Nursery Today October 2018

OCTOBER 2018 ISSUE 1 VOLUME 22

HUBB BRING IT ON

On the road to new adventures

Inspired by the clean lines and ingenuity of Dutch design, Nuna baby gear is easy, safe, and as flexible as you need it to be. Out and about or at home, our products “get” the mess, the fun, the sleepless nights, the lazy Sundays together—the love.

Each and every one of our products is designed to make the practical side of family life that much easier. See a sneak peek above of some of our new products and fashions available in 2019.

Designed around your life.

contents Re g ul a r s the team Editor Penny Franks penny@lemapublishing.co.uk

Ad Manager Christine Contreras christine@lemapublishing.co.uk

Design Production Director

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Contributors 23

Intelligent Retail This issue David Fairhurst takes a look at Duplicate Content Monster.

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News file Retailer Pro apshot Supplier Sn

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OCTOBER 2018 ISSUE 1 VOLUME 22

Barking Mad John Barker looks back at Kind Und Jugend, giving his thoughts on his first visit to the show.

p Talking Sho cts New Produ roducts The Baby P n Associatio

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Ross Hewitt Email Marketing; There’s Life After GDPR

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Insights People As tech becomes the family gatekeeper, is your marketing best placed to reach this generation of parents?

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Publisher

Cover Story

Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Quinny/Dorel Meet Hubb, the new pushchair from Quinny.

Features 14

Furniture & Decor

44

Weaning

50

Licensing

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Health & Wellbeing

Show Review

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

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Kind Und Jugend We bring you a round-up of the 2018 event.

www.nursery-today.co.uk

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Introducing the new Tiny Tatty Teddy range by BreathableBaby, featuring the adorable grey bear. Tiny Tatty Teddy is the perfect choice for a gift for both boys and girls

For further information, please contact rachelle.harel@breathablebaby.com

Be part of the bigger picture ...

24 - 26 March 2019

Harrogate Convention Centre, North Yorkshire

STOP PRESS: More major brands confirmed ... www.nurseryfair.com Tel: 01902 880906 / 882280 Email: adrian@nurseryfair.com HINF OCT 2019 ADVERT NT - DRAFT.indd 1

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editor’s letter www.nursery-today.co.uk Twitter: @nurserytodaymag

ith Kind Und Jugend having closed their doors last month, visitors to the show this year were not left disappointed.

This year the event exceeded all expectations with an increase of approximately 10 percent in visitor levels in comparison to 2017. It has been reported that this year more than 24,700 trade visitors from 123 countries together with 1,217 exhibitors representing brands from 49 countries were in attendance.

The figures underline the international significance of Kind Und Jugend within the industry.

For example, the results of an independent visitor survey showed that visitors were also impressed with the trade fair. Thus, 80 percent of buyers are planning to return to Kind + Jugend in 2019. With all six halls packed with products directly targeting the nursery sector those who visited would have been hard pushed not to find what they were looking for.

The UK Pavilion was again buzzing with activity, with more than 50 exhibitors all welcoming visitors from across the globe.

As the largest country specific pavilion at the show the UK Pavilion has become an

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Quinny new product launch turn to page 12

The call of Cologne - turn to page 32

established feature attracting visitors from around the world. The eye-catching Union flag branding could not be missed; and free UK branded bags act as magnets to everyone entering the halls and have continually proven an extremely effective marketing tool as visitors proudly carried them not only in Koelnmesse, but often also around the streets of Cologne too.

Robert Anslow, managing director of the Baby Products Association and president of the European Nursery Products Confederation (ENPC), said: “The UK Pavilion was once again testament to the excellent work of the Baby Products Association and its members and provided an outstanding platform for international trade and a gateway to exporting, particularly for some of our smaller and newer members. We were also proud to host the ENPC’s board meeting with representatives from trade associations throughout Europe attending.”

Kind Und Jugend is also home to the coveted Innovation Awards. This year marked the 14th anniversary of these awards and are presented to products for babies and toddlers that stand out by way of innovation, technology, functionality and design. This year, nearly 200 products from 27 countries – around 18 percent more than in 2017 – were submitted for consideration.

We highlight the winners in our review starting on page 32, where we also bring you a round-up of the show together with a selection of products to give you a flavour of what was on display.

Next year’s dates have also been announced - make sure you put them in your diary. 19th-22nd September 2019. Visit www.kindundjugend.com for further information.

This issue we also take a look at a number of product categories, nursery furniture/decor, weaning, licensed products and health and well being.

The nursery furniture/decor sector continues to grow and from our mini survey this month, we can see that more than 78 percent chose a ‘mix and match’ approach for their baby’s nursery, with over 75 percent stating that they were aware of side sleeping cribs. Find out more by turning to page 14.

This issue we also bring you a feature focussing on all products necessary for the weaning stages. Although for some independent retailers, this is a category which is often shied away from, with a level of continuing innovation, is now the time to re-address this category for your store? If you are a stockist of highchairs, then this category provides a great up-selling opportunity. Turn to page 44 to see what’s currently available.

On a final note, take time to check out our Cover Story this month. There are exciting plans on the horizon being announced by Quinny with the launch of their new Hubb pushchair, the first in a whole new range coming soon. You can read all about it by turning to page 12.

Soft rockers for little movers www.hippychick.com 01278 434440 nursery today

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news Disney magic This year marks ninety years of “The True Original”: Mickey Mouse! To commemorate this incredible milestone, aden + anais is joining a worldwide anniversary celebration with the beloved baby brand’s first-ever metallic Disney baby collaboration.

The aden + anais x Disney Mickey’s 90th metallic collection combines the magic of muslin and the wonder of Disney with an assortment of the lifestyle brand’s top product categories featuring iconic artwork of Mickey Mouse through the years. The result is a collection of 100% cotton muslin metallic must-haves that bring the two brands’ collective vision to life, encapsulating the heritage, personality and pop-culture-icon status of Mickey, the True Original.

Email: boutique@adenandanais.com Web: wwww.adenandanais.co.uk

Clever Stuff, Happy Babies Cosatto has signed a formal partnership with the Sussex Baby Lab at the University of Sussex, to support the design and creation of new products with scientifically-tested baby benefits.

Renowned for their bold, bright contemporary designs, the Boltonbased company has identified strong consumer interest in prams, travel systems and strollers that stimulate thought and cognitive processes in new-born babies.

Led by Professor Anna Franklin, the Sussex Baby Lab is a world-leader in infant cognitive psychology, especially in the field of vision and learning through sight.

The collaboration will underpin Cosatto’s new communications platform ‘Clever Stuff, Happy Babies’ and will see the brand draw upon the expertise of a team of Scientific Advisors to inform the design process and share new insights on the subject of baby science in consumer media.

Cosatto has used baby science to inform its design approach for the last four years, and now believes that with the knowledge of the experts at the Sussex Baby Lab, it can take its products to the next level with proven and tested baby benefits.

Andrew Kluge, CEO said; “Cosatto is famous for colour and contemporary designs. What a lot of people don’t realise is that, beyond the styles and fashions of the day, there are sound scientific grounds underpinning our design philosophy. We believe that a stimulated baby quickly learns the skills to engage with the outside world. Customers often send us feedback about their babies interacting with our patterns, and following a major strategic review this year, we want to further sharpen our focus on baby science to give mums a key reason why Cosatto is better for your baby.”

The Sussex Baby Lab is the Cosatto Official Science Partner and will allow the brand to tap into the mysterious world of baby psychology through their team of leading academics and scientists to investigate how babies see, think and learn.

Web: www.cosatto.co.uk

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Kids Kargo make the shortlist The team at Kids Kargo are extremely proud and excited to have been shortlisted at this year’s Mother and Baby Awards 2019.

After winning two awards last month at this year’s Best Baby and Toddler Gear awards 2018, their Fitty Jogger pushchair (which launched earlier this year) has been shortlisted under the ‘Best Multiple, Twin or Tandem Pushchair category.

Andy is delighted to be shortlisted in the Mother & Baby awards.

He said: “This is a fantastic accolade for Kids Kargo, as this is the first time in 21 years we’ve entered any competitions. We’ve also won Bronze in the Mumii Best Baby and Toddler Gear Awards this year, which was a great achievement.”

Web: www.kidskargo.com

Autumn is Awesome This October, LittleLife, specialists in great outdoor gear for families, is asking young families across the UK to #packitallin and enjoy and share the awesomeness of autumn.

LittleLife’s Autumn is Awesome campaign sees the brand team up with leading social influencers to bring the beauty of the changing seasons to families with young children.

In the lead up to the October half term, across all of its social platforms, the brand will share tips and advice on places to go this autumn; simple but gorgeous outdoor autumnal activities; as well as a competition to win LittleLife’s leading toddler backpacks and a family photoshoot.

Dan Marett, sales and marketing director at LittleLife, said: “LittleLife is committed to exploration, discovery and helping children enjoy the great outdoors. We have a fab range of toddler backpacks and carriers to help families do this. Autumn is a time of year when we welcome longer shadows, burgeoning fruit trees, the first crackle of an open fire. There’s endless fun to be had and LittleLife wants to support families to get out there and have it.”

Baby brands join forces bébélephant, Little Chick London and BreathableBaby joined forces recently to present a successful product showcase to retailers, bloggers and trade press in London.

Rachelle Harel of Little Chick London comments: “As a distributor, bébélephant represents a number of successful baby brands, whilst Little Chick London and BreathableBaby have new products and new colourways to present to the industry. This collaboration proved hugely successful with representatives from major retailers such as John Lewis, Mothercare and Kidly attending, giving them the opportunity to see everything we have to offer all under one roof and close to their office location.”

Elliot Bishop of bébélephant added: “This joint effort proved an extremely efficient way of presenting lots of new product ideas to key players under one convenient roof. We were delighted with the turnout and will definitely be hosting a similar event in the future.

For more information contact Rachelle at hello@littlechick.london or Elliot at elliot@bebelephant.com

Now you see it…

Simon Hooper, better known as Father of Daughters, author and popular daddy blogger featured an amazing disappearing trick while also highlighting the benefits of the Gro Company’s Gro Any Where Blind. In a regular instagram feature ‘TechnoWednesday’ FOD as he is better known shared his trick with his massive i 891K followers. f ll Web: www.gro.co.uk

SlumberRoo Assigns Azaria Slumber-Roo, one of the UK’s largest specialist distributors of baby carriers and accessories, has appointed Azaria to undertake its UK PR activities.

With an extensive brand portfolio including Boba, Beco, and Jellystone Designs, Slumber-Roo is committed to discovering fresh, new and exciting babywearing brands that offer customers value for money, first class service and practical parenting solutions.

Azaria is working on number of activities to launch a range of exciting new products and supporting websites.

Debi Smithson, Slumber-Roo Co-founder and Sales Director comments; “It’s fantastic to finally be able to cement our working relationship with Azaria. They stand-out as the go-to Agency for nursery PR and we are excited to see our programme of activities unfold.”

Amber Steventon, Managing Director of Azaria, says; “Slumber-Roo has a long-standing reputation for baby wearing products, expertise and support. We are excited to be working with Debi and her team to further increase brand awareness and drive consumers to visit their website for all baby wearing needs and beyond.”

