Gifts Today

Independently audited ABC circulation of 7,100

25

1 July 2013 to 30 June 2014

Month: Nov/Dec 2014

Issue: 2

Volume: 26

est: 2004

THE HOME OF PERSONALISED GIFTS

PERSONALISED MEMENTO COMPANY

THE ONE STOP SHOP FOR PERSONALISED GIFTS

w w w. p e r s o n a l i s e d m e m e n t o . c o . u k est: 2004

Email: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk

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Contents

Regular 4 10 12 17

www.gifts-today.co.uk Twitter: @giftstodaymag

News Licensing News Exhibition News GA News

springfair.

It may feel a com, 1st-5th bit too early February). This to be focussing really is a show spectacular on next year’s and a great exhibitions, but opportunity by having a clear for everyone idea of which to view more than 300,000 you would like new product to attend next launches and year, and by see trends that early planning of are emerging for 2015. Turn your visit, you’ll to page 36 for definitely get a sneaky peek more out of these at what you can expect. exhibitions.

Remember also Home & Gift Harrogate. This is the place to be if you’re looking to find design-led and everyday gifts, homeware, jewellery & fashion accessories and greetings & stationery. (www. homeandgift.co.uk, 19th – 22nd July). It may feel a bit too early to be focussing on this show, but by having a clear idea of which exhibitions you would like to attend next year, and by early planning of your visit, you’ll definitely get more out of these exhibitions.

Turn to page 51 where you’ll find all the information on what’s on in 2015!

Back to this issue, can I also say a big well done to The GA. They have certainly excelled this year, and by all accounts their ‘Meet the Buyer’ day totally surpassed all expectations.

The event was so heavily oversubscribed that places were allocated firstly on the date that people expressed interest and then on a firstcome, first-paid basis. Existing, past and hopeful JLP suppliers were also asked about their readiness to supply John Lewis before pitching to them.

Said GA chief executive Isabel Martinson: “It’s gratifying that we were able to facilitate meetings for members which resulted in such positive outcomes. I understand that John Lewis gift buyers also find this an efficient way to meet with suppliers, so we are planning to arrange more ‘Meet the Buyer’ events with them and

“

The views of the contributors expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the publisher.

Comments, letters and criticism are welcome.

“

W

36 Spring Fair Gifts Today helps get the main buying season off to a flying start with an early preview of one of the UK’s most important retail trade exhibitions

Retail 24 Brian Wiseman

elcome to the December issue of Gifts Today. This month we bring you a great round-up of what to expect from your favourite trade shows in 2015. Of course, these exhibitions are superbly situated across the UK and Europe, ensuring no matter where your location, you’ll find an event to suit your needs.

As the first show of the season, Giving & Living (11th-14th January) provides visitors with the opportunity to see the very latest new and exclusive 2015 product ranges before anyone else, and is perfectly timed for retailers to stock up for the year ahead. This show also has a strong focus on the tourism sector. Turn to page 38 for more information.

However, if you need to focus on your Christmas stock, kick-starting our 2015 Christmas buying calendar we see the doors open to Christmas & Gift Harrogate (www. harrogatefair.co.uk, 11-14th January) where you will find an array of all things festive – a great starter to pre-plan Christmas 2015! Harrogate Christmas and Gift is recognised as perhaps the leading UK event for the Christmas, festive and allied markets. Christmas & Gift Harrogate gives the retailer everything they could possibly want for the perfect Christmas.

More can be found on page page 52. This show continues to grow and as if testament to this, Ashleigh & Burwood is proud to announce that it will be exhibiting for the first time at the 2015 event, as will Sif con Int. To start your yearly gift buying process, why not take time to visit Scotland’s Trade Fair (www. scotlandstradefairs.co.uk/spring, 18th-20th January), at the SECC in Glasgow. Simply turn to page 42 to see what you can expect next year.

Moving on, Toy Fair (www.toyfair.co.uk, 20th-22nd January) is set to be a success for all those in attendance (more information on page 54). With stand space totally sold out, Toy Fair represents a great opportunity for all those in the gift retail sector to fully realise the potential of this category and check out what the latest and upcoming ‘must haves’ are.

As if these aren’t enough to keep you busy, there are more exhibitions for you to visit and through creative planning, you’d be amazed at how much you can cover, and more importantly what each show has to offer. For example, Spring Fair open their doors in February (www.

Exhibition Profiles

38 Giving & Living

Will it be a jittery run up to Christmas?

The show is well known for its wide range of gifts, home, coast and tourism products, but did you know that the show also has several special features?

28 Retailer Profile Penny Franks had the pleasure to question Amstrong Ward, Carlisle

47 Rachel Parkin 48 Trade Talk What are the plans for 2015 for exhibitors?

42 Scotland Trade Fair This year has seen Scotland thrust into the world spotlight with various sporting, political and cultural events which have all led to increased visitors and retail opportunities

50 Grass Roots What exhibitions will retailers be focussing on in 2015?

Special 14

Personalised Memento Co As our Front Cover advertiser, what’s happening in the world of PMC?

Exhibition Diary 2015 51

Features

52

18

54 56 58

Personalised Gifts Get those allimportant higher perceived gifting items ready for your customers

60 62

30 Books Take time to ‘read all about it’!

44 Clocks Standing the test of time

64 65

Exhibition Diary News Christmas & Gift Harrogate Toy Fair Christmasworld Wales Spring Fair Ambiente London Stationery Show UK Diary Dates Worldwide Diary Dates

other retailers in 2015 and beyond.”

Are you a member of the GA? If not, take time to visit their website: www.ga-uk.org to find out more.

Naturally, this issue isn’t all about exhibitions! We’ve crammed features in for you too. Put the kettle on, sit back and take a look at what’s available within the personalised gifts, well-being, books and clocks categories.

Here’s to a ‘cracking’ festive period for everyone and a positive 2015.

“

Can I also say a big well done to The GA. They have certainly excelled this year, and by all accounts their ‘Meet the Buyer’ day totally surpassed all expectations

“

Message from the Editor Penny Franks

NEWS

regular

Rainbow Designs appoints new Senior Account Manager Some of the country’s biggest retailers will be welcoming a fresh face this autumn as Rainbow Designs strengthens its position in the industry with the appointment a new Senior Account Manager.

Tony Mace has joined the leading licensed character manufacturer and will be responsible for a wide variety of Rainbow’s national accounts.

Tony has more than 18 year’s sales experience, across an extensive list of high street and e-tailer customers in the Toy and Gift sector and his impressive track record includes his most recent nine years working at Mega Brands.

“It is fantastic to be part of the team at Rainbow and it’s great to be working with such well established brands and successful products across the nursery, toy and gift sectors. I cannot wait to get on the road and start meeting with my customers,” said Tony.

Zara Grindrod, Director of Sales said, “It is fantastic to welcome Tony on board at such an exciting time. With his extensive industry experience he will be a great asset to our sales team. We have a busy time ahead of us with our new Paddington range just in store, ahead of the new movie, which premiers in November, the launch of the Shaun the Sheep Movie in Feb, as well as our brand new Peppa Pig range for baby, which will be rolled out across national accounts and independents from January. Tony will be playing a key role in driving the success of these brands and working closely with our customers to build on the growth we are currently experiencing.”

Rainbow Designs is one of the country’s leading nursery, toy and gift companies and is the name behind Peter Rabbit, The World of Eric Carle, Peppa Pig, Guess How Much I Love You, Miffy, Paddington Bear, Shaun the Sheep, Wallace & Gromit, Elmer and The Snowman nursery, toy and gift collections.

Web: www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

Britain’s oldest puzzle and games company appoints Sense Gibsons, the nation’s longest standing puzzle and games company has appointed BPro Agency – Sense, in the lead up to Christmas to support efforts to bolster their presence in UK households.

Gibsons has been entertaining generations since 1919, with a number of top games and puzzles including Pass the Bomb, 221 B Baker Street, Downtown Abbey and My World, a range of educational jigsaw puzzles for kids.

Sense has been selected for their innovative thinking, broad retail experience and passion for supporting the growth of British businesses. The Sense team will manage all proactive and reactive public relations and communications activities to support Gibsons growth objectives.

Managing Director – Nick Wright commented on the appointment: “We are a really strong family business that has stood the test of time. We’re excited to have the support of Sense to ensure we remain front of games cupboards in UK households. We’re also keen to grow existing markets, including our 50+ audience, which we know Sense will support us in doing.”

Lisa Malyon, Managing Director of Sense is delighted to be appointed: “Gibsons is such an amazing, fun company to be involved with – responsible for many family memories. Underpinned by strong family values, the team is passionate about what they do and the industry they work in, and most importantly, they stay true to their British roots. We’re delighted to be on-board (no pun intended) and can’t wait to kick things off.”

4 gifts today

Let your light shine!

Widdop Bingham is delighted to announce its appointment as distributor of the Colonial Candle brand for the UK, Ireland and Europe. The brand is known for its unique range of high-quality, scented candles and in particular its signature oval shaped glass jar.

The official launch of the brand will take place in January 2015 at Widdop’s New Product Preview at its North Manchester showrooms running from Left: Troy Propes, President 2nd – 22nd January. The brand will then make at MVP and Right, Stuart its debut on the wider stage at the International Illingworth, Managing Spring Fair (1st – 5th February 2015) where it will be Director of Widdop Bingham showcased on a stylish new stand in Hall 5, stand no H70.

Colonial Candle is an iconic American brand with over 100 years experience of manufacturing candles. It is owned by MVP Group International, based in Charleston, South Carolina and is recognised as a brand leader known for its exceptional quality, exclusive fragrances and trend-setting style.

Stephen Illingworth, Business Development Manager is up-beat about the possibilities the brand affords. He comments, “The addition of Colonial Candle to Widdop’s existing brand portfolio represents an exciting new chapter in the history of the company. The quality, presentation and marketing of the range offer the company unrivalled opportunities with both our existing customer base as well as with new customers. The candle market is developing at real speed and our research tells us that there is a real appetite from the consumer for a quality, trendsetting product”.

The launch of the range includes 3 sizes of the patented oval shaped glass jars, pillar candles, votives and t-lites across 16 everyday fragrances with an additional 4 Christmas fragrances. Branded, free standing display units are available to retailers.

Web: www.widdop.co.uk

‘Armstrong Ward’ wins ‘Retailer of the Year’ at the CN Group Business Awards Kendal based independent retailer, Armstrong Ward are celebrating after being named ‘Retailer of the Year’ at the 2014 CN Group Business Awards, held at Carlisle Racecourse on Thursday evening. The winners in all 16 categories were unveiled at the gala ceremony, attended by the county’s most influential business leaders, with BBC Radio Cumbria’s Julia Clayton, hosting the evening. CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi, Kevin Roberts, was the keynote speaker.

CN Group, publisher of The Cumberland News, stages the awards, which this year were sponsored by Cumbria Business and Growth Hub. Widely regarded as one of the most important and influential evenings in the county’s social calendar, the awards ceremony celebrates the very best in terms of quality and expertise across the Cumbrian business community.

Armstrong Ward fought off both Carlisle based businesses, Celebrations and Dickinsons to secure the top spot. Renowned as one of the County’s finest retailers, Armstrong Ward was commended for its all-round unique offerings, customer service and community engagement, with the judges particularly impressed by its marketing prowess. With the category sponsored by the CN Group, owners Jacqueline and Andrew Ward were both present to collect their trophy on stage.

“We are thrilled to have been named Retailer of the Year at this year’s CN Group Business Awards.” said Jackie. “We know how competitive these awards are, so to have even been nominated with other such high quality businesses is fantastic. We are very proud of what we have achieved so far at Armstrong Ward and will continue to strive to uphold our standards and values by offering beautiful products with exceptional service.”

ing Giving&Liv IDEAS INSPIRING

Stand A741/752 Over 2000 brand new gifts 7500+ lines to choose from Only £100 minimum order

Visage Cushions ‘Little & Often’ ordering system FREE next day delivery Award winning customer service

Equilibrium White Silver

Silver Leaves Giraffes

Equilibrium Pretty Crystal

Masquerade

Vintage Chic Perfume Bottles

Leonardo Retro Car Mugs

Progressive Gifts Greats Awards 2014

12

Times Winners

Best Service to the Independent Retailer

Pretty Reflection Words

Provence Heart Message Frames

Joe Davies (Manchester) Limited 149 Broadstone Road, Reddish Stockport SK5 7GA Tel: 0161 975 6300 Fax: 0161 975 6301 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

Great Service • Great Products • Great Prices

NEWS

regular

RETAIL GIANT JOHN LEWIS PARTNERS WITH ONE4ALL GIFT CARD One4all, the multi-retailer gift card company, has announced that leading department store John Lewis has become the latest of its portfolio of partners, giving One4all customers even more options when spending their gift card.

The One4all Gift Card is a market-leading, multi-store gift card, which is accepted in-store and online at over 21,000 retail outlets nationwide.

Declan Byrne, group director at One4all says: “We are delighted to add John Lewis to our selection of partners, particularly as it celebrates its 150th year. John Lewis are one of Britain’s favourite brands, selling a huge selection of products including men’s and women’s clothing, electrical goods and children’s toys. There really is something to suit everybody’s tastes, which makes spending a One4all gift card even more rewarding.

“Not only does this new partnership benefit One4all customer’s but it also has a great return for the retailer as they gain access to 17 million potential customers which visit Post Office branches each week.”

Peter Markey, chief marketing officer at Post Office, commented: “It’s great news for our customers that such a celebrated brand as John Lewis has now joined the wide range of retailers where people can use One4All Gift Cards. As we move towards the busy festive season I’m pleased that our customers will not only have greater convenience when purchasing gift cards through thousands of our branches being open for longer, but also have even greater choice on where to spend them too.”

GA’s ‘Meet the Buyer’ event with John Lewis Partnership is a big hit with suppliers Enthusiastic feedback from GA supplier members has followed the association’s ‘Meet the Buyer’ event with John Lewis Partnership gift buyers in London on Tuesday, November 11.

Greg Waters, Enesco’s UK sales director, commented: “We’ve struggled to arrange meetings with certain buyers despite having previously supplied John Lewis. Now that our product category ranges are expanding, it was even more important to connect with these specific buyers and The GA’s event enabled us to do this. We’re excited about what the future holds!”

The event was so heavily oversubscribed that places were allocated firstly on the date that people expressed interest and then on a firstcome-first-paid basis. Existing, past and hopeful JLP suppliers were also asked about their readiness to supply John Lewis before pitching to them.

“I’m looking at diversifying into new markets and the feedback from buyers at John Lewis was extremely valuable,” said Bea Thackeray, owner/designer of Keep This Design. “It was a very worthwhile day.”

The John Lewis team comprised Anna Rigby, Head of Buying Home Accessories, Gifts and Seasonal; Dan Cooper, Buyer Seasonal and Calendar Events; Katherine Mitchell, Buyer Gift Food; Sara Allbright, Buyer Home and Gift Collections, and Vicky Angell, Junior Buyer Outdoor Living.

Attending companies were able to meet up to two of the five participating buyers and pitch their products in structured 10-minute presentations, with 10 minutes for questions and discussions.

In the introductory session Anna Rigby outlined JLP’s approach to newness and innovation and top tips on the best way to approach them.

Brightcore chief executive Graeme Christie commented: “The event was a fantastic opportunity for us to present our strategies for the UK market to John Lewis who gave us invaluable advice and helped point us in the right direction. We’d definitely attend other events like this with The GA.” Said GA chief executive Isabel Martinson: “It’s gratifying that we were able to facilitate meetings for members which resulted in such positive outcomes. I understand that John Lewis gift buyers also find this an efficient way to meet with suppliers, so we are planning to arrange more ‘Meet the Buyer’ events with them and other retailers in 2015 and beyond.”

6 gifts today

Maped Helix announced as sponsor for National Stationery Week Maped Helix is delighted to announce it will sponsor next year’s National Stationery Week.

National Stationery Week is a celebration of the written word with the aim of getting the nation putting pen to paper. And with that in mind, who better than globally-renowned stationery giant Maped Helix to be throwing its weight behind the campaign?

Organised by the London Stationery Show, the next National Stationery Week will run from April 27th to May 3rd 2015 and follows on from the huge success of this year’s campaign.

This year’s event put the buzz back into writing, reaching 20 million consumers, with the message that modern technology will never replace the pleasure of writing by hand. And organiser Chris Leonard said that next year’s extravaganza would be even bigger and better.

Maped Helix spokeswoman Lianne Granger said the historic firm – known for the excellence of its stationery – was delighted to be a part of the campaign.

She said: “National Stationery Week is a wonderful campaign that encourages the nation to put pen to paper. With Maped Helix known for the quality of its stationery products that have lasted the test of time, we were keen to be involved with this fantastic event and are delighted to be announced as a sponsor.”

SPECIAL CHRISTMAS FRAGRANCE OFFER 12 carefully selected fragrances from the ScentChips collection make up the ScentChips Christmas Fragrance Collection.

The Collection includes: 12 x 500g Bags of Wax Melts (Mulberry,Wood Bouquet, Cranberry, Amber, Silver Spruce, Cinnamon, Maple, Pie Crust, Fireside, Vanilla Icing, Sugar Plum, Christmas Spice) 50 x Red 80g Consumer boxes 50 x ScentChips Gift Bags & 1 x Small Display Table with Header Card & Stockist Window Sticker All for £300.00 plus VAT (Starter pack normally £402.50) Silver Plated & White ScentBurners are also available in 6’s For more information contact David or Lucinda on 01259 751009 email: sales@triplessupplies.co.uk

Intelex Group teams up with Wiz in Japan Growing demand for heatable plush toys including licensed ranges like YooHoo, Bagpuss and Intelex’s own brands like Hooty and Warmies is driving international expansion for the Intelex Group with new exclusive distributors appointed recently.

Intelex is pleased to announce that they have recently teamed up with Japanese company Wiz. Wiz are best known for selling the 90s product and craze Tamogotchi and make a great match for the Intelex business to enable expansion into the Asian markets.

Intelex have also restructured operations in the United States with the aim of meeting the increasing demand for heatable soft toys in America. Both Asia and America represent significant market opportunities and Intelex is now well placed to introduce their ever expanding range of innovative microwavable plush toys to an international audience.

Retailers interested in stocking Intelex Group’s fast selling products should register for a trade account at www.intelex.co.uk to view all the ranges online.

A Widdop welcome January marks the start of a busy buying period for any retailer large or small. As postChristmas sales come to an end, retailers are looking for inspiration to give their stores a new lease of life for 2015. And Widdop Bingham has risen to the challenge as they host their annual New Product Preview in their impressive North Manchester showrooms.

The show runs from the 2nd to the 22nd of January (weekdays 8.30am – 5pm, with a Sunday opening on 18th January, 10am – 2pm) when thousands of new lines covering all major gifting events for 2015 including Mothers day, Fathers day, Christmas, Wedding and Baby will be on show. With the majority of products available in singles and attractive discounts for ordering in larger quantities this is one show not to be missed.

Tel: 0161 688 1200 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk

Please contact our sales ofďŹ ce to view our new collections for 2015

SIA Home Fashion Unit 7, The Votec Centre, Hambridge Lane, Newbury RG14 5TN

Telephone: 01635 32868 Website: www.sia-homefashion.co.uk Email: salesuk@sia-homefashion.com

NEWS regular

P-p-p-pick up a penguin Soft toy penguins have had an incredible boost thanks to the John Lewis Christmas advert – the department store have sold out of their Monty product, and there are only a few of Intelex’s Cozy Plush heatable version left now.

Philip Ganon, Intelex Group’s founder and CEO, said: “Our range of microwavable Cozy Plush toys have been very popular since we launched in 2002 The Penguin character is one of our bestsellers within the Cozy range and has really increased in popularity over the years with the launch of various penguin characters on TV and the big screen.

“Our customers have already commented the John Lewis›s penguin – who is a key focus of their advertising – is of a similar design to our own Cozy Plush Penguin, with the added advantage of course that ours is fully heatable!»

Intelex confirmed that they will be bring in more stock after Christmas of the soft penguin that retails at £11.95 RRP and is filled with treated milled and gently scented with lavender – but they have a full range of other animals available including badger, bear, bee, bunny, cat, cow, owl and panda.

Tel: 01933 679777 Web: www.intelex.co.uk

The Gifts Today team Editor Penny Franks penny@lemapublishing.co.uk

Assistant Editor Paul Donnelley pauld@lemapublishing.co.uk

Advertisement Manager Mark Horsnell mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Group Editor Mirella Cestaro mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

Group Advertisement Manager

New Kenro Frames and Albums Catalogue launched Kenro, the well-known distributor of Gift Frames and Albums in the UK and Ireland has published its new 2014/15 Frames and Albums Catalogue.

Following a brief introduction by Paul Kench, Kenro’s managing director, the catalogue splits into 15 distinct chapters. A number of detailed product shots have been added this year to better convey the quality of the ranges.

The first section includes Frames and Mounts: Designer, Glass/Mirror, Silver Plated, Occasions, Wood, Plastic, Clip/ Mounts and Folders/Mounts.

The second section of the catalogue includes Albums and Accessories: Lifestyle, Holiday/Travel, Baby, Scrapbooks/ Accessories, Wedding and Classic. Point of Sale stands are shown at the end.

Certain end of line products have been included and marked as CLEARANCE and as such attract very keen promotional pricing.

Says Paul Kench, Kenro’s managing director: “It’s important that we can show our entire range to retailers without the need for them to come and visit our showroom.

Our catalogues have proved a real hit in the past and we make every effort to make them as illustrative and descriptive as possible.

This year is our largest yet, with a truly comprehensive choice for retailers.”

To view Kenro’s full range, or for details of your nearest stockist please visit www.kenro. co.uk - alternatively call Kenro’s head office on 01793 615836 for further information and to request a catalogue.

New collections at Peace of Mind After their best and most successful year ever, you may wonder where Peace of Mind has found the time to create their stunning new collection. ‘We’ve had a wonderful 2014. The response has given us such a buzz and a renewed energy for designing and sourcing.

Seeing the new collection coming together, well it makes all the hard work worth it,’ states Christine Holden, PoMs director and designer, who truly feels that retailers will be equally delighted with the results.

‘The New Year sees a softer, maturer PoM, still playful but definitely with a grown up edge. We are delighted to be introducing some lovely new elements to PoM including some glorious Liberty prints.

We’ve have been so inspired by theses prints over the years, it feels like such an honour to use them in our charm bracelet collection. Our silver plated range has been refined and is so exquisitely made - its designer jewellery with a gift price tag’ Christine is introducing gold and rose gold into their sterling silver range, which elevates it to a whole new level. The mellowness of the gold perfectly suits their nature inspired theme.

Dragonflies, bees, flora and fauna are not only beautifully hand crafted into their jewellery collection but is echoed in their very popular scarf range.

