the popular lifestyle and gifting trends at key price points from £15 - £30, the endearingly eclectic collection is fresh off the press from the in-house design team. From cacti to avocados, and French bulldogs to summery ice cream cones, the miniature charm pendants are sure to appeal to a wide range of customers and occasions. The seasonally updated collections can be presented by your regional Kit Heath field representative. The full collection is available to view on the brand new and updated B2B website, as seen in the stunning new seasonal full colour catalogue. T: +44 (0)1271 329 123 E: [email protected] W: kitheathretailer.com

Betsy Benn RRP: £32 Betsy Benn is launching its plush velvet cushions at Pulse London 2018, they can be personalised to feature maps, coastlines or specific destinations. You’ll have noticed that velvet is so on-trend right now and is currently the company’s material of choice to work with. Velvet fits perfectly in a range of home styles from modern to classic and a personalised cushion makes a beautiful gift. It can be difficult to choose a present for mum or a grown-up daughter, but these make a gorgeous accessory for her home. The cushions are available in a range of stunning colours, including a rich heather, a sumptuous grey and a deep emerald, to suit everybody’s decor. T: +44 (0)1242 570 731 E: [email protected] W: betsybenn.com

Skip Hop RRP: £20 Skip Hop’s Zoo Collection includes a wide range of signature animals, so children can choose their favourite character to keep them company throughout the day from mealtime to bed-time. New to the Zoo Crew for 2018 are the loveable Luna Llama, the bold Bailey Bat and lively London Leopard. These latest additions to the Zoo family join the existing heroes including unicorn, monkey, owl, giraffe and cow. The Zoo Collection is one of the largest non-licensed characterdriven lines of toddler items, with products ranging from backpacks and raingear to a wide assortment of mealtime, on-the-go, home and bath products that promote a toddler’s independence and drive imagination. London Leopard is available now in Backpack, Lunchie and Strawbottle. Bailey Bat and Luna Llama will be available in June in Backpack, Lunchie and Strawbottle form. T: +44 (0)1582 434 250 E: [email protected] W: skiphop.com

giftfocus 15

brand spanking new Pintail Candles RRP: Reed diffusers £17.50; refill oils £12 With the craft gin craze in full flow, Pintail Candles has announced that it has distilled and bottled its fabulous G & T fragrance for a new reed diffuser collection. Each scent bottle is filled with 100ml of the refreshingly crisp Gin & Tonic fragrance, busting with fresh juniper, botanicals and sparkling citrus notes. This fine fragrance throws a rich and consistent scent lasting at least six months. Prosecco, Linen & White Pepper and Peppered Pomegranate are also available in the new range and a free tester is provided for the first order of every diffuser fragrance. With the added extra of a matching range of 250ml refill oils, it’s cheers to the new G&T diffuser. T: +44 (0)1539 559 007 E: [email protected] W: pintailcandles.com

Floss & Rock RRP: Rucksack £26.99 The rate of new product launches at Floss & Rock shows no sign of slowing down and for the often neglected mid-year period it has an exciting range of Back to School products. With five designs in total including the brand new Pets and Construction themes, each range includes a sturdy ruck sack, insulated lunch bag, clear drinks water bottle with integrated silicon straw, pencil case, purse, pencils and pads. That’s surely enough to help any child get excited about starting the new school year! RRP’s range from £3 for the six coloured pencil pack to £26.99 for the ruck sack. All the fabric items have ‘this belongs to’ sew-in labels as well as fun zip pullers and the complete range of all items will be available from early July. For more information please call Denise or Lynda. T: +44 (0)1253 831 512/540 E: [email protected] W: flossandrock.co.uk

16 giftfocus

Gibsons RRP: £25 Gibsons is excited to announce that it is launching a brand-new game, Crystal Hall. Developed by games inventor, John Power, the game urges players to lead their troupe of wizards into the Crystal Hall in a quest to collect four magical crystals. John first launched the game on Kickstarter in 2016 and received more than £5000 thanks to 120 backers. He then went on to pitch the game to Gibsons at Toy Fair 2017, who instantly fell in love with it and will be launching it at UK Games Expo in June. Crystal Hall, recommended for ages 10 and over, encourages players to lead their wizard-shaped counters around the hall in a quest to uncover the four magical crystals that are hidden among the 36 face-down tiles. T: +44 (0)20 8661 8866 E: [email protected] W: gibsonsgames.co.uk

Joe & Seph’s RRP: £3.99 Now all your cheesy dreams can come to life with the cheesiest grub you can get – Cheese on Toast Popcorn! Joe & Seph’s confectionery connoisseur’s hand-make this tantalising nibble for the ultimate tongue-tastic flavour! If you’re simply crackers for cheese you’ll adore this cheese on toast melt-in-your-mouth popcorn that’s air popped and gluten free. Only natural ingredients are used and they have a one-of-akind cooking technique, which means flavours are unlocked as you crunch on the popcorn. Coated in sweet caramel topping and a toasted mature cheddar cheese with a hint of spicy seasoning the delicious dish is a handful of happiness in every bite! T: +44 (0)20 8450 0922 E: [email protected] W: joeandsephs.com

summer product showcase

getting summerready Hot, on-trend products perfect for the summer months

Smelling good enough to drink, this beautiful beverage scented candle hosts a stunning green palm leaf tropical design so that after your candle is burnt down you can keep the glass pot as a small vase or decorative stationary pot. Gift Republic, giftrepublic.com giftfocus 19

getting summer-ready

Best Kept Secrets has joined ed forces with Tracey Russell Design to create a new candle product. has a country d t Tracey T h t wide id and d an international reputation as one of the leading designers of greeting cards in the UK. She’s now turned her design flair towards candles. Given the wonderful candles and award-winning fragrances offered by Best Kept Secrets, the result is an amazing set of occasion candles that look great and smell amazing. And don’t forget, there’s sparkly toppings and plenty of glitter for that extra wow factor. ‘Thank You’, ‘Your Engaged’ and ‘Prosecco Time’ are just three of the 12 amazing designs and sentiments. In addition, there are six special birthday candles from 18 to 60. There really is something for every event, ceremony and celebration. Denise Edwards of Best Kept Secrets said the new venture with Tracey has got off to an incredible start. She added, “Sales at the spring shows in Glasgow and Birmingham exceeded all expectations and repeat sales have confirmed that this new candle product is an absolute winner.” T: +44 (0)1670 512 222 bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Wherever you travel, home is always where your own comfy bed and favourite pillow are – in your home town of course! These beautiful passport covers come in a range of bright and bold colours, perfect to get you in the holiday mood. Made from a synthetic vegan leather that looks and feels as soft and luxurious as the real thing, these passport covers from Betsy Benn are personalised with a map or coastline detail of your town, showing that home really is where the heart is. T: +44 (0)1242 570 731 betsybenn.com

20 giftfocus

Ba Baylis & Harding’s summer offering from Xystos off ref reflects the continuing popularity of prosecco and po the renaissance of gin, and features plenty of pink and fea rosé, ros including the limited edition rosé prosecco, fizz d fragranced luxury diffuser. Also available from Xystos is Di Palomo’s range of appealingly presented bath and body products such as Black Cherry, Wild Fig & Grape, Orange Blossom with Wild Honey & Olive, and White Grape with Aloe. T: +44 (0)191 499 1570 xystostrade.co.uk Bring memories of the ocean into your home with a clock or tide clock, mounted onto a surfinspired piece of driftwood. No matter where we are in life, we still often turn to water for a sense of calmness and clarity, whether walking along the beach or surfing the crest of a wave. With this in mind, our affinity with the sea is reflected with the surfboard mount board, complete with miniature ClimeMET clock or tide clock. The dials are available in either cream, a stormy slate grey, copper, or bronze, and will add some oceanic charm to any living room, beach hut or holiday home. The surfboard can be wallmounted either horizontally or vertically and ClimeMET has a wide range of mini weather dials to choose from, so you can collect additional instruments to match your surroundings, whether you’re changing them for the seasons or transforming the setting. T: +44 (0)1787 883 138 climemet.com

MY MAGIC ART

‘The Forgotten Designer’s Collection’

The ‘Collection’ covers watercolours, acrylics, landscapes, ink drawings, wildlife, birds, Chinese brush paintings, oils, sketches, landscapes, art deco and Limited Edition range. See full range on www.mymagicart.co.uk

NEW COLLECTION OUT NOW! Exclusive outlets sought for the ‘Collection’

[email protected]

+44(0)7760 948 324

summer product showcase

These are the new inflight essentials from Heathcote & Ivory. A new addition to the bestselling Vintage & Co Braids & Blooms collection, this new inflight essentials pack comprises hand cream, hand sanitiser and calming gel in travel friendly sizes alongside a set of designer playing cards to keep you occupied on your travels and some handy and comfortable ear plugs to shut out noise. T: +44 (0)20 7483 8383 heathcote-ivory.com Miss Milly, the British brand for gorgeous jewellery and scarves, is jumping right into summer with a stunning array of jewellery featuring hearts, flowers, leaves and abstract and geometric designs. From gorgeous combinations of pastel lilac and baby pink with soft greys and whites to striking fuchsia, blue and bright mint green, the flagship Floria Collection is the most eye-catching to date and still as reasonably priced as ever. Made with lovingly crafted resins combined with paper, fabric and shell for appealing effects, the jewellery has a growing following and a collectable nature. It’s bold in design but very wearable. Team the jewellery with the company’s soft, viscose scarves printed in colour co-ordinating tones for a great in-store display. Miss Milly has a low £100 minimum order and branded packaging and display stands are available. The full catalogue can be ordered online and sales agents are available in some areas. T: +44 (0)1905 622 509 missmilly.co.uk

This stylish, high quality hollow cast fibreglass and resin two-seater bench has fine detail and accurate painting. It’s a great idea for farm shops, garden centres, ice cream parlours, tea rooms, coffee shops, parks or makes an interesting novelty addition to your garden. Suitable for indoor or outdoor use, it measures an impressive 118cm high, 178cm wide and with depth of 72.5cm. The product has a trade price of £398 with SRP £648. More designs are available in this range including a cow and unicorn two-seater bench and pig seats. Various life-size animals are also available from JJ Vaillant Ltd. T: +44 (0)121 380 0720 jjvaillant.com Half of all adults in the UK regularly feed garden birds. The stylish range of bird tables and feeders under the D & J by Design brand from D & J Glassware enables giftware retailers to profit from this burgeoning market. Individually and attractively boxed for a striking in-store display, the range has been designed to suit all tastes. A helpful Guide for Use is available as a further point of sale aid. T: +44 (0)1953 450 280 dandjglassware.co.uk Zatchels metallic collections have always remained a firm favourite with customers. For summer, the company has created a series of new metallic must haves. Plush, soft metallic leathers ooze style and finesse creating luxe bag shapes ideal for the festival and pool party season. Ranges are available in gold, silver and bronze and shapes include the metallic bucket bag collections, metallic mini bucket bag collections metallic mini back pack, metallic backpack with single pocket/lock and metallic micro satchels. T: +44 (0)116 253 9672 zatchels.com

giftfocus 23

getting summer-ready

All things magical and mystical feature strongly for summer 2018 and this quirky Secret Garden Collection from Joe Davies is right on trend and fits perfectly into this theme. This pretty range of metal fairy garden houses features exquisitely detailed boot, clock and teapot fairy houses to name but a few and fabulous accessories like wishing wells, fairy windows and fairy doors which sit together to create your very own magical fairy garden. What fairy could possibly resist! This cute collection is one of many mystical themed ranges from Joe Davies, which are all available to order in the company’s trademark ‘little and often’ quantities with carriage paid orders of just £100 for free delivery nationwide.  T: +44 (0)161 975 6300 joedavies.co.uk What better way to celebrate the Great British summer, than by spending it in the garden? The Personalised Memento Company’s best-selling personalised fork and trowel set is a perfect garden gift. They also make an original Father’s Day surprise! The handles of both the fork and trowel can be personalised with a name or message, making this set a must for any green-thumbed gardening enthusiast! PMC’s reliable drop-shipping model is able to constantly meet seasonal demand, providing the best quality service even during peak occasions. This allows its customers to trade with confidence. Visit PMC’s website today to sign up for your trade account and to discover how personalised gifts can be an asset to your business. T: +44 (0)1782 744 900 personalisedmemento.co.uk 24 giftfocus

The home collection celebrates Orla Kiely’s heritage of distinctive prints, incorporating her love of nature by using the finest natural essential oils, to create a charming range of uplifting candles and diffusers. Distributed by KMI Brands, the candles are made of a natural blend wax with a burn time of up to 50 hours and include a heat protection mat. The reed diffusers are a simple and stylish way to scent a room for up to three months. The Fig Tree scent (pictured), captures all the elements of the fig tree: green leaves, earthy bark and sweet fruit. Blended with essential oils of lime, cardamom and bitter orange to create a warm and luxurious fragrance. T: +44 (0)20 8614 4700 orlakiely.com What better way to add light to outdoor settings than with this attractive long stem tea light holder from D & J Glassware. Hugely versatile, you can use anywhere around the garden and home in plant pots, containers, even empty wine bottles to add a stylish touch. As thoughts turn to holidays, the Watering Ball is both practical and beautiful. The perfect gift for anyone who loves their plants, the Watering Ball will keep a plant watered for up to two weeks. Working efficiently, the water is delivered straight to the roots of the plant as the soil dries out. The colourful mouth blown glass piece adds a touch of colour to the plant. Both items are mouth blown by skilled glassblowers. They’re individually boxed and are available in a range of colours. T: +44 (0)1953 450 280 dandjglassware.co.uk

All new at Hot Tom! [email protected]

+44(0)1225 422188

www.hot-tom.com

A book that centres all around you. Your name and date of birth are used to create this fascinating book of facts, which are all oneof-a-kind to the recipient. Their name is embossed on the cover, and the opening page includes a personal message dedicated to them. Creating a beautiful personalised gift book has never been easier! A perfect gift from Signature Gifts for milestones in someone’s life, including birthdays, Christmas, graduation and anniversaries. Each book is presented in its own gift box and dropship delivered direct to the customer. T: +44 (0)1582 464 809 signature-gifts.co.uk

summer product showcase

Tribal Steel by Midhaven is a leading brand in leather and stainless steel bracelets for men, women and teens. There are more than 250 styles of high quality, fashionable leather in over 30 colours. This is a great value range with RRP’s from £8-£40. Quality and service are excellent and volume enquiries are also welcome. If you spend £250 you get a free point of sale as well as branded hessian pouches. Many new designs and colours will be on show at Harrogate Home & Gift along with show offers and new ranges of silver jewellery in CZ, marcasite, Lavish Silver and Opalique. Keep your Tribe happy, buy the best! T: +44 (0)1299 851 513 midhaven.co.uk

Experience summer in a candle with the cocktail fantastic Happy Hour range from Pintail Candles. This leading brand offers a great selection of the nation’s favourite tipples including a summery sparkling Prosecco in a light and refreshing fragrance. Freshly crushed mint and zesty lime create Mojito, a cool classic, perfect for warm sunny days. Or sit back and unwind with Gin & Tonic, bursting with fresh juniper and sparkling citrus. For a great sundowner try a cool Cosmopolitan or a sultry Singapore Sling infused with oriental fragrances followed by a Manhattan night cap of smoky bourbon whiskey distilled with a blend of botanicals. A great menu of 12 deliciously enticing cocktail fragrances makes every summer perfect. The company is celebrating 25 years of candle making. T: +44 (0)1539 559 007 pintailcandles.com

Carrie Elspeth’s new summer 2018 collection is bursting with style and colour that will add a little ray of sunshine to any summer outfit. The company loves using a variety of materials ranging from semi-precious stones, agates and Czech glass to beautifully tactile polymer clay and ceramics. There’s something for everyone and every occasion; from cool laid-back styles that take you straight to the easy living of the beach, bright carnival colours for the party scene, to the classic cool and subtle shades for an understated look. Carrie has added more of its popular stand-alone earrings in every colourway imaginable. With every piece lovingly hand-made in Wales, it’s championing the ‘support local’ sentiment this summer. As summer is just around the corner, be prepared for hotter days and warmer nights with fabulous Carrie Elspeth jewellery ready to pop on and party! T: +44 (0)1446 771 271 carrieelspeth.com giftfocus 27

Dunoon Ceramics Ltd Unit 5,Walton Industrial Estate, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 0RY, England. Telephone: (01785) 817414 Email: [email protected] www.dunoonmugs.co.uk

royal wedding

royal wedding fever Thi M This May, P Prince i Harry and H dM Meghan h M Markle kl will ill b be making ki th their i vows att Wi Windsor d C Castle’s tl ’ St George’s Chapel. Remember the day with some of these commemorative items A one-of-a-kind collection of hand-cut crystal glassware from Royal Scot Crystal designed to commemorate the forthcoming marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on 19th May, 2018. Included in the range are beautiful flute champagnes and tumblers British hand-cut in the new Windsor design, in recognition of the wedding venue at Windsor Castle, the hugely popular Kintyre classic tots, double tots and whisky tumblers, as well as an enchanting Votive intaglio hand cut with a new intricate Windsor Rose design. All pieces are handdecorated with HRH Coat of Arms and presented in luxury satin lined presentation boxes or high quality gold gift boxes. These timeless heirlooms are to be treasured for generations. T: +44 (0)20 8508 2435 royalscotcrystal.com

Dunoon’s Royal Wedding mug to commemorate the marriage of HRH Prince Henry of Wales and Miss Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on 19th May, 2018 is made out of fine bone china, proudly made in England. The design features cameo silhouettes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with 22ct gold and royal blue detailing on a Wessex shape. T: +44 (0)1785 817 414 dunoonmugs.co.uk

Mclaggan Smith has produced three mug designs to celebrate the royal nuptials. Each mug is decorated in the UK and is made of fine bone china. The mugs have an RRP of £9.50 and are a great way to mark the occasion – with a cuppa! T: +44 (0)1389 755 655 msmugs.com

Lesser & Pavey has always been first to celebrate a royal occasion and this year’s wedding is no different as the company offers a superb quality collection of royal memorabilia to capture the moment and the celebrations. The exclusive Royal Heritage collection consists of photographic products that show the couple in a loving pose which includes a fine china loving cup; fine china mug with matching coaster gift set; fine china mug; fine china plates in three sizes; a set of four coasters and placemats; melamine trays in small, medium and extra-large; a melamine tea bag tidy and spoon rest; fine china heart trinket dish and trinket box; shopping bag, and magnet. All items are presented in high quality photographic gift boxes, each priced competitively. This range will be limited in numbers and so it is highly recommended that orders are placed early to avoid disappointment. T: +44 (0)1322 279 225 leonardo.co.uk giftfocus 29

wise words spoken Managing Director of Ancient Wisdom, David Hardy talks to Gift Focus about business, travel and well being When did Ancient Wisdom start? What was the reason for setting up the business? It was a Thursday morning a long time before Google and Facebook, and as I laid out my market stall with aromatherapy and home fragrance products on a street in Sheffield I was more than apprehensive about what people would think. A few months earlier, I’d been reading a book called Ancient Wisdom – now out of print. The book highlighted many things that seem out of place in history – the pyramids, Stonehenge to name a few. At the same time, I’d been researching aromatherapy. It struck me that essential oils had been used for thousands of years and ancient people must have known more about them – (healing and enchanting) than perhaps we did. I found supplies of oils and a potter down in Stoke who made me my own design of oil burner, and invested in a pallet load of candles. The first day, I only sold one lavender oil and gave some tea tree away to a spotty girl. I went home and almost gave up. The next day, I decided I needed to get my act together, and made an offer, lavender oil, oil burner and a nightlight... I sold my first oil burner set in five minutes... and Ancient Wisdom was born. Soon, I sold 50 sets a day and gradually found customers for my range of essential oils. That was more than 22 years ago. How has the company developed over the years? After the market stall, I developed a chain of giftware shops with the first one in Sheffield

market. This was followed with gift shops in Bakewell and Castleton. Meanwhile, I was involved with a company selling coffee to pubs and restaurants. We changed it over to giftware wholesale, with the Ancient Wisdom brand and products. Since then, the company has grown, with a few ups and downs, to become an international giftware company, and we still sell lavender oil fragrance oils and oil burners. We also sell 10,000 other products to more than 60,000 customers all over the world, with warehouses in Indonesia, China, the UK, Spain and Slovakia. We’re one of a kind among major wholesalers in that at Ancient Wisdom there are no salespeople, so our products have to be good enough to sell themselves. Tell us about your product offering. We’re a UK manufacturer of hand-made bathroom, aromatherapy and home fragrance products and also importers of exotic and original gift products. We simply love gifts! Since 1995, we’ve been passionate about bringing the best in giftware gifts to our customers both in Europe and across the world. Currently we have more than 7,000 aromatherapy and giftware product lines available to order online with fast delivery across Europe. Thousands of gifts and gift lines including hand-made bath bombs and soaps, essential oils, Nag Champa incense sticks, ear candles, gemstones, himalayan salt lamps, soybean candles, organza bags and packaging range. What’s your most popular collection? This would be our own manufactured luxurious collection of cocktail bath bombs. We only launched this collection in autumn 2017 and it’s already become one of our top selling lines. The scents for this range were exclusively created for Ancient Wisdom by one of the UK’s top fragrance houses. There are six variations with their own scent and colour, making the bath smell and look just like the real cocktail.