STICK & STAY SUCTION DISHWARE The right kind of sticky

NEW

For more information on Slumberoo, please visit www.slumber-roo.co.uk

Run Nikki! Run! Aqua Wipes’ Nikki Primarolo raised £500 for St Gemma’s Hospice in the Great North Run 2018.

In memory of her beloved father, Nikki from York, ran the 13-mile Great North Run, alongside more than 57,000 runners, who also took part in the world’s biggest half-marathon. Giving the likes of Mo Farah a run for his money, Nikki proudly finished in two hours and 10 minutes.

Dr Mark Little, Founder of Aqua Wipes said: “We are all extremely proud of Nikki’s achievements and her ability to push herself to accomplish great things.”

Nikki Primarolo, Stock Controller, Aqua Wipes commented: “My Dad spent time in a hospice in my home town of Shrewsbury and I wanted to do this in memory of him. St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds has always been close to my heart, my Gran volunteered there so it’s nice to give something back for all the amazing work they do. Bring on the Great North Run 2019!”

For life’s little adventures info@oxouk.com www.oxototuk.com

#ThisTotCan

Tel: 0845 838 7120 Email: sales@aquawipes.co.uk

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news Social impact Sammy S a Fraser, Digital M Marketing Executive at th Gro Company the g gives advice on how t make a big to i impression with social media.

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sing i g all lll tth the h ttools l att your disposal to drive your business is essential. With the number of social media users worldwide up 13 percent year-on-year in 2018* it makes sense to have a clear focus and strategy on how social media channels can support your business and reach your consumers.

Good for businesses of all sizes, from small local retailers to the biggest of brands, social media offers a direct channel to consumers to deliver your brand messages and sales promotions. The two big hitters with Mums who are seeking information, advice and inspiration from digital channels, are Instagram and Facebook. Instagram is the biggest growing platform that hit an enormous one billion users in June this year.** In recent research we carried out Facebook is still the most used and influential social network amongst parents.

With advertising options on both platforms giving access to highly targeted audiences they still offer huge potential for organic reach. Here are a few ways you can use social channels to your advantage and grow your social share. Promote your brand – Use the platforms to tell your story. Reflect your brand identity and ‘own’ your messages.

This could include shop reveals, updates on store events and establishing what you offer to busy mums and dads. Aim to create visual content for greater shareability as “Facebook posts with images see 2.3X more engagement than those without images.”*** Engage with influencers directly – Choose influencers that reflect your brand, encourage them to follow and interact with you, allowing you to reach their like minded audience with your brand and message. Influencer events help create content focussed around your store and gifting product can also help drive engagement. Do your homework first by choosing influencers who are at a relevant lifestage. To make the most of the opportunity ensure activity is going to be genuinely useful to both parties to create authentic content that fits with your brand aims. Educate – A great way to engage is to give users information about products. Use your expertise to explain the product or service you offer and how it can be of benefit to them. Product demos, Q&A’s and ‘how to’ guides are all content that engages consumers. *We Are Social, Global Digital Report 2018 ** Rob Mathison Hootsuite Jan 2018 *** By How To Massively Boost Your Blog Traffic With These 5 Awesome Image Stats By Andrianes Pinantoan Buzzsumo May 20, 2015

m Image Source: pexels.co 8 nursery today

Pretend to Bee Buzzing with Excitement!

Renowned fancy dress manufacturer Pretend to Bee have a wide range of products that are popular with parents and now they add a celebrity fan. Last weekend, former McFly lead and children’s author Tom Fletcher took to his social media channels to post a video of himself singing accompanied by his eldest son Buzz.

As well as an impressive vocal range like his father, Buzz opted to wear Pretend to Bee’s popular Natural History Museum T-Rex costume for the rendition. With 1.6 million followers on Instagram, the video has so far been viewed 517,610 times with Pretend to Bee noticing a spike in sales since the broadcast.

Kate Skitt, Marketing Manager at Pretend to Bee comments: “The Natural History Museum collection is one of our most popular collections and so we were absolutely delighted to see Buzz Fletcher wearing the T-Rex costume especially as he seemed fascinated by the details on the dress up outfit. We noticed a shift in sales almost immediately and with Christmas on the horizon, we know that this costume and others in that range will continue to sell quickly as the big day approaches.”

For further information, please contact Pretend to Bee on 0115 921 5690.

Monitor success Summer Infant are excited to announce the launch of their latest Monitors range at Mothercare, including the new Baby Pixel Monitor.

Available in store, online and in the Mothercare catalogue the Summer Infant Monitors range caters for varying customer needs and budgets.

From an opening price point of £39.99 with the Babble Band wearable Monitor, right up to the top of the range Baby Pixel Monitor at £199.99.

Hashim Yilmaz, General Manager of Summer Infant UK, says: “We’re pleased to be expanding our Monitors distribution to 70 Mothercare stores and to be increasing our exposure of the range alongside marketing support. The collection looks great and provides parents with a really easy to use interface with leading edge technology and value for money.”

Web: www.summerinfant.co.uk

The Fletchers Make a Mint Choice!

The team at Moba, are thrilled to see that celebrity parents, Tom and Giovanna Fletcher, are fans of their Moba Moses Basket! Sharing intimate family snaps with their nearly 3 million combined Instagram followers, the couple were proud to show their newborn baby, Max, sleeping soundly in his Mint Moba.

Both Giovanna and her husband Tom, have shared snaps of their baby boy snug in his Moba Moses Basket. Thanks to its innovative safety features and lightweight, portable design, it’s no wonder it has been the couple’s Moses basket of choice, moving around the house alongside the busy couple!

Olivia Askaroff, Co-founder of Moba commented: “We’d love to congratulate Tom and Giovanna on the arrival of their beautiful baby boy. It’s fantastic to see that they have chosen Moba as their Moses Basket of choice. This is not only brilliant for brand exposure but demonstrates once again that our innovative, modern design is loved by parents nationwide!”

Web: www.mobauk.com

Stroller launched into space Ergobaby has unveiled its new ergonomic, lightweight Metro Compact City Stroller, and in a move to defy the limits of where a stroller can take you, sent the new design more than 100,000ft into the Earth’s atmosphere!

Going where no stroller has gone before, the Metro Stroller launched from Loch Cluanie in the highlands of Scotland, rising for a little over an hour to a peak altitude of 31,066m (101,922ft), before returning to Earth beside the River Avon safe and sound.

Ergobaby’s Metro City Stroller defies the limitations of urban travel by bringing the comfort and ergonomic design that Ergobaby is known for, to an ultra-compact stroller that easily fits on buses, tubes, in most airline overhead bins, and in small car boots.

Web: www.ergobaby.co.uk

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news Feeling festive Anthony Temple, Managing Director of Rainbow Designs, the Home of Classic Characters, takes a look at some of the challenges and opportunities available for retailers as they gear up for the festive shopping window ahead. eptember is an important time in the retail schedule as many independents begin to turn their attentions to the lucrative gifting season ahead and the lead up to Christmas.

For our consumers, it is also an important time as they head towards a special milestone in their child’s life, for many, their first Christmas.

Raymond Briggs’ festive favourite, The Snowman is celebrating his own milestone this year. It is 40 years since we were first introduced to this magical, timeless character and there are a number of exciting 40th Anniversary activities planned for The Snowman this Christmas that retailers can look to capitalise on.

As part of our Snowman range we have The Snowman and The Snowdog ‘My First Christmas’ Collection that features nursery essentials including ring rattles and comfort blankets, perfect for that special occasion. Many parents and gift buyers look for ‘First Christmas’ keepsakes but they are also seeking those educational and developmental toys that will support and engage their child through the next stage of their early years development.

Christmas shopping as a whole, appears to begin earlier and earlier each year and it is no secret that more of our millennial parents are researching and shopping online than ever before. For retailers, early preparation is key, ensuring stock levels are where they need to be and the practical product versus gifting balance is met. For those on the high street the use of creative instore displays and smart merchandising has never been more important, to ensure that no opportunity is missed and point of purchase opportunities are maximised. For manufacturers, retailers and consumers it is time for us all to switch into festive mode and be as ready as we can be for the busy few months ahead.

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20 year milestone for Merry Go Round

Baby accessories specialist, MerryGoRoundUK is celebrating 20 years in business which founder Caroline Taylor has described as a ‘whirlwind’. Caroline founded the company in 1998 to work around having her three children, Lewis, Adam and Sean.

But two decades on the business has become a leading manufacturer and Bots, distributor of a range of popular baby brands including MuslinZ, Bright UK. the across Nappies eeks AppleCh and Wooly Organic Toys For more information please contact SCS Marketing & PR on 01252 621293 or email info@scsmarketingandpr.co.uk.

SpaceCot wins gold!

SpaceCot was put against some of the best travel cots on the marketing in the Dad Network Awards and came out on top winning gold!

This is a traditional travel cot that has been redesigned with space technologies – making it lighter, quicker and easier to use. SpaceCot can be folded and unfolded in under 3 seconds, its strong and stylish design was inspired by the way satellites unfurl 30,000 miles above earth. It folds down into a neat and compact shape, easy to store in the house or car boot.

Included with SpaceCot is a detachable cot level for babies below 6 months.

SpaceCot can be used for babies up to 30 months.

For more information on SpaceCot please visit www.hippychick.com/ spacecot or call 01278 434440

Full speed ahead to Harrogate Hauck confirms return: With a successful Kind+Jugend now firmly under its belt, the UK’s nursery industry is concentrating on the next important annual trade event with bookings for Harrogate International Nursery Fair in March 2019 steadily flowing in.

Last year, the show enjoyed a refreshed layout utilising new halls of the Harrogate Convention Centre and, because of this, almost all of the major names there this time have rebooked their positions again.

Hauck has confirmed its unique outside facing stand position in the Kings Suite and Hall G is already almost sold out. Favourite companies returning to this hall include BabyStyle, Bebecar, Cuddles Collection, Obaby, Red Kite and Rosy Fuentes to name just a few.

Hall Q welcomes the return of Cheeky Rascals, Peg Perego, UPPAbaby, Shnuggle, Sheldon and Slumberland; plus, new for 2019, Baby Travel UK and Unilove Baby with Mee-go. Roma Prams launched its range at Harrogate for the first time this year and has also confirmed its stand for 2019. Emma Charlesworth of the company explains: “We chose Harrogate as our first trade exhibition and were overwhelmed with support from the independent sector. We signed up for next year as we can see the value that this show offers to both exhibitors and visitors.”

Adrian Sneyd, show organiser, urges companies interested in participating to secure their stand space early commenting: “With last year’s new layout requiring some time to set up and communicate out to everyone we are very pleased with the response so far but would now urge companies still planning to exhibit to get in touch as soon as possible so they can get the best choice of stands still available.”

For more information and booking forms, visit www. nurseryfair.com or contact Adrian directly on 01902 880906 or email: adrian@nurseryfair.com

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Room to grow Is it a question of taste or are consumers more savvy when it comes to making their selections for the nursery? We take a closer look. urniture for the nursery is a staple product category for many retailers.