Take time to visit PoM at both Top Drawer (Stand: 480) and Scotland Trade Fair (Stand: H35).

Tel: 01225 777749 Web: www.pom925.com

Ryan Horwood ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Media Solutions Manager Bradley Mason bradleymason@hotmail.co.uk

Lema Publishing Ltd

PUBLISHING

8 gifts today

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

‘Armstrong Ward’ raises vital funds for Helme Chase Maternity Unit Kendal based independent retailer, Armstrong Ward, held their traditional Christmas charity event on Thursday evening, raising more than £200 for Helme Chase Maternity Unit, part of the Westmorland General Hospital. The festive shopping evening saw shoppers giving generously and it is hoped that the money raised will fund a new heart monitor for the unit.

Christmas shopping aside, the evening comprised mulled cider from Cowmire Hall, mince pies made by ‘Staff of Life’ and a luxury raffle, with an Emma Bridgewater teapot, NEOM candle, Le Toy Van Dolls House and one of Armstrong Ward’s famous reindeer heads amongst the prizes up for grabs.

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

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

If you want to reach 7,100* total average net circulation, then call Mark Horsnell on 01442 289930 or email markh@lemapublishing.co.uk *. Circulation figure relates to period from 1st July 2013 to 30th June 2014

For more information visit www.abc.org.uk or email info@abc.org.uk

licensing news

New Licensees Announced for England Rugby

Fizz Creations in Partnership with Groovy UK!

CPLG, official licensing agent for the Rugby Football Union (RFU), has announced the expansion of the England Rugby licensing programme, signing a new raft of licensees with three major retailers which will see an exciting range of new England Rugby products available for fans in 2015, ahead of what will be an exhilarating year in the build up to the World Cup. Husky Retail Ltd (fridges), Premier Sports Lights (novelty lighting with sound) and LR Group International (England Rugby ball foldable rucksack) have all come on board, joining an already impressive roster of England Rugby merchandising partners. . Support from all key retailers will see the new products in-store for the start of the RBS 6 Nations Championship kicking-off in February 2015 and will be available for purchase in the lead up to the World Cup and beyond.

Jane Barron, Licensing Manager at the RFU said: “We are delighted to welcome Husky Retail, Premier Sports Lights and LR Group International to the England Rugby licensee programme. 2015 will be an exciting year for rugby, from the RBS 6 Nations to the QBE Internationals culminating in the World Cup in September and we are pleased to be continuing to strengthen and grow the England Rugby merchandising offering for fans alongside what will be an important year for England Rugby”.

Angela Mundean, Director of Husky Retail Limited said “Husky just had to be involved in one of the greatest sporting events of 2015. After all, a mini fridge is the perfect partner for any sporting event! Hopefully we will be celebrating and the Husky England RFU mini fridge will ensure drinks are chilled and ready on demand whilst enjoying the matches!”

Nicola Thompson, Senior Business Development Manager at CPLG, said “We’re looking forward with hope and excitement to next year’s World Cup and are very pleased to be bringing these new licensees into the England Rugby licensee squad.

We look forward to working with them as they roll out their products and offer fans a unique opportunity to feel a part of England’s push for victory!”

Over the past 15 years, the RFU has worked in close partnership with its exclusive licensing representative CPLG to develop a strong licensing programme covering all major product categories to enhance offering for England Rugby fans.

Web: www.cplg.com

Novelty Gift and Toy Company Fizz Creations is happy to announce that it has teamed up with Groovy UK Ltd to help them distribute their fantastic ranges of licensed products, which include Star Wars, Marvel, DC Comics and Breaking Bad among others.

Groovy UK will continue to supply its current customer base and Fizz will offer their products to a wider audience. Phil Verrills, Sales Director for Fizz Creations, said “We are proud to be working with Groovy UK as they are a forward looking, innovative Company with a very exciting range of licensed products. From our discussions with the Groovy team I know there are more great products to come so watch this space…..”

We all know the huge success Groovy has had with products such as their licensed neon and Star Wars mood lights, Batman and Superman jumpsuits, Star Wars and Rocky dressing gowns, and even the Spiderman and Hulk Loungers, but they have a new star product that’s about to hit the stores: the Character Look-ALite! Each Look-ALite is easily recognisable as a character we know and love, and the collection includes Darth Vader, Storm trooper, Batman, Superman, The King and even the Breaking Bad cook suit. In stock from November onwards the Look-Alites are sure to be this seasons must have licensed product range.

Web: www.fizzcreations.com

TLC sign Golden Bear as Forever Friends Master Nursery Plush Partner Hallmark’s agent The Licensing Company have big plans to re-establish and ignite heritage brand Forever Friends in the UK market and are kicking off their recently signed representation by signing Golden Bear as master nursery plush partner.

Golden Bear’s AW15 launch will encompass plush led baby infant toys including teethers, rattles, mobiles, cot and pram toys.

Christine Nicholls, Vice Chairman, Golden Bear said “We are delighted to have been awarded the Master Nursery Plush License for Forever Friends and look forward to working with Hallmark and TLC to create a baby collection that encapsulates both current trends and the classic heritage of this muchloved brand. Our range will feature soft-touch fabrics and the attention to detail that really brings these wonderful characters to life. With over 3 decades of experience within the nursery sector and our extensive plush expertise, this exciting new multisensory collection will offer something very special and unique, delighting parents around the world for many years to come.”

The original cute bear has been in consumers’ hearts for over 25 years and Golden Bear will join a wide brand extension program of best in class partners including Aykroyds, Design Objects, Green Core, Paul Dennicci and Carousel Calendars.

For further Forever Friends and Hallmark brand extension opportunities please contact Senior Brand Manager, Sasha Lerner at TLC sasha.lerner@tlc.international +44(0)2082226142.

10 gifts today

The Wisdom of Kids Blueprint for Success!

Independent UK-based licensing agency JELC, which represents the awardwinning greetings card and gift range The Wisdom of Kids has announced an agreement with Blueprint Collections, the most dominant player in the UK stationery market. The agreement follows fast on the heels of the development of a new greetings card range with Gemma.

Blueprint will not only design and produce the quality stationery it is renowned for but also such items as travel goods, glasses cases, make-up compacts and gifts, placing the range firmly in the adult arena.

JELC is managing an international licensing programme for The Wisdom of Kids that will leverage the enormous potential of the brand, first in greetings cards, stationery and gifts followed by apparel, electronics, home-wares, household textiles and more.

Soula Zavacopoulos, owner of The London Studio and creator of The Wisdom of Kids, has been widely recognised both as a creative talent and businesswoman and has been featured in The Times, The Guardian, The London Evening Standard and The Independent on Sunday.

Lisa Shand, Blueprint Collections, says: “Wisdom of Kids is the perfect vehicle for the type of range we are planning – it certainly made us all laugh!

We predict that major retailers will want to be part of the Wisdom of Kids story when we launch for Autumn/Winter 2015.”

Jane Evans, Joint Managing Director JELC, says: “Licensee interest in the Wisdom of Kids has been strong for some time as consumer demand for this charming and hilarious brand grows. We’re delighted that Blueprint has joined the programme. Alongside Gemma we have two of the strongest names in UK licensed products on board already which bodes incredibly well for the brand.”

THE UK’S LEADING DESIGN-LED GIFT & FASHION ACCESSORY EVENT

Temerity Jones / Burgon & Ball / Kikkerland / Caspari / Cubic / Culinary Concepts / Dassie / Miss Etoile Aps / Nkuku / Northlight Design / Rice A/S / Wild And Wolf Ltd and Hundreds More!

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Olympia, London 11–13 January 2015 Register for your free ticket TOPDRAWER.CO.UK

exhibition news

New watch collections set trends for spring and summer Be it big or slimline, with mesh or leather strap, in cream or rose gold – buyers will find the latest trends in watches of all kinds at Ambiente 2015. From13 to 17 February, international suppliers will be showcasing, in the timepieces section ‘Time Square’, what the forthcoming season will bring with it in the way of new products and ideas.

Alongside Beka & Bell, Capella, Cristoffel and Deja vu, other suppliers such as Filius Zeitdesign, with brands like BellXpress, Danish Design Watches and Jacob Jensen will also be exhibiting at Ambiente 2015. Rosendahl, Heinz J. Ratius, Oozoo Timepieces and Unique Time, with the brands Carucci, Just and Raptor, have already signed up. New participants this time are Manywell United Limited as well as Boze and Distri-Brands with labels such as Cacharel, Cerruti 1881, Christian Lacroix and Nina Ricci. “I am very pleased that, with still three months to go before the start of the trade fair, ‘Time Square’ is as good as fully booked.

One reason for this is undoubtedly that suppliers meet buyers here in Frankfurt that they do not otherwise reach,” says Yvonne Engelmann, Director of ‘Giving’ at Ambiente.

‘Time Square’ is to be found in an easily accessible location at the entrance to Hall 9.3 alongside Carat. There, visitors to the trade fair will find not only real, fashion and costume jewellery. Immediately next door, exhibitors of personal accessories will be displaying their new collections as well. “For many of our buyers, one of the advantages of Ambiente is that they find a broad selection of additional ranges of products alongside their core ranges. That very clearly also includes the many examples of design-oriented watches in ‘Time Square’, which will be setting this year’s trends,” says Ms. Engelmann. Buyers from fashion boutiques, lifestyle shops, department stores and furnishing outlets, as well as specialist glass, porcelain and ceramics retailers will also benefit from the extended portfolio of this leading trade fair.

You will find further information about Ambiente at: www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com.

Rebranded Home sector spearheads growth at Spring Fair The organiser of Spring Fair, i2i Events Group, is delighted to announce that response to new developments in the rebranded Home sector has been so positive that hall space has almost been filled, four months ahead of the show.

Home will occupy Hall 1 of The NEC at the forthcoming event, due to take place from February 1 – 5 2015. This part of Spring Fair has grown by 64 per cent compared with last year, already attracting 44 more exhibitors, including 20 that will be brand new to the show in 2015.

The rebranded exhibition sector will, as the name suggests, encompass everything that can be found in the traditionally stylish or contemporary Home, from Scandi chic, European classic and occasional furniture to beautiful textiles, home accessories, lighting and wall art.

Also presented within Home at Spring Fair for the first time in 2015 will be mid to highend wall art suppliers, including key brands such as Kerry Darlington, Collier & Dobson and Daryl Davies Fine Art. Returning to this sector of the show after a significant absence are Authentic Models BV, SR Corporation and Cocoon Home & Gift.

For more information visit the website: www.springfair.com 12 gifts today

Brand Licensing Europe 2014 bolsters a booming industry Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) 2014 has once again boosted the thriving licensing industry, now worth an estimated $13bn (£8bn) in retail sales in the UK alone. 7,164 visitors attended this year’s show (subject to BPA Audit); consistent with the record-breaking 2013 event. Over half of attendees were actual decision makers and this year saw an increase in overseas visitors and an impressive 28% rise in retailers attending the show.

This year’s event, which took place from 7 – 9 October at London’s Olympia, boasted 306 exhibitors, of which 88 were new, and floor space totalling 7,338 square meters – making it the largest BLE ever. Exhibitor numbers increased across all three of the show Zones: • The Brands & Lifestyle Zone witnessed an incredible 25% increase in exhibitor numbers from 2013.

• The Art, Design & Image Zone saw an impressive 9% growth.

• The Character & Entertainment Zone experienced a steady 4% growth year on year.

This year’s Retail Mentoring Programme was also the biggest yet since its launch five years ago. It attracted over 50 individual buyers from 10 of the major UK retailers, and now officially forms part of Tesco’s training programme for buyers.

It was standing room only for the two keynote sessions, hosted by Team GB and Minecraft creator Mojang, who both discussed their different approaches to licensing and brand development. Visitors also flocked to the final of the annual License This! Competition, where humorous and topical property RaNT! was crowned the 2014 winner. This year’s show also hosted more educational sessions than ever before with the introduction of a new Brands & Lifestyle Theatre, run in partnership with Brand Jam. Darren Brechin, BLE Event Director, said: “We couldn’t be more thrilled with this year’s event. There was a buzz on the show floor from the minute the doors opened each morning until the lights went off and the show closed. Our key objective for 2014 was to deliver more qualified buyers, and we were looking to increase retail visitors by at least 10%, so to witness a staggering 28% increase in retail attendees has surpassed all our expectations. We are in a fast paced and exciting industry, and this year’s show was a true reflection with so many new properties, and many well-loved favourites, brought to market to explore the endless opportunities licensing offers. We are looking forward to an exciting and busy year ahead.”

Brand Licensing Europe 2015 takes place from 13 – 15 October 2015 at Olympia, London.

For more information please visit www.brandlicensing.eu or follow on Twitter using @bleurope for show updates.

Toy Fair 2015 Sold Out Toy Fair 2015 is now sold out.

Taking place on 20-22 January 2015 at West London’s Olympia, Toy Fair is the UK’s only dedicated toy, games and hobby trade exhibition.

More than 260 exhibiting companies will fill the venue in January, encompassing the entire upper and lower sections of the Grand and West halls at Olympia. Companies exhibiting include Hasbro, LEGO, Character Options, Vivid, VTech, Leapfrog and many more big industry names as well as hundreds of smaller and start up companies.

Web: www.btha.co.uk/toy-fair

Giving & Living. Ideas that sell.

A vibrant trade show - packed with a year’s worth of ideas.

To visit, call the ticket ket ho h hotline tline 01934 733456 or, register online www.givingliving.co.uk For stand bookings, call 01934 733433.

Giving & Living trade show Exeter 11-14 January 2015

Gift | Coast | Home

This trade only event is organised by Hale Events Limited, Premier House, Old Church Road, Axbridge, Somerset BS26 2BQ Telephone: 01934 733433

JEWELLERY TEXTILES HOMEWARE GIFTS ACCESSORIES FASHION STATIONERY JEWELLERY TEXTILES HOMEWARE GIFTS ACCESSORIES FASHION STATIONERY JEWELLERY TEXTILES HOMEWARE GIFTS ACCESSORIES FASHION

Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring

fresh ideas for Spring

18-20 2015 SECC JANUARY

To register for your free entry badge and for further information please visit scotlandstradefairs.co.uk

Personalised Memento Company

PMC have created a service to supply personalised gifts to the trade in the easiest possible way. With scope to provide any size retail customer with a gift range to suit their market

Personalised to perfection The Personalised Memento Company started from a small beginning to become one of the UK’s leading trade supplier of personalised gifts. We take a look at what makes them the forerunners in personalised gifts.

W

ith reports of upturns, downturns and consumers cutting their spending, it’s refreshing to see the market for personalised gifts continues to grow at a constant pace.

PMC have created a service to supply personalised gifts to the trade in the easiest possible way. With scope to provide any size retail customer with a gift range to suit their market.

White Label Website For retailers already selling online, a standard or customised website is available to all retailers. They are perfect as an add-on to any website.

Orders are even sent to production automatically from the checkout. Our White Label Websites are a great solution for retailers to quickly and easily offer personalised gifts. With no set up work or ongoing maintenance to run the site, you can sit back and let the orders come through automatically.

A full range of personalised gifts are available, with no listings to manage it’s a simple solution to sell personalised gifts.

Fully Bespoke Website For an established retailer it may be 14 gifts today

that you are looking for a completely new website, fully branded or even an integrated basket to include personalised gifts seamlessly within your existing product range. With several fully bespoke websites already in operation, PMC have the expertise to make selling personalised gifts work for your business.

Will PMC be attending any trade shows in 2015?

The Spring Fair and Autumn Fairs at the NEC are the ideal opportunity to see the new and existing ranges. Kristina Ruffell, Office Manager at PMC speaks of the buzz around the fairs “It’s a thrill seeing all of our hard work has paid off and to see the response from our existing customers.

“For new customers interested in selling our gifts it’s a great opportunity to see the range and talk through with us how we can make personalised gifts work for them. It’s amazing how many times we talk to people and they say “yes you are the supplier we have been looking for!” We have got so many options for retailers, whether you are an independent retailer, ecommerce, mail order or high street retailer, we have a solution to fit.”

responsible supplier with every product researched, ethically sourced, safety certified and rigorously tested; a feature which retailers can trust in their supplier partner. In being a responsible supplier, PMC are setting the industry standard for both quality and innovation.

What’s new from PMC for 2015?

Can PMC create bespoke designs?

If you are looking for something different PMC can cater for exclusive ranges. With an in-house design team they can work closely to create designs tailored to suit any client. If you have

PMC boast a fast drop ship service with most of the range personalised and despatched in 24hrs with an optional next day delivery service available for those last minute gifts.

With quality personalised gifts hand in hand with a great customer care team,

Every personalised gift is designed, manufactured and despatched from one location. PMC have streamlined their operation to keep ahead of the peaks of year by investing heavily in their efficient operation in Staffordshire a design already in place, PMC can use supplied artwork to incorporate personalisation on their full range of giftware. Or PMC can create brand new concepts, for PMC it is about working closely with it’s retailers to create personalised gifts that will appeal to their consumer market.

What makes PMC a unique supplier?

Every personalised gift is designed, manufactured and despatched from one location. PMC have streamlined their operation to keep ahead of the peaks of year by investing heavily in their efficient operation in Staffordshire.

This means that service is never compromised even at the busiest times, the lead times remain the same vital for retailers in the all-important lead up to Christmas.

A year on, PMC is still expanding.

With a move to larger premises, the expansion will result in more gift lines.

The market is growing for personalised gifts in the home and living category, PMC are already storming the market with their range of wooden boards, cheese board sets and rolling pins to name a few. The range of slate is set to grow even bigger with designs and styles. They currently offer placemats and coasters available in sets or singularly. PMC also offer decorations and plaques which make great gift ideas. Gifts in this category always prove popular with consumers as they make usable gifts for a new home, couples and special birthday gifts. You can expect to see PMC launch unique ideas onto such products as cushion covers, clocks and candles in the very near future.

Anniversary gifts for the older couple can be very difficult to buy for as generally they tend to purchase gifts they want for themselves. PMC have extended their anniversary gifts across a range of products and design as a personalised gift is very unique. With a strong theme of quality and value, PMC offer stunning frames, glassware, crystal tokens for Silver, Ruby, Golden,

Diamond anniversaries and everything in between.

PMC will also be opening up an offering of photo upload gifts, with your own photo personalised on their product range including mugs, chocolate bars, balloons, candles and alcohol gifts.

What emerging trends will we expect to see from PMC in the coming year?

This year has seen an ever increasing trend of bakery and kitchen gifts.

PMC have a delicious selection of gifts perfect for any star baker or budding chef. As practical and useful items, these gifts will always prove to be popular. Gifts include aprons, rolling pins and mixing bowls. Kitchen gifts have seen huge sales over the year with such items as wooden chopping and cheese boards, slate boards, placemats and coasters.

As a nation of animal lovers, pet gifts remain a popular gift category, with consumers making the most to spoil the much loved family member. From practical gifts like pet bowls, placemats and blankets to keepsakes such as baubles, personalised calendars and photo frames. The range also extends to memorial hearts and tokens.

With such a vast product range and easy to use service. It is clear to see why PMC is the retailer’s number one choice as their only personalised gift supplier.

PMC Spring Fair Hall 5 Stand 5L20-M21

PMC has the qualities that retailers are looking for from a supplier.

The full range of personalised gifts from PMC is huge, allowing every retailer to find ranges or designs that suit them. From traditional engraved products such as Silverware, Glassware, Plush and China to contemporary gifts such as Slate, Mirror and Wood plus many more, with digital and direct print onto many practical and unique gifts. The number of ways these products can be person alised is remarkable, with a skilled workforce behind them, PMC are the experts in what they do.

New products are the key to the business, with new base products always in the pipeline. PMC provide an approach to keeping up with the changing demands of the market.

It’s reassuring to know that PMC is a

www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

gifts today 15

Personalised Memento Company

A Personalised Gift From Me to You

L

icenses are playing a big part in the gifts industry, they command a higher perceived value from a consumer perspective and if you get the right mix of well-known brand and desirable product you can guarantee success.

Personalised Memento Co have teamed up with Carte Blanche Greetings to offer Me to You personalised gifts. A huge number of products are available incorporating the well-loved Tatty Teddy seamlessly with personalisation. The range includes plush bears, mugs, chocolate bars, stationery, pencil cases and decorations. The newest additions to the portfolio are Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day ranges.

The Tatty Teddy brand was first created by Carte Blanche in 1995, and has fast become a number one selling brand; evolving into one of the UK’s top character brands, as it is unique and instantly recognisable. Tatty Teddy has captured hearts all over the world with the timeless message of friendship, happiness and love.

PMC’s in-house design team have been working hard over the past year to give Tatty Teddy the personal touch, working closely with the branding team to ensure the gentle characteristics 16 gifts today

remain intact as the loveable grey bear with a blue nose and patches.

The iconic Tatty Teddy is also part of the PMC range of plush personalised gifts – perfect for any occasion and personalised with a name. The bears make great sentimental and romantic keepsakes; adored by people of all ages.personalised with a name and perfect for any occasion. The bears are particularly popular amongst females in the 10–30 age group, although they make great sentimental and romantic keepsakes to be adored by people of all ages.

The launch of the partnership puts PMC at the forefront of licenses partnerships including Purple Ronnie, Forever Friends, Bang on the Door, Cotton Zoo, Maps, in addition to a huge catalogue of Football Clubs gifts.

Visit www.personalisedmemento. co.uk to see the full range of licensed gifts and more.

PMC Spring Fair Hall 5 Stand 5L20-M21

PMC’s in-house design team have been working hard over the past year to give Tatty Teddy the personal touch, working closely with the branding team to ensure the gentle characteristics remain intact as a loveable grey bear with blue nose and patches

GA news

A mixed picture – on and off the high street As Christmas approaches, GA chief executive Isabel Martinson stresses that what the national media presents as the retail picture in the UK isn’t necessarily a true reflection of what is actually happening nationwide.

Says Isabel: “It’s important to remember that the surveys on which newspapers and broadcasters sometimes base their stories are not representative of the gift and home industry. And nor are articles about failing phone retailers and disappointing supermarket results.

“The managing director of a large and well-known giftware supplier has written to me to dismiss downbeat headlines about failing retailers as misleading ‘rubbish’. My own feedback suggests a very mixed picture on and off the high street.

“There is no doubt that quite a few retailers are still struggling. But there are certainly strong sales for those who have an online element to their business and are prepared to go that extra mile by providing fantastic service and a memorable shopping experience. I have to agree with one of our members, Neil Coxon, of From You to Me, who says that if you do the right things, retail success is still there for the taking.

“As for suppliers, many of those who are offering newness and well designed and well made products are growing their markets. We look forward to seeing many of these products in Gift of the Year 2015, which closes for entries at midday on December 17.”

GA asks agency to ‘take a look at what we do’ The GA has appointed Barley House Group/Kanga Marketing to examine the association’s position in the gift and home industry and provide clear direction to help it fully reflect the dynamic creativity of the market.

