autumn fair - Gift Focus magazine

Transcription

www.giftfocus.com
Issue 85 September/October 2014
www.giftfocus.com
FESTIVE CHEER
Part two of our Christmas special
SHOW
PREVIEWS
Autumn Fair
Top Drawer
FINE
DINING
A look at tableware
Fun factor
The hottest toys
and games
Signed,
sealed,
delivered
The latest greeting cards
PLUS
• Thunderbirds’ 50th anniversary
• News from Scotland
• Teens
WIN!
Stock from Lesser &
Pavey worth £750 RRP
September/October Issue 85
Managing Editor
Lauren Dowey
[email protected]
Deputy Managing Editor
Jo Fletcher-Cross
Editor
Lyndsey Dennis
+44 (0)1376 535 614
[email protected]
Chief Sub Editor
Louise Prance
Sales & Marketing Manager
Robert Clark
+44 (0)1376 535 606
[email protected]
Sales Executive
Sharon Connelly
+44 (0)1376 535 607
[email protected]
Production +44 (0)1376 535 616
[email protected]
Production Manager
Scott Brothwell
Deputy Production Manager
Sarah Barnes
Senior Graphic Designer
Vicky O’Connor
Graphic Designers
Alex Bolton, Lucy Dodds, Sarah Young
Web Development Manager
Stuart Weatherley
Production Assistant
Aimee Smith
Subscriptions
Kay Tilbury
+44 (0)1376 514 000
KD Media Publishing Ltd
Pantile House, Newlands Drive
Witham, Essex CM8 2AP UK
www.giftfocus.com
Cover image courtesy of:
Gaeltag Keltika
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.
contents
25
news&events
industry news
6
All the latest from the world of gifts
on with the show
10
Trade fair dates and news
brand spanking new
14
Latest launches and hot new products
hot property
features
festive cheer
55
thunderbirds are go!
Catch up on what’s new in the world of licensing
Thunderbirds’ 50th anniversary
competition
signed, sealed, delivered
143
Win £750 RRP worth of stock from Lesser & Pavey
Greeting cards
focus on...
opinion
company profile
42
Ashleigh & Burwood
company profile
fun factor
52
teenage dreams
All the latest from The Giftware Association
retail technology
58
Part two of David Mackley’s email marketing articles
q&a
125
30
33
36
Shared Earth’s Jeremy Piercy discusses how to reduce
the impact of road transport on the environment
50
Signature Gifts
the ga
25
Part two of our festive round-up
39
Toys and games
45
Gifts for teens
recognition deserved
131
Scape Interiors in Leigh-on-Sea and Bournemouth
75
Our experts tackle your retail-related queries
insurance
128
Brokers TH March answer all of your
insurance-related questions
anti copying in design
136
Dids MacDonald provides guidance on design rights
19
shows
Gift Focus magazine is proud to be associated
with and supporters of:
brand awareness
Average Net
Circulation: 7,292
48
Brand Licensing Europe
(01/07/12 to 30/06/13)
the perfect duo
MEDIA SUPPORTER
63
Top Drawer returns
ANTI COPYING IN DESIGN
home sweet home
special feature
fine dining
Essentials for the table
72
First autumn show
19
fun of the fair
75
Time for Autumn Fair
giftfocus 3
Sea Gems
Show time
The sun shone once again in Harrogate for Home
& Gift in July, in between the odd shower and a
power cut on the Monday! Luckily our feet have had
a chance to recover before the next batch of shows
kick in.
We continue with our exhibition coverage in this
issue, bringing you a bumper preview of Autumn Fair
on P75. This year’s event sees a healthy expansion in
the Home Interiors & Furniture zone, reflecting a welcome upswing in
the market. A new awards scheme will also take place – the Autumn Fair
Buyers Power List Awards.
Top Drawer settles into its new home of Olympia in September,
running parallel with Home. You can read our preview of the show on
P63, as well as take a sneak peak at what to expect at Brand Licensing
Europe in October (P48).
Our special feature this issue is a wonderful array of tableware, starting
on P19. With the festive season on the horizon, we bring you part two
of our Christmas round-up on P25.
Thunderbirds will soon be celebrating its 50th anniversary, and with
this in mind we’ve taken a look at some commemorative items on P30.
There’s a selection of the hottest greeting cards on P33; speaking of
which, our Up & Coming focus this issue is Lucy Daniels of Dippy Egg,
a trained graphic designer who followed her dream to run her own
greeting cards business (P146).
There are ideas to keep children occupied with our toys and games
special on P39, and teenagers are also catered for on P45.
See you at the shows!
Lyndsey
Lyndsey Dennis
Editor
Editor loves…
As a craft-obsessed kid, I would’ve
loved these puppets from
Clockwork Soldier during my
childhood. They’re simple to make
within five easy steps, with no
messy glue or scissors required.
The company has a choice of
designs available – Pet Puppets
(pictured), Robots, Dinosaurs and
Owl Family. These kits are a great
way of getting kids to use their
hands to make something fun
and creative.
VISIT US ON
Facebook www.facebook.com/giftfocus
Twitter @gift_focus
Pinterest www.pinterest.com/giftfocus
giftfocus 5
industry news
Catch up on all the latest in our news round up
Border Fine Arts unveils A Moment in Time
Enesco unveiled
Border Fine Arts’
latest design at
Home & Gift in
July. The prestigious
Disney collection,
A Moment in
Time, portrays a
favourite moment
from two of Walt
Disney’s most
successful films –
Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio. Visitors to the show also had the chance to
meet Peter Mook, one of the UK’s most talented sculptors.
The limited edition figures are made in the UK at Border Fine Arts’
Langholm-based studio, and only the most exceptional artists are working
on each piece. With such a pedigree, the figurines are destined to become
the ultimate must-have for serious Disney collectors.
After casting and assembling by hand, each of the pieces in the
worldwide editions of 250 will be hand-painted meaning no two items
will be identical. Each one will be presented with a numbered certificate
of authenticity.
T: +44 (0)1228 404 040 or E: [email protected] to find out more.
Lux-Wrap delivers clever gift-wrap solution
for Thorntons
Lux-Wrap has been chosen as an approved supplier
by Thorntons to launch an innovative gift solution in all
Thorntons stores around the UK.
Lux-Wrap’s clever 10-second bottle wrap caught the
eye of the chocolate specialist at Spring Fair.The brand
was challenged to develop a similar gift-wrap product
that could be used for a combination of different sized
and awkwardly shaped confectionery boxes to improve
gift-wrapping efficiency in store while still maintaining
the same high quality visual effect for the recipient.
The new shaped gift-wrap sleeve is the second
product in the range and was recently rolled out to all Thorntons stores
across the country.
“I’m very proud to be working in partnership with one of the most
recognised, high quality and trusted brands in the UK, and I’m incredibly
excited to now see my gift-wrapping product being used and loved by
customers nationally,” says Michelle Neale, Director of Lux-Wrap.
T: +44 (0)1908 522 810 or visit www.lux-wrap.co.uk
6 giftfocus
Congratulations!
The winner of the competition in our May/June issue is Emma
Pollard of Simply Gifted in Sandwich, Kent. Emma wins more than
£750 RRP worth of shabby-chic products from Heaven Sends.
Turn to P143 for this month’s competition where you can
win £750 RRP worth of Jennifer Rose’s Vintage Floral range
from Lesser & Pavey.
Busy Bee Candles doubles its Magik
Beanz production capacity
Busy Bee Candles has doubled the production capacity for its
collection of Magik Beanz. The company is enjoying phenomenal
success with the product line, which is supported by an
enthusiastic social media campaign. “We run regular competitions
to win Busy Bee Candles products. We engage customers by
tweeting relevant product instructions and new product details,
and generally chat to customers to ensure they have the best
possible experience with Busy Bee,” explains Haitham Al-Ubaidi,
Owner of the company.
There are different recipe ideas on the company’s website,
where people can visit and see which Magik Beanz to mix
together to create new fragrances.
The company has gained more than 23,000 followers on
Twitter at @BusyBeeCandles and over 6,000 on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/BusyBeeCandles.
Visit www.busybeecandles.co.uk to find out more about the
company and its products.
news&events
Tour de France fever hits Tilnar Art
You may’ve seen Tilnar Art’s big yellow signs supporting Chris Froome
during the Tour de France, alongside the company’s metal giraffes. The
sculptures had come all the way from Africa to support the Kenyanborn British Defending Champion.
All of the team at Tilnar Art are great fans of cycling, and Owner Tom
Hawes has taken part in a number of cycle events. Cycling is a great
environmentally friendly way to travel, as well as a good way of keeping
fit whilst enjoying our beautiful countryside. Being a fair trade, ethical
and ecological company, it fully supports any form of transport that
reduces carbon footprints.
The metal giraffes are hand-made by a group of artists from
Zimbabwe who are widely regarded as producing the highest quality
metal sculptures available from Africa. The products are fair trade and
your purchases of them help provide a stable income and good standard
of living for the artists and their families.
For more information on these giraffes, visit www.tilnarart.co.uk.
New children’s book titles from Books
by Boxer
Books by Boxer has updated its selection of children’s books
ready for the summer holidays and Christmas.
The popular 555 Sticker Book range has been extended
by three new titles called Shopping Trip, Fun Aliens and Fun
Animals. There are also an additional three activity books for
the budding magician, practical joker and spy.
One Direction continue to be popular with young girls, and
an additional colouring-in book has been added to the range.
Younger readers can have a good play in the Magnetic
Farm, while the successful line of Scanimation books has been
boosted by an ocean-themed title.
Visit www.booksbyboxer.com to find out more.
New contact details for All
Personal Gifts
All Personal Gifts has recently moved premises
and is now based at the following address: Unit
2, Castle Farm, Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 8AQ.
T: +44 (0)800 030 2345 or visit www.allpersonalgifts.co.uk to find out
more about the company’s personalised and engraved corporate and
promotional gifts.
St Justin celebrates
30 years
Cornish-based jewellery company
St Justin is celebrating 30 successful
years of hand-crafting beautiful
jewellery in west Cornwall.
The company now offers four main
collections – Pewter, Bronze, Sterling
Silver and Cornish Tin with a choice
of designs that will suit all tastes, from
Celtic knots, spirals and crosses to
contemporary flowers and hearts, as well as fun animal characters and
traditional tokens of luck and love.
To mark the 30th year, a new selection of products are being launched.
The production team has looked through the archives and remastered
some of the old designs that have been popular during the life of St
Justin, giving them a makeover to show the progression in manufacturing
techniques. As well as this, a new collection of Love rings is being
introduced – a poem of love and commitment is etched onto silver rings
in English, Latin and the ancient language of Ogham.
For more information about the company, T: +44 (0)1736 369 600 or
visit the website www.stjustin.co.uk.
giftfocus 7
industry news
Appointments
Richard Cox has been appointed as Sales
Director of Gecko Jewellery. His appointment
looks set to create a new programme of
support from the company for the many
independent jewellery and gift retailers it
supplies. It also heralds the expansion of the
brand in the international marketplace, especially in America.
Carte Blanche Group has appointed Sarah
Quigley as Head of UK Licensing. Sarah, who has
worked for Hasbro as Senior Category Manager
for the past two years, returns to Carte Blanche
with the objective of further developing the
long-term licensing strategies for the company’s
Me to You, Tatty Teddy & My Blue Nose Friends and Tiny Tatty
Teddy brands, building upon the recent successes of Carte
Blanche’s licensing programme.
Shearer Candles has welcomed Kim Flower
as National Accounts Manager. Kim previously
worked as National Account Manager for
Aruna Homewares where she held the position
for two years, and has more than 15 years
experience working as a buyer for key Scottish
retailers, What Everyone Wants and Au Naturale/Internacionale.
Steve Chappell, Joe Davies’ Area Sales
Representative for South East and East Anglia,
has retired. Popular with colleagues and
customers alike, Steve’s effervescent character
and wonderful sense of humour will be missed
by anybody lucky enough to come in contact
with him. The company wishes him a long and
happy retirement. Lucy Fleet has replaced Steve,
and brings a wealth of experience and is looking
forward to meeting customers, old and new, at
Autumn Fair and over the coming months.
Recruitment
Jeff Norman has moved on from Only 4 U/ZAK after
more than five years, and is looking for a new challenge. He
remains passionate about the gift industry and is keen to
stay within the sector following a career of 27 years in the
gift and allied trades.
Jeff has held senior roles in key/national accounts and sales management.
Based in East Anglia, he’s now looking for a challenging new role where he
can utilise his skills and expertise, whether that’s in account management or
field sales.
Interested companies can call him on T: +44 (0)1379 788 669 or
E: [email protected].
Holy Mackerel and C MAW
announce deal
Holy Mackerel has announced an exciting new initiative
with Amanda Seymour of C MAW, and will now be
producing and marketing her successful designs under the
C MAW at Holy Mackerel banner.
Amanda’s colourful and quirky designs are a great fit with
the Holy Mackerel house style, and her equally off-the-wall
background also chimes well with the way the team works.
Her parents kicked off her career in the card industry with
every artist’s dream of a Christmas present; they presented
her with a year’s monthly salary to help launch her business.
A tiny Spring Fair stand in 2002 – with birdsong playing and photocopied
cards on the wall – brought the first orders and the promise of more to come.
C MAW took off, going from strength to strength, building up a loyal following as
the designs kept coming.
Amanda’s young son Spike has now taken priority, and Holy Mackerel has
stepped in to help out. C MAW at Holy Mackerel launches with 60 of Amanda’s
best-selling designs, including age birthdays and a whole host of occasions.
Amanda is now freed up to focus on the design work she loves. Watch this space
for more to come. Visit www.holy-mackerel.co.uk for details of the range.
Over the last six months, That Company Called
If has recruited six more designers – Elaine,
Nicki, Krystian, Scott, Lewis and Santiago.
There’s still room for a few more amazingly
skilled designers and altogether lovely people
to join in the creative fun now that the brand
has relocated in central York. Interested parties
should email the Studio Manager:
[email protected].
Best Kept Secrets launches new
range of candle tins with the input
of its retailers
Best Kept Secrets has launched a new collection of
candle tins with its leading retailers, who’ve inspired
the latest range of scents for the long burning, high
quality candles. Among the selected retailers was
Glasgow-based gift boutique Sweet P.
In recent years, the growth in sales of candles, soaps and scented
products has led to a strong partnership between the Scottish boutique
and Northumberland-based Best Kept Secrets. Both companies share a love
of high quality, luxury products and recognise the benefits of hand-made
8 giftfocus
and hand-finished gifts.
Denise Edwards from Best Kept Secrets says, “Independent retailers like
Sweet P value great quality candles at competitive prices, and we know that
customer service is also key to our successful working relationship. When
we launched our new candle tins, which include scents from Blue Jasmine to
Freesia, there was only one shop on the tip of our tongue when we decided
to add Sweet Pea to our product line.
“Sweet P offers a great customer experience when you go to their shop,
and we’re really proud that it stocks Best Kept Secrets’ candle ranges. We
hope our latest scents will become best-sellers for all our independent
retail network.”
For more information, visit www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk.
Primalbea
Primalbeauty.co.uk
auty.co uk
k
Handcut natural gifting soaps, skincare products and candles.
Original designs and fragrances make our soaps the
perfect gift.
Contact [email protected] for details of
how you can become a retailer or our naturally sourced
handmade gifting soaps, skincare products and candles.
www.primalbeauty.co.uk
”
on with the show
Trade show updates from home and abroad
diary dates
International Jewellery London
when
31st August - 2nd
September, 2014
where
Olympia, London
website
www.jewellerylondon.com
Autumn Fair
when
where
website
7th - 10th September, 2014
NEC, Birmingham
www.autumnfair.com
Maison & Objet
when
where
Paris, France
website
www.maison-objet.com
HOMI
when
where
website
Milan, Italy
www.homimilano.com
Top Drawer Autumn/Winter
when
where
Olympia, London
website
www.topdrawer.co.uk
Home
when
where
website
Olympia, London
www.home-london.net
Scotland’s Trade Fair Autumn
when
21st - 22nd September, 2014
where
SECC, Glasgow
website
www.scotlandstradefairs.co.uk
Craft Hobby + Stitch International
when
21st - 22nd September, 2014
where
ExCel, London
website
www.chsi.co.uk
when
7th - 9th October, 2014
where
Olympia, London
website
www.brandlicensing.eu
10 giftfocus
Top buyers turn out for 13th
Exclusively Housewares
Brooke House Exhibitions has reported a very successful
Exclusively Housewares show in June.
Exhibitors were delighted by the turnout. “It was a lovely
show – great buyers, great business opportunities, great
networking and great party!” said Victoria Whitbread of
W2 Products. Her views were echoed by Ed Bacon, UK
Marketing Manager at DKB Household, who said: “The show
was good for us. It seemed well supported from all sectors
and the quality of the personnel attending was impressive.
We saw all the major customers we were expecting on the
quality of the visitors through to the general organisation of
the event.”
This year, the event organiser introduced speed dating
into its annual international buyers welcome drinks
reception, which was well received. “Our exhibitor export
agents were given the opportunity to have five minutes
with each of our represented overseas companies. It really
does help to put a face to the name before you meet on
the show floor and be upfront about what you’re looking for,” said Simon Boyd, Show Director.
Next year will see the launch of Exclusively Electrical, a show dedicated to small domestic
appliance suppliers and their customers, which will run alongside Exclusively Housewares.
This will give the team the opportunity to introduce new faces into the exhibitor line up for
Exclusively Housewares and welcome some fresh retail visitors too.
The 2015 Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical will take place on 9th - 10th June
at the Business Design Centre, London. Visit the website www.exclusivelyhousewares.co.uk to
find out more.
Bright Sparks Pavilion is a full
house at CH+SI
The Bright Sparks Pavilion at the debut Craft
Hobby + Stitch International Autumn is packed with
fledgling companies, first-time exhibitors and new
designers launching innovative products to the market.
The two-day show at London’s Excel on 21st
- 22nd September, 2014, hosts the Bright Sparks
Pavilion alongside 150 companies from across the
world, showcasing products from the art, craft,
fabric, needlecraft and hobby industries.
Troy Bennett, Director of the event organiser
ICHF, said: “There’s always a buzz in the Bright
Sparks Pavilion that’s tangible to everyone who
visits the show. It’s an exciting part of the show
with new products and companies meeting the trade for the first time and deals are
often done. We’re really looking forward to meeting the Bright Sparks exhibitors at the
first-ever Craft Hobby + Stitch International Autumn.”
For more details about the show, visit www.chsi.co.uk.
news&events
Christmasworld on the horizon
Christmasworld 2014 is the highlight for the decoration
sector. Taking place on 30th January - 3rd February, 2015, the
show runs parallel with Paperworld and Creativeworld.
The 2014 event attracted 32,864 international trade
visitors and 918 exhibitors, who were delighted with the
dazzling new products and innovative trends for all festive
occasions of the year.
The show includes great concept ideas for decorating
large-scale and outdoor surface in the wholesale and retail
trades, building and DIY markets and the green sector.
Timed right at the beginning of the new festive season,
Christmasworld presents a dazzling variety of new
products and trends, and is the ideal venue for making new
business contacts.
Product sectors include:
• Christmas & Advent
• Seasonal Decoration & Gifts
• Florists’ Requisites & Garden Decoration
• Candles & Fragrances
• Visual Merchandising & Light
• Ribbons & Wrapping
• Asian Christmas & Decoration
To register to attend the show, visit the website
www.christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com.
HOMI gears up for second exhibition
Having had a positive launch in January, HOMI is now approaching the second
exhibition at Fiera Milano from 13th - 16th September, 2014.
The show’s new character is expressed through its feature areas on particular
themes, which are designed to translate the concept of HOMI into a concrete
experience. These areas include Living Habits, Home Wellness, Fragrances
& Personal Care, Fashion & Jewels, Gifts & Events, Garden & Outdoor, Kids
Style, Home Textiles and Hobby & Work. There are other special areas with a
particular theme or function, with the aim of making any visit to the exhibition
an enriching experience.
The Homi Maker Design Award competition also takes place during the
show. It’s open to in-house production in the home décor and lifestyle sector,
geared towards under-35 designers who are making their debut in the design
industry. This contest is organised jointly with Artex – the Centre for Artistic and
Traditional Tuscan Handicrafts – that makes an important contribution to HOMI.
Visit www.homimilano.com to find out more.
Feel the buzz at Packaging Innovations London
Packaging Innovations London, co-located with Luxury Packaging, returns to the
capital this autumn and is set to be the most exciting and inspirational showcase
for everything new and exclusive in packaging design. Show organiser easyFairs
has confirmed that 135 exhibitors have already signed up for the show, taking
place at the Business Design Centre between 30th September and 1st October.
The two-day event will enable buyers to discover new ways to improve the
appearance of their products, reduce environmental impact or simply find the
next iconic packaging.
Alison Church, Event Director for easyFairs’ UK packaging events, says: “The
London show has filled a vital need for packaging, marketing, branding and design
professionals to find innovations to inspire them and make their packaging stand
out and delight customers while continuing to perform on a functional level.
“It’s become the place where designers and marketers head to for inspiration.
The emphasis is firmly on creativity, branding and marketing – it’s this appeal that
draws in the major names such as Waitrose, Fabergé, Diageo, Disney, CocaCola, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, GlaxoSmithKline, Estée Lauder, Harrods, Ted Baker, Mars,
Unilever and Space NK who all attended the show last year.”
The 2014 show will focus on three key areas:
1. Packaging Innovations – Combining the world of technology with the
creative minds of branding to achieve shelf standout.
2. Luxury Packaging – Now in its third year, Luxury Packaging is the UK’s only
event for luxury brands to source the latest in products, ideas, inspiration and
contacts within luxury packaging.
3. Contract Pack – supported by the BCMPA, providing outsourcing solutions
for everything from pack design, formulation and filling right through to services
such as warehousing, distribution and fulfillment.
For more details, log on to www.easyfairs.com.
giftfocus 11
on with the show
on with the show
Successful third Jewellery &
Watch London at Saatchi Gallery
The
third edition
Jewellery & Watch
drew
Trade
showofupdates
fromLondon
home
and abroad
to a close following a vibrant two days in its new
location of the Saatchi Gallery.
The diversity and quality of brands on offer
attracted a host of visitors to the premium buying
event, including representatives from leading retailers
such as Amazon, Astley Clarke, Beaverbrooks, Bentalls, Chisholm Hunter, EC One,
Ernest Jones, Fenwick, Fortnum & Mason, Green + Benz, Harrods, Harvey Nichols,
Marmalade, Rox, Swag, and W Brufords.
As well as an exciting relocation, Jewellery & Watch London welcomed some
additional changes for its latest edition, which saw a greater inclusion of watch brands
among the 120+ exhibitors at the show. Housed within the light, spacious galleries of the
London venue, the brands showcased their latest collections to the buyers, visitors and
press in attendance, generating much interest ahead of the AW14 and Christmas season.
Held during an exclusive champagne reception and hosted by Richard Hill and Julie
Driscoll, Portfolio Director for Jewellery & Watch London at i2i Events Group, the
launch of the BERING Buyers Power List was highly commended by all in attendance
as an extremely important and special competition within the jewellery and watch
industry. Five worthy winners were announced at the awards evening, which took place
after the first day of the show.
For more details about the 2015 event, which takes place on 17th - 18th June, 2015
visit www.jewelleryandwatchlondon.com.
Jinhan Fair celebrates 30
years in October
Mega Show Part 1 and 2 are the largest sourcing trade exhibitions every
October for gifts, premiums, housewares, kitchen and dining, lifestyle
products, toys, games and stationery in the Asia-Pacific region.
The shows take place over seven days at the Hong Kong Convention
and Exhibition Centre, and this year there will be a new layout, making
sourcing simple and easy. The visitor-friendly format enables buyers to
make best use of their time and enhance navigation at the show to
12 giftfocus
China Sourcing Fair:
Gifts & Premiums
when
where
website
19th - 22nd October, 2014
Hong Kong
www.chinasourcingfair.com
Mega Show Part 1
when
where
website
20th - 23rd October, 2014
Hong Kong
www.megashow.com
30th Jinhan Fair for Home & Gifts
when
where
website
21st - 27th October, 2014
Guangzhou, China
www.jinhanfair.com
Mega Show Part 2
when
where
website
Hong Kong
www.mega-show.com
Handmade in Britain
The autumn leg of Jinhan Fair for Home
& Gifts takes place at Poly World Trade
Center Expo in Gaungzhou between 21st 27th October, 2014, when the show will be
celebrating its 30th anniversary.