With many parents opting for furniture sets to give a co-ordinated feel to the nursery and side sleeping products starting to trend as a popular alternative to traditional Moses baskets, the sector hasn’t stood still over time and has really caught the imagination of the consumer.

One notable change within this sector is the use of side sleeping cribs in comparison to traditional Moses Baskets. We asked Holly John (Chicco) her thoughts on the every increasing popularity of these products. “Side-sleeping has seen a huge increase in popularity, much of which can be attributed to our pioneering Chicco Next2Me, the first side-sleeping crib on the UK market, and our educational marketing campaigns. Chicco’s Next2Me range of side-sleeping cribs provides a safe and secure sleeping environment that allows parents and babies to share those special bonding moments without compromising the baby’s safety.”

We spoke with independent retailer Victoria Hampson (Natural Baby Shower) to find out if they had noticed an increase in sides sleeping cots and whether these are viewed as value for money.

“Parents seem to be keeping their baby in their bedroom before moving them into their own nursery for much longer now than in previous years.

“A bedside crib has definitely taken over from the more traditional Moses basket where sales have completely dropped and more and more brands are launching their own version of the bedside crib.”

Are parents brand focussed when looking at nursery furniture? Beth Henry (Obaby) thinks not.

“We believe that consumers look for a particular design when looking for nursery furniture rather than a particular brand.” Many companies have the same opinion with Victoria Robertson (East Coast Nursery) feeling it is all about quality, function and price. “I think the looks, quality, function and price of the furniture are the first considerations for most parents, before brand.”

This can be seen in our mini survey this month with more than 64% stating they weren’t brand focussed when searching nursery furniture.

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With the increase in awareness of side sleeping that convert and last as a child grows up, dressers cribs, would it be fair to think that perhaps we are that become chests of drawers, additional or clever now experiencing also a decline in the purchase of storage solutions, etc. will always be sought after.” cots in favour of cotbeds? Beth feels that cotbeds are Karl Millergill (Clever Clogs Trading UK) feels more standard now in comparison to cots as they last value for money is important, but may not longer by taking a child through the various age necessarily be the driving factor. “Value is a major stages and requirements. East Coast have also consideration but I also remember the excitement as experienced this increased demand. Victoria an expectant parent of furnishing the babies nursery Robertson stated: “From what we see, cotbeds are in readiness for their arrival. I feel the trend is chosen over cots in more nurseries. They last on increasing for parents who want a beautiful nursery. average a couple of years longer, so they are seen as “The cot is the main centre piece of the nursery being a great long-lasting investment that offers so it needs to look great! Commercial times are better value for money.” challenging so parents are also looking for products tha We asked that last longer. Quality and flexibility are therefore bigger Victoria (Hampson) ffactors than just the price.” whether she feels that her customers We also asked Karl if he felt tthat this is a category where it’s view cotbeds as al good value for all about style? “You will always ha money. “Absolutely, have a consumer that is driven by sty everyone seems to style over substance and price ov opt for a cotbed over quality but the majority of co now. Perhaps consumers are very savvy.” Said Ka because of the eco Karl. “Most parents I meet con factor, it’s great consider how long the product will that many cotbeds las last vs. just the ticket price. Parents Beth Henry, Obaby wil now convert from will definitely invest in a good cot a cot to a bed, and cotbed with added functionality tha even a double bed that they can use long term....even or sofa – it’s reusable at it’s for the second child.” best and means far less wastage.”

With Social Media featuring heavily in this Talking of value, are consumers seeking category, would it be fair to assume that this is a well co-ordinating furniture? We asked Victoria researched sector? “I think parents will browse (Hampson) for her thoughts. “I think parents will Instagram and Pinterest for style inspiration, then browse Instagram and Pinterest for style inspiration, seek out online reviews prior to purchasing – how then seek out online reviews prior to purchasing easy the furniture is to assemble and how sturdy – how easy the furniture is to assemble and how people have reported it to be.” Commented East sturdy people have reported it to be.”

Coast’s Victoria.

When you look at our mini survey this month Victoria (Hamspon) does feel that online over 71% stated that cost vs. quality was a research takes place before making a decision to consideration. “Nursery furniture is one of the purchase, although recommendation is also biggest costs in preparing for a new baby, so parents important. “Everyone does their research now and will be looking for good value for money, in the there is so much information available online when quality of the pieces and in their function.” it comes to reviews. But I do think that word of comments Victoria (Robertson). “Therefore, cotbeds mouth is just as important and recommendations

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from friends or family play a big part in the decision-making process.”

This is a very emotive product sector, therefore it would be surprising if parents didn’t conduct any level of research prior to purchase. “The sleep time sector, in general, is highly researched prior to purchase. Babies spend a significant amount of time sleeping, and so parents are very conscious of purchasing a credible crib to keep their little one safe, comfortable and happy at all times.” commented Holly.

“With so many options available on the market, more and more parents are looking for recommendations and reviews online, and expecting parents will ultimately trust the opinions of other new parents who have tried and tested a trusted and reliable product above anything else.”

And what about current trends? What are we experiencing? “Most definitely the demand for side sleeping cribs,” reiterates Victoria (Hampson). “The biggest trend is undoubtably the movement away from Moses baskets and towards bedside cribs. At Natural Baby Shower, we’ve stopped stocking Moses baskets completely.”

Karl agrees, but feels it’s also about innovation that is currently setting standards within this category. “Co-sleeping continues to grow as a trend.

Parents are spending significant amounts on products that only last for 3-6 months proving that innovation in furniture will drive increased spend

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equalling extra margin for retailers!

“Over the last few years furniture has become uninspiring for retailers and sales have moved to commodity/value ranges. Now that we have some innovation furniture is becoming exciting again for retailers and consumers alike.”

Solutions for the nursery with regard to accessories and décor can also be a great additional footfall generator – if your customers are looking for a co-ordinated room this may also be the time where parents will focus on nursery bedding and accessories that can be displayed alongside room sets on your shop floor.

The survey says…

Nursery market specialists FanFinders surveyed 1000 consumers via their platform Your Baby Club focussing on nursery furniture.

Here’s the results: Were you brand focused when looking at furniture for the nursery?

Yes: 353 (35.3%) No: 647 (64.7%) Did you buy a cotbed?

Yes: 432 (43.2%) No: 568 (56.8%) If yes, (432) did you feel this was represented good value of money?

Yes: 394 (91.2%) No: 38 (8.8%) Were you looking for co-ordinating furniture?

Yes: 681 (68.1%) No: 319 (31.9%) Did you buy a roomset?

Yes: 219 (21.9%) No: 781 (78.1%) Were you aware of side-sleeping cribs?

Yes: 754 (75.4%) No: 246 (24.6%) If yes, (754) did you purchase one?

Yes: 100 (13.3%) No: 654 (86.7%) Were brand names important to you?

Yes: 427 (42.7%) No: 573 (57.3%) Did you research products prior to purchase?

Yes: 698 (69.8%) No: 302 (30.2%) Was cost versus quality a consideration?

Yes: 717 (71.7%) No: 283 (28.3%)

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P

ATENT

PENDING

100%

Solid Birch

As life unfolds so does Gaia Baby Choose from the Gaia Serena Complete Sleep family to tailor the system to your needs.

www.gaia-baby.com For stockist enquiries please email karl@gaia-baby.com or joanne@gaia-baby.com or call free phone 0800 0518080

focus FURNITURE

Give baby a hug Baby Hug 4-in-1 is a unique multifunctional daytime solution that offers four configurations from one unit to adapt to changing baby care needs throughout the day. Beginning as a daytime crib, it can then be transformed into a recliner seat for when little ones want to sit up and see the world, and are kept entertained with an attachable electronic toy bar.

When it comes to dinnertime, Baby Hug can be adapted into a highchair with a removable tray and when little ones want to play, it can be transformed into their very first play seat. Cost effective, space saving and highly convenient, Baby Hug encourages bonding by keeping little ones in constant eyesight, whatever they’re doing.

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

Deluxe option

The new edition to the Stamford range, the Stamford Luxe cot bed becomes the deluxe flagship sleeping option for the range. Its oversized, hand carved scrolls flow perfectly into the curved side panel and its ability to transfer between cot, day bed and a toddler bed both with and without safety rails make this a great choice for people looking for longevity from their purchases.

The included matching under drawer slides neatly under the cot bed and offers parent’s that much needed extra storage space for their little one’s belongings without taking up valuable space elsewhere. The Stamford Luxe is available in a choice of three colours, There is the white and taupe grey which can be found in all of their retailers but they also have the Warm grey which is an Independent retailer exclusive.

Tel: 01652 641491 Web: www.obabystamford.co.uk

Adaptable lighting

The Grolight is an ingenious fitting that adapts your existing light to an adjustable nightlight.

It simply plugs in to any light fitting and is controlled from the light switch, providing a soothing LED glow or main light bulb.

Switch the light once for a gentle glow from LED’s and twice for the normal main light. The perfect nightlight it is suitable for every stage of a child’s development, from night time feeds , to nappy changes. A fantastic tool through different baby stages, from newborn nighttime feeds , nappy changes, to toddler toilet training and beyo nd. It even saves you money on your elect ricity bill vs. a dimmer switch.

Web: www.gro.co.uk

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focus FURNITURE

Cool to be grey

The classically styled Hollie nursery set from BabyStyle is now available in cool grey as well as the original rich walnut and fresh white.

The supremely elegant Hollie Sleigh Bed is extremely versatile converting from a cot bed to junior bed and then onto a fun and funky sofa bed. It comes complete with an integral drawer offering important additional storage space.

The wardrobe features multi-position shelves and hanging rail option the 4 drawer dresser can be used as a changer with the addition of the detachable changer top with hidden fixings, leaving no marks when removed. When no longer needed the dresser top will fit neatly on top of the wardrobe.

This BabyStyle 3 piece room set can be delivered direct to your customers homes free of charge.

Hollie room set includes cot bed, wardrobe and dresser.

Web: www.babystyle.co.uk

Stick with Snüz Introducing the new range of nursery wall stickers by Snüz, the brand behind the award winning SnüzKot collection!

Available in five designs, the stickers have been created to allow parents to easily add a touch of style and personality to their nursery, making Snüz the go-to brand for stylish nursery furniture and decor. Marketing Director, Mark Nicholls commented “We’re delighted to launch Snüz Stickers, they compliment the existing SnüzKot range perfectly and we’re already seeing a fantastic uptake from our loyal fans!”

Email: mark@greensheepgroup.com Web: www.greensheepgroup.com

style Sleepingd-winin sleep ning bedside crib offers a practical, stylish

Little Chick London’s awar breathable mesh sides, allowing solution for newborn babies with completely Placed by the side of the parent’s bed, optimum airflow and temperature control. her baby throughout the night, safe see ly mum can experience closeness and clear own secure environment. in the knowledge that it is contained in its ultimate piece of nursery furniture Little Chick London’s bed-side crib is the a soft grey or white frame, r with a contemporary design available in eithe It is larger than traditional Moses s. mum of rning appealing to even the most disce y of space for the growing baby and baskets offering a cosy surrounding, yet plent or until baby is able to pull itself up. longevity of use until around five months storage and the covers can be removed for d Conveniently, the crib can be folde and when partnered with Little Chick and washed. It takes a standard size mattress s a completely breathable sleeping solution.

