Gifts Today July 2021

Gifts Today Official 2021 Preview

Month: July 2021 Issue: 6 Volume: 32

The UK’s leading supplier of drop ship Personalised Gifts The UK’s leading supplier of drop ship Personalised Gifts

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Gifts Today July 2021

Contents

Regulars 5 6 10 12

Message from the editor News Licensing News Exhibition News

Cover story

p 24

24 Ashleigh & Burwood Home fragrance experts Ashleigh & Burwood introduce stunning AW21 additions to their Life In Bloom and Heritage Collection ranges. They also remind us that their Fragrance Lamps don’t just look good, but also fulfil a very particular purpose that’s very relevant in these Covid times

Retail 54 Strawberry Blue We caught up with owner Claire Hembrough of this Bradford-on-Avon gift shop to discover how she coped with lockdown, and why she’s looking forward to hitting the trade shows again this summer and autumn

72 Retailers’ Panel The latest members of our Panel – key gift shop owners around the UK – introduce their businesses, talk life after lockdown and share their views on trade shows

p 26

Gifts Today team

76 Trade Talk

p62

Editor

Sally Norton sally@lemapublishing.co.uk

Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival 26 10 reasons to visit Home & Gift 28 Preview

Advertisement Manager

Mark Horsnell markh@lemapublishing.co.uk

Layout/Design

Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival 2021 runs in Harrogate this month, and we catch up with some key exhibitors to learn what they’ll be unveiling at the show

p 54

Rick Vickers rick@lemapublishing.co.uk

Special Features

Managing Director

Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

56 At Home Wonderful ways you can help your customers boost their living spaces and make them more comfortable than ever

Production Director

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Chairman

Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Leading figures talk Covid, trends and, of course, Home & Gift

78 InStyle Jewellery and fashion accessory trends, products and must-buys in this exciting sector

p 80

80 Giftable stationery We take a look at some of the latest launches

88 New products

Profiles 53 DesignWorks

Lema Publishing Ltd

1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts, HP4 2UB Telephone: 01442 289930

www.giftstoday.media

p 64

We catch up with James Mountfield, Sales Director of DesignWorks Collective, to talk about how this trusted American company has now established a direct presence in the UK, offering brilliant brands including Paddywax, DesignWorks Ink and, now, Gentlemen’s Hardware

Opinion 18 Why are trade shows so important?

Julie Driscoll, MD of Retail & Fashion at Hyve Group plc, looks ahead to Autumn Fair and explains why she believes doing business face-to-face is crucial

20 Bira

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www.manorhousehomefragrance.co.uk

Drawer Liners | Drawer Sachets Hand Wash & Moisturising Lotion | Pot Pourri Reed Diffusers | Room Sprays | Scented Candles

32

p 26

p 52

p 24

Message from the Editor

p 72

www.giftstoday.media Instagram: @giftstodaymedia

‘

There’s a real sense of optimism running through this whole bumper issue of Gifts Today, and it’s brimming with new products and companies for you to discover.

Our At Home feature is a great example of this, and it’s packed with stylish, useful products that can help turn a house into a home. We have so many great companies for you to read about, including Nick Munro, Bloomingville, Lene Bjerre, PTMD Collection, Global Luxury Brands and many more.

The feature starts on page 56. We’ve also got InStyle on page 78, Giftable Stationery on page 80 and New Products on page 88.

For those who love great design, we have a special Q&A with James Mountfield, Sales Director of DesignWorks Collective.

This trusted American company has now established a direct presence in the UK, offering brilliant brands including Paddywax, DesignWorks Ink and, now, Gentlemen’s Hardware bought in 2020 from Wild & Wolf. Read more on page 53.

There’s lots of retailer comment in this special issue, too. Our retail interview is with the beautiful Strawberry Blue gift shop in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, and we caught up with owner Claire Hembrough to discover how she coped with lockdown, and why she’s looking forward to hitting the trade shows again this summer and autumn. See page 54. And we have our popular Retailers’ Panel, starting on page 72. If you’re a retailer and would like your business to be featured in an upcoming issue, drop me an email on sally@lemapublishing.co.uk.

There’s also Trade Talk (page 76) and plenty of opinion. It was great to hear from Julie Driscoll, MD of Retail & Fashion at Hyve Group plc, as she looks ahead to Autumn Fair and beyond. You can find her piece on page 18.

Mark Horsnell and I have really enjoyed putting this issue together for you and hope you enjoy reading it and find it useful.

‘

A

s Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival gets set to open its doors on 18 July, there’s a sense of excitement in the air. After all, it’s the first major trade show in more than a year, the first opportunity to do business in person, the first time to catch up with friends in our industry.

Technology has more than proved itself as a powerful tool over the past year or so, but it can never really replace the importance of the human touch in business. I believe face-to-face interaction really is the best way to get deals done – you can see products in real life and better understand what customers want from you. Even better, you don’t have to worry about poor quality video or dropping out of meetings due to a technical glitch. And, of course, when you meet people face to face, there’s always the opportunity to grab a coffee or a drink with them, and to catch up on their lives.

The exhibition world has had to hold its collective breath for many months now, but at last we seem to be turning the corner to some sort of normality. Home & Gift can offer extra reassurance to its visitors as it has been selected to be part of a limited number of pilot events in the third phase of the Government Events Research Programme.

Under pilot conditions, there will be no restrictions on visitor numbers or social distancing requirements on any day of the event.

Gifts Today are proud to continue to be the show’s media partner, and pleased to offer you a really great show preview, starting on page 26. Many of our favourite companies will be there, including Joe Davies, Marmalade of London, Mosney Mill (check out their fabulous seed cards!) and many more.

Home fragrance experts Ashleigh & Burwood are our brilliant cover stars this month. They introduce stunning AW21 additions to their Life In Bloom and Heritage Collection ranges. They also remind us that their Fragrance Lamps don’t just look good, but also fulfil a very particular purpose that’s very relevant in these Covid times. Learn more on page 24.

I believe face-to-face interaction really is the best way to get deals done

The views of the contributors expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the publisher. Comments, letters and criticism are welcome.

p 53

News University Games is on the move University Games has moved from its London office to Royston, Hertfordshire. The new more modern office will allow for further expansion as part of University Games strategic growth plans following its acquisition of The Lagoon Group last summer.

MD Richard Wells says: ‘The Newington Green office has been the hub of the Paul Lamond business for many years and the home of the combined University Games group for the last three years. As a business we experienced some significant changes during our time there, especially over the last few years as both Paul Lamond Games and The Lagoon Group have come together under the University Games banner.

‘However, the new offices have plenty of character and will offer us greater flexibility to develop and grow the business over the coming years’. The new office address is: University Games UK Ltd, 4 The Lanterns, 16 Melbourn Street, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 7BX.

John Lewis impose higher fees on brands Gibsons on screen Independent jigsaw puzzle and board game company Gibsons featured on a recent episode of ITV’s Made In Britain, a behind-the-scenes look at how Britain’s most iconic brands are made.

The TV segment follows the creation of Trevor Mitchell’s 4x500 piece puzzle The Florist’s Round.

First, they visited artist Mitchell, who has been creating artwork for Gibsons for 15 years and is well known for painting their popular 4x500 piece puzzles. ITV also spoke to Gibsons’ MD Kate Gibson and Operations Director, Geoff Lee, who is responsible for ensuring the puzzle images are busy and colourful enough to piece together.

ITV visited the factories where the puzzles are produced in a thorough process including cutting the images to size, mounting the artwork to the board, cutting it up and scrambling the puzzle pieces. The pieces then get vacuumed sealed into a bag and placed into their boxes for delivery.

Samantha Goodburn, Marketing and PR Manager at Gibsons, says: ‘As a British company that was founded over 100 years ago, manufacturing in Britain and supporting the British high street is a core part of our company ethos and we feel honoured to share our story.’

6 Gifts Today

Brands stocked by John Lewis will be charged more by the department store for stocking their products.

Suppliers already pay 50 per cent of each sale made via the retailer in fees and commissions, compared with around 38 per cent which brands pay to M&S and Next.

John Lewis chair, Dame Sharon White, has appointed Alix Partners to renegotiate fees with suppliers.

Headline sponsor for National Stationery Week named World-renowned stationery company Maped Helix has been announced as a headline sponsor of National Stationery Week, taking place 1-7 October.

The brand exports to over 65 countries and has been synonymous with both traditional and innovative stationery for more than 130 years. Competitions will be launched as part of Maped Helix’s sponsorship of Get Crafty Day on 6 October, one of the awareness week’s Seven Days of Stationery. Maped Creativ and Color’Peps prizes will be on offer, providing everything children need to get drawing, doodling, colouring and making.

National Stationery Week reaches almost 75 million people in 90 countries, celebrating the importance of handwriting and providing an opportunity for stationery fans to share their favourite products.

Maped Helix marketing manager Lianne Fletcher said: ‘In this digital age it’s hard to overestimate the importance of spending quality time away from screens and National Stationery Week is a wonderful celebration of why we should all keep putting pen to paper, so we are proud to be supporting it.’

SmallBiz 100 Applications for the SmallBiz 100 2021 closes on 30 June.

For the ninth year running, Small Business Saturday will be highlighting a hundred small businesses, one a day for 100 days, leading up for Small Business Saturday on 4 December.

Successful applicants will be notified by email in August.

For the last eight years, the 100 have not only received exposure on Small Business Saturday’s social media channels and in the local and national press, but also joined the Small Business Saturday team in London at receptions in Downing Street, House of Lords and the Treasury Drum with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/small-biz-100

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News Something Different Wholesale invests £3.2m in warehouses

Bounce back with Widdop & Co

This July, Widdop is launching its biggest ever autumn Bounce Back campaign and showroom event. Inspired by new season styles, up-coming trends and the return of retail post-lockdown, they have over 500 new products across gifts, home, and everyday occasion launching this season.

Their showroom event is on for 11 weeks, from 6 July to 17 September, in which you can visit their Covid-safe showrooms for an in-person viewing of their products, ranges and brands. Just book an appointment to enjoy a tour around their five showrooms.

widdop.co.uk

The Swansea company that began life trading from a market stall is investing £3.2m to purchase 157,000 sq ft of warehousing units and offices at Morriston, Swansea.

The company is purchasing the 61,000 sq ft Building H it currently leases on Swansea Enterprise Park, and also purchasing the adjacent buildings, totalling a further 96,000 sq ft. It will spend about £1m renovating and remodelling the units to suit its growing business.

Founder and MD Jane Wallace-Jones has grown the business since it was established 25 years ago and the company now designs its own ranges of giftware items, which are manufactured in China, Indonesia, India and the UK and supplied to retailers, both online and bricks and mortar, across the UK, Europe and around the world.

Jane says: ‘We have seen our sales double over the past 12 months and that is thanks to our hardworking, dedicated team headed up by commercial director Anthony David and myself.

‘Our focus is to push our company in a much more environmentally-friendly direction in everything it does, and as a start that includes installing solar electricity panels on the roofs of the three warehouse units.’

somethingdifferentwholesale.co.uk

The Insights Family partners with InspiredConsumer in US The innovative partnership will make 50 million US kids, parents, families and educators immediately available for research.

InspiredConsumer has over 20 years’ experience as a youth focused agency - operating the largest and most singular community centre network across the US, with clients such as Nickelodeon, Disney, and Mars.

The Insights Family has quickly established itself as the global leader in kids, parents, and family research, by providing real-time data to clients such as Amazon, BBC, Mattel, and Warner Bros. The exclusive long-term partnership sees the coming together of these two powerhouses to create unrivalled opportunities for kids’ research and insight. The partnership has already produced several turn-key qualitative research solutions, which can be further enhanced with quantitative research.

8 Gifts Today

M&S closes 30 stores Marks & Spencer is to close 30 of its stores as its clothing and homeware offering suffer the worst year of trading. The company posted a pre-tax loss of £201m for the year to March 27, the first time the retailer has posted an annual loss in the past 94 years. In addition to the closures, 35 stores will be moved to new locations and 45 will be converted to food-only shops.

Brand New and Exclusive to Enesco In Stock July 2021

www.enesco.co.uk ENESCO LIMITED, Brunthill Road, Kingstown, Carlisle, Cumbria, England, CA3 0EN. UK Customer Services Telephone: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk Overseas Customer Services Telephone: +44 1228 404066 Email: eurosales@enesco.co.uk HARRY POTTER characters, names and related indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. WB SHIELD: © & ™ WBEI. WIZARDING WORLD trademark and logo © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s21)

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Licensing News Frida Kahlo renew Sass & Belle partnership The Frida Kahlo licensing program continues to grow and Art Ask Agency are pleased to announce the renewal of the partnership with Sass & Belle. With both continuity of products and new product additions, Sass & Belle are making a statement on the gift market in the UK and internationally with their officially licensed Frida Kahlo products.

The range now has 30 different SKUs in the categories of gifts, kitchen items, gardening, ceramics and accessories. A stylized range appealing to consumers of all ages, including the youngest segment.

‘Sass & Belle’s products are delightful. They have even launched a Frida Kahlo plant mister!’ says Beatriz Alvarado, Head of International Affairs, Frida Kahlo Corporation.

Uncanny deal

Floral Street partner with Van Gogh Museum The independent, clean and sustainable, award winning brand is the first fragrance partner of the internationally renowned Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam. In a four-year deal brokered by Licensing Link Europe, across fragrance and scented home products, it will celebrate the works of Vincent van Gogh, and excite audiences globally in appreciation of fine art and fine fragrance. This first-of-itskind collaboration will explore how his passion for the natural world has inspired sustainable scent creations.

‘I’m honoured that Floral Street has been chosen as the first fragrance brand to partner with the Van Gogh Museum. Drawing inspiration from Vincent van Gogh’s timeless masterpieces, we discovered a shared love of nature and finding beauty in the everyday.

Through this collaboration, we are able to tell our story in a new way, in which the beauty of art and fragrance meet.’ says Michelle Feeney, Founder, Floral Street This special partnership will see the first global launch in August 2021, and it will bring to life the beauty and optimism of one of Vincent van Gogh’s most famous masterworks.

10 Gifts Today

In addition to its growing distribution brands portfolio DKB Toys & Distribution confirms the signing of Uncanny Brands alongside existing partners including Hasbro, Alex Global Brands, Crazy Forts and its recent acquisition of MightyMast.

The premium homewares brand with established success in the US and Canada has appointed DKB as its exclusive UK distributor across all key lines.

Best known for pop culture small appliances, Uncanny Brands is dedicated to creating licensed products that are cool and quirky, but useful, too. Ideal as gifts, the Uncanny Brands product lines include themed kitchen accessories ranging from popcorn makers to toasters and hand blenders all designed around iconic licensed characters from Star Wars, Marvel and Pokemon among others.

RHS x Moorcroft Royal Horticultural Society and Moorcroft celebrate the opening of RHS Garden Bridgewater with new designs.

There are two new collections of limited edition art pottery from valued RHS licensing partner Moorcroft, a renowned producer of heritage art pottery and a leading name in the world of ceramic design.

One collection is inspired by the new garden itself.

The second collection – the RHS Fiori Bottan Collection – is inspired by 45 extraordinary 17th century Italian watercolours that are part of the 25,000 superb images in the RHS Lindley Collections of botanical art.

Two vases have been specially made to mark the opening of RHS Garden Bridgewater. The first, called Bridgewater’s Bounty, celebrates the strong link that the newest RHS garden has with the former residence on the site, Worsley New Hall, which had a rich history of growing fruit, in particular pears, and a wide variety of flowers. Fittingly, the vase depicts pears in varying shades of green and yellow, ripe for the picking, surrounded by delicate white pear blossom, with soft golden centres.

Pets Rock

Market leader in Home Décor, Kare Design GmbH have launched their Pets Rock wall art collection and have reported excellent sales results worldwide.

Pets Rock quirky artistic characters, from the worlds of music, film, history and fashion, lend themselves perfectly to home decor and appeal to consumers in a wide age group and range of territories.

The Kare collection includes glass framed wall art, acrylic wall art and canvas prints.

Kare Design GmbH is a leader in its segment of the market and counts more than 200 shops in 50 countries and sales of licensed Pets Rock wall art products are proving successful across the world.

In addition, Pets Rock have recently launched a new style guide, “The Love Book”, with themes of positivity, love, hope and happiness because “life is better together”.

The new guide is full of rainbow-coloured assets and is available to licensees in addition to “The London Book” style guide. Both style guides complement the quirky Pets Rock characters from the worlds of film, fashion and music.

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News Exhibition

Return of

Exclusively ‘Live’ The return of a live Exclusively Show – potentially the first opportunity for gift, housewares, tableware, small domestic electricals and destination garden centre buyers to get together with suppliers for many months – is an exciting prospect. So says Will Jones, Chair of Exclusively and Chief Operating Officer of BHETA From a gift perspective, not only does a majority of product categorised as housewares have gift potential, but the 2021 show – scheduled for 24 and 25 August – has more exhibitors with consumable gifts alongside general merchandise than probably ever before.

Just taking the Launchpad – a new feature at the live show dedicated to smaller companies and startups – there are baking kits, designer fragrances, speciality teas, exotic spice blends, gorgeous cheeses designed for the gift market, homemade curing kits, foodie hampers and an array of handmade British food gifts. So, whether buying for a luxury emporium, a deli, a wedding list specialist or a small independent gift and card shop, Exclusively has everything from high end dining and glassware to designer cookware, to kitchen gadgets to electricals to decorative – and now foodstuffs as well.

Exclusively is also not just about product. It has a reputation for predicting commercial trends and a proven track record for enabling brands to get in front of buyers and the media. Popular features such as the Trend Talks and Tours with trend forecaster, Scarlet Opus and the Brand Showcase which provides media with a curated insight into the best new products have been expanded considerably compared to previous years.

Insightful trend predictions are a particular draw for savvy buyers and this year will be no exception. At the briefing meeting for exhibitors in early May, Phil Pond from Scarlet Opus gave a sneak preview of three trends 12 Gifts Today

which will start to come through from the autumn/winter – the idea being to help ensure that the products on display at the show are perfectly placed for buyers both short term and into Christmas, as well as long term.

Neo Luxe, all sophistication and dark romance from earlier centuries combines rich luxurious colours with high drama and an almost punk quality in its provocative glamour. Key for Christmas, the look will be around for three to five years.

Reset accepts sustainability not as a trend but as ‘the norm’. This is about the circular economy and designing out waste and will see blues and greens with muted patterns reminiscent of foliage, herb, fruit and vegetables.

The third trend to be previewed was Togetherness, which will manifest in spring/ summer 2022. Upbeat and positive, joyful, colourful and vintage, it is all about sharing, collaboration and putting people first, a multicultural outdoors theme with flavours of Africa and the Caribbean. There is no doubt that products which work with any of these will not only be prevalent in the exhibition in general, but also in the Brand Showcase – a media-friendly edit of the main show – where some 250 press, bloggers and influencers will soak up the on trend thinking and use it in all their coverage to come.