During its research the branding agency will question existing GA members and other stakeholders, including trade fair organisers and lapsed members.

Says chief executive Isabel Martinson: “The GA took this initiative because our industry is now evolving at so fast a pace that it is vital we not only fulfil the existing needs of members, but also anticipate what these might be in the future.

“And we aim to discover their perceptions of The GA and find out if they are aware of all the services that we offer. To this end, there will be a comprehensive examination of our communications’ strategy to see whether there are any gaps that need to be filled.”

Isabel stresses that GA members should respond to any questionnaire they receive from the agency, and says: “Please help us to help you. We only have your interests at heart – and your views will shape how we try to look after you in the future.”

www.ga-uk.org

Web traffic up: retailers seek out new product as Christmas 2015 showroom is planned Traffic on The GA website has increased by 20% since March, with visitors making a beeline to the virtual showrooms to seek out new product.

Chief executive Isabel Martinson says the showrooms have become one of the site’s most popular features, and adds: “This is an easy and inexpensive way for suppliers to offer their products to our retailers and many of them are missing set-piece opportunities throughout the year to maximise their sales.

“We are now planning our virtual showroom for Christmas 2015 and already have 50 products from suppliers for display towards the end of this year and early next year. That’s when retailers will be doing the bulk of their buying for the season.

“I would urge those companies who haven’t yet submitted Christmas product to contact Michael from our team at michael.hardwick@ga-uk.org to book their places in the showroom.”

GA boost as it signs up almost 100 new members and 400plus subscribers The GA has signed up more than 400 retailer subscribers since January, giving the association’s supplier members a much larger target audience for their products. Almost 100 suppliers and retailers have also become full GA members during the year.

Comments chief executive Isabel Martinson: “We have worked hard throughout 2014 to give excellent service and present tangible benefits, so it’s gratifying that people on all sides of the industry continue to be attracted to what we offer.”

Members’ Day date The GA will hold its 2015 Members’ Day – which will include the AGM – at its Federation House headquarters in Birmingham on Wednesday, June 10. Members will again have the opportunity to hear inspirational speakers, attend industry ‘surgeries’ and network with fellow retailers and suppliers.

gifts today 17

Personalised Gifts

Picture courtesy of PMC

Getting personal

Is it time you turned your attention to the personalised gift category? There are so many benefits, here we take a look at this very specific gifting sector.

W

ho does not like to receive a present especially if it doesn’t happen to be Christmas or a

birthday?

If the gift is personalised, then it adds extra value because it shows that the giver has taken special care in choosing their present.

We spoke to a number of companies and retailers who specialise in personalised gifts to find out their take on a growing market.

Kristina Ruffell, of Personalised Memento Co, said: ‘At PMC we are ever evolving our product range and innovating what we do.

‘It’s clear to see that consumers are always looking for something special in that it’s personalised but also something unique and in some cases practical like our homeware gifts.’

Sue Grant from Widdop Bingham said: ‘Demand for personalised gifts is being driven by customers looking for that unique gift, particularly items that will become a treasured memory.

‘The more personalised touch adds extra perceived value allowing retailers to realistically achieve higher profit margins as customers are prepared to spend that little bit extra.

‘New technologies have led to combinations of exciting new designs with products which previously could not have been personalised. Laser engraving is leading the way for glass personalisation for example, allowing a larger number of products to be personalised over and above the traditional silver plate.

‘At Widdops there are literally hundreds of lines designed to be personalised from gifts to celebrate the birth of new baby, through to wedding and milestone birthdays.

Every occasion deserves a special, personalised gift.’

18 gifts today

Andrew Page of The Gift Shop in Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk, only started selling personalised gifts about six months ago.

‘Personalised items seemed a good way to increase our range and offerings. Competition is tough out there with online and customers demanding more. It was a good way to offer something new and interesting for the wedding market.

‘They are great from a business point of view because you don’t have to hold any stock. We have some samples in the shop but they are made to order so

‘Personalised items seemed a good way to increase our range and offerings.

Competition is tough out there with online and customers demanding more. It was a good way to offer something new and interesting for the wedding market.’

Andrew Page, The Gift Shop we don’t need to hold any stock.’

Tanya Ross of Solo Ltd understands that for some retailers, in house personalisation services are just not possible. Like many companies who offer personalised gifting items Solo Ltd offer a sound solution to their retail partners: ‘It’s difficult to offer a personalisation service in store.

Several years ago we launched a scheme that enabled retailers to offer personalisation on a range of products

that they would showcase in store, take the order, send us the details and we would drop ship back to the shop or direct to the customer.

‘It was a great up-sell feature, a means of collecting customer data, and with no stock commitment.

Unfortunately retailers saw this as a distraction and difficult to implement.

Now personalisation is a huge and growing market and a lot of retailers have to play catch-up with customer demand.

‘Personalisation is an on-line phenomenon that has mushroomed in the last five years; originally, it was the domain of specialist suppliers, but now virtually all major retailers with an online presence from Asda to Not-OnThe-High-Street offer personalisation.

This means rather than a cool novelty gift, personalised gifts have become a major part of the gifting experience with St Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day particular growth areas.

‘The ability to mine customer data is huge with personalisation, and it provides a natural re-marketing opportunity especially for birthdays and anniversaries.

‘We are constantly surprised at the messages we are asked to engrave on our gifts; sometimes sentimental, sometimes very risqué – it’s almost like a confessional and of course we’d never tell. But it does show that personalised gifts are bought right across the demographics; any age, any geographic area, and any income level.

‘Personalisation is different to supplying retail shops, it’s more like the promotional market; speed, reliability and communication are key, and our experience in a market where if you miss a deadline the event has passed and you might as well throw the gifts in the bin, means our customers can rely on us to deliver – Solo can supply plain

stock for personalisation or drop ship in 24 hours.’

Max Bramwell, managing director,

‘We’ve seen customers requesting all kinds of items to be personalised especially those with a higher price, this has been a trend where by customers are buying more higher priced items in comparison to in recent years where the majority of personalised gifts were lower priced items.’

Max Bramwell, personalise.co.uk Peronalise.co.uk, thinks that ‘It’s widely accepted by many people that when something has their name or message personal to them on an item it instantly has a higher value to them. It shows that rather than simply buying a generic gift the person has put thought into the gift and made it special for the person receiving it.

‘We’ve seen customers requesting all kinds of items to be personalised especially those with a higher price, this has been a trend where by customers are buying more higher priced items in comparison to in recent years where the majority of personalised gifts were lower priced items.’

RJB STONE The home of Sass and Belle Discover over 5000 beautiful Sass & Belle products at www.rjbstone.com and meet us at Top Drawer Stand L61 from 11-13th of January 2015.

Sass & Belle’s lovingly crafted, design-led gifts and decorative home accessories are a lot more loveable, a little bit quirky and a lot of fun. Available exclusively from RJB Stone, Sass & Belle’s fantastically designed ranges appeal to all ages, for all occasions and are synonymous with quirky-cool and feminine fun.

Minimum order £150, carriage paid £200. www.rjbstone.com +44 (0) 207 346 0100

Personalised Gifts

Bigjigs Toys

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Bigjigs Rail Name carriages are one of the most popular gift choices from Bigjigs Toys. They make the perfect addition to an existing rail system or the start of a new one that can grow and grow! Made from coloured wooden alphabet letters, these delightful carriages sit perfectly on the back of the wooden toy train carriages and can be connected to spell out the recipient’s name. Following the success of this range, Bigjigs have recently added orange and purple to the pre-existing four letter colours available. Each carriage comes with a magnetic coupling system that ensures they are compatible with all Bigjigs engines and other rolling stock. They are also compatible with Bigjigs Rail track and other major wooden railway brands.

Bigjigs also offer a range of wooden room accessories, which make wonderful, long-lasting gifts. Bigjigs’ Pirate Name Plaque and Fairy Name Plaque make lovely bespoke gifts to enhance the playful character of any room. Each name plaque

Tel: 01303 250400 Web: www.trade.bigjigstoys.com

Signature Gifts

Solo

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Signature Gifts boast one of the widest ranges of giftware in the UK, and since their merge with Personalised Gifts UK their range has become more diverse. As well as being one of the leaders in selling and producing bespoke children’s books, Signature now offer new ranges of ceramics, all of which are available for a large variety of occasions. From china baubles for new babies to trinket boxes for new brides, each quality ceramic gift is expertly printed to include a name or message of your choice. The perfect way to say what you want to say.

With their ever expanding designs and ranges of these premium ceramic and china, all made in-house and drop-shipped direct to your customers, make sure you watch this space as they only plan on getting bigger and better!

Tel: 01582 464 809 Web: www.signature-gifts.co.uk

is supplied with 60 adhesive letters and sticky fixers on the reverse. Each display pack contains a box of 12 assorted designs.

Bigjigs Toys have also welcomed Tatiri Wooden Alphabet Letters into their room accessory collection, including Crazy Birds, Crazy Clowns, Crazy Animals and Spots and Stripes ranges. These vibrant and colourful letters are perfect for decorating a bedroom, while adding a sense of unique fun and personality. Made from high quality materials, these letters come in two different varieties in each range and can be fixed on to objects with sticky fixers. Retailers can purchase starter packs which include a board, pegs and six letters for each alphabet character.

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Solo have been personalising metal gifts with diamond engraving for over 20 years, but over the last five years there has been a meteoric resurgence in personalisation driven by online innovations. In that time, Solo has seen their wholesale business change from having a handful of Personalisation customers to now accounting for 60% of the wholesale business. Director, Tanya Ross, says, “It’s amazing what can be personalised now, from bars of chocolate to dog blankets, but engraved gifts are still an integral ingredient of the personalisation mix, especially for weddings, christenings, and anniversaries.”

Solo supply plain stock to many personalisation customers who engrave themselves, but they can also engrave in-house and drop-ship direct to customers. Solo’s background in supplying time-sensitive engraved corporate gifts to the promotional market means they understand the expectations of online consumers who demand fast delivery and instant communication. Tanya explains, “Personalisation is different to supplying retail shops, it’s more like the promotional market; speed, reliability and communication are key, and our experience in a market where if you miss a deadline the event has passed and you might as well throw the gifts in the bin, means our customers can rely on us to deliver.”

Solo have eight computerised diamond engraving machines, a huge range of engraveable gifts and flexible processes all of which are vital for their personalisation service.

Tel: 01789 262900 Email: sales@sololtd.com Web: www.sololtd.com 20 gifts today

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GiftScribes offer a wonderful selection of personalisable, high quality, resin-based, free-standing table tops. The clever designs focus on Seasonal and humorous themes as well as family celebrations at Christmas and allow for single or multiple names to be added free hand at the point of sale, or by the customer.

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Neviti

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TTTT There’s nothing quite like adding a personal touch to your table accessories and decorations for your special occasion. Neviti have some fantastic items with just this in mind including a wide variety of place cards, guest books and luggage tags. Some particularly nice options include the laser cut place cards which are available in a variety of designs, with free standing versions to place on your party tables or options which can sit on wine glasses, flutes and tumblers. Easy to use, simply personalise with your guests names to add a decorative flourish to your table settings or glassware. The chalkboard signs and place markers are great for personalising for parties and celebrations, with the option to add your own messages with chalk, which you can then wipe off and re-use again for the next special occasion. Neviti also offer a wide selection of guest books including pre-printed designs which include plenty of blank pages for guests to fill with their own special messages or if you’re looking for something more unique why not create your own guest book cover with the plain varieties they have to offer. For gifts or wedding favours Neviti have a fantastic choice of tags with beautiful designs, perfect for adding your own personalised messages.

Tel: 01494 472311 Web: www.cscimports.com

Personalised Memento Company SSSS Slate is becoming one of the most fashionable home and garden accessories, PMC has a personalised design to suit everyone. They make great gifts for young and old. PMC’s Slate Plaque is one their best sellers to personalise individually for any garden, shed, garage or even man cave!

With a drop ship service you can rely on, PMC are the number one choice for a personalised gifts supplier.

Tel: 01782 744 900 Web: www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

RJB Stone XXXX Reacting to the market’s demand for sentimental gifts, RJB Stone focus on positive words and phrases with their inspirational Sass & Belle sayings collection. Through uplifting tokens and plaques, customers can reach out to their friends and family and show that they care. For people who want to express their individuality, RJB Stone provide unique designs full of character and carrying bold messages. The wonderful originality of RJB Stone’s products captures the unique relationships that people share. With a huge range of sayings on gifts and accessories, including mugs, plaques and frames; moments are made memorable with RJB Stone.

Fall in Love with RJB Stone, the home of Sass & Belle @ Top Drawer Stand L61.

Their Minimum order is only £150 and they offer free shipping within UK mainland for orders above £200.

Tel: 0207 346 0100 Web: www.rjbstone.com gifts today 22

!

R

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Special - Brian Wiseman of Present Company

n a m e s i n W u r n y r e t t Bria i j on a o Christmas up t

Brian Wiseman

T

rade certainly hasn’t been all bad this Autumn, but I am finding it a tad unnerving.

Government sources would like us to believe that the long deep economic downturn has all but ended. The reality is rather more complicated. Most reports I hear suggest that, at last, things are improving. Here at Present Company we are certainly making some very good sales indeed and more of them.

But although some customers seem to be regaining their appetite for shopping, many more seem cautious and hesitant.

Many look around and leave. Many retailers tell me that they simply fear that they are stocking their shops with the wrong products and that we have all lost our way.

Louise and I spent a mid-November Sunday in London. Stores were packed and nowhere more so than the massively wonderful Christmas department at the top of Liberty where we fought our way through the swarming crowds. But the tills were curiously deserted and few shoppers carried bags.

Meanwhile, the unprecedented volume and scope of special offers from our suppliers suggest that not all is entirely 24 gifts today

Part of Present Company’s reinvention as a 21st century enterprise has been the acquisition of EPoS and a multichannel stock control system.

We last investigated the possibilities in 2002 when we were advised that a system would cost at least £14k

well in the home and gift trade this Christmas. And that’s before we consider the apocalypse facing the supermarket sector . . . .

Tesco’s well publicised problems have not exactly brought a flood of sympathy.

“Karma” is mentioned, a sense that the company stands accused of wrecking traditional trading communities with their out of town turreted temples dedicated to Mammon. The continuous allegations that staff and suppliers alike are unhappy brings a sense that perhaps, just perhaps, we reap as we sow. Hubris and arrogance have undermined vastly successful retailers before Tesco. Marks and Spencer, once the unassailable giant of UK retailing springs to mind.

Part of Present Company’s reinvention as a 21st century enterprise has been the acquisition of EPoS and a multi-channel stock control system. We last investigated the possibilities in 2002 when we were advised that a system would cost at least £14k. Fearing then that such a system would enslave us as we stocked in excess of 15,000 product lines, we deferred a decision indefinitely. We have chosen Linnworks. Our selection was based very largely on our internet research of technical issues, features and we gave very considerable weight to users’ reviews of the systems they had selected. A generation ago we all looked towards the Consumers Association and its publication “Which?” as the only authoritative and independent source for decision making when we wanted a new washing machine. Every new issue would top the media with stories of best value yoghurt makers and the like.

Looking closer at online reviews So, in the new internet age I could see both sides of the story when an allegedly naff Blackpool hotel drew fierce criticism for taking a £100 “fine” from a disgruntled customer’s credit card for the offence of

posting a negative review on tripadvisor.

The hotel defended itself with the rather innovative response that residents agree upon checking in to pay the penalty for making unfavourable reviews and duly sign their consent. Trading Standards have investigated and the charge apparently refunded. I well understand that tripadvisor has a propensity to polarise opinion and I also understand that the customer is gaining the upper hand. Customers’ views can be unreasonable and some give the impression that nothing is good enough for them, but we all need to aspire to high standards and blaming our customers is rarely a valid response.

But there is a twist to this story. The highly respected travel writer Simon Calder thought the hotel represented rather good value for money even if its décor is marooned in the seventies. And here perhaps is the problem; the public likes cheap prices but seems confused when quality is compromised by price.

For some time we have been concerned that the public is losing all track of prices, very probably a result of relentless price promotion throughout the retail industry.

A man was utterly astonished in Present Company last week when Louise told him that his budget of £10 would not purchase the “Large chunky sterling silver bracelet,” he was wishing to give his wife. His sense of entitlement wounded, he departed our store vowing, “I’m off to find somewhere cheaper.”

Happy Christmas to you all!

Brian Wiseman has owned home and gift shop Present Company in Burgess Hill, West Sussex for 27 years. The business has recently relocated following the expiry of the lease. Brian’s wife Louise is buyer. She is trying hard to contain her impatience with a public who less and less knows the price or value of anything. brian_presentco@yahoo.co.uk

Picture courtesy of Beefayre

Well Being

There’s nothing like pampering oneself or one’s home especially in these dark winter nights.

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of a log fire whilst filling the home with beautiful aromas.

‘Our customers are 80 per cent women but we get men in to buy gifts for their wife or girlfriend for their birthday or anniversary so pointing them in the direction of candles is always a good move.’

After a career buying props for impressionist Rory Bremner’s television shows for nine years, Laura Forsyth opened The Village Trading Store in Acton, west London a fortnight before Christmas in 2009.

beefayre iinspired in n by nature

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Rob Tyler, Di Palomo

different people. They tend to bracket for who they are buying for.

‘In the run up to Christmas people tend to spend a bit more but if they are budgeting they will just go for the candles. It’s swings and roundabouts.

‘We have some little bespoke cushions with messages on them like “Don’t take life too seriously”. They are miniature.’

bee

na

‘Over the winter months consumers look for products that not only offer indulgent relaxation but products that offer protection and nourishment for their skin.

Fragrance layering is exceptionally good for maximum effect and longer lasting fragrance.’

‘The diffusers go well because they give off a constant smell and the candles are good for buying as a gift if someone is moving in or an anniversary present. Diffusers are now a bigger trend than candles.

‘A nice trend is people buying for themselves. The candles are from £15 up to £25 whereas the diffuser begins at £28. So it’s different brackets for

f

do well. I don’t think there are many people who think of Christmas and don’t like fragrances.

‘One of our most popular lines is Woodwick – a popular self-buy. The candles have a special wooden wick and are made from natural, organic, wood so they crackle as they burn to give the soothing, comforting sound

bee

F

rom candles that make a room smell lovely as well as giving it that homely feel to products to make skin feel lovely and soft, there’s nothing wrong with feeling good.

Sharon Jervis, the founder of Beefayre, commented: ‘People are always looking for the feel good factor.

Life is busy, rushed and chaotic so consumers want new ways they can raise their spirits – through fragrance in candles and diffusers in particular.

Our Winter Scents collection is the ideal feel good range for Christmas time – filling rooms with a warm and comforting winter aroma.’

Rob Tyler, the sales director for Di Palomo, says: ‘Over the winter months consumers look for products that not only offer indulgent relaxation but products that offer protection and nourishment for their skin. Fragrance layering is exceptionally good for maximum effect and longer lasting fragrance.

‘The Di Palomo White Grape with aloe range is perfect. Start with the Bath and Shower Cream, it contains grape extract, Aloe Vera extract and pro-vitamin B5, all of which keep the skin soft and supple leaving a gentle scent on the skin, followed by Body Butter with over 30 per cent natural cocoa blended with coconut oil which is designed to instantly be absorbed by the skin. Top with the Lip Balm, and Eau De Parfum and you have created different levels of fragrance layering that will last. Little and often is the key.’

Andrew Page of The Gift Shop in Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk, said: ‘We are in a touristy area but September to February is our main selling time for candles. With Christmas approaching our fragranced candles

red by

t: 01858 434492 e: sales@beefayre.com www.beefayre.com gifts today 25

Well Being

Beefayre

SSSS

Modern life is far from relaxing. Working mums, long work hours, financial cut backs… the list goes on. With these increasingly hectic lifestyles we have seen an growth in people looking for products that will give them that feel good factor in the few minutes they have to themselves at the end of the day. Injecting a sense of calm and relaxation in to the home through candles and reed diffusers can really lift people’s moods, help them feel at ease and encourage rest. The Beefayre range of candles and diffusers are an affordable treat and a great way to uplift.

Beefayre’s range of scented candles are hand poured and made with 100% natural plant wax and have cotton wicks. The exceptional burn times and lasting fragrances ensure the calming benefits of the collections can be enjoyed for longer. Popular calming fragrances include Linden Blossom and Honey Lily from the Bee Garden range along with Winter Scent and Winter Berries from the Winter Scent collection.

Beefayre products also give the ultimate feel good factor to customers as all products bought are inspired by nature and the plight of the honeybee. By buying Beefayre products customers are directly helping to save bees – as 3% of the company’s profits are donated to bee conservation.

Xystos

SSSS

According to Xystos general manager Tom Sykes, stand-out packaging and deft display are essential when it comes to differentiating the company’s well-being products from those of its competitors.

The Naked Bee from Xystos is presented in understated packaging that is reminiscent of bygone days. The products have old-fashioned values, too, boasting that they comprise ‘All the good stuff, none of the bad stuff’.

The collection of natural personal care products is offered in compact travel sizes which are designed to fit on an in-store display – a boon for retailers at Christmas.

New is the Lavender & Beeswax Absolute range, which comprises hand and body lotion, organic lip balm, ultra-rich body butter and hand wash.

The range also includes a skin conditioning shampoo and conditioner with honey and spirulina; triple milled oatmeal soap with saponified beeswax and guar gum, and restoration foot balm.

The products are paraben-free and have no dyes or pigment, propylene glycol or mineral oil, lauryl or laureth sulfate. And absolutely no animal testing is ever involved in their making.

According to Xystos general manager Tom Sykes, “people are now spending a significant amount of money on well-being products and are increasingly conscious about what they use on their bodies and put in their baths.”

Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk Web: www.xystostrade.co.uk 26 gifts today

Tel: 01858 434492 Web: www.beefayre.com

Di Palomo

SSSS

Over the winter months consumers look for products that not only offer indulgent relaxation but products that offer protection and nourishment for their skin. Fragrance layering is exceptionally good for maximum effect and longer lasting fragrance.

The Di Palomo White Grape with Aloe range is perfect. Start with the Bath and Shower Cream, it contains grape extract, Aloe Vera extract and pro-vitamin B5, all of which keep the skin soft and supple leaving a gentle scent on the skin, followed by Body Butter with over 30% natural cocoa blended with coconut oil which is designed to instantly be absorbed by the skin. Top with the Lip Balm, and Eau De Parfum and you have created different levels of fragrance layering that will last. Little and often is the key.

Tel: 01803 612772 Web: www.dipalomo.com

Tech Talk

Get your tech right By: Alastair Peck, Managing Director, Seven Hills Business Ltd

T

echnology and I.T. are becoming more a part of the Gift and Greeting Card industry and staying efficient and ahead of the game can be a real challenge. I.T. is often seen as an irritant rather than a helpful part of a business. Requirements from customers and suppliers can change very rapidly and this can become either very time consuming or costly to keep up with.