London’s Breathable Crib Mattress, offer London contact Rachelle Harel.

For more infor mation about Little Chick Tel: 07976 773486 y.com Email: rachelle.harel@breathablebab

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Shades of grey Planning the nursery is one of the most exciting activities when preparing to welcome a new arrival; and whilst choosing the crib and other furniture is hugely important, its often the little comfort touches that make all the difference.

BreathbleBaby’s crib and cot liners help to make baby’s sleep environment cosy and safe and prevent little arms and legs from getting caught in bars. Created using Air Channel Technology allows complete airflow so that baby can breathe even if its face comes into contact with the product. Importantly, the liners come in the latest ‘must-have’ shades to complement the modern nursery and include the cutest characters to amuse and entertain. This includes the gorgeous Owl Story with a wise old friend; Enchanted Forest with a cunning fox; and all-time favourite Tiny Tatty Teddy – all designed to complement the most popular nursery colour scheme in various shades of grey.

For more information contact: Rachelle Harel.

Tel: 07976 773486 Email: rachelle.harel@breathablebaby.com

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LOOK WHO IS WHOLESALING! Gabe & Grace Designer Merino Lambskin Pram Liners & Baby Rugs INFO@GABEANDGRACE.CO.UK WWW.GABEANDGRACE.CO.UK

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feature Clever Clogs

Gaia Baby is born J Gaia Baby is a brand new arrival on the baby products scene, founded

by Karl Millergill and his Ireland based partner, Joanne O’Grady.

oanne and Karl’s many years of experience both parenting and working in the nursery industry inspired the duo to challenge the common held belief that “a cot is a cot” and that innovation in furniture was impossible.

After three years in development, Gaia Baby is born and the company is excited to officially unveil the ‘Serena Collection’. Collaborating with an innovation specialist to bring their vision to life, the Gaia Serena Collection is a suite of timeless furniture, specially crafted to serve multiple functions while carrying new parents through the family journey.

Gaia Serena Complete Sleep

The signature piece of the Gaia Serena collection is the Complete Sleep (RRP £599.99). With its soft contours and smooth flowing lines, the Gaia Baby Complete Sleep creates a tranquil and calm environment for a baby’s sleep. As a generously sized Maxi Cot, it offers b dual mattress height options for use from birth onwards. d As baby grows to become an inquisitive toddler, the A Complete Sleep provides a gentle transition to an easy C aaccess Toddler Bed. For the first steps towards independent i sleeping, the Toddler Bed transitions smoothly s to a First Bed for kids up to 5yrs old. Made from 100% European sourced/ FSC certified solid f birch, b the aluminium clad feet and discreet accents give this t stunning piece a luxurious touch. Parts for all bed transitions t are included with purchase of the product.

G Gaia Serena Complete Sleep+/ Co-Sleep

A the popularity and safety benefits of As cco-sleeping become more widely aaccepted, Gaia Baby also introduces a gglobal first with the Serena Collection’s Complete Sleep+/ Co-Sleep (RRP C £ £749.99). The Complete Sleep+/ C Co-Sleep incorporates the first fully certifi ed co-sleeping crib that can be c converted c into a full-size cot. The Gaia Serena Co-Sleeping Crib can be used S from f birth and its’ patent pending design d features multi height adjustment, bespoke new-born a mattress, handy storage shelf and a soft m gauze front panel so baby is visible all g the t time. Once your baby is ready to transition to a cot, simply convert your t Serena Co-Sleeping crib into the S

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Serena Maxi Cot. No waste, no bulky storage, just one single purchase to take you through every sleep stage up to five years!

Gaia Serena Junior Bed Extension Kit

Extend the life span of your Gaia Serena Complete Sleep or Complete Sleep+ with the simple addition of the Junior Bed Extension Kit. Used with the extension, the Gaia Serena Junior Bed is suitable up to 10yrs old.

Gaia Serena Junior Bed Extension Kit RRP £99.99/ Gaia Serena Mattress Extension Wedge £49.99

Gaia Serena Rocking / Feeding Chair & Footstool

Beautifully contoured with classic styling, the Gaia Serena Rocking / Feeding Chair (RRP £399.99) will add a contemporary feel to any nursery or living space.

The chair has been ergonomically designed to provide optimum comfort as a nursery and feeding chair with solid wood legs, a gentle rocking motion and anti-tipping design. Later on, the generously spacious seat easily accommodates a parent and child, creating a cosy nook for bedtime stories. The Gaia Serena Rocking/Feeding chair and co-ordinating Footstool/ Blanket Box (RRP £99.99) are available in two chic colours, oatmeal or dove grey – the perfect match for any nursery.

Gaia Serena Dresser & Changing Table

Echoing the soft flowing contours evident across the range, the contemporary styled Gaia Serena Dresser & Changing Table (RRP £499.99) is a perfect complementary piece to any nursery design.

This beautiful piece features three variable sized soft close drawers plus a fully enclosed table top changing station with anti-roll surround.

Speaking about the Gaia Serena Collection, Karl Millergill of Gaia Baby said: ‘Having a new baby is one of the most exciting and joyful moments in family life. In our industry, we are so lucky to be involved in the journey expectant parents take getting their most essential purchases sorted. It struck us that, whilst most parents aspire to beautifully designed things, often practicality or budget, win out over beauty! With the Gaia Baby Serena Collection you really do get both” For the latest information or to find your nearest stockist of the Gaia Serena Collection, visit www.gaia-baby.com.

retail TECHNOLOGY

Doubling up?

This issue David Fairhurst takes a look at the Duplicate Content Monster Just like most Western political systems, Google works on a ‘first past the post’ system when you’re talking about content. This means fresh, unique content is key to success.

‘That’s great!’ I hear you saying, ‘because I write my own product descriptions and all the content in my website is unique’. But is it?

If you run an eCommerce website then it’s a fair bet you have a duplicate content issue, but there are many other ways your website’s structure can be doing your bottom line harm. Read on for some ways in which your website content isn’t as unique as you thought it was.

eCommerce and Parameters Most eCommerce software will use parameter strings of some kind to control the content which appears on a page. Whilst URL’s can be re-written dynamically to get rid of parameter strings on the website, behind the scenes you will find dozens if not hundreds of duplicate content pages for each of the pages in your website. Google can happily step through and index all these pages, creating a massive duplicate content issue.

Google’s own Search Console is a great tool for showing where duplicate content issues due to parameters.

Using the ‘URL Parameters’ section of Search Console, website owners can quickly identify where issues lie relating to parameter-led duplication problems and the great thing is that this tool allows you to directly tell Google’s search spiders to discount the duplicated pages.

Go to https://www.google.com/ webmasters/tools/crawl-urlparameters if you have an account or sign up for a Google Search Console account if you don’t and check, it’s a real eye opener.

Is Your Site Secure?

Google has been very keen to push adoption of the https secure protocol for

all pages on websites. The reason for this is that websites which don’t use https across all pages can potentially let attackers into that website. It isn’t just eCommerce checkout pages which are a security issue, even something as innocuous as a contact form can be used to gain access to a website or server!

Because of the rise of use of https, this has caused a rise in duplication between http and https.

Google treats both the http and https version of your website as separate entities, therefore if you have a website which can be reached by both http and https you in effect have 100% duplication across the website.

Not good! Make sure that if you’re on https, page level 301 redirection is in place to this from the http version of your website.

Are You WWW? Whilst you’re checking your http to https redirects, make sure that you don’t have both https:// and https:// www indexable in search results. The ‘www’ bit of the URL string is actually referring to a sub-folder on your website.

Google again treats https:// and https://www as two separate entities and if you have both indexable then Google will be seeing 100% duplicate content. Make sure that non-www to www redirects are set up and as a ‘belt and braces’ approach, add rel=”canonical” to all pages pointing towards the https://www URL’s so that Google knows which ones to index.

Getting a New Website?

Do you have a current website but are getting a new website developed?

When you get a new website designed it is always good practise to block off all search engine spiders from being able to gain access to the new website until it goes live.

There are a few reasons for this, however from a search engine perspective you really don’t want

search engine spiders crawling all over the content in your new website in its development folder if it has the same content as on your live website. This is again is 100% duplication which will penalise both your current website and your development site.

Block off search engine spiders either using server level security, . htaccess (username and password for access) or robots.txt (with a noindex tag) so that search engine spiders ignore the website. It’s a good idea to also include rel=”canonical” tags to all of the pages pointing towards the actual domain the new site will sit on as well.

Is Somebody Stealing Your Content?

Your web content is valuable and spammers know it! You may find that scraper websites will take your website and display it as their own in order to make money, which isn’t great news for your own website as this can land you with duplicate content penalties. It’s again a good idea to use rel=”canonical” tags on all pages in your website, this way if someone does ‘borrow’ all of your website text Google won’t be in any doubt where that content came from.

You should also think about using absolute URL’s (for instance https://www.site.com/page rather than /page) if your website can support this. Absolute URL’s embedded in web pages are a clear indication where the original content came from, again stopping abuse from people who want to clone your content.

David Fairhurst Head of Creative Online Marketing - Intelligent Retail

Image source, Pexels.com

David Fairhurst Head of eCommerce, Intelligent Retail, http://www.intelligentretail.co.uk David has been involved with Search Engine Optimisation and web development since 1999 and has spoken at many different retail and SEO conferences including Spring Fair and SES London

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retail

CUSTARD & CRUMBLE

Sweet success This issue Penny Franks had the pleasure to question Rachel Bradbury, founder of Custard and Crumble - a luxury online boutique offering stylish, unique and inspiring nursery furniture and accessories. didn’t want to return to work in the city and so after some research I created an online store, which I could run from home whilst looking after little Jack.

How did you decide on the name Custard & Crumble?

I have my friend Oli to thank for the name, he was eating it when I was asking for his advice and felt inspired.

Since first launching, how have you driven consumer awareness to your website?

Firstly tell us a little about Custard & Crumble, what was the inspiration to launch an online baby boutique?

Custard & Crumble was launched in 2012, after the birth of my first child, when I spotted a gap in the market for higher end nursery products online all in one place.

I come from a retail background but I

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I started with SEO, then given my target market, began to gift Custard & Crumble branded baby grows into The Portland Hospital and to celebrities. However, I needed earlier access to sell nursery furniture, so I then moved to a plush bag which I gifted via scanning units (Harley Street etc). These bags included other high end brands who came on board, e.g. Helen Bartlett, Rachel Riley among others.

The gifting programme has grown alongside the accessibility and nationwide popularity of having a private pregnancy scan. Demand from clinics, mums and our key brand partners has driven a natural growth. In 2014 I sent out 2,500 packs, which I packed on my kitchen table. In 2019 we will be giving out 123,000 packs – all to unique parents-to-be.

This media development has altered the demographic of our site visitors, which is effectively changing our online product needs.

“ Fo r me , custo mer ser vic e is th e mo st impo rtant asp ect of th e busin ess , I m ake su re th at all quest ion s, problem s or enquiries are de alt with promptly. ”

Have you found it difficult to compete as an online only retailer?