One of the great things about

Exclusively is the level playing field it offers to all companies – large, small and new to the market – ensuring that buyers see the leading brands, the major launches and many items that they will not have seen anywhere else. With 130 exhibitors and 300 brands on show, Exclusively will be the perfect opportunity for buyers, journalists and influencers to find everything they need.

Given all that the world has endured over the last fifteen or so months, it goes without saying that the safety of all Exclusively visitors and exhibitors is paramount and Exclusively is working closely with its venue, The Business Design Centre in Islington to ensure that all necessary protocols for registration, hospitality, events, meetings and the total visitor / exhibitor experience are in place.

Will Jones added: ‘Everyone can be confident in being there and in enjoying a great show. The opportunities to see the latest product, talk to suppliers and gather all manner of excellent content and market intelligence is second to none. Exclusively is a real must for gift buyers.’

More information about visiting Exclusively can be obtained from the BHETA Member Services Team on 0121 237 1130 or via the website www.exclusivelyshows.co.uk.

H

ROOM W O T H E NORTH

THE LAR G E S T

Harrogate, North Yorkshire

IN

S

18-21 July 2021

Register today at homeandgift.co.uk

News Exhibition

First, last and

everything…

Harrogate Christmas & Gift looks forward to being one of the very first trade shows of 2022 – taking place from 16-19 January at the Harrogate Convention Centre - providing retailers and suppliers of festive and gift-related products the opportunity to get next year’s business off to a bumper start Christmas & Gift 2020 was one of the very last trade shows able to take place as normal prior to the Covid pandemic, and having had to cancel its 2021 show completely, the industry looks forward to returning to normality.

Simon Anslow, show organiser, explains: ‘Christmas and giftrelated products are quite different from other areas of retail in that you really need to see, feel and (quite often smell) products to know whether they are right for your own retail offering. Also, there are so many new and innovative ranges being introduced every year – particularly by some of the larger exhibitors at the show which source products from all over the world and have collections equating to literally thousands – you really need to see everything first-hand to appreciate them.’

Booking for the 2022 show has literally just re-opened and as always, previous exhibitors are given a window of opportunity to rebook their stands before space goes onto general sale.

Already confirmed from these are: FDL Festive Decoration & Lighting, Gisela Graham, Playwrite, Premier Decorations, Riffelmacher, Sage Décor, Sincere and Weiste (to name just a few). Simon adds: ‘We have also already received numerous enquiries from new exhibitors interested in joining the show for the first time and these will be allocated space as soon as

14 Gifts Today

our regular exhibitors have discussed and secured their positions. An up-to-date exhibitor list is available to view on the website.’

Those attending Harrogate Christmas & Gift for the first time, and not familiar with the show will be pleasantly surprised by the large and diverse range of products on offer. Whilst it has historically been focussed on Christmas and festive products, in recent years, the ranges include gift items for every occasion including baby gifts, floral and decorative products for weddings, christenings, Halloween items, food and drink and items for the home and garden.

Simon continues: ‘Christmas celebrations have grown exponentially in the UK over the last few decades and the type of buyer seeking festive products has expanded to many new and unexpected areas. Our visitors come from not only department stores and independent retail outlets; but also from church and cathedral shops; tourist attractions and theme parks; party and wedding venues; hotels and hospitality and our largest growing area – garden centres. These are now pretty much one-stop-shops and family destinations selling

everything from home and garden-ware, toys, gifts, books, cards, food and drink – in fact you name it, and most garden centres sell it.

Therefore, the exhibitors attending have expanded to offer products for every imaginable occasion.’

Visitor numbers for Harrogate Christmas & Gift have grown systematically increasing year on year for the last ten years and the event is renowned by everyone in the festive goods sector as ‘the most important trade show of the year.’ It has always been held in January, straight after Christmas while fashions and trends are still fresh in the mind, and new ideas and opportunities are very apparent. The 2022 show will provide fresh ideas and inspiration for Christmas 2022 – and of course many exciting new developments to keep their retail offerings exciting and tempting for customers throughout the year.

Full details and online booking for both exhibitors and visitors is available on the website at: harrogatefair.com – or if you wish to discuss your stand requirements first-hand, contact Simon Anslow – simon@harrogatefair.com or call 01902 882280.

LONDON STATIONERY SHOW 5-6 October 2021 Business Design Centre

Register now Discover the largest selection of writing and paper products from around the world in one place.

Register now at stationeryshow.co.uk

News Exhibition London Stationery Show

returns bigger and better this October The UK’s only trade show dedicated to writing and paper products is returning from 5-6 October 2021 in London’s Business Design Centre. As well as bringing together all the biggest brands in stationery and gifts this autumn, the team are thrilled at the prospect of uniting suppliers and buyers for the first time in over two years ‘We’re very much looking forward to bringing new and existing customers together to do business face-to-face,’ says Event Director, Alex Butler. ‘It’s been a challenging time for everyone, but as much as we’ve all adapted to a new digital world, the pandemic really has highlighted the importance of experiencing products in person before buying.

‘We know our audience has missed those chance findings - stumbling across an amazing product that you didn’t know you were looking for - that only happen at exhibitions. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the Business Design Centre this autumn.’

Some of stationery’s bestloved brands are returning, including Cross, Cre8 Tapes, Kaweco, Leuchtturm, Sheaffer, Silvine, Stabilo, Staedtler, uniball, Pentel, Zebra Pen, Pukka Pads, edding, Montegrappa, Exacompta, Royal Talens, Ultratape, Manuscript Pen, ClaireFontaine, Avery, Hahnemühle, and Snopake.

There’s also an impressive line-up of new brands, including Bark & Rock, Goldbuch, Makers Cabinet, Pixie Crew, Artcadia, London Block By Block, Accent Manufacturing and Carioca, amongst many others.

London Stationery Show is taking place from 5 -6 October at the Business Design Centre.

Registration is now open.

16 Gifts Today

Stationery Show Essentials

When: Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 October 2021 Opening hours: 9.30am - 5pm on Tuesday, 9.30am - 4pm on Wednesday Where: Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH Register: stationeryshow.co.uk Entry is free for bona fide stationery buyers and retailers Speciality & Fine Food Fair opens up to nonfood products The show has announced that for the first time it will be welcoming products outside of food and drink categories to be showcased at the event, which takes place on 6-7 September 2021 at Olympia London.

Non-food suppliers and products complementary to the Fair’s core audience of independent retailers,

wholesalers, farm shops, delis, garden centres and more will be showcased as part of a new ‘non-food’ trail.

The new additions to the event will continue to expand on Speciality & Fine Food Fair’s role as a one-stop-shop for unique, artisan products, showcasing everything from local, independent producers to innovative international businesses looking to expand in the UK market.

specialityandfinefoodfairs.co.uk

‘There are a number of sectors outside the world of food and drink that are directly relevant and valuable to our core visitor audience. We’ve made the decision to welcome some non-food suppliers and products to the show in order to fulfill more of our customer needs and provide businesses in compatible sectors a chance to meet with key buyers.’

Event Manager Philippa Christer

THE UK’S PREMIER SHOWCASE OF HOUSEWARES, TABLETOP, GIFT AND SMALL ELECTRICAL BRANDS

Safe, controlled and secure.

Stimulating, exciting and friendly.

The industry gets back together at the Exclusively Show.

ALL SECURE STANDARD

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GT CONTRIBUTOR: Julie Driscoll Hyve Group plc

Why are trade shows so important?

Julie Driscoll

I

‘

With the convenience and cost-effectiveness of so many brands and products under one roof, trade shows will continue to be a crucial place to do business

‘

18 Gifts Today

Julie Driscoll, Managing Director of Retail & Fashion at Hyve Group plc, looks ahead to Autumn Fair and explains why she believes doing business face-to-face is crucial

f the last year showed us anything beneficial it is how much people and businesses have missed face to face networking and it has given the industry a fresh appetite for physical shows. After the initial appeal of online meetings faded, the reality hit home that nothing quite beats the excitement and anticipation of entering a show brimming with new innovations and inspiring products, and of walking up to a stand and seeing, touching, and experiencing products in your hands.

When you spend the day at a trade show you feel part of a community, you meet new brands and designers creating incredible things, you re-connect with people who run established and successful businesses, you explore and discover and come away with a renewed energy and excitement for the forthcoming season.

The possibilities for business relationships and collaborations are endless.

The inevitable move to a more digital way forward now sits comfortably alongside physical shows and offers complementary and year-round added value and benefits. We have seen how popular this has been with the launch of the Online Marketplace. However, the networking opportunities of a physical show really are unparalleled anywhere else. And, with the convenience and cost-

effectiveness of so many brands and products under one roof, trade shows will continue to be a crucial place to do business. It is a bit of a no-brainer if I’m honest.

At Autumn Fair we are really putting the spotlight on the return to face-to-face networking.

The new community-focused Curated Meetings programme launches and will connect prequalified buyers who are actively sourcing with relevant highquality suppliers through prescheduled one-to-one meetings.

This is a highly effective and time-efficient way to discover new brands and products. The much-loved and inspirational partnership with Theo Paphitis’ Small Business Sunday Pavilion returns even bigger this season, showcasing new and unique products from 15 ambitious startups and small businesses.

As the shape of retailing changes so are the needs of buyers. The burgeoning ‘lifestyle’ sector is growing, garden centres are becoming the new department stores and this generates endless cross buying opportunities. Lifestyle retailers are looking for trusted, costeffective environments to fulfil a large proportion of their buy.

Moda, also known as the National Footwear Show, co-locates with Autumn Fair, offering visitors the most comprehensive and inspirational curated line-up of

fashion, footwear, accessories, and jewellery, all delivered across easy to navigate key shopping destinations: Home, Gift, Fashion, Design & Source.

Autumn Fair is set to be the largest Home & Gift show in the UK and the largest Gift and Fashion gathering in the whole of Europe, and we are delighted to be the only show for so many great brands. We have made our website super easy to navigate and you can search by brand, product category as well as for Sustainable and Made in Britain brands.

We have worked tirelessly to put our Safe & Secure guidelines in place to help our exhibitors and visitors feel confident about attending events once again.

There is huge pent-up demand and quite rightly we are providing clear information on the detail.

These guidelines leave no doubt about what exhibitors and visitors can expect on site. With our longstanding heritage and experience, we can deliver a trusted platform and inspirational marketplace for physical business to take place again. The show really is going to the best place to buy this Autumn.

Autumn Fair takes place at the NEC Birmingham on 5-8 September 2021. Visitors can register to attend and exhibitors can apply to be part of the show.

autumnfair.com

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GT CONTRIBUTOR BIRA

Picture credit Freepik.com

How are you doing?

CEO Andrew Goodacre from the British Independent Retailers Association shares the results of the association’s ‘reopening survey’ and says it’s further proof that businesses still need support to get back on their feet

CEO Andrew Goodacre

20 Gifts Today

rates in 2019; only about a quarter said footfall was higher than it had been. Nearly half reported that sales had been lower than preCovid – further proof if we needed any that businesses still need support to get back on their feet.

‘

I have said it, and will say it again, retailers of all kinds will need ongoing government support if our precious high street is to survive

‘

W

hile the reopening of socalled ‘non-essential’ retail on April 12 was a step in the right direction, it is not the immediate happy end to the story.

Retail businesses have battled for more than a year, with many closed for at least eight months of the last 12, and their troubles have not simply ended with the lifting of the shutters.

Even businesses deemed ‘essential’, which were allowed to trade through the pandemic, are still faced with challenges such as a year of reduced footfall and lower consumer confidence. I have said it, and will say it again, retailers of all kinds will need ongoing government support if our precious high street is to survive.

With this in mind, Bira organised a reopening survey to gauge how our members were doing; it was open to both those who had been shut and essential retailers who’d traded throughout.

Sixty per cent of those who filled in the survey said footfall had so far been lower than pre-pandemic

Rather optimistically, nearly half (43%) of our members said that they felt ‘reasonably confident’ that within two years business would return to ‘normal’, with 12% saying they felt ‘totally confident’.

However, despite this many admitted to having to drastic measures such as cutting day-today operational costs to maximise profit, holding sales to clear out

old stock, and buying less stock moving forward. One member said: ‘Initially, we had a good first two weeks then fell to about two thirds of 2019 trade level. We hope for it to build up over time, but it will be serious for us if not.’

Another said: ‘Initial rush with people wanting to stock up in case we were locked down again. Since then though footfall is around 2530% lower than before.’

We will be passing all our findings and members’ comments on to the Government, and will continue to lobby for a package of support to help businesses recover.

After all, while this is not the end of the story, I think we all want to see a happy ending.

See the full results of the Bira Reopening survey at: bira.co.uk/ resources/reopening_survey_ results_2021 If you would like to discuss any of this article with us, or would like to find out more about our association and the support we give independent retail business, then please contact our membership team on 0800 028 0245 or visit bira.co.uk.

Beautiful gifts at beautiful prices

Discover our extensive range of beautiful gifts RexLondonTrade.com/GiftsToday Order online | No minimum order | Free delivery options

Pic credit: Freepik.com

GT CONTRIBUTOR: The Giftware Association

Is your business communicating effectively across the generations?

Chris Workman, PR and marketing manager for the Giftware Association, considers how you should best communicate with customers and staff of all ages and generations

I Chris Workman

‘

It is worth considering the profile of your customers and considering if you might be using stereotypes in your marketing and communication with them

‘

22 Gifts Today

n 2017 Generation Z entered the workplace. For the first time there were five generations side by side, both as customers and in the workplace. How does this influence the way you communicate with customers and manage staff effectively?

Problems arise due to stereotyping and miscommunication, making staff harder to manage and potentially leading to conflict. George Orwell said: ‘Each generation imagines itself more intelligent than the one before and wiser than the one after it.’ The rapid pace of change in so many areas of life can lead to friction and strife between generations and is perpetuated in media headlines.

The generational cohort theory suggests that people born within 15-20 year blocks do things in a similar way because they had similar experiences in adolescence. These divisions are stereotypes; people are all different and the fields are too long. However generational empathy and understanding how the way a generation grew up affects their attitude can be helpful. In fact, the differences between people’s values and preferences are actually very small; the perceived differences are more stereotypes than reality. It is worth considering the profile of your customers and staff, and considering if you might be using stereotypes in your marketing and communication with them.

The generations have more in common than differences and a marketing strategy to appeal to a broad age range should build on common things. All generations value family most, look for

appreciation and recognition, seek work life balance and are concerned about debt and savings.

In the workplace people value: ■ ■ ■

■

■ ■ ■

Respect An opportunity to be heard Trustworthy leaders who provide clarity and availability Clear and careful communication, especially when concerning change The opportunity to learn Honest and supportive feedback Meaningful work

Communication platforms cause the most problems with communication as the style used can cause barriers. Is the tone of emails too formal, reflecting business letters, for example?

The use of punctuation, capital letters and exclamation marks should be carefully considered. Gen Z can be irritated by full stops as they signify an abrupt or angry tone of voice, so punctuation should only be used in longer communications.

Language is evolving on different platforms. Particular words can mean different things to different generations. Using the ‘thumbs up’ emoji has recently been declared to indicate you’re out of date. Abbreviations and ‘text speak’ developed to speed up texting on older mobile phones are no longer used as touch screens are now ubiquitous.

Considering and understanding the personal communication preferences of customers and in the workplace and how to flex them is particularly valuable in building relationships and avoiding misunderstanding.

Consider the following: ■

■

■

■

■ ■ ■ ■

Is the preferred method of communication by phone, text, email, face-to-face or other?

Tone, level of formality in greetings, sign offs, layout, punctuation Message length. Should you use one stop detailed communication or more frequent concise messages?

Format, preferred font, spacing, use of bullet points?

Grammar rules on mobiles, abbreviations, text speak?

Expected response times?

Video, audio messages or voice mail?

Use of emojis’ - always, occasionally or never?

It’s a good idea to review your communication policies to identify current challenges.

Consider if you’re using the most efficient channels for your audience and that the style, tone and format are appropriate.

Consider if the length and frequency is optimal for your specific audience.

ga-uk.org

Gentlemen’s Hardware is the go-to partner for men's gifting to customers worldwide.

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Designed for stylish city-dwellers and avid adventure seekers, our collections include multitools, grooming accessories, outdoor goods, tech essentials, candles and games for home.

Gentlemen's Hardware is now part of the Designworks Collective brand portfolio and we look forward to sharing with you this exciting next chapter, staring with our new Autumn/Winter 2021 collection.

Download our new catalogue via the QR code or contact our UK Sales Office for more information. +44 (0)1225 9312322 | SALES.UK@DW-COLLECTIVE.COM WWW.DESIGNWORKSCOLLECTIVE.CO.UK

Gifts Today July 2021_GH.indd 1

30/06/2021 16:29:36

GT COVER STORY: Ashleigh & Burwood

Life In Bloom

Useful &

beautiful Home fragrance experts Ashleigh & Burwood introduce stunning AW21 additions to their Life In Bloom and The Heritage Collection ranges. They also remind us that their Fragrance Lamps don’t just look good, but also fulfil a very particular purpose that’s very relevant in these Covid times

T

he Ashleigh & Burwood team have been very busy during the past 18 months or so, building on the success of key ranges that are already really popular with retailers and customers alike, and increasing awareness of their iconic Fragrance Lamps that have been scientifically proven to work against airborne bugs.

New additions to Life In Bloom The British, family-owned company are expanding their Life In Bloom collection for the autumn/winter season. The collection was only launched at the start of this year, but its uptake and sell through has been incredibly strong in the first half , so they expect the latest additions to be welcomed by retailers and shoppers alike. Joining the range of vibrant candles, diffusers and Fragrance Lamps are two new colourways in rich shades of purple and red to complement the cooler months, paired with the scents of sumptuously spicy Plum & Pomegranate and elegantly floral Winter Rose & Jasmine.

In addition to the new fragrances joining the Life In Bloom line up, Ashleigh & Burwood are celebrating the runaway success of the collection’s

24 Gifts Today

Floral Reed Diffusers, featuring real gypsophila flowers stems, by launching new Flower Refills in all six colours. These beautifully decorative Flower Refills can be used to refresh a well-loved Life In Bloom Diffuser, to add a different colour dimension that complements the home’s interior to another diffuser or add a lovely floral adornment to a favourite fragrance.

A customer says…

‘Since launching Ashleigh & Burwood across our resorts and day spas at Champneys in 2019, we have had some wonderful guest feedback on the beautiful fragrances and range of products available from candles and reed diffusers to fragrance lamps.

‘This has only been strengthened by the launch of Life In Bloom and The Heritage Collection. With guests spending more time at home than ever before over the past year, we have certainly seen a shift in purchasing trends towards homeware and wellbeing. It has given our guests the ability to recreate our iconic spa experience from the comfort of home with home fragrances being the cornerstone of this.

‘The joyous notes of Life In Bloom have really lifted our spirits and we just love the sophisticated glass vase look of The Heritage Collection. I have confidence in these collections and high expectations for the additional colours and fragrances launching this autumn/winter.’