The 29th edition of the show brought
together nearly 800 manufacturers in
China’s home and gift industry. Each
session of the fair has attracted more than 50,000 overseas buyers from over
190 countries and regions, which include importers, wholesalers, franchisers,
department stores and supermarkets.
The show is divided up into various product categories: Home Decoration,
Decorative Furniture, Seasonal Decoration, Outdoor & Garden, Gifts and
Household Items.
To find out more, visit www.jinhanfair.com.
New layout for Mega Shows in October
Looking ahead
when
where
website
Chelsea Old Town Hall, London
www.handmadeinbritain.co.uk
(All dates are subject to change. Contact the
organisers for more information before
making arrangements).
For further in-depth show previews and
reports turn to:
P48 Brand Licensing Europe
P63 Top Drawer
P72 Home
P75 Autumn Fair International
easily identify products and suppliers.
For the 2013 edition, more than 57,000 visitors from 139 countries
and regions attended the show.
Part 1, on 20th - 23rd October, will present eight merchandise
categories, while Part 2, on 27th - 29th October, will include four
merchandise categories all clearly defined and colour coded for
easy reference.
Visit www.mega-show.com for more information.
brand spanking new
Check out some new and exciting products in the current market
Xystos
Goodlookers
RRP: 5in: £29.99; 7in:
£34.99; 9in: £39.99
Xystos has signed an
agreement to distribute
Luminara™ Real Wax Candles,
which display a realistic dancing,
flickering flame. They generate
no heat, soot or smell and are
safe to use around children and
pets. Each candle includes two
AA batteries and a timer, and
has a run time of 100 hours.
Three sizes are available – 5in,
7in and 9in – and three colours
of green, red and ivory.
T: +44 (0)191 499 1570
E: [email protected]
W: www.xystostrade.co.uk
RRP: £12.99
Pocket Specs are
the latest addition
to Goodlookers’
increasingly popular
retro reading glasses
collection. These
vintage unisex readers
can be conveniently
folded and stored into
a handy pocket-sized
carry case. Perfect for
those travelling light,
they’re available in
both rich tortoiseshell
and matt black and
come complete with an eye-catching CDU.
T: +44 (0)1634 713 900
W: www.goodlookers.co.uk
Bolsius
RRP: 8 melts: £3.49; 14
melts: £4.99; 28 melts: £8.99;
open top ceramic burner:
£7.99; ceramic burner with
lid: £9.99.
Bolsius has launched a new
concept in home fragrance.
The Creations range features
a line of scented wax melts for
use in burners that allow the
user to create and personalise
a fragrance to suit their home and mood. Just 20 core range wax
melts and three seasonal additions will provide simply thousands
of differing fragrance combinations. A minimum of three melts is
required to create a scent. Each wax melt breaks into six parts,
allowing a fragrance to be fine-tuned by adding or subtracting melt
sections. There’s no mess; when the candle is extinguished and the
wax has hardened, it comes away easily from the burner thanks to
a cleaning agent within the wax.
T: +44 (0)800 169 5126
W: www.bolsius.com
14 giftfocus
The Inkwell Studio
RRP: £1.99
The new Folksy range of greeting cards from The Inkwell Well Studio
in Cambridgeshire takes its inspiration from British and American
folk art. Artist Patricia Donnelly creates a mix of vintage and retro
style graphic elements to combine with her folk-inspired paintings
of animals and flowers, producing fresh, quirky cross-over designs
with contemporary appeal. Printed in England on high quality, slightly
textured stock with a matt velvet look and feel, they measure
150mm sq, are blank inside and come cello-wrapped with a nicely
weighted envelope. The range has 32 designs and is growing.
T: +44 (0)1353 659 170
W: www.inkwellstudio.co.uk
brand spanking new
Primal Beauty
RRP: 190g soap: £6.50
Primal Beauty is pleased to introduce its original collection of eyecatching soaps, skincare products and soy candles. Utilising original
designs with fragrances derived from natural botanicals and pure
essential oils, all product ingredients are cruelty free and completely
sustainable. The hand-cut natural gifting soaps make ideal gifts for all
occasions. All soaps contain vegetable glycerine that moisturises the
skin and rinses clean away leaving it silky smooth and rehydrated.The
most popular designs can be boosted with matching skincare products
and soy candles to create an all over revitalising effect.
T: +44 (0)7961 137 007
W: www.primalbeauty.co.uk
Temerity Jones
RRP: £11.95
Customers can make their own tattooed lady or circus strong man
with these kits from Temerity Jones. The five-piece ceramic doll set
comes complete with fabric, stuffing and a pattern, and makes a
truly one-of-a-kind gift.
T: +44 (0)1992 807 477
W: www.temerityjones.com
J-me
RRP: £7.50
On the vast
plains of the
bathroom sink
roam Diego
and Grace
toothbrush
holders. Diego
and Grace add
both fun and
colour into the
daily routine
of children
brushing their
teeth. They’re
made from
silicone and
both come in
fun presentation packaging.
T: +44 (0)20 7928 8828
W: www.j-me.com
The Country
Candle
Company
RRP: £17.50
The Country Candle
Company has giftwrapped the best-selling
Superstars, offering four
gift sets for the festive
season. Exhibiting at Top
Drawer on stand U46,
the company is offering
these sets at a smart price point. Each box holds three fragrances
from the Superstars collection, teamed together offering fragrance
themes in a red or gold festive gift box.
• Winter Getaway: Bamboo Teak, Ritz and Fig & Cassis
• Enchanted Forest: Mountain Breeze, Alpine Lodge and Ice Hotel
• Seasonal Indulgence:Verbena Basil, Red Amber & Clove and Sea
Salted Fig
• Festive Kitchens: Madarin & Nutmeg, Sparking Spice and Gingerbread.
T: +44 (0)1225 794 920
W: www.thecountrycandlecompany.com
giftfocus 15
brand spanking new
My Gifts Trade
RRP: Grey large
plate: £27; grey
bowl: £40; single
bird mug: £18;
repeat pattern
mug: £18; grey mug:
£18; grey jug: £30
My Gifts Trade is
pleased to launch
British design brand
Hinchcliffe & Barber’s
exclusive new range
of giftware and homewares. Inspired by wildlife and changing
country scenes, the designs are simply beautiful and the perfect
touch to a home. Shown here is one of its most popular ranges,
Songbird. Created using a hand-cut block print design, Songbird is
both elegant and sophisticated. The design beautifully captures the
serenity of an English country garden and the many birds that feed
there. Visit My Gifts Trade at Autumn Fair in Hall 5, stand K31.
T: +44 (0)161 946 1234
W: www.mygiftstrade.co.uk
Vizati
Clockwork Soldier
Sudzfun
RRP: £14.99
Clockwork Soldier has launched Build a Giant Dinosaur, a reversible
giant dinosaur that you can build inside-out and outside-in. This T
Rex is easy and fun to make and comes in 33 pieces. The doublesided pieces allow the dinosaur to be built inside-out to reveal its
inner skeleton and bone structure. When fully built, it stands 35cm
high x 71cm wide.
T: +44 (0)844 482 1775
W: www.clockworksoldier.co.uk
RRP: From £5
Sudzfun presents
its All That
Glistens range
of Christmas
soaps. An up
and coming
brand, Sudzfun
is focused on
the design and
production of fun and inspiring soap gifts for all the family. The
products are kind to sensitive skin, paraben free and hand-made on
the Hampshire/Sussex border using top notch ingredients sourced
from within the UK. Sudzfun Creator and Founder, Sarah Hudson,
designed her first soaps at home for children and they became an
overnight success within her local community. Since then, the brand
has grown very successfully. Sudzfun will be exhibiting all its new
and best-selling ranges at Autumn Fair in Hall 3 on stand X20 and
at Top Drawer on stand V50.
T: +44 (0)2392 631 786
W: www.sudzfun.com
16 giftfocus
RRP: £12 - 25
Vizati produces high quality and very popular dichroic glass made
in the UK – just the splash of colour needed to liven up a shop
window. Pendants and matching earrings come in a variety of
shapes and colours and are sold complete with snake chains and
attractive gift boxes. Everything is coded for easy reordering and
prices are low. Sign in to the website to see the beautiful ranges of
dichroic glass, silver-plated and sterling silver jewellery.
T: +44 (0)1323 485 605
W: www.vizati.com
tableware
fine dining
Serve up a treat in-store with these dining delights
Monsoon and Denby has
launched the Monsoon Kitchen
Gift collection. Presented in
premium enamelled tins, the gift
sets have been developed to
feature two different on-trend
patterns – Antalya’s bright and
fresh shades of aqua and dark
blue, and Cordoba’s striking
combination of mustard yellow
and deep navy. The complete
range includes an apron and
double oven glove set; apron and
tea towel set; coaster, fine china
mug and tea towel; and two
eclectic fine china mugs, each set
presented in a premium tin.
T: +44 (0)1773 570 211
www.denby.co.uk
The Japanese Shop has recently launched this
exclusive new range of stylish indigo blue and white
tableware with a classic but minimalist bamboo design.
Made in Japan from a high quality Japanese porcelain,
these attractive plates with matching dipping dishes
are available individually or as a set and are ideal for
sushi and other oriental home dining.
T: +44 (0)1423 876 320
www.thejapaneseshop.co.uk
La Cafetiere’s new Bola range features high
quality, hand-made borosilicate glass that helps
keep drinks hotter for longer while being cool
to the touch, thanks to the innovative doublewalled design. The cups can be personalised
too; whether you prefer an espresso, latte or
cappuccino, a streamlined style or a handy
handle, there’s a Bola for you. The matching
porcelain saucers, in pistachio green and retro
blue, add an easy going elegance to the look.
T: +44 (0)1352 717 555
www.lacafetiere.com
With the trend for heritage and native
countryside flora and fauna still highly
sought-after within the homewares
and interiors market, Katie Alice has
extended her Highland Fling collection to
include the new Stag series. Inspired by a
woodland walk through the Deer Park at
Burghley House, this range captures this
majestic creature in all its glory. Delicately
sculpted with all the vintage elegance associated with the brand, the stag truly is the
undisputed star of this range. Interwoven with delicate polka dots, intricate florals and
the Highland Fling tartan, this collection is the ideal gift for any animal lover.
T: +44 (0)1536 207 710
www.creative-tops.com
Pictured here are two designs
from JH Designpoint’s new
series of graphic designs of wild
ld
English animals. They include
foxes, hedgehogs, badgers, moles,
les,
hares and red squirrels.
T: +44 (0)141 339 4927
www.jhdesignpoint.net
giftfocus 19
fine dining
Lolita® glassware, available from
Gaeltag Keltika, covers both gifting
and table settings with classical and
timeless designs like this year’s Winter
Wonderland glass. It features a beautiful
acid-etched effect glass with a snowy
Nordic scene delicately picked out
of the frosting. The brand tries to
introduce a mix of both fun and more
sophisticated lines into its Christmas
selection to give customers a real
choice. You can visit the company at
both Autumn Fair and Top Drawer
this September.
T: +44 (0)20 8998 1781
www.lolitadesigns.co.uk
The Rebu range from Navigate
is made from fully sustainable
bamboo and plant extracts,
completely free of plastics
and melamine and entirely
biodegradable. The collection
comprises salad bowls and salad
servers, fruit bowls, serving trays,
dinner plates and tumblers. The
items are available in natural,
olive, white and aqua, and a brand
new colour for 2014 – taupe. The
range was also a finalist in the last
Beautiful Awards in the Best Eco
Design category.
T: +44 (0)1279 653 249
www.navigate.ltd.uk
These silver-plated
salt and pepper pots
are available from All
Personal Gifts. Measuring
26mm x 30mm x 58mm
high, the pots are from
the company’s fine silverplated range and have
a very deep shiny finish.
The brand provides a
comprehensive selection
of fine silver-plated gifts
that can be engraved
for a personal touch,
and come in high quality
presentation boxes.
T: +44 (0)800 030 2345
www.allpersonalgifts.co.uk
The Tilnar Art Bamboo collection has many beautiful bamboo products for
all styles of home. Elegant and classic yet contemporary, these bowls and
vases are hand-made by a small team in Vietnam who have an international
reputation for producing high quality bamboo products.The items are fairly
and ethically traded and make the ideal addition to any home.
T: +44 (0)1277 362 815
www.tilnarart.co.uk
From paper napkins to placemats, cake stands to coffee cups,
Ulster Weavers has everything required to complete and
brighten any kitchen table. The brand has expanded its existing
bone china range, which now includes dinner plates, side plates,
teapots, cups and saucers, sugar bowls and creamers, as well as
adding new designs to placemats, coasters, paper napkins and
melamine trays. To view the brand’s full catalogue and Christmas
ranges, visit the website.
T: +44 (0)28 9032 9494
www.ulsterweavers.com/trade
20 giftfocus
JH Designpoint
Elegant cats and design
Above right: cats are available
on vases, baubles, mugs and
tea tidies
Christmas baubles:
Above left: Red dragon available
with or
without gold. English Bone china
Green Cup:
Elegant 18th century/period
design to grace any table.
Other colour available.
Contact details:
www.jhdesignpoint.net
JHDesignpoint
[email protected]
tel/fax: 0141 339 4927
-PUL:PS]LY7SH[LK
;HISL^HYL
fine dining
Lesser & Pavey has introduced a new cupcake range for the home.
The collection features fine quality china mugs, a teapot and matching
two-tier cake stand. There are also melamine trays and matching mug
coasters for a complementary gift set. This is just one of the many
ranges offered by the company covering a wide variety of home and
housewares as gifts.
T: +44 (0)1322 279 225
www.leonardo.co.uk
These dainty bone china espresso cups fit most espresso machines.
They’re part of the Plum range from Repeat Repeat and make a
simple cup of coffee feel that little bit more special. Lovingly handmade in Stoke-on-Trent, the designs may be contemporary, but
traditional techniques are used to create them, starting with liquid
clay poured into a mould by hand. In spite of the decline of local
industry, the company is determined to fly the flag and keep the
traditions of the English potteries alive.
T: +44 (0)1782 845 870
www.repeatrepeat.co.uk
To celebrate the launch of the Black range, J-me is introducing
the Droplet bottle opener. It’s the first in a series of products
inspired by the company’s design ethos when it first launched in
2000 – to create timeless designs that seamlessly blend function
with striking visual appeal. Free-standing and with rubber feet,
this elegant bottle opener
is made from die cast zinc,
chrome-plated and comes
in beautiful presentation
packaging ready for gifting.
T: +44 (0)20 7928 8828
www.j-me.com
22 giftfocus
Half Moon Bay is expanding a number of its key ranges for autumn/
winter to include additional tableware items. Stoneware bowls are
a top-seller for the licensed giftware company, which is adding new
designs in its Mickey & Minnie, The Muppets and Sesame Street
ranges. It’s also launching new eggcup sets, glasses sets, boxed mugs
and a new format of side plates in other areas of its Entertainment
collection. For its popular Consumer Brands collection, Half Moon
Bay is launching a new Jacob’s Crackers line that’s perfect for
Christmas, with stunning tableware including a cheeseboard, plate
set and napkin set in beautiful vintage designs.
T: +44 (0)1225 473 873
www.halfmoonbay.co.uk
NO MINIMUM ORDERS
NEXT DAY DELIVERY
DROP SHIPPING SERVICES
VITAMIN ENRICHED FORMULATIONS
NATURAL & PARABEN FREE
NOT TESTED ON ANIMALS
REUSABLE PACKAGING
BRITISH AWARD WINNING MANUFACTURES
BESPOKE SERVICES AVAILABLE
www.winterinvenicetrade.co.uk
What our customers say about us...
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6XSHUEDQGIDXOWOHVVVHUYLFHIURP\RXUVHOYHVDQGWKHSURGXFWVDUHVLPSO\LQFUHGLEOHDWWUDGHSULFHVWKDWHQDEOHWKHVROHWUDGHUWR
SURYLGHFXVWRPHUVZLWKKLJKTXDOLW\SURGXFWVDWDQD΍RUGDEOHSULFH$YHU\ELJWKDQN\RXWRDOORI\RXDW:LQWHULQ9HQLFHȋ
Mr. R Taft
Meritorious - Cornwall
Incredible Value versus Price - Example
Duck Egg Blue, Gardening Twin Pot
Gift Set Trade: £13.50
RRP £32.00
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WRLOHWULHVDQGERG\VRDSWRLQGXOJHLQ
Actual Worth: £61 but RRP £32
B Jones
& Sons
[email protected]
Trade Orders: www.winterinvenicetrade.co.uk
Christmas – part 2
festive cheer
Part two of our Christmas round-up
From You to Me’s Christmas Present, Christmas Past journal captures
the magic of every Christmas. Year after year the journal will be filled
with precious family memories, telling the tale of festive preparations
and celebrations – the arrival of special guests, preparation for Santa,
decorating the tree, seasonal menus, the delights of exchanging gifts and
pulling crackers. Children and adults alike will love this family tradition of
creating their own Christmas story to treasure.
T: +44 (0)1225 866 225
www.fromyoutome.com
GiftScribes offers a large range of Christmas decorations that
can be personalised, including classic festive designs for snowmen,
reindeer, Santa’s sleigh and a stocking full of presents. In addition,
seasonal sentiments for couples, families, friends and baby’s first
Christmas are covered, as well as humorous decorations. Every
product in the exclusive design-led Special Moments collection
can be personalised easily at the point of sale or after purchase –
transforming thoughtful gifts into collectable keepsakes. All are made
from high quality poly resin and each one comes with a gift bag and
hanging ribbon.
T: +44 (0)1584 811 190
www.giftscribes.co.uk
Deck The Halls designs and hand makes wooden Christmas
decorations in the UK.The new collection this year is Winter
Wonderland, a contemporary country look in shades of blue,
white and linen, all painted using Farrow and Ball paints. Details
include white sparkle glass glitter and a beautiful stag print. As
well as the tree decorations, there will also be Christmas card
hangers and new wooden bunting added to the range.
T: +44 (0)1494 814 062
www.deck-the-halls.co.uk
An ideal gift under
£10, Carrie Elspeth’s
exclusive Christmas
Sentiments bracelets
celebrate the traditional
colours of the season
with extra crystal
sparkle. These charm
bracelets have been given a yuletide makeover with cute silverplated charms in the form of holly, a wrapped present, Christmas
tree and gingerbread man. They work perfectly as a special yet
inexpensive gift between friends. They look beautiful around the
wrist and are particularly easy to post to loved ones.
T: +44 (0)1446 771 271
www.carrieelspeth.com
Terramundi will be launching these new designs for Christmas at
Autumn Fair, adding to its enormous range of well over 200. There’s
always such a demand for both Christmas and general pieces at this
time of year, and the team needs to come up with something new
every season. As trends change from year to year, the brand has
seen a movement away from the more subtle tones to the bright,
cheerful designs. This year, it’s also seeing a return of gold, not only in
the Christmas designs but throughout the range.
T: +44 (0)20 8808 3818
www.terramundi.co.uk
giftfocus 25
festive cheer
Holiday Trimmings is a collection inspired by old-fashioned
decorations with a hand-made charm. Four festive fragrances, including
Pomegranate Spruce and Tangerine Clove, have been hand-poured
into 10oz mercury glass vessels shaped to look just like Christmas
baubles. The beautiful metallic finish and seasonal colours of red, green,
gold and silver create a nostalgic decorative touch to any home.
T: +44 (0)1829 730 028
www.thefragrancelounge.com
Jo Stockdale’s range of delightful cards are designed with that
special person in mind. They depict an array of creative animal
images that Jo is so well known for, ranging from cute to quirky
and romantic. As with all of her cards they’re left blank, giving the
client that all-important flexibility in how they can be used. There
are two different styles: the art cards measure 148m x 210mm and
the quirky, sketchy cards are 126mm x 126mm. All are presented
cello-wrapped with a fresh green envelope and packed in sixes.
T: +44 (0)1748 821 172
www.jostockdale.co.uk
WoodWick’s Holiday Comforts range from Xystos features classic
Christmas fragrances with intricate knit design patterned vessels that can
be sold separately or as a collection. Holly Berry has red berry notes
with the scent of fir trees and a dusting of fresh snow, while Frasier
Fir is made with nature’s essential oils – a fragrance that captures the
essence of fresh cut fir on a crisp winter morning. Sugar of Sprinkles
has buttercream frosting topped with a rainbow of coloured sugar and
sweet sprinkles.
T: +44 (0)191 499 1570
www.xystostrade.co.uk
26 giftfocus
The festive range from Lolita Designs brings
together new and familiar items, including a
reintroduction in response to customer demand
of the super festive North Pole wine glass.
The Christmas line features designs covering
the whole spectrum, from jolly gifts to lasting
accessories, bringing extra sparkle to the
Christmas dinner table.
T: +44 (0)20 8998 1781
Personalised Memento’s new range of Christmas designs features
fresh characters with a textured design and cute stitched details.
Other characters include Santa, Reindeer, Penguin and My First
Christmas Robin, available across its entire Christmas range of
baubles, decorations, sweets, chocolate and other keepsakes. To add
to the festivities, PMC now also offers packs of Christmas cards
despatched the same day.
T: +44 (0)1782 744 900
www.personalisedmemento.co.uk
NEW!
Whether it is our striking packaging, our natural fragrances
es or our
product performance, Seascape is one of the most exciting
ng bath
& body collections to come out of Britain in a long time.
NEW! FESTIVE GIFT SETS FROM SEASCAPE!
SCAPE!
Introducing our new Festive Gift Sets from Seascape. With attractive
tractive
Christmas theming, these gift sets come in 5 variations (Refresh
esh Hand
Care, Unwind Bath & Body, Uplift Bath & Body, Les Petits for Children &
Homme for Men). And the beauty of these gift sets is that theyy will not leave
you with any inventory / discounting issues if any stock is leftover
over after
Christmas! How easy is that!
SEASCAPE ISLAND APOTHECARY: A 100% BRITISH BRAND
ND
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.seascapeuk.com
Tel: 0845 003 5255
COME AND SEE US AT STAND 3W05, AUTUMN FAIR,
NEC, SEPTEMBER 7th – 10th!
festive cheer
Due to its continued success, Neviti’s best-selling Shimmering Snowflake
collection will see some new additions for Christmas 2014. This elegant
range has been popular for Christmas and New Year celebrations, as well
as winter weddings, offering some beautiful table accessories including
bauble place card holders, napkin rings and place cards for glasses. The
new glitzy additions will include a paper plate, cup, treat tub and napkin,
making the range even more versatile for festive buffets and celebrations
with the convenience of being disposable. The new designs feature a
classic white and silver colour scheme with a snowflake design.
T: +44 (0)1494 473 211
www.neviti.com
Magik Beanz® from Busy Bee Candles offer more scent, more
fragrance options and more profit for you. These natural wax melts
can be blended to create individual scents by the user. Magic Beanz®
have an RRP of £1.75.
The company’s Elegance candles
have crackling wicks and are highly
scented soy candles. These natural
candles are available in more than
200 fragrances and three sizes. With
more than 200 scents and over 30
autumn/Christmas fragrances, there
really is a buzz waiting for you to
create in your outlet.
T: +44 (0)7511 642 733
www.busybeecandles.co.uk
28 giftfocus
Joe Davies sold a record amount of Christmas products last
season, and this year its range has greatly increased to meet
demand. The full collection can be seen at Autumn Fair in
September. The company’s beautiful hand-made, glass Christmas
trees have been a remarkable success for retailers, and three
new designs will be available for the first time at the show. Don’t
worry about holding too much Christmas stock, as all Joe Davies
products are available in small quantities and the minimum order
is just £100.
T: +44 (0)161 975 6300
www.joedavies.co.uk
Wild Things Gifts has a collection
of guardian angels, ideal for the
festive season. There are four ranges
available and each one has its own
dedicated tree display. The fourfoot rotating Christmas tree shown
here holds three ranges at once. A
catalogue is available on request.
T: +44 (0)1392 211 268
www.wildthingsgifts.com
Following record sales in 2013, Pintail’s large filled range of candle
tins is a must-have product for Christmas 2014. These triplewick candles combine striking colours to create an eye-catching
display, and best-selling festive fragrances such as Christmas Spice,
Cinnamon & Orange and Warm Mince Pie. Burning three wicks
together ensures that the room is filled with a rich and intense
fragrance, while the soft glow creates a wonderful ambience, making
these candles the ideal choice for cosy winter evenings.