Having been in and around the Gift and Greeting Card industry for many years and an I.T. Geek from a very young age, I understand that choosing the right I.T. systems for your requirements and budget is not always easy. You don’t want to have to pay for hundreds of features in a system if you only use a handful of them, but then again you don’t want to buy systems that become obsolete as your business changes.

At Seven Hills Business, we work with our customers on an ongoing basis to ensure that every area of the business is covered, from general I.T. support in the office and out on the road for iPads, mobile phones and printers etc. to order processing systems and writing bespoke apps to solve those little

problems that just don’t get covered by standard systems. Whether your requirements are large or small there’s almost always a solution and finding it or creating it is what we do.

The approach we take is to identify what your actual requirements are across all areas of your business. Then either provide an I.T. system to deal with it from our array of solutions or help you implement an off the shelf solution from another provider. That way we can keep the costs down by only charging for things you are actually using.

So if you have frustrations with your I.T. systems in the office, warehouse or out on the road then drop us an email or give us a call and we will see if our approach suits your company.

Email: Office@SevenHillsBusiness.com Tel: 0114 296 5878

01225 868788 email: contact@heavenscent.co.uk www.heavenscent.co.uk Facebook.com/heaven scent incense, Twitter heaven scent incense @SarahBellis1 gifts today 27

Retail Interview Armstrong Ward

Having a strong hold on retail Armstrong Ward was established by husband and wife team (Jacqueline and Andrew Ward) in 2005 in the Lake District market town of Kendal. By combining their knowledge of homeware, furniture, marketing and commercial skills, Armstrong Ward has flourished into the destination store it is today.

Can you tell us a little about the history of Armstrong Ward?

We began online retailing in 2009 and doubled our floor space and added a small (but perfectly formed) cafe in 2011.

Penny Franks had the pleasure to question owners Jacqueline and Andrew Ward, of Armstrong Ward, Carlisle.

When we set up Armstrong Ward our market research showed there was an opportunity locally for design led gifts, homemade and good quality upholstery. The aim we had then remains the same today What was the inspiration behind the store?

When we set up Armstrong Ward our market research showed there was an opportunity locally for design led gifts, homemade and good quality upholstery. The aim we had then remains the same today to have a huge array of products unsurpassed locally, imaginatively displayed with unassuming yet attentive customer service

28 gifts today

What type of customers do you experience in an average day?

I think whilst we have a core type of customers, the beauty of a store like ours is that we have a huge range of customers. These range from someone

popping in to stock up on greetings cards, a gift for that special occasion, to someone looking to refurbish their home or meet friends for a regular coffee.

Do you have a particular gift category that performs well for you?

This can vary across the year. Many of our suppliers, for example, Emma Bridgewater, John Sankey, Maileg, Moulin Roty, we have stocked since day one and have built up product

awareness and in turn have become a destination store locally and online. It always surprises me how well greetings cards tick along and also toys and children’s gifts. Many customers return to us every year from around the country just to do their Christmas shopping.

What’s been the most amusing gift item that a customer has requested?

We get asked for Kendal Mint Cake quite a lot, most often we are asked for gifts with unusual or quirky animals on them, e.g. tortoises, meerkats, pigs, to name a few.

How do you keep abreast of seasonal trends?

We are pretty obsessive about new products and trends. We are always pouring over homeware glossy mags and trade literature and usually make a point of visiting an inspirational store, venue or cafe whenever we travel.

Is there a notable swing in sales during the differing seasons?

We see peaks for all the seasonal occasions, but our biggest season by far is Christmas.

What is your busiest time of year and how far in advance do you plan your stock for this?

We buy for Christmas from January through to last minute orders that are in season. Literally nine months of the year depending on the category What about your website – how does this operate alongside your shop?

Our website is run as an additional sales channel through our shop till system, orders are picked and packed in store. We stock a small proportion online of the range available in store.

customers in a relaxed candlelit shop with a glass of something nice and raise funds for a local charity. This is very much a feel good night for all involved.

Recently you won ‘Retailer of the Year’ at the CN Group Business Awards – how did you achieve this?

As CN Group announced the retailer of the year award they said “the shop that has it all, with fantastic customer service at every point” I think that sums Armstrong Ward up perfectly and achieving that is a huge team effort and both Andrew and myself are supported by a great team, who also love our products and are dedicated to doing their upmost to serve our customers.

We are pretty obsessive about new products and trends. We are always pouring over homeware glossy mags and trade literature and usually make a point of visiting an inspirational store, venue or cafe whenever we travel

Do you attend trade shows? How important are these to your business?

Trade shows are vital we attend at least ten every year across all categories.

How important is your website and social media to you?

Our website and social media are an increasingly important part of our marketing mix. Online sales typically mirror the store in terms of the seasonal peaks.

You have a charity Christmas event that takes places yearly at your shop – can you tell us a little about this?

Our charity evening has become somewhat of a tradition, this year is our 10th anniversary and we have some customers who have attended each year!

It’s as much a social event as anything and an opportunity to chat to our loyal

Finally, what about the future?

Can we expect any exciting announcements?

Watch this space! gifts today 29

Picture courtesy of Personalised Memento Co

Books

Read all

about it!

Books – the gift that never needs batteries or upgrading

W

e live in an age when everything seems to be digital from films to music, so it is great to see books holding their own as a form of entertainment as well as information and education.

In fact, the idea of books as gifts – often personalised – has never been so popular.

that is helped by selling books of local interest. ‘Our best sellers are local books. We carry a lot of local histories.

We can compete against the forces out there with those. We do signing sessions for local rugby players. They are very popular providing we can get the books at a reasonable discount from the publishers.

‘We can’t compete on price with the likes of amazon and Waterstones but

“The great thing about children’s books is that they are perceived as a gift with added value, not just for fun but also with an extra dimension of education and information that parents and grandparents absolutely love to give.”

Sarah Campbell, House of Marbles We asked a number of companies about their experiences in this exciting area.

Kristina Ruffell of Personalised Memento Co said: ‘At PMC we find our drop-ship personalised books work well for our retailers as they don’t have to hold stock of some of the more niche product lines.

‘Our core product ranges are children’s gift books including story and colouring books. Other ranges ideal for birthdays, Christmas sports books and our newest range of sentiment and joke books are all personalised with a name or message for a keepsake.’

Gareth Evans is the manager of Victoria Bookshop in Haverford West, Pembrokeshire. He says that his shop is holding its own on book sales and 30 gifts today

if the book is signed we have half a chance.

‘We sell books but also pens, cigarettes, sweets, toys… if we only sold books I think we’d have a hard job to survive.’

Sarah Campbell from House of Marbles has a particular take on books for younger readers. She says: ‘The great thing about children’s books is that they are perceived as a gift with added value, not just for fun but also with an extra dimension of education and information that parents and grandparents absolutely love to give.

‘In this hectic digital age the appeal of a good book is as strong as ever – what child doesn’t love a good, oldfashioned bedtime story?

‘At House of Marbles we believe that

any retailer offering a children’s range should consider stocking books and should be looking for interesting and unique titles that aren’t found all over the internet or in traditional booksellers.

‘The House of Marbles range is carefully hand-picked for gift and toy retailers to offer books with something a little bit extra-special that kids will love and will be a joy to give and to own.

‘For grown-ups, gift books are the perfect impulse buy or stocking filler.

At Christmas, humorous, witty and

‘Our best-selling lines are children’s books, educational and self-help books.

‘We have quite a large Irish section but we have taken a hit on bestsellers. We can’t compete with the big supermarkets.

‘We do quite well on book orders where we can get books for people but not so well with people off the street.

‘I fear books are slowly going the way of music – all digital.’

Katherine Grant from Signature Books said: ‘We definitely see more

“Our best-selling lines are children’s books, educational and self-help books.”

Tom Sheehy jr, Sheehy’s, Cookstown informative gift books sell in enormous quantities and are certainly a fantastic answer to the age-old question of what to get for a man.

‘We offer a variety of different themes such as gardening, food and drink or puzzle books – this tends to work well with specific gift areas for a retailer so the books can be sold in conjunction with complementary products, hopefully generating add-on sales and happy customers.’

Tom Sheehy jr from Sheehy’s in Cookstown, County Tyrone, has found that his independent shop has also taken a hit on book sales thanks to kindle.

books being bought by older relatives buying books for babies. The idea that the child can bond with a parent or grandparent whilst being read to appeals to people looking for the perfect baby gift.’

She added: ‘The retailer benefits of Signature is that we offer unpersonalised versions of our most popular books which can be stocked in bulk, bringing them to the public in a more convenient way. Garden Centres, book and toy shops do very well with our activity books as they’re the perfect impulse buy, for as little as £7.99 parents have a treat for their children that’s not a bag of sweeties.’

Books

Enesco

TTTT

DEMDACO’s enchanting Kelly Rae Roberts giftware collection goes from strength to strength this summer, with the addition of six innovative gift books. Each beautifully illustrated full colour book is designed to co-ordinate with a figurine and to complement its uplifting sentiments. Amongst the six figurines are three new models - Dear Friend, Thankful Heart and Embrace Change.

Within the 32-page gift books, Kelly Rae’s distinctive and intricate collage-based artistic style illuminates her thoughtful and inspirational text. Perfect for numerous gift occasions, for expressing gratitude and love, and acknowledging kindness and joy, the exquisitely created books include a card that can be personalised for the recipient.

The new Dear Friend pair of Gift Book and Figurine celebrates the loyalty and love underpinning friendship.

The figurine is decorated with sentiments such as ‘I count my lucky stars for you every single day’ and the Gift Book continues the heart-warming messages, acknowledging how friendship encourages an individual ‘to become who I was meant to be’.

Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk Web: www.enesco.co.uk

Signature Books

TTTT

Signature Gifts definitely have a lot to boast about when it comes to bespoke book gifts. Their children’s books are unique due to their team of in-house designers and writers.

From books teaching numbers, the alphabet to ones about Halloween and the importance of brushing your teeth, each of their book s has its own colourful story and message.

These stories are primarily aimed at pre-school children, teaching them with each story that learning is educational and fun.

What better way is there to encourage them than with books that have been created just for them? Engaging children who can recognise and enjoy seeing their own name on each page, each child’s book has 3 elements of personalisation. Their name in the story gives them the perfect head start in learning to read as they are guaranteed to already know at least one word within the book. The excitement of finding their name within the pictures and seeing the creative way in which this is done adds a new dimension to the book, meaning the child engages more. The giver can include their own words for the child, meaning that long after the books have been outgrown they can still be cherished as a unique gift full of sentiment.

Tel: 01582 464 809 Web: www.signature-gifts.co.uk

GiftScribes Gifts Limited

T

he Tale of the Tooth Fairy is a classic and traditional tale that has delighted young children for many years.

GiftScribes offer a wonderful storybook set incorporating a hard-back book full of magical, original hand-painted watercolour illustrations and either a boy or girl Tooth Fairy soft doll. Wearing brightly coloured clothes and a pair of delicate pretty wings, every doll carries a tooth pouch that – with a little help – magically replaces a lost tooth with money overnight.

The storybook and Tooth Fairy are presented in a beautifully illustrated and ribbon-tied gift box that is sturdy enough to be given as a keepsake that should last for years and even pass down from one generation to the next.

The Tale of the Tooth Fairy storybook set is part of the Special Moments range and makes a perfect keepsake gift for children of 4 years+. GiftScribes can provide a FREE display cabinet that features the same watercolour illustrations, with single orders of 24 pieces or more. RRP £ 20.00

Tel: 01584 811 190 Email: sales@giftscribes.co.uk Web: www.giftscribes.co.uk 32 gifts today

Story telling with a smile

Share a traditional tale and pass a gift through the generations. The Tale of the Tooth Fairy storybook set includes a soft boy or girl fairy doll with a magic tooth pouch, a beautifully illustrated hard back book with original handpainted watercolours and a sturdy ribbon-tied keepsake gift box.

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Hardbacks, RRP ÂŁ12.99 each

(P UP www.giftscribes.co.uk F.BJM sales@giftscribes.co.uk $BMM 01584 811 190

Íť Generous trade discounts Íť Stock available on sale-or-return Íť Point-oĨ-sale disĆ&#x2030;laÇ&#x2021; oĆ&#x2030;Ć&#x;ons available Íť Personal service from experienced sales team &or more informaĆ&#x;on or to place an order, contact Ç&#x2021;our hsborne derritorÇ&#x2021; DanaĹ?er â&#x20AC;&#x201C; contact details at www.usborne.com/uksales

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Books

Usborne Publishing WWWW Write and Draw Your Own Comics is an awesome activity book for budding comic artists to draw their own comic strips, with simple stepby-step instructions, lots of handy tips and hints and all the devices employed in ‘real’ comics. Includes ideas for characters and storylines, sample comic strips and drawing tips.

Peep inside Night Time is a charming, simple and beautifully illustrated lift-the-flap book for little children. Little fingers can lift the flaps in scenes of dark, quiet, sleepy night-time... and reveal the busy activity beneath such as owls looking for food, bakers making bread for the morning and a sleeper train travelling through the night. This is a lovely introduction to the nocturnal world, perfect for sharing with little ones at bed time.

My First Keyboard Book is a sturdy keyboard attached to a book of well-known tunes, with colour-coded notes so that even very young children can pick out the tunes. With delightful illustrations, this is a lovely gift that can be taken anywhere.

Tel: 020 7430 2800 Web: www.usborne.com

Personalised Memento Company TTTT

These unique Helen Exley books are personalised by PMC and a great gift ideas for a special occasion or birthday. Retail prices start from £9.99 they are available as sentimental Gift Books for Mum, Grandma and Grandpa. Joke books include Old Wrecks, Golf and Football.

Other humorous books include Poor Dad and Poor Mum ideal for Mother’s and Father’s Day. Each one is personalised on the cover and a special message included on the inner sleeve.

Personalised Memento Company offer the largest range of personalised gifts covering all occasions, most of the range is personalised and despatched in 24 hours.

Tel: 01782 744 900 Web: www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

Stand out from the crowd XXXX From early learning and activity for children to wit, wisdom and interesting facts for adults - House of Marbles has a comprehensive and unique collection of gorgeous gift books for the independent retailer.

In this age of e-readers, supermarket fiction and giant internet book retailing it is so important to make your book range stand out from the crowd. So offer your customers something truly unique and gorgeous from the House of Marbles range, handpicked and carefully selected to be the very best in literary education and entertainment – often with an added dimension such as a model kit, popups, puppets or crafts to enhance the title and turn a simple book into a fabulous gift. At House of Marbles they think books are a serious business!

Tel: 01626 835358 Web: www.houseofmarbles.com 34 gifts today

Exports - a world of opportunities

Written by: Roope Aaltonen, UKTI, International Trade Adviser

Have you ever wondered whether there is potential for selling your product or service beyond these shores, but don’t know how to get started? Or perhaps you’re already trading in a number of international markets and feel that the time is right to take on new challenges, but aren’t sure where to look next?

T

he UK accounts for less than 3% of the global economy, and even less of the world population, so for most UK companies the vast majority of growth opportunities are inevitably elsewhere.

And while many Western industrialised countries are struggling to get their economies growing again, there are parts of the world where growth rates hardly even dipped into single digits. However, many companies are hesitant to explore these markets as many are rather exotic, geographically far away and can be considered “challenging”. Of course, before you even look into anything too exotic, you should explore opportunities much closer to home. The combined economy of the rest of the EU is already five or six times the size of the UK, and much of that is just across the Channel.

Even in those more familiar markets, starting to develop exports can still seem daunting, especially if you’re new to exporting and doing it alone. But the good news is, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is here to assist you every step of the way. We have International Trade Advisers based near you, and an international network with offices in over 100 countries, all with first-hand experience of international trade. We can help you work your way through anything from strategic to operational issues and everything in between. Yes, it will still require careful planning and plenty of effort, but at least you will have someone by your side who has “been there and done it” and whom you can rely on for helpful, unbiased advice.

So why not get in touch? It won’t cost you anything, and who knows, you could be tapping into some of those global opportunities sooner than you think.

Top Tips 1. Think through the customer value of what you’re offering and how your product or service fits into your target market.

Then question your assumptions, or better yet, ask your UKTI adviser to play the devil’s advocate.

2. Select your target markets carefully and don’t take on too many at once. Focusing on one or two well-chosen markets is far more likely to result in success.

3. Understand any technical or legal issues such as product safety testing, trademark protection, import duties, labelling, etc., before you ship your first order, to avoid any nasty surprises.

4. Make sure you get paid – that £10k purchase order may look tempting, but what if it turns into a £10k bad debt?

5. Don’t sign up the first distributor who approaches you; it would be quite a coincidence if they were to be the best partner for you. A good way to tell whether they suit your needs is to ask for an outline marketing plan and some sales projections – distributors who come back with something sensible may well be worth talking to further.

Market Focus A few rules of thumb when choosing your next market: • If you cannot narrow down your target markets to five or less, you probably haven’t quite thought through what your USP really is. Your opportunities may be broadly in, say, the Middle East, but Saudi Arabia is a completely different market from Egypt or Qatar. It’s unlikely that every country in that region is equally promising.

• The Nordics, Benelux and the Republic of Ireland are sometimes referred to as ”starter markets”, because, for many, they’re as easy as exporting is likely to get. All are open economies that are used to dealing across borders, English is widely spoken, the business culture is very similar to ours, business is done in a transparent way, the rule of law prevails and payments are usually made promptly.

• Generally speaking, there is a correlation between the size of the market and the difficulty of breaking into it. Within Europe, Germany and France tend to be the most challenging markets for many products and services. On a global scale, the likes of India, China, Brazil, USA and Japan all take considerable planning, commitment and know-how. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go after these bigger markets, but you need to have a good strategy, and some successes under your belt, before attempting them.

UK Trade & Investment is the government organisation helping exporters succeed in overseas markets. We provide practical business advice and information on all aspects of trading internationally.

To find out more about exporting and how UKTI can help you, please visit www.gov.uk/ukti or contact our customer service team on: TEL: 020 7215 5000 EMAIL: enquiries@ukti.gsi.gov.uk gifts today 35

Gifts Today helps get the main buying season off to a flying start with an early preview of the UK’s most important retail trade exhibition

Keeping our sights on Spring 1st - 5th February 2015

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s UK consumers get into some serious Christmas shopping, Gifts Today has its sights firmly fixed on Spring Fair where store owners go to do some big-time buying of their own.

The focus of this attention naturally is Spring Fair International, the UK’s largest retail trade exhibition, home to around 3,000 exhibitors – hundreds of them new to the show in 2015 – and around 300,000 new product launches.

Due to take place from February 1 – 5* at The NEC, Birmingham, Spring Fair incorporates to no less than 14 different market sectors: Gift; Contemporary Gift; Greetings & Gift; Children’s Gift, Toys & Gadgets; Christmas Gift, Floral & Seasonal Decoration; Gift, Home & Volume; Home; Table & Kitchen; Fashion Jewellery, Accessories & Luggage; Body & Bath; The Summerhouse; The Party Show; Retail Shop and Jewellery & Watch Birmingham.

One of the most exciting new developments for 2015 event will be the unveiling of Spring Fair’s transformed Home sector, which has been relocated to Hall 1. This new location puts the rebranded Home – formerly Home Interiors & Furniture 36 gifts today

right at the forefront of the show, where it represents one of the most important growth areas for both Spring Fair and the wider retail trade.

As consumers slowly but steadily loosen their purse strings and get

abundance at Home, where space was sold out well in advance of the show opening in February.

This sector of Spring Fair has grown by 64 per cent compared with the 2014 event and has attracted dozens more

As ever, superb cross-over buying opportunities will be available in abundance from Spring Fair’s 14 different show sectors, covering everything from the best in table, kitchen and contemporary home products to greetings cards, giftwrap and the latest must-have toys for Christmas back into the business of home improvement, buyers are on the lookout for the fresh new product and excellence of design that will win them customers in today’s competitive market. They will find those products in

exhibitors, including several that are new to the show this year.

As the name suggests, Home encompasses everything that can be found in the traditionally stylish or contemporary Home, from Scandi

chic, European classic and occasional furniture to beautiful textiles, home accessories, lighting and Spring Fair’s extensive offering of wall art.

Other product ranges on offer in this part of the show will encompass soft furnishings, lighting, all categories of furniture and decorative accessories.

A total of some 200 companies will exhibit within Home, including many from the UK and overseas that have chosen to exhibit at Spring Fair for the first time next year, such as: Light & Living, Baroque International, Chic Antique, Du Bout Du Monde, Imabari Towel, i4Dzine Ltd, Home Elements, Jam Jar Lights, Bramwell Brown, D B Mirrors, Petti Rossi and Zenitart.

They join an array of industry bellwethers and market leading companies including: Coach House, Voyage Decoration, CIMC, Evans Lichfield, Authenic Models BV, Robert Harrop Designs, Premier Housewares, Hill Interiors, Dutch Imports, Pacific Lifestyle and McGowan & Rutherford.

Get into the Gifting Spirit Along with a fabulous offering of homeware, Spring Fair is of course renowned for having perhaps the biggest and best selection of Gifts you can find anywhere in the UK, bringing together some fantastic suppliers from around the world.

One of our first ports of call during the show will be to the Contemporary Gift Halls 6 and 7, which at the time of going to press had confirmed 7 per cent more suppliers compared with 2014 and many that are new to the show next year, such as: Plastic Head Distribution, Teklassic Europe, Briers, Brisa Entertainment, DieStadgartner, Bettimay and Quarto Publishing Group.

The Contemporary Gift Design Lab feature area, now going into its third year, will once again be located in Hall 6, where it will provide a carefully edited launch platform for 16 new and original designers, including: Izzy Rainey, Julian F Bond, Have a Gander, Jin Designs,

In-Spaces Ltd, Port & Lemon, Mel Smith Designs, E-iMC, Archie Mac London, Dangly Hearts, Roome Works and Colourful Dove.

These exciting new designers will join some of the best known brands supplying the UK and international contemporary gift market, many of which you can look forward to reading about in our main Gifts Today Spring Fair preview, due to be published in the February issue.

Also located within Hall 6 of Contemporary Gift at Spring Fair will be the renowned Designgap presentation of unique British artisans and other designer makers, showcasing their beautiful hand-crafted products and artwork.

As ever, superb cross-over buying opportunities will be available in abundance from Spring Fair’s 14 different show sectors, covering everything from the best in table, kitchen and contemporary home products to greetings cards, giftwrap and the latest must-have toys for Christmas.

One very important gifting category is represented by Body & Bath, with 84 UK and international suppliers in this category located across Halls 6 and 20. Further aromatic inspiration can be found from dozens of market leading home fragrance specialists located across halls 5 and 6.