Samantha van Gemert, Retail Buyer for Champneys Health Spa

Purify the air you breathe with Ashleigh & Burwood

The Heritage Collection

The company’s famous Fragrance Lamps don’t just scent our homes, they also help cleanse and purify the air, removing up to 99% of bacteria.

Independent laboratory tests conducted for Ashleigh & Burwood confirmed that the Lamps also kill up to 97% of airborne coronavirus.

In short, the Ashleigh & Burwood Fragrance Lamp is effective against bacteria, coronavirus, mould spores and dust mites, with the following proven laboratory results after 30 minutes of exposure to the Fragrance Lamp emissions:

Coronavirus RCoV-P: 97% inactivation of airborne virus; 60% inactivation of surface virus

Bacteria ■ E.coli: 99% destroyed ■ S.aureus: 99% destroyed ■ E.aerogenes: 99% destroyed

Dust Mites ■ D.farinae: 99% destroyed

Mould Spores ■ S.chartarum: 96% destroyed They’re also brilliant at reducing common household odours, such as those from dogs, cats, tobacco smoke and food spoilage in 30 minutes.

New fragrances for The Heritage Collection Created in 2019, The Heritage Collection brings the character of a bygone era into the modern age with glamorous Art Decoinspired designs and fragrances created to bring a sense of pure luxury to the home.

Joining the collection of candles, diffusers and more for AW21 are two new nostalgic scents in bold and sumptuous colourways, rich Rose & Golden Leather and verdant Blackcurrant & Cedarwood.

The rich and seductively spicy scent of Rose & Golden Leather is paired with a beautifully warm, glowing golden shade to enhance the mood of comforting opulence.

While the new Blackcurrant & Cedarwood fragrance which is rich, fruity and earthy is complemented by an evocative dark berry hue that makes a sumptuous statement in the home’s decor.

Both new scents are available across The Heritage Collection’s product offering, including in new, Art-Deco inspired glass Scented Candles and Decorative Diffuser Vessels in a striking new diamond glass design, Luxury

The Heritage Collection Diffuser Refills and Reed Diffuser Gift Sets.

The two fragrances will also introduce a new product format to the collection - beautifully gift packaged Fragrance Lamp Gift Sets. These sets present The Heritage Collection’s swirling, jeweltoned glass Fragrance Lamps in gold and purple and Lamp Fragrances in Rose & Golden Leather and Blackcurrant & Cedarwood packaged together in a format that is ideal for gifting and the Christmas season.

With these latest add-ons The Heritage Collection continues to grow and provide shoppers heart-warming nostalgic scents, vintage style statements and luxurious gift options through the autumn and winter months.

Get in touch!

Call: 01932 267060 | Email: COT@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk Visit: Explore the new products in Ashleigh & Burwood’s virtual showroom www.TheHouseOfAB.com

Preview

10 Home & Gift reasons to visit

The loved show, co-located with the Manchester Furniture Show, is set to open its doors again on 18-21 July, across the Harrogate Convention Centre (HCC) and grounds of the DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate. As the first major show to return after the pandemic, there are plenty of reasons to visit…

1

Safety remains paramount There will be plenty of safety measures in place, such as face coverings, wider aisles, increased ventilation, an enhanced daily and a deep cleaning regime. Hand sanitising stations will be available at all entry and exit points and various other points across the site.

Visitors will also be asked to take a lateral flow Covid test and produce a negative result prior to arrival, or provide proof of double vaccination in order to attend. See full info at homeandgift.co.uk/safety-info.

26 Gifts Today

2

The show has been selected as a Government pilot event Following detailed discussions with the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Public Health Bodies and Harrogate Convention Centre, the Home and Gift Buyers’ Festival has been selected to be part of a limited number of pilot events in the third phase of the Government Events Research Programme.

Under the ERP pilot conditions, there will be no restrictions on visitor numbers or social distancing requirements on any day of the event. The consent required from all participants to opt in to the Event Research programme and NHS Test and Trace will be sent to all registered buyers and exhibitors individually.

3

It has the full support of the local authorities Home & Gift has the full support of the Harrogate Convention Centre and DoubleTree

by Hilton venue, and the organiser is working with the local authorities and liaising closely with the Director of Public Health for North Yorkshire.

4

There’s plenty of outdoor space The show occupies a large footprint made up of two distinct areas, the HCC and the hotel grounds with Marquees (DP areas) occupying both outside and indoor areas. Show organisers Clarion are also providing many outside areas to relax and enjoy.

This means visitors and exhibitors are spread out across the exhibition, and capacity and visitor flow can be controlled

effectively adhering to event guidelines, not affecting visitor numbers across the four days. The marquee build commenced on 28 June and HCC build on 12 July.

5

Key names are set to exhibit Home & Gift registration is open and is currently tracking in line with previous years, with key names confirming their attendance and hotel stays as part of Clarion Events’

VIP hosted buyer programme.

Show director Russell Rule says: ‘With the backing of our key customers, venue, and local authorities, we can see that the appetite and enthusiasm is there for an in-person buying and selling event. There is great excitement from both exhibitors and visitors to reconnect in Harrogate’.

A lot of familiar favourites are back in full force, including Joe Davies, Bronte by Moon, Gallery Direct, Big Metal London, Accessories by Park Lane and Caroline Gardner. We love to celebrate new brands too, and we’re excited to welcome Bookspeed, Captivate Brands, The Little Botanical, Blade & Rose, Ancient Mariner, Toasted Crumpet and many, many more.

Paul Hooker, Commercial Director from Joe Davies comments: ‘At Joe Davies, we can’t wait to attend Harrogate Home & Gift. After such a long break from exhibitions we are all very excited to meet our customers again and launch our new range.’

6

An opportunity to see products in the flesh After more than a year of online buying, Home & Gift is a chance to get your hands on products before you buy. ‘Home & Gift is an all-inclusive, friendly buying experience, bringing together top brands and exclusive products, all in a relaxed setting,’ says Clarion’s Portfolio Director Zoë Bonser.

7

Retailers are keen to attend As Cathy Headdock, from Bay Tree Gifts, says: ‘I am super excited to be visiting H&G this year. It will be the first trade show I’ve been to for over a year and I can’t wait to find some new lovely goodies for the shop, and to see suppliers old and new. Holding the show in Harrogate is an added bonus as we love the town’.

8

The chance to socialise with colleagues and friends The legendary Sundowners event will take place on the Monday 19 July, outside in the grounds of the DoubleTree

by Hilton hotel and renowned exhibitor party will now take place on the evening of Tuesday 20 July.

9

tunning location ‘The beautiful ‘‘The beautiful Harrogate location gives the industry the chance to get away from their day-to-day and really enjoy discovering their next bestsellers, and hopefully we will get lucky with the weather again this year,’ says Clarion’s Portfolio Director Zoë Bonser.

‘Myself and the team can’t wait to welcome retailers and exhibitors, and look forward to meeting with you at the show.’

homeandgift.co.uk

10

It’s the 60th edition of the show This year’s show is even more special, as it will be the 60th edition of Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival.

Organisers Clarion look forward to celebrating and raising a toast to 60 years of this much-loved show.

Gifts Today 27

Preview

Gifts galore Joe Davies

Hall B, stand 66 Equilibrium The Equilibrium brand continues to be the UK’s hottest fashion jewellery brand. The new Bracelet Bobble collection doubles as a pretty decorative bracelet and a useful hair bobble, all for under £5.

Available in nine styles, each with a brightly coloured band, a sweet message, and a beautifully designed charm. Also new is the stylish Back to Nature collection. Rhinestone-encrusted ferns and elegant leaves feature strongly in this gorgeous range.

Jewellerybrand

snoozies snoozies!, the ‘cosy little foot coverings’ from the USA, are still one of Joe Davies’ best-selling brands. New designs for 2021 include soft velour snoozies! for the guys, ladies on-trend tie-dye and Dazzle bling sequined ballerinas. The snoozies! pairables are also popular and new designs have been added in vibrant colours. There are cat, dog, bees, gin, sheep and rainbow for the ladies, and cycling, beer, and golf for the men. A free snoozies! spinner is available with any order of 144 pairs or more. Joe Davies are also offering 90 days credit from delivery on all snoozies! to help customers get the very best out of the busy trading season.

Tree of Life Joe Davies have developed a decorative Tree of Life collection inspired by family sentiment. Coasters, photo frames, standing plaques and tealights make up the product range combining intricate laser cut trees and heartfelt messages.

Scrabble range Joe Davies have added an additional line to their popular scrabble range that continues to be a success. The new table plaques are based on the actual scrabble holder that holds the letter tiles in the traditional scrabble game. Designed in shabby chic style, they’re sure to evoke happy memories especially as family games have had a bit of a comeback in lockdown. Choose from many popular captions, such as Friends, Family, Best Mum, and I Love Dad.

Thoughtful Words The new additions to the ‘Thoughtful words’ collection include a heart shape trinket box, heart shape trinket tray, tealight holder, coasters, standing hearts and sweet little pebble hearts in a counter display unit.

Home Decor Vases and planters have been a massive hit. The eagerly awaited new introduction is a beautiful butterfly design available in two colourways, gunmetal and champagne. Four modern vase shapes, tealights, decor balls and planters feature simple elegant, embossed butterflies and foliage.

Everything will be available to buy in trademark little and often quantities with carriage paid orders of £100 for free nationwide delivery.

28 Gifts Today

Call: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Visit: joedavies.co.uk Head to: Stockport, SK5 7GA

6XSHUE 4XDOLW\ :LOGÁRZHU 6HHG &DUGV Our Wildflower Seed Cards are printed on 210gsm biodegradable card.

-8/< 2))(5 WR FHOHEUDWH WKH ODXQFK RI RXU 1(: &2817(5 723 32,17 2) 6$/( Buy 12 packs (6 cards per pack) and we will give you a free pack of 6 (Worth £21 of retail sales) PLUS our beautifully designed full colour Point of Sale. Just pick your 12 designs and we will add your free pack of cards when we dispatch your order.

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INTRODUCTORY OFFER In July enjoy our special introductory offer.

Buy 5 designs of our magnetic shopping lists plus 8 designs of our A6 lined notebooks and receive an additional 6 notebooks free (Worth £21 of retail sales) PLUS

our beautifully designed full colour Point of Sale.

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Preview

Wonderful Warmies Intelex

Hall B, stand 81

four new

Warmies Ranges

Warmies are proud to be returning to the Home and Gift Harrogate fair this year, a show that has been an integral part of their business for well over 20 years. 2020 saw a year of unknown, but they are very excited to be back where they belong, welcoming both new and familiar faces to their stand. Their 2021 exhibition will showcase the release of four new collections, along with their ever-popular core lines.

The summer of 2021 will see the release of four new Warmies Ranges, including The Luxury Range, that’s made up of Luxury Boots, Slippers and Neck Wraps. What sets this range aside from any other product is the use of the all-new luxurious fabric. This soft touch, opulent faux-fur takes comfort to new heights and gives luxury a new meaning. The entire collection will be available in three new attractive colourways; Charcoal, Latte and Steel Grey. This is the perfect range if you’re looking to treat someone special or if you’ve decided the time is now to invest in self-care.

Alongside the Luxury Range, they have welcomed Warmies’ My First collection. This range is aimed at new babies and very young children, designed to be their first soft toy; but equally can be enjoyed by any age. This six-toy collection comprises a Donkey, Elephant, Hippo, Pig, Puppy and Sloth, and offer a super soft-touch corduroy, also benefitting from silky smooth assets – perfect for your little one’s sensory learning.

Warmies’ Sentiments Bears will also be launching later this year, and will be showcased at Home and Gift Harrogate. This four-piece collection offers sentiment messages of Congratulations, Happy Birthday, I Love You and New Baby. These reheatable furry friends are the perfect gift for your nearest and dearest when celebrating special occasions, and also feature the signature Lavender Scent to make them even more luxurious.

Three new collections just weren’t enough! Intelex will be launching a whole new range of the Warmies original item; the HotPak – but this time, they’ve made them luxury. With 12 beautiful new designs to choose from, including signature lavender, woodland and polka dot, there’s something for everyone.

The new designs come with a fleeced back for extra comfort and added softness, offering you all the benefits of the original HotPak, and more.

As well as these exciting new collections, Intelex will be showcasing 16 new large Soft Toy designs, including a Dalmatian, Snow Leopard and multiple Christmas designs. They have also designed a 20-piece collection of 9” Junior Soft Toys comprising of a Baby Penguin, Brown Sloth and Highland Cow, to name a few.

Their friendly sales team will be on stand B81 at Home and Gift Harrogate and can’t wait to welcome you and showcase the extensive and loved collection along with the new ranges.

Call: 01933 679 777 Email: sales@warmies.co.uk Visit: warmies.co.uk 30 Gifts Today

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Preview

Take a closer look Opticaid

Hall B, stand 61 Opticaid is using Harrogate Home & Gift to relaunch its range of premium reading glasses and RFID card blocking wallets designed by Stuart Cox of the award-winning brand I Like Birds. The team ‘mothballed’ their launch plans, like many others in March 20 due to the pandemic.

The reading glasses feature eight designs of well loved birds in eye catching to sober designs – all featuring scratch resistant and aspheric thin lenses, durable spring hinges, coordinating neoprene case and very tactile recyclable gift box. They retail for a very competitive £17 and retail packages come with branded point of sale and an I Like Birds optical stand. All products are in stock and available for immediate dispatch.

‘We started with over 200 variations and have ended up with eight frames and designs, but we think we’ve got something for everyone,’ says Gillian Marchbank, buyer. ‘The range appeals to those who already love the I Like Bird brand, or those who need a pair of really cool or slightly quirky readers. Initial response was excellent but we shelved our plans as retailers had to close.’

The I Like Birds collaboration also includes 12 RFID blocking credit card wallets featuring iconic bird designs. These retail at £7 and can be bought by design or in assorted retail packs. The RFID blocking wallets protect your bankcards from being ‘digitally pickpocketed’ and make an ideal gift.

Call: 0113 239 1400 | Email: sales@opticaid.net Visit: opticaid.net

32 Gifts Today

Make a wish WishStrings DP3-5 A little wish goes a long way…

When you open a WishStrings’ Wish Bracelet, simply make a wish as you tie the bracelet around your wrist. Then, when the string begins to fray, the wish will come true, so they say.

With a collection of thoughtful sentiments and beautiful designs to choose from, WishStrings make the perfect gift your customers will really appreciate. WishStrings are lovingly handmade to order in their Scottish studio by their Wish Makers, especially for you and your customers.

WishStrings also have an exciting new range of wooden Wish Tokens and exciting Wish Cards launching this year.

Email: wishstrings@hotmail.co.uk Visit: wishstringswholesale.co.uk

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Preview

Colour & style Miss Milly DP3-8 Miss Milly brings colour and style to your store at affordable prices. If you haven’t yet stocked this gorgeous range of jewellery and accessories, try it out now with a low £100 minimum order and no MOQs. The award-winning, British brand will be showcasing current spring/summer lines for immediate delivery as well as new lines for autumn/winter.

Miss Milly expects many buyers to still be stocking cautiously as we tentatively emerge from our Covid cocoon and is anticipating the traditional autumn/winter darker and jewel colour palette being most popular with dark red, navy, teal, purple and grey all featuring. But it wouldn’t be Miss Milly without some brightness, too, so expect to see pink, orange and a bit of turquoise in the new lines.

The need to cheer us up has resulted in some very cute, matt silver squirrel, reindeer and donkey brooches, which are being added to popular animal styles from 2019/20 alongside the best-selling magnetic brooches.

Call: 01905 622509 | Email: hello@missmilly.co.uk Visit: missmilly.co.uk

It takes two Lime Tree Design

DP3-16 and DP3-30 Embracing the first trade fair for 18 months, Lime Tree have two stands in DP3.

Textiles on DP3-16 On DP3-16, you’ll discover their new collection of cotton, block print loungewear, made using their own textiles. Working with artisans in Jaipur, their fabrics are hand printed on 100% cotton using eco dyes. For every piece sold, a donation is made to British Asian Trust Oxygen Appeal. The collection features kimonos, tunics, pyjamas and bandanas.

New lavender hearts in their Liberty of London Tana Lawn collection join their boxes of fish and bird lavender drawer sachets. Launching at Harrogate are new single boxed Tana Lawn hankies.

Call: 01636 894043 Email: studio@limetreecollection.com Visit: limetreecollection.com Jewellery on DP3-30 On DP3-30, you’ll find Lime Tree Design’s range of handcreated, British-designed jewellery and locket collection. Their British created jewellery collection has a new birthstone range, encompassing rings, earrings, and pendants.

■ Natural birthstones set in sterling silver plus point of sale ■ New T-Bar range and enamel pendants in summer colours ■ Mini Studs for ear stacks

34 Gifts Today

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Preview

100 % Eco-Friendly Soap Collection

So eco Heyland & Whittle Hall M, stand 25 Eco Collection

These twelve fragrant, 100% natural, handmade soaps boxed in recycled card make it easier for customers to make more ecofriendly lifestyle choices to care for both the planet and their family.

This new collection of palm oil-free soaps promises a better tomorrow for the planet.

Heyland & Whittle are well practised in the artisan production of handmade, 100% natural soaps. They follow the cold processed method using only 100% natural, pure ingredients, including essential oils, herbs, spices and natural colourings such as madder root and turmeric.

For this collection, Heyland & Whittle have chosen not to use palm oil in the production and have boxed the soaps in 100% recycled card that is itself recyclable. All the soaps are proudly handmade by them in their workshop in West Sussex. All paraben and sulphate-free and not tested on animals.

An eco-collection of fragrant, hand-poured and blended soy candles and reed diffusers, housed in 100% recycled glass and packaged in 100% recycled card. This ecocollection helps customers to make more eco-friendly lifestyle choices in the home.

This new eco collection takes Heyland & Whittle’s commitment as a business to care for the planet one big step further. For the first time, they have created a collection of hand-poured candles and reed diffusers that are contained in 100% recycled glass and packaged in 100% recycled card. The diffuser and candle vessels can be re-purposed again and again as drinks glasses, hot beverage glasses, flower vases, biscuit and snack bowls, water and juice jugs and flower vases.

The fragrant hand-poured candles are made with a sustainable soy wax and essential oil blend for a clean, slow, even burn. There are three new fragrances in this collection, available as both diffuser and candle options.

Geranium & Oud: Fresh and rich green, peppery geranium blended with sweet, smoky oud and fragrant hints of rose, jasmine and praline.

Mint & Bergamot: Uplifting and refreshing fresh, cool mint blended with zesty, citrussy bergamot –the ‘just picked’ aroma of summer.

Hibiscus & White Tea: Calming and relaxing woody citrus notes of white tea blended with gentle florals, hibiscus, freesia and jasmine - a gentle aroma with feel-good benefits.

Heyland & Whittle will be launching three new exciting fragrances in their Eco reed diffuser and candle collection at the show - come and sniff!