T: +44 (0)1539 559 007
www.pintailcandles.com
Iconic TV program Thunderbirds celebrates
its 50th anniversary in 2015
BBTradesales has a range of Classic Thunderbirds
giftware, including lifestyle, travel and fashion
accessories aimed at adult fans of the brand. The
Thunderbirds alarm clock features comic strip-inspired
design work and wakes you with the phrase 5, 4, 3,
2, 1… Thunderbirds are go. There’s also a messenger
bag that’s available in two designs – Comic Strip or
Thunderbirds 2, both sporting an outer zip and main
zip displaying the International Rescue logo. Other
items include a wash bag, wallet, gadget case, travel
bag, thermal flask, travel set and cufflinks.
T: +44 (0)1494 765 626
www.bbtradesales.com
Paladone Products has launched a plethora of
gifts to commemorate the anniversary. Items
include Build Your Own Thunderbirds 1 and 2
replica craft sets, Tea M’Lady mug, Fancy a Brew?
mug, Original Genius mug, glasses repair kit, shot
glasses and inventor’s notebook and pen.
T: +44 (0)1273 230 037
www.paladone.com
30 giftfocus
The Haynes
Thunderbirds
Agents’ Technical
Manual offers
unprecedented
insight into the
workings of the
Thunderbirds craft
and associated
rescued vehicles.
The confidential
manual has been
created specifically
to support agents
on their most
dangerous of
missions, and
includes a personal
introduction by
International
Rescue’s Founder
and Commander
in Chief, Jeff Tracy, as well as background information on inventor Brains’ amazing
technological and scientific achievements of the late 21st century. Featuring detailed and
fully annotated cutaway drawings by renowned artist Graham Bleatham, agents will also
have access to personal profiles and never-seen-before top secret mission files.
T: +44 (0)1476 541 083
www.haynes.co.uk
Tartan Squirrel has
launched a range of
limited edition, collectable
Thunderbirds pins.
Designs include the
iconic Thunderbirds and
International Rescue logos.
Each of these pins has a
circulation of only 1,000,
so are highly collectable.
T: +44 (0)1279 833 215
www.tartansquirrel.com
Thunderbirds’ 50th
Thunderbirds are go!
greeting cards
signed, sealed,
delivered
We open the envelope on the latest greeting cards
The Japanese Shop has
launched this exclusive
range of stylish greeting
cards based on various
kanji designs, which is the
traditional Japanese writing
script. Made in Japan from a
high quality board and with
a blank insert inside, these
cards come in a selection
of colours and suit all of
the key buying occasions.
T: +44 (0)1423 876 320
www.thejapaneseshop.co.uk
The
h new R
Retro
t R
Rocks
k titles
titl from
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Rosanna R
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Rossii iinclude
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Happy Birthday city skyline, a Happy Birthday design for
cycle fanatics depicting a retro sports bike, and a Well
Done medal card with striking graphics and typography. All
cards are finished with detailed emboss and die-cut edging.
Measuring 150mm x 150mm, each one is presented with a
complementing recycled brown fleck envelope.
T: +44 (0)7900 698 522
www.rosanna-rossi.co.uk
Alljoy Design has launched
a range of 3D Nature cards
with glitter detail. The cards
measure 145mm x 145mm and
come cello-wrapped with a red
envelope. There are 18 designs in
the collection.
T: +353 (0)1445 3537
www.alljoydesign.com
The new Craft and
Star collections from
Personalised Memento
Company are designed
to celebrate any birthday,
milestone age or not. As
they’re despatched the
same day to any address,
they take the stress out
of finding a last minute
greeting card with a special
touch. PMC manufactures
and despatches from one
location, so matching items
can be added such as a wine glass or birthday tankard.
T: +44 (0)1782 744 900
Holy Mackerel’s best-selling One Lump
or Two card range by Erica Sturla goes
from strength to strength, with more
than 200 cards now in the range. This
warm and witty collection covers
just about every occasion, from 9th
anniversaries to 100th birthdays, and
from something to celebrate exam
success to special cards for all those
relations. New designs will be on show
at Autumn Fair in September, and if
you can’t find occasions you’re looking
for then get in touch with the Holy
Mackerel team – it might be able to create one for you.
T: +44 (0)1297 33899
www.holy-mackerel.co.uk
giftfocus 33
signed, sealed, delivered
Hallmark offers customers high quality, stylish cards for the moments that matter, including two
of the most precious occasions – weddings and anniversaries. The brand’s Anniversary Card
collection has 27 brand new designs comprising traditional designs as well as a range of new
designs that tie in with the company’s 2014 Gifts & Gift Presentation offering.
The Wedding Card collection now features 20 new designs and includes the beautiful,
traditional Papyrus signature range. Fresh designs in specialist captions – such as Renewal of
Vows, Wedding Bless and Civil Ceremony – provide an excellent, modern choice of elegant and
contemporary design coupled with tender phrases to encompass the sentiment of the occasion. As
with the Anniversary Card collection, the wedding designs tie in with Hallmark’s 2014 Gifts & Gift
Presentation offering.
Two popular ranges in this category are a photographic look called Goodtimes and a text-led
range – both of which are in new and contemporary square designs.
T: +44 (0)800 902 0900
www.hallmark.co.uk
Jo Stockdale’s new Summer
Loving range of greeting cards
and gift-wrap celebrates all
things outdoors intermingled
with Jo’s well-loved animals.
The cards are designed for
maximum flexibility so are
left blank. Some designs are
available in a cute size of
126mm x 126mm and are
presented cello-bagged with a
colourful envelope. Alternatively
there are larger designs that are
printed in 120mm x 170mm
and also 148mm x 210mm sizes, also presented cello-bagged with a
coloured envelope. The quality double-sided gift-wrap is available as
loose sheets with separate gift tags or bagged with matching gift tags.
T: +44 (0)1748 821 172
www.jostockdale.com
Laura Darrington Design
is celebrating 10 years
in business this year, and
has launched various new
ranges, moving the business
forward into the next
decade. One of its latest
launches is the Happy
Days collection featuring
24 masculine designs,
covering general birthdays,
relations and ages. Industry
feedback has suggested a
lack of stylised men’s designs
this year, so hopefully this
collection hits the spot.
T: +44 (0)116 284 9660
www.lauradarrington.co.uk
34 giftfocus
Blue Eyed Sun is launching 24 new designs at Autumn Fair in a range
of art cards called Marimba. Created by the company’s Jo Corner from
original artwork by artist Julie Elvin, these original cards have a colourful,
tribal feel to them. Litho printed on 350gsm board, the designs include
12 open birthday and 12 best-selling occasion messages.
T: +44 (0)1273 823 003
www.blueeyedsun.co.uk
Pictured are Acceptance, With
Regret, Get Well Soon and Good
Luck from the new Thistles
everyday occasion card range
from Fay’s Studio. There are 18
designs taken From Fay’s original
hand illustrations. The collection
is created using only the finest
quality buckram embossed FSC
board and comes wrapped
with lilac envelopes. Each C6
(105x148mm) card is blank inside and packed individually in
recyclable packaging. The complete range has a beautiful mustard,
mint and pale pink palette and comes priced at 90p each (£5.40
per pack of six).
T: +44 (0)7817 412 086
www.faysstudio.com
pedal power
Jeremy Piercy, Managing Director of Shared Earth, discusses what business managers
and owners can do to reduce the impact of road transport on the environment
Cars have a big impact on our environment,
notably in the use of resources (metal,
petrol etc), and their use affects air quality,
water quality – even a small amount of oil
can severely contaminate waterways – and
ozone depletion. Road transport is the largest
contributor to global warming. What can we
do, as business owners or managers?
Firstly, do you have to travel by car or could
you travel instead by train, bus or bicycle? If
you need to travel by car, there are all sorts of
ways you can reduce its impact. Driving at 50
- 60mph instead of 70mph, for instance, makes
a considerable saving on fuel. Turn the engine
off when at a standstill; use the air conditioning
sparingly; pre-plan routes and avoid short
journeys (cold engines use 60 per cent more
fuel than warm ones). Even a brief look at
the internet will give you lots of tips, many of
which will save money as well as reduce your
carbon footprint.
Some of you reading this will have seen,
either in person or on TV, the recent Tour de
France event. In York, where I live, it excited
Tin can transport
in Madagascar
36 giftfocus
Welding a bike chain frame in Moradabad, India
enormous attention, with bicycles spraypainted yellow and gold in shop windows,
attached to restaurants, even hung up on walls.
As an environmentalist I’m keen on bikes,
and I was delighted to discover a supplier in
India which makes gifts such as picture frames,
clocks and jewellery from recycled bike chains
and cogs – even a sturdy bottle-opener; the
perfect gift for men. There are thousands of
bike repair shops in India, and they discard
quantities of chains because they’re broken or
have incorrect sized links. To upcycle them into
gifts provides jobs for unemployed artisans,
prevents more waste being sent to landfill
sites and gives us some wonderfully creative
products to enjoy.
The organisation responsible is called Noah’s
Ark, in Moradabad, which supports more than
500 artisans on fair wages. The picture shows
Kamroor Hasam, who runs the bike chain
workshop, welding chains into the shape of a
picture frame, which also removes any oil and
dust. After this it will be put into a hot cleaning
solution, polished and finished off. Kamroor’s
products are even appearing in UK bike shops
that are keen to diversify and have a few small
gifts to add to their sales.
A similar product is the bicycles, cars,
camper vans, planes etc. that are made from
tin cans in Madagascar. They’re made by a
cooperative that was formed in 1994 to
promote Malagasy handicrafts – great to
be able to tell your customers they’re from
Madagascar; much better than from a factory
in China!
Do your suppliers have an environmental
policy? Do they import by sea or air? You
might consider selling more products from
local suppliers (which appeals to customers
too). Have you considered working from
home; tele-conferencing; car-sharing? If buying a
new car, how are you choosing it? An energyefficient vehicle may reach twice the fuel
efficiency of the average car.
There are so many things we could all do to
make our world a better place. g
Jeremy Piercy is the Founder and MD of
Shared Earth, a fair trade business which
began in 1986. T: +44 (0)1904 632 896
or visit www.sharedearth-trade.co.uk
toys & games
fun factor
Toys and games to keep young ones entertained this winter
Intelex, the creator of heatable plush
toys, continues to bring to market
exciting new plush toy products like the
Cozy Plush™ Fox and Hooty™ Owls.
They have a dual purpose – cuddly
play toy by day and a bed-warming
companion at night. Intelex will be
showing more than 35 new products at
Autumn Fair in September.
T: +44 (0)1933 679 777
www.intelex.co.uk
221B Baker Street is the family board game that
encourages players to assume the role of the world’s
most celebrated fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes.
Available from Gibsons Games players can travel
through the streets and alleys of London picking up
clues and attempting to solve the most intriguing
cases that Holmes and Watson have ever faced. With
70 cases and a brand new box design, 221B Baker
Street provides hours of fun for the whole family.
T: +44 (0)20 8661 8866
www.gibsonsgames.co.uk
Clockwork Soldier has a
selection of fun puppet kits.
Little Pets Puppets allow
children to make their own
puppy, cat and two finger
mice. They’re simple to make,
with no messy glue or
scissors required, and within
five easy steps. The set is
suitable for children aged
five and above.
T: +44 (0)844 482 1775
www.clockworksoldier.co.uk
Navigate has a selection of gifts for
little gardeners. The Very Hungry
Caterpillar range includes a toolbox,
watering can, gardening stool and
drinks bottle for budding gardening
enthusiasts and fans of The Very
Hungry Caterpillar.
T: +44 (0)1279 653 249
www.navigate.ltd.uk
giftfocus 39
fun factor
Stripes & Dots™ from GUND features
four adorable animals: Grigsby™
Giraffe, Evert™ Elephant, Teller™ Turtle
and Brynless™ Bunny in pretty pastel
shades of spotty. Each character is
available in two formats – plush and
matching size rattles. Available from
Enesco, both formats have braided
attachments on the arms and legs and
are suitable from birth. The rattles
have a plastic ring on the top that
makes them easy to attach to a cot,
pram or car seat.
T: +44 (0)1228 404 022
www.enesco.co.uk
Mousehouse has expanded into traditional wooden children’s toys with
a small but beautiful collection of education-through-play toys for young
children. All items have been tested for age suitability from 12 months
to three years. With lovely caterpillar alphabet and numerical designs, as
well as stackers, puzzles, threading kits and toolboxes, the range features
a total of 14 new designs to sit alongside the very popular push-along
and pull-along toys. The range starts from £2.95 - £7.95.
T: +44 (0)1606 868 000
www.mousehousegifts.co.uk
Personalised Memento Company has seen an increased demand
for traditional and wooden toys. Every child loves to see their own
name on their favourite toy, and what’s more these personalised
puzzles make practical learning tools for young children by engaging
in sounds, bright colours and tactile shapes. The range features a
personalised wooden hammer and bench with colourful pegs, a
chunky ABC jigsaw puzzle and dress-up bears wooden puzzle with
interchangeable teddy faces and outfits. All make excellent toys for
problem solving, hand-to-eye coordination and learning to read.
Many of PMC’s personalised gifts, including its wooden toys, are
available for next-day delivery.
T: +44 (0)1782 744 900
Continuing to roll out its successful licensing project, The
Lagoon Group is launching a fun yet educational range of Roald
Dahl games. The collection features eight games including a
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ludo and snakes and ladders,
Scumdiddlyumptious Storybook Game and some Fantabulous
Family Card Games that feature the world of Roald Dahl and
the illustrations of Quentin Blake. One of the most popular titles
within these educational games is the Squiffing Story Tiles Game
shown here, which encourages children to use their imagination
and think up stories with a little help from the author’s
much-loved tales.
T: +44 (0)20 8563 6520
www.thelagoongroup.com
40 giftfocus
sweet smell of success
Andrew Nettleton, Managing Director of Ashleigh & Burwood, lets us in on the
journey and growth of Ashleigh & Burwood
How and when did Ashleigh & Burwood
start out?
The company’s beginnings go back to the early
’90s, during the terrible economic recession of
the time. Back then it was just me, my mum and
dad working on the business full time.
I look back with fondness on our humble
beginnings; we started making our own
fragrance oils and pot pourri initially in our
family home. At this time, car boot sales were
at their peak in popularity, and this was our
primary outlet. From there we built the business
slowly from the ground up. Forming the
company this way has had many benefits, and
many lessons have been learned along the way.
Working all hours, especially in those early days,
was a distinct feature. One particular memory
is personally delivering some products to a
customer in Staffordshire at 3am, having made
a promise we would have the goods for them
for the next day and not wishing to break it –
the customer is still with us, and we often have
a laugh about that when we catch up at trade
shows.
Our next venture was into ceramics
manufacture as oil burners rose in popularity,
and as we expanded we reached a point where
we even had our own production facilities
in the home of English ceramics production,
Stoke-on-Trent.
With more than 35 staff now and an
international arm to the business, the company
today is certainly bigger and is, in many ways,
different from when it began, but we still hold
true our core values. Part of this is the value we
place in people; the suppliers, customers and staff.
Were there any teething problems in
the beginning?
Plenty! I had just finished university with
a degree in French and Italian, but had no
business experience. My father’s previous
experience in business, and specifically in
home fragrance during the ’80s was utterly
invaluable. I remember us buying an old van for
a few hundred pounds and having the engine
rebuilt – which we thought was a good idea
at the time – for our deliveries and collections
of goods, yet the old thing broke down so
often that our membership to a well-known
breakdown service was cancelled. Another
investment that didn’t turn out well was buying
a small, inexpensive machine to help us fill the
fragrance oils. If you didn’t get your timing right
when holding the bottles under the nozzle,
oil went everywhere – it eventually proved
significantly easier and faster, and less wastage,
for us to revert to the hand-fill method using
squeezy bottles.
What product ranges do you offer?
Our product portfolio is extensive. At the
moment we’re probably best known for our
fragrance lamps and reed diffusers from The
Scented Home collection.
We offer a comprehensive range of more
than 150 fragrance lamp designs and in excess
of 75 fragrances, all made in the UK. Plus, we
have lamp gift sets and a wide selection of POS
support materials. This range works very well
across all retail outlet types. The higher price
point provides a good margin for our retailers
and the product is such that consumers return
42 giftfocus
time after time for fragrance sales.
Under The Scented Home brand, we have
our very popular 200ml reed diffusers and
refills in more than 25 fragrances. This brand
has expanded and we now have scented
pomanders, scented sachets and brand new
home fragrance sets. The Scented Home is
keenly priced, offering excellent value for money
and providing a high turnover of sales for
retailers at a good margin.
Where do you find inspiration?
Inspiration for our products and fragrances
comes from so many sources. In terms of
fragrance design, travel, food, memories and
nostalgia all play their part as inspiration. One
of our lamp fragrances is called Ice Spa. The
ultimate in freshness, this scent was inspired by
my stay at the Ice Hotel in Sweden, which is
constructed purely from ice and snow. It was
a truly one-of-a-kind experience, which I was
keen to capture by way of fragrance.
We find it essential to remain up to date with
the latest and emerging production techniques
in order to be well placed to utilise these to the
best effect. I personally visit approximately 10
different exhibitions around the world each year,
which I find invaluable for indentifying emerging
product trends and new production techniques,
and importantly making face-to-face contact
with customers and suppliers.
What developments are you working on
at the moment?
We’re mid-way through our launch of AW14
products. We’ve taken the latest additions to
five different shows in Europe, finishing with
Autumn Fair this month.
We’re presenting all of these new launches
at Autumn Fair, which include four brand new
scents for the season; two key new festive
scents: Christmas Treasures and Sparkling Cassis,
plus two seasonal scents: Rose & White Oud
and Rhubarb & Wild Gooseberry. The new
fragrances accompany fresh designs in the
company profile
Fragrance Lamps and Lamp Gift Sets. Due to
popular demand, we’re also launching brand
new one-litre size bottles of lamp fragrances,
available in eight of the best-loved fragrances.
We’re also showing three new product
formats from our popular brand, The Scented
Home. These are Reed Diffuser Duo Sets,
Home Sprays and festive Home Fragrance Sets.
Also under this brand we have four new scents:
two autumnal scents of Enchanted Forest and
Harvest Fruits and two festive scents of Warm
Winter Punch and Festive Garland. We’re very
excited to be presenting our best-seller of last
Christmas, the scented pomander, in one of
the new festive scents, Warm Winter Punch.
This fast-selling product is now available in
four festive fragrances and in an additional 12
standard ones. We’re anticipating fast sales for
this product, particularly in the festive scents, in
the run up to Christmas.
We’re also gearing up for SS15 and are
presenting a bespoke fragrance lamp gift set
conceived for the Valentine’s Day sales. It
includes the beautiful Rose Bud lamp teamed
with a brand new essential oil blend to use in
the lamp called Romance, a happy union of
palmarosa, bergamot and davana to appeal to
the senses, setting a relaxed, romantic tone.
What fragrance trends do you predict
for 2015?
The trends toward reconnection with nature
and escapism will be influencing fragrances for
2015. So many of us lead such busy lifestyles,
which are so often dominated by technology.
Interacting with nature on some level allows
us to escape our virtual world and get back
in touch with real life. As such, fragrances that
evoke nature and promote escapism will be
important. Simple fruits, fresh accents such as
tomato leaf and fresh cut grass, green florals
as well as destination scents that allow us to
reminisce on past travels or imagine a different
lifestyle will be key.
What trade shows do you exhibit at
and why?
We will have exhibited at 10 shows throughout
this year. In the UK we exhibit at Spring
and Autumn Fairs as well as Home & Gift
Harrogate. Together, these three shows provide
a good spread of sales throughout the year.
We’ve exhibited for the past four years at
both spring and autumn fairs in Paris (Maison
et Objet) and Frankfurt (Ambiente, Tendence),
which help us to reach our customers in
both those countries, as well as others from
continental Europe who may not travel to the
UK. For the first time this year, we exhibited
in Dortmund, Germany at Inspiration fair,
supporting our increasing customer base in that
region, and earlier this year we were part of
the Associated Independent Stores show at the
Cranmore Park Exhibition Centre.
How do you see the brand developing?
We hope, with continued hard work, that we’ll
be able to continue to offer attractive and
innovative products that appeal to consumers,
and which drive all-important repeat sales for
our customers. Our wish is to always be a
well-respected brand within the home fragrance
market, both in the UK and overseas.
Home fragrance as a category is expanding
in size, with new entrants entering the market
all the time, which is good for the consumer
and good for competition as it ensures we must
always be on our toes, and to always ensure our
products meet our core values. Complacency is
the worst enemy for business.
Why do you think your customers
use you?
We’d like to think we produce the breadth of
product to offer an appealing proposition to a
wide selection of retailers, from independent
retailers through to larger department stores
and garden centres. One of our core aims is to
always offer good value for money, and create
products that consumers want to buy again and
again. We’ll never be the cheapest brand around,
but we would like to be an affordable luxury
self-purchase or gift. We try to be the first to
market with new product formats, and aim to
inspire both our customers and end consumers
with wide ranging and varied fragrances and
product selections.
We place great value in our relationships, and
are very proud to still be working with longstanding customers who’ve been trading with us
almost since the company began; our businesses
having grown and developed together. We
place similar emphasis on relationships with our
suppliers, and develop with them as partners.
What’s in the pipeline for the Ashleigh &
Burwood brand?
Our development as a company over the last
few years has brought us close to the limits of
our current office and warehousing space. In
order to maintain our service to our customers,
we’ve had to work hard to update and improve
our internal processes. By the time we go to
press our new warehouse management system
will be live – so we’re hoping for minimal
teething problems!
On the product side, we’ve spent the last
two years investing in R&D on some longerterm projects, and elements of this will begin
to come to fruition during 2015. Our Head
of Technical Development, Siva Kandiah, is a
highly experienced and qualified chemist, having
worked with some of the biggest names in the
health and beauty industries during his career,
and this gives us the potential to also move into
toiletries. Our primary focus though is always
home fragrance, and developing fragrances
which people love and don’t want to be
without, and at the same time seeking out new
product ideas and formats to deliver those
fragrances into the home. g
To find out more, T: +44 (0)1932 267 060
or visit www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk
giftfocus 43
Brand new Beau & Elliot insulated satchels – cool new
designs, gifts and home accessories
Navigate Ltd
01279 653249
[email protected]
www.navigate.ltd.co.uk
Follow us
teens
teenage dreams
Ideas for those difficult-to-buy-for teens
From You to Me has created
a journal that allows teens to
rant and rave. The book has a
fun twist: a double cover that
lets you rave about the good
bits, then twist the journal
over to rant and let off steam
in a fun and relaxed way. It’s
the ideal gift for a new school
term or a fun Christmas
stocking filler. The journal is
also available in My School
and My Holiday.
T: +44 (0)1225 866 225
www.fromyoutome.com
Think Pink is
launching this
funky range of
LED Illuminated
Canvas Art.
The range
comprises 20
different styles
and sizes that
cater for young
boys and girls,
teenagers and
even students.
Each piece is
supplied with AA
batteries, has a
‘try me’ function
for in-store use
and also a builtin timer that automatically turns the illuminations off after
two hours.
This feature is especially appealing to parents as they
can use the canvas art as a nightlight. RRPs range between
£12.99 to £29.99.
T: +44 (0)1253 831 508
www.thinkpinkblue2.com
Puckator has the answers when it comes to gifts for teens. Girls will love
the Day of the Dead and Mermaid nail files, and with retail prices under £1
customers can buy the whole set. New in is the UK-designed Earbuds range of
fun headphones, suitable for teenage girls and boys. A pack of 24 Earbuds comes
with an attractive counter display. You can see the full collection at Autumn Fair.
T: +44 (0)800 011 6969
www.puckator.co.uk
giftfocus 45
teenage dreams
The outstanding products in 2014
from Boxer have been the range
of Pretty Bejewelled Purses and
Name Stampers. Both girls and
boys names sell extremely well
and regularly repeat – sometimes
within a week of the spinner being
installed. Each spinner holds more
than £300 worth of stock on a
very small footprint. The purses are available in funky coloured silicon in
shades of purple, pink and blue. Each purse has a large jewel with either
a name or an initial in bright, friendly, curly lettering. The Name Stampers
are available in both boys and girls stampers; girls have orange, pink or
purple ink and boys have black or red ink.
T: +44 (0)113 395 5595
www.boxergifts.com
Talbot Fashions has all you need to join in with the fun and
compulsive trend of loom bands. Children everywhere are making
these bracelets and other jewellery by interlinking rubber bands
into various patterns and designs using a crochet hook and
clips. There are endless designs based on skill level and it’s easy
to dismantle and start again. Simple instructions and a pile of
safe, colourful elastic bands provide entertainment and creative
productivity for all ages.