30 giftfocus

Our cocktail bath bombs bar includes Gin & Tonic, Margarita, Martini, Mojito, Champagne and Pina Colada. There are three themed drink bombs in each gift pack containing the finest scents of all your favourite mixed drinks. Each bath bomb weighs approximately 120g. The stylish and detailed design of the boxes is an attractive point of sale in a shop, and they’re great value offering a substantial and fun gift for around £7 retail. Have any products taken you by surprise with their popularity? We introduced a range of luxury soap flowers some time ago. Our initial stock sold out literally within days. We import them from China and had to start ordering container loads to satisfy the high demand. How do you keep your designs current? How often do you launch new lines?

This is David at the Children’s home in Kolkata that Ancient Wisdom is proud to support

company profile

actually l cchanging hanging lives.

We offer integrity of supply. Firstly, we manufacture most of the aromatherapy and bathroom products in the UK (you can visit our factory in Sheffield) – so you’re buying direct from the manufacturer. Secondly, we have carefully selected artisan suppliers in India, China and Indonesia. We actually have our own buying offices and warehouses on the ground in China and Indonesia and long-established trading links in India. This is my job, I travel most of the time, and I do my best to ensure that we deal with ethical family businesses that treat their workers well with respect and good pay and working conditions. You can read about my adventurers and give me feedback in my weekly newsletter. Every Friday I tell you about where I am, what I’m doing what new products I have discovered, and the various misadventures. The trade we give to small Asian businesses often makes a huge difference in the lives of the owners and their workers. Our customers are becoming a part of this virtuous circle of trade. By stocking and selling and reordering artisan products from AW our customers are

What W Wh at have been the key milestones business? mile mi lest ston ones es in in the the bu busi sine ness ss?? We celebrated our 21st birthday in 2016. To celebrate, we ran a one-off 21 per cent discount for 21 hours. We figured if we could be up 60 per cent on the day it would just about pay for itself and the extra stress would be managed. My team treated the staff with a birthday breakfast and some goody bags of birthday goodies. I tried to make a little speech from China, but the Skype reception was too poor. It was the busiest day at Ancient Wisdom ever, we just never planned for the 600 per cent boost in trade. It was an amazing day! How are you finding the current economic climate in the UK? Is it affecting business? We sell lots of stuff in Europe and there’s a big worry that if we have to charge VAT or have paperwork to do, that sales will dry up, so it was essential for us to get on with it. Our ‘Brexit plan’ was to open a distribution centre in Europe and directly supply our customers from there. Slovakia was the perfect solution. One of my managers is Slovakian and was keen to get on with this project. It took more than six months of careful planning and also finding the right warehouse and people. In July 2017, Ancient Wisdom Gifts was open in Trnava, Slovakia. The stock started arriving from our UK warehouse and also from China and Indonesia during the summer. Shortly before that we hired staff and trained them here in Sheffield, the website was up and running by August. Now, six months on, our Slovakian venture is processing a very healthy number of orders. Are you active on social media? How is this important for the business? We have a YouTube channel AWGiftsTv where

we introduce new product lines and our customers can find out how our products are made or subscribe to popular series ‘How to sell this’ – tips on how to increase sales. Our customers can also follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, You Tube and Instagram and LinkedIn. Do you visit trade shows? No, we don’t. These are the five reasons why you wouldn’t find us at any trade show: 1) It distracts us from looking after our existing customers. 2) The cost of the trade show has to be passed on to the customer. We estimate that gift wholesaler must budget 10 per cent (at least) of turnover. 3) There’s always a mad rush to present new products in time for the show, inevitably many products are untested and not ready for the market. 4) It means exposing all the latest ideas to the competition. 5) We believe that by not exhibiting at trade shows (or employing salespeople) gives us a 20 per cent cost advantage. Passing this saving on to our customers in the form of bonus stock, discounts and promotions has helped us become successful, and gives our customers better margins. What can we expect in the future from Ancient Wisdom? More and more gifts of course! More seriously, we have a major design development project in progress. It’s kind of a secret but I can reveal one or two details. There’s a mystery designer from Cumbria working closely with us to develop an exclusive range of aromatic products. Proudly British, slightly eccentric and beautifully designed, they’ll be launching in spring 2018. T: +44 (0)114 2729 165 E: [email protected] W: ancientwisdom.biz giftfocus 31

wedding gifts

& e v a h to to hold Wedding gifts for the happy couple

Image supplied by Lesser & Pavey leonardo.co.uk giftfocus 33

to have and to hold

All Personal Gift’s fine silver-plated range has a range of gifts for the happy couple. The heart-design frame has a very deep shiny finish to it. The size of the item is 130mm x 180mm. All Personal Gifts provides a large selection of personalised wedding gifts to celebrate the big day. From fine silver-plated photo frames and beautifully crafted tableware for the happy couple, to wedding favours for bridesmaids and the best man which include compact mirrors, cufflinks, hipflasks, trinket boxes and much more. Each gift can be engraved with your personal message in memory of a very special day. The company offers a wide range of gifts to suit all budgets and tastes. T: +44 (0)845 170 7000 allpersonalgifts.co.uk Brand new from Lesser and Pavey is the Mad Dot range of bracelets carrying messages for Mum, Grandma, Nan, a Fabulous Friend as well as one with Sparkle and Dreams. This range is exquisitely packaged in transparent frontage to show off the gold and silver coloured bracelets, hidden initially by a quality cover as when the cover slides perfectly across the front of the quality packaging the gift is revealed. This new collection is perfect as wedding gifts for the proud mums of the bride and groom and the bridesmaids. Mad Dots is a large range offered by Lesser and Pavey licensed by Hearts Designs. All these items are and form part of the Mad Dots Collection which has been a huge success and continues to grow. T: +44 (0)1322 279 225 leonardo.co.uk 34 giftfocus

Occasion gifts are always dependable sellers for the gift retailer and wedding gifts in particular are an important feature of the gift retailers’ calendar. The stylish new ‘Bands of Gold’ collection from Joe Davies features beautifully embossed and foiled wedding albums and photo frames and was a real winner at the recent Spring Fair 2018. The albums are available in two sizes and there’s a co-ordinating guest book and photo frames – all perfect for that special day! Ordering from Joe Davies couldn’t be easier with its little and often ordering system and the company’s amazingly low minimum order value of just £100 for free nationwide delivery. For further details please get in touch with the award-winning Joe Davies sales team. T: +44 (0)161 975 6300 joedavies.co.uk Wedding gifts for the male members of the wedding party can combine the elegant with the practical in the shape of a gentleman’s formal cane. In Victorian and Edwardian times, a gentleman was not properly dressed without his cane. Walking stick specialists Classic Canes has witnessed a resurgence of interest in smart chrome or silver topped canes. Managing Director Charlotte Gillan explains, “A formal cane adds dignity and style to a man in morning dress. Traditionally carried by the father of the bride, many parties now give a cane to each usher to thank him for his work and to help show the guests who the ushers are.” Classic Canes stocks a wide variety of traditional and contemporary formal canes at retail prices starting from £30. T: +44 (0)1460 75686 classiccanes.co.uk

RRP £5.99 Cost price £2.50

RRP £8.99 Cost price £3.75

• Fresh, unique, and colourful brand • Unique paint tin containers (regular candle tins also available) • Original, imaginative fragrances

• Designed in Scotland, hand-poured in Cumbria

T: +44 (0)7887 423 069 E: [email protected]

www.esscentualcandles.com

wedding gifts

At My Magic Art the Forgotten Designer’s Collection is growing to encompass a whole host of different styles and looks, fit for any occasion! The black and white range lends itself perfectly to wedding themes as do many of its pictures, ranging from bespoke sizes to large-sized prints or on canvases. Over the last six months more and more interest has resulted in the company’s Chinese Brush Painting Collection due to its simplicity and versatility, and because it’s highly unusual for a British born artist to master Chinese Brush Painting to a high standard as seen here. Currently, My Magic Art is investigating bringing the artist Sheila Beech’s story to life on her lifelong passion for painting and drawing with potential publishers. T: +44 (0)7760 948 324 mymagicart.co.uk Cheers to the new gold, bold and sparkly Occasions range from Pintail Candles, which has seen sizzling sales since its launch earlier this year. With everyone loving the contemporary styling and trendy icons, the company has created a fantastic candle gift at an affordable retail price. With the wedding season on the horizon, be sure you put out the bunting On Your Special Day with a sparkling prosecco fragrance, infused with the merest hint of fresh summer berries. Or sit back and unwind at Gin o’Clock with the Prosecco Princess in your life who we are sure is, Aged to Perfection. Pintail Candles has been celebrating the nation’s favourite occasions for 25 years. T: +44 (0)1539 559 007 pintailcandles.com

After what seems to have been a long and dreary winter our attention turns to spring and in our industry that inevitably means the wedding season! Gaeltag Keltika has several products within its portfolio which fit the bill perfectly. These include the everpopular You are an Angel range. Every Home can be a castle when the king and queen are in love is the sentiment written on this stylish 175mm figurine. T: +44 (0)20 8998 1781 gaeltagkeltika.com Personalised gifts for the whole wedding party are a consistently popular part of any wedding celebration. The Personalised Memento Company has recently added to its extensive collection of wedding gifts to include a new watercolour and vintage-inspired range, which has been designed specifically for bridesmaids, maids of honour and flower girls. This design is available on a range of best-selling wedding gifts, including trinket boxes, photo frames, scented candles, mugs, greetings cards and also fashionable accessories like purses. PMC is constantly developing its range of personalised gifts to ensure that the company remains at the cutting edge of the personalised gift market. Visit PMC’s trade website to discover more about personalised gifts and how it can transform your business today. T: +44 (0)1782 744 900 personalisedmemento.co.uk giftfocus 37

to have and to hold

Rex London has launched an exquisite new collection of stunning home accessories and decorations. Handcrafted in India, combining contemporary designs with age-old techniques, the appealing Jaipur range of brass and glass jewellery boxes, picture frames and mirrors is available in attractive antique brass and silver finishes. All about timeless grace and sophisticated elegance, this beautiful selection are this season’s must-have additions for the most stylish parlours and boudoirs. T: +44 (0)20 8746 1700 rexlondontrade.com When it comes to wedding gifts, customers want the best, a highquality item with the longevity to last a lifetime. The Regent Carriage clock, Solo’s 21st century take on a 19th century classic, is the perfect gift for a memorable wedding celebration. This classic nickel plated clock has a stunning finish that creates the high end contemporary look that customers love for such a special day. This clock is battery operated for ease and no longer requires nightly winding. As an added feature, it also comes with a secret compartment in the front, perfect for keeping jewellery or keys. With the options of personalisation, customers can also add a message to create an item that holds a lasting memory. T: +44 (0)1789 262 900 solo.uk

38 giftfocus

The current popularity of speciality drinks and drinkware have inspired the introduction of Royal Scot Crystal’s New Vintage Home Bar Collection. The collection includes two brand new hand-cut crystal wine suites Tartan and Art Deco and includes ice and champagne buckets, jugs and round spirit decanters. The Art Deco design is reminiscent of the style and lifestyle of the Art Deco era and the Tartan design is a twist on the traditional tartan pattern synonymous with Scotland. This exciting collection also includes gin & tonic copa glasses, saucer champagne glasses and classic hand-made ships decanters. These Home Bar pieces make ideal wedding presents. T: +44 (0)20 8508 2435 royalscotcrystal.com

Designing its products in Scotland and hand-pouring them in Cumbria, esscentualcandles is a fast-growing name in the candle market. The company’s design process is based on the belief that its competitors focus on either fragrance or packaging, and so esscentualcandles pour equal amounts of creativity into both of these aspects by using beautifully designed artwork packaging and a range of imaginative fragrances. Following the very successful launch of its ‘everyday’ range of candles in 2017, esscentualcandles is now building on its line of wonderfully imaginative fragrance and beautifully stand-out artwork with a fragrance called Love at First Light. A beautifully floral fragrance, Love at First Light is perfect for creating a romantic setting. Specifically, this fragrance opens with a top note of tuberose, leading to a heart note of gardenia and a base of patchouli. Teamed with the gorgeously illustrated packaging, this candle is perfect for wedding celebrations! The tin pictured has a retail price of £5.99. T: +44 (0)7887 423 069 esscentualcandles.com

baby gifts

pitter patter Whether it’s a gift for the new baby or the mummto-be, check out these fabulously cute products ts on the market

Joe Davies is bang on trend with its baby-related gifts and offers a selection of baby shower inspired items which are just ideal for this popular new event. The company’s beautiful new baby wish boxes and baby fund boxes incorporate that touch of added glamour with the use of gold foiled wording and the clever use of subtle colours. This stylish collection was a huge hit at the recent Spring Fair 2018 and make perfect gifts for baby showers and newborns. Joe Davies has hundreds of baby gifts to offer, all easy and affordable to buy in small quantities and their minimum order value is seldom beaten at just £100 for carriage paid nationwide. T: +44 (0)161 975 6300 joedavies.co.uk The Personalised Memento Company’s new licensed Tiny Tatty Teddy Unicorn range is the perfect personalised gift for a little one who has it all. Personalised Tiny Tatty Teddy gifts have proven to be a best-seller in the baby gifts category. Likewise, PMC’s licensed Me to You gifts continue to go from strength to strength, with an array of new designs launched by the company this year. PMC is hoping to continue the strong momentum for unicorns by bringing this range to a new audience of babies and young children. This will be done across a variety of products including decorations, money boxes, LED candles, lunch bags and kit bags. PMC personalise and drop-ship thousands of gifts to a range of e-commerce, high street and independent retailers. Visit the website today to discover how personalised gifts can work for your business. T: +44 (0)1782 744 900 personalisedmemento.co.uk

A collection of soft toys from Solo – perfect for children. The range includes eight different variations that all have one-of-a-kind characters and personalities. This line is perfect for the parent looking for a meaningful gift for their child. Karo; the Night Guardian of Speed, is a kangaroo who comes with a Joey in her pouch. She’s the largest of all the Dream Guardians and comes with a removable baby in her pouch and a scarf with shimmering silver yarn, made from 100 per cent cotton she’s soft and also machine washable. The dream guardians are supported with character stories and colouring books for children to enjoy their individual character and personality. The Dream guardians are hand-made in Vietnam, empowering and supporting women and disabled people in the work place T: +44 (0)1789 262 900 solo.uk

In response to popular demand, Enesco has announced new sibling sculptures joining the Willow Tree® collection, allowing brand enthusiasts to expand their own Family Grouping collection to better reflect their relationships. My New Baby measures 7cm tall and retails with a SRP of £24. The figurine depicts two children – an older sibling embracing a newborn baby – while curled up on a comfy beanbag. It’s the unspoken presentation of both possession and pride, for an older child welcoming a new baby into the family. T: +44 (0)1228 404 046 enesco.co.uk giftfocus 41

pitter patter

The Belly Sticker Book from DuoPress, is the very first book of belly stickers. There are 48 stickers that are easy to stick on and peel off clothing. It’s the perfect, entertaining and easy way to capture and share all of your baby’s firsts – from important milestones in your baby’s first year, such as ‘My first bath’ to ‘My first smile’, month-by-month anniversaries, ‘My first Easter’ and stickers to mark random events and just-for-fun moments. Simply peel off the sticker that celebrates your baby’s milestone and stick it to your baby’s chest. Then snap a charming photo and post online for everyone to share your special moment. T: +44 (0)1628 633 673 melia.co.uk

Infantino has a spectacular range of sensory toys that will educate and excite babies. The collection of innovative toys are perfect for stimulating little senses nurturing early exploration. Thoughtfully designed, each toy in the collection features loveable characters, high quality materials, great textures, endearing sounds, enchanting lights and bright colours. The sensory toy trend has experienced continued growth and with no signs of slowing down, this range is hugely popular. Watch your little ones’ face light up with excitement when they build up the spectacular Plug & Play Multi Block Set. Once they’re plugged into place, it’s ready to roll along to three melodies and flashing lights guaranteeing an ear to ear grin from your baby. If that wasn’t enough, the Textured Multi Ball Set is sure to stimulate your baby at any time of the day. Take these intriguing textured balls wherever the day takes you, whether you have a play date or its bath time, these are sure to be a guaranteed way of introducing new textures to your baby. T: +44 (0)7921 212 072 infantino.com 42 giftfocus