Yes, in terms of the product range I am able to sell. Understandably many manufacturers want to protect their product and need them physically showcased. Given the high value of many of the nursery sets, many of the consumers would rather see the product in the flesh. But, I have noticed that over time, consumers are happier with buying online, good imagery is vital.

A an online only retailer, As how do you gain consumer h confidence?

F me, customer service is the most For iimportant aspect of the business, I m make sure that all questions, problems oor enquiries are dealt with promptly. I n never delay in picking up the phone aand processing the order from start to finish, n ensuring my customers are hap happy.

Communication and reliable suppliers are key.

How important is Social Media to your business?

Social media is increasingly important to us, we want to support parents with advice, inspiration and ideas.

Which platforms do you use?

We have had a presence on FB and Twitter from launch, and more recently Pinterest and Instagram.

Is there a particular product category that is currently performing well for you?

Are you looking to increase the ranges that you feature on your website?

What about a hero product, is there a ‘must have’ that you feel your customers just can’t get enough of ?

What do you look for in products that you feature?

Nursery furniture has always been our main product category focus and continues to perform well, in particular cots and Moses baskets.

For the past few years, customers have loved upholstered cots, and recently we have introduced the stunning and perfectly priced Epernay cot to this range.

How do you monitor current consumer trends?

I speak with my customers, keep an eye on social media and gain inspiration from trade shows. First and foremost though I pick products I would like in my nursery (if I were to have another baby now).

Have you seen any new trends emerging?

Consumers still love the upholstered cots and neutral / grey colour schemes.

There has also been a trend for products offering multiple solutions, such as the 4 in 1 Gaia cot bed.

Do you attend trade shows and if so, how important are these to your business?

Yes, as many as I can. They are very important to my business. They are a great way for me to see new products, meet suppliers but also really important for the media side of the business. It gives us the opportunity to explore ideas, challenges and general passion for the industry with inspiring brands.

I am always on the lookout for new, inspiring products. I am continuously updating the range, removing products which are no longer relevant and adding new trending styles and colour ranges.

A product I would have in my own nursery, at a price point which will work for my market, with unique qualities and retailer ‘exclusiveness’ along with great imagery to support the product / range.

Are brand names important to your business?

Product quality and service are important – this often goes hand in hand, but are more important than having an established brand name.

Finally, is there any exciting news on the horizon that you would like to share?

Yes, with the growth of the Custard & Crumble gift packs to 123,000 next year now including The Custard Journal (which is getting amazing customer feedback), the site reach is a slightly different audience profile to the early days. I am excited about finding some high quality, mid-priced nursery sets to compliment my current range and appeal to this wider audience.

I am excited about learning and developing our social media engagement, for which we have many ideas and would like partners to work with on campaigns and engaging content.

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feature Chicco

Growth through its people As we come to the end of another exciting and challenging year, one of the leading baby multispecialists Artsana, parent company of the brands Chicco and Boppy, certainly has a lot to celebrate.

ith numerous product innovations, remarkable sales growth and strengthening relationships with key retailers, 2018 has been a significant year as Chicco has celebrated its 60-year anniversary. Mitch Levene, Managing Director of Artsana UK & Ireland, comments: “Given the recent market conditions, we’ve been especially proud of the success we’ve seen this year.

Our aim has always been to provide the best possible service to our retail partners and as we’ve grown this determination has only increased in priority.

“That is why we’ve invested heavily this year by adding top talent within our Customer Development, Marketing and Operations teams. Our selection process is thorough and this is demonstrated in the skilled staff that we have recruited during the past year. However, this doesn’t stop with our new recruits, once in Artsana, we invest heavily in coaching & training via our own ‘Growth Through Development’ programme.”

W

The New Faces of Chicco

Artsana has recently invested in a wealth of expertise to join the ever-growing and highly talented existing team, demonstrating the clear strength and resilience of the brand. Mitch commented: “The environment and appeal we offer at Artsana ensures that we give space for our people to grow, which in turn helps our business thrive. Although retail is still in a challenging position, we’ve weathered the storms and have continually been able to increase rather than reduce our personnel. We don’t shy away from the fact that we offer a vigorous selection process but this is beneficial to not only us but the candidate too.

This formula has allowed us to build a robust team with the very best skills and experiences and we believe we have unique qualities in every person who works for us.”

Looking at the Artsana people story, it demonstrates that getting great people on board is the result of tremendous vision, robust strategies, a strong focus and a Mitch Levene 26

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great deal of energy and passion. The teams are stronger than ever and with this strength and vision of fresh ideas, the brand is determined to continue its drive forward. Mitch concludes: “One of the best features of my role is working with such a vibrant and successful team – providing a great foundation for even further accelerated growth! I’m confident that everyone in Artsana is focused on delivering the best results possible, as well as continually working to ensure the levels of retailer and customer service, support and accelerated development are outstanding.”

Marketing With Chicco’s extensive innovation, Marion MounierVehier has transferred from Artsana France to take the position of Group Product Manager to complete the Marketing team.

Focusing on supporting the launch and promotion of Chicco’s indoor collection Marion will work closely with both national and independent retailers.

Customer Development team

Gareth Cobley

With Chicco having doubled sales in recent years, it has bolstered its Customer Development Team with three new members. The recruitment has seen the appointment of Pete Minch, Gareth Cobley and Jon Heron.

The strong blend of experience sees each individual bring a wealth of retail and blue-chip knowledge to the team. Pete Minch joins with a vast amount of knowledge in toys after previously working for Hasbro.

Gareth Cobley joins from leading retailer Mothercare and Jon Heron from Wrigley & Mars Confectionery.

To support this team innovation, Edoardo Thun joins as Business Analyst. Working closely with the Managing Director and Leadership Team, this is Edoardo’s first step into his career after studying Economics at the Catholic University of Milan.

Jon Heron

Pete Minch

Edoardo Thun

ng top “ We’ve invested heavily this year byelopaddi ment, talent with in our Customer Dev M arketing and Operati ons tea ms. ” Mitch Levene

Promotions

Operations Joining as the Head of UK Operations, Darren Patoto brings a wealth of experience with him from his previous roles at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. and working with some of the leading home and leisure brands at Cinram UK.

Whilst Chicco has seen a whole host of new recruits, it has also seen the positive impact of coaching and training, with a number of employees experiencing promotion. A fine example is Giulia Toselli, Customer Development Director. Giulia has worked with the company, both at the global HQ in Italy and for the past seven years in the UK and was originally promoted within Marketing and now within the Customer Development function.

For information on Chicco, visit www.chicco.co.uk or connect with Chicco on Facebook at www.facebook.com/chiccocompanyuk nursery today

27

supplier snapshot We spoke to some of the industry’s finest to find out their thoughts on Kind Und Jugend 2018.

Andy Crane

MANAGING DIRECTOR, BABYSTYLE Why was K&J important to you as an exhibitor this year?

We regard the K&J show as the leading worldwide show and therefore tthe best platform to show our brand to buyers from across the globe.

Over the years we have found that more and more UK retailers also O aattend K&J and therefore we feel that we have a great balance to show both export and UK customers our new product ranges. b W What type of visitors did you experience on your stand?

M Mainly UK retailers, and current BabyStyle country distributors from all over the world.

Di Did you have a particular product/range that impressed vis visitors?

The new Oyster 3 range and also new colours for egg.

Did you notice any future trends while you were in attendance?

We didn’t really spot anything that new, however colours are still dominated by grey and other conservative colour ways.

Have you secured your space for the 2019 show?

Yes.

Kevin Goulding

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR - BEBECAR UK C W was K&J important to you as an exhibitor this year?

Why IIt’s the venue where we introduce the upcoming fabric range and any new chassis for the following year, so it’s an invaluable chance to show the new collection to many of our UK retailers, get their feedback to enable us to make final selections before Harrogate, and take some preorders.

What type of visitors did you experience on your stand?

W We had some new enquiries and around half of our UK stockists came to see u us, which was a fantastic turnout.

D Did you have a particular product/range that impressed visitors?

T The famous sparkly pram! It’s a new fabric from the 2019 Prive range, co completely covered in silver glitter, and it was displayed on a turntable so it just ca caught the light like a discoball. I think every visitor to the stand commented on it, and one of our retailers shared a video on Facebook that went viral! Annette’s Pra Pram Shop video received over 1.2 million views in three days.

Did you notice any future trends while you were in attendance?

It’s hard to answer that as a salesperson, because I barely managed to leave our stand! The show isn’t a venue for trend-seeking for us. The design team from Bebecar Portugal attend the fashion shows in Milan and Paris to identify upcoming trends for fabrics.

Can we see you again at the 2019 event?

Absolutely! We’ll be showcasing our 2020 range. I don’t know how we’re going to top the sparkly pram, but we have a whole year to come up with something…

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Natalie Jackson

VP SALES AND MARKETING, BEABA & RED CASTLE Why was K&J important to you as an exhibitor this year?

We are working really hard at the moment to further build our brand awareness across Europe and the UK in anticipation for some major range expansions in the year ahead. K&J is obviously a key date in the nursery calendar, bringing the industry together in one place, so for us it provided a significant and timely platform to showcase our new product developments.

Exhibiting at K&J this year represents the starting point for major brand growth for both Red Castle and Beaba - so watch this space!

What type of visitors did you experience on your stand?

We were located in Hall 4.1 in the UK Pavillion and that worked really well for us. We had visitors from many different countries, both independent and national retailers. We caught up with existing clients and following our brand building activities , we also introduced many potentially new customers to our expanding portfolio of products.

Did you have a particular product/range that impressed visitors?

Our new, eco-friendly Babycook Neo was a real show stopper! We had great feedback on its stylish design and user-friendly functions. Our Up and Down Bouncer was also a huge hit as it offers something a little different to other bouncers currently on the market, due to its patented Up & Down technology. For Red Castle, customers really loved the fact that they can now stock a matching colour collection for our Cocoonababy, Sleeping Bags and Babynomade.

Did you notice any future trends while you were in attendance?

Each year it seems that demand is increasing for products that fit with fashion trends. Products need to be stylish, functionable, easy to use and durable.

Consumers want matching products that look good in the home by complementing their surroundings and room décor. For us, new product development is a key focus in 2019 and our mission is to create fashionforward, innovative ‘must have’ products that meet the needs of both babies and their parents.

Can we see you again at the 2019 event?

Absolutely – we’ve already got some fabulous ideas for 2019!

Michelle Sue Griffiths Smith HAUCK GROUP

CLOSE PARENT C

Why was K&J W important to you as an exhibitor this i hibi hi year??

This was a big year for us, with launches that went beyond our current product range but stay core to our ethos as a company, in creating products with meaning, a reason to be, make life easier and ultimately help make the world a little better for everyone. Showcasing what we believe to be the future of travel and bonding for parent and baby, with exciting new materials, products and systems that will challenge the “norm” and mark a step change for the industry and consumer, this was an important show for us to present our vision for the future.

What type of visitors did you experience on your stand?

As always it was a real mix of UK based and international companies, from independent retailers to multinational retailers, distributors and suppliers. It was great to be able to show existing clients the range and to introduce Close and JRNY to wider audiences and markets.