T: +44 (0)1273 776 415
www.talbotfashions.co.uk
snoozies!®, the cosy little foot coverings
from Joe Davies, make the perfect gift
for teenage girls, and the cuter and
glitzier the designs the more popular
they are! Joe Davies will introduce
seven new ranges at Autumn Fair
including these glamorous Bright Bling
snoozies!® in six trendy jewel colours.
There are three sizes in each range and
a customised spinner is also available to
make a simple, practical display.
T: +44 (0)161 975 6300
www.joedavies.co.uk
46 giftfocus
The Little Shop Of opened in 2009 to sell The Little Book
of Earrings, after searching for years for a neat way to store
and organise earrings. The company has made a number of
improvements since 2009 largely due to suggestions from its
customers. New colours have been added, including two fabric
covered books. There’s a red and white polka dot design and a blue
flowery one – both with the padded grey pages. During the last
year the brand has added two fresh designs to the range. The Little,
Little Book of Earrings is able to hold up to 12 pairs of earrings
and is ideal for travelling. The Little Book of Necklaces works on a
similar principle, offering a solution to the problem of tangled and
damaged necklaces.
T: +44 (0)203 371 1522
www.littleshopof.co.uk
This number one hit for the fridge may be just the thing to entice those
sleepy teenagers out of their bedrooms. Available from That Company
Called If, each kit contains 320 magnetic word tiles themed for one of
six musical genres and is priced at £6.99 RRP. This is an ideal gift for all
those wanna-be songwriters that require a little lyrical inspiration every
now and then.
T: +44 (0)1751 475 757
www.thatcompanycalledif.com
Jewellery Storage solutions
Please visit us at Top Drawer London 14th - 16th Aug. Stand C48
The Original & Only Little Book of Earrings
(IWMKRIHXSLSPHYTXSĂĆTEMVWSJIEVVMRKW)EVVMRKWEVIOITX
WEJI
WIGYVIERHEQEXGLMRKTEMVMWEP[E]WIEW]XSÁRH
The Little Book of Necklaces
(IWMKRIHXSLSPHRIGOPEGIW
WEJIP]ERHWIGYVIP]EX
LSQISV[LIRXVEZIPMRK
The Little, Little Book of Earrings
(IWMKRIHPMOIXLI0MXXPI&SSOSJ)EVVMRKWFYX
WQEPPIV%FPIXSLSPHYTXSÿĀTEMVWSJIEVVMRKW
-J]SY[SYPHPMOIER]
JYVXLIVMRJSVQEXMSRTPIEWI
phone: (0044)0 2033711522
email: [email protected]
Visit us: www.littleshopof.co.uk
brand awareness
Head to Brand Licensing Europe in October for all your licensing needs
In brief
Show
Organiser
Where
When
Website
Open
Twitter
Advanstar Licensing
Olympia, London
www.brandlicensing.eu
9am - 5pm, and 9am - 4pm
on the last day
@bleurope
The 16th edition of Brand Licensing Europe
takes place in October, bringing the continent's
licensing industry together under one roof.
Whether you’re a retailer, licensee or sales
promotion professional, BLE is the ideal place
to meet with more than 280 leading brand
owners face-to-face, discover the hottest
brands, characters, images and artwork
available for license, as well as find new
business partnerships.
Once again, this year’s event will be zoned
into three distinct areas to help visitors
navigate easily:
•
Art, Design and Image
•
Brands and Lifestyle
•
Character and Entertainment
Exhibitors include: Twentieth Century Fox
Consumer Products, Battersea Dogs & Cats
Home, British Library, Chelsea Football Club,
Chupa Chups, Discovery Enterprises, Dorna
Sports, DreamWorks Animation, Hasbro
Brand Licensing & Publishing, ITV Global
Entertainment, Kate Knight, Major League
Baseball, Mind Candy, Nickelodeon & Viacom
Consumer Products, Rovio Entertainment,
The Royal Ballet, Von Dutch, Valerie Valerie Ltd,
48 giftfocus
Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Yellow
House Art Licensing to name a few.
Licensing Academy
Running alongside the exhibition again is
the renowned Licensing Academy, featuring
keynote sessions from leading industry experts.
Over the past few years the Academy has
played host to sessions from the likes of Mind
Candy, Rovio, VW, Lucas Licensing and FIFA.
Retail Mentoring Programme
The Retail Mentoring Programme provides
guidance on all aspects of licensing to buyers
that have been nominated by their company.
The only programme of its kind in the UK,
this year boasts involvement from 10 leading
retailers including Lakeland, Debenhams, Boots, J
Sainsbury, Tesco, Miniclub and, for the first time,
Marks and Spencer, compared to six last year.
Launched five years ago with just two
retailers on board, the initiative offers delegates
a deeper understanding of the licensing
industry. More than 50 buying professionals
from nominated retailers take part in
workshops and seminars, including the LIMA
Licensing Essentials Course and Spring Fling in
May in partnership with LIMA UK, culminating
at Brand Licensing Europe in October.
Matthew Canwell, Director of Buying
at Lakeland, says: “We decided to join the
mentoring scheme last year as it gave our
buyers an opportunity to get a 360-degree
picture of how the industry works. Clearly
to make a licence work well, you need to
ensure there’s collaboration between licensor
and licensee, and this scheme enabled us to
understand how to make that possible. Our
participants found it extremely valuable, hence
our involvement again this year.”
“We decided to join the
mentoring scheme last year as it
gave our buyers an opportunity
to get a 360-degree picture of
how the industry works. ”
The scheme is available free of charge
to qualifying retailers. Limited spaces are
available, so if you’d like to apply to take
part or nominate members of your team,
please contact Rachel Cowdrey via email at:
[email protected].
License This!
The final of the License This! Competition
will take place in front of a live audience and
judging panel of industry experts. Now in its
fifth year, the competition offers those with
brand new creative concepts the opportunity
to break into the global licensing industry. g
For more details and to register to attend,
visit www.brandlicensing.eu.
making its mark
Kevin Spindler, Co-Founder of Signature Gifts, gives us an insight into the
personalised giftware brand
When did Signature Gifts begin
and how?
Myself and my business partner, Mike Herbert,
founded Signature Gifts in 2003. We were
determined to use the growing power of the
internet to exploit the personalised gift market.
Things went very much according to plan
and we quickly made a name for ourselves as a
leading gift supplier in the design, manufacture
and distribution of innovative personalised
presents. This in-house policy continues to
ensure our products reach our customers in
perfect condition and is undoubtedly key to
our success.
A merger with Historic Newspapers – an
established company in both the UK and USA
– has also resulted in continued growth. As
such, we now work with all of the main UK
newspaper titles, the Washington Post and the
LA Times, which license us to reproduce their
own newspapers.
Today, we ship more than 250,000 individual
gifts every year, from premises in both the USA
and UK. Moreover, our trade gifts sell through
a number of leading mail order and online
retailers, as well as on our own websites.
t Stuck Up
When Santa Go
The Chimney
Were there any teething problems?
I wouldn’t say we experienced anything out
of the ordinary when we originally started
out, but we were happy that we quickly
found a great niche in the market for original
newspapers. I think we also tapped into the
growing internet market at the right time
allowing us to bring this highly personal,
commemorative gift to customers.
“We felt that the growing
internet trade and faster
speed that the internet trade
allows would help fuel the
growth of Signature Gifts.”
Where do you get your product
inspiration from?
We felt that the growing internet trade and
faster speed that the internet trade allows
would help fuel the growth of Signature Gifts
as an original newspaper distributor and a
personalised gifts manufacturer.
What ranges do you offer?
Anything personalised really, including alcohol,
print, books, calendars, engraved silverware,
ceramics and embroidery.
What projects are you working on at
the moment?
We’re currently developing more innovative
ways of printing on substrates, rather than the
usual engraving or transfers. Keeping an eye on
what customers want and developing original
ways to fit their needs is a big part of how to
become (and stay) successful.
Is it My Birthday Yet?
50 giftfocus
Which trade shows do you exhibit
at and why?
Spring Fair and Autumn Fair are big events
marked on our calendar, as both fairs cover the
whole of the UK gift market. We also exhibit in
America in Atlanta and New York.
company profile
Classic Novels
Emergency Chocolate Bar
How do you see the business
developing in the future?
We’re definitely forecasting a doubling in
our business every three to five years as the
personalised gift market continues to grow.
We’re confident of this due to the growth
of internet sales and its speed and ability to
feature our wide range of products. The web
is an ideal platform to sell original, one-off
personalised gifts and we take full advantage
of this.
Delivery services are also improving with
faster and more convenient services at relatively
cheaper prices. Finally, there’s our investment
in state-of-the-art machinery, meaning our
service level and lead times will further improve.
Next-day delivery for quality personalised gifts
will increasingly become the norm.
to wholesale and retail. This means that we
have the perspective to truly understand our
customers’ needs. We’re trusted and have a
great reputation that customers can rely on.
What has Signature Gifts got in
the pipeline?
We’re now a leader in producing and selling
personalised children’s books and we have
many exciting story and activity books on the
way. Alongside this we’re investing heavily in
new printers to allow us to launch fresh wood,
slate and glass gifts with fresh bespoke pictorial
designs. Make sure you watch this space as we
only plan on getting bigger and better. g
Christmas baubles
What trends do you predict for 2015?
I see an increasing demand for artisan
type products and more design-led gifts.
Personalisation will be available for a
wider range of gifts and will also include
products for the home. I see products
where personalisation will not just be part
of the gift, but its design will become more
important, making personalised gifts even
more desirable. For example, it will no longer
be good enough for a personalised plate
to have a name and message in the middle;
customers will look for the personalisation to
enhance the design of the plate. We expect
to see fewer simple engravings, of say initials,
on plain cufflinks as customers will expect
more – perhaps monogrammed initials and
better looking cufflinks.
Why do you think your customers
use you?
Signature has been around for 11 years
and throughout that time we’ve provided
consistent, good service. We control all aspects
of our products, from design and manufacture
Your Life in Pictures
For more information about Signature Gifts,
T: +44 (0)844 669 9900 or visit
www.signature-gifts.co.uk
giftfocus 51
Isabel Martinson, CEO of The
Giftware Association
GA news
We bring you the latest news from The Giftware Association
Retail recovery
According to GA Chief Executive Isabel
Martinson, many gift retailers are worried that
they are being left behind when they read
national newspaper headlines about the UK’s
so-called recovery.
The reality – as she discovered when talking
to members at Home & Gift in Harrogate – is
that bricks and mortar retailers are still finding
life extremely tough.
“They’re certainly not seeing any benefit yet,
and in some cases it’s knocking their confidence.
They think that they’re either buying the wrong
stock or doing something else wrong when, in
fact, they’re probably not,” comments Isabel.
“Some sectors have being doing well but the
public is still very cautious when it comes to
spending on giftware.”
She says that retailers are reassured when
they’re told that they’re by no means in the
minority as “what they read in the press
doesn’t chime with what’s actually happening
on the ground.”
They also continue to be worried about
business rates and are concerned about the
effects of e-tailing on their stores. Also, many
of those who are considering taking their
businesses online mistakenly believe that it’s a
cheap option, failing to take into consideration
the necessary investment in the platform,
search engine optimisation and marketing.
“It’s not as easy as first might appear,” says
Isabel. “Bricks and mortar retailers should
remember that they still have a great advantage
in that they’re physically there with their
product.” Their fear, of course, is that potential
buyers see a product that they like in-store
and then go online to try to find it cheaper
somewhere else.
“We recommend that they build up a
following in their area by not only giving topnotch service but also offering a loyalty scheme
– possibly using vouchers or cards which are
stamped – to entice the public into their stores.
It works very well for restaurants and coffee
shops, so why not independent retailers? The
reality is that all retailers have to do something
or find product that differentiates them from
their competition.
“Meanwhile, good e-tailers are becoming
stronger, while some bricks and mortar retailers
52 giftfocus
Talent spotters at Home & Gift
The GA’s talent spotters were out and about at
Home & Gift, talking to suppliers about product they
might wish to enter in this year’s GA Gift of the Year
competition, which is launched at Autumn Fair.
“Some exhibitors with fabulous items really did
need convincing that they stood a chance in the
competition,” comments Isabel Martinson. “If you have
strong product, entering is a great way to ensure that
it’ll be seen by judges who represent retailers such
as John Lewis, and the publicity that winners receive
definitely boosts sales.”
pipped at the post when the presentations
were made at St George’s Hall in Liverpool.
Isabel says, “It was thrilling to be so highly
ranked – especially when you consider that the
Forum has more than 400 members drawn
Apprenticeships
from all areas of business and commerce. This
Oliver Ashton, who heads up Jump! banged
the drum for apprenticeships at the recent GA was tangible recognition of the investment The
Members’ Day, saying they were a great way to GA has made in technology in recent months
develop businesses and help young people into and a tribute to the team which has worked so
work. But Isabel Martinson fears that the efforts hard to give our members one of the very best
websites around.”
of apprenticeship organisations such as Jump!
could be undermined if government funding for
Voucher benefit for subscribers
small businesses is no longer given at the start
Retailers who became GA subscribers at
of an apprenticeship but at the end.
Home & Gift were entitled to the memberShe says, “A concern is that companies
to-member vouchers, which could be used to
that no longer receive the money up front –
secure product discounts and other special
which they need for cash flow purposes – will
offers being made at the show.
stop taking on apprentices. This isn’t good for
They were also able to sign up for full
businesses, or people coming through, or Britain
membership, receiving two years for the
Plc. I raised this matter at the recent Trade
price of one, while suppliers were entitled to
Association Forum conference and suggested
a 20 per cent discount on their first year of
that the more trade associations that can get
together to lobby against this move the better.” membership at the association.
The GA was delighted to welcome 12 new
GA Chairman Michael Papé, of Ravensden,
who’s in the process of hiring two apprentices, companies as members during the show and
grow its subscribers by another 50 retailers.
said that the government was introducing the
The voucher scheme was widely trialed in the
change “to make sure employers keep their
trade press and the show’s Daily News and
end of the bargain.” But, he believed it could
was particularly well received by GA retail
be “a disincentive to a small business that isn’t
members and subscribers, driving them to visit
necessarily as fortunate as we are in terms of
participating GA supplier members. g
needing the funding to take someone on.”
have successfully introduced online selling.
Our membership includes both. There’s room
for everyone.”
GA is pipped for Best Website Award
The GA, a finalist in the Best Website category
of the Trade Association Forum Awards, was
Further information
For The GA, log on to www.ga-uk.org
hot property
Catch up with all the latest from the world of licensing
hot property
Rainbow
Designs
and Kids
International
Marketing
combine forces
Character licensed plush
manufacturer Rainbow
Designs has appointed
Kids International
Marketing to handle
international sales.
Rainbow Designs is a long established UK company which focuses on high
quality design and production with a prestigious collection of famous classic
characters including Peter Rabbit, Paddington Bear, Miffy,The Very Hungry Caterpillar,
Guess How Much I love You,The Snowman, Elmer, Shaun the Sheep and Wallace and Gromit.
There are now even more exciting times ahead for the company with major
Motion Picture movies for both Paddington Bear in November 2014 and Shaun
the Sheep the Movie in spring 2015.
Anthony Temple, Managing Director of Rainbow Designs, says, “Initially, KIM
will be concentrating on Shaun the Sheep, and the exciting international roll
out behind the Shaun the Sheep movie as well as the other Aardman Classics,
Wallace & Gromit and Morph. In addition, we’ll be presenting to the international
community our newly acquired Air Puppy brand for the first time. We’re looking
forward to working with KIM and we have great expectations.”
To find out more, visit www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk.
Bulldog chalks up major new deal
Bulldog Licensing is
now representing Chalk
Bear, the new character
studio set up by top
artist, Doug Hyde.
Doug’s career has
been based in the
genre of character
artwork, having worked
in the past for Disney,
Hallmark and Warner
Bros. before establishing himself in his own right. He’s since
been named as Britain’s best-selling artist and described
on the BBC as the most popular living artist in the UK.
Chalk Bear will see Doug use his talents to design and
develop a range of character brands with the potential to
be licensing superstars.
“We’ve picked Bulldog to represent Chalk Bear as it
has such a strong record in developing new brands,” says
Doug. “It has the experience and contacts to pair us with
top licensees and ensure that our products not only break
into the licensing sector but then carry on growing.”
For more information about Chalk Bear, visit the
website www.bulldog-licensing.com.
GO Stationery in partnership with The
Woodland Trust
GO Stationery is working with The Woodland Trust and has
designed two ranges of beautifully crafted, design-led stationery
that offer something for all ages and pockets.
Woodland Kraft features hand-drawn illustrations of woodland
animals against leaf and patterned backgrounds. Perfect binding,
FSC cream text, co-ordinating elastic closers and bellybands
complete the distinctive, quality feel of this collection.
Woodland Friends features five cute characters nestling among
woodland flora and fauna. All the products are made using extra
thick, paper wrapped board covers with matt lamination and
glossy varnish to highlight the characters.
Visit www.gostationery.net for more details.
giftfocus 55
hot property
Miffy celebrates 60th
anniversary in 2015
Global celebrations for Miffy’s 60th
anniversary next year are gearing
up following the announcement
that she’ll be the mascot for the
2015 Tour de France.
DRi Licensing’s iconic brand
will take to the road during next
year’s race, which starts in June in
Utrecht, Miffy’s Dutch home town.
Within the UK, there’s a raft
of anniversary activity planned
© Mercis bv
to mark this milestone for Dick
Bruna’s classic character. Bliss, the UK charity that helps care for
premature and sick babies, has chosen Miffy as its new brand
ambassador. The partnership kicks off on 17th November (World
Premature Day) and will be followed by key fund-raising events
throughout 2015. Miffy will also feature across the charity’s
literature, distributed throughout the NHS.
The focus of celebratory events will be in the lead up to Miffy’s
birthday on 21st June. A month-long social media campaign will
culminate in three live digital events in London, Tokyo and Amsterdam
over the weekend of 20th - 21st June. In addition, UK nurseries will
be joining in the celebrations, and there’ll be retail promotions and
costume events at literary festivals around this time.
Product plans include the continued publishing roll-out from
Simon & Schuster; new translations of the classic Miffy storybooks
will launch alongside new novelty and commemorative book
formats. The licensing programme is also gearing up to exploit the
anniversary opportunity with new product launches lined up from
key licensees, including a number of babywear launches with key
national accounts.
To find out more, T: +44 (0)20 3757 2170 or visit
www.drilicensing.com.
Mrs Brown’s Boys kitchen textiles range
announced
To coincide with the launch of Mrs
Brown’s Boys – D’Movie, Rocket
Licensing has announced the latest
licence award for the hit TV series.
Poplar Linens has developed a
Mrs Brown’s Boys textile range, which
will go on sale from September in
Ireland, targeting both the kitchenware
and gifting markets in the run-up to
Christmas. The collection includes oven
gloves, aprons, tea towels, ironing board
covers and reusable shopping bags.
Visit www.rocketlicensing.com for more details.
Peter Rabbit joins
Hallmark’s offering
Bringing nostalgia to the masses, Hallmark’s
licensing portfolio includes a number of
much-loved timeless classics including a
new line of Peter Rabbit designs.
Enjoying a modern-day revival with a
TV series, this licence has been carefully
selected to allow Hallmark customers
to capitalise on the character’s exposure
while enjoying the quality they’ve come to
expect from the brand.
The Hallmark range of Peter Rabbit
features the popular characters in their
CGI form. There are 12 SKUs in the range, with RRPs between £1.69 - £3.20.
To view Hallmark’s full licence offering, visit www.hallmark.co.uk.
The Doug Hyde collection debuts with DRi Licensing
DRi Licensing is delighted to announce the addition of best-selling artist Doug Hyde to its licensing portfolio.
Doug’s work has universal appeal and his limited edition prints have sold worldwide. He has held a major
tour of his artwork every year for the last decade, just returning from his seventh sell-out success in Japan.
To celebrate 10 years of international art market and publishing success, a licensed product range, inspired
by Doug’s fine art collections, is being launched.
Alicia Davenport, Licensing Director at DRi says, “We’re delighted to be representing Doug as his
fine art collection makes its licensing debut. His work is charming, heart-warming and engaging, and its
distinctive style will translate wonderfully to the extensive range of products that we have lined up.
“Doug Hyde licensing will undoubtedly be just as successful as the fine art brand and we’re pleased
to welcoming another contemporary talented artist to DRi’s licensing programme.”
Visit www.drilicensing.com to find out more.
56 giftfocus
Just lyve these
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Top Drawer Stand U46
The “must have” in fragrance gifting this Christmas.
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With the art of giving high on consumer agenda over the festive period, this new offering
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Give your Christmas a Winter Warmer ...
/RJÀUHVZLQWHUZRROOLHVVQRZODGHQJDUGHQVDEULJKWO\OLW&KULVWPDVWUHHDOORI WKHVH
WKLQJVPDNHXVIHHOFRV\JORZLQJIHVWLYHDQGKDSS\1RZDGGWKH:LQWHU:DUPHU
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Aroma House • Unit 10 • Hercules Way • Bowerhill • Wiltshire SN12 6TS
t 01225 794920 • e [email protected]
• w thecountrycandlecompany.com
spread the word
David Mackley brings you part two of his series on email marketing
Email marketing can be an under-utilised
tool by retailers. We work with hundreds of
retailers and I only see a small percentage
that really put it to good use. Those that do
reap the rewards see longer-term customer
engagement as well as a direct impact on
visitors and sales.
So what are the different types of email
campaigns, how often should you run them
and how do you do it well? This mini series
of articles looks to answer these common
retail questions.
In section one we covered the different
types of email marketing including promotional
emails, newsletter emails and transaction
emails. In this section we look at how to write
emails to increase customer engagement and
how to test for success.
Engaging your customers
Engagement is about making a positive impact
on your target audience. A highly engaged
customer will do something relating to your
marketing. This do something action may be
simply opening and reading the email, which
increases their relationship with the brand.
Or it may be that they click through to your
website and browse or even buy a product. The
question here is how to increase engagement.
Here are some ideas around the different
sections of the email:
Headline – There are so many different views
on what makes the best headline. A good
headline will get more people to open the
email. One common recommendation is to
use your email program to insert something
personal about the customer, such as their
name, then put in a short title.
“Engagement is about making a
positive impact on your target
audience. A highly engaged
customer will do something
relating to your marketing. This
do something action may be
simply opening and reading
the email, which increases their
relationship with the brand. Or
it may be that they click through
to your website and browse or
even buy a product.
The question here is how to
increase engagement.”
The email company MailChimp did some
analysis that suggested the headline is no
longer than 50 characters. The subject should
of course be something of interest to the
reader. Where headings include general
discount offers of say 20 per cent off a random
product, open retakes can be very low (around
10 per cent). However, where the customer’s
name is included along with a non-sales subject
like January Newsletter, open rates can be
up to the 50 per cent mark. Keep the subject
line simple, avoid very salesy, pushy or slimy
wording. If it reads like a headline from Sunday
paper ads, it’s probably too salesy.
First few words – The first line of the email
is a key part of the message. Why is the first
line so important? Because more and more
email programs (even on mobiles) include
a preview of the message. It’s like the subheadline that promotes intrigue and provokes
58 giftfocus
retail technology
reader interest beyond the headline.
Message body – Keep the email message
short. People don’t have the time (or the
desire) to read every email that comes in to
their inbox. They won’t read paragraphs of text
if they’re only mildly interested in the content.
Call-to-action – The action should be one
of the first things that draws the reader’s
attention. I have seen lots of emails from
retailers without calls to action. Make sure you
have nice bold areas for people to click on;
more on this below.
Segmentation (again) – Marketo did
analysis across hundreds of different emails and
looked at customer engagement measured
by a combination of clicks, opens, conversions,
unsubscribes, program successes etc. The
findings were very clear; small, segmented
campaigns are much more engaging than
large, untargeted ones. The data showed the
better you segment your email marketing list,
the better your engagement and return on
investment (ROI).
The importance of the call to action
There are whole books written on best
practise with call to action (CTA). An email
should have several different CTAs. Any
products you promote should have the
image and some underlined text linking
to the relevant page on your website. This
should probably not be the homepage but
“The way the CTA is presented
has a profound impact on the
click through rate. White space
surrounding the CTA will help
it stand out, particularly if it’s a
button. The change of a colour
on a button can make a double
digit difference to results.”
the product or category page. In addition to
product links you should have a hyperlink to
your homepage so that the reader can find out
more about you. If your contact page is not
easily visible from your homepage, also link to
a contact page from the email directly.