Call: 01293 525825 Email: sales@heylandandwhittle.co.uk Visit: heylandandwhittle.co.uk

36 Gifts Today

See our latest collections at Harrogate Home and Gift Show from 18th-21st July STAND A22 For further information email; office@fmgsales.co.uk Phone; 0121 459 9777

Preview

Neat wheat The Wheat Bag Company DP3-1

NEW, NEW, NEW! Hot Water Bottles

Joining the collection are the handmade hot water bottles, available in a range of popular fabric designs and come with a traditional hot water bottle or a wheat filled inner. There’s a 2-Litre Hot Water Bottle and Extra Long Hot Water Bottle.

The Wheat Bag Company is an established company manufacturing Microwavable Wheat Bags and other unique items in the UK. The Wheat Bags come in a variety of designs to suit all tastes, including their own bespoke range of fabrics that include rainbows, highland cattle, donkeys, swimming penguins and bumblebees.

Each Wheat Bag is filled with cleaned English wheat and optional lavender buds. Lavender does not only smell delightful but is well known for its natural aromatherapy qualities of helping to aid sleep and relaxation.

They are an all over body pillow that simply heats up in the microwave to provide soothing warmth, relaxation and creates an overall sense of wellbeing. Paired with the company’s new essential lavender oil, they make a wonderful personal gift.

The Wheat Bag Company’s product range also includes their handcrafted PADi Pillows, made from 100% cotton with a polystyrene bead inner.

A stable, lightweight, hands-free tablet stand. Perfect for holding and supporting any mobile device. Suitable for iPads, Kindles, phones and all other portable devices including books.

The company are always coming up with new ideas and expanding their product collection, including:

Fabric Designs Introducing Dachshund and Pug prints!

Luxury Velvet Range Available in soft luxurious velvet fabrics. The range includes wheat bags, PADi Pillows, Door Stops and Glasses Cases.

Door Stops Each doorstop is individually hand made from cotton fabric, weighted with cleaned English wheat grains and topped with padding to maintain their shape. Perfect for any home interior, these functional and beautiful fabric doorstops are perfect for keeping heavy doors in place.

They are available in a wide range of designs to suit all homes and tastes.

Call: 01747 840499 Email: sales@thewheatbagcompany.co.uk 38 Gifts Today

Preview

All about the bumblebee Marmalade of London DP1-A63 Bring your garden inside with the Marmalade of London Mosney Mill Botanical range. The company are giving 5% of the profits to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. They will be launching their autumn/winter range at the Harrogate show.

There are currently 24 species of bumblebee resident in Britain.

Another, the Shorthaired bumblebee, is being reintroduced after going extinct in 1988. Britain also has two extinct bumblebee species: Cullum’s bumblebee, last recorded on the Berkshire Downs in 1941, and the Apple bumblebee (a short-lived establishment on the south coast in the mid-1800s.

Bumblebees are large, furry, and charismatic four-winged insects that belong to an order called the Hymenoptera, which also includes sawflies, ants, and wasps. They are well known for their meandering, ‘bumbling’ flight, and their distinctive buzz, which is where their Latin name Bombus originates.

Unlike the Honeybee, bumblebees do not make honey, as they do not need to store food for winter. Instead, the season’s new queens hibernate and emerge to found their own nests in the spring. You can find out about this charity at: bumblebeeconservation.org.

Call: 01242 257509 Email: hello@marmaladeoflondon.com Visit: marmaladeoflondon.com

40 Gifts Today

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Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk

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Preview

A brand to watch Mad Beauty DP1-B33 2020 wasn’t quite the year that any of us were expecting but, after huge growth in the last 12 months through international expansion and new licences, Mad are still following their planned strategy of further growth through 2021 and Sheet Face Mask beyond. Bringing award-winning inspiration, Collection innovation and fun to their licensed designs and Clip & Clean Hand creating an all-year round gifting has been key to Cleansers their success.

Bath jelly Following the huge success of Mad Beauty’s range featuring Disney’s Mickey and Minnie, it Bubble Bath was time to update and bring in some new and Clay Face Mask Tubs exciting on-trend products and this has resulted Cosmetic Bags in the launch of an exciting collection featuring Head Bands Disney’s Mickey & Friends.

This new collection was created by Mad’s Hair Masks Creative Director Julia Cash, who feels that, now Individual Sheet Face more than ever, friendship and kindness play a Masks huge part in our lives. The collection featuring Lip Balm Tins Mickey & Friends echoes this perfectly as the Bath Fizzers sensational six represent one of the longeststanding friendships ever.

Nail Files The collection’s design is inspired by the original Mickey & Friends cartoons with vibrant bright colours and bold outlines. It’s all about fun and creativity, which Mad Beauty is known for. The collection consists of 35 pieces of beauty, bath and body essentials, including tubs of Clay Masks, Bath Jellies, Bubble Bath, Lip Balm Tins to Bath Fizzers, Make Up Bags and sheet masks both individually and in a four-piece booklet.

‘We are so proud and excited as a creative team to launch this beautiful Disney Mickey & Friends inspired bath and body collection,’ says Julia Cash, Creative Director/Owner. ‘We have introduced new SS21 gifts such as tubs of Clay Mask and Bath Jellies. Some might think we are brave (Mad even!) creating so many new collections in the last 12 months, but we are confident that the gift industry will flourish and, as a brand, we stay fresh and on-trend whilst maintaining the Mad Beauty, fully compliant, quality to give retailers and shoppers something different, which they expect from us and means they come back time and time again.’

Range includes:

Visit: madbeauty.com 42 Gifts Today

01933 679 777 sales@warmies.co.uk www.warmies.co.uk

Visit us at Harrogate Home & Gift.

18-21 July.

Hall B, 81 It’s no secret that Warmies® are loved around the world.

Preview

Stylish new designs Fancy Metal Goods Ltd Hall A, stand 22 Fancy metal Goods have plenty to shout about and have exciting times to come. They are itching to showcase their latest brand collections and fabulous designs at this year’s Home & Gift show.

Alice Wheeler London The company are having an amazing year with Alice Wheeler London, introducing the spring/summer 21 collection of beauty and fashion accessories, featuring brand new designs and an array of joyful colourways with co-ordinating Geo patterns.

The creative team at Alice Wheeler London has created one of the finest ranges of beauty bags currently available. A bold statement to make, however, it’s important to note, FMG has years of experience and know-how manufacturing a wide range of beauty accessories.

Harrogate provides their first opportunity to showcase Alice Wheeler’s latest designs and preview the autumn 21 collection featuring the all new show stopping range of beauty and fashion accessories, crafted using the finest faux animal print designs. A mustsee range of timeless pieces to accompany you through life.

This year has seen a huge interest in Alice Wheeler backpacks, and FMG are introducing a wonderful range of new designs and accessories to co-ordinate and complement their latest colour palettes. These include some additional gems designed to add further value and depth to this hugely successful collection.

Paul Oliver Designs Following in the footsteps of many iconic British brands, and new from the stables of FMG Ltd is Paul Oliver Designs, a luxury lifestyle brand, offering classic men’s accessories fused with contemporary accents.

FMG are proud and excited to be showcasing this fabulous new range. Crafted in the finest faux vegan leathers and canvases; with attention to detail, FMG have created a luxurious, everyday range of wash/toiletry bags. There are two categories, beauty, and fashion, incorporating two designs multi stripe and graphite band. Fashion accessories includes functional but stylish messenger bags, wrap top back packs and the category includes RFID bi-fold wallets housed in Paul Oliver branded gift boxes. In addition, they have created a selection of gift-boxed sets, featuring three and five-piece manicure sets, cardholder and keyring combination sets and organiser trays. Perfect and practical gifts for any occasion.

Paul Oliver is about exquisite designs meeting today’s demands, which include two styles of iPad cases and a generous compartment tech organiser. The ideal travel or home accessory to house all cables and chargers neatly together. Paul Oliver Designs is a quintessential British brand previewing at a quintessentially British show, and they look forward to seeing you soon and presenting these fabulous brands to you.

Call: 0121 459 49777 Email: office@fmgsales.co.uk

44 Gifts Today

It’s all about the fragrance Lovingly Handmade in the UK

Harrogate Home and Gift 18th – 21st July 2021 Stand DP1-D68

Web: www.themeltco.com | Email: info@themeltco.com | Tel: 01200 443377

British Made Gifts

Home Fragrance

Plantable Cards

Wooden Forever Cards Click the trade section of our website to become a stockist. www.lovecountryuk.co.uk or contact support@lovecountryuk.co.uk

Kitchenware

Preview

Fabulous fine home fragrance Melt

DP1-D68 Melt specialise in producing hand-made, fine fragrance candles of fabulous quality and it is their willingness to step out of the conventional fragrance arena, in order to seek out more unusual perfume combinations, for which they are now known. They have worked hard to source their raw materials locally and over 89% of their ingredients and packaging comes from Lancashire companies, with the balance being from the UK. In keeping with how entirely handmade their products are, and their location in the beautiful Ribble Valley, they operate a ‘zero waste’ policy and their packaging is recyclable.

Their products are vegan and they will not use beeswax or palm wax.

Melt are known for their pillar candles. Their very distinct almost ‘bark like’ look sets them apart, coupled with the beautiful colours and of course the fragrances. Their entire range sells very well with retail price points ranging from below £10 to £40.

By choice, they supply smaller, niche, independents that care about the brands they stock and their provenance.

Call: 01200 443377 | Email: info@themeltco.com Visit: themeltco.com

Festive flowers Alexander Thurlow DP1-A49 Whether you’ll be decorating with it, or kissing underneath it, Alexander Thurlow will help you carry the magic of Christmas wherever you go. To honour this, their seasonal pieces make for desirable presents.

Be it given as a gift or worn in festive spirit, the wonderful holly, mistletoe and poinsettia lines make for a focal point of festivity that can’t go amiss on a Christmas outfit. If these items weren’t enough, delve deeper into the gift range that has captured hearts throughout an unpredictable year.

With flowers that each hold a unique meaning and significance, the thoughtfulness of an accessory has never been greater. Alexander Thurlow have proven the popularity of their ‘Love Nature, Love Flowers’ range, even expanding their collection into a flourishing garden of bouquets and colour. With each one hand designed with nature in mind, these truly are gifts that need to be appreciated.

Call: 020 8766 6466 Visit: alexanderthurlow.com

46 Gifts Today

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HOME & GIFT ‘2 1 STAND DP3-8 BUY ONLINE ONLINE BUY www.missmilly.co.uk www.missmilly.co.uk or tel: tel: 01905 01905 622 622 509 509 or

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Playtime University Games & The Lagoon Group DP1-B72 and DP1-B26

University Games and The Lagoon Group will have two packed stands at Harrogate, with over 750 lines now in their combined games, puzzles and gifts portfolio The Lagoon Group will have their best-selling licences such as The World of David Walliams, Einstein, Professor Rubik and Plasticine on display as well as number one selling Table Top favourites. New for 2021, there are some brilliant Toolbox Games and Guinness pub-style games that make the perfect gift.

University Games also have some great new additions joining their Children’s and Family ranges this autumn including the new Quicksand and Eye Opener games as well as Anti-Monopoly, Auto-correct and 5 Star Review, perfect for many competitive and hilarious family games nights.

The ever-popular Murder Mystery series has a new contemporary look and two new Murder Mystery Case Files and two Case Files-style Murder Mystery Jigsaws have been added to the portfolio.

Call: 020 7254 0100 Visit: university-games.co.uk

Gifts Today 47

Preview

#justbecause Life Charms DP3-40 If you are looking to stock something fresh, modern and fast selling to your 2021 offer, then check out Life Charms.

The company’s new #justbecause range continues to sell extremely well. What’s more, they are introducing new gift sets, gift boxes and a Christmas Collection, meaning there are lots of new lines for their customers to see at the show.

Email: info@lifecharms.co.uk Visit: lifecharms-trade.co.uk

5 minutes with…

Willsow DP4-81

We caught up with founder Tom Willday, fresh from his appearance on Dragon’s Den Why are you exhibiting at Home & Gift this year?

To get our books in the hands of as many people as possible, we feel that we’ve got one of the most exciting products out there at the moment and we want to show buyers just exactly how much Willsow has to offer. It’s about time we get back out there, in person, rather than behind a computer screen on Zoom calls – which is what our brand is all about, getting children back outside into nature.

Have you exhibited before?

No, this is our first ever show and we’re really looking forward to it.

What are the key ranges you’ll be showcasing at Home & Gift?

Our full range of the world’s first plantable children’s book!

Who do you want to attract to your stand?

We want absolutely everyone to see and feel our books, a first of their kind.

They’re truly unique and fit into many different product categories whether it be gardening, education, birthday or Christmas gifts.

48 Gifts Today

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Keep up with what's happening in your industry Subscribe to the daily news service www.giftstoday.media

Harrogate Stand DP3-16

Preview

5 minutes with…

My Doris DP1-A100

We caught up with owner and director, Katie Williamson Why are you exhibiting at Home & Gift this year?

After being unable to exhibit for 18 months we can’t wait to showcase our fantastic, expanded range of jewellery, accessories & homeware. Home and Gift is the perfect place to do so.

Have you exhibited before?

British style Love Country DP4-66 British-made brand Love Country will be showing their bestselling plantable seed card range that includes a free beautiful counter display unit, lovingly illustrated by the artist to give you an eye-catching display for your store. These cards have proven to be the hot selling product for their stockists despite only being launched on 1 May this year. With more designs on the way, these are not to be missed.

The brand will also be launching stunning new editions to their popular Home Fragrance Collection. These exciting new scents will be available in Diffusers, Room Sprays and Wax Melts in their unique colourful packaging. Each bespoke scent is vegan friendly and made in England’s finest perfumeries.

Don’t miss the launch of their new design, Pollyanna, an adorable guinea pig who likes to wear flowers in her hair, along with the new hot selling designs Rosie Robin and Pip & Poppy, the loveable donkeys.

The Fine China also features Story Mugs, where each mug comes with a copy of the accompanying story written by the artist. If you haven’t seen Love Country before, now is the perfect time to visit and see the wide range of stationery and gift items including Wooden Cards, Tableware, Fine China, Kitchenware, Wall Art, Textiles, Home Fragrance and various small gift items all beautifully illustrated by Sarah Reilly.

Quality British-made products, supplied to only one store per town. Secure your location and become a stockist by visiting them at the show.

Call: 01502 507352 | Email: support@lovecountryuk.co.uk Visit: lovecountryuk.co.uk 50 Gifts Today

We exhibited two years ago in 2019 and had a great show. We’re really looking forward to seeing our customers again at our even bigger stand in DP1.

What are the key ranges you’ll be showcasing at Home & Gift?

We know people want fun and colour this year, so we will be showcasing our high summer hand beaded jewellery collection along with some brand new contrast coloured silk and velvet cushions. There will also be previews of some autumn/winter key pieces.

Who are you hoping to attract to your stand?

We are really passionate about working with small independent shops and are also looking to expand our high-end garden centre stockists.

Any special show offers?

We are offering free carriage for all order over £250.

Where will you be eating and drinking?

In 2019 we loved the bars and restaurants on sight.

We are also looking forward to visiting any local independents that might have opened up since out last visit.

Preview

Spotted!

Nuzzles

There are brand new designs of Nuzzles slipper socks for this year including cats, dogs, owls, diamonds, spots, and colourful chevrons in long and short styles. Nuzzles have soft Sherpa lining, non-slip soles and are machine washable. They are available in ladies, men’s, kids, and toddler sizes.

Joe Davies, Hall B, stand 66

In heaven Heaven Scent Hall A, stand 30 Heaven Scent will be presenting their new amber glass candle range, which comes in a 9cl, 20cl and 30cl candle size and sits comfortably alongside their popular pharmacy pot range.

Customers will get the chance to smell the new fragrances in the Rose Gold Tin candle range that elegantly complements the amber and pharmacy pot.

They will be showcasing new additions to their Essential Candles with the Well-being Range’s six new fragrances promoting self-care.

They will also be introducing their new Wellness boxes and Gift boxes, where people can choose any Heaven Scent component to go in the box.

Own Label is going from strength to strength and is often a customer’s first choice when deciding on a label for their product. More so than ever, retailers are embracing localism, and making Heaven Scent products their own.

Heaven Scent look forward to meeting customers again face to face at Home & Gift Harrogate.

Call: 01225 868788 Email: contact@heavenscent.co.uk Visit: heavenscent.co.uk

52 Gifts Today

‘I believe Home and Gift is the best show to meet buyers. I am really hoping the show will ignite the industry that has been really flat over the last 18 months for obvious reasons. We will have the complete range of our Gin Maker kits available at the show. These were meant to have been launched at the show in 2020 so, even though we’ve been selling the new range for the last year, this will be the first time new buyers will be able to see them in the flesh’ Nigel Ferrier, Gin Etc, Hall A, stand T5

GT Profile: DesignWorks Collective ‘There are not many companies in our sector that are able to invest in new projects this way, so we’re really excited about partnering with retailers in the UK and Ireland now, to grow again, with real confidence in us as a long-term supplier because of our history in the US’

James Mountfield

DesignWorks Collective Q&A

We catch up with James Mountfield, Sales Director of DesignWorks Collective, to talk about how this trusted American company has now established a direct presence in the UK, offering brilliant brands including Paddywax, DesignWorks Ink and, now, Gentlemen’s Hardware bought in 2020 from Wild & Wolf James, for those who don’t know the company, what is DesignWorks Collective known for?

It is recognised as a world-class manufacturer of premium goods in the specialty gifts, home and stationery industries. Headquartered in the design district of Nashville, Tennessee, and privately owned by CEO Joe Moore, we are committed to producing superior quality products and developing new technologies that meet the needs of our customers.

We supply to around 7500 independent stores in the US as well as all major national accounts, from Anthropologie, Paper Source, Barnes & Noble, Wholefoods and Nordstrom; but I would say that independents are really at the core of the business and our lifeblood – our core brands live and breathe for this sector.

What brands is DesignWorks best known for in the UK? DWC is perhaps best known for its Paddywax and DesignWorks Ink brands that have been sold internationally via distributors for many years. In 2020 CEO Joe Moore seized on an opportunity to acquire Wild & Wolf’s most prized asset, Gentlemen’s Hardware, as a strategic driver to change business model, internationalise the business and establish a direct presence and infrastructure in the UK, Europe and Australia bringing with it several key senior managers and directors from Wild & Wolf.

How did you make the decision to do this during a pandemic?

Do you plan on setting up a physical HQ?

There’s no better time! As senior management, we share the same view that the outlook for 2021 is very positive, particularly in the UK and for us it’s our time to deliver innovation, bring new brands and product to the markets and invest for the future. There are not many companies in our sector that are able to invest in new projects this way, so we’re really excited about partnering with retailers in the UK and Ireland now, to grow again, with real confidence in us as a long-term supplier because of our history in the US.

Yes. At an operational level, we’re actively looking for premises now in Bath for office space, showroom space and retail. I’m really excited to be launching an incredible new retail concept for candles and home fragrance in the UK & Ireland, and we are starting to explore wholesale partnerships for shop-in-shops and pop-up events in 2022.

What’s your set-up over here?

Immediate plans for the future?