Did you have a particular product/range that impressed visitors?

There was a real buzz around our innovative ideas for the future of travel and bonding with Close and JNRY, from the unveiling of the groundbreaking Meta pushchair and Caboo Fly as well as our seamless skin to skin range for home and hospital. Everyone really got behind our continued quest to offer consumers options to reduce their environmental impact in different ways, reinforced by our commitment to give back 1% of the proceeds from our Endangered print collection in 2019 to the Marine Conservation Society and the WWF through our membership of 1% for the Planet .

Did you notice any future trends while you were in attendance?

We like to think that many of these were on our own stand this year, we felt that we showcased some truly innovative products and ideas at this year’s show which has certainly been borne out of the interest both during and after the show.

Paul Sirett BESAFE

Why was K&J important to you as an exhibitor this year?

All the major retailers now attend Cologne, and planning together for next year begins.

What type of visitors did you experience on your stand?

Large and smaller retailers visited BeSafe, but they all had one thing in common - they are not complacent and are thinking and planning how to grow next year.

Did you have a particular product/ range that impressed visitors?

Retailers were amazed BeSafe were still the only Brand to offer an iSize Highback Booster. And of course, the two completely new seats for next year caught the eye.

Did you notice any future trends while you were in attendance?

Retailers becoming more discerning as to which brands they stock... not trying to copy other stores, but differentiate themselves through range... clever!

Have you secured your space for the 2019 show?

We will be there in 2019!

Why was K&J important to you as an exhibitor this year?

K&J is the biggest European trade show for the industry so as a major player in that industry we have to be there.

What type of visitors did you experience on your stand?

Visitors to our stand covered the whole spectrum from independents to the nationals.

Did you have a particular product/range that impressed visitors?

We had a lot of new product and new concepts on show this year all of which went down well with visitors.

Can we see you again at the 2019 event?

Naturally, we shall be there in 2019 and look forward to again welcoming everyone onto the Hauck stand.

Holly John

MARKETING MANAGER, CHICCO Why was K&J important to you as an exhibitor this year?

Chicco is proud to be celebrating its 60th anniversary, and we were thrilled to be able to mark the occasion at this year’s Kind Und Jugend show. From our very first products, Chicco has always strived to lead the way when it comes to forward-thinking innovations for both parents and babies, and this is no exception when looking at the products we showcased at this year’s show. As well as unveiling our latest addition to our Chicco Next2Me range, Chicco Next2Me Magic, we were also excited to launch into the travel system market with our Trio Best Friend. The show is crucial for engaging aging with our key retailers and was a great opportunity to strengthen trengthen relationships to help continue the incredible growth that Chicco has seen over the past 60 years.

Did you have a particular product/range that impressed visitors?

During 2018 a big focus for us was introducing our innovative Baby Hug 4-in-1 to the UK market, which is the first of its kind, so we were delighted to be not only shortlisted in two categories in this year’s Innovation Awards but was named as the winner in the World of Kids Furniture category.

Having launched at Kind Und Jugend last year, it was hugely exciting to bring the Baby Hug back this year following the success we have seen and winning the award brought it full circle.

There was an added buzz at the Chicco stand, with so many exciting new innovations being showcased. Since the launch of our award winning side-sleeping crib – Chicco Next2Me – we have always seen a huge amount of interest in the range at Kind Und Jugend. This year was no exception, and the exciting new features of our new Next2Me Magic were very popular among attendees.

Another huge talking point was our new travel system, the Trio Best Friend. As our first launch in the travel system market, each element of the Trio has been specifically designed by the Chicco Research Centre to simplify parenthood and accompany little ones’ first three years with comfort and style. The lightweight and compact nature of the Trio Best Friend was a key aspect for visitors at the stand, and we can’t wait to launch this exciting and innovative new one-box travel solution to the UK market.

Having unveiled the Next2Me Magic and Best Friend Trio at Kind Und Jugend, we are looking forward to what’s to come over the next few months.

As well as supporting our latest products with a full marketing plan including in-store activation, utilising traditional channels and our social platforms, we will also be returning to TV screens in early 2019 with exciting new national prime-time adverts.

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talking shop This issue we speak to a number of independent retailers to find out their thoughts on Kind Und Jugend 2018.

Debbie Horner-Davis

BABYLADY LTD

How did you find K&J this year?

I found the show to be very busy and if anything bigger than last year.

Is this an important show for you to visit each year?

Yes it’s absolutely vital to the future planning for our business If you want to get ahead you simply must be there to see the new products first hand. I find it very hard to buy from images and like to see and feel things.

Did you find particular products/ranges that you were looking for?

We visited existing brands to see what the future holds and we also got to scout around for new and exciting products to keep the store fresh and interesting.

Did you feel there were sufficient new product launches and innovation this year?

I didn’t see as much innovation this year as last year but that is not surprising. Innovation is risky and in today’s uncertain markets suppliers are more cautious and risk averse. Having said that we loved the new Jade carrycot from Dorel, can’t wait for the new Cybex Cloud Z to arrive and thought the electric prams were very interesting.

Andrew Sheppard

AVON BABY CARE

How did you find K&J this year?

I found it really interesting this year with lots to see from companies and manufacturers from all corners of the Globe.

Is this an important show for you to visit each year?

It important to us as it’s a chance to catch up with fellow l UK baby suppliers and manufacturers in the UK Pavilion, which had had a real buzz about it this year.

Did you find particular products/ranges that you were looking for?

Yes, I think so, a big part for me is following up on products we are already discussing and being able to meet in person to conclude the business aspect of things.

Did you feel there were sufficient new product launches and innovation this year?

Some interesting things coming through. There seemed to be a lot of things in baby carriers and slings happening this year.

What about trends, did you notice anything in particular this year?

Baby carriers and slings seemed to be everywhere.

Did you have sufficient time during your visit to see everything that you had planned your visit around?

It was bit of a rush this year as I had several meetings booked and would of liked more time to browse and take things in.

Can we expect to see you back at the 2019 show?

Definitely.

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What about trends, did you notice anything in particular this year?

In terms of colour duck egg blue and turmeric seem to be the colours of the season on both wheels and bedding. This is a departure from the normal and we will see if the customer will buy into these bright and unisex colours. I think they willll llookk greatt on the shop floor. I am also really enjoying seeing more navy blue. Pushchair’s seem to be getting smaller and lighter.

I think the trend seems to be how small and light can we go.

Did you have sufficient time during your visit to see everything that you had planned your visit around?

I never have enough time when I visit, no matter how long I am there. I would say that you really need three days or more and the show seems to get bigger and bigger.

I do object to suppliers exhibiting outside the show and we would have liked to look at their ranges but chose not to go.

I never get enough time to hear all the speakers that I want to see and was particularly disappointed to miss out on Ross Hewitt who I have found quite inspiring in the past. I would like to see these available on a download to watch back at home in the future.

Can we expect to see you back at the 2019 show?

Yes absolutely. I am going to try to get there for the whole four days next year.

George Bezani

GROOVYSTYLE BABY

H How did you find K&J this year?

V Very interesting, some great new innovative products. I only went for one day however so missed seeing a lot of new things. n IIs this an important show for you to visit each year? y Yes it is at the right time of year for new launches in 2019. Also easy to get to. The majority of brands we supply exhibit at this show.

Did you find particular products/ranges that you were looking for?

I mainly focus on the wheeled goods and car seats, however we are interested in a broad range of nursery products.

Did you feel there were sufficient new product launches and innovation this year?

Yes there are some great new products coming next year and the future advances in car seat technology are great to see.

What about trends, did you notice anything in particular this year?

Not really, other than some interesting colour combinations. Orange seems to be “on trend” or so I am told.

Did you have sufficient time during your visit to see everything that you had planned your visit around?

No as mentioned I only visited for one day, it will be 2-3 next year.

Can we expect to see you back at the 2019 show?

Absolutely!

Victoria Hampson

NATURAL BABY SHOWER

VICTORIA HAMPSON, FOUNDER How did you find K&J this year?

K&J was great for us this year, we travelled out with a big team of six, from various departments – Sales, Marketing and Purchasing. The show felt bigger and busier (we got lost on more than one occasion!). But having said that, the event felt far more streamlined and organised compared to previous years. It was much quicker and less congested getting in and out and we’d booked appointments throughout the day to make the best use of our time.

It’s great to see all of our brands and contacts under one roof.

Is this an important show for you to visit each year?

Absolutely, this year was our fourth year and it’s always invaluable to meet with brands face to face as well as opening up the opportunity to discover and meet with new brands. It’s the perfect place to grow relationships. We definitely won’t stop visiting any time soon, although Vegas may well be on the cards for next year too…

Did you find particular products/ranges that you were looking for?

We were looking to take on some new nursery and interior brands and we definitely found some that we love.

Did you feel there were sufficient new product launches and innovation this year?

Yes! A lot more than last year. For us, Cybex was the stand-out with plenty of new products and innovation – we’re really excited about it. The new ergobaby Metro is key addition for the carrier brand. It challenges other alternatives with it’s competitive price point and design so I think it’s going to be really popular.

We were also very impressed with the relaunch of Micralite, I must admit I was a little sceptical at first but was truly wowed with the tech and design advances and Scott, CEO was fantastic so we decided to take them on. Micralite will be a great addition to our current pushchair offering – something a little different, opening up another great audience.

Finally, as the wholesale distributors of Babiators, we’d already had a sneak peek at Babiators new line – Blue Series. This will open up a whole new market for older kids and with the innovation in sun safety already leading the market this really is going to be a game-changer. There’s absolutely nothing to challenge the brand and if it’s anything like the launch of ‘Navigators’ last year, it’s going to be great!

What about trends, did you notice anything in particular this year?

Compact strollers are going from strength to strength, and after a real focus last year it’s interesting to see this continue.

All of the major brands have added a compact stroller to their portfolio and they seem to be proving popular.

Also design-led interiors – thanks to Instagram, nursery decor is at the forefront of everyone’s mind this year. And of course, a real focus on car seat safety – we saw Sensorsafe from Cybex and an increase in lie-flat functionality.

Did you have sufficient time during your visit to see everything that you had planned your visit around?

There is so much to see so with a team of six it was far easier to spread out. We managed to see everyone we intended to and even p even more worthwhile scout out some new brands, makingg the trip than usual. Plus, it’s nice to showcase Natural Baby Shower with a representative from each department.

Can we expect to see you back at the 2019 show?

Absolutely!

WH WATTS

Gary Watts

How did you find K&J this year?

I really enjoyed Cologne this year as I always do. It was big and busy and full of opportunities.

Is this an important show for you to visit each year?

Yes I would say that this is the most important show in the calendar now as pretty much everything is under one roof.

Did you find particular products/ranges that you were looking for?

We found some great new products although they found us rather than us looking for them.

Did you feel there were sufficient new product launches and innovation this year?

I felt there was perhaps a lack of new product launches and innovation this year as I had already seen some of the new products prior to the show but there were one or two really nice surprises coming in the future.

What about trends, did you notice anything in particular this year?

I didn’t notice any particular new trends it seemed like things in general were just continuing as they were, except perhaps for the introduction of a couple of electric products in the wheeled category.