Your CTA should present a value
proposition. It communicates what to expect
after clicking. If possible, it indicates the value of
doing so. For example:
* Shop now and save!
* Shop and receive double loyalty points today only.
* View the new range.
Where possible, the CTA should closely
complement the words on the page that they
land on. This reinforces the offer and builds trust.
So, if you’re saying ‘view the new range’, the
website page should be headed up ‘New Range’.
Designing the CTA
The way the CTA is presented has a profound
impact on the click through rate. White space
surrounding the CTA will help it stand out,
particularly if it’s a button. The change of a
colour on a button can make a double digit
difference to results. The CTA should be big
enough to be noticed, but not so large it looks
like a banner, which can weaken the image.
Placement on the email can also be important.
Often retailers put the CTA below the fold,
which means the reader has to scroll down the
page to see it. Consider placing one above the
fold and measure the impact.
AB Testing
So if you’re now thinking; “A colour change or
placement of my buttons can have a big impact
on results, but how do I know which to use?”
AB Testing is the answer.
Most good email systems allow AB Testing,
and it’s really simple.
If you’re not sure if a button should be red
or yellow then simply edit the original email
and make the desired change, then select AB
testing mode. The email system will send an
equal number of messages out of each kind.
You can then compare the results.
A great test is to measure the impact of
different headings on open rates. Using two
versions of the email, you may find one has
double the open rates of another. Next time
you send one use the best performing version
and compare against another one. This simple
technique ensures you are constantly refining and
learning what’s best practise for your business.
I hope these small tips help you succeed
with emails. By creating a simple email
marketing plan you can further improve
success, for example have a monthly
newsletter, one promotion every two weeks
to segmented groups and then one or two
transactional emails per month. By trying out
some of the tips here you’ll be doing that little
bit extra to increase customer engagement
and drive more revenue through 2014. g
David Mackley MBA BSc is Managing
Director of Intelligent Retail –
www.intelligentretail.co.uk – providers of
multichannel EPoS and eCommerce websites
for independent retailers. If you have any
questions you can contact David on
T: +44 (0)845 680 0126 or
E: [email protected].
giftfocus 59
top drawer
the perfect duo
Top Drawer and sister show Home return to
London this September, offering the ideal buying
opportunity for christmas buying and spring/
summer stock
In brief
Show
Organiser
Where
When
Website
Open
Twitter
Top Drawer
Clarion Events
Olympia London
14th - 16th
September, 2014
www.topdrawer.co.uk
Sunday and Monday:
9.30am - 6pm, and
Tuesday: 9.30am - 5pm
@TopDrawerLondon
Spotted will return again this year, a section of
the show designed to create an entry point
for an entire new generation of exhibitors and
curated design-based businesses who’ve never
before been seen at a major UK trade fair.
This area is curated by leading journalist,
Charlotte Abrahams. g
For more information about Top Drawer,
visit www.topdrawer.co.uk. For information
about Home, visit www.home-london.net.
Visitors to Top Drawer can see more than
700 hand-selected, design-led giftware, fashion
accessories and children’s companies. There
will be a mix of best-selling brands as well as
quirky, new-to-market designers across five
sectors: Gift, Fashion, Children’s, Greetings +
Stationery and Wellbeing.
Clarion Events, the show organiser, has
announced that Top Drawer and Home
combined will deliver an event that’s 35 per
cent bigger, with more than 1,000 UK and
international brands to inspire retailers and get
tills ringing this Christmas.
The show will welcome 50 per cent more
international exhibitors including Tulipop,
Matt & Nat, Kikkerland, Edition Dans Sa Tete,
Bookman and hundreds more, many launching
in the UK for the first time. Furthermore, 80
per cent of Top Drawer and Home exhibitors
won’t be at any other gift trade event this
autumn/winter season.
giftfocus 63
the perfect duo
Exhibitor profiles
Wit With Wisdom
Stand J16
www.witwithwisdom.co.uk
Wit With Wisdom
makes witty wooden
signs in the UK using
Farrow and Ball paint
colours to give a more
contemporary feel.
These wise words
make great gifts for
all occasions, and the
company also offers a
bespoke service with
runs of only six per
saying. New to Top
Drawer are its Wrist
Wisdom cufflinks and
Window Wisdom vinyl
decals. In addition, the
brand also produces coasters and bone china mugs. Look out for the
moustache range coming soon.
From You To Me
Stand K46
www.fromyoutome.com
From You To Me will be showing its guided memory book
collection at Top Drawer. The award-winning range inspires families
to preserve and celebrate priceless memories, for all occasions.
The Journals of a Lifetime range (Gift of the Year Award) includes
best-selling Dear Mum, Dear Dad, Dear Grandma, Dear Grandad
and other family titles. Pregnancy and birth gifts include Bump to
Birthday (Loved by Parents Award 2013 Best Gift), Our Story (PPP
Award 2014 Best Gift and IPPY Award 2014 Best Gift) and the
Dear Baby guest book. For childhood and teens there’s the Rant &
Rave range, accompanied by Dear Mum/Dear Dad range (Stationery
Awards 2014 Best Gift), through to Love Stories for weddings and
anniversaries and many other products to celebrate birthdays,
Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Christmas.
64 giftfocus
Gaeltag Keltika
Stand M37
In the 10th anniversary year for the Lolita® brand in the US,
European licensee Gaeltag Keltika has launched a record number of
designs. Both Christmas and non-seasonal items will be on show.
The festive line brings together new and familiar items, including a
reintroduction in response to customer demand of the super festive
North Pole wine glass.
New designs will also be added to the highly successful Lolita
Superbling range, with the appearance of glamorous Red Hot and
Leopard glasses in a super-size and beautifully boxed format.
There will also be fresh lines from both CowParade and Tindra
candle bags, including the all-in-one Greet + Gift set comprising a
greeting card and candle bag.
the perfect duo
Exhibitor profiles
Alljoy Design
Stand M24
These gorgeously intricate
and luxurious laser-cut
greeting cards are cut from
a high quality coloured
card. Alljoy Design offers
36 designs, all blank inside
and supplied wrapped with
envelopes. They measure
128mm x 178mm.
Two Little Boys
Stand P35a
www.2littleboys.co.uk
This autumn sees the extensive expansion of the best-selling ‘I’m
going to…’ range of designs from Two Little Boys. Carrying the
brand on from its Gift of the Year shortlisted chunky notebooks, the
new collection will include extra titles in A6 spiral bound notebooks
– I’m going to be a Geek, Live the Dream and Rule the World), as well
as pencil cases to go with existing pencil ranges, ring binders and
a range of six statement greeting cards. The cards are simple, bold
words ranging from Boss to Naughty.
Publishers Group
Stand P24
www.pguk.co.uk
Featuring quotes from well-known heroes and icons from children’s
fairy tales and literary fiction, Publikumart candles, T-shirts, porcelain
mugs and journals make the perfect gift for any book lover. With
packaging as eye-catching as the items themselves, these products
make a stunning display as single line items or across the full range.
And, with the readers in mind, the company is pleased to introduce
the newest tote bags in its popular LoveLit™ series: Frankenstein
and The Tin Man. These complement two new board books in the
series, and the company is thrilled to also feature a new pint-sized
illustrated tote bag for its littlest readers.
66 giftfocus
Imajo Design
Stand T13
www.imajo.co.uk
Imajo is on a
mission to bring
distinctive, high
quality rag dolls
that children
will enjoy and
collectors will
want to keep to
the UK market.
The first Bonikka
dolls launched last
year and are soon
to be joined by
new girls, bringing the range up to 20 designs. Some are perfect for
newborns, others have contemporary outfits for older girls. Made in
Sri Lanka, Bonikka has an ethical background and a focus on quality,
and the dolls are designed to stand the test of time.
Exhibitor profiles
Xystos
Stand U50
Xystos, the home of flame and fragrance, has launched scores of
new products that can be seen at Top Drawer. New to WoodWick
is Woodland Friends, a collection of wide-eyed pals featuring
top-selling fragrances, while the Leaf collection is available in a leaf
glass or ceramic tumbler.
Look out too for Holiday Comforts, classic Christmas fragrances
in intricate knit design patterned holders, and WoodWick’s nine
alluring new core fragrances, including Vineyard Nights and Sonoma
Sunset scents.
Canyon and Vanille have been added to the male-oriented
Reserve collection, while Peace & Joy, Autumn Comforts and After
Sunset are new Trilogy scents. Linen is the name of the Gallerie Tins’
addition, and there’s a facelift for the Inspiration range that has five
new vessels. There are also three new patterns in the WoodWick
Accessories collection.
RibbonWick has added seven fragrances in décor glass, three in
scalloped glass, and there are seven new La-Tee-Da! lamp patterns.
www.absolutelydivine.uk.com [email protected]
Our featured recycled double sided charms are individually hand cut
and set behind glass in polished pewter frames. See them along with
the collection of initials and vintage images with meaningful words at
Top Drawer - Stand ZE16
RECYCLED - HANDMADE - REVERSIBLE
68 giftfocus
Beefayre
Stand U34
www.beefayre.com
Since launching in 2012, Beefayre has enjoyed huge success with its
collection of natural plant wax candles, diffusers, body and bath products
and greeting cards. Its distinctive style combines traditional botanical
illustrations with contemporary design and colour. The new Homeware
collection is creating quite a buzz this year, using an on-trend pastel
palette of colours, ideal for any home. Also new for 2014 is the Winter
Scent three candle box set, complete with matching gift card (RRP £24).
All items are hand-made in Britain using the finest natural ingredients.
The popular Winter Berries aroma, made from pure essential oil, is now
available in a beautiful three-wick Christmas centrepiece candle. The burn
time is 65+ hours and features Beefayre’s signature print in gold. Three
per cent of profits are donated to bee conservation projects in the UK.
NOA Jewellery
Stand X32
www.noajewellery.com
For the Christmas season, NOA has a new range of hand-crafted
jewellery made with stainless steel frames and decorated walnut
tiles. In this collection the NOA team created some large statement
pieces, pendants and necklaces with different chain lengths alongside
earrings and bracelets to match. As with NOA’s existing ceramic
lines, the walnut tiles are available in many colourful designs to suit
different styles.
giftfocus 69
the perfect duo
Exhibitor profiles
Absolutely Divine
Stand ZE16
www.absolutelydivine.uk.com
Absolutely Divine’s Initials are spelling
success for its retailers. The collection of
double-sided charms, featuring meaningful
phrases with vintage images, come from
the American company, Pick Up Sticks.
Along with the many delightful charms
and trinkets, a collection of double-sided
charms feature initials. These are available
in round, domed, heart-shaped and square, and the initials can be added
to any bracelet or necklace chain to spell out a word or simply to show
as an initial. Set behind glass in a polished pewter frame, the charms
come with a clip to attach to any chain you may wish to use.
Kate Hamilton-Hunter
Stand ZE20
www.katehhstudio.co.uk
Kate’s Christmas collection features hand-made necklaces, earrings
and bracelets featuring hearts and kinetic butterfly wings, oak and
holly leaves. Available in various colourways (purple, bronze, white
and gold), each piece is created from modern biscuit, sweet and
toffee tins, paired with sparkling Swarovski crystals and pearls. All of
the jewellery is hand-made on the north Wales coast from upcycled
tins, recycled silver and genuine Swarovski crystals and pearls. Now
in their 10th year of business, Kate and the team have received an
Investors in People Award and have recently moved premises to
allow for future growth and innovation.
70 giftfocus
Sea Gems
Stand Z41
www.seagems.co.uk
Sea Gems will introduce a number of exclusive new jewellery and
gift collections. Contemporary sterling silver jewellery brand Pure
Origins comprises a varied blend of wildlife, romantic and floral
designs. Pieces are hand-crafted with textured finishes, gold, pearl
and gemstones, creating an enchanting, whimsical offering that’s
perfectly showcased in the new line of charm bangles.
A range of striking contemporary pens feature sparkling crystals
and minimalist design, with stylus proving the latest must-have gift
for all touch screen devices.
The legacy of historic design is captured in the Celtic Lands
and Mackintosh collections, which combine modern ideas with
ancient motifs. Vibrant fine enamels transform pillboxes, compact
mirrors, new scarf rings and jewellery into inspiring gifts. Pens and
bookmarks complete the offering.
Very competitive prices combine with attractive packaging,
displays, POS and experienced customer service.
Come and see our much extended range
at Top Drawer Autumn Stand P35a
Two Little Boys Ltd. 0208 400 3606. [email protected]
we are also looking for sales agents in a number of UK territories
home sweet home
A second Home show is
launching in September, taking
place alongside Top Drawer
In brief
Show
Organiser
Where
When
Website
Open
Twitter
Home London
Clarion Events
Olympia, London
www.home-london.net
Sunday and Monday:
9.30am - 6pm, and Tuesday:
9.30am - 5pm
@home_london
Home is the UK’s definitive homewares and
accessories buying event, taking place alongside
Top Drawer this autumn.
Since its launch at Earls Court in 2012, the
event has attracted key brands, doubling in
size and significantly growing visitor numbers.
In response to the growth in seasonal buying,
show organiser Clarion Events has launched a
second Home – an autumn edition that runs
alongside Top Drawer at London Olympia.
Commenting on the launch of the autumn
edition of Home, Jill Webb, Conran Group
Director, says, “In Home, Clarion gave the UK a
dedicated homewares and interior accessories
show and did it with style, expertise and
insight, so we’re very excited by the news
that Home is now going to run twice a year.
We see the September show as a welcome
addition to the buying calendar; one which
will make the buyer’s task much easier and
more enjoyable.”
The show brings together more than 250
of the very best modern and classic brands
72 giftfocus
from around the world and a carefully vetted
selection of new, innovative products with
commercial appeal. Approximately 80 per cent
of the exhibitors are committed to showing
at Home exclusively this September, allowing
visitors to view the hottest and newest
products for the autumn season.
The product mix covers all aspects of the
home, from interior accessories and kitchen
and dining, to soft furnishings, furniture
and lighting. A section of the show called
Homegrown is also dedicated to emerging
British design talent.
The show organiser knows that consumers
are making more considered purchases,
investing more in products and brands for their
homes that offer timeless style, high quality and
are beautifully designed. This ethos is integral to
Home and defines the companies selected to
appear at the show.
Experience the show’s launch at its new
home and meet the very best national
and international brands including: Alessi,
Bloomingville, Bronte, Atomic Soda, LSA
International, Grand Illusions, Whitbread
Wilkinson, Authentics and many more.
Every exhibitor has been carefully
selected by the Home panel, a formidable
“We welcome the launch of Home
in September. Our customers are
enjoying the well-edited show,
with its collection of leading home
brands brought together in London,
the capital of design. January’s
Home was a great success for
us and we’re confident that the
quality and excitement of the
show will be hard to beat.”
Monika Lubkowska-Jonas, Designer and
Creative Director at LSA International
group of experts from the UK’s leading
home retailers including Steamer Trading,
John Lewis, Lakeland and Heals to
ensure a visitor experience like no other. g
More information can be found at
www.home-london.net.
New!
Fragranced
wax melt concept
MAKE YOUR OWN CREATION!
Pick ‘n Mix of the most fragrant kind: a choice of 23
wax melts giving endless fragrance combinations.
Retail boxes in three sizes and a choice of six burners.
It’s an eye-catching display for an exciting concept.
PORTION
OPTION
1
BOLSIUS UK Ltd. (Sales team)
PO Box 961
Linton Cambridge, CB21 4UL
United Kingdom
www.bolsius.com
T +44 (0)800 169 5126
F +44 (0)800 169 5127
E [email protected]
2
3
UK Distributor Junction 18.
T 08704 420732
E [email protected]
www.bolsiusaromatic.com
Visit us at Autumn Fair!
Hall/Stand: 3J02-K03
autumn fair
fun of the fair
With Autumn Fair International taking place from 7th - 10th
September, we look ahead at the UK’s largest seasonal buying event
In brief
Show
Organiser
Where
When
Website
Open
Twitter
Autumn Fair International
i2i Events Group
NEC Birmingham
7th - 10th
September, 2014
www.autumnfair.com
Saturday (Volume only):
10am - 5pm; Sunday Tuesday: 9am - 6pm; and
Wednesday: 9am - 4pm
@SAF_Int
With more than 1,500 exhibitors and 30,000
visitors expected, Autumn Fair International
2014 offers unrivalled product sourcing
opportunities for Christmas and early previews
of spring 2015 ranges.
Right time, on trend, in stock is the mantra
for the show and it doesn’t fail to deliver,
with a huge number of exhibitors able to
offer immediate delivery and flexibility on
minimum orders to meet the needs and
requirements of independent retailers up and
down the country.
The show comprises 10 different sectors
with more than 60,000 new product
launches, offering superb cross-over
buying opportunities. The sectors include:
Contemporary Gift & Home; Kitchen, Dining
& Housewares; Gifts; Home Interiors &
Furniture; Gift, Home & Volume; Greetings &
Gift; Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets; Body, Bath
& Home Fragrance; The Summerhouse and
Fashion Jewellery & Accessories.
Looking ahead, Autumn Fair International
is also the prime event for retailers to get an
early preview of hot new products for the
crucial spring seasons, including Valentine’s Day,
Mother’s Day, Easter and Father’s Day.
i2i Events Group is introducing a new
awards scheme this year, called the Autumn
Fair Buyers Power List Awards.
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) will have a
solid presence at the show. UKTI will be on
site to advise exhibitors on how to develop
a successful export strategy and expand
their business overseas, offering both market
knowledge and financial support.
The other side to the exporter assistance
will be a drive to encourage international
retailers to buy British product and invest in
world-renowned British design. UKTI will have
a stand in Hall 3 of the show and is operating
an open door policy for anyone wishing
to learn more about the services on offer
throughout the event.
Big news for 2014
This year’s show sees a healthy expansion in
the Home Interiors & Furniture zone, reflecting
a welcome upswing in the market. Soaring
demand from new and returning exhibitors
has resulted in as much space already being
booked and confirmed for the Home Interiors
& Furniture sector at this year’s event as there
was when the 2013 show opened its doors
last September.
The Home Interiors & Furniture sector will
occupy all of Hall 2 and part of Hall 3, meaning
that it’ll have its own themed entrance for
giftfocus 75
fun of the fair
the first time. New exhibitors for 2014
include Gallery Direct, Danish company Chic
Antique, Besp-oak Furniture and Camelot
Pictures, which have exhibited at Spring Fair
International for 33 years and decided to have
a presence at Autumn Fair International for the
first time this year.
The international contingent within Home
Interiors & Furniture is being led by suppliers
such as Baroque International and Light &
Living from The Netherlands, which has a
regular presence at large mainland European
trade shows and has now chosen Autumn Fair
International as its first ever launch pad into
the UK market.
All of this will ensure that Hall 2 is the most
original hall at the show in terms of diverse
international offerings and products that
dovetail perfectly with market trends.
Within the all-important Contemporary Gift
sector, big names Pad Home and Propaganda
Denmark will be exclusive to the show this
September, while industry giant Enesco will
be returning to the exhibition after a six-year
absence. Temerity Jones London is one of
several new exhibitors, a brand new company
launching to the trade for the first time at
Autumn Fair International. You can also look
forward to seeing Urban Apothecary and
Australian brand The Beauty Collective.
76 giftfocus
The Greetings & Gift sector, located in Hall
4, is also doing well for autumn, with renowned
contemporary publishers such as Cardmix and
Urban Graphic joining the exhibition for the
first time this year.
Over in Gift, Home & Volume, located in
Hall 1, major returning exhibitors already lined
up for the show include the Liverpool-based
party giant Davies Products and clearance
specialist Klyne & Klyne. They join industry
bellwether companies such as Rayburn Trading
Co, Tallon International, Ultimate Products and
PMS International.
Show features and retail trends
Once again, Autumn Fair International will
offer an inspirational selection of feature
areas, seminars and demonstrations to help
guide your buying decisions. Included amongst
these are the Seminar Theatres, WGSN
Homebuildlife supported Trend Bar, New
Product Showcase, Fashion Catwalk, Design
Lab, Cookshop & Housewares Association
Village, Cardgains Village and Brands of China.
Don’t forget to look out for a variety of
product trails, which identify new trends and
track down the most exciting new suppliers
and ranges. Look out for the logos on exhibitor
web profiles, in the Little Black Book and on
stands throughout the event. g
To register for your visitor badge visit
www.autumnfair.com
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
HOME INTERIORS
& FURNITURE
Halls 2 & 3
Jarapa
Hall 2, Stand K10
www.jarapa.co.uk
Jarapa’s rustic collection
of larger 100 per cent
recycled glass designs will
be available at Autumn Fair.
The larger pieces measure
75cm high and make a
great centrepiece for the
home and business.
The company will also
be showing new rug
sleeves on its recycled
cotton mats with excellent
POS and new racks to
increase sales, with each
smaller rug having a hanger
to display them.
CONTEMPORARY
GIFT & HOME
Halls 3 & 4
Bolsius
Hall 3 Stand J02 - K03
www.bolsius.com
The expanding Aromatic range by
Bolsius now has two new additions;
a large jar with glass lid and a flat
glass also with a lid, both destined
to make ideal gift purchases. These
new products are available in 20 of
the company’s most popular scents,
including fresh linen, lily of the valley
and fragrances that will please
consumers all year round. The
large jar will retail at around £7.99
and the flat glass will be priced at
around £4.99.
78 giftfocus
The DRH Collection
Hall 3 Stand F23
www.thedrhcollection.com
The DRH Collection has a strong range of designs in ceramics and
glassware, including award-winning pieces from Clare Mackie as
well as the original cheese related collection launched by DRH,
the Classic.
The huge line of ceramics and glassware is developed in
cooperation with a number of DRH’s international partners,
bringing together its key objective of quality in both design and
production, while representing extraordinary value for both trade
customers and ultimately the end user.
DRH is often the go-to company by stylists and journalists,
and has been featured in key consumer titles such as Good
Housekeeping, Woman & Home and Ideal Home.
New this year under the BIA brand is this delightful Heritage
range of ceramics shown here. The vintage look remains strong, as
is the folk feel encapsulated with heritage.
Visit the stand to see more innovative ranges of ceramics like
Mackie’s Soup Classics and glassware such as the Fizz collection.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
Hall 3
Best Kept Secrets
Hall 3 Stand G40
www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk
Best Kept Secrets will
be bringing a huge range
of new products to the
market this autumn, with
fresh lines in candle tins,
glass votives, bath bursts,
soaps, hampers and
coasters all making a debut
appearance at the show.
The company has
completely revamped
and re-launched its glass
candle range, with 12
sparkling new designs. The original line has been significantly extended
to incorporate many of the leading candle tin scents, and many are now
available with additional aesthetic decoration, sparkles and lots of the
features that have been incorporated into the full Best Kept Secrets
candle tins.
The brand will also have three new candle tins on show for the first
time – Sweet Pea, Blue Jasmine and Freesia.
Sister company Thistle Soaps has a new natural soap to unveil
following the success of trials at previous events, with the distinctive
Hotch Potch soap set to become a best-seller. The soap is a hybrid
of other products, and was first used as a simple sample product to
demonstrate the quality range available through Thistle Soaps. Such was
the popularity for the complex blended soap, with distinct layers, that
this show sees the product in full production.
Finally, the business will launch six new bath bursts, with a focus on
scent and the quality of the experience you get from a bath burst.
82 giftfocus
Heaven Sends
Hall 3 Stand H20 - J21 & J18 - K19
www.heavensends.com
The Heaven Sends Angels are inviting you to stroll down the
garden path to its garden party at Autumn Fair. The company will
be releasing its brand new Spring and Garden collections at the
fair and showcasing its ever-popular products. Gardens will blossom
with its new collection of garden gifts. Pre-order at Autumn Fair for
delivery in time for the next summer season.
Heaven Sends will also be displaying its Christmas collections
for the last time this year, so don’t miss out – place any last-minute
Christmas orders at Autumn Fair.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
Hall 3
Shruti Designs
www.shrutidesigns.co.uk
The autumn/winter collection from
Shruti is bursting with seasonal
delights. These include easy-to-wear
fashion accessories, cosy home
textiles and fun and quirky gift
ranges for the guys as well as the
ladies. Some of the items
not-to-be-missed include
best-selling floral handbag ranges
injected with on-trend autumn
colours, scarves inspired by nature
and available in a host of great
designs, and the extensive range
of toasty throws in various knots,
shades and textures. With new lines
from British designer Casey Rogers,
including ceramics, cosmetic purses, clocks and much more, Shruti is
sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face this Christmas.