At brand level, we have a portfolio of 10 consumer brands and three are our active focus at the moment in the UK & Ireland: Gentlemen’s Hardware, Paddywax and DesignWorks Ink. Today we are really lucky to have a strong nucleus of retail partners in every channel that we are building upon day-by-day through our sales team which I would have to say is the best in the business!

We have a team of 17 people that cover Ireland, Scotland, Wales, North West England, North East England, the Midlands, the South West, East Anglia and the Home Counties and South East England.

Over the last six months we have set up a ‘virtual office’ in the UK/Europe with six Commercial & Finance personnel, and five Creative & Product. We retained the services of Wild & Wolf ’s third party logistics for warehousing and distribution of product from the UK, worldwide to every region except North America and Australia/New Zealand.

One of our team is based in the Netherlands. He’s had the biggest challenge so far getting orders delivered to Europe, but we have traded pretty well throughout Call: 01225 931322 and now established a company in the Netherlands that will fulfil orders from Email: sales.uk@dw-collective.com a new warehouse in Q3 and Q4.

Visit: designworkscollective.co.uk

Gifts Today 53

RETAIL INTERVIEW:

Strawberry Blue

‘Trade shows are great for predicting trends and colours’ The beautiful Strawberry Blue gift shop in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, has been a finalist in retail awards and received many online plaudits from customers. We caught up with owner Claire Hembrough to discover how she’s coped with lockdown, and why she’s looking forward to hitting the trade shows again this summer and autumn Strawberry Blue is a beautiful home and gift shop located in the historic Shambles in Bradford-on-Avon, a pedestrian shopping street situated on the site of the original medieval market stalls. It offers unique homewares, furniture and gifts for all occasions.

Launched in 2016, and popular with customers who enjoy browsing for that ‘something different’, it’s been described as a ‘little gem’ and ‘definitely worth a mooch – though the temptation to buy absolutely everything is likely!’

Here, owner and buyer Claire Hembrough, explains the history of her shop, and her plans for the immediate future.

54 Gifts Today

Claire, Strawberry Blue was launched in 2016. How did this come about?

I spent two years looking for the right location for the shop. I loved it so much, I moved here to launch the business. I named it after my favourite fruit and my favourite colour!

What sort of reception did you get when you first opened the gift shop for business?

The shop had previously been a china and cook shop so had a good customer base to start with. It’s such a friendly town; some regular customers just pop in for a chat.

Have you got previous experience in gift retail?

I was a store manager for a gift retailer in Bath for 10 years. I’ve been in retail since the age of 21, and was store manager for Next for many years in Bristol.

How did you cope during the three lockdowns?

It was a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, and I kept myself busy launching my mail order boxes and doing some well overdue decorating. I also did lots of dog walks!

How have you found government support?

The shop grants were crucial as I was still paying rent; personally it was more challenging to get any kind of support financially.

How was reopening?

It was great, and there was a real buzz in the town, Now the tourists are back it almost feels back to normal.

What’s the mix of merchandise in store?

We sell furniture to cards, and my favourite suppliers are local. These include Katie from Lines & Designs with her lovely framed prints, Simone from Wyld Rose Holistics for essential oil soap, and Ellie from Flora & Wick candles in Corsham. Cards, candles, mugs, fashion accessories and jewellery all sell well. Chairs are a surprise hit!

Have you visited gift trade shows in the past?

Yes, trade shows are great for predicting trends, colours and to inspire you in terms of displays. I always attend Spring/ Autumn Fair at the NEC, Birmingham, as well as Top Drawer at Olympia, London.

I’m hoping to go to Harrogate in July for Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival to finalise my Christmas product package and to get inspired.

Do you have a typical customer?

We seem to appeal to all ages from 8 to 80, because we have so much to look at.

How did you source products during first lockdown in readiness for opening?

I have about 50 different suppliers so I did a lot of looking online at catalogue/websites, although I did also find a few new ones via Instagram.

‘Reopen was gre ing there w at, and as a rea buzz in l town. N ow tourists are bac the k almost feels ba it ck to norm al’

Do you have an online offering as well as selling in-store?

We do mail order boxes only online as the stock changes so often, and these did well during the second lockdown in November.

How important is social media to your business?

Very! I keep up with both Facebook and Instagram as they are so visual.

How are you sourcing new products/ ranges at the moment?

I’m in contact with company agents and referencing suppliers’ websites to keep on top of what’s new.

Plans for rest of 2021 and beyond?

I’m currently making plans to launch a new shop in the basement, in a completely different style from the upstairs and with its own identity.

Gifts Today 55

Product Focus At Home

Home is where

the heart is As sales grow for home interiors and accessories, we have some wonderful ways to help your customers boost their living spaces and make them more comfortable than ever

Celebrating 25 years Paddywax This popular brand has been ‘burning wicks since ‘96’.

DesignWorks Collective report the introduction of this brand to independents and key accounts is going really well. They have inherited some amazing Indies like Utility, Liverpool, Inspitalfields and Lark London and have added the likes of John Lewis and Anthropologie to the distribution for their launch this autumn.

Buyers love how Paddywax do things differently, offering innovation in candles and home fragrance.

For Paddywax, everything starts with the vessel. The designers take inspiration from trends and themes then design the vessel with the sole intention that it can be repurposed at the end of its life.

Check out the Kin collections, inspired by Japanese tea and sake cups – and this is how you can use them after the last flame has gone out! Their Wabi Sabi vessels are dishwasher safe and can be used as rice bowls or dipping bowls after they have filled your home with beautiful scent.

■ P addywax are… Design-led Every candle starts with a story. A theme, a place, an idea. Then that story is translated into a vessel.

They design every aspect of their candles–from materials, to shapes, to graphics – in Nashville, Tennessee.

■ P addywax are… Curators Paddywax work with perfumers who source from nature’s finest ingredients all over the world to carefully create a fragrance story that complements the colour and style of each vessel design.

■ P addywax are… Artisan After the vessel and fragrances are finalised, it’s time to pour the candle! Every candle is handpoured in the same way at their Nashville and Vietnam factories, where the soy wax blend is combined with the fragrance and cotton wicks.

■ P addywax are… Sustainable This starts with purposeful design of their vessels and finishes with repurposing the candle container in your home for use long after the flame has gone out. In the middle, clean-burning soy wax and their alluring fragrance oil free of palm oil, vegan friendly and cruelty free.

■ P addywax is… Premium Accessible price points, premium product. Paddywax is not a mass market brand, value or price-driven.

There are 124 SKU collections launching in AW21 and around 100 SKUs launching in SS22. Prices start at £4.17 wholesale up to £15.83.

Paddywax have a beautiful Christmas collection called Cypress & Fir that includes stacking ceramic trees filled with a fine fragrance that has notes of frosted fir needle, white eucalyptus and crushed pine cone, inspired by native cypress trees, cosy fireplaces and the feeling of togetherness.

A firm favourite with Home, Lifestyle and Fashion press is their Impressions collection; a range of 5.75 oz/163g coloured matte ceramic candles that features a hand gesture silhouette to share fun, positive sentiment with the people you love. Recently featured in Grazia and Hello! magazines, there are eight fragrances and gestures in total.

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Call: 01225 931322 Email: sales.uk@dw-collective.com Visit: designworkscollective.co.uk

Nick Munroon

cti Heritage Colle Coming Soon

Product Focus At Home

Delivered duty paid for Bloomingville and Lene Bjerre After a challenging five months post-Brexit, both home interior companies have changed their delivery terms to DDP, essentially meaning they will take over all charges and administration connected to customs clearance for their customers, to simplify the process and speed up deliveries. We caught up with Simon Pykett, Country Manager of both brands, to discover why he made the decision to do this for existing and new customers Simon, what’s your role with the Bloomingville and Lene Bjerre?

I’m the Country Manager for both companies, employing a full sales team covering all areas. The Bloomingville Group is an international multibrand house founded in 2000. Deeply rooted in Nordic aesthetics and the Danish design tradition, the company presents four exclusive brands: Bloomingville, Bloomingville MINI, Creative Collection, and ILLUME x Bloomingville; all offering personal home interior at accessible price points with gratitude for nature and a story to tell. Lene Bjerre A/S is a Scandinavian company designing Home & Lifestyle products for every room in the home. Combining the love for handicrafts with contemporary designs, the company offers affordable products with a feminine touch in exiting and preferably sustainable materials. Lene Bjerre is represented in most European countries as well as selected overseas markets. With a very different look, both brands complement each other well.

How are stock levels for both brands?

We have a healthy stock position for both brands and the new autumn/winter collections are ready to view..

How has Brexit been for these companies, supplying to the UK? The last five months post Brexit have been challenging for all EU suppliers to the UK. We have worked closely with our customers during this period, doing all we can to support them as we all navigate these new rules. It hasn’t been easy but now the decision has been made to change our delivery terms to Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), to simplify the process and speed up deliveries. This came into action on 15 June 2021, and applies to existing and new customers and is already making a huge difference.

Why did you make this decision?

We wanted to make things as easy as possible for our customers. As one retailer told us: ‘I know about my local market, I know about trends, but I don’t know anything about international shipping!’ We made the decision to take over all charges and administration connected to customs clearance for coming shipments, to save our customers sorting out paperwork and tariffs.

The customs clearance fee, which previously you had to pay to release the goods, will now appear on invoices, as we will have prepaid this on customers’ behalf. The removal of Bloomingville tariffs and the customs clearance fee from the administration process, will significantly Simon Pykett speed up deliveries to our customers and will be Country Manager welcome news.

How can customers get in touch with you?

How will this change your delivery terms?

Very simply, ■ W e pay the customs clearance fee and add to customers invoices.

■ We pay the tariffs removing this cost from the customer.

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Call: Mobile: 0044 (0) 7967 209156 Email: spy@bloomingville.com Visit: bloomingville.com Lene Bjerre Simon Pykett Country Manager Call: 0044(0) 7967 209156 Email: spp@lenebjerre.com Visit: retail.lenebjerre.com

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This year, we celebrate 25 years of Paddywax.

We have always designed our candles and diffusers with repurposing in mind and our aim is to fill the home with beautiful scent first and as home decor second so that the vessel lives on in the home.

Discover our Wabi Sabi candle collection where colourful, food-safe matte ceramic bowls are hand poured with soy wax and alluring fragrance oils with the intention that they can be repurposed after as rice or dipping bowls!

Paddywax is part of the Designworks Collective brand portfolio and is now available in the UK & Ireland direct from Nashville, Tennessee, USA! Download our AW21 catalogue via the QR code or contact our UK Sales Office for more information. +44 (0)1225 9312322 | SALES.UK@DW-COLLECTIVE.COM | WWW.DESIGNWORKSCOLLECTIVE.CO.UK

Gifts Today July 2021_Paddywax.indd 1

30/06/2021 17:30:27

Product Focus At Home

Perfect pewter Nick Munro The Nick Munro brand developed their first products in the pewter factories of Sheffield in 1987 and, after many years and many more products, they’re returning to where it all began.

The Heritage Collection by Nick Munro is made at AR Wentworth, one of the last remaining pewter manufacturers left in the UK and home to some of the finest craftsmen in the world.

Each item is carefully hand crafted by experts with more than 50 years of experience in working with pewter. Their care and skill is showcased today by Nick Munro products that are still in use 30 years after their creation and the unique nature of pewter means that, with their aftercare service, their products can truly be used for a lifetime.

Customers can now own a unique piece of British manufacturing history, designed to last and perform for many years to come, designed by renowned British designer Nick Munro and developed and produced in the home of the British metalworking industry.

Starting with the original Domus Cafetiere collection, over the next year Nick Munro will recreate some of their most timeless and iconic designs as well as produce a whole host of new ranges all manufactured in the UK and in pewter.

Pewter possesses a unique combination of qualities. It retains its sheen, is hardwearing and is incredibly flexible to work with, making it the ideal material for repolishing and refurbishing. Each piece is stamped with a touchmark identifying it as an ‘Original Nick Munro Heritage’ piece and guaranteeing authenticity, quality, and craftsmanship as well as a commitment from Nick Munro to help maintain the item at its absolute best for years to come – an homage to the pewter manufacturing and its roots.

The new Nick Munro Heritage collection is available to pre order today by telephone or email enquiry.

Call: 01244 515514 Email: trade@nickmunro.com

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Product Focus At Home

Autumn & beyond PTMD

PTMD are launching their new season, and offering a pre-order spring collection.

Introducing PTMD’s AW21 season with over 5000 designs in stock with healthy stock levels in their warehouse that can be delivered in 10-14 working days. PTMD collaborates with exceptional designers all around the world to create their signature rough and daring aesthetic and are excited to introduce new releases across their style, furniture and faux catalogues as well as an exciting preorder early Spring collection with thousands of new designs!

True to their signature eclectic luxury aesthetic their new season embraces the freethinking energy of amorphous design. Amorphous design is a modern tribute to organic design, standing against structure and prohibitions. This aesthetic is characterised by free form, contrast and energetic colour palettes with a future oriented energy. PTMD apply this philosophy across their collection, with new releases across all categories, featuring organic textured pots, free structured lighting and wild dried and faux botanical pieces.

Amorphous design is an expression of liberty. This aesthetic is created by uniting two opposing principles, whilst binary by nature, together they enhance one another. This collection plays with colour, texture and form to unify the principles of artificial and organic, structured and chaotic, and balanced and eccentric to create distinctively characterful designs.

PTMD have been proudly presenting uniquely wonderful interior plant pots since 1992. Their ever evolving, limited edition collection is a celebration of texture. They embrace arbitrary beauty of polished reactive glaze surfaces, textured bubble underglazes and distressed englobe finishes. The nature of their pots production allows each design to organically develop its own unique identity. This season, PTMD are proud to introduce their ‘Soap’ collection, whose

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tactile surface is inspired by the inherent cohesion of geological structures.

Their dried and faux botanical collection has metamorphosed for their new season. In their collection of over 500 dried and faux pieces, this season, they embrace the effortlessly boho energy of dried grasses. Their warm and feathery texture is perfectly balanced to their inherent loudness. Whilst stunning in its natural tone, this collection displays dyed dried pieces in a vast colour spectrum to enhance or make a statement within a rooms colour palette.

This season, PTMD are pleased to announce their limited-edition early Spring 2022 pre-order collection that has a pre-applied 15% price incentive.

Featuring thousands of new interior creations, this edit embraces a fresh spring colour palette and natural materials. Their spring collection introduces the playful energy of quirky houseplant pots with personality, effortlessly boho rattan lighting and mirrors and curvaceous pastel glass vases. This edit will be available for delivery from early 2022.

PTMD’s Christmas collection, including autumnal interior pieces and plant pots has a price incentive pre-applied to the price until the end of July. If you’re interested in PTMD’s Christmas collection, please contact The Orangery Collection who will be more than happy to run through the PTMD Christmas catalogue with you.

Please contact The Orangery Collection to enquire or register at/visit PTMD’s B2B to view the complete collection and prices.

Call: 07872606299 Email: sales@theorangery.org Visit: b2b.ptmd.nl

Visit our website or contact our country manager.

Simon Pykett Country Manager UK & Ireland spp@lenebjerre.com | www. lenebjerre.com Mobile: 0044 (0) 7967 209156

A moment of mindfulness Set your intentions and find inner peace with three evocative scents from our new Retreat Collection: sage, copal and tangerine.

PU R IF Y | M E D ITATE | RENE W Retreat with us @stevalcandles #stevalwellbeing Each candle is hand poured with our unique blends for a premium quality. Made using sustainable production on our farm in Cornwall.

The art of beautiful candles 01841 540 850 | info@st-eval.com www.st-eval.com

Product Focus At Home

Home style Lesser & Pavey In what has been a difficult year for everyone, Lesser & Pavey have traded well throughout the Covid pandemic period facing the UK and indeed the rest of the world. They have remained open and in contact with customers during this whole time and believe their success since March last year is largely due to this. They had a strong range of products to offer and have been adding new designs all the time and still are.

Over the past 15 months people have been spending far more time at home and as a result have undertaken more home improvements which has helped sales of home décor, home fragrance, tableware, kitchenware and associated products as well as statement pieces.

In tableware, their new launches include a William Morris Golden Lily range and the new Poppyfield range. Lynsey Johnstone handpainted glassware has sold really well, so Lesser & Pavey have added new designs and Stemless Glasses to the range - they still have plenty more in the pipeline. Statement pieces include Grey Velveteen Animal Figures as well as Body Vases – both of which are very much on trend in home styling today.

Pretty Glassware Hand painted range of glassware designed by Lynsey Johnstone. Looking for a perfect gift for you or a friend, shoppers will not be able to resist the new range from Lesser & Pavey formed of glassware that hold a high-quality wax melt or forms an oil warmer both providing the ultimate scented experience. Each item comes in a nice, decorative window gift box. Other new designs are to be added shortly with drinking glasses with the same decorative detail.

Call: 01322 279225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk Visit: leonardo.co.uk

Home hub Widdop & Co The 2021 wedding season may well be a little later than expected but it is coming in a bigger and better way than ever before! The backlog of weddings postponed from last year are set to happen in the latter end of 2021 and people are going to be attending weddings more frequently than ever before. Amore

By Juliana remains one of their most popular brands due to its quality, elegance and value for money. This globally recognised wedding and anniversary brand will be expanding this season, offering a timeless selection of practical items and gifts of gratitude.

Mad Man is their newest addition to Widdop’s Harvey Makin men’s gifting brand. Offering a selection of handy gadgets and accessories, this new range of men’s gifts is expected to be a popular choice this autumn. Practical and quirky accessories for even the hardest to buy for.

Their newest addition to ladies’ gifts, Frida by Sophia, brings new floral and animal print designs with gold shimmering features to a range of beautiful gifts – from elegant glassware to delicious home fragrances.

With shabby chic trends as popular as ever, this season there’ll be additions to their rustic brands: Petit Cheri, Love Story and Love Life.

Covering baby, love and family and friends, these ranges offer sweet gifts, perfect for employing the theme throughout the home.

Hestia is the largest and fastest-growing homeware brand in Widdop’s portfolio. Branching out into eight on-trend ranges - covering home furnishings, accessories and fragrances - this collection has something for every space. Taking inspiration from interior trends, their in-house designers continue to design fresh, trend-led designs while maintaining affordability, elegance and a unique Hestia twist.

Working with the talented Meg Hawkins, Widdop also introducing some unique home accessories to Naturecraft. This range will bring original wildlife-inspired watercolour illustrations to wall art, home fragrances, porcelain dinnerware and much more – perfect for nature-loving homes.

These collections sit in Widdop’s home showroom alongside a broad range of home-centred brands and ranges: Country Living, The Juliana Collection, Hometime, Rhythm and William Widdop.

Call: 0161 682 6808 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk Visit: widdop.co.uk 36 Gifts Today

Heritage style Ceramic Design Heritage Heritage is an everlasting influence on style in the home, and many new designs are based on historic artwork through the ages. Trends come and go with many designs from the likes of William Morris, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Walter Crane becoming fashionable once again.

William Morris said: ‘Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.’ How true this is even in the 21st century.