Thee first European launch of aden + anais’ white label includes two watercolour-inspired collections in eyecatching colours and coordinating patterns. Paradise cove features lush shades of green and pink, creating a tropical escape for baby girls as elephants and parrots prance before her very eyes. Serengeti offers little ones an African getaway with vibrant cheetahs and stout rhinoceroses in neutral colours. Each print graces aden + anais’ most coveted muslin baby products, including multipurpose swaddles in single and threepack, the ultra-absorbent single bandana bib, and the cosy dream blanket. All items are made from the brand’s signature 100 per cent cotton muslin, a soft, breathable fabric that allows for airflow ensuring baby’s ultimate comfort and parents’ peace of mind. T: +44 (0)20 3735 7569 adenandanais.co.uk Orange Tree Toys creates traditional wooden toys, which have that same feel as they’ve had for generations, making them timeless toy box favourites. Orange Tree Toys has launched a variety of new children toys in 2018, which are all proving as popular as hoped. The brand new Crocodile Collection includes wooden toys for babies from 12 months, including a range of development toys and puzzles. As predicted the brand new additions to the Peter Rabbit™ Collection are extremely popular. The new items include beautifully hand-painted numbers, each featuring different designs. These wooden numbers are a great tactile way of helping children learn their numbers one to 10. Also included in the additions to the Peter Rabbit™ range are shape sorters and bead frames, and after being launched at Spring Fair this year they’re already proving to be great sellers. Based on Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck these fun toys are perfect for teaching shapes, colours and coordination whilst still being a traditional longlasting toy. T: +44 (0)1242 244 500 orangetreetoys.com On rainy days when the sun doesn’t shine and the clouds rule the sky, there’s nothing better than cuddling up with the ones you love. MORI has carefully crafted the MORI Cloud Throw so you can do just that, as they’re all made from 100 per cent pure cotton, which makes them perfectly cosy. The inspiration comes from how parents teach their little ones that even on rainy days, which can seem dull, there’s happiness and joy to be had. All throws feature alternating clouds and clouds with rain droplets on both sides, available in four different colour choices: blush, mint, grey and blue. The MORI Cloud Throw is reversible on both sides and is generously sized (90cm x 160cm). [email protected] babymori.com

Gorgeous storage and bathtime products from 3 Sprouts

- make storing unboring! ELY AT 1 TWO KIDS [email protected] | trade.1two.co.uk | 01383 735134

baby gifts

When it comes to the multi award-winning brand, Cheeky Chompers, there’s little that the company doesn’t provide on the practicality front. Its innovative muslin collection is a must have for the summer to keep babies cool and occupied wherever you may be. Made from an organic muslin fabric, each product has several different uses spanning from the muslin comforter which will comfort your baby, the Neckerbib to catch any dribble and the Neckerchew, all designed to let your little one chomp their teething troubles away. The muslin collection also includes the innovative MultiMuslin which is sure to be at the top of your packing list. With a thoughtful design, this innovative product cleverly brings together six baby essentials in one, incorporating a nursing cover, burp cloth, attachable shade for pushchairs, blanket, swaddle, and two soft silicon teething rings attached, for your little one to chew. T: +44 (0)7834 828 447 cheekychompers.com

Cuddledry creators, Helen and Polly, found inspiration at bath time as they watched their husbands struggle when lifting their slippery babies from the bath. And if you’ve ever been in that situation yourself you can appreciate how tricky it can be! The beauty of the Cuddledry towel is that it’s held up by a strap around your neck, leaving both hands free to lift baby safely from the water, no matter how wriggly they are! Now you can actually cuddle your baby dry. It’s made from natural bamboo fibres too, which means it’s gorgeously soft and snuggly, with a little hood to keep baby’s head warm. The super-soft towel makes bath time both easy and stress free. A welcome solution to a slippery problem! T: +44 (0)1823 323 363 cuddledry.com

Frugi, the organic childrenswear brand, is renowned for making award-winning organic clothes, accessories, toys and bedding for newborn babies right through to kids from ages two to 10 years. My First Frugi, which launched in December 2017, is perfect for new parents and little ones – think super snuggly blankets, cosy four- piece giftsets and dinky hats. For A/W 2018 the company has new accessories in the form of new kid’s bags, funky bobble hats and cosy onesies and it’s also extending its line of items which can be personalised following customer feedback. Frugi also has a maternity and breastfeeding range for mums. All of Frugi’s cotton is GOTS and Soil Association certified and use recycled materials wherever possible. Organic cotton is supremely soft so it’s perfect for little one’s delicate skin. It’s also much kinder to the planet and better for the farmers who grow it. Happy kids, happy farmers, happy planet! T: +44 (0)1326 558 462 frugiwholesale.com The spring/summer collection for 2018 from Blade & Rose features two-pack shorts. Teeny fashionistas can have fun in the sun in either the butterfly, ship, hot air balloon, fairground, ice cream or feather shorts all featuring the signature design on the bum! Made from the softest cotton, little ones and parents alike will love the cool new designs and sunshine friendly colours, perfect for every minitrendsetter. These new designs will be sold in sets of two (RRP £12) and available in sizes 0-6 months, 6-12 months and 1-2 years. Little space travellers will be ready for take-off this season with the loveable Alien shorts featuring the cartoony alien face print on rear of the shorts. Or perfect for the more adventurous, is the Woodlands Bear shorts and fabulous Feather set with coordinating designs. T: +44 (0)1539 730 880 bladeandrose.co.uk The first shipment of 3 Sprouts docks at the end of this month – and has nearly all been pre-sold at the shows – but don’t worry, more shipments are following close behind. In case you’ve not seen 3 Sprouts, the company offers fun and practical storage solutions for the home, with kids in mind. Hardwearing storage boxes, hampers, caddys and organisers are decorated with different animal characters – your customers will find it hard to choose between them! Get in touch today if you want to stock 3 Sprouts in your store – along with all the other great ranges available at 1 Two Kids. T: +44 (0)1383 735 134 trade.1two.co.uk giftfocus 45

GA news We bring you the very latest news from The Giftware Association

Blue Eyed Sun to distribute BambooCup in the UK Blue Eyed Sun has signed an exciting distribution deal with design-led German company Chic Mic to distribute the BambooCup, SlideCup and BambooFriends brands of lifestyle giftware in the UK. BambooCup is a beautiful range of eco-friendly, reusable coffee cups, which had a fantastic response with buyers are Spring Fair.  “We have been working with Chic Mic for several years in Germany and Austria, where they distribute Blue Eyed Sun’s hand-made greeting cards to hundreds of stores. The BambooCup stand at Spring Fair was mobbed with retailers who were quick to recognise the fastgrowing product trend in 2018 for sustainable eco solutions to the problem of single use plastics. We’re excited to have come on board as the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for these fantastic products.” said Jeremy Corner, MD, Blue Eyed Sun and incoming Chairman of the Giftware Association. BambooCup is designed to reduce the 2.5 billion plastic lined single use cups which are wasted each year. Made from sustainable, fast-growing bamboo fibre and tested to the highest standards, BambooCup feels lovely to hold and has more than 50 contemporary designs in the collection. BambooCup includes a patented, lockable lid made from bamboo and a thermal sleeve. Dishwasher safe, odour free and taste neutral, BambooCup is available with great looking point of sale solutions including a 96-pocket floor stand and a 36-pocket counter top stand. With lots of exciting new products planned for the coming year, follow @BambooCupUK on social media to keep up-to-date with the latest news. Email [email protected] or call +44 (0)1273 823 003 to request a price list and catalogue. You can visit the website blueeyedsun.co.uk for more details.

The GA is headline sponsor for the exclusive dinner by candlelight at Goldsmiths’ Hall The Benevolent Society is delighted to announce that The Giftware Association will be the headline sponsor for their Annual Sponsors’ Dinner 2018. The Society is also extremely grateful to Charles Green & Co, Facets PR, Hockley Mint and Jeweller Solutions for sponsoring the event. One of the highlights of our industries’ calendars, is this year’s dinner, held to thank the Benevolent Society’s sponsors and supporters. Guests can look forward to a dinner with entertainment by candlelight at the prestigious Goldsmiths’ Hall, London on June 14th. With the first allocation of 142 tickets now sold out, the popular and exclusive event promises to be a night to remember. Due to exceptional demand a final allocation of an extra 50 tickets has just been released, providing the final opportunity for a few more guests to attend this prestigious evening. The Benevolent Society, charitable society of the British Allied Trades Federation financially assists individuals that have worked within the giftware, jewellery, surface engineering, travel goods and fashion accessories industries. The society also helps individuals starting or progressing their careers in these industries through bursaries to help with their studies. Further information For The GA, log on to ga-uk.org

46 giftfocus

NATURALLY NOURISHING WITH AYURVEDIC HERBS

PLANT-INSPIRED BATH & SHOWER GEL RANGE Natural ingredients • 100% pure essential oils helps boost skin health Free from parabens & artificial fragrances

www.aaskincare.co.uk

T: 0117 9087770

E: [email protected]

made bathin & britain body

bath, body, mind & soul Delight the senses with these products to pamper and soothe Heaven Scent launched its new body product range last year and is pleased the product is selling well. “We updated our bath and body range and updated the natural ingredients to include Argan Oil, Avocado Oil, Rosehip and Kernel Oils all renowned for their moisturising anti-aging qualities. They have an all essential oil range and a perfume range. Fragrances include; Lavender & Bergamot, Rose Geranium, Geranium and Lavender, Neroli and Patchouli. Included in the bath and body range is a bath milk, body lotion, hand and body wash and a sumptuous hand cream in both a tube and a tub.” Says Sarah Pettitt, Product Developer. To sample the entire range visit the company at Pulse this year on Stand J70. T: +44 (0)1225 868 788 heavenscent.co.uk We all need a little TLC and what better way to look after one’s self than by having a soak in the bath and then snuggling up with one of Groovy’s super-soft fleece bathrobe and slippers. Groovy UK has now extended its Harry Potter collection to include: The Hogwarts Houses, Dobby the House Elf, The Golden Snitch, Platform 9 ¾, Quidditch and The Deathly Hallows. Product ranges come in bathrobes, slippers, bags and lighting. The Harry Potter Golden Snitch range, with its sophisticated white and gold design, is a must have for any retailer anytime of the year. T: +44 (0)844 372 7820 groovyuk.com

Ancient Wisdom’s self-manufactured Chill Pills are mini bath bombs. Just toss them in the bath for a mini fizz, or use them as a bathroom decoration. Perfect for wedding favours, they also fit nicely in candy jars for an ideal gift. Children and adults alike seem to love them, drop one or two in the bath or even your foot spa for a little fun and fizz. They come in display boxes ready to put on your shelf. A box contains approximately 90 chill pills and weights 1.3kg. Ancient Wisdom recommends you sell six for £2 to return £35 per box. The product code is: awchill. T: +44 (0)114 250 1066 ancientwisdom.biz/awchill Joining the AA Skincare Essentials aromatherapy range of beauty and skincare products, the new shower and bath gels combine essential oils and natural extracts with healing herb powders, such as rejuvenating Brahmi to help cleanse and hydrate skin, vitamin C rich Alma to promote skin health and Tulsi which works to calm skin and stimulate blood flow. The range is free from parabens and artificial fragrances and packaging is fully recyclable. The trade price is £2.75 plus VAT for 250ml (RRP £5.95). Postage is free on all orders over £100, plus VAT, with a minimum order of £50, plus VAT over the entire range. T: +44 (0)117 904 7212 aaskincare.co.uk

giftfocus 49

bath, body, mind & soul

One of the biggest success stories for Joe Davies is that of its Poo Pourri collection. Joe Davies is the exclusive UK gift distributor of Poo Pourri, which is already a massive success in the US. Poo Pourri is the ‘Before you go’ toilet spray, containing essential oils and other natural compounds that virtually eliminates toilet odours! The launch of the brand-new Vanilla Mint fragrance was met with huge enthusiasm at the recent Spring Fair 2018 and with 20 million bottles of Poo Pourri already sold worldwide this is an opportunity not to be sniffed at! Joe Davies specialises in supplying to independent retailers in its trademark ‘little and often’ quantities with carriage paid orders of just £100. T: +44 (0)161 975 6300 joedavies.co.uk

Whether you are jetting off to an exotic location, on a business trip, or looking for something stylish to place on your bathroom vanity unit, Claire Louise luxury wash bags are a stylish and organised way to carry all your essential toiletries and cosmetics. A lovely selection of floral and trend led designs, with a new Tourist range due to be released soon. The wash bags are expertly crafted made from 100 per cent fine blend polyester with a zip opening and a waterproof lining – ideal for holding your wet swimwear and keeping your other belonging dry. The large wash bag measures 30cm x 22cm x 10cm. T: +44 (0)7715 373 344 clairelouise.eu 

50 giftfocus

Xystos has hit the ground running with new bath and body products that are flying off the shelves of independent retailers and garden centres. The gift sets from Di Palomo are particularly popular, while the Fuzzy Duck Beard Grooming Kit from Baylis & Harding has been racking up impressive Father’s Day sales. Xystos is also distributing personal care products from Woods of Windsor – whose Gardening Range has proved particularly popular – and The Naked Bee, which continues to benefit from a very loyal customer base. T: +44 (0)191 499 1570 xystostrade.co.uk

Ladybug Home Textile’s latest range of hand-loomed towels and bathrobes come in many colours and designs. The company has a new range of guest towels in rainbow colours. These are made exclusively from the best organic cotton grown in the Bergama region of Turkey. They’re produced by master weavers in the company’s own workshops in the northern Turkish city of Bursa. While stock items are available, the flexibility of the hand looming process means that custom designs and colours can be accommodated at low minimum order sizes. The focus of the company is to build on the long renowned history of Turkish towel production including luxurious full weight towels and the flat weave Peshtemals often referred to as Hamman towels. T: +44 (0)1753 892 603 ladybughome.co.uk

bath & body

Travel in style with Orla’s Kiely’s new two-piece wash bag collection, featuring her iconic Tulip Stem print in a bold colour palette of yellow, ochre and charcoal. Available from KMI Brands, Orla’s popular Tulip Stem design has been featured across her bags, accessories and homeware collections and is now applied to two of her latest wash bag styles. The Tulip Stem Train Case (pictured) adds a touch of retro glamour to your travel accessories, perfect to organise your toiletries for a weekend away. The Tulip Stem Large Cosmetic Bag is an ideal companion, which fits inside the train case for easy travelling. T: +44 (0)20 8614 4700 orlakiely.com Parkminster Products is a company with a very home-spun origin. It has been making candles and home fragrance products since the beginning of 2010 when the founder Krystyna Patey quit her day job to follow her dreams of making her own fragrance products, and this all started in her own kitchen. Parkminster has since become a well-known brand and now supplies more than 300 retail shops in the UK – and its products can also be found in Amsterdam, Ibiza, Japan as well as Ireland, Paris and Switzerland. Parkminster uses natural soy waxes and carefully blended essential oils and high-quality fragrance oils. With more than 22 scents to choose from, the company offers fragrances to suit all sense of smells. Products are produced in a simple and traditional way, everything is blended in small batches, hand poured, labelled and boxed by hand in the company’s small workshop in West Sussex (UK). T: +44 (0)1403 713 778 parkminster.co.uk

More and more businesses are presenting the warmth of hot water bottles for their guest’s comfort. From restaurant terraces to outdoor bars and clubs, and now spas. In fact being given a hot water bottle after a treatment will soon go hand in hand with receiving a hot beverage. YuYu understands that this moment of intimacy has great value. The moment is precious as the time we take out for ourselves these days is crucial for our vitality. YuYu believes that when cuddling something so close to your skin, and for so long, it should be made of the best fabrics – that being the finest natural rubber and never chemically made products, such as PVC. That’s why some of the most prestigious spas in the world choose the YuYu Bottle. [email protected] yuyubottle.com A scent has the power to trigger beautiful memories – this is the notion captured in Winter in Venice’s British award-winning range of luxury toiletries and gift sets. Winter in Venice encapsulates the soothing, calming, and captivating fragrances that Mother Nature offers and presents them to you in expertly designed and formulated rich concoctions packed in beautiful, reusable containers such as jewellery cases, hat boxes, wooden cabinets, bath caddies and more. The formulations are enriched with shea butter, cocoa butter, mango butter, almond oil, plant and fruit extracts, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Pro Vitamin B5 and evening primrose oil. The company’s moisture lock formula promises to leave your skin feeling soft and silky. Winter in Venice is against all forms of animal testing and are one of the first UK brands to remove all parabens. Many products are also free from SLS, SLES, DEA, mineral oils and paraffins. So gentle, yet luxurious, Winter in Venice’s gift sets are a perfect pamper treats for a loved one or to simply indulge yourself. T: +44 (0)845 652 1223 winterinvenice.co.uk

giftfocus 53

Formal or fun, wine and dine guests with this superb array of tableware

Image credit: Rex London rexlondontrade.com giftfocus 55

tabletop & glassware

the host with the most

the host with the most Llamas are right on trend for this summer and the Personalised Memento Company has added a new flavour to this popular theme with a range of stylish personalised gifts. The personalised llama is available in two styles, including a vibrant multicoloured variant and a warm, rustic design that draws upon South American influences. The range is available on glassware including hi ball glasses and wine glasses, as well as greetings cards, sweets and notebooks. Using years of industry experience, PMC can cater to work with any size business across a variety of selling platforms. The company’s simple ordering and drop ship solution makes selling personalised gifts in independent shops, e-commerce retailers and even big high street names easier than ever before. Simply visit PMC’s trade website to sign up for your account today. T: +44 (0)1782 744 900 personalisedmemento.co.uk

The Emma Kate Company’s whimsical and fabulously elegant wine glasses with the themes of For Keeps and Forever and Ever in rose gold lettering are perfect wedding day gifts. These glasses from Gaeltag Keltika come beautifully packaged in gift boxes. T: +44 (0)20 8998 1781 gaeltagkeltika.com

Dunoon has introduced ‘Show-offs’ on its popular Orkney fine bone china mug shape. These feature elephants and flamingos having fun and showing off and come in sets of two. The mugs are designed by Kate Mawdsley and made in the heart of Staffordshire. T: +44 (0)1785 817 414 dunoonmugs.co.uk

Say it with Lesser and Pavey and its brand new range of tabletop wedding gifts. These are new additions to the Mad Dot Collection; each item is beautifully presented in attractive gift packaging and perfect as a gift to loved ones on their special day.   There are Mr and Mrs fine china mugs decorated with real 18ct gold and include a sweet diamanté heart which makes this range so very special; there’s also his and her champagne flutes to toast the happy couple on their special day also featuring the sweet diamanté heart and gold lettering. All these items are licensed to Lesser and Pavey by Hearts Designs and form part of the Mad Dots Collection which has been a huge success. T: +44 (0)1322 279 225 leonardo.co.uk 56 giftfocus

THERE’S A RANGE OF DIFFERENT DESIGNS TO SUIT EVERY INTEREST.