84 giftfocus
The Fragrance Lounge
Hall 3 Stand J41
www.thefragrancelounge.com
Paddywax is celebrating the festive season with the launch of three
collections. Mixology is a range of collectable glasses, each filled
with cocktail-inspired fragrances and decorated with individual
retro designs. There’s even a cocktail recipe included, making it the
perfect gift for hosts who love to get their shakers out.
Happy Holidays candles make the ideal stocking filler with their
fun patterns, seasonal fragrances and pertinent anecdotes to make
a holiday happy.
Holiday Trimmings is a collection inspired by vintage ornaments.
Four festive fragrances have been hand-poured into Christmas
bauble-shaped mercury glass for an enchanting decorative touch.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
Hall 3
Rose & Co.
Hall 3 Stand J40
www.graftons.co.uk
Patisserie de Bain is renowned for its deliciously sweet fragrances and
eye-catching packaging. New to the selection of gifts will be three
wonderfully scented hand creams available in super-cute glass jars and
portable tubes.
• Cranberries & Cream: The fabulous scent of tangy cranberries is
softened by sweet Chantilly cream.
• Sweet as Cherry Pie: Blends ripe red cherries and warm vanilla
to perfection.
• Sugar Rose: A delicious blend of rosehips, grapes and sugar cane.
Try out these new fragrances at Autumn Fair.
86 giftfocus
Pintail Candles
Hall 3 Stand K40
www.pintailcandles.com
Pintail Candles will be showcasing its new Baroque range at this
year’s show. The company has combined rich, opulent colours with
dark, intense fragrances to create a collection that’s stylish, elegant
and right on trend for the autumn/winter season.
Featuring new fragrances such as Smoked Saffron and
Chocolate Kirsch, these candle tins add a touch of decadence to
the Pintail product range.
Also on show are all of the existing Pintail favourites including
its best-selling Christmas Gold Tins, updated for 2014 with brand
new fragrances and colours, and the hugely successful triple-wicked
Large Filled Tins.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
Hall 3
Temerity Jones
Hall 3 Stand N32
www.temerityjones.com
Autumn Fair 2014 sees
the launch of a new
designer giftware brand
called Temerity Jones.
The Creative Director
behind this fresh concept
is Craig Masson, who
previously worked at
Rex International and has
put together an original
and inspiring design-led
range of gifts and home
accessories that’s certain
to spark the imagination
of retail buyers and
their customers.
“We want to appeal
to that desire for the bold and unusual,” he says. “We’ve taken our
inspiration from old and new, but Temerity Jones is all about style that’s
just that little bit quirky or fun.”
Temerity Jones is cool, quirky and distinctly different: you’ll find
the sleek style of the ’40s and ’50s in textiles, home decorations and
stationery, classic chic in utility kitchen kit and glassware, and the wild
and wonderful in tattooed doll sets and carnival lights.
88 giftfocus
Think Pink
Hall 3 Stand N40 - P41
www.thinkpinkblue2.com
Think Pink is launching its most extensive new range of gifts ever
this autumn. Highlights include the LED Illuminated Canvas Wall Art
and a modern collection of jewellery boxes and matching tea sets
in attaché cases.
Other launches include brand new giant jigsaws, luxury dress-up
sets and, last but certainly not least, the Onesie Bears. These are a
group of six individually designed and exclusive bears each wearing
an animal onesie costume with removable hoods. The line features
a crocodile, mouse, leopard, elephant, lion and pig. With a suggested
retail price of £11.99, they're sure to be a massive hit this season.
Half Moon Bay
Hall 3 Stand S22 - T23
www.halfmoonbay.co.uk
This year, Half Moon
Bay has significantly
expanded on its licenses,
with additions such as
Disney, The Muppets and
McDougall’s to add to its
list of family favourites.
The company has also
expanded its popular
Retro Humour range and
added a tasteful Wartime collection to mark the centenary of
WWI. Exciting product formats – including mini retro bags, shaped
money tins and jigsaw puzzles – have been introduced to the
comprehensive range.
For autumn/winter, look out for the new Jacob’s Crackers license
and a range of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs mugs, as well as a
Christmas collection. Existing key licenses are being extended with
tableware, shower curtains, jigsaw puzzles and bookends, with more
than 50 new products across many ranges.
Shearer Candles
Hall 3 Stand P35
www.shearer-candles.com
Founded in 1897 on the outskirts of Glasgow, Shearer Candles is
the UK’s longest established lifestyle candle company. You can view
the company’s autumn and winter candle collections at the show.
Its Christmas candles and holders not only create just the right
festive ambience but they also make great Christmas presents. Its
award-winning signature collection, Victorian Winter, adds drama
and elegance to a home. The range includes opulent candles and
diffusers, infused with original fragrances and vibrant seasonal colours.
giftfocus 89
autumn fair
Hall 3
Wild & Wolf
Hall 3 Stand T02 - U03
www.wildandwolf.com
Wild & Wolf has a great
offering this autumn,
from cool, sophisticated
gentlemen’s essentials
to fun Mr Men and Little
Miss character mugs and
eggcups. Its classic Ridley’s
range has been revamped
and now includes Atomic,
with new games and toys
such as a bubble gun,
skateboard and board
games as well as best-sellers
such as the balloon kit. In
addition, other new lines
include Ted Baker gifting for
men and women, alongside
The Makery, a delightful set of crafting kits in takeaway style packaging
for all ages. This is an exciting new collaboration with The Makery in
Bath, a creative hub where people can learn new craft and sewing skills.
The Lagoon Group
www.thelagoongroup.com
Lagoon will be launching a brand new range of Roald Dahl games
at Autumn Fair. The games and puzzles specialist is launching eight
games including a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ludo and
snakes and ladders, a Scrumdiddlyumptious Storybook Game and
Fantabulous Family Card Games that feature the wonderful words
of Roald Dahl and the illustrations of Quentin Blake.
These games will appeal to adults and children alike. They
have an educational slant, with some of the games encouraging
coordination or strategic skill, while others are specifically aimed
at developing children in Key Stage 1 and 2’s mental maths, times
tables and spellings.
Dora Designs
www.doradesigns.co.uk
Dora Designs is excited to introduce some new designs to capture
the imagination at Autumn Fair 2014. As well as two brand new
collections, there are lots of other new characters being added
to the brand’s existing ranges. Dora Designs looks forward to
welcoming new friends and old onto its stand at the show.
Terramundi
Hall Stand U21
www.terramundi.co.uk
Terramundi will be showing a select range of new designs for
Christmas at this year’s Autumn Fair. Gold features heavily within
this exciting collection. As ever, the company will be showing more
than 200 designs in the run up to Christmas.
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autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
Repeat Repeat
Hall 3 Stand X03
www.repeatrepeat.co.uk
Repeat Repeat has added more designs to its successful Menagerie
range created by Gillian Naylor and Mark Faulkner. Inspired by the
art of découpage, the collection features a weird world of vibrantly
coloured flora and fauna. This generously proportioned bone china
mug holds more than half a pint – perfect for anyone who prefers
a bigger drink. It’s made in Stoke-on-Trent, the heart of the English
pottery industry.
Neviti
Hall 3 Stand U41
www.neviti.com
Neviti will be showcasing some exciting new launches at this year’s
Autumn Fair, including two new children’s birthday collections called
Tree Top Friends and Robot Heroes. New licensed ranges include
Dennis The Menace & Gnasher featuring the popular characters
from the renowned Beano comic.
New Christmas offerings include Winter Wonderland featuring
a golden reindeer and festive scene alongside new additions to
the Shimmering Snowflake line comprising a plate, cup, bowl and
napkin, making the range ideal for festive buffets with its elegant
silver snowflake design.
Neviti will also be presenting some of its best-selling wedding
collections such as Just My Type, as well as new additions to its
wedding portfolio.
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Autumn Fair NEC Hall 4 Stand L30
Scotlands Trade Show 21st – 22nd Sept Stand H2
www.malaleather.com
Tel: 01827 67401 Fax: 01827 67046
2 Bridgeside Trading Estate, Kettlebrook Road, Tamworth, B77 1AG
Hall 3
Artscape
Hall 3 Stand W21
www.santaballs.co.uk
Artscape produces its own range of
British designed contemporary gifts,
kitchenware and accessories. Autumn
Fair 2014 is the last chance to view
the complete range of Everyday and
Santa Balls® items. As well as its topselling line of 100 per cent cotton
unisex aprons, there’s the oneof-a-kind Santa Balls®, gift baubles,
everyday and festive kitchenware,
Christmas socks for him and her, plus
much more.
The Artscape team will help you
choose the best products for your
business and suggest display options,
including its bespoke single product
and multi-product spinners. And who
can resist a chance for a hug with
Boris bear!
Stubbs Mugs
Hall 3 Stand X06
www.stubbsmugs.co.uk
Stubbs Mugs has a wide selection of mugs featuring various sayings.
The Rather range includes all sorts of titles, including I’d rather it
was wine o’ clock, I’d rather be skiing as well as all your old favourites
like I’d rather grow old disgracefully. Other lines include Simon Hart,
Clive’s Cat humour, Time for Tea and the Cup & Saucer range. The
company also has a collection of signs.
giftfocus 95
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
The Music Gifts Company
Hall 3 Stand X41
www.musicgifts.co.uk
The Music Gifts Company
is launching a floor display
that comes complete with a
selection of best-selling gifts.
Other new items include a
collection of cufflinks that
retail under £10. Choose from
stationery, men’s gifts, jewellery,
mugs, kitchen gifts, pewter pins
and keyrings, 3D cards and
much more. For 19 years the
range has been popular in a
wide variety of outlets, including
gift shops, cathedrals, historic
houses and museums, mail
order catalogues, online, concert
halls and department stores.
Lanka Kade
Hall 4 Stand A30
www.lankakade.co.uk
This autumn, it’s all new for fair trade fanatic Lanka Kade. A new logo,
fresh packaging and most excitingly, more additions to its children’s
wooden toy range, exclusively designed in the UK. The company has a
fleet of vehicles set to take pole position this Christmas, ably supported
by an Emergency Services collection that includes its renowned chunky
character jigsaws, on-call to give traders a helping hand over the festive
period. What’s more, Lanka Kade’s new website offers a comprehensive
selection of support services for trade buyers, supporting its continued
commitment to the local high street and the independents on it.
96 giftfocus
Gaeltag Keltika
Hall 3 Stand Y04
A new concept from TindraTM
candle bags launches this autumn.
This all-in-one combination of
greeting card and present
is set to really light up the
card market.
Each chic card also holds a
secret – a candle bag gift to echo
the chosen greeting. A message
to friends and family comes with
a delightful and innovative extra
included, all for under £5 including
postage. This new greeting comes
in a polypack of envelope and
card with an inner pocket and
appropriate candle bag. The launch
range comprises 24 titles, with
floor spinner merchandisers and
wall hanging units available.
In the 10th anniversary year for
the Lolita® brand in the US, European licensee Gaeltag Keltika
has launched a record number of new designs. The brand will be
showing both the Christmas range and more non-seasonal items.
The festive line brings together new and familiar items, including
a reintroduction in response to customer demand of the superfestive North Pole wine glass. Christmas designs cover the full
spectrum, from jolly gifts to lasting accessories, bringing extra
sparkle to the Christmas dinner table.
The company will also be adding to the highly successful Lolita
Superbling range with the appearance of glamorous new Red Hot
and Leopard glasses in a super-sized and beautifully boxed format.
There will also be new lines from CowParade.
autumn fair
BODY, BATH & HOME
FRAGRANCE
Halls 3 & 5
Aroma Home
Hall 3 Stand G60
www.aromahome.com
Aroma Home is launching a number of new innovative lines at
Harrogate. Its knitted animal range now includes a fox, panda, cat,
owl and bunny, offering an extended range of items. With an RRP
of £7.99, Cozy Hotties are great value, with the squirrel, mouse and
hedgehog being new lines within the collection. See all the new designs
at Autumn Fair, as well as the safest warming gifts on the market,
alongside many other non-warming gifts. In addition, Aroma Home
distributes Voluspa candles.
GREETINGS, GIFT
& CRAFT
Hall 4
Corinne Lapierre
Hall 4 Stand B36
www.corinnelapierre.co.uk
Corinne Lapierre is delighted to
be exhibiting at Autumn Fair for
the first time. Corinne has been
showcasing her best-selling Felt
Craft Kits on Create & Craft TV
for more than two years, and
with new production facilities
in the UK is looking forward to
expanding her trade presence.
Combining her beloved themes of woodlands, Scandinavian and
nostalgic motifs with top quality wool mix felt in distinctive colours, the
wide range of kits come in Corinne’s signature craft box containing
everything needed to complete the project. The RRPs of the kits range
from £5 stocking fillers to £28.50.
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Blue Eyed Sun
Hall 4 Stand D03
www.blueeyedsun.co.uk
Blue Eyed Sun is launching three new ranges of Valentine’s Day
cards for 2015 at Autumn Fair. First up are the Rock ’n’ Roll designs,
photographed on Brighton beach and glittered to give a sparkly
effect. These cards are litho printed on FSC certified board. The
cards are all 160mm sq and are £2.49 RRP (£1.04 each trade).
Next is the Picnic Time Valentine cards, based on original
embroidered artworks by market leading textile artist, Jo Corner.
Inspired by Blue Eyed Sun’s best-selling Vintage collection and
Henries award-winning Gorgeous range of cute stitched cards,
these fresh designs are an exciting new shape and price point of
£2.49 RRP (£1.04 trade each).
The third new collection is the Quintessential range of Valentine’s
cards featuring beautiful watercolour calligraphy on gorgeous
watercolour board and hand-finished with jewels. These measure
160mm sq and are £2.99 RRP (£1.25 trade each). All of Blue Eyed
Sun’s Valentine’s cards are sold in sixes and come cello-wrapped
with a red envelope.
Blue Eyed Sun’s cards are available to order through its tradeonly website, 2014 supplement brochure and at Autumn Fair, as
well as through a team of sales agents across the country that can
visit you with samples and help you choose the right look.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
Holy Mackerel
Hall 4 Stand F20
www.holy-mackerel.co.uk
The Holy Mackerel stand will be
brimming over with shiny new
launches. Visit the company to
find brand new cards, tea towels,
aprons and gift bags in Erica
Sturla’s phenomenally successful
One Lump or Two range, 60
quirkily colourful CMAW designs
from Amanda Seymour and a
whole host of exciting Funny Olde Worlde historical products including
fridge magnets, notebooks and iPhone cases. There’s still plenty of time
for those Christmas card top-ups, with a festively foiled range from Erica
Sturla and this great new humour series featuring Fred and Penelope.
Laura Darrington
Hall 4 Stand C15
www.lauradarrington.co.uk
Laura Darrington will be launching several exciting new ranges at the
show, which include 24 additions to the Festive Folk collection focusing
on wedding and age captions, the Happy Days collection of 24 masculine
designs and the launch of spring 2015 cards. Laura will also be exhibiting the
Mistletoe & Wine line for Christmas 2014 for those last-minute orders.
Alljoy Design
Hall 4 Stand D28
Alljoy Design will be showing its beautifully intricate and luxurious
laser-cut greeting cards, cut from high quality coloured card. The
cards are left blank inside and measure 128mm x 178mm. They’re
supplied wrapped with envelopes, and 36 designs are available.
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FASHION, JEWELLERY
& ACCESSORIES
Hall 4
The Balagan Group
Hall 4 Stand F50/G51
www.balagan.co.uk
The One Wish autumn/winter collection is awash with wry
humour, cute observations and words of encouragement. The
company’s award-winning range is a delightfully cute range of
sentimental pieces. Choose from the quirky We go together like
movies and popcorn to the inspirational Always wear your invisible
crown and the beautiful Be thankful, your blessings are too many
to count. One Wish is made from sterling silver and has branded
point of sale cards and support. A full colour catalogue is available
on request.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
HALL 4
Talbot Fashions
Hall 4 Stand G10
www.talbotfashions.co.uk
Talbot Fashions will be exhibiting new ranges at the show. These include
Heart of Stone, a beautiful reconstituted turquoise necklace. This is just
one of many new designs added to the vibrant turquoise collection. The
company has also added a stretch turquoise beaded bracelet with an
elephant charm for a shower of good luck.
The multi-strand, eclectic Berry bracelet shown here has a magnetic
clasp and is just one of four designs available. This style originated in
Paris, with inspiration from Brazil, and has swept across Europe.
Carrie Elspeth
Hall 4 Stand G36
www.carrieelspeth.com
Carrie Elspeth is excited to
be showing her new additions
to the best-selling Crystal
Sentiments range. These
new pieces are exclusively
designed for Carrie Elspeth’s
15th anniversary. This
celebration line is mounted
on beautiful pearlescent card
that really enhances the sparkle and glitter from the Czech crystals.
Each fully beaded bracelet is finished off with a silver-plated charm.
Branded acrylic stands are now available for this collection, which
will enhance your display greatly.
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Sea Gems
Hall 4 Stand H04 - J05
www.seagems.co.uk
Exclusive new designs will be on show, highlighting the extensive
Sea Gems jewellery and gift collections.
Contemporary sterling silver jewellery brand Pure Origins
encompasses an eclectic blend of wildlife, romantic and floral
designs. Pieces are hand-crafted with textured finishes, gold, pearl
and gemstones, creating an enchanting, whimsical range perfectly
showcased in the new charm bangles.
Sparkling crystals contrast with minimalist design to create a
range of striking contemporary pens, with stylus proving the latest
must-have gift for all touch-screen devices.
The Celtic Lands and Mackintosh ranges captivate the legacy of
historic design, combining modern ideas with ancient motifs. Vibrant
fine enamels transform pillboxes, compact mirrors, new scarf rings
and jewellery into inspired gifts. Pens and bookmarks complete the
rich and diverse heritage collection.
The entire collection is supported by very competitive prices,
attractive packaging, displays and POS as well as experienced
customer service.
The walking stick specialists
Perfect, practical gifts: elegant
walking sticks, seat sticks and
umbrellas for ladies and gentlemen.
Please visit us at Autumn Fair: Hall 4, Stand NO3.
Or contact us for our new trade catalogue:
Warren House, Hinton St George, Somerset TA17 8TQ
Tel +44 (0)1460 75686 www.classiccanes.co.uk
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
HALL 4
Miss Milly
Hall 4 Stand H48
www.missmilly.co.uk
It’s the start of the autumn/winter season, but colour won’t be lacking
on the Miss Milly stand. Blues of all hues and rich purples are key for
this season and red always makes a strong comeback for Christmas.
Striking new pieces in the Floria collection and the beautiful gift-boxed
matt silver-plated Amora Collection are available at great prices with
excellent margin potential. Wrap up your order with cosy infinity
scarves and benefit from free shipping on all UK mainland show orders.
The full range is available online with a £50 minimum order and no
minimum order quantity.
St Justin
Hall 4 Stand K51
www.stjustin.co.uk
Cornish-based
St Justin is
celebrating its
30th anniversary.
On display
will be four
hand-crafted
ranges of
pewter, bronze,
sterling silver
and Cornish
tin jewellery.
A selection of designs have been re-mastered for 2014. These
reintroduced items have had a makeover to show the progression
in manufacturing techniques over 30 years. New additions to the
Love ring collection will also be showcased in English, Latin and the
ancient language of Ogham.
104 giftfocus
NOA Jewellery
Hall 4 Stand K55
www.noajewellery.com
NOA will showcase its new range of hand-crafted jewellery
made with stainless steel frames and decorated walnut inlays.
The pendants and necklaces are available with different lengths
of stainless steel chains. The collection includes large and bold
pieces as well as smaller ones. While in keeping with the artistic
sensibilities of the NOA brand, this new line would sit comfortably
in any quality gallery, gift shop or fashion boutique. As with NOA’s
existing ceramic lines, the walnut tiles are available in many different
colourful designs to suit different styles.
Midhaven
Hall 4 Stand K72
www.midhaven.co.uk
Midhaven will be showing
more than 300 new lines in
Tribal Steel and Lavish Silver.
New silver lines include CZ,
marcasite, freshwater pearl
and lavish silver, which are
available boxed or loose.
There are new styles in neon
leather bracelets and fresh
super soft leather bracelets
studded with Swarovski
crystal. There are also many
new engravable lines in
the Tribal Steel stainless
steel range.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
HALL 4
Mala Leather
Hall 4 Stand L30
www.malaleather.com
Mala Leather will be exhibiting various new lines including the Origin
range that now has RFID protection as standard. The range has been
revamped with a jacquard lining and branded zip pullers.
As always, Mala is on trend with colours for the new season. The
Abertweed range has a new green tweed and the ever-popular Kyoto
owls line has two new colourways for the season.
Fresh collections include Jasmine, with pretty laser-cut detail on the
front, and Marley the Fox.
Classic Canes
Hall 4 Stand N03
www.classiccanes.co.uk
Walking stick specialist Classic Canes is
launching some elegant-yet-practical new
models at this year’s show. For ladies, there
are two new fashionable canes in chic black
and white: one polka dots and one with a
basket weave pattern. Another elegant new
design is a pretty paisley in shades of pink
and blue. For gentlemen there are two fresh
wooden derbys in rich shades of burgundy,
one with a spiral decoration and one with a
fashionable high gloss finish.
For patriotic stick users there’s a new red, white and blue
marbled acrylic derby cane, ideal for national occasions and the
on-going WWI centenary commemorations.
In the evening range, the latest models have velvet handles,
making them ideal for use with velvet evening bags and shoes.
These models are available in black, burgundy and chocolate brown.
106 giftfocus
GIFTS
Hall 5
Boxer
Hall 5 Stand A10
www.boxergifts.com
Boxer Gifts’ range of products has expanded significantly in the
last couple of years and now includes a strong selection of gift
books. The company has an intimate understanding of the gift
market and covers everything from children’s pocket money toys
and books, through occasions, to novelty fun and even a few fun
cheeky risqué products. The collection is refreshed annually with
new ranges added, like the Candy Skull products and Bejewelled
Pretty Purses. Existing ranges are regularly updated with classic
best-sellers like occasions glassware, Fund and Fine Tins, Fun Mints,
Chocolate Remedies and Wine Bottle Stoppers, joined by more
recent successes like the Behind The Lines range of mugs and Old
Age Accessories.
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Stand Out From The Crowd
Simply Stunning Glassware
Come and see the UK’s favourite supplier of quality
handmade Tree of Life Balls, Friendship collections
and popular Fused Glass designs
D & J Glassware
Autumn Fair International, NEC
Hall 5 Stand F 16
www.dandjglassware.co.uk Tel: 01953 450280
Jarapa Ltd
autumn fair
Jarapa will have a very special
show offer on many items of glass
and rugs at this year’s show giving
you a great head start for the
autumn and xmas season. Discount
up to 40% on products with
carriage paid orders only £275
UK mainland. A New Range of
rustica glass jars and bottle will see
the new catalogue for September.
Many items ready and waiting in
stock for immediate dispatch with
the full range of stock available by
the end of September
Exhibitor profiles
Hall 5
Come see us in
HALL 2 STAND K10
Email us for the new catalogue
[email protected] | www.jarapa.co.uk | 0845 5191982
Joe Davies
Hall 5 Stand C10 - D11
www.joedavies.co.uk
Joe Davies’ spacious stand is always amongst the busiest at Autumn
Fair. The company specialises in serving the independent retailer and is
famous for the sheer variety of new products it introduces every year.
At this show, customers will be treated to more than 2,000 brand new
gifts, photo frames, fashion accessories, home decor pieces and jewellery
items; in total over 7,000 up-to-date items will be on display. There really
is something for everyone and many retailers make Joe Davies their first
stop of the show.
108 giftfocus
Stand Out From The Crowd
Innovative Handmade Glassware
Poo-Pourri®, the before-you-go toilet spray from the USA, will
undoubtedly cause a stir. It’s not often a brand new product arrives
on the market and Poo-Pourri® is great fun to sell and what’s more,
it really works! This ensures some great repeat business and explains
why nearly five million bottles have been sold in the States.
Joe Davies’ Equilibrium collection of jewellery and fashion
accessories will also be a big attraction at the fair. This bestselling range has doubled in size from last year and more than
600 new jewellery designs will make their debut at the show, all
complemented by fashionable scarves, bags, gloves and hats.
snoozies!® – cosy little foot coverings – are Joe Davies’ biggest
selling product ever, and the company has been trading for 95
years! Autumn/winter
means booming sales of
snoozies!® and customers
can select from seven
exciting new designs at the
show. New boys and girls
snoozies!® and adorable
baby, animal booties look
to be this year’s big hits.