Ceramic Design Heritage acquired Museum Collection in 2020 and is now developing a UK range of fine bone china giftware featuring collections from William Morris and Walter Crane amongst many other artists.

Email: sales@cdheritage.com | Visit: museumscollection.co.uk

Wildlife in Spring Victoria Eggs The delicately illustrated Wildlife in Spring collection invites a country garden into your home. The collection currently includes a bag, apron, oven glove, tea towel, biscuits and breakfast tea, mugs and coasters and each product is proudly made in the UK and illustrated by Victoria Eggs.

The design features bees, butterflies as well as blackbirds, sparrows and wrens, some of Britain’s most well known birds, surrounded by budding blossom, beautiful roses and elegant magnolia. The collection was born from Victoria’s desire to create a timeless floral design inspired by childhood memories of exploring hedgerows around the UK on family holidays and being taught by her young daughter to stop and smell the roses.

The collection will be expanding to include a cushion, oven mitt, pot grab, wash bags and stationery in September.

Call: 020 8013 3284 Email: info@victoriaeggs.com Visit: trade.victoriaeggs.com

Marvellous Mosney Mosney Mill Mosney Mill introduces new Pheasant range for autumn. Golden Pheasants fly regally across a luxurious blue background on the new range of kitchen textiles produced by Mosney Mill, to be launched this July.

The high-quality British manufactured range includes tea towel, apron, double oven glove, hob cover, table runner and napkin which are equally at home in a contemporary or country kitchen setting. A Staffordshire bone china mug complements the collection with the repeated pattern of flying pheasants echoing the textile range.

New Home fragrance range Mosney Mill’s collaboration with Marmalade of London continues to go from strength to strength with the addition of four new fragrances available in luxury reed diffusers, large candles and medium tin candles.

Midnight Woods, features Mosney Mill’s golden flying pheasants. The fragrance is an intoxicating blend of black lilies, violets and vanilla with base notes of vetiver and sandalwood.

Great British products to add to your range.

Call: 01772 822525 Visit: mosneymilltrade.com

Product Focus

Award-winning

At Home

Wax Lyrical ‘Shocked, humbled and honoured’ is how Jacqui Gale, Chief Executive at Cumbriabased Wax Lyrical, reacted to her Award of an MBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2021. The MBE was awarded for services to the NHS during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Jacqui added: ‘In this very challenging time the whole team at Wax Lyrical came together to manufacture sanitiser for the NHS, and turned the factory around in just 10 days. I am incredibly proud of the Wax Lyrical family and who I know will also be honoured to be recognised in this way.

‘I am equally proud and excited by our new range of hand care products which have just started rolling off the production line in our new factory. Hydrating hand wash, moisturising lotion and no-rinse hand cleanser in our Colony and Made In England collections are now available, celebrating 20 exquisite, much loved fragrances. Our new factory is on the same beautiful site in Cumbria, and our hand care products are made with the same science, fragrance, care and quality, our candles and diffusers are known for.’

With 41 years’ experience, from the experts in home fragrance, Wax Lyrical brings you hand care to wax lyrical about.

Call: 01229 461100 | Visit: waxlyricaltrade.com

Stylish pets at home Vital Pet Group Spark memories and bring joy with the Cath Kidston pet range. The quintessential British lifestyle brand, Cath Kidston, resonates with pet owners across the UK. Its nostalgic prints reflect the warmth, fun and playful side of pet ownership.

They spark memories and bring joy to the shopping experience, with products that are made for everyday life while ensuring a pet’s life is a stylish extension of their owner’s.

Capture hearts with style Both the iconic London People and Provence Rose prints have always been fantastic performers and provide statement pieces, not only in your store but also in pet owners’ homes. Cath Kidston’s new spring/summer range is only going to extend the success of the brand’s pet range.

The new bee and floral hand-drawn prints reflect the British charm and wit that Cath Kidston is known for while perfectly complementing spring/summer style trends throughout the fashion industry. The range consists of dog coats and jumpers, harnesses, ceramic treat jars and fleece trim bedding that can be effectively merchandised to create theatre and experience within your store, capturing the heart and imagination of pet owners.

Not only has the pet population boomed in the past year but the humanisation of our furry friends is a trend that is only increasing and not likely to disappear soon, so the desire for luxury for our pets is a trend that is on the rise. The emotional bond between pet and owner is strong and owners are willing to spend more if it means enriching their pet’s life. Pet belongings have now become a reflection of their owners’ personal flair and owning a Cath Kidston pet accessory is a must for brand aficionados.

The perfect gift for the perfect pooch The mental and physical benefits our pets have on us are extensive and pet owners are likely to spend the same amount of time looking for the perfect gift for their pet as they would their significant other. A huge majority - 88% - of pet owners admit to spending in excess of £50 on gifts for their pet and 25% of pet owners buy their pets birthday presents. Want to encourage footfall from the growing number of pet owners into your store? Start the conversation, by getting in touch.

Call: National Sales Manager, Bridgette Sturgeon on 07980 717128

Visit: vitalpets.co.uk

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GIFTS

LIMITED EDITIONS

BEAUTIFUL HOMES

creative solutions for tabletop, gifts and accessories.

Exclusive ranges from Goebel, Fitz and Floyd, Herend, and De Rosa.

All brands that have a proven track record with unique yet commercial products, excellent service and delivery. Contact us for further details on these and our other prestige brands.

Email: info@glb.uk.com Telephone: 01538 807 780 www.globalluxurybrands.co.uk

Product Focus At Home

Touch of class Global Luxury Brands GLB have some exciting new launches from their key partners. De Rosa have added Roaring Tiger, a prestige limited edition of just 500 at £1100. Dr Rosa produce timeless, handmade ceramic figurines using platinum, gold and vibrant enamel glazes. The special carving process makes each piece unique.

The company have great response to Goebel’s Britto range, and the Cheek to Cheek looks set to be a hit with its vibrant, bold and colourful patterns. The company’s Fitz & Floyd range represents the American dream of Christmas. Shown here is one of their prestige Santa figures and looks set to be well received for festive shopping.

Call: 01538 80 77 80 Email: srw@glb.uk.com Visit: globalluxurybrands.co.uk

Great new look!

Manor House Manor House are in the midst of launching a newly re-branded Manor House, with smart and very stylish packaging. There is an exclusive launch with a major retailer, which will then roll out to all their clients over the next month or two before being widely re-launched. Stockist response has been very positive, with many advising that, despite the shortened time scale that they were allowed to open, sales have been very strong.

Manor House launched their extended offering of 28 home fragrance collections last year and this will continue into 2021 with some new additions throughout the year.

This will be their widest collection ever, and all fragrance collections include their signature Pot Pourri, Scented Botanical Candles, Gift Boxed Candles, Diffusers and Room Sprays along with Drawer Sachets, Liners and more.

Weekly they are gaining new stockists, many of whom they met at last year’s Spring Fair or through their strategic advertising. After perusing the new catalogue, they have now come through to ordering - both at home and overseas - which has been great to see.

Manor House are currently in the midst of busy production which is much more positive than expected with orders beyond all expectations - with many clients stocking up after reopening and some already confirming Christmas orders.

The company pride themselves on producing all their products by hand in Suffolk which comprise: Pot Pourri and Scented Pine Cones, Scented Botanical Candles, Room Diffusers and Sprays, Drawer Liners and Sachets along with Advent Candles, Scented fabric Bags and Cushions. They will shortly be relaunching a complete new collection of Luxury Hand Wash and Moisturising Lotions to complement each of their 28 fragrance collections.

All products use mainly British packaging and fragrances, the finest botanicals from around the world, recyclable packaging, fabrics, hand woven silks from Suffolk silk mills and ribbons mainly from British companies thus creating a true Handmade in Great Britain Home Fragrance Collection.

Call: 01359 250720 Visit: manorhousehomefragrance.co.uk 68 Gifts Today

Simon Pykett Country Manager spy@bloomingville.com Mobile: 0044 (0) 7967 209156 www.bloomingville.com

Introducing a brand new update to the Cath Kidston Pet Collection. With two new hand-drawn prints, designed with love to evoke the lighter days of Spring.

To discuss the range and place an order contact Fran La Rosa, Product Marketing Manager 07713 309801

www.vitalpets.co.uk

Product Focus At Home

Fragrance on the move Mr&Mrs Fragrance Within the range of products developed by Italian Brand Mr&Mrs Fragrance is their popular and giftable car fragrance range called Niki. Niki is available in three finishes – pattern, velvet and fashion glitter.

These unique products have a refillable element so the consumer can keep their favourite design and change the fragrance. The refill has a unique design that maximises the surface area and so creates a greater fragrance throw. The refill simply clips to the back of the chosen design and the range allows for over 300 different fragrance and design combinations.

Niki is designed by Luca Trazzi, the much-famed creator of household products from Illy, Swatch and WMF. The playful character of Niki allows the consumer to add their personality to their car journey. Whether they are matching the paint colour of their car or contrasting with their mood or style.

The range is supplied with a free-standing display unit that is easily manoeuvrable or with a complimentary shelf display that allows the retailer to place this giftable product in multiple locations.

Retail prices start at £5 for the replacement refill to £15 for the Car Fragrance and each item has a fragrance button to enable the fragrance selection to be easily made at point of purchase.

For more information on Niki and the rest of the luxurious car fragrance collection from Mr&Mrs Fragrance contact Broughton & Beech Ltd the exclusive UK & Ireland distributor for further details.

Call: 01270 335034 Email: sales@broughtonandbeech.co.uk Visit: mrandmrsfragrance.co.uk

Made in Cornwall St. Eval Nestled on a farm in North Cornwall, St. Eval are proud to use traditional methods and sustainable production to craft high quality candles by hand; perfecting the art and science of candle making for over 28 years. Being surrounded by the beauty of nature in Cornwall, it’s not surprising this inspires their collections, fragrances and desire to protect the natural world.

St. Eval’s newest collection, Retreat, is inspired by the comfort of escapism and our need for a ‘retreat’ from busy lives. Discover the evocative scents of Purify, Meditate and Renew to enable meditation, reconnection and rejuvenation. Home to soothing sage, relaxing copal and uplifting citrus aromas. Simply light each candle and clear your mind, allowing the scents to envelop you on a journey of renewal.

Each step of the journey has a special mantra to help you surrender your thoughts, allowing the fragrances to captivate your senses. When you chant mantras, your mind releases positive energy that decreases negative thoughts and stress.

Winners of the prestigious Queen’s Award in Sustainable Development, St. Eval continue to create exciting candles and fragrances inspired by nature and following their core values; to protect, nurture and respect each other and the earth. If you would like to become a St. Eval stockist, please complete the online application form, email them or call their team. They are always looking for like-minded partners that share their values to grow with them and become part of their story. St. Eval the art of beautiful candles.

Call: 01841 540 850 Email: info@st-eval.com Visit: st-eval.com

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Create Your Own Brand with our flexible Bespoke Giftware Service Low Minimums Short Lead Times Great Value

Contact - Email: sales@cdheritage.com Website: www.museumscollection.co.uk www.cdheritage.com Tel: 07909 539574

Gifts Today

RETAILERS’ PANEL The latest members of our Panel – key gift shop owners around the UK talk reopening, restocking and heading for the trade shows again

Candles and Pearls Fairford, Gloucestershire Candles and Pearls opened after the first lockdown in 2020. How did this come about?

In 2019 I started a wedding accessory business selling bridal accessories from a stall at a country market. It was a huge success and, from there, I rented my first shop. I’d had retail management before in clothes, department stores and charity, but this was a childhood dream.

I added in a small gift selection, including candles, skincare and favours, and this did really well, too. As the first lockdown reared its ugly head, a beautiful grade II listed shop that was split into several rooms became available in the town where I lived. There was a delay as all weddings were halted, and then I decided to open a gift shop in the front rooms of the building and it was a great success from the start.

How did you feel when we went into the second and third lockdowns?

We’d had a really positive opening, as I do a fabulous deal on cards and there’s nowhere else in town to shop for gifts. The second lockdown was probably the hardest for me with the worry over whether I would be able to get the Christmas trade; by the third lockdown I was offering bespoke shopping baskets where you could have a selection of gifts and or cards delivered to your door to choose from. I’d pick up items 24 hours later, sanitize them and leave them for three days before putting them back into baskets.

How have you found government support?

‘

So slow but picking up a bit now – I am not in a big town and there are very few facilities here so people tend to go to the bigger towns, but then you have a good week when you have constant queues. candles from Best Kept Secrets and The Aromatherapy Co.; wax melts from Sassy Shop Wax; bags from Earth Squared and Shruti at half Moon Bay; jewellery from Spoke 925, Equilibrium and Ask. How did you source products during first lockdown in readiness for opening?

I was eligible for the grants relating to having premises which has helped, although I have put a large amount by to pay the tax that will be due on this rather than spending it on supporting the shop.

smaller independent businesses like The Dartmoor Skincare Company and Bampton House.

What sells well?

Candles, bath-related products, jewellery, gin-related items and sentiments. I have lots of different customers, from elderly customers who don’t drive, 30+ females to dads on Saturdays.

We’d had a really positive opening, as I do a fabulous deal on cards and there’s nowhere else in town to shop for gifts

What’s the story behind the name of your shop?

What’s the mix of merchandise in store?

My father was terminally ill and I was looking after him. He knew I’d always wanted a shop of my own and he suggested the name because I love candles and my mum loved pearls.

Forty percent of stock is wedding.

For gifts I stock signs from Crafty Clara /East of India and Transomnia; lotions and potions from Agnes & Cat, Dartmoor Skincare and Ancient Wisdom;

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How has reopening been?

‘

Clare Wright

This was the hardest because I didn’t have a trading history in the gift sector. Many suppliers wouldn’t give me accounts so, to start with, I used companies like Joe Davies, Gainsborough and Whistlefish, alongside

Do you have an online offering as well as selling in-store?

Both sides of the business have their own website. I find that a lot of my customers use it as a catalogue and then come to the store.

How will you be celebrating your first anniversary?

Goody bags for all my regulars and launching a loyalty card. I also have lots of new ranges to launch.

Maggie Thornton Alligator Pear Tadworth, Surrey

We sell gifts, cards, clothing, fashion accessories, home interiors, small furniture, children’s clothing and toys/ novelties. At the moment, bestsellers include Gisela Graham interior accessories, clothing especially floral dresses from the likes of Miss Shorthair, casual t-shirts from Chalk and new logo t-shirts from Megan Claire. Our typical customers are females aged 40 to 70-years old.

‘

Home & Gift is special because it’s the first to kickstart autumn and Christmas trends. It’s good to get ahead of the pack so we get access to the first drop of lines that will be popular

‘

What’s your mix of merchandise?

Why are you going to Home & Gift?

To source new products and see and touch items instead of making mistakes by buying online. I am going with my buyer/manager and possibly one other member of staff. Home & Gift is special because it’s the first to kickstart the autumn and Christmas trends. It’s good to get ahead of the pack so we get access to the first drop of lines that will be popular.

Fashion accessory companies like Pure, Reevo and Powder show their autumn ranges and it’s great to see the trends and colours for the autumn and get in early with our orders.

Hopefully they’ll all be there again this year.

I’d like to see as many suppliers as possible showing new product. We haven’t had anything new for so long and the challenge will be giving customers a reason to shop in the store and not buy online. The only way we can do this is by showing lovely new interesting products. And the only place we can find them is at the buying fairs kickstarted by Harrogate.

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RETAILERS’ PANEL

Anna Zientara Magpie & Crow Haddington, East Lothian What’s the story of your shop?

Everything started in 2014 when my husband and I were looking for an opportunity to open our own shop. At first we planned to open a clothing store, but then the opportunity came up to take over a stationery shop. We renamed it Magpie & Crow because

these two birds are very clever and they like to pick up shiny items for their nests – we hope our customers have the same experience in our shop.

What’s the mix of merchandise in store?

We have very wide range of products, from office essentials like lever arch files and copy paper, to artist materials and greetings cards.

Tiger Stationery’s products are a big part of our stock. We also stock shredders, paper trimmers, laminators and printer inks. Fans of pens and

What sort of stationery items do you feel are strong for the gifting market?

After six years of trade I can tell that boxed pens from brands like Cross or Sheaffer are leading in the choice for gifts, closely followed up by premium notebooks, boxes of note cards or artist related products – sets of paints, quality sketch books or artist quality pencils. Nice pens seem to be a universal, timeless and useful gift for many occasions. The same goes for the notebooks and social stationery. Art-related gifts are great choice for anyone who is interested in creating art, both beginners and professional artists alike.

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handwriting can find a large choice of pens and markers by Pilot, Cross, Parker and others.

We stock lovely greeting cards from Noel Tatt company, colourful school stationery from Maped-Helix as well as office essentials from Q-Connect. Three years ago we started to stock art and crafts products for everyone, starting from budget sketchbooks for kids and beginners and ending with high quality Daler-Rowney watercolour pads. We also have Winsor & Newton paints, high quality paintbrushes, pastels, colouring pencils and other products for artists.

Recently I received my first order from Partisan Products – elegant sets of note cards, writing paper with envelopes and notebooks. Many people from the area, especially the self-employed, return to us every year to buy their diary for the year. We have big selection of them, plus we sell Filofax inserts that are surprisingly popular in this era of ubiquitous mobile phones.

On top of that we stock traditional stationery – ink in bottles, carbon hand copy paper, pen refills, wide choice of envelopes and postal goods, address books, and much more!

What are the trends you’ve spotted for 2021 in stationery?

I can clearly see the trend for eco-friendly product such as pads or folders made of recycled paper. Also fashion stationery like notebooks or document wallets with colourful and modern designs are very popular. What I can see through the years is that in our shop the traditional designs are always winning with the trends.

Trade talk

Home & Gift, new products and plans for the future – it’s all up for discussion this month

Paul Hooker

Commercial director, Joe Davies Why are you exhibiting at Home & Gift?

We’ve exhibited at the show for 30 years; if the show was running, attending was never in question for us. We are super excited seeing our customers again and showcasing the ranges, especially in the relaxed environment that is Harrogate in the summer. The timing of Harrogate is always good for those wanting to get a head start on the busy season and this year it’s doubly so. Industry wide, stock availability is going to be at a premium this year due to recent events and the shipping crisis; Home & Gift is the ideal opportunity for independent retailers to place their orders early and secure stocks.

Top products at the show?

Harrogate will see a raft of exciting new ranges make their debut. There has also been lots of development on best-selling ranges such as Village Pottery, Thoughtful Words and Tree of Life to name just a few. Our Equilibrium Jewellery collection has also an exciting new look.

Helen Flook

Sales Director, Marmalade What’s sold well since the April reopening?

Our diffusers seem to be very popular; we think lots of people have purchased pets during lockdown, but don’t want their homes to smell of them!

Any positives to come out of the pandemic?

Yes, we think consumers want to buy British and items need to be recyclable or sustainable, we make everything right here in the UK.

Trends you see for autumn/winter 2021?

Colour, colour, colour!

Simon Willis

MD, Global Luxury Brands What’s your next trade show?