JH Designpoint AWARD-WINNING AND EXCLUSIVE MUGS, VASES AND BAUBLES DESIGNED AND MADE IN THE UK Simple but effective design on bone china mugs, vases and baubles

The full range of mugs, can be seen at www.jhdesignpoint.net

0141 339 4927 | [email protected]

www.jhdesignpoint.net

After what seems to have been a long and dreary winter our attention turns to spring and in our industry that inevitably means the Wedding Season! .HLS[HNOHZHU\TILYVMWYVK\J[Z^P[OPUP[ZWVY[MVSPV^OPJOÄ[[OLIPSSWLYMLJ[S`

These include the Emma 2H[L*VTWHU`»Z^OPTZPJHS HUKMHI\SV\ZS`LSLNHU[^PUL glasses with the themes of “For Keeps” and “Forever and Ever” in rose gold lettering. The glasses come beautifully packaged in gift boxes.

Our ever popular “You are an Angel” range HSZVJH[LYZMVY[OL>LKKPUN:LHZVU¸,]LY` Home can be a castle when the king and queen are in love” is the sentiment on the Z[`SPZOTTÄN\YPUL These ranges are fully in stock and available from Gaeltag Keltika Ltd

Tilnar Art, the Fair Trade supplier, is thrilled to announce that it will now be the new home of Azeti Interiors. Azeti offers a high quality product range that Tilnar feel will be a great fit for many retailers. Azeti is an established Fair Trade brand with more than 10 years’ experience developing and refining its ranges. Tilnar Art is very proud to be able to continue working with Azeti’s Fair Trade suppliers and to offer the Azeti range. Azeti prides itself in the high quality of its products and its signature range is the recycled aluminium collection which comes individually gift boxed making them a great gift item. T: +44 (0)1277 362 815 tilnarart.co.uk

The Olive range of bone china cups by Repeat Repeat are smaller than a traditional sized mug, and larger than an espresso cup. Perfect for coffee machines and for small cups of tea. The bone china has tactile 3D patterns characteristic of their Classic White bone china, which feel as good as they look. They are lovingly hand-made in the company’s home town of Stoke-on-Trent. Repeat Repeat is determined to fly the flag and keep the traditions of the English potteries alive. T: +44 (0)1782 845 870 repeatrepeat.co.uk

Ideal for any occasion, SPG’s ranges of personalised glasses are certainly the best gift for a special occasion. You choose the name and message that is seamlessly incorporated onto a choice of exquisite glasses. The company’s best-selling range is unsurprisingly balloon gin glasses, including this funny Can’t Buy Happiness design. The gift of giving someone their favourite tipple is an age-old tradition, but something they can keep for longer, whilst enjoying said tipple, leaves a lasting impression. These glasses are exclusively made by Signature PG and drop-ship delivered to the end customer. T: +44 (0)1782 950 333 signature-pg.co.uk giftfocus 59

tabletop & glassware

The elegant hand cut crystal wine suite Mayfair from Royal Scot Crystal epitomises the traditional skill of British glasscutters, the traditional craftsmanship is vital. The suite offers port glasses, two sizes of wine glass, flute champagnes, brandies, and a choice of shape and sizes of tumblers and decanters. The classic Mayfair design has deep diamond cuts alongside vertical prisms for a breathtaking sparkle, a firm favourite with the wedding market. Following the interest in speciality drinks, barrel-shaped tumblers and large gin and tonic tumblers have been introduced. T: +44 (0)20 8508 2435 royalscotcrystal.com

the host with the most J H Designpoint is a designer and supplier of exclusive bone china mugs and vases. Designs are also applied to Christmas baubles, jugs, money boxes and many more bone china items. All of the company’s products are made in the UK. Illustrated here are two South African themed mug designs – one featuring leaping impalas and the other running nning ostriches. osttriches. T: +44 (0)141 339 4927 jhdesignpoint.net  

For spring, Rex London is very excited to introduce its new eco-friendly dining and food storage collections for adults and for children. Made from sustainable bamboo, this stunning range is strong and durable. Its heat, water and stain resistant properties make it perfect for serving tasty treats, and keeping them fresh. Decorated with a selection of the company’s most popular and on-trend prints, this stunning selection is lightweight, functional, and comfortable to use. Adding a fresh, natural touch to any kitchen, they will make the most delightful gifts for spring/summer. T: +44 (0)20 8746 1700 rexlondontrade.com

Beatriz Ball is a tabletop brand specialising in serving items. The collection includes platters, trays, pedestal servers, salad bowls, wine buckets, centrepiece bowls and tableware accessories. Products are made in a proprietary lustrous metal alloy, which never needs polishing. There are also carving boards and pedestal platters in a combination of tropical hardwood and contrasting metal design elements. Beatriz Ball has established retail distribution in the UK and products are available through White Pebble International, with a logistics centre in Chichester. T: +44 (0)1243 780 501 eu.beatrizball.com 60 giftfocus

These salt and pepper pots are from All Personal Gift’s fine silverplated range. The size of each item is 26mm x 30mm x 58mm. All Personal Gifts provides a comprehensive range of stunning fine silver-plated gifts that can be engraved for that personal touch and silvercome in top quality presentation boxes. In addition to the silver-plate range the company also offer top quality metal products which will suit all a tastes and budgets. The entire range consists of business card cases, cases desk and table clocks, handbag mirrors, cufflinks, photo frames, bookmarks, desk and office gifts, novelties and games, key rings, bookm tableware tablew items and wine and spirit gifts. T: +44 (0)845 170 7000 allpersonalgifts.co.uk allper Coff Coffee specialist, Melitta®, part of the family-owned Melitta® Group, launches its new premium bean to cup coffee machine into retail laun – co complete with the prestigious Quiet Mark icon in recognition of being among the quietest products on the market. The Barista TS Smart® is fitted with the intuitive Touch & Slide feature to simply and conveniently set and use the coffee machine by gently touching the sensor panels. Complete with a number of added new features including the Melitta Connect App – ‘My Coffee & Smart Service’, the Quiet as a Whisper Grinder (Quiet Mark) for quiet grinding with five different grind settings and a super convenient automatic ‘once a year’ cleaning, descaling and flushing programme. T: +44 (0)1952 671 073 melitta.co.uk

eco-friendly

protect our planet These companies are all doing their bit to help Mother Earth, here are some fabulous new products “Provenance is of increasing interest to buyers,” notes Charlotte Gillan, Managing Director of walking stick specialists Classic Canes. “Many of our country and rustic walking sticks are grown in our Somerset woodland, using the traditional forestry practice of ‘coppicing’. This allows the same tree to grow many walking sticks over its lifetime, and by preventing a leafy canopy forming, ensures plenty of light reaches the woodland floor. This provides an excellent habitat for wildflowers, butterflies and bees. The sticks are harvested annually and manufactured on site. Each one is original and they make excellent gifts for people who are interested in traditional artisan crafts and the environment.” T: +44 (0)1460 75686 classiccanes.co.uk 

Puckator launched its new range of biodegradable bamboo tableware last year. Made entirely from sustainable bamboo and natural fibres, the products provide a perfect way to keep your summers stylish and your conscious clear whilst eating and drinking on the go. Puckator has been busy this season expanding its existing bamboo lines to feature its top selling designs. For summer there’s the gorgeous and on trend ‘Tropical Paradise’ and for the cat lovers out there the adorable ‘Feline Fine’ pattern featuring naughty kitties across plates, cups, trays and travel mugs. For the little ones there are five brand new sets to suit all tastes. These wonderfully convenient picnic sets can now be found in dinosaur, princess, mermaid, narwhal and best of all, a fresh new unicorn design. Make your shop the place to visit this summer and get yourselves down to the Bambootique at Puckator to find all the latest items. T: +44 (0)800 011 6969 puckator.co.uk

The Naked Bee Travel Kit and Mini Bee Kit from Xystos will come into their own this summer as people make the most of their weekends and holidays. Says Xystos General Manager Tom Sykes, “Consumers are increasingly careful about what they put on their skin, and in Naked Bee we have an easy-tocarry range of products that contain all the good stuff, none of the bad stuff.” The Orange Blossom Honey bath and body products have personal care needs covered from head to toe – from shampoo to restoration foot balm. They are paraben-free and contain no propylene glycol, mineral oil, dyes, pigment, lauryl or laureth sulfate. And no animal testing is ever involved in their production. T: +44 (0)191 499 1570 xystostrade.co.uk Shared Earth has introduced some fantastic bowls, placemats and coasters to its already exciting range of eco products. These are made by a small group of artisans in Madagascar (that country we’d all like to visit) helping them to maintain their traditional skills with vibrant, bold and contemporary designs thought up in the UK. They’re made with sustainable raffia, use only natural dyes, and an added bonus, are a Fair Trade range. Madagascar is one of the world’s poorest countries and Shared Earth, also importing its bestselling recycled tin bike and car models from there, is proud with your help to be making a small difference. Products are available late May – and coming soon – exciting recycled glass tumblers and wine glasses from Tanzania (expected in June). T: +44 (0)1904 670 321 sharedearth-trade.co.uk giftfocus 63

protect our planet

Jarapa is a family business specialising in recycled, up-cycled and natural products. You can check out Jarapa’s new range of recycled glass gift sets of tumblers perfect for summer parties at Pulse, stand M44. [email protected] jarapa.co.uk

Great quality products, designed and made with care and attention to detail, all with ethical principles to be proud of. Earth Squared is now in its 17th year of trading and continues to grow as a business, working closely with fair trade partners in Vietnam to constantly innovate and bring exciting new textile bags and accessories to a competitive market. Over the coming months, Earth Squared will be looking closely at the packaging used for its range of fair trade products, with plastic waste high on the International agenda at the moment, the company will be looking at more sustainable methods of packaging with the hope of implementing changes in this area as soon as a suitable alternative has been found. As always, Earth Squared works hard to design a carefully considered collection which is brought together through careful use of colour creating common themes across the ranges. This enables customers to select products from several different lines, which work well together on the shop floor, providing a great toolbox for creating eye-catching displays. Customers will be delighted to see popular ranges updated with brand new fabrics for the colder months, eight beautiful tweeds to choose from in a wide and varied selection of styles, including fabulous new weekend bags, widening the travel and leisure offering, which also includes fabulous utilitarian voyager bags. There will be brand new oil cloth selections for AW2018, gorgeous new designs in versatile colours and patterns plus new scarves and wraps to match and a beautiful choice of velvets styles. T: +44 (0)1620 824 392 fairtradewholesale.co.uk

64 giftfocus

Tilnar Art, the Fair Trade supplier, is delighted to be the new home for Azeti Interiors, which was an outstanding success at Spring Fair and will quite possibly become the company’s biggest selling collection. Tilnar Art has been ahead of the curve as all the ranges are hand-made, fair trade and recycled which are a fabulous alternative to plastic, especially as the consumer begins to move away from plastic items. Tilnar is now working with a great wildlife artist, Meg Hawkins meghawkins.co.uk and has developed a wildlife and Christmas range of the recycled aluminium bowls. Tilnar has put her stunning artwork on to the bowls and coasters to develop a new wildlife range with robins, stags, pheasants, sheep, thistles, highland cows and many more during the coming year. Each product also comes in a superb presentation box making a perfect gift. T: +44 (0)1277 362 815 tilnarart.co.uk

Wild & Wolf is proud to partner with leading line of eco-friendly toys, décor and playthings: Petit Collage. Petit Collage is all about good design, combining a modern aesthetic with a sustainability criteria to create bold, thoughtful goods that inspire little ones, from new-borns to school children. Lovingly designed in a California studio, the products span a whole range of categories including early years, crafts and activities, puzzles and games, back to school, books and learning and living. The first product was a handcrafted collage using recycled materials. That product inspired not only the company name but also its sustainability ethos. Some 10 years later, and the company still chooses the materials it uses carefully, from recycled cardboard to FSCcertified wood and soy-based inks; and avoid plastic. The products are designed with the health of our children, and the planet, in mind. The products are as beautiful as they are fun to use — toys, playthings and décor that are loved by both kids and their parents. All Petit collage products are available to UK retailers via Wild & Wolf. T: +44 (0)1225 789 909 wildandwolf.co.uk

100% RECYCLED GLASSWARE RECYCLED GLASS LAMPS DESIGNED IN THE UK

We look forward to welcoming you to our stand at Pulse

www.jarapa.co.uk [email protected] | 0845 5191982 | 07939 555737

Please contact us for a trade catalogue: www.classiccanes.co.uk

get ready to be wooed

Danielle MacRae, Brand Manager for Kaytie Wu, talks us through the contemporary jewellery company When did Kaytie Wu start up? What was the reason for setting up this business? Kaytie Wu is a brand re-launched and created by jewellery designer Kaytie Wu in 2015; Kaytie has rich experience in jewellery and fashion and had always wanted to create and design a contemporary brand out of her own thinking for independent women like herself. Strongly influenced by the Minimalist art movement and her love of Japanese architecture, the debut collection ‘Geo’, all in fine gold and silver plating and Swarovski crystals, shows her art direction with strong commercial underpinning. Tell us about your product offering. The KW brand currently offers six one-ofa-kind collections and one brand new collection of KW sunglasses. The Kaytie Wu brand is made up of strong geometric shapes, made of gold, silver or rose gold-plated brass. The new collection of sunglasses is the latest KW collection. The entire range comes with level three protection against sun glare and provides extra protection for visual and UV light, making them fashionable and safe! For our retailers who purchase the complete range they will also receive a free KW display stand. The younger sister range KaytieKaytie Wu (KKW) – all sterling silver with gold plated or vermeil, again follows the same minimalist

style of KW, adding fun and colour to the most popular geometric shapes. This collection has a fresher feel for a younger audience, and consists of now seven ranges, two of which have recently been launched: Tropical and Dreamcatcher. Tropical incorporates fun fruit designs in a choice of sterling silver or sterling silver with 18k gold plated. The Dreamcatcher earrings are only a glimpse of what’s to come. These earrings have an original design and convey a likeness for the traditional protection decoration. KKW has also launched three new beautiful additions to the already one-of-a-kind Flora and Stone collections. The Flora collection showcases simple, yet elegant designs, offering a fresh feel for a younger audience. The Stone collection, however, is classy yet understated. The round and oval sparkled cubic zirconias are set in ‘925’ sterling silver or plated in 18k rose gold, making them easily wearable. All items are finished by hand with great care and beautifully presented in a stunning pink gift box, making them perfect for any special occasion. What’s your most popular collection? Our waterdrop collection offers a symbol of purity and comes in the form of a necklace, bangle, ring and earrings. This collection includes a choice of brushed metals and Austrian crystals, in either silver, gold or rose gold plated. This bestselling collection is easy to wear and the perfect gift for any occasion. Have any products taken you by surprise with their popularity? Kaytie’s innovative eye for fashion has enabled her to instantly spot upcoming trends and help us to stay on top of current and forth

66 giftfocus

coming trends. However, we’re slightly surprised by the popularity of the water drops and circle collection. We’re particularly pleasantly surprised by the strong performance by some of our premium gift and lifestyle retailer partners. We hope that success can be shared among many of your readers, in more locations. How do you keep your designs current? How often do you launch new lines? Kaytie dedicates a lot of her time travelling and sourcing materials for upcoming designs. She attends shows regularly and is constantly on the lookout for inspiration. Inspiration can come from anything and can start as something small that can be built upon. The fresh designs ultimately come from

company profile

Kaytie’s passion for the brand and for designing. These are updated with at least two collections a year. What have been the key milestones in the business? A successful launch in the first year with 150 stockists signing up in UK and Ireland, and KW now being sold in 10 House of Fraser flagship stores nationwide and available on its website. How are you finding the current economic climate in the UK? Is it affecting business? The current climate certainly made many of our clients more careful in selecting a brand. KW has been successful in identifying a gap in the market for original designs, quality material and finish, accessible retail price point, strong marketing presence in social media, and support in merchandising presentation. Only by doing that could we overcome the challenging market and so far, many of our clients have been continuously ordering and selling – a sign that shows the formula has worked. Are you active on social media? How is this important for the business? We’re very active across all social media platforms. We understand that most people these days use social media and we want to be able to be informative as well as interesting across all platforms. We have a strong following at the moment

and hope to see this grow even further over the upcoming year. Do you visit trade shows? Which ones, and how are these important for the business? Yes, we regularly visit trade shows. This year so far we’ve been at Spring Fair in Birmingham and Pure London. Appearing at these shows is a good way to showcase new products and meet new customers. We’re also able to connect with our existing customers and get to know them on a much more personal level. If you missed us at Spring Fair and Pure, you can also catch us INDX, Harrogate’s Home & Gift, Moda and Autumn Fair.

biggest part in the future. We want to continue to grow both KW and KKW and be able to offer customers a wider range of products. We hope for there to be more accessory items after our recent launch of sunglasses and be able to add pieces that move away from the more core jewellery lines. This year, we’ve been focusing on our packaging and providing our customers a product that can be sold as the ‘perfect gift’. We’ve just launched out new grey gift boxes for KW retailers. These are supplied at 10 a time for every £100 spent, meaning customers are given a choice for gift wrapping. We’re hoping to expand even more into the gift retailer industry and this is the first step in the right direction.

Do you have any tips for new traders? Change the display often to keep customers interested. Invest in social networking and keep your products fresh. I think it’s also important to know your products, be able to answer any questions and tell any relevant stories behind the pieces. Here at KW we offer help to all our customers, old or new, with product knowledge and helpful display stands. We also have fact sheets for when our customers ask for them and a ‘brand bible’ for the KW brand to help set up a display, organise the collections and be ready for sale. What can we expect in the future from Kaytie Wu? To keep producing relevant products for our clients and KW customers, this will play the

For further information, telephone +44 (0)20 3397 5880 or visit the website kaytiewu.com giftfocus 67

where trends are born Pulse 2018 invites you to be inspired by its selection of living, fashion accessories and giftware In brief Show Organiser Where When Website Twitter

Pulse Clarion Events Olympia, London 13th-15th May, 2018 pulse-london.com @PulseLondonShow

At Pulse you can find something different, one of a kind and invaluable. Whether it’s emerging designer makers, new A/W 18/19 launches, trend forecasts, business advice, undiscovered international brands or Christmas collections ahead of the busy autumn buying period, Pulse is designed with your business in mind.

Here’s what’s in store for you: Makers Makers provides an inspiring edit of products from a talented new wave of designer makers. Some of the fabulous designers exhibiting in the 2018 edition include Animaro Design, Catherine Lewis Design, Cotton Clara, Factory Floor Jewels, Rope Studio London and Text from a Friend to name a few...

Jewellery Emporium New to Pulse for 2018 is the Jewellery Emporium, bringing you an originalselection of unseen jewellery designers together at the show. Confirmed are brands Tribe + Glory, WildFawn and Regia Jewellery, with more to be announced soon.

Fashion Discover future trends with the highly edited fashion offering at Pulse. Some of the exciting fashion brands include Black and Sigi and Mahi Leather.