More inspirational design-led gifts can be found in Hall 8, home to The Summerhouse showcase, which is to feature 35 prestigious companies with products ranging from plush gifts and homeware to outdoor furniture and stylish decorations.

Supporting the aspirational lifestyle theme running through the contemporary and design-led gift halls will be the Trends & Innovation Theatre, located in Hall 6. A popular centrepiece for Spring Fair, the Trends & Innovation Theatre will provide insight into key seasonal trends from the renowned World Global Style Network (WGSN),

Along with a fabulous offering of homeware, Spring Fair is of course renowned for having perhaps the biggest and best selection of Gifts you can find anywhere in the UK, bringing together some fantastic suppliers from around the world while the adjacent trend bar will supply ample opportunity for rest and refreshment.

Along with continual trend updates, visitors will be able to hear industry leaders talk about the biggest opportunities in retail, from effective branding to cutting edge store displays, with sessions running throughout the duration of the show.

More superlative Gifts can be found in Hall 5, the biggest Hall of Spring Fair, due to be packed to the hilt with some of the biggest and most renowned suppliers of gifts in this market. This part of Spring Fair has experienced significant growth compared with the 2014 event, with stand sales currently running 17 per cent ahead of this time last year – an encouraging indicator of relatively buoyant trading times ahead.

Some of the companies new to Gift in 2015 are Gilde Handwerk GmbH, Finkbeiner, Time City and Two Up Two Down.

Christmas Gifts, Floral & Seasonal Decorations will be presented in Hall 2, an essential destination if you’re on the search for decorative items,

whatever the weather. 45 companies will exhibit within Christmas Gifts, Floral & Seasonal Decorations, including industry giants such as Premier Decorations, Kaemingk, CB Imports and Festive Productions. Every occasion is catered for in this vibrant show sector, from Valentine’s Day and Easter right through to Halloween and Christmas, with some great outdoor living options and stunning displays of artificial trees and flowers.

Last but not least, one of Spring Fair’s two New Product Showcases will be located within the Children’s Gift, Toys & Gadgets sector in Hall 3, with the second showcase positioned in Hall 9.

These are in addition to the beautifully styled and sector-specific new product displays that visitors can look forward to seeing at the entrances to each of the Halls.

For more information and to register for free visit the website: www. springfair.com and don’t forget to check out our extended show preview in February for all the latest developments.

Spring Fair

* The Gift, Home & Volume Halls

1st-5th February 2015

10, 11 and 12 will open one day

NEC, Birmingham

earlier than the rest of Spring Fair on

Web: www.springfair.com

Saturday January 31. gifts today 37

Giving & Living is the biggest Home & Gift trade show in the South West. This vibrant trade show has a strong focus on the tourism sector, and is packed with a year’s worth of ideas that sell.

Take a fresh look at Giving & Living in 2015 11th - 14th January

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s the first show of the season, Giving & Living provides visitors with the opportunity to see the very latest new and exclusive 2015 product ranges before anyone else, and is perfectly timed for retailers to stock up for the year ahead. Brand new this year is the “Enhance” area

which will take centre position in Hall A and complement the show’s existing features.

Giving & Living 2015 runs from Sunday 11th January to Wednesday 14th January, and will bring together up to 300 exhibitors and 4000+ retail buyers. It takes place at the Westpoint Arena near Exeter, one of the South West’s leading exhibition

The show is well known for its wide range of gifts, home, coast and tourism products, but did you know that the show also has several special features?

38 gifts today

venues. Only one mile from the M5, the show is easy to get to as well as easy to get around. It also has free parking, appetising catering facilities, and experienced and helpful staff to ensure you get the most out of your visit.

The show is well known for its wide range of gifts, home, coast and tourism products, but did you know that the show also has several special features? The Newcomers’ area is exclusively for companies that have never exhibited at a trade show before.

It’s a great opportunity to spot new companies and products long before the competition. The Designed & Made in Britain area is where you’ll find unusual products of high quality with a distinct local flavour, reflecting the UK’s unique heritage. If you’re after products with a strong ethical and/ or environmental background, the Naturally Trail will lead you to them.

After celebrating 50 successful years in 2014, the show is moving

with the times and looking forward to the next 50 years. You know the saying “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got?” Well new for 2015 is ‘Enhance’ – the place to take a fresh look at how you do business. You’ll discover new and innovative products to complement your existing ranges, widen your appeal, and boost your sales. Why not think outside the (gift) box? See what you could add to your offering, in this special area, where you can take the time to touch, compare and experiment, at your leisure. And how about sourcing services that could help you to do business more efficiently and profitably?

This is also your opportunity to meet business services providers who can help you with everything from your shop displays, gift wrap, bags and packaging to marketing, website design, printing and EPOS systems. ‘Enhance’ will inspire you to add new items to your offering, enrich your business, and increase your profits.

After celebrating 50 successful years in 2014, the show is moving with the times and looking forward to the next 50 years. You know the saying “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got?”

The continued support of big companies such as Joe Davies, Gringo, Kandy Toys, Puckator and Something Different Wholesale, all of whom will be back in 2015, reflects the high level of confidence exhibitors have in the results they achieve at the show. As well as these more familiar faces, amongst the many companies new at the show this year are Kiss-Air Candles, Olivia Goddard Designs, QMT Windchimes, Pocket Mountains and Little Trove.

Giving & Living is everything you need in a trade show. If you’re

looking to get your products to market – this is your open door to South West buyers. If you’re looking for the best products for your retail business, this is your chance to meet a great range of exhibitors at a relaxed, timely & effective show.

For more information about the show, to book a stand, or preregister to attend, please call 01934 733433, follow @giving_living, or visit www.givingliving.co.uk gifts today 39

Kenro

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Hall A, Stand: A220 Kenro will again be exhibiting after a successful attendance last year. They are particularly looking forward to showing their latest frame and album ranges, together with their new catalogue.

Of particular interest will be the new Frame ranges: Avenue, Madison Modern, Senator and Chester Series.

Avenue frames have a slim profile, white or black aluminium finish and white bevel mat. The Madison Modern comes in either smooth black or brushed pewter finish with 30mm profile.

The Senator Series has a flat profile in black, white or matt silver, while the Chester frames, in black or white, have a raised filigree design.

The latest Album ranges include: Tundra, Summer Breeze and Flower Design. Each book-bound slip in album holds 200 6x4 inch photos, with the Tundra also featuring a small picture window on the cover. There is a memo writing area next to each picture.

Kenro will be showing its full range of Gift Albums and Frames, which are becoming ever popular with retailers due to their desirability with customers and excellent profit margins.

Tel: 01793 615836 Web: www.kenro.co.uk

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Price’s Candles Hall A, Stand: A111

Price’s Candles have been making candles for over 180 years and remain the supplier to the Royal Household thanks to their enduring quality, attention to detail and innovation.

This year, at the Giving & Living show in Exeter, Price’s are set to display their Signature range of fragranced jars and diffusers for the first time. Launching in January of 2014, across twelve stunning fragrances, thanks to the immediate popularity of the range, the number of fragrances had reached twenty-four by September. This elegant range is focused on high quality fragrance, burn quality and value.

In collaboration with their fragrance house and after extensive market research, Price’s have developed scents to capture future trends, bringing the brand to the forefront in home fragrance design. These fragrances, combined with beautiful timeless packaging, which includes branded silver lids, gives the range a quality, contemporary feel that today’s consumers demand.

Tel: 01234 264521 Web: www.prices-candles.co.uk

40 gifts today

r te 5 at Exe 201 us g y 20 it vin uar A2 is V Li an nd & J ta g h in 14t A, S iv G h – all 11t H

Quality gifts for quality moments

Kenro specialise in high quality photo frames and designer photo albums. Our stunning new collection has been designed for quality conscious retailers who appreciate superior products and a service to match.

Supplying the photographic & gift trade for over 40 years

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

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

SALES AGENTS The Belleek Group are looking for experienced, wellconnected sales agents for Scotland & the North, The Midlands, Central London and Southern England.

Belleek Pottery Ltd, Aynsley China Ltd & Galway Crystal Ltd sell quality Giftware, Tableware, Jewellery and Christmas

S the See th collection at

Your existing customer base would include high end Gift Shops and Department Stores.

Top Drawer Jan 11- 13

We offer exclusive territories, generous commission rates, N I based head office and customer services support team, the backup of a comprehensive marketing and advertising campaign and high quality group catalogue.

Torquay Leather & Accessories Show Jan 11 – 14

If your agency can bring our business forward in the required areas then email info@belleek.ie or for more information please contact: Anita Mackey 028 686 58501 www.belleek.com Closing date 31.12.14

Scotlands Trade Show Jan 18 – 20 Showcase Ireland Jan 18 – 21

Mala Leather Ltd

2 Bridgeside Trading Estate, Kettlebrook Road, Tamworth B77 1AG Tel: 01827 67401 Fax: 01827 67046 Web: www.malaleather.com

This year has seen Scotland thrust into the world spotlight with various sporting, political and cultural events which have all led to increased visitors and retail opportunities.

Most independent retailers have reported a good summer season and are looking forward to this carrying on into 2015.

Scotland is thrust into the spotlight 18th - 20th January 2015

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o start the buying process Scotland’s Trade Fair is one of the first Shows of the year being held from 18-20th Jan 2015 at the SECC in Glasgow. As the only trade Show attracting buyers from Scotland and the north of England it is a key buying arena with a huge range of new and existing exhibitors.

With over 4000 visitors and 450 exhibitors, product awards, seminars and more, Scotland’s Trade Fair is the one-stop Show for anyone who wants to source interesting and original gifts, jewellery, fashion accessories and homewares.

Retail may have had a challenging few years but business is forging ahead now with new gift producers emerging, existing ones showcasing new designs and talent emerging at every corner.

These are complemented by some major British companies keen to get a slice of the northern market.

42 gifts today

New to the Show Newcomers to the Show amount to almost a third of all exhibitors both from Scotland and beyond. In the Showcase Scotland area we are delighted to welcome newcomers Pell Mell’s Scottish bags, Janette Murray Handknits, Lucy

30 new products to be launched at the Show, Molly Brown’s jewellery, described as the ‘Tiffany for Girls’, Hill Interiors’ furniture, gifts and accessories, Kit Heath jewellery, Kali Ma’s wholesale silver jewellery, McNutts of Donegal with its quality Irish throws to list just a few.

Retail may have had a challenging few years but business is forging ahead now with new gift producers emerging, existing ones showcasing new designs and talent emerging at every corner Donnell wool accessories, Country House Interiors and National Museums of Scotland’s new wholesale range among others.

From the rest of the UK the Show has attracted some great new talent including Abraham Moon woollen accessories, Churchill China, Bomb Cosmetics with

Launch Gallery Central to the Show is the Launch Gallery for young, innovative companies under two years old. Here artisan companies are given financial help and extra marketing support and this year’s line up includes some stunning exhibitors, predominantly from Scotland such

as Badger & Baird’s silver jewellery, Braw’s homewares, Dwelling Bird soft furnishings, Dibujo Design’s fun gifts, Juniper & Jane Textiles, Isle of Skye Art Studio’s jewellery and cards, Och Aye Art greetings cards and Keith Thompson homewares.

The Orkney Aisles Orkney has long been renowned as an island which houses enormous talent and innovation and this year Scotland’s Trade Show will host a whole group of enterprising companies from the Orkney Isles in both gifts, jewellery and food.

Jewellery exhibitors include well known designer Sheila Fleet with her 2015 collection, Ortak will be back as a new company with new designer jewellery, Alison Moore’s contemporary gold

featured on Coast programme), Arora, Flame and Fragrance and Samantha Holmes’ alpaca woollen accessories.

Many companies use Scotland’s Trade Fair as the platform to launch their 2015 collections so there will be many launches and designs yet to be announced.

Seminars to make your company successful As well as sourcing some truly excellent gifts, the Show has an exciting Seminar programme to give ideas on how to create a truly successful retail business.

These will include a seminar on social media and how it can boost your business, retail trends, e-commerce and web sales and making this effective, how food retailing can be incorporated into gifts and setting up in retailing, all from renowned industry experts, including James Withers, Head of Scottish Food and Drink and Isabel Martinson, Chief Exec of the Giftware Association. Check the website for up-to-date details.

Best Product Awards Best Product Awards will be judged on the opening morning and given for the best products in the Show as decided by a team of expert judges which will include Annette Potts, Glasgow Museum’s buyer and Katrina Thomson from successful gift shop, The Captain’s Cabin in Ullapool.

There will be awards for 4 categories – Home and Gifts, Jewellery and Fashion Accessories, Clothing and Textiles and the Launch Gallery. They 2014 winners – Chris Smith’s silver jewellery; Manistone’s cashmere and Tartan Twist – will all be exhibiting again.

Good reasons to visit the Show… and silver jewellery, Aurora Jewellery’s diverse collections and Celina Rupp’s Orkney inspired jewellery. Castaway Crafts’ Harris Tweed accessories and Fursbreck Pottery will display gifts and homewares while Hume Sweet Hume and Quernstone Knitwear will have a great range of textiles, interior furnishings and clothing. These will be completed by some delicious Orkney foods and drinks.

Existing bestsellers Complementing the newcomers to the Show will be many favourites such as Portmeirion China, Highland Stoneware, Sea Gems, Dansk Smykkenkunst, House of Edgar, McConnell woollen mills, Tartan Twist’s original jewellery, Perkins and Morley greetings cards, McLaggan Smith’s new Orla Kiely mugs, Eribe’s Scottish woollen accessories, Two Skies Designs’ hand collected gem jewellery (as

Scotland’s Trade Show is a microcosm of what is on offer in retail shops across the country and its layout, accessibility and intimate atmosphere make it one of the highlights in the buying calendar early in the year.

Mark Saunders, Director of the Show, says: “After a year of ups and downs retailers and producers are very keen to get back to business as usual and capitalise on the interest that has been shown in Scotland this year. As Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink begins in January - an area we have always been strong in - we hope that buyers will come from far and wide to see what goods we can offer. The January 2015 Show has many new exhibitors, products and events offering something for everyone. We are particularly pleased to see an increase in textiles and clothing as well as some large producers from outside Scotland.”

And finally…

Ewan Douglas, who owns Time & Tide a chain of six home and gift shops in Scotland says: “Scotland’s Trade Fair is the best place to find Scottish product - ranges made or designed in

few of our suppliers at Scotland’s Trade Fairs over the years. We are always on the lookout for niche companies that perhaps don’t show at the bigger trade shows down south, or are harder to notice at the larger shows. It is at

As well as sourcing some truly excellent gifts, the Show has an exciting Seminar programme to give ideas on how to create a truly successful retail business Scotland. So, while the show can be a convenient place to see UK companies it is the Scottish products that makes it stand out and separates it from all other shows. All Scottish retailers are wise to stock some Scottish product - there is a demand for it, and it is up to each retailer to determine how much of their range this should comprise. We have mugs, interior textile, toiletries and art made in Scotland, but you never know what you might find next...”

Fiona Fabian, from Papyrus Gifts in Glasgow, adds: “We have found quite a

this show that we buy Scottish and Glasgow gifts aimed at locals as well as visitors. We stock and sell these gifts all year round and not just for the summer tourist season. We find customers are increasingly asking for “made in Scotland or made in UK”.

Scotland’s Trade Show is run in conjunction with Scotland’s Speciality Food Fair so has fine food to complement the gifts. For more information or to register for free entry go to the new website: www. scotlandstradefairs.co.uk.

Scotland’s Trade Fair, Spring – 18-20 January 2015, SECC, Glasgow Tel: 01877 385772 www.scotlandstradefairs.co.uk

gifts today 43

Clocks

Picture courtesy of Puckator

Stand the test of time We may be living in a ‘modern world’, but there is something about a clock, whether traditional or contemporary, that consumers just love.

T

he clock has stood the test of time. Despite the advent of modern devices such as mobile phones with a built-in clock, people still continue to buy clocks be it carriage clocks or a grandfather clock.

We spoke to a number of people with clocks dear to their hearts.

Tanya Ross, Creative Director of Solo Ltd, said, ‘Despite everyone now having the time on their phones, the clock has remained a classic gift item, and combined with contemporary design and style, they are as popular now as ever, and we have some stand-out clocks that really capture the imagination.’

Sue Grant from Widdop Bingham told Gifts Today: ‘The clock is a timeless piece of engineering that is a staple home item and a must have for any retailer. Here at Widdop Bingham, we are offering possibly the most comprehensive and exciting range of clocks in the market today, with many different colours, styles and materials at their disposal. The range boasts many different styles covering mantel, wall hanging, contemporary and traditional designs.

‘Moving with the times has never been so easy, Widdop’s really are catering for every type of retailer

whether their tastes are keeping with tradition or a more modern contemporary feel, we really do have something for everyone.’

There has been a real appetite for coloured clocks recently and quick to respond Widdop’s have launched a range of pastel tone clocks in a range of styles and colours to meet this demand.

‘Clocks are an important part of the Joe Davies Collection’, says Paul Hooker, the commercial director of Joe Davies. ‘Clocks sell tremendously well for us at Joe Davies. We have noticed a trend towards pretty floral dressing table clocks that are part of a wider collection including photo frames, tea lights and trinket boxes. ‘Within these ranges the clock is often the strongest piece. We have also seen growth in decorative clocks. Our Techno range of miniature desk clocks shaped as cars, motorbikes and other items are a great seller and fill that difficult “male gift” line.’

Mary Overmeer from Puckator said: ‘Every home needs a clock, they are one of the most looked-at items in the home (and the office) making them a fantastic in-store products for retailers.’

John Kerr of Harvey Willis in Glenrothes said: ‘We do an awful lot of clocks. We deal with three companies

‘Clocks are going through a revival – they are increasingly used as a statement piece by interior designers and we want to tap into that market by designing clocks that reflect the current trends. We have three particular focus areas.’

Chloe Mills, RJB Stone 44 gifts today

‘Every home needs a clock, they are one of the most looked-at items in the home (and the office) making them a fantastic in-store products for retailers.’

Mary Overmeer, Puckator – Widdop Bingham being one.

‘We have done clocks for a long time.

We have been actively building up the brand for three years.

‘People know we have a good selection of chiming clocks and mantle clocks and they are not cheap but they are good quality so customers come from quite far afield to get them.

‘The majority of clocks we sell tend to be old-fashioned ones, the type your granny or mother would have. ‘ RJB Stone continue to surf the crest of trend-waves, from kids to craft kits and beyond and in keeping with their passion for making houses homes with their beautiful interior accessories, they are championing clocks as a must have for 2015.

‘Our Sass & Belle brand is all about celebrating the little things in life that make us all happy. We look at aspects of day to day life and think, “What would make this more magical?”

‘Little touches around the home are an important part of that. Almost everyone has a clock in their home; by their bed, in their kitchen. We wake up next to them and look at them every day: we think that the experience should be as beautiful as possible,’ says Chloe Mills, design manager. ‘Clocks are going through a revival – they are increasingly used as a statement piece by interior designers and we want to tap into that market by designing clocks that reflect the current

trends. We have three particular focus areas.

‘Our Time to Go clock has become a major seller in the History 2.0 trend.

Mixing classic concepts and adding a contemporary feel. It focuses on mixing history and technology, which is perfect for clock designs. This is also a great multi-sex item.

‘We have used this idea with our Rustic Boudoir range, with a greater focus on our feminine customers.

This particular range of clocks also makes amazing gifts – they are poetic, romantic and pretty, using the current trend of multi-textures and soft pallets – a perfect gift for a mum or sister a Christmas.

‘In response to the ever-growing kids’ market, we have a cheery little journey clock, which uses bright colours and naturalistic materials to reflect the creative space trend and also makes kids smile. That is very important to us,” says designer Emma Rees.

‘We recommend that our customers take advantage of the current popularity in clocks as gifts and centrepieces, particularly for the gift season; our sales in this area are increasing to match the market demand and it is a fantastic opportunity to give customers a classic and “thoughtful” gift opportunity, or purchase something lovely for trendy homes,’ says Megan Walsh, their international sales manager.

Isn’t it time you clocked our new website? we’ve got giftware all wrapped up

www.enesco.co.uk

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Clocks

RJB Stone

Solo

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Solo are specialists in classic silver gifts and interior products and clocks have always been an integral part of their collection, popular not only as gift items, but also effective engraved for museums and heritage gift-shops.

The Weather Station is a practical combination of clock, thermometer and hygrometer but its real charm is its “twisty-turny” fiddle factor with each section swivelling into a plethora of positions and closing into a neat cylinder – great to sit on any desk and divert you from doing any actual work!

Philippi’s “Orbit” conical clock is a true iconic eye-catcher. The aluminium cone automatically rotates around its own axis and revolves 360 degrees in 12 hours coming to rest where it started before embarking on another revolution. The metal ball is the minute hand and as the clock dial rotates the ball stays at the bottom and indicates the passing minutes – truly ingenious!

Solo’s “City” multi-time-zone clocks were designed by Tanya 25 years ago and they are still as popular as ever – the three city version was even used by Sky as a special edition to mark their launch in London, New York and Sydney. Coming in a two and three clock face version the elegant time pieces can be set to any time around the world – home and away - and can be engraved with any country or city name.

Solo’s range also includes carriage clocks, travel clocks, and wall clocks.

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Enter RJB Stone’s Cabinet of Curiosities and discover their best-selling Sass & Belle Vintage Map collection.

In pride of place, the ‘Time To Go’ vintage map wall clock (35 cm diameter) is a treasured addition to the increasing Sass & Belle curios collectables range.

Set on a stylish classical map, beautifully simple hands demonstrate RJB Stone’s ability to bring vintage themes to contemporary homes, inscribed with ‘Time to go’ in RJB Stone’s familiar joviality. An essential item for those preferring to spend time than money, the clock is only £8.95. In a range designed for both sexes, it sits with exquisite Sass & Belle pocket mirrors and masculine stag hooks among a broad range of delightful products. There’s no time to lose!

Tel: 0207 346 0100 Web: www.rjbstone.com

Tel: 01789 262900 Email: sales@sololtd.com Web: www.sololtd.com

Widdop Bingham

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Widdop Bingham is well known in the industry for exciting new products and the constant effort and innovation that go into designing them. With the new range of pastel tone clocks in many different styles and materials they are not set to disappoint. Every type of retailer has been catered for with these contemporary styles and materials. A modern glass finish is enhanced by the contemporary colourways of rose petal pink, soft grey, sea breeze and many more.

Widdop Bingham is the award winning retailer behind the unique Hometime clocks brand designed by Widdop’s own in house design team, which has been a roaring success and this exciting fresh look proves to be just as good. With healthy stock levels and all clocks available in singles, retailers looking beyond the Christmas period will be spoilt for choice to brighten up that January display ready for the busy January sales!

This stunning clock range really will have you moving with the times and in many different sizes with wall hanging and mantel clocks there is no excuse to not join the clock revolution sweeping the nation. With hundreds of unique designs this range has never been so strong and the new pastel trends are set to make it every stronger, definitely not a range to miss this year or next.