We will be back at Home & Gift next year, 2022, with a new stand and new additions to our core ranges.

What’s sold well since the April reopening?

The surprise for us is how the prestige pieces have been so strong. There certainly seems to be a pent up demand for statement pieces and De Rosa and Herend in particular have had a big spike in demand.

Simon Carswell UK sales manager, Fancy Metal Goods

Why are you exhibiting at Home & Gift?

It’s a perfect platform to showcase our latest brand Alice Wheeler London, and introduce our new collection of men’s accessories by Paul Oliver Designs. It’s a mid-year show and perfectly placed for our business to present autumn winter designs and SS22 opportunities and Harrogate always provides a pleasant environment to host these events.

I guess Covid will have some impact on the show, but I believe we are in such a better place than 2020 July and I am confident trade shows are still really important.

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Any positives to come out of the pandemic?

The big change has been the way that the internet has grown and, as has been quoted, probably moved on by five years. I don’t see that reversing any time soon as many more people, including the older generation, have got much more comfortable with shopping online.

Trends you see for autumn/ winter 2021?

I’m sure people will want to make this Christmas a very special one that will drive positive traffic both online and in store. Quality will be what people are looking for and, with supply issues likely to continue, I suspect Made in the UK will be a significant factor.

Lucy Howard Sales Manager Emma Ball

Howard

Are you active in social media?

Helen Cottrill Enesco

Are you active in social media?

We are, we have company profiles across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and ten separate brand profiles on Facebook and Instagram.

We also use Pinterest as a platform for all of our products.

Tik Tok is on our radar, we are seeing fan posts for some of our collections on there already. It’s so important to have a presence. So many buying decisions are influenced by social media now, if the content is good you can have viewed and bought something in seconds.

Any positives to come out of the pandemic?

We have found people want to surround themselves with things they love and want to cherish their belongings. The throwaway mentality seems to have waned with people less likely to replace things as often.

Trends you see for autumn/winter 2021?

Everything indicates that it’s going to be all about tried and trusted. We are expecting strong sales on seasonal products as people begin to decorate for Christmas, and Halloween. I really believe we will have a great Christmas in 2021 and that consumers will start buying much earlier with all the press talk about lack of stock from China.

Victoria Eggs

Owner, Victoria Eggs Are you active on social media?

Very active and it’s really important to the business. We want our customers to be a part of our journey; to meet the people behind the brand, be included in the design process and be the first to know about new designs and products.

Social Media has been a game changer for us in lockdown, growing our follower counts by 1000% due to keeping active and engaging with customers, advertising to our target markets, and also promoting our stockists daily.

Any positives to come out of the pandemic?

The pandemic for us was a great way to reevaluate our business model.

Coming out of it, we are now in a stronger position than ever, and have predicted that 2021 on our 20th birthday will be our biggest year ever.

‘We very much enjoy exhibiting at trade fairs as it’s the only time we get to meet and talk to all our customers.

This show has always had a more intimate and social feel to it and I think it is still a lot of buyers favourite show to attend. It is of course the first opportunity to see a lot of autumn winter & Christmas lines so it’s very important for that reason in particular’ Tony Barrett Owner, Life Charms

Kristina Ruffell

Marketing Manager, PMC What’s sold well since the April reopening?

Our new Wildlife in Spring collection, which was launched earlier this year, has sold really well. The Queen’s birthday tea towel and mug have also proved incredibly popular, and it is great to see our bestselling London collection also doing well.

The top sellers still continue to be gifts for in and around the home and garden such as storage jars, personalised boxes and engraved sofa trays; showing that people are still somewhat cautious and enjoying being at home and in their garden spaces. As we look to further easing of the restrictions other categories such as wedding and christening will see a huge boost.

Any positives to come out of the pandemic?

Any positives to come out of the pandemic?

What’s sold well since the April reopening?

We took time out to look at what is really important to the business.

Over the last year we have developed the brand, created new designs, and expanded our customer reach into the US. Before the pandemic, 80% of the business was reliant on the UK tourist industry and with that gone we had to expand into other areas. The Victoria Eggs team has grown and I am finally working with my best friend of 20 years!

We have been lucky in the fact that consumers’ behaviours were forced to either increase or completely shift to digital platforms and order online. Our infrastructure was already adapted to the huge influx that we saw, it made us focus on our productivity and where we can offer the best customer service but without making any compromises – our drop ship offering has never been stronger.

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5

instyle

minutes with...

Robert Philpott Bomb Cosmetics

We caught up with MD Robert Philpott ahead of Home & Gift, to discover what the company are planning for the show

So sentimental

Equilibrium sentiment jewellery from Joe Davies is a firm favourite with customers and retailers alike and the new autumn/winter 2021 collection will not disappoint. There are many new and unique designs including colourful spinning sentiment necklaces and quirky jigsaw necklaces which combine sentiment with the current popular trends of rainbow colours and jigsaws and a brand new collection of bee sentiments, all with cute bee captions… simply adorable.

Visit: joedavies.co.uk

Q: Why are you exhibiting at Home & Gift?

A: It is our favourite show of the nearly 40 we attend annually around the world (in normal times!). It manages to draw in lots of buyers, big and small, but still retains a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Every one of our agents loves attending the show, even if it is way out of their patch.

We have been there virtually every year since we started the company back in 1997.

We wouldn’t miss it for the world!

Q: What are you launching at the show?

A: We always launch our AW range at Harrogate, and this year we have over 50 new lines, from Bath Bombs to Watercolours, to Christmas soaps and even a giant Unicorn Christmas Cracker!

Bomb Cosmetics, stand A15, Home & Gift

Eyes right Carry your specs in style with this glasses case and cleaning cloth from Rex London.

rexlondontrade.com

We

The new lavender hearts in Lime Tree Design’s Liberty of London Tana Lawn collection join their boxes of fish and bird lavender drawer sachets.

Call: 01636 894043 | Email: studio@limetreecollection.com Visit: limetreecollection.com

700+

Walking stick specialists Classic Canes have over 700 models in their range, so it is no surprise that some are especially suited to the summer months: bumble bees, butterflies, ladybirds and a host of different floral patterns all make excellent accessories to summer outfits and fun, eye-catching gifts.

This new ladybird folding cane is based on original artwork by managing director Charlotte Gillan and is already proving a top seller. ‘People buying walking sticks now want conversation pieces and something that lifts the mood,’ explains Charlotte, ‘Whether for themselves or as a present, it has to be something a little unusual that reflects the user’s personality so they can think of it as much as a fashion accessory as a mobility aid.’

Call: 01460 75686 | Visit: classiccanes.co.uk 78 Gifts Today

Over 700 models in stock.

Please contact us for a trade catalogue: Tel 01460 75686 www.classiccanes.co.uk

4 days of Moda To align with Autumn Fair at the NEC Birmingham, Moda will now open its doors on 5-8 September 2021 allowing buyers to experience the all-encompassing fashion and retail destination for a whole extra day, with a line-up of exclusive and new brands including Fly London, Hukka Design, Jayley Collection, and Godske, and a headline partnership with the British Footwear Association.

The all-new Moda will offer thousands of trendforward collections across fashion, footwear, jewellery, and accessories, delivering key crossover buying opportunities, additional footfall, and a host of new retailers. Known as the National Footwear Show, Moda is one of the UK’s longest standing fashion trade shows and an essential hub for creativity, collaboration and trading within the fashion community.

Simon Lau, Event Director, Moda says: ‘Footwear, fashion, and apparel have spearheaded the strong growth seen in UK retail the past two months with April up 69% according to the Office of National Statistics, so we’re delighted that Moda will form part of a wider fashion destination offering access to exclusive brands and the latest collections, a greater variety of products, inspiring trends and incomparable crossover buying opportunities.’

moda-uk.co.uk

Spotted!

Sophie Allport Dragonfly Jewellery Case.

It has plenty of compartments for your jewellery and has ‘Be a dreamer’ embossed on the lid.

sophieallport.com/pages/trade

Product Focus Giftable Stationery

Stationery

with style Whether it’s working from home, relaxing with some crafting, or giving the bullet journal craze a go, beautiful stationery can bring a little joy into your life. We take a look a some of latest launches your customers will love…

Awardwinning Emma Ball

Call: Lucy on 0115 9858081 Email: sales@emmaball.co.uk Visit: emmaball.co.uk There’s lots of giftable stationery over at Emma Ball, from notepads and calendars to stickers and washi tape. There’s something for just about everybody.

Hot off the press for June, are their award-winning calendars set for 2022. This year they have their well-known Cornwall and Coastal calendars, alongside a brandnew coastal calendar tea towel, all perfect pickup gifts. Please note, they usually sell out by October, so be quick to avoid disappointment!

New for 2021, Emma Ball have sticker sets and washi tape available, great giftable stationery for craft lovers. Washi tape is due into stock for late summer, in 30 designs and two lengths, just in time for Christmas.

The company’s mini notecards are ideal for scribbling messages of thanks, holiday greetings or just a little hello. There are more designs than ever of their popular magnetic notepads, both products retailing at just £4, all produced in the UK. There’s also a forever-growing tinware collection of over 70 designs in all shapes and sizes. There are cake tins, teeny tiny, tins for card storage, money tins and even glasses cases, all retailing between £2 - £10.

The next show they are exhibiting at is Autumn Fair (5-8 September at the NEC). If you are interested in becoming a stockist, please get in touch.

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Sustainable drinks bottles Museums & Galleries Summer is here, and the heat is on! It’s a good idea to carry a water bottle with you on the go, especially if you are outdoors enjoying the sunshine – and Museums & Galleries have introduced stainless steel double-wall insulated drinks bottles this year into their gift range. Each bottle contains 500ml of either cold or hot beverages. The range has been created with M&G’s national museum licence partners – the V&A, Natural History Museum, the British Museum, and Tate Gallery and each bottle is decorated with artworks from the museums.

The V&A bottle has a delicate floral design by the pre-eminent British 18th-century calico-printer, William Kilburn (1745-1818). Selected from the V&A’s album of 223 exquisite watercolour designs by Kilburn, the pastel aqua-turquoise colour scheme and trailing flowers give this bottle a very contemporary feel. By contrast the Tate bottle features a bold abstract rainbow design against a red background, and the Natural History Museum a stunning close up of an amethyst crystal. The British Museum bottle has a flight of Hokusai cranes against a rich blue sky.

The bottles have accent-colour secure-seal screw-top lids with silicone gaskets.

Reusable, recyclable and natural, the bottles have the sustainability edge over plastic competitors and are much better for the environment, and M&G have added their inimitable design magic to the mix, allowing rehydration with style this summer (SRP £18.99).

Call: 01373 462165 | Email: sales@mgml.co.uk Visit: museumsgalleries.co.uk

. . . g n i c u Introd

Designworks Ink is part of the Designworks Collective brand portfolio and is now available in the UK & Ireland direct from Nashville, Tennessee!

Download our AW21 catalogue via the QR code or contact our UK Sales Office for more information. +44 (0)1225 9312322 | SALES.UK@DW-COLLECTIVE.COM | WWW.DESIGNWORKSCOLLECTIVE.CO.UK

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30/06/2021 16:55:49

Product Focus Giftable Stationery

Think ‘ink’ Designworks Ink

DesignWorks Ink or just ‘Ink’ as it’s often known, started life as a dedicated stationery brand but has grown and developed into a full lifestyle gift brand today with a 50:50 split in sales. It’s a one-stop-shop for office supplies, gifts, barware and writing accessories.

At home in stationery specialists, booksellers, gift stores, garden centres and department stores, there is something for everyone, from everyday notebooks, journals and planners, to games and puzzles, hydration and a very popular assortment of eco-friendly reusable straws and cutlery sets.

‘Whether bold and beautiful or understated and utilitarian, our products speak to every personality,’ says James Mountfield, Sales Director of DesignWorks Collective.

‘At DesignWorks Ink, our mission is to create products for writers of notes, letters, and stories - lovers of great design, attention to detail, and exceptional quality.

‘For me personally, the difference is really in the detail, when you touch and feel the quality of our journals and notebooks, they are leagues ahead of the competition.

Printed on acid free paper with soy inks, there are information sections front and back and perpetual date headers that are great for keeping notes organised.

‘We have a special relationship with Anthropologie producing co-branded collaborations and we count Barnes & Noble and Paper Source as our biggest customers in the US as well as over 5000 independents.’

In the UK, DesignWorks Ink launches with Waterstones and John Lewis this summer and has inherited again some fantastic Indies like Pencil Me In of Elgin.

Highlights for AW21 include six beautiful 1000-piece ‘Jig-Time’ jigsaw puzzles that are gold foil stamped and uniquely packaged in gift tubes with gold lids and it’s this gilding detail throughout that elevates the product and creates a luxe, premium feel. The celestial-themed notebooks capture this perfectly and are a popular evergreen line for gifting and self-purchase.

The Vintage Sass collection is guaranteed to put a smile on your face! A cute menagerie of notebooks, journals and stacking mugs are the perfect combination of vintage art and sassy sentiments.

Eco-friendly straw sets and cutlery sets are trending high and well-backed by customers for AW21 gifting, the fun tone of voice transforms these lines from just purely functional everyday items to really great gifts.

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Call: 01225 931322 Email: sales.uk@dw-collective.com Visit: designworkscollective.co.uk

Product Focus Giftable Stationery

Quintessentially British Mosney Mill

Introductory offers as Mosney Mill launches ‘quintessentially British’ stationery range. Mosney Mill’s artist Emma Sutton is pleased to announce the launch of an exciting range of stationery to complement her existing range of high-quality textiles and ceramics.

Emma’s quintessentially British designs are now featured on UK manufactured FSC accredited A6 Notebooks and Magnetic Shopping List retailing at £3.50 and £4.95 respectively providing an excellent ‘pick up’ for your customers as a treat for themselves or a gift for another.

The A6 notebooks contain 90 lined pages with a substantial card cover featuring one of eight designs from Emma ranging from their ever-popular Bee and Flower, Blue Tit on Blossom and Seagulls to new designs of Robins in Hedgerows and Pheasants on a navy background.

These notebooks, sold in units of six of one design, are therefore both stylish and practical fitting in a pocket or handbag with ease.

Alongside the Notebooks are a range of Magnetic Shopping Lists inspired by the flora and fauna of the Mosney Land. Each pad has a substantial magnetic attached to it whilst inside the pages replicate the beautiful designs found on the cover.

Their ever-popular plantable Seed Card range now features 20 hand illustrated unique designs. Printed on superb quality, 210 gsm card, the cards are biodegradable and supplied in units of six of one design with a Kraft envelope and compostable packaging. Planting the card produces its own mini meadow to attract bees and pollinators to gardens.

Animation series for pre-schoolers Manuscript Pen National stationery brand, Manuscript Pen Company has launched a new animation series following the success of its Lionheart Collection early learners’ craft brand.

Manuscript launched its Lionheart Collection in 2019, with a range of arts and craft products for children aged three to 10 years old, specially designed to support development, learn new skills and offer additional benefits, such as pen control, concentration and mindfulness for young learners.

Following the success of the range, the company has now decided to bring The Lionheart Collection to life with a series of animations about the characters which is aimed at children aged three to five years old, as well as extend the product range. The Lionheart Tales animations will feature on YouTube, and include Arthur, the Mayor of Lionheart Town and his friends, who will each have a heartfelt message to help children develop.

The first episode, called ‘Tummy Flutter-Byes’ is now available to view and to coincide with the launch, Manuscript Pen Company will be supporting children’s mental health charity Place2Be and non-for-profit global reforestation organisation, Creating Tomorrow’s Forests by donating a percentage of sales from its Lionheart Tales website towards their charitable efforts.

Visit: the lionhearttales.com

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To celebrate the launch of these high-quality products Monsey Mill holding a special introductory offer for July only: ■ Wildflower Seed Cards Buy any 12 designs from their range of 20 Wildflower Seed Cards (sold in units of six) and receive their beautiful full colour Counter Top Point of Sale to display them in or if you prefer an additional six cards free of charge.

■ Stationery Buy any five designs from their range of six Magnetic Shopping Lists (sold in units of six) and eight A6 Notebooks from nine designs and receive their beautiful full colour Counter Top Point of Sale to display them in or, if you prefer, an additional six Notebooks free of charge.

Call: 01772 822525 Visit: mosneymilltrade.com

Journal journey ExaClair ExaClair Limited, the UK supplier of Rhodia and Clairefontaine, has launched 11 new warm and inviting colours into its popular A5 sized Goalbook journal and softcover notebook ranges to further satisfy all note-taking, journaling and task-setting needs.

Incorporated within the Italian leatherette covers, the new colours range from deep reds to pastel pinks, earthy greens to complex blues, and have been chosen to ensure the ranges are aligned to the latest colour trends.

Goalbooks come with an orange elastic closure, expanding inner pocket, a pen loop and two ribbon bookmarks, and include 120 sheets of Clairefontaine’s signature premium-quality, PEFC Certified 90gsm ivory brushed-vellum paper that’s loved by pen fans globally.

With similar exceptional features, the softcover notebooks are available with 80 sheets of lined or dotted paper, to suit both written and graphical notetaking.

To assist their dealers, ExaClair can offer a comprehensive selection of Rhodia branded marketing collateral, including in-store merchandising and POS furniture, as well as online support for websites and social media.

Call: 01553 696600 | Email: sales@exaclair.co.uk Visit: exaclairlimited.com

Gifts Today 85

Product Focus Giftable Stationery

Sarah Campbell notebook

Modena A5 Natural World Leather Conker Brown

What will we want from stationery this autumn?

Henri Davis is a highly knowledgeable independent retail advisor who specialises in stationery, gifts, cards and souvenirs. With 35 years in retail, working for the likes of Habitat, Next, WH Smith and the National Trust, she is perfectly placed to identify what your customers’ stationery wants and needs are likely to be this autumn ‘With Covid-19 and its aftermath one of the biggest challenges for suppliers and manufacturers in every sector is trying to predict what we will want from their products and how and when they will be used.

‘Working from home has definitely impacted on our stationery needs. In most cases we are now buying our own

stationery and, if we are lucky enough to have a local stationer or gift shop in our towns, we now have the option to buy from them and not online or from a supermarket. We can now buy what we want to use for work. Sarah Laker who has two stationery supplies shops in Marple and Wilmslow saw a strong growth in products to help her customers organise their lockdown lives and others that encouraged children to do their schoolwork when the schools were closed ‘For many, stationery has been seen as a fashion accessory for a while, a reflection of our personal tastes and even if we haven’t been going out as much it is still nice to treat yourself or someone else to a little something special. This new range from Museum & Galleries uses designs by Sarah Campbell and I think it is really eye-catching.

‘Price points will still be relevant.

While some of us have been lucky to save money during the pandemic, we are still uncertain about our financial

position as things move forward and we see price increases coming through, furlough finishes and companies have to stand on their own two feet again.

‘What is really exciting is to see companies have the confidence to innovate and develop new products.

Railex is an established stationery manufacturer but they have just moved into the notebook sector with a stunning range of notebooks and journals called Modena with features like the horizontal elastic closure that offer users something completely different.