Autumn Fair is a great
place to buy Christmas
products and Joe Davies
will have its full collection
on display, with many brand new additions too. Don’t miss three
lovely new designs of hand-made glass Christmas trees. They’re one
of the company’s best-sellers. There’s also a great selection of LED
Christmas products that are ideal for window displays.
The Leonardo collection from Lesser & Pavey is one of the most
successful branded ranges of gifts available to the independent
retailer. Joe Davies is proud to be the UK’s largest distributor of this
range. All that’s good and new from Leonardo will be available at
Autumn Fair in Joe Davies’ trademark little and often quantities.
The company has been serving independent retailers for more
than 95 years and aims to make buying from them as simple,
pleasant and efficient as possible. Everything in its exclusive
collection is clearly priced and displayed to make buying easy at the
show. All products are sold in small quantities and the minimum
order is just £100. Delivery is free nationwide and the company has
won multiple awards for customer service.
Exciting NEW Fused Glass collections - come and see!
D & J Glassware
Autumn Fair International, NEC
Hall 5 Stand F 16
www.dandjglassware.co.uk Tel: 01953 450280
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autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
Exhibitor
HALL 5 profiles
Lesser & Pavey
Hall 5 Stand E02 - F03
www.leonardo.co.uk
Lesser & Pavey is delighted to introduce a new range of fragranced
candles. Each one has a quality smell and look about them, with
attractive packing and a high quality glass container, and comes with a
recognised brand name of Northern Lights.
With beer festivals up and down the country, the company has also
introduced this new line of beer mugs, ideal gifts for men. These mugs
are available in three colours with a bottle opener in matching designs.
110 giftfocus
Heart of the Country
Hall 5 Stand F10
www.heartofthecountryltd.co.uk
Heart of the Country will be launching four new scented
sachet collections at Autumn Fair. With three brands, Greenleaf,
Bridgewater Candle Company and Willowbrook Freshscents,
offering a total of 136 fragrances, you won’t find a better choice
of scented sachets anywhere else. Each brand caters for a different
taste, but are all manufactured by the company responsible for
inventing the scented sachet nearly 40 years ago.
The company will be showing the brand new Greenleaf
Baby collection. These large scented sachets combine Greenleaf
fragrance with special technology that eliminates and absorbs
odours. They provide fresh fragrance for areas that get smelly such
as kid’s rooms, nappy bins, pushchair pockets and car seats. They’re
available in four fragrances: Bouncy Baby – white cotton, Cuddly
Baby – fresh baby powder, Sleepy Baby – lavender and Snuggly
Baby – sweet baby powder.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
HALL 5
Instant Gifts International
Hall 5 Stand H10
www.instant-gifts.co.uk
Instant Gifts International will be showing its new Mrs Brown’s
Boys collection. The range features the iconic Mrs Brown and her
famous lines on various products including signs, chocolate bars
and keyrings plus many more. After the massive success of the
TV shows, tours and film, these items will be a must for stocking
this Christmas.
thumbsUp!
Hall 5 Stand E51
www.thumbsupuk.com
With the selfie revolution upon us, thumbsUp! has developed the ideal
gift that will ease the strain of taking those fun filled portraits – the
Selfie Remote. This remote controlled shutter allows you to take selfportraits and group shots by triggering the shutter without touching the
screen. It comes with a removable phone stand and is integrated with a
reverse click button.
D & J Glassware
Hall 5 Stand F16
www.dandjglassware.co.uk
David and Jocelyne are looking forward to welcoming customers
old and new to the D & J Glassware stand, where they’ll be
launching some exciting new collections. Great quality, beautiful
designs, friendly service and sensible prices are assured from the
UK’s favourite supplier of Tree of Life balls, Friendship Balls and
Hearts, alongside stunning fused glass pieces. Make sure you offer
your customers the very best in gorgeous glassware this Christmas.
112 giftfocus
Windhorse Trading
Hall 5 Stand H70
www.windhorse.biz
For more than 30 years,
Windhorse has been
ethically sourcing giftware
and homeware from
developing countries
around the world, and
funding community social
projects where the items
are made.
Its products are much in demand, for example these exclusive
wooden signs have been selling really well with customers. The
company stocks a wide range of fast moving lines, from wind
chimes and metal plaques to Moroccan lanterns, hand-made
cotton rugs, bronze Buddhas and ceramic foxes. Its globally
sourced products are constantly refreshed; in fact 30 per cent of
what it’s showing at Autumn Fair is brand new stock that you can
sell before Christmas.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
HALL 5
The Milford Collection
Hall 5 Stand F24 - G25
www.milfordcollection.com
The Milford Collection is
pleased to announce its
appointment as the new
UK distributor for Benaya
Art Ceramics. This wellknown range of hand-crafted
decorative tiles makes a
great addition to the Milford
range of good quality,
affordable products. Benaya
was one of the first major
decorative tile ranges to
enter the UK market and
has always been one of the
market leaders for design
and quality.
David Blower, Managing
Director of The Milford
Collection, says, “Benaya will make a great fit with both our range of
products and customer profile. We’re entering our 30th year of supplying
the UK gift market and have built up an excellent reputation of offering
our customers good quality gifts, couple with a very efficient delivery
service, and we’ll work hard to ensure that we offer this same efficient
service with Benaya.”
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Signature Gifts
Hall 5 Stand F51
www.signature-gifts.co.uk
Join Signature Gifts at this year’s Autumn Fair where it will be
showcasing a brand new line of items. The company boasts one
of the widest ranges of giftware in the UK, and since its merger
with Personalised Gifts UK, the collection has become more
diverse. As well as being a leader in selling and producing bespoke
children’s books, Signature Gifts now offers new ranges of ceramics,
glassware and embroidered gifts. Alongside this, the company will
be launching new wood, slate and glass pieces with new bespoke
pictorial designs. Make sure you watch this space, as the brand only
plans on getting bigger and better!
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
Hall 5
Xystos
Hall 5 Stand H01
Xystos, the home of flame and fragrance, has an enviable candle
portfolio that includes some of the UK’s best-known brands –
WoodWick, RibbonWick, Aquiesse and Trapp Candles, all of which will
be seen at Autumn Fair.
WoodWick, the candle with the crackling wick, is the company’s
biggest seller and will once again be well presented at the show.
The innovative Virginia Gift Brands has added Woodland Friends to
the range. This is an adorable collection of wide-eyed pals featuring
top-selling fragrances. The Leaf collection is also new, available in a leaf
116 giftfocus
glass or ceramic tumbler with Applewood, Biscotti, Cinnamon Chair,
Fireside, Harvest Time and Vanilla Bean fragrances.
Also, look out too for Holiday Comforts, classic Christmas
fragrances in intricate knit-design patterned holders, and
WoodWick’s nine alluring new core fragrances including Vineyard
Nights and Sonoma Sunset. There’s also three Trilogy introductions:
Peace & Joy, Autumn Comforts and After Sunset.
Canyon and Vanille are added to the male-oriented Reserve
collection, while Peace & Joy, Autumn Comforts and After
Sunset are new Trilogy scents. Linen is the name of the Gallerie
Tins addition, and there’s a facelift for the Inspirational range,
which has five new vessels. There are also three new patterns in
the WoodWick
Accessories line.
Seasonal specials
include Spooky
Pumpkin for
Halloween. Four new
autumn fragrances
are available in
watercolour and
art glass, while the
Christmas collection
has seven new scents
in dancing glass,
crackle and art glass.
New accessories
include Purple
Pebbles, Peacock and
Golden Trellis, which
can be used for a
variety of candle uses.
RibbonWick has
added seven
fragrances in décor glass and three in scalloped glass, and there are
also seven new La-Tee-Da! Lamp patterns.
giftfocus 117
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
HALL 5
Tilnar Art, Besmo & MO-HOme
Hall 5 Stand G16 - H17
www.tilnarart.co.uk
Fair trade supplier Tilnar Art will be launching a number of new ranges
and products at the show, alongside its existing collections. The brand
will introduce a whole new line of recycled metal sculptures, which will
make a striking addition to any home and garden. These include Bright
Red Robin, Kingfisher and Wagtail, which will also be available on a plant
stake, as well as flowers on stakes and many more.
As with all these ranges, the products on display will include Tilnar
Art’s very popular wooden giraffes, zebras, raku pottery and recycled
products and, of course, the incredibly popular WWF Soapstone
collection and recycled products, alongside stone sculptures from Kenya.
118 giftfocus
Intelex Group (UK)
www.intelex.co.uk
With the heatable plush toy market going from strength to
strength, 2014 has been another bumper year of innovation for
Intelex. The brand has added another 35 products to its growing
range of heatable plush toys and personal warming products
for its autumn/winter line. The exciting new creations include
extensions to its Hooty™, Socky Dolls™ and Cozy Plush™ collections,
enhancements and new colours to its Cozy Boots™ and Slippers
and an entirely new line of six patchwork characters called
Warmies™, shown here.
Kenro
Hall 5 Stand J45
www.kenro.co.uk
Kenro will be exhibiting lots of new frames and albums, including
the Chester Series of wooden frames with a raised filigree design
in black or white. Other frames include the Eden series in Scroll,
Daisy and Beaded designs, new Chloe frames and Vienna, Madison,
Mellow, Senator, Avenue and Baby designs. Plus, there’s a retail
bundle of three Christmas frames.
On the albums side there’s Candy, Festival and the Polka Dot
Series aimed at children and babies. Further fresh ranges include
the City series with designs for London, Paris and New York, as well
as new Holiday, Nature and Travel Album lines, together with the
new Pearl Wedding Album collection.
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
HALL 5
Wild Things Gifts
Hall 5, Stand J20
www.wildthingsgifts.com
Wild Things Gifts is probably
best known for its Suncatchers
featuring Swarovski® crystals.
It has four ranges of Guardian
Angels, including its latest fastselling Chakra Angel pictured here.
Rainbow Makers wholesale from
£2.10 for a plain ball to £50 for
the Grand Cascade.
Other lines carried include
hand-blown, hand-painted Fantasy
Glass, bookmarks and jewellery.
Recently, the company launched a
line of Country Garden themed
jewellery featuring Swarovski®
Elements, using crystals and pearls,
and this too has proved highly
successful. Shown below are the
Forget Me Not earrings.
Both the Guardian Angel and
Country Garden ranges have
been recently extended and are
hand-made in the UK.
120 giftfocus
Puckator
Hall 5 Stand K02 - L03
www.puckator.co.uk
Puckator’s range of Solar Pals has been flying off the shelves, with
the Dancing Queen setting sales records everywhere. New for
Christmas and being launched at Autumn Fair is Elvis. Watch him
dance in natural or artificial light, and with a retail price of £3.99 or
less, he’s sure to be a winner. Also coming soon under license is Mr
Bean. You can view the whole collection at the show.
As the festive season approaches, there’s still time to stock up
on last-minute gift-wrap, bags and other Christmas pick-up lines.
Puckator believes in giving you something different, and all these
Christmas products were designed in-house at its creative HQ in
Sheffield. The full range will be on the company’s stand at the show.
Autumn Fair Hall 3 Stand H44
&
Top Drawer Stand G49
[email protected]
Handmade in England
autumn fair
Exhibitor profiles
HALL 5
Personalised Memento Company
Hall 5 Stand K09
Personalised Memento
Company has a range of
stylish bags for shoppers. The
company’s whole collection is
creatively personalised, with
two style options available
– a cotton shopper and a
tote bag. The full selection
of designs can be seen at
Autumn Fair, alongside all
of its new and exciting
personalised gifts.
Jackpen
Hall 5 Stand K73
www.jackpen.com
Jackpen is a miniature ballpoint pen unlike any other, cleverly
designed to store and write utilising the headphone socket of any
mobile phone – the one single item everyone has to hand. Despite
its small size, each micro pen contains more than 30m of ink,
equivalent to drawing a line the length of three buses end-to-end.
Its universal appeal is further bolstered by a bright array of colours
to suit all ages. Funky new circular packs and branding will be
unveiled at Autumn Fair, along with one-off taster counter displays
comprising a snazzy mix of all the colour packs. The inventor
recently featured on a well-known entrepreneurial business
television series.
122 giftfocus
Goodlookers
Hall 5 Stand K27
www.goodlookers.co.uk
Goodlookers is excited to
introduce an array of trendy
new reading glasses as part of
its autumn collection, which
will be on show at Autumn
Fair. New readers include the
hand-made Hampstead range
that combines a popular vintage styled unisex frame with natural
bamboo side arms, finished with a contemporary paint design that
enriches the grain of the bamboo.
Other new models include Tunis that fuses an ultra-thin, yet
incredibly durable polycarbonate frame with a wild animal print
pattern, available in three vibrant colour options; and Abbi, retro
readers that are designed to be worn at the end of the nose
for that quintessentially ’30s look. Also new is the retro-style yet
incredibly convenient folding Pocket Specs line that’s supplied in
an eye-catching CDU. To complement the new specs collection is
an attractive new range of accessories, including on-trend chunky
glasses chains and funky leopard and rose printed glasses cases.
These make great Christmas gifts.
AUTUMN FAIR
INTERNATIONAL
7th - 10th September
Hall 3 Stand S01
diego & grace toothbrush holders
to see diego, grace & more new product launches please come
& visit us at the autumn fair
alternatively contact us to send you a new 2014 brochure or visit us at j-me.com
a
to place an order contact +44(0)20 7928 8828 or [email protected]
q&a
all the answers
Our experts tackle your retail-related queries
Q
A
Yolanda Artal is the Founder and Managing Director of
Poltsa, a supplier of fashion accessories. Born in Spain,
she’s lived in the UK for more than 20 years. Her love
for eclectic designs led her to establish her own fashion
label, working with selected Spanish designer-makers. In
2010 she opened her own boutique in Surrey.
Contact Yolanda on T: +44 (0)20 8393 6010 or
Mario Thomas is Chartered Director and Managing
Director of Chapter Eight. He’s a chartered director
and e-commerce expert, specialising in information
security, global payment systems, multi-channel and
multi-currency trading. Formerly a member of the BBC
New Media Advisory Panel, Mario predicts digital trends
with prophetic accuracy.
Contact Mario on T: +44 (0)808 208 0888 or
Rachel Parkin is Creative Director of jewellery
wholesaler, The Balagan Group. She’s also the owner of
a retail outlet, an optimist and happy generalist.
Contact Rachel on T: +44 (0)845 370 0925 or
Gary Smith has been in the logistics business since
1990. He developed himself from a Cost Controlling
Clerk in Germany to hold positions of Commercial
Manager in Australia and Pricing & Marketing Director
for major logistics carriers. He created Transpar
to provide a seamless, simple logistics solution for
e-commerce SMEs. Contact Gary on T: +44 (0)7900
657 928 or E: [email protected]
If you have any questions about any aspect of the gift retail industry, simply write to:
Q&A special, Gift Focus magazine, Pantile House, Newlands Drive, Witham, Essex,
CM8 2AP. Alternatively, send your queries to: [email protected]
Opening a retail outlet
Q
A
I have my own line of giftware and I’m considering opening
a retail outlet. What advice can you give me?
Yolanda says: Firstly, consider whether you’re going for a
stand-alone shop selling just your own giftware or whether
you’ll also be stocking goods from other suppliers too.
If your shop is going to be in a local shopping parade or
a location with a small population, you’ll need to refresh
your offerings regularly. That might mean buying other stock.
These other lines could be totally different to yours, but
should always complement your own giftware. At Poltsa
we complement our range of accessories with clothing and
small gifts such as stationery, soaps and lotions. This won’t
be so important if you’re thinking of opening up in a busy
high street, holiday resort or tourist destination, as each day
there will be different passers-by. Your most important job
in this case will be to attract them into your shop, as they
might not be passing by ever again. Your window displays
must be interesting and eye-catching, inviting them in, and
if your own line of giftware is different enough you won’t
need to purchase extra stock to open up but you might still
want to consider it as time goes by.
Look for premises that would suit your business in terms
of size, layout and location. As you already have a line of
giftware, you must have a base somewhere, whether this is
your home, an office, workshop or industrial unit. Are you
going to move this base to the new premises, or will they
be just retail only? Unifying premises could save you money
in overheads but bear in mind that costs such as business
rates will be higher for larger retails premises in a busy high
street, and parking for staff might not be available. Once
you’ve found your perfect premises, don’t sign a lease unless
you're 100 per cent happy with it. Look for a penalty-free
exit clause, avoid upwards-only rent reviews and negotiate a
rent-free period. Most landlords are happy to negotiate.
Online security
Q
A
I’m a small gift shop and I’ve just created a website to
work alongside my shop, but I'm a little worried about
online security. What advice can you give me please?
Mario says: Consumers are more guarded about what
you do with their personal information than ever before.
Therefore, it’s important that you consider both the
consumer and your own business continuity in designing
giftfocus 125
all the answers
Q
A
a security and privacy framework that
you’ll use to deliver your online services to
your customers.
Here are some best practice guidelines:
1. Make sure your website sets out a clear
privacy policy that states what you will and
won’t do with their data. Make sure you have
the relevant policy in place to ensure that you
stick to it, and train staff regularly on the policy.
2. Engage all of the usual trust points on your
website including an extended verification SSL
certificate, a real phone number rather than
a 0845 type number, a real address rather
than a PO box, a manned customer services
email address that sends responses to queries
quickly, and make your terms and conditions,
returns policy and privacy policy easy to find.
3. If you’re accepting card payments then it’s
essential that your website conforms with
the right level of the payment card industry
data security standard (PCI DSS). This is now
mandatory for card payments on a website.
4. Appoint a third party to undertake regular
penetration tests of your website to ensure
you don’t have any holes in your software.
5. Encrypt your customer data when it's at
rest and don’t allow anybody to download a
spreadsheet of it for analysis.
6. Use recognised payment types and include
their logos on your website.
For more advice, please tweet me at
@mariothomas with #askmario.
Promoting independent retailers
Q
A
Myself and some of my local retailers are
worrying about the impact that internet
retailing will have on the high street. How can
we help promote and support each other?
Rachel says: We’re constantly bombarded with
helpful insights into what we should be doing,
but in all honesty who has the time? Most of
us would love to be able to focus on any one
aspect of our business long enough to make a
difference. But I do believe this is the answer
– focusing your business is the most sensible
route back from the edge of sanity.
It’s important to go back and remember
why we started our businesses. What were
we trying to do and why does that matter?
Not only to us, but also to the wider audience,
your local community, customers and suppliers,
and if we can answer that question honestly
126 giftfocus
then we can form meaningful networks with
other local retailers, media and customers
and promote our towns accordingly. Clubbing
together to create events, whether they be
fashion shows, street markets or even a dance
day, will pay dividends in raising local awareness
and support for your local high street.
Shipping charges
Q
A
How can I be competitive with shipping
charges when I know so little about it, and
where can I get support and help?
Gary says: Firstly, there are no service
providers that can offer 100 per cent service
performance. They have to contend with the
weather, vehicle breakdowns, driver restrictions
and customer mistakes. Providers will offer
some statistics for you, which should be above
99 per cent, but be aware of the small print
that excludes the times that it wasn’t their fault.
1. Never go for the cheapest option. Cheap
tends to mean the service isn’t good, and
when you send your product by a cheap
means, it’ll take longer to get there meaning it’s
more prone to damage. Your customer will be
upset with you, not the courier.
2. Do know what you’re sending? Be aware
that pricing for domestic shipments is different
than that of international, and weights and sizes
of your parcels largely affect on costs.
3. Volumetric weighing – Most couriers
use the size of your parcel to calculate the
cost together with the weight, and they use
whichever is greatest. Volumetric weight is
more important for international air parcels.
If you’re putting a box into a plastic envelope,
tape the corners down to reduce its size.
Parcels pass through a laser volumetric
weighing machine that uses the extremities. For
very light items, keep boxes as small as you can.
4. Flat rates help you keep control of costs.
There are service providers that offer flat rates
up to 30kgs for domestic and European Road,
so if your present prices are up to 30kg and
you pay £10, and the next courier offers you
£8.50 up to 15kg and £0.40 per kilo thereafter,
you would be paying £14.50 for 30kg, but
again if most of your parcels are under 5kg,
you don’t need to be paying for a 30kg parcel.
Having said that, by having flat rates up to
certain weights allows you to price your
delivery charges to your customer much easier,
and you can enthuse your customer to buy
more, without charging extra for delivery.
5. Make sure you ask about all of the potential
surcharges. The first you should be aware of is
the fuel surcharge. It tends to be a percentage
of the transport cost and is normally different
for domestic and international shipments.
Then there's the congestion charge in London,
remote area, ODA (out of delivery area),
business address, private address, overweight,
oversized, customs charges, administration etc.
6. Be sure in the knowledge that all providers
have their own qualities and focuses such as:
•Excellent in domestic but rubbish
internationally; •Great to the USA but not to
Europe; •Great for small parcels but not larger
ones; •Good for freight but not parcel traffic;
•Good for special services but too expensive
for normal traffic; •Good service provision
until something goes wrong and then terrible
customer service.
7. Volume driven rate cards – Be careful when
over estimating your volumes. Some providers
tell you about the great contract levels you
have for the volumes you’ve promised, but
charge you on your actual volumes, and
volumes vary month on month.
8. Branded packaging – Some companies insist
on having their packing branded. This actually
puts that parcel at exposure to theft. The box,
if it’s branded, is best being protected by the
plastic envelopes that most carriers provide for
free. Use the carrier packing to protect your
branded box, so it looks great when it arrives.
9. Is my parcel insured? Expect to pay at least
£12 per parcel or a percentage of the value;
whichever is greatest. If you don’t insure your
parcels, don’t expect to get the value of your
shipment back. Check what the terms and
conditions are when they lose a shipment.
10. Information is key – Technology has
improved the logistic experience, so there are
some elements that are great at putting your
customers' minds at rest, and reduces your
time. Make sure your provider sends a message
to your customer telling them that the
shipment has been sent – more importantly
that there’s a link so they can track their own
parcels. Don’t use a carrier that doesn’t track
the parcel to the end point. Some providers
state they have a tracked product but it’s
only tracked up to the point it leaves the UK
airport, and the next point is when it arrives at
the door of the receiver. g
The Milford Collection are pleased to
announce their recent appointment as
exclusive UK distributors for Benaya Art
Ceramics. Managing Director, David Blower,
says “This market leading range of hand
crafted tiles will make an excellent addition
\WW]ZZIVOMWN PQOPY]ITQ\aI‫ٺ‬WZLIJTMOQN\[
We believe that the Benaya range of tiles is
the best on the market for both design. We
look forward to welcoming all our customers
to the Autumn Fair Hall 5 F24/G25”
insurance solutions
Neil McFarlane, Managing
Director of T.H. March &
Co Limited
Gift Focus readers put their insurance queries, concerns and questions to
leading brokers T.H. March
Ways to control your employers’
liability costs
We’re often asked for advice regarding
Employers’ Liability Insurance so here are a
few tips that should help Gift Focus readers
negotiate this often tricky subject.
Be aware that insurers will likely analyse
your claims history when underwriting your
Employers’ Liability premium so it follows that
if you can help to control your claims, you can
potentially lower the price you have to pay.
Q
A
Q: What should I do if/when an
accident happens?
Investigate accidents immediately and
thoroughly; take corrective action to eliminate
hazards, and be aware of fraud.
Q
A
Q
A
Q
A
Q
A
Q
A
Q: What should I do straight away?
Report all claims to your insurer immediately.
Alert the insurer to any serious, potentially
serious or suspect claims. You should
frequently monitor the status of the claim and
communicate with the adjuster to resolve
them as quickly as possible.
Q: On return to work, how do I deal
with an injured employee?
Take an aggressive approach to providing
light duty to all injured employees upon their
release from treatment. Supervise light duty
employees to ensure that they conform
with restrictions.
importance of safety and make safety an
absolute priority. Lead from the front! Senior
management must be visible in the safety
effort and must support improvement.
Q
A
Q: What about keeping records?
Evaluate accident history and near misses at
least monthly. Look for trends in experience,
and take corrective action on the worst
problems first. Talk to your insurance broker if
you have any questions at all – they’re there
to help! g
Q: What about more serious cases?
In serious cases that involve lost time,
communicate with the loss adjuster to
demonstrate your interest in returning the
injured employee back to gainful employment.
Q: Do I get colleagues involved?
Set safety performance goals for those with
supervisory responsibility. Success in achieving
safety goals should be used as one measure
during performance appraisals.