Did you have sufficient time during your visit to see everything that you had planned your visit around?

We did in the end have time to get round the show, just, but after the first day and a half I was getting somewhat worried that we would get around it all.

Can we expect to see you back at the 2019 show?

You can most definitely except to see me at the 2019 show its an absolute must and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

David Winstanley

WINSTANLEY’S PRAMWORLD

How did you find K&J this year?

As always I enjoy attending K&J and this year I found it as interesting and informative as ever.

Is this an important show for you to visit each year?

Without a doubt the most important show of the year. It’s the primary show for all my suppliers and the perfect platform for them to launch and showcase their new collections.

Did you find particular products/rangess that you were looking for?

We weren’t looking for any particular products or ranges but we did find some new and exciting brands in categories that we weren’t expecting.

Did you feel there were sufficient new product launches and innovation this year?

Overall I was pleased with the newness at Cologne this year but it’s difficult to re-invent the wheel and very rare that as a buyer we are wow-ed. Most of the changes we saw were evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

What about trends, did you notice anything in particular this year?

I the Travel category everyone seemed to launch a micro fold stroller - there’s so much In c choice now in that category. On a general note, I felt that suppliers were more willing t than ever to offer independents exclusives than in previous years perhaps on the back o the Nationals struggles. This can only be a good thing for Indies and cements us as of a important route to market within the industry. an D you have sufficient time during your visit to see everything that you Did h planned your visit around? had J about.

Just C we expect to see you back at the 2019 show?

Can A Absolutely.

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focus KIND UND JUGEND

The call of Cologne Once again Kind Und Jugend surpassed everyone’s expectations over the course of four days. The event attracted more than 24,700 visitors from 123 countries, with the trade fair registering more than 10 percent more visitors in comparison to 2017. his year we experienced many brands choosing this as their platform to launch new products. For example, Ergobaby made the leap and launched their new stroller to the market - and when we say launch, that’s not far off the truth!

Over at the Joie stand visitors were able to touch, feel and more importantly receive demonstrations on their new product ranges, including the new Kubbie (a miniature easily to store pack and go cot), i-Spin 360 (i-Size certified multi-way car seat) and Versatrax (an all powerful, all purpose pushchair). Chris Armstrong Joie Sales Manager, commented “Kind Und Jugend is an important trade event for everyone in our industry. We welcomed many visitors onto the Joie stand who were impressed with our comprehensive range of products and new colour collections. This reception translated into strong business throughout the full duration of the show and

T

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we look forward to welcoming visitors again next year.”

Talking of prams, Cybex chose K&J to showcase their new ‘smart product for smart people’ - their new e-Priam. Visitors were extremely impressed by this revolutionary and smart product that has been designed specifically for today’s parents to make pushing or controlling a heavily packed stroller a breeze either up or down a hill. “We felt we impressed visitors with a range of new products including our Z-Line car seats designed to take children from birth through to 12 years, and also our new Priam and Mios which now come as a 4-in-1 travel system with the Lite Cot, an ideal companion for travelling. The show also gave us the chance to showcase some exciting pushchair and car seat innovations which will launch in 2019.”

Not to be beaten, Munchkin launched 32 new products which will be available in 2019. Their range currently offers 400 products across 11 categories, including feeding and potty training.

Oxo Tot again delivered and this year visitors were introduced to new colourways and branding across their entire range, which includes a complete line of feeding, cleaning, bathing and nursery products. Francesca Turner Said: “We value K&J as one of our major events in the exhibition year and this year we focussed on introducing visitors to our new innovative suction range, as a valuable extension on our current feeding and weaning category.”

Snüz not only showed off their much loved SnüzPod 3, but introduced visitors to their upcoming new baby mattress SnüzSurface. Export Manager, Glenn Harrison commented on the reaction by visitors to the show. “We were overwhelmed with the interest received and reaction to our upcoming product launches. We’re excited to have won new retailers from all over the world...the Snüz brand resonates really well overseas and we look forward to building the brand in multiple territories over the coming year.”

Visitors to the Chicco stand were impressed with the wide variety of new products on display,

including the latest addition to its award winning side-sleeping cribs, the Chicco Next2Me Magic. Chicco was also proud to showcase its new 3 in1 travel system, the innovative Trio Best Friend which is launching later on this year. Visitors had the opportunity to see the updated collection of its best-selling highchairs and sleep time accessories.

Mitch Levene commented: “We feel that Kind Und Jugend is the perfect international trade event to bring to life our new ranges for 2019. Visitors that we welcomed to our stand were impressed with our new product ranges as well as the innovative product design that we bring to the nursery sector.”

Social Media was also buzzing this year and the team over at Bebecar were thrilled when it dawned on them that with the assistance of a UK independent nursery retailer they had completely blitzed Facebook. Annette Owles-Bryan (Annette’s Pram Shop) posted a clip of their sparkling Glitz and it went viral during the duration of the show and achieved 2.4M views!

Talking of products in the wheeled category, BabyStyle also used Kind Und Jugend as their platform and launched their Oyster3 - a larger and roomier version of the Oyster2 with a compact fold together with the option to have the seat either forward or rearward facing. Managing Director, Andy Crane said: “Kind Und Jugend has always been a solid nursery trade exhibition and we choose to place ourselves within the UK Pavilion. This year we attracted and welcomed many visitors onto our stand and received a great response to our newly launched Oyster3. We look forward to seeing everyone at next years event.”

Venicci presented their new collection ‘Asti’ and also introduced a new brand into their portfolio named INSEVIO which will launch at the beginning of 2019.

The team at Close also had plenty to shout about, as not only did they launch their new Pop-in Endangered Print Collection, but also their collaboration with newly launched JRNY! Babymoov showcased their latest additions to

Innovation Award Winners their YOO video baby monitor range. Annabelle Cording, Marketing Executive commented: “Thanks to the huge success of the YOO video baby monitor range this year including our Made for Mums award, there was a real buzz around the two new additions to the range which were launched for the first time at K&J. Yoo Moov and YOO Follow, available from December 2018, promise the same easy ‘plug and play’ set-up paired with unrivalled 360° motorised surveillance technology and movement detection.

“K&J continues to be a key event where meeting our loyal and prospective clients in person really is the best way to experience the full capacity and capability of the brand. Since Babymoov make it their aim to co-create products in response to parents needs, function and solution play the biggest part in our innovation and there is no better way of educating these values than with engaging displays and enriching demonstrations.”

A firm destination hot-spot - the UK Pavilion was also a buzz of activity. This year the pavilion housed more than 50 exhibitors and was once again the largest country specific pavilion with Robert Anslow, Managing Director of the Baby Products Association and president of the European Nursery Products Confederation (ENPC), commenting: “The UK Pavilion was once again testament to the excellent work of the Baby Products Association and

its members and provided an outstanding platform for international trade and a gateway to exporting, particularly for some of our smaller and newer members.”

DoddleBags were one such exhibitor who chose to exhibit within the UK Pavilion. Nadine commented: “This year we had visitors from countries we’ve not encountered at the show before.

Representatives from 32 countries visited our stand over the four days including Senegal, Suriname and Andorra.”

We highlight a number of products that were on show this year - take a look at the following pages to either refresh your memory or to see what you may have missed!

Next year’s show dates have been announced - make a date in the diary - 19th-22nd September 2019.

Web: www.kindundjugend.com

Kind Und Jugend is also the home to the coveted industry awards, The Innovation Awards. Winners were announced during a presentation on the first day of the show.

The winners were: World of Moving Kids - Bumprider Connect (Bumprider AB) World of Travelling Kids - Maxi-Cosi Jade (Dorel) World of Moving Kids & Travelling Kids Accessories - Mini Sling (Minimonkey) World of Kids Safety at Home - Buzzer (Felibaby GmbH) World of Kids Toys - BERG GO² (BERG Toys BV) World of Kids Textiles - Kids Jacket (Miapka Design) World of Kids Care - CanDoCup (Miyali BV) World of Kids Furniture - Baby Hug 4 in 1 (Chicco/Artsana)

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focus KIND UND JUGEND

On the Go

Add a bit of glitz For Bebecar, Kind Und Jugend always signals the start of fresh new things – it’s the venue where the following year’s fabrics are unveiled. This is always an exciting time – it’s great to get everybody’s first reactions to the new colours and textures, and this year was no exception.

Catching everyone’s eye (and star of every Instagram story!) was the spinning, sparkling Glitz – you couldn’t help but look. But the star of the show was the soft, pretty baby pink quilted leatherette.

Bebecar UK would like to thank all of the customers who visited their stand and gave such fantastic feedback.

Tel: 01692 408801 Web: www.bebecar.co.uk

Thanks to Nosiboo, worldwide thousands of parents are aware of the babies importance of nose hygiene during the early childhood preventing their s. from needless medication processe Nosiboo invents original European CE-certified and FDA registered medical + devices exported into more than 20 countries worldwide. At this year’s Kind the line, product its of member Jugend Nosiboo was presenting the latest Nosiboo Go Nasal Aspirator.

Nosiboo Go makes a revolution in baby nasal hygiene: it is portable, test out rechargeable, and powerful. Soon British parents will have possibility to Nosiboo Go. Web: www.nosiboo.eu Web: www.bebelephant.com

Versatility and growth The new MYTI, due for release end of 2018, was one of the stars of the show.

The child can be harnessed to 20.5kg and is I-size compliant to 135cm. The 2D growthT system allows for versatility and growth. It has a onehand, nine position adjustable headrest. From 135cm to 150cm the seat maintains its high level of safety under the R129 standard, as the adjustable shoulder width expands out to cater for the growing child.

For use from 15months to 12 years old, the MYTI is superbly designed with safety in mind and allows for the child to get in and grow securely.

Web: www.nuna.eu

Three new designs Cocoonababy, the ergonomic cocoon that helps newborns adapt to life outside the womb, has expanded its Cocoonababy and accessories range to include three beautiful new designs.

The new styles are: Leaf, which features a delicate Scandinavian-inspired grey foliage pattern, perfect for the modern home. The calming Dreamy Cloud in neutral pearl grey, has a delicate and soothing night sky focus to promote sweet dreams, while the dainty Miss Sunday evokes feelings of happiness with its soft pink colour and cheerful white sunshine print.

The new colours are available for Cocoonababy, as well as its fitted sheet and Cocoonacover.

Email: natalie.jackson@beaba.com

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Express on the go Elvie took the opportunity to laun

ch their second innovation, Elvie Pump, at Kind + Jugend 2018 . Elvie aimed to change the way in which people think about breast pumping.

Elvie Pump is a complete departure from existing pump technology, sitting discreetly inside a woman’s bra allowing the user to express milk without being conn ected to any pipes or tubes in a self-contained unit. Elvie Pum p is controlled using a smartphone app that allows the user to control the pump freely and monitor milk expression.

Elvie Pump was nominated for the Kind + Jugend inno vation award.

Email: info@

bebelephant.com Web: www.bebelephant.com www ww.e .elvi lvie. e.co com m

Built to impress Snüz was back at K&J with their biggest stand yet!