New products Brands is a must attend edit of exciting new launches from retailers’ favourite industry leading brands, all in one ultimate buying location. For 2018, it will feature new launches from Also Home, Block, Bombay Duck, Canova 68 giftfocus

pulse preview

Gifts, Designed in Colour, Madam Stoltz, Jen Rowland, Yod & Co and much more....

FOUND FOUND is a sector dedicated to bringing buyers never-seen-before international brands. Whether you’re looking to buy fashion, homeware or giftware, FOUND exhibitors represent the very best in unseen design from around the globe. Undiscovered brands in the FOUND section at Pulse 2018 include KLOQ, Sofia Castegren, Ebonymoon, Arion Jewellery and Anna Rosa Mosch to name a few.

UAL Now Visitors to University of the Arts London’s (UAL) feature stand at Pulse London will get an exclusive preview of new products by emerging designers. The university will present a hand-picked selection of design products, created by 13 of its students and alumni at the show this May. Many have never exhibited at a trade show before, making UAL’s stand the place to discover the names to watch in design. The stand will feature a diverse range of products, from furniture and household products, through to handbags and scarves, prints and stationery.

ShopTalk ShopTalk 2018 is brought to you by 5x15.

Curating inspirational talks and workshops, 5x15 promise to deliver an insightful programme for you at Pulse 2018. With sessions such as Profitability over popularity; How to build an Instagram community that buys; and PR on a budget, Shoptalk is created to help indie retailers make the most out of

their business. Louise Morris, Show Director Pulse says, “With increasing consumer demand for new product, retailers are under constant pressure to keep their shelves fresh with exciting new lines to entice customers into their stores. This means they need access to new product all year round. At Pulse we’re continuously on the hunt for talented new designer-makers and exciting new UK and international brands, making it easy for retailers to discover those one-of-a-kind gems, mid-season. It’s the perfect place to shop the next big trends, the next best sellers and those stand out products that will really enhance a store’s offering and keep them one step ahead.” Pulse is designed for buyers who are searching for the next must-have product and the freshest design talent. Pulse is where trends are born, where you will find your next best sellers that will really enhance your stores offering.

Make sure you save the date and secure your complimentary ticket today at pulse-london.com giftfocus 69

VISIT US AT

PULSE STAND A57 where we will be showcasing our new collections for LAST TRUE ANGEL and WHITE LEAF

Our new wholesale ordering site is now live, visit

www.whiteleafcompany.co.uk

COME SEE US AT PULSE STAND J41 CRAFTED NOT MANUFACTURED

* Award-winning towels and bathrobes transmitting warmth and luxury that fascinate the eyes and seduce the senses * Made of 100% organic Bergama cotton, hand loomed by master weavers

* Natural colour fast dyes * An expression of luxury lifestyle, typical of people who know how to treat themselves well and how to feel well about themselves

Tel: 01753 892603 Fax: 01753 892001 Email: [email protected]

www.ladybughome.co.uk

pulse preview

Heaven Scent Stand: J70 heavenscent.co.uk Heaven Scent has added a new reed diffuser range to complement its Pharmacy Glass Candles range. “We’ve always offered our Brown Pharmacy Glass to customers, but recently there’s been a renaissance in the brown glass range and we’re selling more than ever, so we decided to add to this range a beautiful ointment pot for our natural reed diffusers,” says Sarah Pettitt working in Product Development. The new reed diffuser will be available from May 2018 and on show at Pulse for customers to have a look and smell the fragrances. Contact the team on +44 (0)1225 868 788, email [email protected], or visit the website heavenscent.co.uk for further information.

Ladybug Home Textile Stand: J41 ladybughome.co.uk Ladybug Home Textile is displaying its latest range of colours and designs of luxury, hand loomed towels and bathrobes at Pulse. The company will also present a new range of guest towels in rainbow colours. These are made exclusively from the best organic cotton grown in the Bergama region of Turkey. They’re produced by master weavers in the company’s own workshops in the northern Turkish city of Bursa. While stock items are available, the flexibility of the hand looming process means that custom designs and colours can be accommodated at low minimum order sizes. The focus of the company is to build on the long renowned history of Turkish towel production including luxurious full weight towels and the flat weave Peshtemals often referred to as Hamman towels.

Repeat Repeat Stand: K20 repeatrepeat.co.uk Repeat Repeat has added more new designs to its latest successful collection of bone china mugs called Happiness. New additions include a bear, a rabbit, a hedgehog and chickens which join the popular cats, dogs, horses, gardening, boats, the seaside, the countryside, cycling and fishing designs. Designed by the Repeat Repeat founders Gillian Naylor and Mark Faulkner, the products are beautifully illustrated in a mid-century style with colours typical of that era. The range currently includes bone china mugs, egg cups, melamine coasters, fridge magnets and tea towels.

giftfocus 71

where trends are born

Abigail Burch Illustration Stand: UAL Now abigailburch.co.uk Abigail is an illustrator and designer based in south-east London. Currently completing an MA in illustration at Camberwell College of Art, she draws inspiration from the quirks and charm of the people, pets and places around her, to produce humorous, playful and engaging pieces of work. Working in pen and ink and refining it digitally, her work retains a hand-drawn charm and expressiveness. Abigail originally completed a degree in Graphic Design where her final year illustration-based work earned her D&AD Best of Year, D&AD Best New Blood and Silver in the Roses Student Creativity award. Her background in graphics is evident through her idea driven designs and simple and bold use of colour and line.

Bespoke Verse Stand: J43 bespokeverse.co.uk Bespoke Verse creates poetry-themed prints, goods and gifts that say just the right things with rhyme. The company believe life is full of special occasions – from weddings to birthdays to holidays to every day – that call for equally special words and wit. Bespoke Verse poems are thoughtfully crafted in its studio in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, then combined with top quality materials sourced in Britain to create signature prints and gifts.

72 giftfocus

JDPCERAMICS Stand: UAL Now jdpceramics.com JDPCERAMICS designer James Pegg creates contemporary ceramics from his studio in Peckham Rye. His ‘Action Cast’ collection of porcelain vessels combine James’ training in fashion and textiles, with his love of colour, to create products that are both functional and decorative. The Action Cast range provides buyers with the chance to own something totally original. Each vessel is adorned with a totally one-of-a-kind pattern; resulting from movement and dynamic colour combinations. JDPCERAMICS products can be used as functional table and homeware or displayed as little works of art, but they are designed to be joyous and playful additions to a space.

Come to Betsy Benn and see our exclusive velvet map cushions, launching at Pulse this year, on stand J51 01242 570731 [email protected]

www.betsybenn.com

pulse preview

Extra&Ordinary Design Stand: UAL Now extraandordinarydesign.com Established by South Korean designer Hyunhee Hwang, Extra&Ordinary Design’s products aim to make everyday environments extraordinary. The multidisciplinary studio creates a variety of products that are inspired by nature, from screens and bedding with bold botanical graphics, to stone vases reminiscent of humble plants growing through the pavement on the street.

Esoteric London Stand: C61 esoteric-london.com Esoteric London will be exhibiting its new jewellery collection in collaboration with Paperwilds at Pulse 2018. Each piece is made with hand-marbled paper; marbling being one of 17 endangered heritage crafts, with this particular hand marbling technique having been in use since the 15th century. The collection is a new and contemporary way to keep the craft alive. Every single piece in the range has been hand-made in south-east London, and as they are hand marbled, no two patterns are the same.

Yod and Co Stand: F28 yodandco.com Yod and Co was formed out of our curiosity to make everyday life a little more enjoyable. Their passion lies in a well-considered use of colour, material and finish in design. Yod and Co scouts the globe for visionary designers who share their beliefs and build a collection of beautiful objects. Yod and Co is proud to represent and distributes various brands from all over the globe. Currently the company is representing brands including, Ommo, Boskke, Designbite, Aaron Probyn, Thinkk Studio, Tangent GC and NAVA Workshop.

giftfocus 75

where trends are born

MCatherine Lewis Design Stand: E31 catherineannlewis.com Catherine Lewis Design is a botanical brand founded by Catherine Edwards in 2016 and are based in Cardiff, Wales. She aims to create original products in the form of stationery, art prints and soft furnishings with her intricate illustrations and love for print design. All products are proudly made in the UK.

Solo Stand: K51 solo.uk SOLO is delighted to have been appointed exclusive UK distributors for Elephant Parade and the collection will be showcased for the first time in the UK at Pulse this year. Elephant Parade is a collection of handcrafted elephant replicas that are designed by artists and celebrities around the globe to raise awareness for elephant conservation and welfare charities. The large original elephants are specially designed for parades that take part in cities all across the

76 giftfocus

Jarapa Stand: M44 jarapa.co.uk Jarapa is a family-run business specialising in recycled, up-cycled and natural products. You can check out Jarapa’s new range of recycled glass gift sets of tumblers perfect for summer parties at the show.

world, the latest of which is taking place currently in India! Elephant Parade was founded by father and son Marc and Mike Spits in 2006. Whilst on holiday In Thailand, Marc met a baby elephant named Mosha, who had lost part of her leg after stepping on a landmine. Mosha inspired Marc and Mike to create Elephant Parade. Mosha remains the central heart to Elephant parade to this day and Marc and Mike still regularly visit her. Some 20 per cent of Elephant Parade net profit is donated to elephant welfare and conservation charities.

EXPERIENCE TENDENCE

Tendence 2018 promises to be a new-product experience for all the senses – sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell At Tendence in Frankfurt, retailers will find extraordinary ideas with the wow effect, and the must-haves of the season. With special areas including Outdoor Living, Paper & Friends, the Tendence Academy and the new Pioneers of Lifestyle Congress, the most international order platform of the second half of the year is a veritable experience for all the senses. In the coming season, Tendence will do one thing without ceasing to do the other: it will present the latest winter and Christmas trends for furnishing, living and giving at the same time as giving the high-volume, international trade the chance to place early orders for the 2019 spring and summer collections. However, Tendence is more than just an order platform – it’s also a source of value added and know-how for the trade. “The high quality of the special presentations at Tendence is our unique selling proposition. In particular, they aim to give small to medium-sized retailers inspiration for displaying products effectively and making a visit to their store a special experience for customers”, says Tendence Director, Bettina Bär. Tendence, a world of experience Visitors obtain ideas and impulse revolving 78 giftfocus

around the concept of ‘living in green’ at the Outdoor Living Area, which will be bigger than ever before this year. Garden plants are shown together with outdoor lifestyle products between the Galleria and Hall 10, as well as on the outdoor area (F11). Visitors are offered inspiration and best-practice impressions for individually presenting plants, garden furniture, outdoor accessories, etc. The area is already fully booked by companies such as Blooming Walls, Dynco, Lechuzza and Pad home design concept, as well as newcomers including DECO Gasgeräte, outTrade and Simply Best. Concept Store Inspirations Another source of ideas comes from the ‘Concept Store Inspirations’ product presentation in Hall 9.0 where the spotlight is on point-of-sale displays and assortment compilation. The aim is to show visitors how to turn their own shop into a concept and experiential store, to arouse customers’ curiosity and tempt them to spend more time there. Via two themed areas, ‘Deep Blue’ and ‘Mountain High’, visitors can find out about coherent shop concepts from the customers’ perspective. Moreover, the presentation includes other easy to implement, creative ideas on the subjects of

In brief Show Organiser Where When Website Twitter

Tendence Sherwood Events Messe Frankfurt, Germany 30th June - 3rd July, 2018 tendence.messefrankfurt.com tendencefair

‘colour worlds’ and ‘product selection’. Ways in which the point-of-sale displays can attract even greater attention and turn customer interest into purchasing intentions are shown by nine renowned brands in the Village. Cedon, Designimdorf, Charles & Marie, Donkey Products, Gift Company, Good old friends, Nogallery, Paperproducts and Werkhaus will be back in Hall 11.0 to present their latest collections for buyers as a point of contact and source of inspiration. New at Tendence 2018 is the Paper & Friends special area curated by Angelika Niestrath. Aimed particularly at owners of book shops and stationer’s, the show revolves around clever ideas for the effective and emotional presentation of space-intensive wall calendars, cards and gift books. NEW: Pioneers of Lifestyle Congress Unrivalled in the sector is the Pioneers of Lifestyle Congress, which makes its debut at Tendence 2018. Organised by Digital Apartment and supported by Messe Frankfurt, the congress is aimed at lifestyle innovators and start-ups, as well as experts and insiders from the sector. Renowned speakers from home and abroad will

tendence

provide insights and discuss best-practice models of the lifestyle industry in lectures and workshops. Additionally, the ‘Lifestyle StartUp of the Year’ will be chosen at the congress after taking due account of the significance of young people in the sector. “The Pioneers of Lifestyle congress is unrivalled in the sector and yet so important! This is where old meets new, where the tried and tested meets innovations and the familiar meets the unfamiliar. Thus, participants will be given exclusive insights into and from the lifestyle scene by experts with many years of experience and by innovative newcomers”, says Group Show Director Philipp Ferger, Tendence, and co-initiator of the congress. Pioneers of Lifestyle will be held in the ‘Portalhaus’ of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre and begins at 10am on 3rd July, 2018. The congress will be held in German with a simultaneous translation into English. Admission to Tendence is included in the

congress fee. Further information will be published soon on the Tendence website.

(Bundesverband Kunsthandwerk) and Messe Frankfurt.

Tendence Academy The event programme for the European retail trade is a wonderful source of inspiration. It generates relevant impulses for in-shop and shop window design, offers assistance for starting-up in the online business and gives tips for deriving trends from social trends. Lectures for jewellery and accessory buyers, as well as for the green sector, will be given on the stage in Hall 9.1. They will be followed for the first time at 3.15pm on the Saturday and Sunday of the fair by half-hour workshops for visitors wanting to know more about making a mood board.

Don’t forget – hotel accommodation especially for visitors For the second time running, Messe Frankfurt is offering visitors to Tendence 2018 a hotel package in cooperation with the Frankfurt Hotel Alliance. For as little as €79 per night, visitors can choose from selected four and five start hotels within walking distance of the fair – including breakfast, welcome drink and WLAN. Interested visitors should not hesitate – the accommodation is available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

Handicrafts at Tendence Craftspeople and jewellery designers will also be showing their one-off and small-series products in two special areas as part of Messe Frankfurt’s ‘Talents’ promotional programme. Modern Crafts Talents present their creations in the ‘Pure & Elegant’ sector in Hall 9.0 while jewellery designers can be found in the ‘Jewellery, Fashion & Beauty’ segment in Hall 11.1. Applications for both areas are possible until 19th March, 2018. This year’s Tendence will once again be an important platform for contemporary arts & crafts thanks primarily to the Form exhibition in Hall 9.0. The competition is planned and organised by the German Arts & Crafts Association

Tendence is Germany’s most international order venue for the second half of the year. The wide-ranging product portfolio covers fields of the home, furnishing, decorating, gifts, jewellery, fashion accessories, tableware, kitchenware, home textiles and outdoor living. Special shows and a wideranging complementary programme of events are multi-faceted sources of salesboosting impulses for retailers. Strong brands and key communicators use this new-products platform to present their trends for the winter and Christmas season. At the same time, they give bulk buyers from the international trade the chance to place orders in good time for their spring and summer collections. giftfocus 79

[email protected]

pg live

a decade of design PG Live 2018 makes plans for its 10th anniversary show IN BRIEF Show Organiser Where When Website Open Twitter

Show organiser Max Exhibitions is preparing to celebrate 10 years of PG Live, which has spent the last decade showcasing design excellence and celebrating the greeting card industry at every opportunity. There are almost 50 exhibitors at this year’s show who were also at the 2009 debut, and many of those have been present at each and every show over the last 10 years. These loyal publishers hail from all corners of the greetings card world, from

Grassroots and Wendy Jones Blackett to Gemma International and Danilo. Even more impressively, Noet Tatt, Paperlink, The Art File, Pigment and Paper Salad have actually retained the same stands for all 10 shows! “We’re so proud of what PG Live has become over the past 10 years,” said Warren Lomax, Joint Show Director. “Each year our exhibitors manage to go several steps further in terms of originality, imagination and quality and this year’s offering really has to be seen to

PG Live Max Exhibitions Ltd Business Design Centre, London 5th - 6th June, 2018 progressivegreetingslive.com 9.30am - 6pm on Tuesday; and 9.30am - 4.30pm Wednesday @PGLiveLondon

be believed!” A one-of-a-kind trade show for the international greetings industry, PG Live 2018 is the perfect platform for showcasing exciting new collections and original designs. Taking place from Tuesday 5th June to Wednesday 6th June, it will play host to fresh innovative ranges and exclusive show offers from more than 250 publishers, artists and designers from right around the globe. In addition to exploring all the very latest card trends, visitors will also be able to relax and enjoy the famous PG Live hospitality, with a complementary two-course lunch, endless refreshments (thanks Fedrigoni) and a free drinks party on the first night (courtesy of GF Smith). Greeting card buyers, distributors and retailers looking to plan ahead for their visit to PG Live 2018 should register for their free tickets now in order to ensure they are part of the celebrations. The show is nearly sold out, but there are a few spaces still available if you’d like to be a part of the biggest PG Live yet.

To find out more, call the team on +44 (0)1635 297 070 or visit the website progressivegreetingslive.com giftfocus 81

a decade of design BLUE EYED SUN Stand 524 Blueeyedsun.co.uk Blue Eyed Sun has launched two gorgeous new ranges of hand-finished Christmas cards called Biscuit and A Touch of Sparkle. Biscuit has 40 cute designs, based on original hand-painted artworks by Jo Corner. They all feature decoupage elements and are hand-finished with jewels in the UK. Covering a good selection of relations and loved ones, this cute range includes grandma, granny, nan, nanny and even mam captions. Biscuit cards measure 125mm x 125mm in size and retail for £2.75 (trade price £1.14 each). A Touch of Sparkle is a delightful range of 30 designs based on original embroidered artworks by award winning textile artist Jo Corner and hand-finished with glitter and jewels in the company’s Sussex workshops. All cards in this line are 143mm x 173mm in size and retail for £3.25 (trade price £1.35 each). Sold in sixes to trade buyers only, all the Christmas cards are blank inside, barcoded and cellowrapped with a red envelope. All are printed on board from sustainable sources. Blue Eyed Sun’s cards are available to order through its easy-to-use, trade only website, the 2018 Christmas brochure and the company also has a team of sales agents across the country that can come in to see you with samples and help you choose the right look for your shop. Telephone +44 (0)1273 823 003 or email [email protected] for further details.

LAURA DARRINGTON Stand 413 lauradarrington.com Laura Darrington’s new Rio Brights Collection is here to brighten up even the darkest day. Influenced by ’80s vivid design, the new Rio Brights Collection contains 18 vibrant cards featuring a printed bespoke envelope.  The company is also proud to announce the launch of its new website, www.lauradarrington.com As a trade incentive for you to check it out, Laura Darrington Design is offering an introductory coupon of 15 per cent discount across the whole site. Please enter the following coupon code at checkout: LAUNCH15. For more details please email info@ lauradarrington.com or call +44 (0)1162 849 660.