Q: What procedures do I need to put
in place?
Develop a written safety programme, and
train employees in their responsibilities for
safety. Incorporate a disciplinary policy into the
programme that holds employees accountable
for breaking rules or rewards them for
correctly following safety procedures.
Frequently communicate with employees,
both formally and informally, regarding the
“Take corrective action to
eliminate hazards, and be
aware of fraud.”
128 giftfocus
Further information:
T.H. 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 T: +44 (0)1822 855 555,
E: [email protected], or visit the
website www.thmarch.co.uk
retailer interview
We chat to Justin Brandon, Owner of Scape Interiors, which scooped winner of Retail
Employee of the Year and was a finalist in the Best Gifts Lifestyle and Homewares (Interiors)
category at The Greats Awards 2014
for its international fund raising operation.
After this, he began spending three months
a year living in India, travelling the length and
breadth of the country. It was during these
trips that he discovered many of the wonderful
skills of the local artisans, and craftsman, who
were creating beautiful pieces for the home.
Upon his return to the UK, Scape was
established, opening the first shop in Leighon-sea, Essex in 2002. In 2008, Scape in
Bournemouth was opened.
What’s your career background?
My early career training was in floristry where
I really began to appreciate colour and texture.
I ran a successful floristry business for many
years before I sold it. Then I embarked on a
career as a professional yacht skipper, travelling
extensively around the world on various
assignments for years. It was during my travels
to many different obscure locations that I
met a variety of talented artisans creating
wonderful furniture, homeware and giftware
pieces, often made by hand. Immensely inspired
by the designs and the craftsmanship of their
work, I’ve helped some of the artisans to come
up with designs that appeal to the western
market without losing their own originality.
the process of opening sheltered housing for
India’s desperate street children. El Shaddai
was the very first charitable organisation to
help the orphaned street children in Goa, India.
Chris was soon enjoying his involvement within
the charity and was eventually made treasurer
What items do you sell, and sourced from
which companies?
Here at Scape, we’re constantly changing and
evolving our products. We have a wide range
of homeware and giftware items, ranging from
Ashley and Burwood fragrance lamps, Edge
sculptures, hand-blown glass ornaments from
Germany, hand-made silver-plated jewellery
from Turkey, hand-carved wooden sculptures
from Indonesia, hand-carved lambskin
sculptures from Egypt and paintings from local
artists. Working closely with selected overseas
suppliers, we aim to bring back more exclusive
lines that unite art, craft and design.
We have a strong fair trade ethos and strive
to ensure our overseas suppliers receive a fair
price, so that the men and women creating the
products take home a good local living wage.
When did you open the shop?
The concept for Scape Interiors first came
about as a result of the extensive travels by
my father, Chris Brandon.
After a visit to India in the late ’90s, he was
invited to help with El Shaddai, which was in
giftfocus 131
Please describe the interior of your shop.
Scape is located in the beautiful Victorian
Arcade right in the heart of Westbourne. The
shop is spread across two sites right next
door to each other, number five and number
seven. Both of the shops have lots of the
original Victorian features, such as the beautiful
wooden floors, lovely high open shop fronts
and big sash windows.
We like to think of the styling in number
five as an English rose in an Indian summer.
There’s a wide range of beautiful blooms that
set off the fantastic colours and grains in our
light mango wood furniture and distressed pine
furniture, nestled among fabulous candle sticks,
rustic frames and hand-carved fair trade pieces.
Next door, however, couldn’t be more
different. Number seven is our very own little
curiosity shop. Here we display a range of both
the dark mango and sheesham wood furniture,
along with fabulous larger-than-life sculptures
and busts, quirky clocks and compasses,
collectable chess sets and spyglasses.
How often do you change you window and
shop displays?
With a keen eye for design and display, we’ve
created beautiful windows over the years.
Our Christmas windows won the Most
Innovative Business Award from Bournemouth
Chamber of Trade and Commerce last year.
Our windows are really important to our
business; they’re definitely one of our best
marketing tools!
Our visual merchandiser, Katie Allsopp, who
recently won Employee of the Year at this
year’s Greats Awards, changes at least one of
the window displays every week as we always
have new lines arriving each week.
Katie says, “It’s really all about putting
together a scene based around a strong
seasonally appropriate theme. Our windows
are very tall but reasonably narrow, so creating
height and depth to them is very important.
As well as this, it’s essential to add lots of lights,
varying textures, and have a focal piece or
pieces to build the window around.”
Katie also changes the interior of both shops
every week to keep the displays inviting and
exciting for customers.
What’s next for Scape Interiors?
During the last six years we’ve supplied
furniture and accessories to different local
restaurants and nursing homes. Having worked
closely with our overseas suppliers over the
years, we’re now in a position to provide more
bespoke hardwood furniture and design-led
accessories tailored to the specific desires and
requirements of each individual client. g
To find out more abut Scape Interiors, visit
www.facebook.com/scapeinteriorswest
132 giftfocus
take stock
Mark Saunders, Director of Scotland’s Trade Fairs, reports from Scotland
on the effect of sporting events and the Independence Referendum on
the giftware industry
It feels pretty good in Scotland at the moment.
Holidays are underway, the weather has been
good, tourists are here and Scotland is doing
what it does best – providing visitors with
unrivalled scenic majesty. On top of all this,
Armed Forces Day in Stirling was memorable
and received top billing in the news as the
Prime Minister and First Minister tried to put it
all behind them for a day.
Down the road, Bannockburn Live seems
to have received mixed reports but no
doubt will be hailed as a success. The likely
appearance of Usain Bolt helped ramp up
The Captain’s Cabin, Ullapool
The Commonwealth Games machine and the
Ryder Cup train will soon be hurtling down the
tracks. Weaving its way through all this is the
punch and counter-punch of the Referendum
debate and I haven’t even mentioned events
in the wider world such as the World Cup
or Wimbledon!
With all this going on, it would be easy to
think all this level of excitement is permanent.
However, without mentioning the Referendum
these are all one offs. Lest we all get sucked
into the hullabaloo I thought it would be
interesting, now that we’re half way through the
year, to take the temperature in the gift shops
and find out what’s going on at the coalface.
Across the country, no one is jumping for joy
but cautious optimism seems to be the general
theme emerging. In the north of Scotland,
Katrina Thomson, Owner of three long
established outlets in Ullapool including The
Captain’s Cabin, reports, “The village has had a
good start to the year and since Easter; visitor
numbers and the resulting trade have been
very positive and much better than 2013.”
Ewan Douglas, Owner of five Time & Tide
outlets, supports this and has seen a steady
increase in trading this year. This is partly due
to an upturn in footfall and spend but also as
a result of a strategic change to gently move
the business in all the shops towards the better
end of the market. A move that has made a big
difference in spend per head and margin.
In the Borders, Charlotte Newton, Visitor
Services Manager for Floors Castle in Kelso,
says, “Visitor numbers at the castle and its three
retail outlets are slightly down on last year,
mainly due to increased local competition, but
spend is slightly up. We knew that was likely this
year and we’re confident that visitor numbers
will grow in the second half of the year.”
This optimism should continue through the
summer and the year should be a better one
than last. While the benefit may be regional,
the one-off events will have an effect. The one
big unknown for the trade this year is how
business will be affected in the run up to and
aftermath of the Independence Referendum on
18th September. There’s no precedent for this
but let’s hope the tide doesn’t go out and take
retail spend with it. g
Contact
For more information, visit
www.springboardevents.net or
www.scotlandstradefairs.com
134 giftfocus
Get prepared
As summer fades and autumn looms, so does the exhibition season. Dids
MacDonald, CEO of Anti Copying in Design (ACID), makes sure you’re prepared
There’s a flurry of activity at ACID as new
designs are being logged on to our enhanced
Design Databank, now expanded into a safer
online Marketplace; a sure way of providing
more design protection certainty for new
product launches at exhibitions.
Designers can invite design buyers to
preview their new designs online before
the exhibition, knowing design buyers have
to register to view and that all visitors are
traceable through IP Tracker. The Buyers
Charter provides a superb opportunity for
those retail buyers, independent and major, to
pledge their support for design creators.
In an increasingly competitive market,
good design punches above its weight as a
key differentiator in consumer spending. The
good news is when the exhibition closes,
your designs are still able to be viewed in
your own 24-hour exhibition zone, 365 days
a year. So, what can you do to put belt and
braces around your new product launches
this autumn?
Personal experience
Design fraud happened to me. Badly. In the mid
’80s, a friend and I created Holbein, a company
producing hand-painted decorative accessories
for top interior designers. The business was a
Claire Louise
136 giftfocus
Claire Louise
great success. But it came with a huge problem
– theft. Every time we launched a new design
it was knocked off by larger companies without
any hope of redress. Like the vast majority of
Britain’s 350,000 design companies, we were a
tiny outfit. We weren’t in a position to take on
the unscrupulous thieves and copycats. We had
no idea where to start.
So, I came up with another idea: to create
a plan to help David fight Goliath. Today,
Anti Copying in Design (ACID) represents
thousands of designers and we’re here to
help the good guys defeat the bad and also
promote design originality as a real route to
growth – for the creator, not design thieves!
Last month, our 15-year long campaign
culminated in a landmark Act of Parliament
that makes intentional infringement of a
registered design a criminal offence, punishable
by prison. Board Directors need to take heed
as they’ll be individually liable if their company
knowingly copies a registered design. But,
there’s still a lot more to do to keep our army
of 350,000 designers fully protected, as the
majority of designers rely on unregistered
rights and design law is still incredibly complex.
Five ways to stop your designs getting
ripped off
So, what can you do to prevent someone
ripping off your design, and what action can
you take if you find out it’s already happened?
1. Cross all your Ts and dot every I. If costs
permit, make sure you register your designs as
comprehensively as possible. The downside is
that UK and EU registration authorities don’t
examine your registrations, so what you submit
is what you have to rely on. So, the more detail
you include, the better! Alternatively, if you
can’t afford registration, ACID membership
will give you access to a Design Databank
through ACID Marketplace, which holds more
than 300,000 designs. This doesn’t add to your
design rights but gives independent evidence
on the date they’re received by us. If you
don’t want to be copied, say so! There’s no more powerful message
on your website/marketing material. Something along the lines of, ‘All
the intellectual property in our designs belongs to (your name). Any
infringements will be pursued seriously.’
2. Sign and date all your work. Simple, but when it comes to proving
your design ownership, an audit trail of the detailed journey from idea
to marketplace is compelling. The majority of ACID cases have settled
based on strong evidence to support unregistered designs.
3. Become IP savvy. Know the IP laws that protect you; watch the
competition. What’s in a name? Trademark your brand name if you can.
The more you build up your reputation either under your own name
or one that you trade under, the stronger protection you have.
4.Trade more safely. With Government endorsement, ACID has
started the first UK Design’s exchange, a safer trading platform where
designers can log their work and create positive relationships with
design buyers, who can view your latest designs by registering and
signing the ACID Design Buyers’ Charter. The good news is that you
can track who has viewed them.
ACID Member Claire Louise uses the ACID Marketplace regularly,
which she describes as, “An easy and efficient way of marketing and
protecting your designs.” Claire Louise also exhibits regularly and will
be at Autumn Fair in September.
5. Make an almighty noise Gaining public support by shouting
about unfairness and a blatant disregard for design originality is
just what ACID member Rob Law has done in the legal battle he’s
having against PMS International, a Hong Kong-based company that
has produced a remarkably similar lookalike design to Rob’s famous
Trunki toddler case. Heavyweight designers like Sir Terence Conran,
Kevin McCloud and Brompton Bike designer Will Butler-Adams have
united in their support of Trunki case under the campaign banner
#ProtectYourDesign. Representations will be made by ACID to the
Supreme Court for clarity in what appears to be a legal technicality,
not only for Trunki but UK designers in general. Clarity is needed.
If your designs continually get ripped off, contact your MP and
support design law reform. After all, if you and your employees rely on
protecting your designs from knock offs, jobs are on the line if you fail
and that hurts.
Imitation isn’t flattery if it costs you your business. It nearly
cost me mine! g
Further information
To find out more, visit www.acid.uk.com
Peek-a-Boo Cakes by
Joanna Farrow
bookshelf
We turn the page on some of the latest gift
books to hit the shelves
RRP: £8.99
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781846014772
Featuring 28 fun designs to make,
Peek-a-boo Cakes is full of ideas for
unforgettable celebrations. This recipe
collection boasts a range of inventive
takes on this brilliant idea, with great suggestions for occasions, such
as the Treasure Trove for a pirate birthday party and the Christmas
Show cake for a beautiful festive centrepiece.
Visit www.octopusbooks.co.uk
Colin the Crab by Susie Mason
Love to Sew: Teddy Bears by Monika Schleich
RRP: £7.99
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780992845407
Colin the Crab, the leading
light of Norfolk-based Gone
Crabbing, now features in
a new book all about him
and his shoal of seaside sole
mates – Sally the Starfish and
Mike the Mussel. Beautifully
illustrated and brought to
life by a series of delightful
pop-ups by Robert Crowther,
the book has a serious underlying message about the number of sea
creatures children collect. It teaches kids to return the sea creatures
as close as possible to where they were found.
Visit www.gonecrabbing.co.uk
RRP: £7.99
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781782210580
This book includes 17 cuddly
and adorable teddy bear
companions to make and
treasure. Renowned teddy
bear creator and enthusiast
Monika Schleich shares
her expert techniques for
sewing these huggable
friends. Readers can choose
from vintage-style teddies,
polar bears, baby ones,
pandas and more. An illustrated basic techniques guide teaches you all
you need to know about sewing, mending and shaping, with easy stepby-step instructions for every project.
Visit www.searchpress.com
Crimes of the Century: War
Crimes by Claire Welch
RRP: £8.99
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9780857336699
Part of a trio of books, which also
includes Women Killers and Ripper Killers,
Crimes of the Century: War Crimes looks
at the worst atrocities committed in the
last 100 years and examines whether
organisations such as the United Nations
and international courts could bring
about a future free of war crimes. Author
Claire Welch has delved into thousands of hours of investigative
journalism to write these books, which offer fresh insights into some of
the most horrific and brutal crimes ever committed.
Visit www.haynes.co.uk
138 giftfocus
Favourite Poems
of England by Jane
McMorland Hunter
RRP: £14.99
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781849941327
The ideal gift for any Englishman or
anglophile, this collection captures
all the beauty and hilarity of
England and Englishness. It features
a diverse selection of poetry that
celebrates the country and all
that it means to be English, from
the rolling hills to those lost in
battle over the centuries, to London’s bustling streets and a nation
obsessed with the weather.
Visit www.pavilionbooks.com
If you’ve enjoyed reading Gift Focus
magazine, why not log onto our website
at www.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
world-wide 24 hours a day, the supplier
directory is a reader reply service for the
21st century.
PREVIOUS
ISSUES AVAILABLE
TO DOWNLOAD
NOW!
• 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.
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 on-line
media pack for a 2014 features list,
advertising rates and specifications.
www.giftfocus.com
140 giftfocus
140 giftfocus
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 7,196*
total average net circulation,
then call Sharon Connelly on
01376 535 607or email
[email protected]
For more information
visit www.abc.org.uk
or email [email protected]
product showcase
We reveal some of this season’s hottest gifts
Happy Jackson
One of our best selling collections, Happy Jackson continues to be
popular, after adding cheeky accessories for travelling and in the
kitchen earlier in the year. We have launched six keyrings which
bring a pop of colour to any bag or key chain! RRP is £7.95
T: +44 (0)1225 789 909 or
W: www.wildandwolf.com
A Highland Fling
With the trend for heritage and native countryside flora and fauna still
highly sought-after within the homewares and interiors market, Katie
Alice has enhanced her Highland Fling collection to include the stunning
new Stag range. Inspired by a woodland walk through the Deer Park at
Burghley House, this range captures this majestic creature in all its glory;
interwoven with delicate polka dots,
intricate florals and the Highland
Fling tartan. A collection perfect for
gifting!
Available from late September
T: +44 (0)1536 207 756
W: www.creative-tops.com
Changing Guards
While Alice welcomes her first child into the world, all our
thoughts turned to kids as we launch her latest Soldiers Gifts
For Kids range.
Rulers that stand to Atten..Shun! A fun egg cup, water bottle
and even a handy pencil case. Fun gifts for everyone.
See Alice Tait and other brands at Temple Island Collection,
Top Drawer J31 or order online at www.templeisland.com or
call +44 (0)1494 474 037
for a product guide.
Hazel Nicholls
We got to know Hazel whilst working with artist Rob Ryan –
another of our collaborative licenses. She worked in his studio
before branching out on her own using
screen prints to create positive and
cheerful messages. Her designs are
heartfelt, on trend and have a depth of
thought and feeling which we love. We
have mugs, trays, a make up bag, money
box, bunting, stampers and more!
T: +44 (0)1225 789 909 or
W: www.wildandwolf.com
Avenue Mandarine providing educational and
creative fun for children
ExaClair has launched its 2014 Avenue Mandarine catalogue,
showcasing a whole host of products to encourage and enthuse
creativity in children. Perfect for a rainy afternoon and also brilliant for
children’s parties, are Graffy Pop Masks, which can be coloured in and
cut out for fancy dress play. Ready-to-sew Little Couz’INs come with
everything needed to create a
3D felt chicken, cat, tiger, frog
or donkey complete with face
details, clothes and accessories.
T: +44 (0)1553 696 600
W: www.exaclair.co.uk
Barking Mad!
It seems we can’t enough of Dogs in the UK. Since launching
our Great British Dogs range we have met groomers, vets,
charities and plain old dog lovers…brilliant!
Come and see what the excitement is all about on stand J31
at Top Drawer where Temple Island Collection will be showing
GB Dogs and many other fabulous designs.
Contact us for a product guide.
T: +44 (0)1494 474 037
W: www.templeisland.com
competition
WIN!
Stock from the Jennifer Rose Vintage Floral
range, under license with Lesser & Pavey,
worth £750 RRP
Under license from Jennifer Rose, Lesser & Pavey has introduced a
selection of vintage quality bags. The designs include grey, red and
neutral backgrounds across Vintage Floral and Vintage Rose.
Both designs are available as saddle, tote, cross body, messenger, carry
all and shopper bags, accompanied by a matching coin purse, wallet,
iPad case and wash bag.
In each of the ranges there are also drawer liners and hatboxes, with
Vintage Floral having additional suitcases, vanity cases and a vanity box.
Vintage Floral progresses further into housewares with a fine china mug,
mug and coaster set, cup and saucer, cake stand, tea for one, teapot, jugs,
teabag tidy, spoon rest, trays, travel mug, coasters and placemat. g
Minimum order value on split pack bags is approximately £250:
Saddle bag: Q2 £12 each
Tote: Q3 £9.24 each
Cross body: Q3 £8.64 each
Messenger: Q3 £10.50 each
Carry all: Q2 £12 each
Mini shopper: Q3 £4.80 each
HOW TO ENTER
To be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize, simply answer
the following question:
What is the name of the designer?
The winner will receive a selection of items from the Jennifer Rose
Vintage Floral range worth £750 RRP.
Enter online at www.giftfocus.com before the closing date of Monday
17th November, 2014.
Terms & conditions apply.
giftfocus 143
Subscribe to Gift Focus
Fill in the form below to receive a regular copy
of your favourite magazine.
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
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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 www.giftfocus.com
next issue...
the power of love
Get ready for Valentine’s Day
Tilnar Art www.tilnarart.co.uk
Do you work within the giftware industry?
made with love
Yes
Name
Hand-made gifts
No
Job title
penny wise
Company name
Gifts under £10
Address
Postcode
Telephone
Fax
Lanka Kade
www.lankakade.co.uk
Email address
Please tick one or more of the boxes below which
best describe your business
Independent Gift Shop
Importer
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
fair play
Fair trade
£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.
144 giftfocus
Issue 86
November/December
Plus
th
Available from: 10 November, 2014 • January gift fairs
Advertising
• The latest fashion
deadline:
24th October, 2014
accessories
artistic flair
Lucy Daniels took the leap and launched
Dippy Egg, following her dream of being
an artist and owning her own business
Lucy Daniels launched Dippy Egg in August
2008, after working full time as a graphic
designer in a Cardiff-based design consultancy.
“I’d been making and selling greetings cards
in my spare time and decided it was time to
take the leap and be my own boss. It meant
I sort of hit the ground running because I
already had work coming in, as well as card
orders etc. It turned out to be a great decision
as I now really can’t imagine working for
someone else!” explains Lucy. “From as soon as
I could hold a pencil I’ve wanted to draw.
“I spent hours and hours as a child drawing
with my Dad, who was an architect. His talent
was my biggest inspiration and I dreamed of
being as good as him. I remember watching
how effortless it was for him to just make
something up and draw it; it was magical. All
through school, all other subjects seemed to
get in the way. I was desperately waiting for the
art class!”
After her A-levels, Lucy did a BTEC Diploma
in Art & Design and then went on to do a
graphic design degree in Bath, specialising in
illustration in her second and third years. After
working as a graphic designer for years, the
urge to launch her own business took over.
“I hope that my work is a little different
from other greeting cards out there. I really
don’t like verses in cards. I tried to make the
messages in my square cards range a little
more relaxed and chatty in style, with sayings
that people would actually use. I have four card
ranges and they’re all quite different from one
another. I love to work in different styles.”
Lucy is also very environmentally aware, so
all of the card and paper she uses is recycled
and/or from sustainable forests in the Lake
146 giftfocus
District. Everything is produced within the UK.
Her first range of greeting cards is hand-made.
“I started this range while I was at university,
making hand-drawn cards for friends and
family. I then started getting requests for
cards and soon had a fairly constant flow of
orders. I created a collection of designs and
started producing in bigger numbers. Images
are applied to the front of colourful cards, and
then I hand write the greeting on the front. It
means people can choose whatever greeting
they’d like to go with the ever expanding range
of image options – about 200 designs now.”
Lucy then went onto create a second range
of square printed cards with silver foil details.
They feature illustrated typography with
informal, friendly messages and there are now
35 designs in the collection. These have been
so popular that Lucy is planning on adding
more designs soon. They come with a silver
envelope to match the silver foil details.
“I also have three sets of six blank cards
that can be framed. One set of six illustrated
fish, one set of six illustrated budgies, and
one set of six illustrated insects. Each set is
presented in a grey-board keepsake box, tied
with colourful raffia and a swing tag showing
thumbnail illustrations of each design.
“My detailed pencil and watercolour
illustrations are printed onto thick, cream art
board. They can also be framed as a set or as
individual artworks.
“Most recently, a brand new range has
been added to the collection. It consists of
fashion illustration style watercolour and
charcoal drawings of girls faces and girls in
bright, colourful dresses, printed on to a heavy
recycled grey board. Theses come with a bright
pink envelope. I really enjoyed creating the
illustrations for this range.”
Out of her hand-made range, the best-selling
designs are always the girly ones – images of
long-legged ladies carrying oversized shoes
or cakes.
In the square range, the Mum card is the
best-seller. In the boxed sets, people either
really love or absolutely hate the insects –
“they’re a bit marmite I think!” laughs Lucy.
“I’ve been pleased to see a pretty consistent
response to my girls cards and they all seem
popular so far.”
Dippy Egg is stocked in a wide range of
independent gift shops and galleries all over
the UK. Lucy also sells in a few chains of shops
such as Vinegar Hill and the Blue Diamond
Garden Centre group. She has a UK-based
distributor as well as one in Hong Kong.
Look out for Dippy Egg at Top Drawer in
September. “I’ve found trade shows so helpful
for taking my business to the next level; it puts
you in front of such a huge variety of buyers. I
also find it useful talking to other people doing
the same sort of thing as you. It’s reassuring to
hear you’re not alone with the struggles and
the challenges you face as a business owner.”
There are so many areas Lucy would like
to expand into, in fact the list is endless. “One
of the reasons I chose the name Dippy Egg
was because it’s so non-specific. I wanted a
name which didn’t feature design, illustration
or greeting cards. This was so that I could
move the business in any creative direction in
the future without having to re-brand. I also
wanted a name that was memorable and a
bit nostalgic. People always smile at the name
Dippy Egg and it seems to stick in people’s
minds, which works well.
“I’m working on some really nice projects
at the moment – branding projects, illustration
commissions, photo shoots, etc. I’ll also be
busy planning for Top Drawer. The list of future
project ideas is endless and I’m adding to it all
the time.” g
For more information about Dippy Egg,
T: +44 (0)7870 705 532
or visit www.dippyegg.net

autumn fair - Gift Focus magazine

Transcription

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