Tel: 0161 688 1226 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk Web: www.widdop.co.uk 46 gifts today

Puckator

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Brand new to Puckator’s wide range of wall clocks are these Beatles and Yellow Submarine clocks. Still hugely popular, more than fifty years on, the bold and colourful design comes from the iconic 1968 British animated film Yellow Submarine, inspired by the music of The Beatles. Having recently acquired the license for this product, Puckator hope to build this into a great range for both collectors and Beatles fans alike. The simple drum design has a very wide appeal, for the budding drummer in the family or an avid music fan. This is a great product for retailers to offer and we believe is a fantastic addition to Beatles merchandise. On the back of the clocks is a simple mechanism that requires 1x AA battery, they also have cut-outs for wall mounting and flip-out stands for displaying on flat surfaces. To see Puckator’s whole range of clocks visit www.puckator.co.uk and why not sign up to their newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest products and news.

Tel: 0800 011 6969 Web: www.puckator.co.uk

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Rachel Parkin

What do you do?

Most great stores are run by a mixture of people pooling their skillsets. After all, the skills you need to be a great sales person – empathy, understanding, patience, love for the item or brand, aren’t necessarily the same skills that you need to be a great accountant – meticulous attention to detail, precision and total concentration on one aspect of the business.

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hen people work together in a business (or on any task really) they are able to produce more than if they work separately. If one person unpacks the delivery and another merchandises it, while another serves customers then it’s clear that more will be achieved than if each person did the whole job. This theory explains why in many instances, big companies continue to increase in size. There’s a point in expansion where economies of scale and marketing kick into force as their workforces specialises.

I’m sure that you are not creating your own local magazine, pulping paper for your bespoke carrier bags or donning the outfit of the town crier to publicise your store – all of these activities, while worthwhile, would be both a massive drain on your time not to mention a giant distraction. So this differentiation of job roles does take place, even on a macro level.

Nowadays just about everything is able to be outsourced with a click of a mouse – you can find a paper pulper, a town crier (yes really) or a copywriter at the whim of a local internet search. All the things that you used to have to do on your own can now be outsourced. Which of course, leads to this killer question?

What are the implications of outsourcing?

When you can outsource everything, including the jobs you hate (accounts anyone?) and assuming you have the money to pay for these services, you free up time, and its normally your own time – so the question really is – what are you going to do, be responsible for or make happen with that free time?

Nowadays just about everything is able to be outsourced with a click of a mouse – you can find a paper pulper, a town crier (yes really) or a copywriter at the whim of a local internet search

Often we carry out roles within our businesses because basically we’re the cheapest available person to do it.

Sometimes we just need to do something, so the admin, for example, fits in nicely alongside another task on a rainy Tuesday afternoon. But the question we should really be asking is this one – What could I be doing to progress or improve my business if I wasn’t doing this ? So while I may be the cheapest person to do this, is it in fact more profitable for my business for me to carry out this task? (answer honestly!)

Another reason to carry out a particular role or task is that people, probably your customers, will notice when you do it. Either they will notice that you are physically there, or they will notice your unique touch on the store (the product selection or merchandising for example).

I’m fairly certain that Jamie Oliver doesn’t cook for his customers in his restaurants on a given night. If I was a customer I probably couldn’t tell if Jamie cooked my meal or a.n.other, but I can tell if it’s Jamie on the TV, and I’m pretty sure it is his passions dictating the way his business is evolving – whether it be working with underprivileged youngsters or taking on the great British school dinner!

Another reason to carry out a task yourself is simply that you love to do it!

Notice how most people given a choice outsource cleaning, mostly because it’s a low expertise role and a job that can be done by almost anyone, freeing them up to do work of greater financial value.

Ever y time you select a job to do in store or in your business, whether it is to mock up a flyer, paint the back wall or lay a new floor for instance, you have effectively hired

yourself for this position. You have also, and rather less obviously decided not to do something else instead which is the salient point. So often we sink into a pattern of doing things, without really questioning why we do them this way and if in fact it would work to try something else.

In our businesses we are making decisions every day – decisions about what to do and what we ourselves should do. In an ideal world we’d have plenty of spare cash and a small committed army of helpers, but I’m guessing most of us live in the real world, so it’s wise to be aware of our decision making process… and to remember that while we may well be the cheapest member of staff for a particular task, if it prevents us from doing something that would be more beneficial for the business that might be slightly out of our comfort zone or skillset – it might be wise to acquire those skills or at least be aware we are choosing not to focus on progress, but on the status quo.

So what’s your job? What do you do in your business? What’s the bigger picture?

Rachel Parkin is managing director of jewellery wholesaler Balagan. She also runs independent gift shop Trollbeads and contemporary jeweller Pandora’s box in Cambridge.

Email: rachel@balagan.co.uk Rachel suggests that you might like to look at the following Retail Rehab website as it’s a free resource for retailers!

Web: www.retailrehab.co.uk gifts today 47

Trade talk

Gifts Today loves to hear your views. This month we speak to key wholesalers and suppliers to learn what’s on their minds.

Here we ask a selection of the industry’s finest to find out what their plans are next year with regard to exhibitions, where you’ll find them and why…

Julian Hunt, Managing Director, Lesser & Pavey “Spring Fair at the Birmingham NEC is the most important fair for the industry as it is seen as a launch platform and allows us to introduce 1000s of new products for Spring/ Summer business. This is certainly the biggest show of the year for us and we take more than 400 sq. meters of space in prime position in Hall 5.

“Prior to this will be at the Harrogate January Christmas Fair as it enables us to see many buyers before the busy Spring Fair event. It specifically allows us to reach those buyers looking for Christmas ranges many of whom are keen to finalise this before Spring Fair where they prefer to concentrate on all year round products.

“We also attend the Harrogate Gift & Home Fair in July where we launch new additions to existing good selling ranges as well as introduce many new items for the second half of the year.

“We then showcase at the Autumn Fair at the Birmingham NEC in early September which is an extremely busy show for us where we take significant orders for Christmas trade. This also allows us to launch important new ranges for the following year such as products for Mother’s Day. It also allows us to meet with important buyers who are keen to develop products for Spring/Summer of the following year.

“We have a modern showroom and conduct events just prior to the major fairs so that we can spend more time with buyers, as the shows tend to be very busy for us.”

Simon Pykett, Country Manager & Director, Sia Home Fashion “At SIA Home Fashion we have many years of trading with loyal customers. We don’t give exclusivity but we are very selective with where we trade in order to look after those customers who have for so long looked after us.

“However, as the years have progressed through what has been a difficult trading period for many businesses and retail in particular, we have seen some of our trading partners leave the market for reasons as varied as retirement, unreasonable landlords or going into administration.

“Consequently there are some towns where our presence is not as strong as we would like and over the next three years we have a strategy for growth.

“In order to tap into new accounts and of course to revive some who have become inactive, we are actively looking to take SIA back to UK Gift Shows. Trade shows are important for us all in the gift sector. They are an opportunity for us to meet en mass, look at new product, share new ideas and sign up to new trading agreements.

“For this reason SIA Home Fashion are in discussion with event managers at Harrogate and Olympia to see what return on investment we are likely to achieve in support of our three year growth plan.

“Additionally, we are just about to launch ‘Little SIA’, a collection of products for children. What better venue to do this than a trade show!”

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Andrew Illingworth, Managing Director, Widdop Bingham “2015 marks two distinctive step changes in the Widdop Bingham show calendar. Firstly, we will be exhibiting for the first time at the January Harrogate Gift and Christmas Fair. Our Christmas collection of gifts and home accessories for 2015 boasts over 1000 lines, three times the size of our 2014 collection. We are hoping that this show will provide a much wider audience for our Christmas products over and above our regular gift clientele.

“The second major development is that at the Spring Fair, two of our flag ship brands, Stratton of Mayfair and Colonial Candles will be exhibiting on their own stands. Each of these brands has an appeal well beyond our regular Widdop range and with a bespoke stand, we are hoping to maximise the opportunity of both brands.

“We will of course be exhibiting at Harrogate Home and Gift and the Autumn Fair later in the year, both providing the ideal launch pad for the final busy trading period.

And finally, we run two home-grown shows here in our showrooms in January and June previewing our new product launches.”

Sarah Campbell, Sales Director, House of Marbles “We will be at Top Drawer, London Toy Fair, Spring Fair, Harrogate Home and Gift and Autumn Fair in the UK plus the New York Toy Fair and New York Gift Fairs.

“It’s a huge amount of effort and expense but we really feel that we need to be available wherever possible to meet our customers and show them all the new products for 2015.”

Coralie Vieira Marketing & Online Trading Manager, RJB Stone “Trade show season is a very exciting time for RJB Stone. During trade show season we can appreciate the results of the past six months work. Designs have been finalised and collections have arrived in the warehouse, ready for sale. Our wonderful visual merchandisers create displays that are sensational for our customers and showcase the love and care that go into our wide range of products.

“This January 2015 is extremely exciting, as we will be launching our new branding and introducing more than 1000 new Sass & Belle products.

“Trade shows provide a tactile experience for our customers. They are able to see the excellent quality of our products and enjoy touching and appraising our new designs. It is really important to RJB Stone that customers have the experience of working with our dedicated sales team to obtain the best advice for their business. We never use reps because we believe that our customers deserve to have a trusting relationship with experienced product specialists.

Our team love to catch up face to face with existing customers, have a cup of coffee with them and hear their feedback. We have a lot of fun on the stand.

“Because we don’t outsource, the majority of RJB Stone HQ work at the shows; it is a great break from the office and we share some wonderful moments together, so trade shows are good for the RJB Stone family.

“We have been attending key UK trade shows for over five years. This year we start in January with Harrogate Christmas & Gifts and then head straight to our home turf for Top Drawer in London. International shows have proven to be very advantageous for us: Formex in Sweden will be our first international trade show of the season, followed by Maison & Objet in Paris.

We then return to the UK for our biggest show, Spring Fair, in early February. Our trade show season ends in mid-February with Ambiente in Frankfurt. Then home for a well-earned cup of tea: We have a very busy start to the year!”

Helen Shield, Director of Marketing, Enesco “Having now reviewed our trade fair presence during 2014 we are delighted to announce a few changes to our 2015 calendar.

“As a direct result to changing patterns in retail buying we will no longer exhibit at the Harrogate Home & Gift Fair; however we will have a bigger presence at Autumn Fair International in 2015 within the Contemporary Gift Hall. We have also booked space at the Autumn Gift and Home Fair in Dublin in August. We will of course be showing at Spring Fair in February.

“Our own Carlisle Showroom will be open in January and June showcasing all of our new introductions.”

Laurence Whiting, National Sales Manager, Prices Candles “Next year we will be attending more shows than in 2014. We are already signed up to attend Giving & Living in Exeter in January and Spring Fair, Birmingham in February. In addition to these we are also expanding our overseas shows, attending both ChristmasWorld and Ambeinte in Frankfurt, Germany at the beginning of the year and the PLMA show in Amsterdam in May. We may also decide to add Harrogate or Autumn Fair to the diary later on. Each show is important in its own right.

“Giving & Living gives us the chance to talk to our customers in the South West in a very relaxed environment and gives them a chance to see us without having to brave the winter weather to get to Birmingham!

“Spring Fair at the NEC I think is the largest trade show of the year in the UK and is a chance for us to show our entire range to a wide audience of buyers.

Each year we seem to be getting busier.

“Both ChristmasWorld and Ambiente in Frankfurt in January and February respectively allow us to connect with our European customers. Europe is a very important market for us both with the Price’s brand and with production of own label candles. We currently actively sell within countries in Europe and exports are a growing part of our business.

“PLMA in Amsterdam is a trade show for private label businesses and customers. Again this is an ever expanding side of our business - taking the candle knowledge we have of producing Price’s products and being able to manufacture on a large scale for other customers.

“We expect another great year of shows to beat last year’s successes.”

Paul Hooker, Commercial Director, Joe Davies “Independent retailers are at the heart of everything we do and we are very lucky to be in an industry that thrives on variety; both in terms of products and types of retailer. With so many hardworking independents nationwide and a range of over 7500 products, trade shows form the backbone in taking our collection to market. We never sell our range from un-ordered samples; everything we display is ordered, in production, on the water or already in stock. With such a huge investment it’s vital we get the range out to as many of our customers as possible and all our products make their debut at a trade fair first. Each show has its own unique feel, we all enjoy them despite the hard work and they all serve a wide variety of customers.

“Our first trade show of the year is Exeter Giving & Living; a spring board for most (but not all) of our Spring Summer Collection. The timing of the show gives us a great feel for how the new collection and new ranges are going to perform, it’s also a great show for servicing the many customers we have in the South West. At Spring Fair we launch over 2500 new products in full to our customers and without doubt it’s the biggest and one of the important shows in our calendar. As well as seeing all our loyal customers the event

is a great place to meet new people and open new accounts.

“Less frenetic than the NEC is Harrogate Home & Gift. It’s one of our favourites with a great atmosphere, but no less important. July is a great time to launch our Autumn Winter Collection; with plenty of seasonal lines and additions to the hot lines launched earlier in the year. Again we’ll typically launch another 2000 plus new lines. We are always impressed with how many accounts we open at the show, and being a summer event the mood is always buoyant.

“Finally Joe Davies will be exhibiting again at Autumn Fair; we have only been for the last few years and it’s a growing show for us. Increasingly important in our calendar, everything is always required by our customers immediately; the show really sets up our business for the busy trading period. It’s non-stop from that point all the way to mid-December.”

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Grass Roots

This issue we speak to a selection of independent retailers about their thoughts with regard to trade shows, what will they be attending and why?

Graeme Miles

Laura Forsyth

Apple Pie House, Birmingham

The Village Trading Store, Acton, West London

We visit the two shows at the NEC – Spring & Autumn Fair and we travel up to Harrogate for the Home & Gift Fair.

I always do Top Drawer, Spring Fair Birmingham and Home & Gift Harrogate.

We are always looking for something completely different, something new. The new people are put in a separate area so you can focus on seeing something new from an exhibitor. You head towards that end, see what pops out at you. There is no rhyme or reason – sometimes you can be lucky and sometimes you can’t.

There is a lot of competition out there, I find, especially when you are dealing with card companies. There’s a big wodge of talented people out there but there are too many of them. The same with scarves but again it goes on price bracket, what you think your customers will buy.

Andrew Page The Gift Shop, Suffolk We do the East Anglian Gift Fair in January. It’s a small regional event in Norwich. That’s good for local and regional suppliers. I get my magnets and souvenir mugs from Norfolk China at that. I can organise some of the summer souvenirs without all the hassle of doing it at Spring Fair.

‘The major one of course is Spring Fair. That’s normally four days. What hopes do I have for that? Nice weather. No seriously, I look for something new and exciting. I also look for a couple of new suppliers.

I look to see what new product lines are coming out in the collectable range from our general gift suppliers. It’s a good chance to meet reps and other people in the companies.

You can normally within the first day spot something new that’s cropping up everywhere. Trend spotting certainly goes on at Spring Fair.

Then it’s off to Harrogate for Home & Gift. That’s good for mid-season top-ups and good to see what’s coming up for Christmas. Also because of the time of the year, it’s good to get away for a few days. It’s Harrogate and it’s a lovely part of the country. Most people refer to Home & Gift as the industry’s favourite and it is.

It is also good to actually see the product and handle it as a customer would.

There’s only so much you can get from a rep’s iPad. I’m also doing a wedding fair next year on the back of the personalised products.

Allan Lloyd, Treasure Mumbles, South Wales We do all the trade shows. We do Giving and Living in Exeter then move on to do Spring Fair in February for all four days. Then we go to Frankfurt for Ambiente for another four days. Then it’s off to Top Drawer. Sometimes we do the Basle Show in Switzerland. In September we go to Harrogate.

For our type of business, we are always bringing in new products. If you took a snapshot of our business, you’d find that only about 14 per cent is continuing stock. The remainder is always new stock.

Obviously we look at trends which is getting harder and harder. We look for new merchandise, which obviously means new suppliers.

What we have found in the last five years is that we no longer get exclusivity on items, which makes it difficult.

It’s good to talk!

Email the editor, Penny Franks penny@lemapublishing.co.uk 50 gifts today

Valerie Cass Beaux Cadeaux, Plymouth We will be visiting the Westpoint show next year as it is so close to us, and also the Spring and Autumn Fairs.

John Kerr, Harvey Willis Glenrothes, Scotland We always go to Spring Fair in Birmingham.

That’s by far the most important fair we go to, to stock up after Christmas and look for new lines.

We go to Harrogate when we are getting ready for the run-up to Christmas.

We go to a trade fair in Bangkok, a jewellery show. That’s where we stock up on jewellery for the year.

Next year we are hoping to go down to Pulse or one of the other London shows. We haven’t done them before. We tend to stick to Birmingham and Harrogate and we tend to get everything we need.

Harrogate is getting a wee bit quieter, which is a shame. Birmingham is huge but I think a lot of trade manufacturers are staying away because they are so expensive to do. That’s a detriment to the shows and that is apparent in Harrogate, which is getting smaller and smaller every year unlike Birmingham which is getting bigger.

Exhibition Diary 2015 This issue Gifts Today brings you a superb round up of exhibitions that you will find useful to attend in 2015.

The Exhibition Diary provides you with all the information you will need to organise your 2015 show calendar. You will also find the UK Diary and Worldwide Diary dates.

By flicking through these pages you will find exhibitions previewed to give you some great insight on what to expect at your favourite events.

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Christmas & Gift Harrogate Toy Fair Christmasworld Wales Spring Fair Ambiente London Stationery Show UK Diary Dates Worldwide Diary Dates

Pulse 2015 - Be part of the change 10th - 12th May Following extensive research amongst the buying community, a new direction has been announced for the 2015 edition of Pulse, taking place at its new home at Olympia from the 10th-12th May.

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ith a reputation for irresistible products and stand-out design, Pulse is ramping up its offer for 2015 to bring retailers even more exclusive content, educational insight and inspiring trends. These will now available all year round via the Pulse website, making the event the place to discover unique products, while helping to shape buying decisions 365 days of the year.

Discover five refined departments online and at the show: Launchpad, Living, Fashion, Trends and Shop Talk.

Launchpad, Living, Fashion

With a panel of experts put in place to curate Pulse, retailers will discover the most inspiring and exclusive collection of exhibitors, a new online product gallery, Christmas product trail and three exciting new feature areas.

Trends – Cutting edge insight Pulse will now provide retailers with up-to-the-minute trend forecasts and insights all year round, supported by live seminars and features at the show.

Pulse trends are exclusively curated by the show’s official trend partner, Trend Bible and Fashion Trends consultant, Claire Foster.

“Pulse Trends will become your

source of inspiration ahead of the Pulse show in May 2015, revealing unique information on future trends, unseen at any other trade shows.” explains Trend Bible trend expert, Ruth Hilton.

Shop Talk – brilliantly inspired lessons

Shop Talk, a smart business insight initiative launched last year in collaboration with The Indytute, has now been expanded to become a year-round knowledge hub of industry insight. On the Pulse website, educational advice and inspiration will be delivered via video blogs and articles, while at the show this will take place across three new seminar content streams: e-commerce, trends, business advice.

The Experts

Pulse will be curated by a new panel of market leading experts whose role is to source new and exclusive products, highlighting the very latest trends, emerging talent and directional brands for retailers to buy. Our experts will provide business insight all year round – offering smart and educational advice via video blogs and articles online.

Be part of the change at pulselondon.com

Web: www.pulse-london.com gifts today 51

See you in Harrogate 11th - 14th January Christmas is on the horizon and garden centres across the UK are preparing eye-catching displays and gathering momentum for one of the busiest shopping periods of the year.

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avvy businessfocussed retail buyers will also be observing the latest consumer trends, looking at future forecasts and planning a strategy for their visit to the most important trade show of the year – Harrogate Christmas & Gift, which takes place at the Harrogate International Centre from 11th to 14th January 2015.

Christmas & Gift has evolved considerably in recent years attracting more garden centre buyers than ever before. In turn this is attracting significantly more exhibitors with product ranges particularly suited to the Garden Centre environment – which as we know has grown to encompass much more than flower pots and plants! Among the festive displays of Christmas trees, tinsels and baubles filling seven halls of the Harrogate International Centre you will find an array of exciting products from furniture, decorative wall plaques, dried flowers and ornaments to barbecues, garden furniture and lighting. In fact the show pretty much has the year’s entire buying requirements all wrapped up, with gifts for every occasion.

Simon Anslow, show organiser, comments: “It’s fantastic that Harrogate Christmas & Gift has revitalised in the last few years and has regained its vibrant atmosphere. It has always been a popular show for gift retailers, particularly department store buyers and visitor attractions such as theme

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parks, stately homes and cathedrals, but the influx of garden centre buyers has created a new dynamic which in turn has attracted numerous new exhibitors with product ranges for the entire year.”

Gardman, which is renowned for its garden ranges from plants and garden accessories and wild bird care, will be

is Widdop Bingham & Co, an award winning company and leading supplier of giftware to the trade. From photo frames to figurines, clocks to crystal and a huge catalogue of Christmas gifts and decorations, the company’s range is extremely comprehensive and varied catering for a wide variety of retailers.

Of course Harrogate Christmas &

“It’s fantastic that Harrogate Christmas & Gift has revitalised in the last few years and has regained its vibrant atmosphere. It has always been a popular show for gift retailers” attending Harrogate for the first time showcasing its extensive range of new festive products including LED lighting, flameless candles, doormats, LED canvases and Christmas lights.

Sifcon International is another exciting new exhibitor bringing a wealth of fabulous products to the 2015 show.

Leading importers and distributors of design-led gifts, home decor and arts and crafts, buyers will be spoilt for choice with beautiful products such as cushions, throws and textiles; wall art; ornaments and collectibles; home fragrance; decorative lighting and much more.

Another big new name for the show

Gift also welcomes the return of all of the best known names in the industry including Premier Decorations, Festive Productions, which now incorporates Widmanns, Gisela Graham and Heaven Sends.

Kaemingk once again returns to Hall M with its catalogue of over 17,000 products including decorative items for Christmas and spring including gifts for Easter and Valentines, pottery and baskets, plus Christmas lighting, glass baubles, gorgeous lit villages and ribbons and florestry.

Snowtime also takes its position in Hall D with one of the largest ranges of artificial trees, indoor and outdoor

lights, LED fibre optic trees, garlands, wreaths, decorations and home decor that the show has to offer. The company’s brands include Snowman & Snowdog, plus its fabulous range of Thomas Kinkade Tapestries.

Sagedecor and Konstmide (UK) Ltd also take pride of place once again in Hall M and both companies have plenty of exciting new products to offer.