‘We all know a lot of people have struggled with working from home and the isolation of the lockdowns and so journals and notebooks to help with mindfulness and personal awareness are going to continue to be popular.

‘The environment and its protection is very much at the top of the agenda and stationery that uses recycled materials and can be recycled will

‘We can now buy what we want to use for work’

Vent for Change 86 Gifts Today

Henri Davis

continue to have real traction in certain sectors of the market. Mainstream retailers are asking more questions about a product’s eco credentials in terms of manufacture and the materials used because their customers’ expectations are increasing. A company who really embraces this is Vent for Change a sustainable stationery company that protects the planet and supports children’s education projects worldwide. They combine beautifully designed products like the Make a Mark range, with impeccable eco credentials to offer an ethical purchasing alternative for conscientious consumers. Vent for Change give 10% of their net sales turnover to supporting children’s education projects worldwide.’ henridavis.co.uk

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New products

Gentlemen’s Hardware This go-to-brand for men’s gifting is stocked by over 5000 accounts worldwide and around 1000 customers in the UK & Ireland. DesignWorks collective is now building on this brilliant brand to offer you strong year-round business.

In spring and summer, Gentlemen’s Hardware is selling lots of pizza and BBQ-related gifts together with gardening products but, in their next phase of development, they’re opening new categories such as candles & home fragrance, stationery, games, pet and more gardening lines to be more relevant 12 months of the year.

This year, they have launched ‘Standard Issue’ Stationery, your utilitarian, everyday arsenal for getting things done and organised. They’ve been really pleased by the repeat purchase habit from their UK customers who took in a starter pack quantity initially and are now reordering every week.

August sees the launch of candles and games that has been really well supported by their customers through presale – both independents and national key accounts. Excited to see these launched in store, they have two soy wax candle lines and eight SKUs starting at £7.50 wholesale for the 8oz/198g amber glass jar version, and £9.17 for the 3 wick, 7oz/227g concrete candles, each with their own natural fragrance blend including Sea Salt & Jasmine to evoke that coastal breeze, Mountain Sage to bring the great outdoors, indoors and even Bourbon Cedar which is the perfect accompaniment to their popular whisky gift collection.

Their new six SKU Games Supply collection for the home expands on their popular Travel Games series to now include classic Wooden Tumbling Blocks and a Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Set at £10.41 wholesale. The designs are bold and colourful for a contemporary, fun twist to style your home.

There’s been some great innovation in their famous multi-tool collection too with new Tech lines to help keep multiple devices charging on the go and some functional, novelty items like the set of two 20-in-1 Multi-Tool Coasters which feature essential everyday tools like a box opener, screwdriver, ruler and of course a bottle opener!

Call: 01225 931322 Email: sales.uk@dw-collective.com Visit: designworkscollective.co.uk

88 Gifts Today

New from Joe Davies Butterfly Vase Joe Davies are happy to introduce their new butterfly collection of vases and home decor items, this follows on from the success of their popular Tree of Life range.

The design is simple and elegant with pretty butterflies and foliage embossed on to a textured background and is available in two different colourways, champagne and gun metal grey, making them a beautiful showpiece to complement any home decor. There is a tea light holder, round decor ball, matching planters and vases that come in four different modern shapes.

Equilibrium Natural World Pins These quirky pewter effect Equilibrium Natural World Pins can’t fail to impress. Intricately detailed animals including hedgehogs, bees, cats and dogs have all been captured perfectly. The Equilibrium collection is known for its stylish compact counter display units and this pretty little collection comes complete with its own branded acrylic display stand enabling retailers to maximise sales with limited use of space.

Cockapoo collection Detailed figures of cockapoos in various sizes and poses, such as sitting, standing, playful and lying are all perfectly captured in these models. They are a wonderful portrayal of this popular new generation breed.

A brand new range of silver effect cockapoos has also been added by popular demand ensuring there is something to suit all tastes - perfect for all those dog lovers among us. Watch this space as there are even more sweet poses coming including a mother cockapoo with her pup.

Call: 0161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk Visit: joedavies.co.uk

Fabulous designs from the UK’s favourite glassware supplier: where quality meets design New Showroom open book your appointment!

www.dandjglassware.co.uk @DandJglassware

Tel: 01953 450280

New launches throughout 2021!

Gifts Today 89

New products

House of Marbles

House of Marbles are 48 years old this year and have been supplying the toy and gift trade with traditional fun and gorgeous gifts since 1973. It has been a tough year for so many in the industry, but for House of Marbles this has only spurred them on to work harder and smarter, to make sure that their customers are looked after even better than before.

New products for 2021 concentrate on building a better future for everyone, with many new and existing products made using sustainably-sourced wood and planet-friendly packaging, with single-use plastic virtually eliminated from the range. Sales director Sarah Campbell commented ‘We have always been known for our traditional, fun product and our customers know that they can rely on us for good, old-fashioned service and values.

We strive to make wonderful toys and games that bring lots of fun into the world as well as lessening the impact we have on it. Our motto has always been ‘A nod to the past, with an eye to the future’ and this seems more relevant today than ever before in so many ways’.

Christmas 2021 looks set to be more crucial for trade than ever, so House of Marbles has just launched some fantastic new seasonal games that will be available from August. A Christmas version of the ever-popular Happy Families card game is sure to be a musthave stocking filler, plus a fabulous family board game ‘Naughty or Nice’ will make a great addition to any Christmas Eve box. The House of Marbles range of Children’s books goes from strength to strength, with books one of the leading categories which have seen substantial growth over the last 12 months. They are easy for Grandparents to post and have great added value in terms of education and entertainment – so it’s no wonder that book sales have increased significantly across the country. House of Marbles have a constantly changing selection and are launching some great new summer and Christmas titles this month, with Art, Activity and Nature featuring strongly as key themes.

Sarah concludes: ‘We are very proud of the fact that we have so many wonderful and loyal customers, some of whom have been buying from us for pretty much as long as we have been trading! We would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who has continued to support us over the last turbulent year and as we go into the all-important Christmas season, we are determined to repay this loyalty with masses of great new product, quality you can trust and customer service you can absolutely depend on’.

Visit: houseofmarbles.com 90 Gifts Today

Personalised Memento Company Are you looking to give your sales a boost with personalised gifts but don’t know how? Then look no further than the Personalised Memento Company (PMC) for their drop ship solution!

The demand for personalised gifts has grown exponentially over the past decade and in recent years drop-shipping is on the rise. PMC offer a vast array of personalised gifts, so your business can take advantage of their drop ship model - no matter if you are a small independent or a multi-channel retailer.

Positioned as the market-leading supplier PMC’s mission is simple: the one stop trade shop of personalised gifts.

PMC provides retailers with a complete, easy to use and reliable dropship service of gifts, offering an industry leading experience for customers. Backed up by a robust infrastructure, PMC use extensive technologies, innovation and skilled employees to launch to market a huge range of exciting products at a competitive price without a compromise on quality.

We asked PMC a few questions on how easy it is to become a customer and how they make personalised gifts successful for many so retail businesses.

Q: What exactly do you mean by drop ship?

A: Essentially we do all the hard work! You decide which of our product you want to sell; there’s a wide choice and you can find gifts for any occasion or style of design that suits your business.

Then you provide us with the customer order details so we can personalise the gift and despatch in a rapid lead time. There are no minimums as we make each personalised gift to order and deliver direct.

Q: Do you personalise the goods or do you have a third party network?

A: We personalise every product we offer, directly despatching from our premises in Staffordshire.

Q: How I can include your products on my website, is there a tech-savvy way to do this?

A: Product data is available on the website and provided via feed which you can amend to the format you need. It includes everything you will need to list the products on your website; Product SKU, Name, Product Description, Trade Price, RRP, VAT, Weight, Dimensions, Max Characters, Stock Status.

Q: Do you provide software to enable a customer to visually view the personalisation on the website?

A: Yes, we do have the option for you to integrate preview into your own website, we would highly recommend this as it converts even more sales if the customer can preview their personalised gift before purchase.

Q: Can orders placed on the website by my customers be sent to you in an automated way?

A: Yes, if you are supplying a volume of orders you can integrate them in a number of ways, we can speak with you about the options available to you and the best solution for your business – no matter what your size.

Q: What type of products you sell?

A: We sell a vast range and you can choose to sell as much or as little as you like. We were established in 2004 and have seen the demand for personalised gifts continue to grow and it still carries momentum. We continue to innovate and bring new products to the market so you won’t be left with a static product range.

If you have any more questions about how PMC can bring real benefits to you and become your gift supplier head to their website or contact them directly at sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk

Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk | Visit: personalisedmemento.co.uk Instagram: @personalisedmemento

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New products

Excellent Enesco

So much to discover at the contemporary gift-giving company Visit: enesco.co.uk Disney Facets Sparkle and shine with show-stopping detail! Enesco launches new ‘gem cut’ Disney Facets collection New and exclusive to Enesco, the contemporary gift retailer is delighted to announce the launch of a brand new licensed offering from Disney that is sure to get fans of the film studio excited beyond measure.

Disney Facets features beautiful figurines of superb quality, bringing the world’s most iconic and beloved characters to life, through stunning ‘gem cut’ sculptures. With the look of cut crystal at a fraction of the cost, these multi-faceted high-grade acrylic figures sparkle and shine with show-stopping detail.

Characters launching within this collection include everyone’s favourite little blue alien, Stitch, Peter Pan’s fairy sidekick, Tinker Bell, that silly old bear stuffed with honey, Winnie the Pooh, and of course, the main man himself, Mickey Mouse.

Measuring between 9.0cm and 10.0cm, each figurine retails with a SRP of £19.95, and is presented in a branded window gift box. Not a toy or children’s product, this new and exciting range of collectors’ items perfectly capture the dazzling personality of each character, with Disney Facets to set to be a huge success.

Game of Thrones Never forget who you are. The rest of the world will not. Enesco launches Game of Thrones collection to celebrate 10th anniversary of TV hit.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of HBO’s smash hit TV series, Game of Thrones, Enesco has unveiled a brand-new collection of must-have decorative figurines from Department 56.

Set to be a firm favourite with fans of the show across the UK, the collection features seven pieces, to help bring a little bit of the epic fantasy drama back into your customers’ homes. Including characters from the show such as Jon Snow and the Night King, the collection also sees a series of villages akin to the different sets on the small screen, including Winterfell Castle and Castle Black.

The village pieces have been designed to scale with the original set pieces and are mains operated, so the windows light up when plugged in, helping to bring the scene to life. Paired with some of the figurines, collectors can re-create some of their favourite moments from the smash hit TV series in their own homes.

With impeccable attention to detail, each piece is presented in a branded box

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and contains an information panel on the back, this collection is set to be as much of a success as the original TV series.

A Nightmare Before Christmas A hauntingly good (and growing) collection for fans of Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas from Enesco. A hauntingly good collection, your customers are in for a spooktacular treat this Halloween, with an ever-growing range of Nightmare Before Christmas collectables, homewares and decorative figurines, exclusively from Enesco.

Help fans of Tim Burton’s box office hit get their gnarly-boned fingers on these frightfully fantastic pieces, featuring Jack Skellington, Sally his corpse bride, Zero the ghost dog and of course the villain of the piece, Oogie Boogie, across a range of exciting and innovative products.

For something a little bit spooky, Enesco’s new levitating figurines from Grand Jester Studios conjure up the sense of a Halloween haunting. The first of its kind from Disney, the Jack Playing Fetch with Zero Levitation Figurine sees the Pumpkin King playing with his trusty friend Zero, who magnetically hovers when placed under the tree branch – a spooktacular example of technology and storytelling coming together to make a phenomenal collectable.

For collectors who’d rather keep their feet firmly on the ground, there’s also the Jack and Sally Picture Frame to help immortalise a precious moment in time from Disney Showcase, or for fans of the festive season as well as Halloween, there’s the Ho Ho Howl stocking from Enchanting Disney.

And for those who are looking for a frightfully good time, your customers are sure to be spell-bound by Gambling Ghoul from Disney Traditions by Jim Shore, featuring everyone’s favourite Boogie Man - Oogie Boogie brought to life by artist and fan-favourite, Jim Shore, with his iconic American folk-art style.

New showroom for D & J D & J Glassware

D & J Glassware have had a busy first half of the year. They have opened a new showroom in their Norfolk head office, and are delighted to be able to welcome visitors, by appointment, to see their stunning designs, either in person or virtually. ‘Glassware is very tactile and we want our customers to see and feel our beautiful products to appreciate their high quality,’ says Jocelyne. ‘Our stockists are familiar with our high standards and trust us to deliver. And, of course, our gorgeous Reed Diffusers, Wax Melts, Pot Pourri and Room Sprays can only be smelt in person!’

In addition, customers can now follow the company on social media: visit their brand new accounts on Instagram and Facebook: @DandJglassware.

Moreover D & J Glassware launched a whole host of new designs in early spring and are now pleased to introduce further additions. Joining the popular Garden Birds collection are the Wren and the Woodpecker, which are sure to appeal to bird lovers of all ages.

In keeping with the style for which D & J Glassware is renowned, Bertie is an adorable Pony that just makes you smile. ‘I loved the Thelwell books as a child and so, when we decided to launch a pony, it just had to be modelled on the Shetland ponies I remember!’ explained Jocelyne.

Looking forward to Christmas 2021, Rudolf the Reindeer is joining the company’s colourful Snowman and Father Christmas: all three will look delightful as part of the festive decorations. All of the attractive and colourful animals are so easy to display and create a stunning focal point in store. Each piece is handmade and individually boxed in recyclable packaging.

Further new designs are planned throughout 2021.

Call: 01953 450280 | Email: dandj.glassware@btinternet.com Visit: dandjglassware.co.uk Instagram: @DandJglassware | Facebook: @DandJglassware

Nostalgic play Rex London

In the days of technology, Rex London likes to focus on ‘undigital’ gifts when it comes to Toys & Games. It’s all about making emotional connections, not only with the toys themselves but also with friends and family. Many of their products have a classic retro feel with a modern twist, and can be quite nostalgic for older family members.

With nearly 200 toys, games and puzzles on offer, Rex London has something for everyone. Their collection of flat puzzles range from small two pieces to larger 500 pieces for all different difficulty levels, as well as an array of 3D puzzles like this 3D wooden puzzle in a tin, perfect for travelling with.

The 500-piece coral reef puzzle is a rewarding educational activity for puzzlers of all ages, featuring a vibrant coral scene packed with wildlife, from sharks to starfish! With the world’s coral reefs dwindling, images like this ignite the imagination of a new generation to want to push forward research and legislation in order to save our reefs. The puzzle also comes with an information sheet on coral reefs, providing insight and perspective into this amazing underwater world.

In 2020 the best selling Rex London toy was their traditional diamond kite. It’s clear from the reviews that this lovely traditional kite, whilst being strong and easy to construct, is loved almost equally by parents and grandparents as it is by the children being gifted it. Other top performers include interactive activities and games like the Cardboard Learn To Stitch Activity and their Special Agent Spy Kit.

Call: 020 8746 1700 Email: info@rexlondon.com Visit: rexlondontrade.com

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New products

Perfect collaboration Puckator

Puckator and Pusheen team up to create the perfect giftware range.

Puckator has partnered with Pusheen the Cat, the social media star, to launch a new range of the purr-fect giftware for lovers of all things cute and feline! The range includes beauty accessories, drinkware, bags, and much more! All the products feature Pusheen in various poses and costumes, including the super-popular Pusheenicorn.

Other available products include; digital watches, which were finalists in the Gift of the Year competition 2021, reusable insulated snack pots, and a brand new stacked round bento box. As well as mirrors, nail files, shaped tweezers, and a manicure set in the beauty category. All products will be available by the end of summer 2021 for the Autumn/Winter season, so keep an eye out for the Pusheen collection this Holiday season.

Pusheen is a tubby tabby cat that brings smiles and laughter to people all around the world. She became famous through her animated comics and GIFs posted on Pusheen.com, as well as through her widely used animated stickers on Facebook, Instagram, iMessage, and other platforms. It is estimated that Pusheen’s images and gifs have been sent more than 20 billion times across social media!

Puckator is delighted to add Pusheen to their licensed collection and is certain the product range will soon be listed in their best sellers list!

Visit: puckator.co.uk

Top of the tables Lesser & Pavey

A table is a multiple functional piece of furniture that offers many forms of usage.

Lesser & Pavey are delighted to offer a range of glass top table featuring multi crystals.

This range is available in a multitude of shapes and sizes. To ease transportation the wooden legs screw on to aid easy sending and formation.

Call: 07831 632537 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk Visit: leonardo.co.uk

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Irish Agents Required.

At Lene Bjerre we have a history of merging handicrafts with design, and trends with tradition. We take pride in letting nature into our lives, and in creating rooms to live in. Rooms that reflect personalities, and let personalities have a base from which to engage in vibrant conversations, lovely dinner parties, candle lit nights and the everyday hustle and bustle that is life.

Why not take a look: www.lenebjerre.com At Lene Bjerre, we create rooms to live in.

However, we need some assistance in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

We are currently seeking agents to cover both areas, though equal consideration will be given for one to cover both.

Incense Emporium Something Different Wholesale

Something Different are one of the top trade incense suppliers in the UK stocking over 320 different products including cones, sticks and backflow.

Their selection includes Satya, Stamford, Karma, Tulasi, Esscents, Goloka and their own popular brand Elements that includes exclusive licensed products by Anne Stokes and Lisa Parker. Whether you like to shop by brand, theme or fragrance Something Different have a fantastic selection available at competitive prices.

Call: 01792 940288 Email: customercare@somethingdifferentwholesale.co.uk Visit: somethingdifferentwholesale.co.uk

Working with our Country Manager, Simon Pykett we would like to hear from applicants who: Are brand aware.

■ Are performance driven ■ Are well connected within the home fashion retail arena

If you join our mission to grow in Ireland then you will be supported with: ■ Excellent Nordic design ■ Good customer support ■ A professional back office ■ IT support ■ Regular repeat business ■ A growing income

Please make contact with our country manager today.

Simon Pykett Country Manager Mobile: 0044 (0) 7967 209156 spp@lenebjerre.com

Agents required Chairworks Ltd have been designing and selling baskets, home accessories and garden items for over 20 years. All our products are made to our designs and are ethically produced by artisans using traditional methods.

Please look at our website www.chairworks.info which will show you our range.

We are looking for agents in the following locations: Southern England: East and West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire North East England: Yorkshire and up to the Border North West England/North Wales to include Lancashire and then up to the Border Scotland We are looking for enthusiastic agents to cover these areas following up with existing customers and creating relationships with new ones.

Full customer support will be provided by our HQ in Surrey.

Please contact us by email on info@chairworks.info or telephone Nick Smyth on 0208 247 3700 We look forward to hearing from you.

www.chairworks.info

jomanda © #SofterThanASoftThing

Agents required in NW,SW,W ,SE and London for our exciting plush brand.

Email: leanne@jomanda.co.uk or visit us at Home and Gift 18th-21st July Stand no DP3-3A Gifts Today 95