82 giftfocus

pg live

ALLJOY DESIGN Stand 770 alljoydesign.com Alljoy has a new range of pop-up cards – namely, the Message in a Bottle collection. These three-dimensional cards are handmade with a patent pending process. The new line offers simple, diverse messages for a variety of occasions left blank inside for your own message. The new designs play with a six-layered, laser and die cut paper technique. The cards come flat packed, with the pop up image and information sheet on the front packaging. For more information, please visit the website or email at [email protected]

FLYING TEASPOONS Stand 150 flyingteaspoons.com If you’re looking for something different and quirky that will catch your customers’ eyes, make them laugh and result in a sale as they browse your shelves then Flying Teaspoons is for you. Having only launched her company to the trade industry in April 2017, Laura has since gained more than 50 stockists, with Scribbler being one of them – and was Henries nominated on the first time of entering. Following a successful Spring Fair, the ever-growing Flying Teaspoons range has been added to with some fantastic, already best-selling designs, including the adorable ‘Hedgehugs’ and a Retired Rat on a quest for some sun. Using the very distinctive paper collage technique, her new cards along with all the current best sellers will be on show on stand 150 at PG Live with free delivery on any order made at the show.

THE ART FILE Stand 200 theartfile.com The Art File is delighted to announce the launch of a fun new collection of nine designs called ‘London Calling’. As the name suggests, these cards feature iconic London landmarks together with the capital’s most endearing birds, pigeons and doves. Released in time for the upcoming tourist season, these cards come with fabulously patriotic Union Jack envelopes, embossed lines and hot foils. There’s even a marrying couple standing in front of an enchanting castle – I wonder where the company got that idea from? London Calling is available from April and will be showcased at PG Live. giftfocus 85

The Exclusively Shows attract key buyers from all sectors of the housewares, hardware, electricals and tabletop market. Here’s some exciting information about this year’s show

IN BRIEF Show Organiser Where When Website Open Twitter

Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical Brooke House Exhibitions Business Design Centre, London 12th-13th June, 2018 exclusivelyshows.co.uk 9.30am-5.30pm Tuesday; 9.30am-4.30pm Wednesday @ExclusivelyShow

Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical, has become the focus of the year for the housewares, tabletop and small domestic appliances exhibitors to showcase their new products, Christmas collections and preview their spring/summer launches. Buyers from the UK and further flock to the show to make their key buying decisions. The 2018 show welcomes a new show website: www.exclusivelyshows.co.uk. Here you’ll find the latest show news and news of exhibitor’s key products and launches to tempt you to the exhibition. Also, look out for the details of the informative seminar programme soon to be unveiled. All stories along with relevant news from exhibitors and buyers will also be echoed on Exclusively’s social media channels: Facebook and Twitter.

Reasons to attend Buying decisions can be inspired by a visit to view the trend displays in the trend hub created by Scarlet Opus. The displays and ‘must see product’ highlighted throughout the show are as result of a comprehensive survey of the exhibitor’s products that align with key design trends for 2018-19. Top Tips: • Look out for the Must See On Trend Graphics cards as you tour the show. • Book a tour with the Scarlet Opus team (via the website) to gain a deeper understanding of the trends to ensure your buying decisions will be attract today’s consumer. New for retailers 2018 – Win a Survive and Thrive consultation The winning store will benefit from a review of its layout, décor, product offering, (website & social media) merchandising, and the customer experience and will be offered

giftfocus 87

exclusively shows

the exclusive lowdown

the exclusive lowdown

recommendations for development. The show’s only request is for the lucky winner to share the journey of the implementation and the results. Bira initiative New for 2018 is a new initiative with Bira, which includes the outstanding Bira £100 Bonus available to bira members attending the show. Members can use their £100 bira Bonus voucher towards an order with a minimum value of £300 minimum (net vat). It’s presented to the bira direct supplier, who redeems it with the organisers at the show. Bira will also have a stand presence at the show. Will Jones Director of Housewares at Bheta adds, “We’re delighted to be working closely with bira to support the independent sector. This offer highlights our commitment to the both bira members and suppliers.” Gathering momentum at Exclusively Electrical Agreement has also been reached with Sirius, a major buying group in the electrical appliance industry. Sirius will hold a convention of their members on the first day, consequently the show is expecting to draw many new retailers of small domestic appliances to the show. “We’re delighted to have reached agreement to work closely with Sirius to support the independent sector.” said Simon Boyd, Show Director. The Influence’s – The Brand Showcase,

88 giftfocus

returns with more prominence following its successful launch in 2017. The Brand Showcase is dedicated to promoting exhibitors to the British media, with coverage obtained in titles such as GQ, Hello!, Good Housekeeping, Ideal Home, Take a Break, Living Etc and Sainsbury’s magazine. A Christmas in June Press hub will be created, which is aimed to get products featured in Christmas gift guides. Products featured in these have the potential for lucrative sales in the festive period for all retailers. Juliet Coleman from Simple Human adds, “EH/EE is a top quality, well-run event, which showcases the very best in housewares and attracts top buyers and independent retailers from around the UK. Plus, last year’s revamped media centre caught the attention of both trade and consumer journalists, resulting in some great coverage!” g

To read about the latest show news, please visit the website exclusivelyshows.co.uk

Closing down, going back to Texas sale!!

Fantastic discounts of 30% or 50%

Only whilst stocks last

Contact us for details

www.vizati.com Email: [email protected] Tel: 01323 485605

summer success The Manchester Furniture Show is set for a ‘hot’ summer with sizzling trends and design inspiration aplenty The 2018 Manchester Furniture Show (MFS) returns to Manchester Central on 15th to 17th July and is already 90 per cent sold out. More than 80 per cent of last year’s exhibitors are returning, and together with a host of new exhibitors, they’re set to make this year’s show the hottest yet. Major UK names joining the 2018 interiors line-up include well-known lighting companies Chelsom and Danalight, along with inspirational decorative suppliers, Worldwide Reproductions and fabric and textile suppliers Ambassador Textiles. They are joining returning majors Gallery Direct, CIMC, Blue Bone, SHH Interiors, Final Touches, Pharmore, Wilde Java, Ancient Mariner and DB Mirrors. On show, for all to see will be new collections in beds and bedding, art, mirrors, glassware, table and wall lights, decorative accessories including wood and ceramics and soft furnishings. In furniture, there’s a substantial change

with the addition of the higher-end MidPoint Furniture Exhibition joining the show this this year. MidPoint will keep its own identity occupying the Charter Hall and will give the show a new look and feel for 2018. Visitor numbers are expected to rise substantially with the addition of the MidPoint exhibitors, who include both UK and international companies offering upholstery, cabinet, beds and interior furnishings. The new MFS website is now live and visitors can register for their free entry to the show on the site at manchesterfurnitureshow. com. Easy to navigate and containing full details of all of the 2018 exhibitors, it also has full show news including travel information. Speaking of the changes to the show, Cleere Scamell, who joins Laraine Janes and Theresa Raymond as an Event Director at MFS for the first time, said, “I enjoyed the show as a visitor last year and am excited to be involved hands-on this year. It’s a show that has everything from mirrors to sofas,

IN BRIEF Show Organiser Where When Website Twitter

Manchester Furniture Show Clarion Events Manchester Central 15th-17th July, 2018 manchesterfurnitureshow.com @MancFurnShow

and we have an easy-to-use new website that reflects the summer feel of the show, plus we are excited about Midpoint joining us. The great brands it brings will add to the already terrific line-up, and will give visitors a huge amount to see. The relaxed and open feel of Manchester won’t change, but visitors may find they need to spend longer to see it all.” The show is held in the converted Victorian central rail station, right in the heart of thriving Manchester. The venue offers comfortable, modern exhibition space and is surrounded by restaurants and bars, giving visitors added value to their visit. g The new website is online at: manchesterfurnitureshow.com

90 giftfocus

NY NOW® summer 2018 market to feature elevated experiences, expanded opportunities and enhanced offerings

ny now

where dreams are made

IN BRIEF Show Organiser Where When Website Twitter

NY NOW! Emerald Expositions Javits Centre, New York 12th - 15th August, 2018 nynow.com @nynowmarket

morning coffee hours, giveaways and other events. Expanded seminar and educational programming This season, market participants will have the opportunity to take advantage of expanded seminar and education programmes that deliver even more of the valuable insights and content to take their businesses to the next level. NY NOW will offer a full schedule of educational seminars addressing some of today’s most talked about topics and give buyers great tips to implement when they return to their stores, showrooms or studios. Registration will open mid-May; seminar dates, times and topics will be announced at that time. With registration now open for the summer edition of NY NOW®, the market for home, lifestyle + gift, buyers and exhibitors will not want to miss being part of the industry’s must-attend marketplace. With more than 90 years’ history of success, NY NOW will deliver an even more welcoming and exciting experience for buyers, retailers and design tastemakers to connect with new and leading brands across the most in-demand product categories. “NY NOW is the epicentre for the latest trends in fashionable, design-forward products from established and emerging brands,” said Randi Mohr, Vice President and NY NOW Director. “New for this season, we’re taking the NY NOW experience to the next level! At the summer edition, buyers can expect to see new additions debuting on our Market floor including exciting events and promotions, plus the expansion of our informative and educational seminar programming.” An elevated NY NOW experience NY NOW is the go-to market for sourcing the latest and best home, gift and lifestyle products across three comprehensive collections – Home, Lifestyle and Handmade. Buyers will have the opportunity to explore tens of thousands design-driven products across hundreds of diverse product categories. From home décor and furnishings,

tabletop and housewares, gifts, stationery, and textiles, as well as personal care and accessories for men, women and children, and more. Convenient dates To offer greater convenience for buyers and exhibitors, NY NOW’s summer 2018 market has reverted to its traditional and preferred summer date pattern in mid-August. This eliminates the staggered opening and closing pattern of past markets. All sections of the NY NOW summer market will open on Sunday, August 12th at 9am and close on Wednesday, August 15th at 3pm (one hour later than previous markets). To make the on-site experience even more convenient, NY NOW will be offering an increased shuttle service, including restoration of service to and from the east side of Manhattan. Outstanding networking opportunities To connect attendees and brands with the products that are of most interest, NY NOW will increase its focus on match-making services that help make new connections. There will also be enhanced on-site show experiences, including more greeters to welcome you, answer your questions, and provide information about the Market; music on the floor; many additional amenities, including new lounges, more happy hours,

Additional enhancements Some of the other enhancements and conveniences that buyers will see and experience include: • Mobile scanning stations for preregistered buyers to ensure faster access to the exhibit floor. • An increased in-house buyer relations team dedicated to broader outreach and an even greater level of customer service/registration assistance. • New floor decals on-site to help buyers easily identify brands exhibiting for the first time. “We’re committed to surpassing expectations by providing buyers and exhibitors with the most comprehensive opportunities to make new connections, expand their knowledge base and achieve maximum business success,” said Christopher McCabe, Executive Vice President of Emerald Expositions. “We’re making significant financial investment to further enhance the buyer and exhibitor experience and we’re excited to finally be able to share what we’ve been working on for the past several months based upon the feedback from our valued customers.”

For further information, please visit nynow.com giftfocus 93

BAFTS news BAFTS, the British Association of Fair Trade Shops and Suppliers, brings you the latest news in fair trade retailing BAFTS started the year with some of our supplier members attending a whole host of trade fairs up and down the UK and in continental Europe. As usual, our Executive Officer, Kathryn Sygrove, visited Spring Fair with other board members to chat to our existing supplier members and those interested in joining us. It was great to see some of our members short-listed for awards. We were thrilled when Just Trade (UK) Ltd was awarded Best Supplier award at the ACE Convention in Brighton at the start of March. It really is a great testimony to the company’s quality range of goods to receive this award, and proves that fair trade is as much about skilled design, consistent production, and stunning products, as it’s about improved lives and livelihoods for the producers.

BAFTS campaigns The annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign followed. Running from 26th February to 11th March, this was a great opportunity to showcase fair trade as part of a high profile national campaign and it was great to see so many BAFTS shops and suppliers getting involved with events to encourage people to ‘Come on in to Fairtrade’. From interviews

with local press on the benefits of Fair Trade to producers in developing countries and why our support is as vital as ever; to organising talks on gender equality; to dressing up in banana suits; to holding sample sales and Fairtrade tasting events on International Women’s Day, many of our members were acting, speaking, posting, tweeting, and spreading the message as widely and loudly as they could – and having great fun. Hot on the heels of one campaign event comes another. Fashion Revolution Week runs from 23rd - 29th April, commemorating the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh five years ago with events and awareness-raising initiatives around the globe. Thousands of garment workers lost their lives in a horrendous and preventable factory collapse. Events are held annually to focus on improved conditions and pay in garment factories in the poorest of countries. Gateway World Shop in Durham is running a ‘Pulling the Poverty Chain’ event on Thursday 26th April, raising awareness of fair trade and Toilet Twinning initiatives, which often has greater implications for women than men. Another dedicated supplier of ours ‘Where Does It Come From’ is teaming up with Ethical

Hour to put on an inspiring free event in London on Saturday 28th April at the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising, with an ethical fashion show, expert panels, and Q&A sessions.

BAFTS Annual Conference The highlight of the BAFTS calendar comes on May 20th - 21st, when we hold our Annual Conference, open to members and nonmembers alike. We hold our conference at different venues around the country and this year we’re heading to Westbourne Grove Church, London, an amazingly elegant and all-purpose venue in the Bayswater/Notting Hill area. This venue boasts plenty of space to house our supplier stalls, workshops, guest speakers and informal ‘shorts’ by supplier and shop members who try to explain in 10 minutes the benefits they bring to their producers and artisans, as well as some of the challenges in working with producers from developing countries and different cultures. It’s also a fabulous opportunity to hear some key speakers from the wider world of ethical trade. Our conference is always a hugely rewarding, informative and enthusiastic gathering, where members and friends go away galvanised, focussed and inspired. It’s a great opportunity to see how well BAFTS works as a member organisation, provides plenty of time for networking and allows shop members the chance to browse goods from supplier members who may not be able to exhibit at trade shows. Why not come along, check us out and see what we do here? We would be delighted to see you! For further information, please visit bafts.org.uk

94 giftfocus

hot property perty

hot property Catch up with all the latest from the world of licensing censingg

Ian Downes

World Book Day once again shone a light on books ooks and book-related characters. Whilst the day thiss year was blighted by snow, the event itself creates tes real focus on books and provides momentum at retail. In licensing terms, some well-known characters and personalities featured in the £1 books line up including Nadiya Hussain’s Bake Me A Story and a special edition of the perenniallyy

popular Mr Men. The event has created a good opportunity for dress up companiess who have developed product ranges based on well-known book, comic and literary characters such as Willy Wonka, the Beano’s Denniss and Minnie the Minx plus newer characters such as those from the David Walliams books. Companies like Rubie’s and Smiffy’s have tapped into the event well and have used it to build distribution for dress up. World Book Day is a great focal point for retailers big and small to build appropriate product ranges around. Whilst this is one day or week in the calendar it does highlight that books and the book world provide retailers with an opportunity to build on a subject and topic that resonates with consumers. Books themselves make great gifts – publishers are getting better at working with a diverse mix of retailers and are also better at creating books that are giftable – a great example of this is the highly successful humour-based Ladybird Books. Interestingly, these books have sparked a good range of licensed products including greetings cards and calendars from Danilo. Products such as these are easy to stock and relatively low risk items – it’s easy to imagine consumers buying a book and a card in combination. Publishers are using licensing in more creative ways in the book world – a really good example of this is a book published by Harper Collins using characters from Coronation Street telling a backstory that didn’t feature on screen. The book was published in the run up to Mother’s Day and features a storyline related to motherhood. At Christmas, annuals are a traditional gift – classic titles like Beano are literally ‘annual’ traditions. Gift companies such as Half Moon Bay have tapped into publishing properties well – for example Half Moon Bayy has a full range g of Harryy

Potter gift lines – the company has also recognised that book-based products fit well into the gift market. World Book Day provides a tremendous focus for children’s books but look beyond that and a good book can be a good retail hook for a retailer. And of course, a good read. For more information visit startlicensing.co.uk

The Gourmet Candy Company extends its RHS confectionery range The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has announced that The Gourmet Candy Company has extended its RHS confectionery range and expanded the network of retail outlets supplying the range. Along with the existing selection of chocolate gift boxes, nougat and bonbons, the RHS Confectionery range now includes brand-new fudges and chocolate-coated honeycomb bars. All items in the range will use packaging designs inspired by the RHS Lindley Library, the world’s finest collection of botanical art. The RHS Confectionery range – which is available through UK wholesalers including Crème d’Or and Cotswold Fayre – was originally supplied mainly to garden centres and farm shops as well as the RHS shops, based around the UK at the four RHS gardens (Wisley, Harlow Carr, Hyde Hall and Rosemoor). The market for the range is likely to be among lovers of fine confectionery, but there will be a strong secondary market among gift givers looking for unusual and elegant treats to present to friends or family. For more information call +44 (0)20 3176 5820, or visit the website rhs.org.uk/join

giftfocus 97

hot property Bulldog Picks Up That’s not my… Published by Usborne, That’s not my… is the best-selling series of touchy-feely board books aimed at babies and pre-schoolers by author Fiona Watt. The series has sold over five million books in the UK, and more than 20 million worldwide. There are over 50 That’s not my… titles including That’s not my puppy, That’s not my fairy and That’s not my teddy, not forgetting a number of seasonal favourites. Dennicci is already on board for baby apparel, which launched in Mothercare just before Christmas, and Bulldog is currently in talks with several potential partners across a range of categories. “That’s not my… has rapidly become an intrinsic part of childhood and virtually every toddler (and parent!) in the country is familiar with these delightful books,” says Bulldog Licensing Director Vicky Hill. “This gives the property huge potential and judging by the reaction we’re getting form the licensing community this is set to be a massive brand.”

Gemma International to launch Moomin range at PG Live Caroline Mickler Ltd — which manages the UK licensing programme for Moomin — has announced an agreement with leading licensed greetings company Gemma International for a broad range of Moomin greeting cards, wrapping paper and gift packs to launch in the summer. Imagery will be specially chosen for the range from the vast store of wonderful drawings and paintings of Moomin and his friends and family in Moominvalley that this classic brand has built up over the years. The range will include classic greeting cards, gift wrap rolls and sheets, gift tags and gift packs. The range will launch at the Gemma International stand (400) at Progressive Greetings Live. It will be available at retail from summer/autumn of this year. The target market is a very wide one: strong, long-term public awareness of Moomin, the appeal of the illustrations and the brand’s association with positive values such as fun, kindness and friendship are likely to make Moomin greeting cards and wrap very popular with most age groups. Tim Rudd-Clarke, Licensing Director, Gemma International, says, “We’re so excited and pleased to be partnering with Moomin – a brand loved and admired by all ages. Moomin is a fantastic addition to our portfolio and we’re thrilled to be able to offer a wonderful range of Moomin greeting cards and gift packaging to our customer base. We very much look forward to working with such a classic brand.”