Sagedecor has been a supplier of high quality artificial plants, flowers and trees for over 40 years and presents a wide range of Christmas floral and tree decorations. Swedish company Konstmide caters to the market for home and environment and offers lighting fittings such as Christmas, decorative and garden lighting.

With so much to see at Harrogate Christmas & Gift this January and of course, the legendary hospitality surrounding the event, including the Greatest Christmas Awards and Party night on Sunday 11th and free drinks reception on Monday 12th, visitors will no doubt want to stay in Harrogate for a few days. The organiser has teamed up with Mice Concierge which offers extremely competitive hotel and restaurant rates ensuring visitors and exhibitors get the best value out of the show.

Full details about Mice Concierge, as well as a list of exhibitors, details about the Awards and Party night, latest show news and of course pre-registration is available on the Harrogate Christmas & Gift website at www.harrogatefair.com

Christmas & Gift Harrogate 11th to 14th January Sunday to Wednesday 2015 Harrogate International Centre

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premier Christmas Show in 2015

11th - 14th January 2015 Harrogate International Centre King's Road Harrogate North Yorkshire HG1 5LA

Book Your Stand Tel: +44 (0)1902 882 280 or 07798 737 077 Email: info@harrogatefair.com simon@harrogatefair.com Visit: www.harrogatefair.com

Everything Christmas Gifts Home Garden Toys

Toy Fair 2015 is now sold out. Taking place on 20th22nd January 2015 at West London’s Olympia, Toy Fair is the UK’s only dedicated toy, games and hobby trade exhibition.

Trend Spotting at Toy Fair 20th - 22nd January

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he three-day event, organised by the British Toy and Hobby Association, is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for retailers to discover a vast array of gift toys and games from established manufacturers and up-and-coming exciting new and smaller companies.

Celebrating its 62nd year, the 2015 show will once again occupy the entire upper and lower sections of the Grand and West Halls. The show floor will host more than 260 exhibitors, with the likes of Hasbro, LEGO, Bandai, H Grossman and Keel Toys showcasing brand new gift products set to hit the shelves throughout 2015.

Toy Fair will also host 41 brand new exhibitors including the likes of Amscan, Zenixx, Smart UK, Juratoys, Bestline and Blueprint Collections while returning exhibitors after time away include Chicco, A B Gee, Theo Klein, Tomy, House of Marbles and ZooBooKoo. In addition to new, established and returning exhibitors, Toy Fair’s Greenhouse Area will house brand new up-and-coming start-ups and innovative companies. More than 40 exhibitors will showcase their brand new products and concepts which 54 gifts today

they hope will launch them into the toy industry.

The sold-out event will play host to two different sets of awards. The first, Toy Fair’s Best New Toys, will be unveiled on the gallery level at Olympia on the opening morning of the show.

Selected by an independent panel of retailers, the Toy Fair Best New Toys are the toys launching at Toy Fair that are tipped to be the hottest products hitting the shelves throughout 2015.

The second set of awards are the 2014 Toy Industry Awards. Taking place on the evening of 20th January at the London Science Museum, the Toy Industry Awards take a retrospective look back over the past year and celebrate the best toy products and toy retailers of 2014.

A key feature at Toy Fair 2015 will be the return of Toy Fair TV. Hosted by Anna Williamson and Gavin Inskip, Toy Fair TV gives visitors the opportunity to see more of the show floor. Broadcast on 24 screens around Olympia, visitors can watch the presenters interviewing exhibitors on their stands and unveiling the latest product launches from around the show.

Toy Fair TV will also broadcast the return of the Demo Zone. Hosted in the on site Toy Fair TV studio, exhibitors will

Toy Fair will also host 41 brand new exhibitors including the likes of Amscan, Zenixx, Smart UK, Juratoys, Bestline and Blueprint Collections while returning exhibitors after time away include Chicco, A B Gee, Theo Klein, Tomy, House of Marbles and ZooBooKoo be given the chance to demonstrate their products to Anna, Gavin and the Demo Zone children. Each Demo Zone session runs for half an hour, on the hour, across the three days and is broken down across the range of toy categories.

Toy Fair attracts a great deal of press coverage which in 2014 included featuring on BBC Breakfast and achieved a wide range of national coverage included hits in The Sun, Daily Mail, The Times, The Telegraph, The Independent and The Guardian.

Toy Fair is a great way to kick off the New Year for the toy Industry. To register for a free pass and avoid a £15 charge on the door visit

www.toyfair.co.uk

DATE: 20-22 January 2015 VENUE: Olympia. West London TEL: 020 7701 7127 E-MAIL: toyfairqueries@btha.co.uk VISITOR REGISTRATION: www.toyfair.co.uk

OLYMPIA

LONDON 20 TH -22 ND JANUARY 2015

FEATURING t"6303" 803-%t #*(+*(4t#300,*5& t'*&45" $3"'54t'-:*/( ("%(&54t(*#40/ (".&4t,&&- 50:4t -"/," ,"%&t

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3FHJTUFS GPS '3&& OPX BU XXX UPZGBJS DP VL For further information on exhibiting and sponsorship contact: Majen Immink, Head of Toy Fair Operations and Sales, by telephone: +44 (0)20 7701 7127 or by email: Majen@btha.co.uk.

Unfortunately members of the public are unable to attend.

ChristmasWorld 2015 30th January - 3rd February

No matter what you are planning for Christmas and New Year, there is one thing you should be planning for 2015 and that’s your trip to Christmasworld! Held between the 30th January and 3rd February, the world’s leading international trade fair for seasonal and festive decoration welcomes over 32,800 trade buyers to Germany.

C

hristmasworld, Frankfurt will see the exhibition halls fill up with over 900 international exhibitors looking to showcase their innovative products in the seasonal decoration sector.

Spread across five halls, Christmasworld is a land of decoration with the atmosphere where business meets celebration. Visitors will require comfortable shoes for exploring the show as well as an eye for the newest collections for their customers. For visitors, there is plenty to discover; you can expect to find decorations for all celebrations – in all possible shapes, colours and facets. The exhibition hall layout is perfectly structured, thus making it easy for visitors to find their way around the fair: • Hall 8.0: Florists’ requisites & garden decorations, ribbons & wrapping, candles & fragrances • Hall 9.0: Florists’ requisites & garden decorations, seasonal decorations • Hall 9.1 Seasonal decorations & gifts, Christmas & Advent • Hall 9.2: Asian Christmas & Decoration • Hall 11.0: Visual merchandising & lighting, Christmas & Advent Christmasworld offers classic handicraft to meet the highest quality standards, as well as impressive concept decorations, original florist supplies, unusual ideas for the garden, trendy gift ribbons and wrapping, superior candles, scents and brilliant

56 gifts today

light shows. For trade buyers in the DIY market, glass, porcelain and ceramic business, garden centres, gift boutiques, florists and furniture stores, Christmasworld is your international order platform.

Exhibitors showcasing ‘special interest’ products can be easily discovered by visitors who look for their labels on the stand. Visitors can find high quality Asian products labelled ‘Asian Select’.

For innovative solutions for large-scale decoration projects, look for ‘Concept Decorations’ and hand-made Christmas products made in Germany are given the label ‘German Christmas Crafts’.

And that’s not all, alongside the extensive product spectrum, a comprehensive programme of events compliments the display of products. In addition to highquality special presentations, a daily changing programme of lectures and workshops will take place. For 2015, the Webchance Academy and Christmasworld Forum is to take place on the 3rd February in Foyer 11 North.

The popular revolving series of lectures, expert advice and presentations covers online expertise with a view to successful advertising and sales for high-street retailers, alluring shop window displays and shop layout design and a guide to retaining customers year on year.

Dovetailing the lectures and expert advice found at Christmasworld, the special show in Galleria 1 will serve as a valuable source of inspiration for new ways of addressing customers,

whether it is for small specialist retailers or large shopping centres, commercial enterprises, hotels, towns and municipalities. 2Dezign has been commissioned to create The Ice Hotel where a great deal of white, ice blue, silver, glitter elements, light installations, penguins, polar bears and a sea of flowers will used to create a breathtaking scene.

Mystic Ode, Tender Poem, Weird Diary and Inventive Hymn. The presentations, trend tours and discovery of the tope designed products are found at Christmasworld and are mirrored in the Trend Brochure collected free of charge from Galleria 1.

As we approach Christmas, the top trends for this year were seen at Christmasworld 2014. The industry

Spread across five halls, Christmasworld is a land of decoration with the atmosphere where business meets celebration The primary source of inspiration for visitors is The Christmasworld Trend Show, where the discovery of the 2015/16 newest ideas, colours and materials are introduced. This year’s theme ‘Stories to be told’ reflects the designer’s trend prognosis for the coming season. Exhibitors and products found in Galleria 1 form the basis of the trend prognosis and for 2015, offers visitors guidance with the things to order and some suggestions for designing one’s own range of products. For 2015, the four scenarios chosen are named

event is a mirror to the seasonal and festive decoration sector and can lead a retailer’s business to success.

Customers will always require the highest quality innovative products whether it is the brightest light display, the quirkiest gift wrap or the most beautiful gifts in the perfumery sector; Christmasworld provides it all. The 2014 event was attended by 917 exhibitors from 39 countries and with the 2015 event already fully booked with market leaders, it is certain to provide seasonal decoration at its best!

Book your tickets to the threefold opportunity where you can also visit the fairs Paperworld and Creativeworld (31.1. - 3.2.2015).

Date: 30th January - 3rd February 2015 Venue: Frankfurt am Main Tel: +44 (0) 1483 483983 Fax: +44 (0) 1483 433383 Email: info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Web: www.christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com Visitor registration: www.ukfrankfurt.co.uk

30. 1 – 3. 2. 2015

Become the star of your industry More than 920 top exhibitors from 39 countries will be showcasing the industry’s best ideas at the world’s leading trade fair for seasonal and festive decorations – here you’ll find “Seasonal Decoration at its best”. Make the most of this brilliant trend and ordering platform and forge valuable contacts with the stars of the industry. www.christmasworld-at-its-best.com

Seasonal Decoration at its best info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

Scan here to find out more

Wales’s premier Gift show promises to be even bigger and better in 2015.

Head to North Wales this January 18th - 21st January

N

ow is the time to start planning ahead for the 2015 season, and there is no better place to start than with the Wales Spring Fair, which takes place at Venue Cymru, Llandudno from the 18th – 21st January 2015.

The country’s premier home and gift show returns to Venue Cymru in Llandudno and although the exhibition is now in its 35th year, this is the third under professional Venue Cymru management and visitors can expect the fresh new look that they have enjoyed in the last two years to be carried forward.

The Wales Spring Fair 2014 saw a significance increase in buyer attendance, cementing the show’s place as Wales’s premier home and gift show. This has been recognised by the exhibitors. In addition to nearly all of last year’s companies rebooking their stands, a quarter of all exhibitors will be new to the Wales Spring Fair.

58 gifts today

This means that there will be something fresh and exciting for the buyers, which travel from across Wales and the rest of the UK In response to buyer feedback the Wales Spring Fair team have taken the opportunity to carefully source more design-led products, hand-selected for their commercial appeal, quality and price. Whatever your retail focus may be, you can guarantee to find a whole host of new and innovative products to please your customers.

Buyers visiting the show will have the opportunity to discover all the fabulous new products, it also gives them a chance to see all the latest product from their favourite suppliers. Many of last years key exhibitors are set to return in 2015, including RBW group, Pendragon Wales, Richard Lang, S Gregory and Manav plus many, many more.

In fact, Wales Spring Fair have seen a steady increase in all gifts and homeware ranges attracting buyers from souvenir shops, traditional gift stores, specialised boutiques as well as garden centres, restaurants, cafes, museums and hotels. There are wider range of exhibitors therefore the marketing team are targeting a wider range of buyers that were not targeted previously.

Wales Spring Fair Event Manager Adrian LaTrobe explains: “Last year’s buyers specified a range of product areas that they would like to see more of at the Wales Spring Fair.

Two important ranges that kept being requested were hand-crafted products and food products so this is where we have concentrated our focus” The mission to attract more of these key exhibitors has been a success

The country’s premier home and gift show returns to Venue Cymru in Llandudno and although the exhibition is now in its 35th year, this is the third under professional Venue Cymru management and visitors can expect the fresh new look that they have enjoyed in the last two years to be carried forward with a host of new exhibitors coming on board, showcasing: hand made jewellery, unique artwork, hand-crafted shabby-chic accessories and designled homeware plus Welsh food gifts and confectionery.

Wales Spring Fair Marketing Officer, Anwen Jones says: “We targeted these exhibitors because our buyers asked us to but in doing so have enriched the offering of the Wales Spring Fair and greatly increased our target visitor market.

By including these unique products we hope to attract buyers from art galleries, boutiques and high-end gift shops who may not have previously recognised what the Wales Spring Fair had to offer them.”

Running alongside the Wales Spring fair will be a Retail Support Clinic.

Agencies including the Federation for

Small Businesses, Menter Iaith, Grwp Llandrillo Menai, Conwy Council and marketing agency: TFI Monday will be offering FREE help and advice to retailers.

The Wales Spring fair presents an unmissable opportunity for buyers to stock up on the latest must-have gifts. To register for your free entry today visit: www. walesspringfair.com/#/ visitors/4568947176, email: walesspringfair@ venuecymru.co.uk or phone 01492 879771.

A Visitor’s Guide to Ambiente 13th - 17th February For love of Dining, Living & Giving, Ambiente is the world’s leading consumer goods trade fair opening its doors in February, Frankfurt am Main. Held over five days 13th to the 17th February 2015, Ambiente boasts an unrivalled spectrum of products, innovative ideas and inspiring trends.

A

mbiente’s power of attraction in the consumer goods sector reaches from 89 countries to Frankfurt and is reflected in the 4,700 exhibitors. Coming together in Frankfurt to showcase their highest quality products, international exhibitors display their newest collections to trade buyers where sources of inspiration are discovered and orders are placed for the coming season.

Consisting of 27 halls spread across 9 buildings, Ambiente is not for the faint hearted. The recipe for a strong product assortment is found at Ambiente and with so much to see; the hall layout is strategically structured to help visitors find more. The product types covering the entire breadth and depth of the Dining, Living and Giving market are a retailer’s dream; from table top trade, houseware and storage, kitchen trends, Gifts unlimited, beauty & bath, personal accessories to interior design, furnishing and decoration. The ever increasing exhibitor numbers develops a market mirror attraction, in a nutshell; as the sectors develop as does Ambiente.

The Giving sector is currently reflected through key themes at Ambiente.

Visitors can find the Times Square watch area with collections from renowned brand name suppliers close to the lifestyle accessories and jewellery. Carat is the area where costume jewellery, designer jewellery and real jewellery will be showcased by exhibitors and visitors can find beautifully designed fashion accessories such as scarves, shawls and bags in Personal Accessories. In Hall 5.1B visitors will find a diverse range of Smoking Accessories and products that offer effective and profitable supplementary assortments.

Expect to find the most innovative and unique designs in the Young & Trendy area where gifts can be found for all occasions.

60 gifts today

For 2015, the extensive product range for the Giving market has been expanded. A new addition will be introduced to the devoted area of Hall 9.2 to reflect the booming tourism sector and increase in business trips.

Namely, Traveller’s Point visitors will find classical suitcases to trendy travel bags and the essential yet beautifully designed toiletry bags.

Ambiente is where international exhibitors will be displaying not only traditional and fashionable gift items, but

introduces the coming season’s trends!

The exciting presentation accompanied with the optional trend tours help visitors discover the themes, colours, shapes and materials that will play a part in their assortment in the future. International developments in product design, fashion, architecture and art are brought together in a number of “trend worlds” and displayed exclusively at Ambiente.

Several hundred products from the latest collections of Ambiente exhibitors have been selected for this widely

Consisting of 27 halls spread across 9 buildings, Ambiente is not for the faint hearted. The recipe for a strong product assortment is found at Ambiente and with so much to see; the hall layout is strategically structured to help visitors find more also stationery, jewellery and watches, beauty products, gourmet items, fashion accessories or smokers’ requisites. And that’s not all; visitors should expect a busy and eye opening trip because there is plenty to learn from presentations by market leaders.

Running parallel to the extensive product spectrum, visitors are treated to a comprehensive programme of events reflecting market trends, specialist shows and tours held by experts. For the tobacco industry, in line with the smoking accessories hall, a specialist Pipe and Cigar show will be launched for the first time at Ambiente where manufacturers and importers will present their new products. There are also developments in other areas of the fair; the Bath and Beauty industry will be seen in the Next area where young and talented companies present, promote and launch their products into the market.

Ambiente’s Trend Show is one of the most popular shows and held in Galleria 1, it does exactly as the name suggests;

respected special presentation.

Ambiente is the consumer goods show for the industry and happening just once a year, the annual meet for retailer’s and their manufacturers is a must attend event. This trend setting market overview is a powerful solution to a retailer’s ‘browse and buy’ behaviour; an eye opener to the future of the market and discovery of international products for every occasion. For 2015, the show is already fully booked with market leaders from the Dining, Living and Giving industry and is certain to deliver! Ambiente is THE show.

Date: 13th – 17th February 2015 Venue: Frankfurt am Main Tel: +44 (0) 1483 483983 Fax: +44 (0) 1483 433383 Email: info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Web: www.ambiente. messefrankfurt.com Visitor registration: www. ukfrankfurt.co.uk

Take a look in the mirror of the world market.

Explore every facet of the international consumer goods industry and a unique product spectrum.

In the Giving area you’ll find countless ideas across the entire gift sector. You also benefit from an array of synergy effects when putting together your core and supplementary assortments. This is the fair that identifies your key success factors.

Information and tickets at advance sale prices at ambiente.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83 info@uk.messefrankfurt.com

13 – 17. 2. 2015

try

Partner coun

Fashion meets function at the stationery event of the year

London Stationery Show 28th - 29th April 2015

T

he London Stationery Show continues to go from strength to strength, attracting more exhibitors and visitors every year.

Now in its fifth year and part of National Stationery Week (27 April – 3 May), the Stationery Show is a must for retailers and buyers of stationery and writing products, and anyone considering selling stationery for the first time. It makes a great gift.

The Stationery Show is the UK’s only dedicated platform for stationery products. It has more exhibitors and brands than any other exhibition, and all in one place. It makes it easy to see what’s new and who’s new, and there is also a New Product Showcase just inside the main entrance.

There is everything from the ordinary to the extraordinary, and from the everyday and functional to high end and fashionable.

Who visits?

The London Stationery Show attracts retailers and buyers from every corner of UK retailing, from gift and card shops and stationers to the biggest department stores and mass merchandisers.

Visitors include Accessorize, Amazon, Anthropolgie, Argos, Asda, B&M Retail, Bentalls, Blott Retail, British Library, British Museum, Bureau Direct, Colemans, Cowling & Wilcox, Cult Pens, English Heritage, Fenwick, Fortnum & Mason, Foyles, Freud Museum, Funky Pigeon, Harrods, Jarrold, JH Lorimer, John Lewis, John Smith & Son, Laura Ashley, Moonpig, National Theatre, National History Museum, Osbornes, Paperchase, Pilotfish, Post Office, Royal Academy of Arts, Ryman, Sainsbury’s, Scribbler, 62 gifts today

Selfridges, Tesco, The Conran Shop, The National Trust, The Pen Shop, TK Maxx, Urban Outfitters, Waterstones, Websters, WHSmith and Wilkinson.

What buyers say “I find the Stationery Show relevant because it provides the opportunity for me to view true stationery suppliers under one roof. Many other exhibitions are more gift inspired and whilst useful for sourcing some ranges, they lack a stationery focus.”

Clare Northwood, Buyer Stationery, John Lewis “This is our favourite show of the year, and has an excellent range of suppliers” Jo Irons, Director, Bureau Direct.

“Congratulations on a great Stationery Show. It was very useful to us for both sourcing and networking.”

Louise Chapman, Brand Development Manager, The Pen Shop.

What you will see Next year’s London Stationery Show will be the biggest yet with thousands of stationery and writing products, all in one place, from over 200 different suppliers from around the world.

These include pens and pencils, children’s stationery, notebooks, social stationery, diaries and organisers, licensed and gift stationery, desk accessories and storage.

Two thirds of this year’s exhibitors didn’t attend any other UK exhibition during 2014, and one in four are new to the show in 2015.

Great location The London Stationery Show takes

Next year’s London Stationery Show will be the biggest yet with thousands of stationery and writing products, all in one place, from over 200 different suppliers from around the world. place at the stylish Business Design Centre in Islington.

It’s easy to get to and to get around, and is just one stop on the underground (Angel) on the Northern Line from King’s Cross St Pancras.

There are more than 500 bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants in the area so there is something for everyone!

Register for free entry at www. stationeryshow.co.uk And follow the Stationery Show on Twitter @StationeryBytes and on Facebook. #LSS15 #stationeryspectacular

DATE: 28-29 April 2015 VENUE: Business Design Centre, London TEL: 020 8462 0721 FAX: 020 8462 0724 E-MAIL: stationeryshow@firstevents.com WEBSITE: www.stationeryshow.co.uk

Who’s exhibiting?

Exhibitors and brands to date include: Abrams & Chronicle/Knock Knock, Antalis, AT Cross, BDS, Blake Envelopes, Bong, Brother, BrownTrout Publishers, Bruce Douglas Marketing, Busy B, Butterick, Castelli, Cathedral Products, Centrum Europa, Clipper Retail, Collins, Craft & Stationery, Designlines, DKL Marketing, Dodo Pad, Durable, Edding, ExaClair, Flame Tree Publishing, FLB Group (Filofax, Letts), GBA Pen/Fisher Space Pen, Genie, GO Stationery, Hide Stationery /Monsieur Notebooks, Hillcrest Marketing (Centropen, Online, William Mitchell), Jakar International/Caran d’Ache, Jet Tec, Karl Meisenbach, Lamy, Leuchtturm1917, Lime Internet (Original Crown, Monteverde, Troika), LSM, Luckies of London, Luxor, Mad, Magic Whiteboard, Manuscript Pen, Maped Helix, Modrec, Monolith, Mustard, Newell (Parker, Sharpie, Paper Mate, Dymo), Nightingale International, Ningbo Linkart, Notable

Designs (Blackwing, CIAK, Midori), NoteShel, NPW/Moleskine, Nuco, OLFA, Organise-Us, Otter House, Paperblanks, Paperlinx, PaperPro, Parax Paper, Parragon Books, PCC/M&G Stationery, Penfold Card & Gift, Pentel, Peter Pauper Press, Portico Designs, Postsafe, Premier Grip, Presco, Publishers Group UK, Pukka Pads, Pyramid International, Quadrille, Quiver Pen Holders, Robert Frederick, Sambro, Santoro, Shachihata, Shiny/Stamps Direct, Sinclairs, Snopake Brands/Platignum Spring Innovative Workshop, Stabilo, Staedtler, Stationery Market, Stone Marketing (Faber-Castell, Kokuyo, Schneider, Sheaffer,Tombow, Tru Virtu), Strawberry Designs, Studio Pens/Kaweco, Tallon, Tesa, Thames & Hudson, The Art File, Thien Long, Totto, Trinity Xtras/Daycraft, Trodat, Two Little Boys, uni-ball, West Design, Whitefurze, Wild & Wolf, Zebra Pen.