98 giftfocus

Brand new Roald Dahl Monopoly set to launch this spring The Roald Dahl Story Company has teamed up with Winning Moves to create a brand-new Roald Dahl Monopoly game, released in March in a number of high street retailers. This comes following the success of Roald Dahl Top Trumps, which was launched by Winning Moves at general retail in 2017. Developed in collaboration with the Roald Dahl Story Company, and featuring Sir Quentin Blake’s illustrations, the Monopoly game sees players being able to choose one of six brand new tokens to play with – Matilda’s books, James’s giant peach, Mr Fox’s chicken, George’s marvellous medicine, a Wonka candy, or even a little boy turned mouse. Players can secure Crunchem Hall or pay Mr Wormwood, take their chances with a Wonka Bar or Golden Ticket card, and celebrate Roald Dahl’s phizz-whizzing imagination through the iconic gameplay. For more information visit winningmoves.co.uk

the pen is mightier

THAN THE SWORD

Joyce Chester and Margaret Monod, owners of Pen to Paper, talk passionately about sharing their love for stationery with the people of Brighton

Tell us a bit about Pen to paper Pen to Paper opened a couple of weeks before Christmas, 2000 so we’ve been trading in Brighton’s vibrant North Laine, an area full of small interesting independent shops, for 18 years now. We’re a stationery shop rather than a gift shop though we’re well aware that a lot of people do come to us to buy presents. We specialise in pens, notebooks, cards and gift wrap, plus diaries and calendars at Christmas and New Year. As well as a bricks and mortar shop, we have an e-commerce web store and send out mail order all over the world. Was this the first shop you opened? Margaret was an experienced retailer

having worked for a major book chain for many years. Joyce was a freelance graphic designer. We had already set up a company to republish images of women in the music hall as postcards and greeting cards. We realised we worked well together as a team, trusted each other and had a shared love of stationery. We were on holiday in France and nearly fell out over who should have first dibs on a diary and thought, “If we’re this passionate about our stationery, surely other people will be too.” We went to lots of stationery, paper and pen shops, where we made a note of publishers and manufacturers of items we loved. Looking for a distributor for our cards, we went to the Autumn Fair at NEC Birmingham. It was a revelation. We realised we had the pick of marvellous suppliers with which to stock a shop. What advice would you give someone setting up a gift stationery shop? Decide what your focus is and stick to it. Explore which suppliers you want to use. Go to trade fairs, armed with business cards to show you mean business and collect relevant brochures, price lists and terms of business

100 giftfocus

from companies that interest you. Chat with stall holders. Be honest that you’re just researching with the eventual aim of opening a shop. Remember you’re possibly starting long-term relationships with these suppliers. If you’re not in a position to be their customer yet, remember to move aside if they have current customers approach them – they are there to sell, though they’ll probably talk to you happily until a real customer comes along. Know the area you’re opening in. Think about what other shops are already in that district and how you might sit well with them. Don’t copy what other shops are doing and definitely don’t try to poach their suppliers. Find a selection of goods that you can offer, that are wonderful and priced just right that no-one else in that area is offering. Keep a close eye on costs. Try not to pay more than you have to for renting premises, fitting it out, getting it decorated, advertising your new business. We were lucky that there was a local Traders Association in Brighton when we first opened that pooled information on local rents so we could gauge what was reasonable and what wasn’t. Talk to any

retailer interview

friends who run shops. Our friends who ran a shop gave us useful tips, including always check your deliveries carefully against the delivery note and invoice to make sure you only pay for what’s delivered. Social media is free and you can speak directly to the sort of people you want as customers if you can just engage them with interesting, relevant content. How important is your location? We knew we wanted to be in the North Laine area of Brighton. We thought a stationery shop would be a welcome addition to this area of small quirky independent shops, such as vegetarian shoes, a bonsai shop, the graphic novel shop next door, a florist, the Brighton Sausage shop, and plenty of cafes serving great coffee and cakes. It took us 10 months of monitoring estate agents’ adverts and walking the streets of our chosen area to finally find the perfect shop. This included a few hours standing on street corners to watch how people moved around the area, where they walked, even which side of the street they walked. Do you have a lot of competition from other gift shops? How do you stand out? We stand out by sticking to our identity as a stationery shop. Other lifestyle shops stock occasional stationery items but our customers know that they will find the widest choice of pens, inks and notebooks at Pen to Paper. We try hard not to duplicate what other traders are stocking. We keep to our own style. We attend trade fairs regularly to check out current trends and keep an eye on local artists and makers. Please describe your product offering. Our most important products are pens, inks, notebooks, cards and gift wrap. Other items that tie in with our stationery theme are rubber stamps, origami, playing cards and jigsaws. At Christmas, cardboard masks are popular and we imagine people waiting for their Christmas dinner looking like David Bowie, Cleopatra or Mona Lisa. Obviously, calendars and diaries are hugely important at that time of year.

Which suppliers do you use? We think one of our strengths is that we use a great many suppliers. We’re proud to have been awarded the accolade of Lamy Premium Partner due to the wide range of Lamy pens we offer. We have stocked Moleskine notebooks and Clairefontaine products ever since we opened and use local suppliers such as Paper High, the Fair Trade paper importer, Artbox and 1973. We’re very pleased with wrapping paper and cards from Art Angels, Star Editions and Canns Down Press as their subjects are often relevant to our location. What’s your current best-seller? What items always fly off the shelves? Lamy pens and Moleskine notebooks are always good sellers although Paperblanks journals are coming up fast on the outside. Perhaps unexpectedly, origami paper is a good seller and we have a new pen pouch from the company If which fixes to your notebook that has flown out of the shop. What’s your USP? A wide choice of notebooks, journals and pens at a range of prices. We’d like everyone to feel they could find something in our shop. Our staff are helpful and knowledgeable about the products and we try to make customers feel at ease. Selling a pen can be a lengthy business and the customer needs to feel you have their best interests at heart. Do you do much on social network sites, and if so how do you use them? We use Twitter and Facebook and have a healthy following on both. We see what’s going on locally, which may be relevant to the shop as well as promoting new products, commenting on trends and joining in conversations. They’re a fun way to show off our personality. We run the occasional competition, the latest being around the theme of time with a diary as a prize. Which trade shows do you like to attend and why? We attend Pulse, Top Drawer, Progressive Greetings and the Stationery Show. As well as seeing new trends and finding new products,

there’s a chance to create a rapport with new suppliers and catch up with established ones. It’s important to see products in the flesh and not just in catalogues. For example, Canns Down has recently introduced a lovely range of giftwrap, which we ordered as soon as it was available. How do you choose what to stock with so much choice out there? We stick to our focus and the price must be right. Don’t be afraid to ask which are the bestsellers when talking to a new supplier, and try to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. A new product will often jump out at you as you walk by but, if in doubt, don’t order it. Has the current economic climate affected business? We’ve had to think more carefully about our stockholding and take fewer risks. Customers seem to be thinking more carefully about purchases. Have there been any landmarks in the business? Although we’re now 18, we were very proud to celebrate our 10th birthday with a poet in residence. The theme was ‘home’ to tie in with National Poetry Day and customers shared their life journeys and how they ended up in their present home. Local poet, Maria Jastrzebska, read her poems and shared experiences with customers. We had champagne and cake and it was a brilliant day. What does the future hold for Pen to Paper? Although retirement looms for us, we expect that Pen to Paper will have a long and happy future.

Pen to Paper 4 Sydney Street Brighton BN1 4EN T: +44 (0)1273 676 670 pentopaperonline.com giftfocus 101

Hannah Rowlands, Marketing & Digital Manager at Sanrio, talks to Gift Focus about how pop up shops have worked for Sanrio and how the concept can help your business too This depends on several factors: the retailer, whether this is promoting a specific occasion or season (such as Mr Men’s pop-ups in Debenhams) or is part of a wider campaign. What matters most is offering a specific consumer a one-of-a-kind or hard to get product (and experience in some cases) – this is what will drive footfall in a short period of time. Are the pop ups successful? Yes, we’ve so far had great results from our pop ups, though of course they will vary. They aren’t necessarily revenue generating and a business has to define clear goals for the project, and be realistic about how much it can deliver on all fronts.

Which would you say has been Sanrio’s most successful pop up to date? After the first pop up in Topshop to celebrate Hello Kitty’s birthday in November 2016, we launched a Hello Kitty Gang pop up stand at Topshop Oxford Circus in June 2017. This drove great excitement amongst fans, with listings in Time Out, HypeBae and NYLON. Fans flocked there to buy personalised and limitededition pieces, this being the first time the public could buy Hello Kitty Gang merch. When and why did Sanrio decide to start doing pop ups? Space licensing and experiential marketing are huge for Sanrio in Asia. Character restaurants, cafes, hotels (the list goes on!) can be found in Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and many other countries. This strategic focus, and the trend in general, is sweeping westwards and pop ups of all kinds are now an integral part of Sanrio’s brand strategy

across EMEA and the USA. Where did the company decide to do this and why? Topshop felt like the right fit because of Hello Kitty’s fashion links. Hello Kitty works with Topshop’s aesthetic and its target market of young, creative women fits perfectly with Hello Kitty’s fans.  How long do the pop ups usually run and at what time of year? The pop ups usually run during the key seasons, for example, the Hello Kitty pop up in Topshop took place last summer from June 18th to July 1st.  Last Christmas, Mr Men hosted pop ups in Debenhams stores giving fans a chance to personalise their favourite Mr Men and Little Miss characters by bringing them to life in a range of products. How do you choose what products to sell?

Here are 10 tips to help you open a pop up shop: 1.      Plan, plan, plan Plan for all eventualities! The weather, staff sickness, regulations and health and safety (especially if you’re popping up in a larger store), are there particular rules you will need to follow? Be savvy with your stock! Make sure staff know when and where new stock will be dropped off. Especially if space is tight and you’ll be re-stocking regularly. Make sure you understand the financial set up – how are you going to be paid – especially if this is through a bigger department store. Make sure it’s all clear before you’re taking any orders. Have your marketing plan prepped weeks before so you can hit the ground running when it comes to promoting your pop-up.  2.      Offer something money can’t buy Pop-ups offer a great way to promote or sell a product, but it’s key to offer something exciting or exclusive as part of the experience to drive footfall.

giftfocus 103

business advice

10 tips for running a successful pop-up

10 tips for running a successful pop-up We’ve seen great success by offering the chance to meet one of the Mr. Men characters at our personalised Mr. Men/ Little Miss pop-up stalls, which helps make the experience about more than just purchasing a product. At our Hello Kitty pop-ups we’ve offered exclusive limited-edition product, which has worked well to create a demand.  If your pop up is part of a special event, offer that one-of-a-kind product that can’t be bought elsewhere.  3.      Use partner marketing channels If you’re running a pop-up in collaboration with a well-known retailer, meet up with their marketing team to make sure you understand how they can help promote the event through their existing channels like newsletters, social media and PR. Research the type of imagery they use and then send them as many high-quality images of your product, or useful assets, which will make their life easier when pulling together their own content to promote your product and pop-up. It’s also important to ensure their marketing team are fully briefed on the event to deal with any inbound enquiries that might come their way.  4.      Focus on a key product range  Space is often at a premium when organising a pop-up event, so it pays dividends to focus on a small but varied range of products. This will help keep orders simple and a crowd moving quickly. It also allows you to focus any marketing on a specific product to convey a clear, captivating message.  5.      Understand your audience Before planning or booking anything, it’s really important to know your audience’s likes and dislikes. Where is your product normally sold and which are your target retailers? Do your customers shop there, or would they? What’s selling well elsewhere for you? 6.      Be selective with your appearances Being selective with pop-up appearances helps preserve excitement and anticipation around your pop-up events. Make sure you change product, design of the stand if you do 104 giftfocus

have them often.  If you’re popping up everywhere consumers will be less and less inclined to travel to see what’s on offer. Book appearances in places that are in line with the desired market you’re aiming for. Are you going for mass market, mid or high end?  7.      Staff it well Having plenty of staff on-hand helps make a pop-up welcoming – big queues are offputting to passers-by. Extra staff can also drum up interest with passers-by during quieter periods.  Hire staff who have the right skills if there’s a specific technology that’s needed to create your products, for example personalisation. Keep your staff up to speed with any brand do’s or don’ts. Let them know of any restrictions for example, naughty or off brand words.

and word of mouth. A marketing plan will give your biggest fans time to plan a trip and ensure the pop-up is rewarding the people who follow your brand closely. Our Mr. Men Mini Museum had families visiting London from Wales because we’d been sharing information widely on our social accounts, website, through digital adverts and PR channels well in advance. 10.  Set clear goals – sales, awareness and engagement Setting targets around sales, awareness and brand engagement makes it much easier to evaluate if it was a success, and will also help you plan the next one to deliver even more. Good luck!

8.      Research your location If you’re pulling together a pop-up as part of an event, make sure it’s in a location where people are going to walk past. An entrance or near an exit can be a great place for footfall.  At retail or in store go and see the shop for yourself and note down the good locations. Where are people browsing? Work out where you’ll place any branding, signs and machines you might need, can you fit them in the space? Sometimes all of this won’t be possible if a location decides their own floor plans, but it’s good to know where you’d like to be placed so you can be first in line with your requests!  9.   Put a full digital marketing strategy into place It’s important not to simply rely on footfall

Founded in Japan in 1960, the Sanrio family features a range of 12 characters and brands in the UK, with more than 400 characters available worldwide, including Hello Kitty and Mr. Men Little Miss series. With a community of fans across all age groups, Sanrio has created a number of successful brand partnerships with household names including Kinder Surprise (Ferrero), ASOS, Royal Mail and Heathrow Airport. For further information, visit sanrio.eu

David Fairhurst of Intelligent Retail explains how to play ‘The Google Game’ in order to maximise the visibility of your e-commerce store Imagine playing a game where the rules aren’t published, it costs you money every time you lose and you are more or less obliged to play in order to survive. I’m going to call this ‘The Google Game’; it’s something that Online Marketers like myself know how to play very well. Until quite recently, the actual rules for playing ‘The Google Game’ were hidden from view. Google wouldn’t tell you how to play properly, there were various (sometimes conflicting) third party opinions on what Google meant when any information was actually published and there was always the question ‘can you really trust what Google is saying?’ – a very valid question when you realise that Google is run for shareholders, not to play fair for retailers. While I personally will always be on the

cynical side where Google is concerned and continue to question motives of the search giant, I’m glad to see that Google is continuing to expand its guide for search quality raters, giving at least some insight into how it ‘thinks’. What is the Google Search Quality Rating Programme? To be brief, the Google Search Quality Rating Program was set up to aid Google to identify the quality of pages out there on the web in order to push the development of more robust search engine algorithms. The program is backed by a set of guidelines, which can be found at http://goo.gl/63m09m, detailing what should be considered factors for assigning quality ratings to a web page or website. The guidelines document is

fairly lengthy at 158 pages, with many abbreviations to keep in your head whilst reading, but it does give a fair insight into what Google is looking for when assessing the quality of a page of content. Google first introduced the Search Quality Rating program back in 2005, but until recent years the workings and methodologies of the programme have been hidden. It was only since 2011 and the Google Panda update that the program has really been ‘out in the open’, although there was a leak of an early release of the rating document back in 2008. The Search Quality Rating Program relies on a large group of manual page reviewers. In the early days, these were Google employees, however, reviews are now farmed out to external companies. The program works by manually reviewing

giftfocus 107

retail technology

the Google game

web pages and websites using many different quality markers, this data then being fed back to Google to enable better quality search engine algorithms to be built. The manual review teams therefore provide feedback to the Google staff tasked with writing the complex code which powers the Google search engine, helping Google to give the best search results to Google users. A read of the latest document doesn’t really give any surprises to a seasoned web marketer, but is useful for underlining why we, as web marketers, do the things we do.

e-commerce websites that have been around for several years, would naturally get altered over time. This could potentially introduce some usability issues that could be construed by a quality rater as being below the quality required for Google. It’s always a good idea to look at what the bigger e-commerce retailers like ao.com are doing and compare this to your own website – if you notice a big difference in functionality and user experience, it’s probably time to bite the bullet and get a new website for your business.

It’s all about quality! No surprises really where the content of pages is concerned. Google loves quality content and will actively penalise pages that fall below a certain level. What most may not know is that the layout, design and functionality of a website plays an important part of Search Quality Rating reports and can make the difference between a very high rating and a poor rating. Examples of poor layout mentioned in the Quality Rating Program document includes ‘poor quality design’, ‘bad navigation structure’ and ‘potentially deceptive layout’. Whilst these wouldn’t affect a recent e-commerce website using modern frameworks like the Intelligent Retail Connect software, Magento, Actinic or similar

Copied text – why you shouldn’t One thing that is mentioned quite strongly in the reasons for giving a page a ‘lowest’ rating in the Google Search Quality Rating Program document is the use of copied text. We have been advising clients for several years that using supplier descriptions alone without some effort to personalise is a bad idea as we have noticed rankings for product level keyphrases slipping for those clients who choose to do this. Google states that, “We do not consider legitimately licensed or syndicated content to be copied.” However, given our own experience when writing one-of-a-kind product level copy for clients, the results are hard to argue against. If you want a ‘before and after’ snapshot,

108 giftfocus

how about bottom of page two in Google results for a product page using supplier sourced description against number one in Google for a product utilising unique page copy written by a professional copywriter. As the number one spot gets the bulk of clicks from organic results, writing a good product description and an informative product title really is a no-brainer, even factoring in the effort required. See this Google result https://goo.gl/XH2Xo1 – you should see the Jeanstore page at the top of organic results. I’d recommend that anyone who is serious about their website read the Quality Rating Program document; it gives real insight into what Google is looking for when rating websites and can really reinforce the advice given by a good search engine marketer. If nothing else, once you have read and absorbed the document you will be able to recognise a bad website from a really good one! David Fairhurst is Head of Creative Online Marketing at Intelligent Retail. David has been involved with search engine optimisation (SEO) and web development since 1999 and has spoken at many different retail and SEO conferences including Spring Fair and SES London. Call David on +44 (0)845 680 0126.

cyber security advice for small businesses Insurance brokers TH March discuss cyber security for your small business High-profile cyber-attacks on well-known companies have generated international headlines and raised awareness of the growing threat of cyber-crime. Recent surveys conducted by Symantec and other cyber security organisations suggest that many small business owners are still operating under a false sense of cyber security. The statistics are grim. The vast majority of small businesses lack a formal internet security policy for employees and only about half have even rudimentary cyber security measures in place. Furthermore, only about a quarter of small business owners have had an outside party test their computer systems to ensure they are hacker proof, and nearly 40 per cent do not have their data backed up in more than one location. Shockingly, despite these significant cyber security exposures, 85 per cent of small business owners believe their company is safe from hackers, viruses, malware or a data breach. This disconnect is largely due to the widespread, albeit mistaken, belief that small businesses are unlikely targets for cyberattacks. In reality, data thieves are simply looking for the path of least resistance. As more and more large companies get serious about data security, small businesses are becoming increasingly attractive targets – and the results are often devastating for small 110 giftfocus

business owners. In recent years, nearly 60 per cent of the small businesses victimised by a cyber-attack closed permanently within six months. Many of these businesses put off making necessary improvements to their cyber security protocols until it was too late because they feared the costs would be prohibitive. Don’t make the same mistake. Even if you don’t currently have the resources to bring in an outside expert to test your computer systems and make security recommendations, there are simple, economical steps you can take to reduce your risk of falling victim to a costly cyber-attack: • Train employees in cyber security principles. • Install, use and regularly update antivirus and antispyware software on every computer used in your business. • Use a firewall for your internet connection. Download and install software updates for your operating systems and applications as they become available. • Make backup copies of important business data and information. • Control physical access to your computers and network components. • Secure your Wi-Fi networks. If you have a Wi-Fi network for your workplace make sure it is secure and hidden. • Require individual user accounts for each

company employee. • Limit employee access to data and information, and limit authority to install such software. • Regularly change passwords! On the subject of passwords… According to software management firm ‘Keeper’ the top-10 most commonly stolen passwords last year (2017) were: 1. 1234 2. Password 3. 12345678 4. Qwerty 5. 12345 6. 123456789 7. Letmein 8. 1234567 9. Football 10. Iloveyou Further information: TH March is a chartered firm of insurance brokers. Established in 1887, the company has offices in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Sevenoaks, as well as its National Administration Centre in Yelverton near Plymouth. To find out more, call +44 (0)1822 855 555 email [email protected], or visit the website thmarch.co.uk

Be wise when you advertise Test a publisher’s statement of circulation. In today’s business climate you can’t afford not to.