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

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

To find out whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exhibiting and register for free entry, go to www.stationeryshow.co.uk

Join the conversation

@StationeryBytes

StationeryShow

Stationery Event of the Year

UKDATES JANUARY Cumbrex Trade Fair 4-7 January 2015 Hydro Hotel Bowness-on-Windermere2015 Tel: 01423 359259 www.cumbrex.co.uk

East Anglian Gift & Toy Fair 4-6 January 2015 St Andrew’s and Blackfriars’ Hall Norwich Tel: 01603 890070 www.eastangliangiftfair.com

Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring

Craft, Hobby + Stitch International

Museums & Heritage Show

Manchester Gift Show

18-20 January 2015

21-22 February 2015

29-30 April 2015

TBC

SECC Glasgow Tel: 01877 385772 www.scotlandtradefairs.co.uk

NEC Birmingham Tel: 01425 272711 www.chsi.co.uk

Earls Court London Tel: 01905 724734 www.museumsandheritage.com

EventCity Manchester Tel: 0161 430 8878 www.manchestergiftshow.com

Interiors 13-15 January 2015 NEC Birmingham Tel: 020 7921 8406 www.interiorsbirmingham.com

Wales Spring Fair 18-21 January 2015

The Trophex Show 18-4419 January 2015 NEC Birmingham Tel: 01442 826826 www.trophex.com

Venue Cymru Llandudno Tel: 07971 880150 www.walescraftcouncil.co.uk

11-13 January 2015 Earls Court Two London Tel: 0207 370 8168 www.home-london.net

Olympia Grand Hall London Tel: 020 7701 7127 www.toyfair.co.uk

Chic 18 January 2015

Top Drawer 11-13 January 2015 Earls Court London Tel: 0207 370 8216 www.topdrawer.co.uk

Giving & Living 11-14 January 2015 Westpoint Exeter Tel: 01934 733433 www.givingliving.co.uk

Harrogate Christmas & Gift 11-14 January 2015 Harrogate International Centre Harrogate Tel: 01902 882280 www.harrogatefair.com

Scotland’s Speciality Food Show 18-20 January 2015 SECC Glasgow Tel: 01877 385772 www.scotlandsspecialityfoodshow.com 64 gifts today

20-22 February 2015 Olympia London Tel: 08445 811404 www.nationalweddingshow. co.uk

MARCH

International Events Centre Coventry Tel: 0161 430 8878 www.chicuk.com

FEBRUARY

Hobbycrafts SECC Glasgow Tel: 01425 272711 www.ichf.co.uk

1-5 February 2015 NEC Birmingham Tel: 020 7728 4267 www.springfair.com

4-5 February 2015 Westpoint Exeter Tel: 01934 733433 www.tasteofthewesttradeshow.co.uk

Pure London 8-10 February 2015 Olympia London Tel: 020 7728 3512 www.purelondon.com

Business Design Centre London Tel: 020 8462 0721 www.stationeryshow.co.uk

Olympia London Tel: 0207 370 8216 www.topdrawer.co.uk

MAY Pulse Earls Court London Tel: 020 7370 8043 www.pulse-london.com

JUNE

27 Feb – 1 March 2015

9-10 June

NEC Birmingham Tel: 08445 811404 www.nationalweddingshow. co.uk

Business Design Centre London Tel: 0121 237 1130 www.exclusivelyhousewares.co.uk

Ideal Home Show Earls Court London Tel: 08444 154144 www.idealhomeshow.co.uk

Harrogate Nursery Fair Harrogate International Centre Harrogate Tel: 01902 882280 www.nurseryfair.com

APRIL British Craft Trade Fair 12 - 14 April 2015 The great Yorkshire Showground Harrogate Tel: 01444 246446 www.bctf.co.uk

Glee 13-15 September 2015

Exclusively Housewares

29 - 31 March 2015

The Source and Taste of the West

Top Drawer 13-15 September 2015

The National Wedding Show

20 March - 6 April 2015

Spring Fair International

Stationery Show 28-29 April 2015

10-12 May 2015 5-8 March 2015

Toy Fair 20-22 January 2015

Home

The National Wedding Show

JULY

NEC Birmingham Tel: 020 7728 4623 www.gleebirmingham.com

100% Design 17-20 September 2015 Earls Court London Tel: 020 8271 2147 www.100percentdesign.co.uk

Scotland’s Trade Fair Autumn TBC SECC Glasgow Tel: 01877 385772 www.scotlandstradefairs.co.uk

Home&Gift Show

Decorex

19-22 July 2015

20-23 September 2015

Harrogate Tel: 020 7370 8043 www.homeandgift.co.uk

Royal hospital Chelsea London Tel: 020 7921 8666 www.decorex.com

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER Autumn Fair International 6-9 September 2015 NEC Birmingham Tel: 020 7728 4265 www.autumnfair.com

International Jewellery London

Brand Licensing Europe 13-15 October Olympia London Tel: 020 8956 2667 www.brandlicensingeurope. com

6-8 September 2015 Earls Court London Tel: 020 8910 7173 www.jewellerylondon.com

• Dates Correct at time of going to press.

Please check before departure

WORLDWIDEDATES JANUARY Philadelphia Gift Show

17-20 January 2015

Greater Philadelphia Expo Center Philadelphia, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

Hong Kong International Stationery Fair

The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishing Market

6-13 January 2015

Atlanta Convention Center at AmericasMart Atlanta, USA Tel: +1 404 220 2446 www.americasmart.com

Expogift

12-14 January 2015

12-15 January 2015

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Hong Kong Tel: +852 1830 6682015 www.hktdc.com

Batalha Centro de Exposicoes Batalha, Portugal Tel: + 351 244 769 480 www.exposalao.pt

Print â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Or

Hong Kong Toys and Games Fair

6-9 January 2015

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Hong Kong Tel: +852 1830 668 www.hktdc.com

Tradexpo

9-12 January 2015 Le Bourget Exposition Parc Paris, France Tel: +33 [0] 1 44 31 82 13 www.tradexpo-paris.com

Mexican Gift Show

13-16 January 2015

Centro Banamex Exhibition Centre Mexico City, Mexico Tel: +52 [55] 52 76 63 80 www.espaciosalpro.com

Heimtextil

14-17 January 2015 Messe Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tel: 01784 415950 www.ukfrankfurt.co.uk

Euro Expo Lyon Lyon, France Tel: +33 1 44 31 82 29 www.printor.fr

Giftrends Madrid

14-16 January 2015 Feiria de Madrid Madrid, Spain Tel: +34 91 722 5000 www.ifema.es

Seattle Gift Show

16-19 January 2015 Washington State Convention Center Seattle, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

CMC Gift & Home Market

21-26 January 2015 California Market Center Los Angeles, USA Tel: +1 213 630 3600 www.californiamarketcenter.com

International Jewellery Tokyo 14-20 January 2015

Tokyo Big Sight Tokyo, Japan Tel: +81 3 3349 8503 www.ijt.jp/en/home

Eclat de Mode

23 - 26 January 2015 Paris Porte de Versailles Paris, France Tel: +33 1 47 56 52 82 www.bijorhca.com

Showcase Ireland

18-21 January 2015

Stockholmsmassan Stockholm, Sweden Tel: +46 8 749 4100 www.formex.se

RDS Dublin Dublin, Ireland Tel: +353 1 295 8185 www.showcaseireland.com

Chicago Winter Market

Casa [TexBo]

15-19 January 2015

26-29 January 2015

Merchandise Mart Chicago, USA Tel: +1 800 677 6278 www.shopchicagomarket.com

Salzburg Exhibition Centre Salzburg, Austria Tel: +43 [0] 662 4477-0 www.casa-messe.at/en

California gift Show

Forma

23 - 26 January 2015

23-26 January 2015

Los Angeles Convention Center Los Angeles, USA Tel: 1 213 763 5818 www.californiagiftshow.com

Helsinki Exhibition Centre Helsinki, Finland Tel: +358 10 820 9800 www.formamessut.fi

January 2015

Dallas Total Home & Gift Market

21-24 January 2015

Formex

14-17 January 2015

Dallas Market Center Dallas, USA Tel: +1 214 655 6100 www.dallasmarketcenter.com

Festivity 2015

19-22 January 2015 Fieramilano Milan, Italy Tel: +39 2 89120637 www.festivity.biz

New York International Gift Fair

Jan 31-4 February 2015 J K Javits Convention Center New York, USA Tel: 1 914 421 3200 www.nyigf.com

Expohogar [Spring]

23-27 January 2015 Montjuic Venue Barcelona, Spain Tel: + 34 902 233 200 www.expohogar.com

Gave & Interior

22-25 January 2015 Norges Varemesse, Oslo, Norway Tel: +47 66 93 91 00 www.messe.no/gave

Canadian Gift and Tableware Association Gift Show

25-29 January 2015 Toronto Congress Centre Toronto, Canada Tel: +1 416 679 0170 www.cgta.org

LA Mart Gift Show

21-26 January 2015 L A Mart, Los Angeles, USA Tel: 1 213 763 5825 www.lamartgift.com

Paris-Nord Villepinte Paris, France Tel: +33 8 11 09 20 09 www.maison-objet.com

Orlando Gift Show

31 January - 2 Feb 2015 Orange County Convention Center Orlando, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

Maritime Gift Show

8-11 February 2015

Halifax Forum Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Tel: 1 902 444 4087 www.maritimegiftshow.ca

31 January - 2 February 2015 Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum & Convention Center Biloxi, USA Tel: +1 800 951 1994 www.wmigiftshows.com

Creativeworld

30 January - 3 February 2015 Messe Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tel: 01784 415950 www.ukfrankfurt.co.uk

Paperworld

30 January - 3 February 2015 Messe Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tel: 01784 415950 www.ukfrankfurt.co.uk

New York International Gift Fair

1-5 February 2015

Javits Convention Center, Piers 92 & 94 New York, USA Tel: +1 914 421 3395 www.nyigf.com

Toronto Gift Show

25-29 January 2013

Oasis Gift Show

29 - 31 January 2015 Phoenix Convention Center Phoenix, USA Tel: +1 602 952 2050 www.oasis.org

Maison & Objet

23-27 January 2015

Biloxi Mississippi Gift Show

Toronto International Centre and Toronto Congress Centre Toronto, Canada Tel: 416 642-1024 www.cgta.org

FEBRUARY Salt Lake Wholesale Gift Show

Dates to be announced South Town Exposition Center Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Tel: +1 [801] 782 7771 www.saltlakegiftshow.com

Macef Milano

22-25 January 2015 Fieramilano Milan, Italy Tel: +39 02 4997-1 www.macef.it

Christmasworld

30 January - 3 February 2015

Market Square Valley Forge

9-10 February 2015

The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA Tel: 1 717 796 2377 www.marketsquareshows.com

International Toy Fair

28 January - 2 February 2015 Nurnberg Exhibition Center Nurnberg, Germany Tel: +49 911 998 13-37 www.spielwarenmesse.de

Messe Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tel: 01784 415950 www.ukfrankfurt.co.uk

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WORLDWIDEDATES Formland

29 January - 1 February 2015 MCH Messecenter Herning Herning, Denmark Tel: +45 9926 9926 www.formland.dk

Market Square Valley Forge

8-10 February 2015

The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center Oaks, Pennsylvania, USA Tel: 1 717 796 2377 www.marketsquareshows.com

The 75th Tokyo International Gift Show 2013 Autumn

4-6 February 2015

Tokyo Big Sight Tokyo, Japan Tel: +81 3 3843 9851 www.giftshow.co.jp/english

Bangkok Gems & Jewellery Fair

24 - 28 Feb 2015

Impact Challenger Bangkok, Thailand Tel: +66 2 630 1390 www.bangkokgemsfair.com

Indian Handicrafts & Gifts Fair

20-23 February 2015 India Expo Center & Mart New Delhi, India Tel: +91 11 261 35256 www.epch.in

San Francisco International Gift Fair

21-24 February 2015 Moscone Center San Francisco, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

Alberta Gift Show

22-25 February 2015 Nothlands Edmonton Expo Center Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Tel: [416] 642 1049 www.albertagiftshow.com

Denver Gift, Home, Jewelry & Resort Show

27 February - March 2 2015 Denver Merchandise Mart Complex Denver, USA Tel: +1 303 292 6278 www.denvermart.com

Sydney February

Ambiente

13th - 17th February 2015 Messe Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tel: 01784 415950 www.ukfrankfurt.co.uk

Vancouver Gift Expo

22-24 February 2015 Pine Forum Building Vancouver, Canada Tel: 1 [877] 395 0474 www.vancouvergiftexpo.com

20-24 February 2015 Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre Sydney, Australia Tel: +61 2 9422 2523 www.reedgiftfairs.com.au

Furniture Fair Mechelen

08-11 February 2015 Dates to be announced Mechelen, Belgium Tel: +32 015 20 57 50 www.internationaalmeubelfestival. be/english

American International Toy Fair MARCH

14-17 February 2015 The Javits Center New York, USA Tel: 1 212 675 1141 www.toyfairny.com

Australian Toy, Hobby & Nursery Fair

20-22 February 2015 Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre Melbourne, Australia Tel: +61 3 9320 2600 www.toyfair.com.au

66 gifts today

Creativ Salzburg Spring

27 Feb - 1 March 2015 Salzburg Exhibition Centre Salzburg, Austria Tel: +43 662 4477 2239 www.fj.creativsalzburg.at/en

Cadeaux Leipzig

28 February - 2 March 2015 Leipziger Messe Leipzig, Germany Tel: +49 341 678 8270 www.cadeaux-leipzig.de

Montreal Gift Show

22-25 March 2015

Place Bonaventure Montreal, Canada Tel: +1 888 823 7469 www.montrealgiftshow.com

Montreal Gift Show

22-25 March 2015

Place Bonaventure Montreal, Canada Tel: +1 888 823 7469 www.montrealgiftshow.com

The Portland Gift & Accessories Show

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Hong Kong Tel: +852 1830-688 www.hktdc.com/fair/ukjewelleryen/

Osaka International Gift Show

4-5 March 2015

My Dome Osaka, Japan Tel: +81 3 3843 9851 www.giftshow.co.jp/english

Sarcda International Expo

MAY Date to be announced

[In conjunction with Stylemex] 6-8 April 2015

Merchandise Mart Chicago, USA Tel: +1 800 677 6278 www.shopchicagomarket.com

Oasis Albuquerque

9-10 April 2015

Albuquerque Convention Center Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA Tel: 1 602 952 2050 www.oasis.org

The 45th International Premium Incentive Show

Date to be announced

Gallagher Convention Centre Johannesberg, South Africa Tel: +27 11 728 6668 www.sarcda.co.za

Tokyo Big Sight Tokyo, Japan +81 3 3847 9185 www.premiumshow.jp

7-10 March 2015 McCormick Place Chicago, USA Tel: +1 847 292 4200 www.housewares.org

The Atlanta Spring Gift, Home Furnishings & Holiday Market

13-15 March 2015 AmericasMart Atlanta, USA Tel: +1 404 220 3000 www.americasmart.com

Boston Gift Show

28-31 March 2015

Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Boston, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

HK Convention and Exhibition Centre Hong Kong Tel: +852 1830 668 www.hktdc.com

Oregon Convention Center Portland, USA Tel: 1 415 447 3234 www.urban-expo.com

12-15 March 2015

International Home + Housewares Show

27-30 April 2015

20-22 March 2015

Hong Kong APRIL International Jewellery Show Chicago Spring Market

4-8 March 2015

Hong Kong Gifts and premium Fair

Giftionery Taipei 2015

April 23-26 2015

Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall Taipei, Taiwan Tel: +886 2 2725 5200 www.giftionery.net

China Sourcing Fair

11-14 April 2015

Asia World Expo Hong Kong Tel: +852 8199 7308 www.chinasourcingfair.com

Hong Kong Houseware Fair

20-23 April 2015

Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Hong Kong Tel: +852 1830 668 www.hkhousewarefair.tdctrade. com

ChibiMart

Fiera Milano City Milan, Italy Tel: +39 02 485501 www.chibimart.it

International Jewellery Kobe

13-15 May 2015

Kobe International Exhibition Hall Kobe, Japan Tel: +81 3 3349 8503 www.ijk-fair.jp/english

International Contemporary Furniture Fair

16-19 May 2015 The Javits Center New York, USA Tel: +1 914 421 3200 www.icff.com

Surtex

17-19 May 2015 J K Javits Convention Center New York, USA Tel: 1 [914] 421 3200 www.surtex.com

National Stationery Show

17-20 May 2015

J K Javits Convention Center New York, USA Tel: +1 914 421 3394 www.nationalstationeryshow.com

Beautyworld Middle East

26-28 May 2015

Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 3380 102 www.messefrankfurtme.com

China Sourcing Fair, Gifts & Premiums [Dubai]

28-30 May 2015

Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 364 4983 www.chinasourcingfair.com

The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market

July 6 - 13 2015

AmericasMart Atlanta, USA Tel: +1 404 220 3000 www.americasmart.com

JUNE Interiorlifestyle

10-12 June 2015 Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan Tel: +81 3 3359 0894 www.interior-lifestyle.com

Fukuoka International Gift Show

8-10 June 2015

Marine Messe Fukuoka Fukuoka, Japan Tel: +81 3 3843 9851 www.giftshow.co.jp/english

Licensing International Expo

8-11 June 2015

Mandalay Bay Convention Center Las Vegas, USA Tel: +1 [212] 951-6612 www.licensingexpo.com

International New Age Trade Show – West

27-29 June 2015

Denver Merchandise Mart Denver, USA Tel: +1 800 710 8859 www.inats.com

Dallas Total Home & Gift Market

24-30 June 2013

Dallas Market Center Dallas, USA Tel: +1 214 655 6100 www.dallasmarketcenter.com

JULY ISOT 2012

8-10 July 2015 Tokyo Big Sight Tokyo, Japan Tel: +81 3 3349 8505 www.isot-fair.jp/en

Chicago Summer Market

[In conjunction with Tempories & Beckman’s Handcrafted Show] Merchandise Mart Chicago, USA Tel: +1 800 677 6278 www.shopchicagomarket.com

Singapore Gifts & Premiums Fair

29-31 July 2015

Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre City Centre, Singapore Tel: +65 6467 8385 www.sgpfair.com

Oasis Gift Show

23-25 July 2015

Phoenix Convention Center Phoenix, USA Tel: +1 602 952 2050 www.oasis.org

AUGUST India International Jewellery Show 2015

27-31 August 2015 Bombay Exhibition Centre Mumbai, India Tel: +91 22 6645 0123 www.iijs.org

Christmas Fair South America

15-18 August 2015 Transamerica Expo Center Sao Paulo, Brazil Tel: 55 [11] 2105 7000 www.grafitefeiras.com.br

Salt Lake Wholesale Gift Show

August 5-7 2015

Brisbane July

6-9 July 2013

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre Brisbane, Australia Tel: +61 2 9422 2523 www.reedgiftfairs.com.au

South Town Exposition Center Salt Lake City, Utah, USA Tel: +1 [801] 782 7771 www.saltlakegiftshow.com

Melbourne August

Chicago Fall Market

Mega Show Part Two

1-5 August 2015

[In conjunction with the

21-23 October 2015

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre and the Melbourne Showgrounds Melbourne, Australia Tel: +61 2 9422 2523 www.reedgiftfairs.com.au

International Casual Furniture and Accessories Market]

Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Hong Kong Tel: +852 2311 8216 www.kenfair.com

TBC

Merchandise Mart Chicago, USA Tel: +1 800 677 6278 www.shopchicagomarket.com

29 August - 31 August 2015 Messe Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main, Germany Tel: 01784 415950 www.ukfrankfurt.co.uk

Heimtextil Russia

23-25 September 2013 IEC Crocus Expo Tel: 7 495 649 8775 www.heimtextil.messefrankfurt.ru

Gulf Coast Gift Show

Fort Lauderdale Gift Show

29 August - 1 September 2015

Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center Fort Lauderdale, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

15-18 August 2015 Expo Center Norte Sao Paulo, Brazil Tel: +55 11 2195 7000 www.grafitefeiras.com/br

SEPTEMBER Zuchex 2012

TBC September 2015 Tuyap Istanbul International Exhibition and Congress Center Istanbul, Turkey Tel: +90 212 292 60 31 www.zuchex.com

Giftrends Madrid

9-13 September 2013 Feria de Madrid Madrid, Spain Tel: +34 91 722 5000 www.ifema.es

Sydney September

20 - 23 September 2015 Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre Sydney, Australia Tel: +61 2 9422 2523 www.reedgiftfairs.com.au

Vancouver Gift Expo

TBC

Edgewater Island and Golf Resort Panama City, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show

September 29 - 2 October 2015

Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

OCTOBER Galveston Gift & Resort Merchandise Show

13 - 15 October 2015

Galveston Island Convention Center Galveston Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

Interior Lifestyle China

17-20 October 2015 Shanghai Exhibition Centre Shanghai, China +86 21 6160 8523 www.messefrankfurt.com.hk

Shanghai Exhibition Centre Shanghai, China Tel: +86 21 6160 8523 www.messefrankfurt.com.hk

Manilla Fame International

17-20 October 2015 SMY Convention Centre Manilla, Phillipines Tel: +63 2 833 4258 www.manilafame.com

NOVEMBER Smoky Mountain Gift Show

3-6 November 2015

Gatlinburg Convention Center Gatlinburgh Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

ChibiMart Inverno

13-16 November Fieramilano City Milan, Italy Tel: +39 0248550301 www.chibimart.it

China Sourcing Fair

TBC

Bombay Exhibition Centre Mumbai, India Tel: +852 8199 7308 www.chinasourcingfair.com

Ocean City Resort Gift Expo

TBC November 2015

China Sourcing Fair

11 -14 October 2015 AsiaWorld Expo Hong Kong Tel: 852 8199 7308 www.chinasourcingfair.com

Mega Show Part One

20-21 September 2015

17-20 October 2013

Pine Forum Building Vancouver, Canada Tel: 1 [877] 395 0474 www.vancouvergiftexpo.com

Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre Hong Kong Tel: +852 2311 8216 www.kenfair.com

• Dates Correct at time of going to press.

Please check before departure

Interior Lifestyle China

TBC

Tendence

Roland Powell Convention Center Ocean City, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com

DECEMBER Grand Strand Gift & Resort Merchandise Show

TBC December

Myrtle Beach Convention Center Myrtle Beach, USA Tel: +1 678 285 3976 www.urban-expo.com gifts today 67

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