Our ABC Certificate provides accurate, independently verified circulation figures, giving you confidence in your advertising investment.

If you want to reach 7,072* total average net circulation, then call Sharon Dengate on 01376 535 607 or email [email protected]

For more information visit www.abc.org.uk or email [email protected]

Don’t forget the small print Checking the finer details of a contract is essential to protecting your d business in commercial relationships, says ACID CEO Dids MacDonald How many of us haven’t read the small print and ended up in a bit of a pickle? Did you tick the box “I have read and understood the terms and conditions of agreement” without looking and live to regret it? Many of us do. So, the devil is in the detail if you’re unlucky enough to be in any dispute, and this includes intellectual property. Whether it concerns the ownership of graphics, who owns photographic images or the terms of a licence/ royalty or confidentiality agreement, it’s good to know where you stand. It’s the small print that counts in your commercial relationships and allows you to address these hiccups more easily. Spending a few moments to see if your agreements are healthy and fit for purpose will also help you identify where your intellectual property is at risk. After all, you want your business to grow and allow you to develop business relationships to provide a return on investment for the time spent, so why not cross the t’s and dot the i’s? Not reading the small print makes lawyers rich! Most companies will have marketing material and use a photographer, so clarity of ownership is needed. Who owns the rights? Many believe that if you pay a photographer to take photographs of, say, a new range of products, the commissioner (or the person who pays for the photographs) will own the rights. In law, the answer is usually no! The photographer will be the first owner of the intellectual property rights, the copyright, in the photograph(s) of your designs. However, it is possible to obtain the copyright by having the photographer ‘assign’ the copyright to you and it’s important to realise that copyright may only be assigned by a signed agreement in writing. Having an Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement drafted is the best way of achieving this. Once you have a template agreement, this can be used to fit different circumstances. Paying for the services of a professional photographer makes no strict difference to the legal position as stated above. However, payment may well provide an “implied term” 112 giftfocus

of any agreement that you have with the photographer, that you intended to own the copyright rather than the photographer. Such an implied term will likely result in your being permitted to decide where your photographs are published and for what purpose. The photographer will also have moral rights associated with the photograph(s) he/she has taken. This means that you will have to consider not using the photographs in a manner that could be interpreted as derogatory by the photographer. You will also have to credit the photographer as having taken the photograph(s) wherever published. In order for you to have full rights over how the photograph(s) are published, and to avoid having to name the photographer each time, you will need the photographer to ‘waive’ these moral rights. A waiver of moral rights may be incorporated into an Intellectual Property Assignment Agreement. LICENSE/ROYALTY AGREEMENTS – what to look out for and ensure you consider How many businesses thrive as a result of a positive relationship between designer and manufacturer and how few have a robust license/royalty agreement to benefit both parties, should things go wrong? In the creation of an industry standard agreement, ACID spent a considerable time consulting with both designers and manufacturers to create an agreement that demonstrates a fair balance between both parties and which is easy to understand, avoids legal jargon and, most importantly, is legally enforceable. Having such an agreement protects the interests of both parties, without compromising either party and maximises commercial opportunities. 10 TOP TIPS WHEN THINKING ABOUT A LICENSE/ROYALTY RELATIONSHIP: 1. They’re my designs! Assigning the rights in your designs effectively hands all the control over in those designs and the manner in which they can be exploited by

the recipient, unless you agree specific terms under which you keep the right to maintain control over certain matters. 2. What licence? If you do wish to retain more control over your designs, then you should license them rather than assign them. This means that you retain ownership of the rights and grant others the right to use the designs subject to certain restrictions, which you can impose. An exclusive licence means that you cannot use the designs for the duration of the licence – that becomes the exclusive right of the person granted the licence. A sole licence means that both you and the person granted the licence can use the designs. A person who is granted a nonexclusive licence merely has the right to use the designs but cannot take action to prevent anyone else also using them. Someone granted an exclusive licence can take action to stop anyone else using the designs. 3. Make a list All the designs that are to be covered by the licence should be listed in a schedule attached to the agreement. This therefore avoids any doubt as to which designs are covered. If the licence covers future designs then further schedules should be added when those designs are created. 4. Copying – who pays the bills? The licence should state whose responsibility it will be to take action against someone found copying the designs. Sometimes the cost of this can be shared, as can the proceeds recovered from the copier, but the licence should state how they will be shared. 5. Hidden extras The licence should set out exactly how royalties will be calculated. There will be a big difference between royalties calculated as a percentage of the retail selling price of the article as opposed to its wholesale price. Check for further deductions for things such as discounts on bulk orders. 6. Which country? It’s possible to license different companies to

sell the same design in different countries or other geographical areas. The licence should clearly state which country or countries it covers, and should prevent active sales of the designs outside of that territory. It’s also important that the licence states which country’s law will apply to the licence. 7. How much? It’s possible to agree either a one-off lump sum, or payment of regular royalties on sales, or a combination of the two, often in the form of an upfront payment followed by royalties. If you do agree an upfront payment and royalties, check to see whether the lump sum payment is deducted from future royalties. Also consider using a minimum guarantee for royalties, so that you are paid a guaranteed minimum amount each year even if the royalties actually earned are less than that amount. 8. How long? This can often be an important but difficult issue, as the shelf life of the design is often not known at the outset. It may be difficult to get a company to agree to continue paying royalties after the period of copyright or design right protection has expired. 9. The last word... If you want to ensure that the products are being made to your correct design, or to your standards, then include a right to inspect samples before they’re put into production. Similarly, you can include clauses that state the manner in which the products will be promoted. You may want to ask for your name to be included on all publicity materials. 10. Remember...! You should always read the whole of the licence and seek advice if you’re unsure of the effect of any of the terms. ACID CASE STUDY We asked an ACID member, a user of ACID’s industry standard License Royalty Agreement, to underpin all her licensing relationships, to list her top tips when negotiating a license royalty deal: • Make sure that the company you deal with commits to sales for a period of at least three years and that there is a clause included enabling you to accurately audit their accounts. • Ensure that your Royalty Payments in the Agreement are in monetary terms rather than percentage terms. • Ensure you have an intellectual property lawyer specialist to include additional clauses in the standard license royalty that are pertinent to your particular needs. ACID CASE STUDY ACID recently spoke to a member who had purchased a confidentiality agreement. She commented, “We’d been working with someone who had been fantastic when we started up the business, but we got our fingers burnt when we felt he may have taken some of our ‘know how’ and our ideas and there was nothing we could do about it. We have now just employed our first member of staff and have ensured that, as part of our standard terms and conditions of employment, there is a signed confidentiality agreement. This gives us assurance that should things go wrong we can rely on the small print. There are so many ‘hats’ that a small business owner has to wear and sometimes it’s easy to forget something that really matters.” ACID acid.uk.com

competition

! N I W

£500 RRP worth of stock from esscentualcandles esscentualcandles is a hot new name on the British Home fragrance scene. The company is rapidly becoming known for its fresh approach to packaging, fragrance, and value – and is experiencing considerable growth in the number of fantastic independent retailers that it works with.  With a belief that so many candles are centred on only fragrance or packaging, esscentualcandles is on a mission to challenge this and design products with equal thought into both aspects. The result is a range consisting of thoughtful and original fragrances, each with their own colourful

illustration on the tin packaging. They really do smell just as good as they look!  The company also firmly believe that exclusive products shouldn’t be exclusively priced, and so RRP’s for the range starts at £5.99.  To celebrate its recent success, esscentualcandles is giving away RRP £500 worth of stock, consisting of its best-selling fragrances across three sizes of tin.  For further information, please call +44 (0)7887 423 069; or email [email protected] or visit the website esscentualcandles.com

HOW TO ENTER To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, simply answer the following question: At what RRP does the range start from? The winner will receive £500 RRP worth of esscentualcandles stock. Enter online at giftfocus.com before the closing date of 29th June, 2018. Terms & conditions apply. giftfocus 115

Subscribe to Gift Focus Fill in the form below to receive a regular copy of your favourite magazine

What’s hot

YOU’RE

fabulous! Mother’s Day gifts

Issue 107 May/June 2018

Gift of the Year 2018 winners

WIN!

PUTTING PEN

£500 RRP worth of jewellery from Rosa Red

to paper

Stationery special

Home accessories

www.giftfocus.com

www.giftfocus.com

Issue 106 March/April 2018

THE VOTES ARE IN…

SPRING FAIR

Bumper show preview

the finishing touch

www.giftfocus.com

www.giftfocus.com

www.giftfocus.com www.giftfocus.com

Issue 105 January/February 2018

Gift Focus magazine, the leading trade title for the giftware industry, is available free of charge to qualified registered readers. Published six times a year, Gift Focus contains news on industry trends, new products and all gift trade events. Simply fill in the form below and post to Gift Focus magazine, c/o KD Media Publishing, Pantile House, Newlands Drive, Witham, Essex CM8 2AP. Alternatively, photocopy the form and send a fax to 01376 514 555 or register online at giftfocus.com

next issue...

White hot Summer product showcase

WINE & DINE Top tabletop & glassware finds

SHOW PREVIEWS Manchester Furniture Show Exclusively Shows Tendence Pulse PG Live NY NOW!

Trend predictions for 2018

WIN! £500 RRP worth of stock from Blue Eyed Sun

WIN!

YOU’RE HAVING A LAUGH Novelty gifts

Luxury, aroma

PLUS Ambiente preview Easter suggestions Anniversary gifts

& ambience

Candles & home fragrance

£500 RRP worth of stock from esscentualcandles

PLUS Ambiente review London Stationery Show preview BCTF preview Fatherʼs Day

rewind & relax Bath & body gifts

Wedding ideas Baby gifts Eco-friendly giftware

Ancient Wisdom

it’s beginning to feel a lot like…

Do you work within the giftware industry? Yes Name

PLUS

No

Christmas part 1

Job title Company name

Fright night gifts

Address Postcode Telephone

Halloween items

Fax

Email address

man about town

Please tick one or more of the boxes below which best describe your business Independent Gift Shop Importer

Men’s accessories homeandgift.co.uk

Gift Shop Multiple

Mail Order

Garden Centre

Agent/Rep

Department Store

Manufacturer

Wholesaler/Cash & Carry

Museum/Heritage Outlet

Other (Please specify) Number of Employees 1-5 6-15 51-100

101-300

Annual Turnover £0 - £25,000

16-30

31-50

301-1000

1001 +

£25,001 - £50,000

£50,001 - £100,000

£100,001 - £250,000

£250,001 - £1,000,000

£1,000,001 - £5,000,000

£5,000,001 - £10,000,000

£10,000,001 - £50,000,000

£50,000,001 + Do you wish to receive a free copy of Gift Focus Magazine? Yes Signature

No

Date Send the completed form to Gift Focus Magazine, Pantile House, Newlands Drive, Witham, Essex CM8 2AP. Alternatively, register online at www.giftfocus.com

116 giftfocus

Issue 108 July/August 2018 Available from: 8th June, 2018 Advertising deadline: 29th June, 2018

PLUS Home & Gift preview Photo frames and albums

If you’ve enjoyed reading (Ję'PDVT magazine, why not log onto our website at giftfocus.com? Containing up-to-the-minute news, events and special offers, the site is updated regularly with information to help you advance your business.

Find a supplier The latest feature on www.giftfocus.com, the supplier directory allows you to contact advertisers in the magazine for more information about their products or services. Simple to use and available worldwide 24 hours a day, the supplier directory is a reader reply service for the 21st century.

• Back issues archive If you’re looking for information on a particular giftware sector or show, take a look at our back issues archive. All back issues will be sent out post-free.

PREVIOUS ISSUEs AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD NOW!

Special features • Featured articles Read our regularly updated spotlighted features whenever you wish, covering legal issues, intellectual property advice, the latest EPoS information, tips from the Giftware Association and much, much more. • Media pack Download our comprehensive online media pack for a 2017 features list, advertising rates and specifications.

giftfocus.com giftfocus 119

STYLING FOR INSTAGRAM BY LEELA CYD

bookshelf We turn the page on some of the latest gift books to hit the shelves

CERTIFICATES FOR EVERYDAY THINGS BY MARIAN BANTJES RRP: £12.95 Format: 12 certificates ISBN: 9780500420775 Do you have something to celebrate? Something to announce, or get off your chest? Maybe you’re feeling contrite? The renowned designer Marian Bantjes has created 10 original gift certificates to commemorate life’s major milestones, from jobs won, chores done, races run, friendship won, to things acquired, feuds expired, inventions, intentions and the most honourable mentions. For further information, please visit thameshudson.com

RRP: £12.99 Format: Paperback ISBN: 9782888933502 Instagram is a rich source of inspiration and aspiration. It’s easy to set up an account, but to really master it, and gain a significant following, you need two things: a strong personal brand and an aspirational style that people will want to emulate. This book will help you achieve both. Written by renowned Instagram expert and photographer Leela Cyd – this publication is packed with beautiful images as well as her sage advice for certain Instagram success. With sections on creating the perfect composition, finding an original angle, and capturing scenes and places, this book covers all you need to know about getting the shots that work. For further information, please visit quartoknows.com

TERRIFIC TIMELINES:CARS BY RICHARD FERGUSON AND ISABEL THOMAS ILLUSTRATIONS BY MICHAEL KIRKHAM

CHALKBOARD CONCEPTS ILLUSTRATED BY STEPHEN BARKER

RRP: £12.99 Format: Paperback ISBN: 9781786271198 Terrific Timelines: Cars is a fantastic press-out display and fact file book, featuring 20 of the most famous and iconic cars. Did you know that more than 100,000 existing inventions were used to build the first cars? Or that cars of the future will tell drivers when to take a break? Children can learn all about cars with this beautiful and informative display timeline, featuring 20 of the most incredible cars, from the first ‘horseless carriages’ to the driverless vehicles of the future. Each one has its own factfile and press-out model to add to your display. Stunning illustrations by Michael Kirkham, bring this ingenious and eye-catching display to life. From the Bugatti to the bubble car, the timeline slots together easily to brighten up any shelf or school project. For further information, please visit laurenceking.com

RRP: £7.99 Format: Board book ISBN: 9781633223912 This colorful, interactive book is designed for little hands, featuring reusable ‘chalkboard’ pages and four pieces of chalk, perfect for hours of write-andwipe entertainment (and learning!). Combining the popular chalk aesthetic with timeless subjects and beautiful art, Chalkboard Concepts appeals to both kids and their adults. The interactive format enables young learners to write directly on the pages of the book, allowing endless opportunities for practice and on-thego activity. For further information, please visit quartoknows.com

120 giftfocus

on the right track Rob Cook, owner of tiddlers & nippers, talks to Gift Focus about the company’s innovative, user-friendly baby products – designed from personal experiences – all to make parent’s lives that bit easier Why did you decide to start up tiddlers & nippers? Two reasons! Having designed a range of baby tracking journals that we truly believed in (and felt were better than anything on the market) we really wanted a platform to help get them out to other parents who might benefit. Secondly, as a dad of young children I’d been striving for a way to work flexibly that would allow more time with my family, and so tiddlers & nippers was born. What challenges did you overcome as a new company? Having spent nearly 15 years working in banking and finance (with zero retail/ consumer experience), everything was a challenge! But outside of all the normal startup stuff, probably the biggest was (and still is) generating exposure for our brand/ products, without breaking the bank. Tell us a bit about your product offering. What makes you different? Our flagship product is an award-winning range of baby/ toddler daily tracking journals, developed to record feeding, sleeping, changing patterns and milestones.

which will be available in our range of artist designed print patterns.

We’ve recently launched a family organiser (calendar and diary format) and a small baby/ child home and travel range. Our approach to growing the business has been guided by the idea that innovative, user-friendly baby/parenting products should couple seamlessly with stylish and functional design and if there’s a problem to be solved, so much the better. How has your range evolved? Are there plans to branch into other product areas? Our product evolution has very much been influenced by our experiences as parents and the products that we used and found to be super useful, not so useful, or had real potential (if only better designed). We’re currently working on a baby’s first-year memory book (to be launched later this year) and currently in the process of rolling out a small range of baby/kids clothing and bags/ accessories for parents, all of

122 giftfocus

How do you market your business? Do you attend any trade shows? A large amount of our marketing is online and predominantly via social media, we also advertise and have been featured in quite a few print titles (predominantly the gifting and baby/parent spaces). We also regularly work with parent bloggers. What’s your proudest achievement to date? That has to be the fact that after just over a year since we launched, the business is able to support itself. The baby journals also won a few awards (in the baby and parenting space) last year, which we were super pleased about. What are your hopes for the future? More of the same please! To continue the organic growth we’ve seen over the last 12 months, increase product exposure and turnover, as well as becoming more widely known in the parent/ baby and gifting sectors.

T: +44 (0)7718 650 686 E: [email protected] W: tiddlersandnippers.com