Showcasing the much loved SnüzPod 3 bedside crib and SnüzKot Collection, as well as their upcoming new baby mattress SnüzSurface! Export Manager, Glenn Harrison said “We were overwhelmed with the interest received and reaction to our upcoming product launches. We’re excited to have won new retailers from all over the world...the Snüz brand resonates really well overseas and we look forward to building the brand in multiple territories over the coming year.”

Email: mark@greensheepgroup.com Web: www.greensheepgroup.com

Watch the video:

Choose your colour:

i-Top pram shown in Mod Grey MAGIC

MODERN

NATURA

SPECIALS

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focus KIND UND JUGEND

Sweet Dreamers enjoy another great K&J

w Oyster3 steals the sho last

The stunning new Oyster3 was a real show stealer in Cologne month and was hailed by retailers from the UK, Europe and beyond as an immediate success.

Higher, bigger and roomier than the multi-award winning and much loved Oyster2, the Oyster3 has a compact fold, with the seat unit facing in either direction, which results in it being more compact than its predecessor.

The Oyster3 will be available in two chassis options with clean rivet free lines and a totally new range of luxurious and on-trend fabrics.

For more details of the new Oyster3 contact BabyStyle.

Web: www.babystyle.co.uk

T ntrum-proof Ta tableware Unlike regular tableware, this thoughtful new collection is made specifically for little ones learning how to feed themselves, keeping bowls and plates of food exactly where they should be - on the highchair or table.

The range features a secure suction base that sticks firmly to surfaces until mealtime is over.

The parent-friendly design makes these plates and bowls easy for grown-ups to remove, but tricky for little ones, to prevent slipping, tipping or tossing. The side walls are designed to aid tots with scooping to help promote self-feeding. The bowls and plates quickly twist apart for thorough cleaning and are dishwasher safe.

Email: info@oxouk.com Web: www.oxototuk.com

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The Sweet Dreamers team had another amazing K&J receiving great feedback from visitors around the world on their newest members of the flock. Orders flooded in making this year’s show their most successful to date.

The ever-growing flock from the brand behind the iconic ewan the dream sheep, proved to be quite a destination for buyers! Their latest and highly anticipated addition to the herd, the ewan Deluxe with sophisticated MoonMode® smartCRY technology and removable pod, proved to be incredibly popular.

Gertie The Good Goose, also caused quite a quack amongst buyers, with her super cool looks and design features which offer the ultimate rescue remedy for the teething phase.

Tel: 02392 262332 Email: harry@sweetdreamers.co.uk Web: www.sweetdreamers.co.uk

Mix and match A brand new cot stole the show on the East Coast Nursery stand. The Kensington is a dreamy white sleigh design, given a fresh twist by its open end panels.

It takes a standard cot mattress (120 x 60cm) and can also be converted to a mini toddler bed and day bed. It’s available now for pre-order, and will be in stock for spring 2019.

The Kensington Cot is part of the East Coast furniture collection sold in a ‘mix and match’ way, allowing customers to create their own room set choosing from the perfectly-matching white pieces.

Tel: 01692 408802 Web: www.eastcoastnursery.co.uk

aid Fantastic sleep to wake more frequently

The cooler weather can cause young children at night, disturbing their sleep and leaving them (and their parents) exhausted. Designed by a British mum, desperate for a good night’s sleep, Fidgetbum is a soothing, effective sleep aid.

It offers a lightweight and stretchy wrap-around solution that snugly holds the covers in place, without restricting the child, keeping them snug, secure and asleep in their bed.

Simple to use, and recommended by parents and sleep experts, alike, Fidgetbum also provides toddlers with a sense of security that has been likened to “a warm hug”, helping them feel comforted all night long.

Web: www.fidgetbum.co

Expanding horizons Hanababy is proud to release the new Hana Expand Baby Carrier.

Sophisticated with intuitive design, this carrier is simple to use and smart to wear.

Width and hight can be perfected to your baby with simple sliding movements. Suitable from birth till toddler, this carrier can be easily used for the different siblings. Carry your newborn, or change it to the toddler size for your big boy or girl when they need to rest their feet a little.

It’s simply designed to make carrying easy.

Email: info@hanababy.co.uk

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focus KIND UND JUGEND

Life’s a doddle Award winning DoddleBags are the reusable plastic pouches which cut down on landfill waste and help make all aspects of your life a doddle!

Designed with a healthy purpose for both people and the planet, DoddleBags are easy for small children to hold, hygienic, safe, reusable and recyclable. Use them for snacks like yogurt or smoothies on the go or fill them with glitter and glue for mess free arts&crafts at home - no matter what your need, DoddleBags have the answer - dish-washable, microwaveable and freezable again and again.

Email: nadine@doddlecreation.com Web: www.doddlebags.com

s Vital additioneveryone that visited

The team at Vital Baby would like to thank them during Kind Und Jugend. The reaction to their amazing new stand and feedback regarding their latest products was phenomenal.

There is so much to tell but not enough space here to do so. If you did not manage to make it through the “Vital Cloud” into the Innovation Hub to see all of the new and exciting additions to their range and want to know more, you don’t have to miss out! Contact them now.

Tel: 01707 262200 Email: sales@vitalgroup.co.uk

Happy home

The seven ‘Deer friends’ takes you on a playful journey through the Happy Home 2019 collection from Done by Deer.

Join the friends and find more than 100 new designs in soft pastels combined with darker hues, dots and stripes. Explore a collection that includes cool tableware essentials, cute textile designs, interiors for the kid’s room and a special focus on toys.

The Happy Home 2019 collection will be available in stores from February 2019. Get more info by contacting Gwen Peacock, Country Manager for UK & Ireland.

Email: gwen@donebydeer.com

New launches team at Kind + Jugend 2018

It was really busy weekend for the Venicci in Cologne this year. They had the pleasure to spend valuable time with their clients from all over the world. However, the largest group of customers that visited their stand was from UK. This year they presented their new collection named Asti which will be available by the end of this year and will come in two different colours - black and grey. They were also delighted to introduce a new brand named INSEVIO that debuted in Cologne and will be launched at the beginning in 2019.

Web: www.venicci.co.uk

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Close commitment

Close Parent received a fantastic response to all their new products for 2019 and had the pleasure to walk so many visitors through the future of travel and bonding with the introduction of the ground-breaking Meta Pushchair and Caboo Fly, the world’s first seamless knitted carrier.

The launch of the new Pop-in hidden print collection focusing on animals that have become critically endangered in their natural habitats and their commitment to give back to the environment through their membership of 1% for the planet generated an extremely positive interest from everyone.

The team at Close are definitely looking forward to some very exciting times ahead in 2019 and they look forward to welcoming you along on this JRNY with them!

Web: www.closeparent.com

Be right back Ju-Ju-Be’s newest release to their Vegan Ever Collection, a deep, rich Plum, was extremely well received as the perfect addition to the collection’s signature colour, Noir.

The Be Right Back, Ju-Ju-Be’s ergonomic, machinewashable backpack, won the 2018 Consumer Award . It was featured in this year’s most popular print, Sakura Swirl in Rose Gold hardware. This hand painted beauty balances greys with pale blush blooms on a cloud of white.

Web: www.europe.ju-ju-be.com

Bags of style Long gone are the days that we should have to compromise style over substance - which is why Babymoov revealed their premium new collection of changing bags for the very first time at Kind + Jugend this year. Three very diverse yet sturdy designs reflect the parent using them and are each named with an ode to the brands’ classic French heritage - including the active choice backpack ‘Le Sancy’.

“The new range has come on leaps and bounds where every little detail has been considered in order to fulfil function and fashion in-tune with both parents.” Simon Winskill, Commercial Director.

From premium, durable materials and on-trend colour choices to highly ergonomic organisation and accessories – this unique, limited range is by no means limiting! Each of the three new styles will be revealed in three bespoke colours right up to the official launch in early Spring 2019...watch this space!

Email: sales@babymoov.co.uk Web: www.babymoov.co.uk

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feature Joie

Feel the Joie The Joie stand at Kind Und Jugend was abuzz with excitement at the host of new products on display. elcome to the world of Joie - if you missed them at Kind Und Jugend, or simply couldn’t attend, meet iSpin 360, Kubbie, Kubbie Sleep, Daydreamer, Cheer and Versatrax, all designed to create a world full of Joie.

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iSpin 360

For Joie the category leading Spin 360 car seat has enjoyed tremendous success globally since its launch, offering an incredibly competitive price while providing all the features of much higher priced rotating seats. Consumers have praised the ease of installation and buckling for parents, plus comfort for little ones with the multifunctional infant cushion, all-round ventilation and elevated seating position.

2019 sees an exciting expansion of this best-selling platform with an all-new i-Size rotating car seat for Joie, the i-Spin 360. Besides the i-Size certification the seat features some key upgrades over the popular Spin 360.

A huge benefit of i-Spin 360 is the one-hand spin capability, which can be operated by independent buttons on each side of the seat offering parents an effortless way to get

their child in and out of the car – even in a 3-door vehicle.

A new upgrade on the extra side impact Guard Surround Safety panels for i-Spin 360 is auto-activation.

When the child is buckled into the seat, the Guard Surround Safety will automatically engage, coming out of the seat sides. However if vehicle space is an issue, parents can still manually adjust each panel individually, giving the option to close the Guard Surround facing the interior of the vehicle.

To help encourage rearward facing for as long as possible, another new feature on i-Spin 360 is a lock off device that prevents rotation of the seat in to a forward facing position for use. Once the child reaches 15 months and beyond, if forward facing is desired, parents can disengage the lock to allow forward facing spin. The i-Spin 360 is suitable from birth up to 105 cm or 19 kgs.

As always Joie want to provide parents the option to keep their child rearward facing as long as possible for optimal safety, so the i-Spin 360 rear faces all the way up to 105 centimetres. The next generation of safety, i-Spin 360 is an ideal addition to Joie’s family of top performing car seats.

Versatrax

The Versatrax pushchair is a new and exciting addition to the Trax family of Joie strollers. Launched into the market 4 years ago, the Litetrax 3 and Litetrax 4 wheelers have been great sellers, popular with parents with its full feature set, carrycot and infant carrier compatibility. With this in mind, Versatrax has been designed as a true first-time purchase covering every mode parent’s want from birth.

The pushchair seat completely removes with a simple button push to offer a clean frame for the carrycot and travel system modes. Adjustable adapters pair with Joie’s Ramble carry cot as well as the Gemm, iGemm, and iLevel infant carriers. When little ones are ready for pushchair mode, the same button is employed to choose between a seat that can be used in rearward facing or forward facing mode.

Like the rest of the Trax family, Versatrax features a flash fold located in the middle of the seat. Simply operate secondary safety lock and pull up on the fold strap to close to a compact and easily movable package. Versatrax stands on its own when folded, and can be used in trolley mode too.

It also features puncture free foam-filled rubber tyres front and back, as well as the standard features you expect from Joie strollers: Large extendable canopy with visor and viewing window

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SoftTouch Harness Padded bumperbar Adjustable calf support Large storage basket One-step brake and lockable front swivel wheels

The Joie of sleep

Daydreamer

Kubbie

The final member of the Kubbie family is the Daydreamer napper accessory, which is compatible with both Kubbie and Kubbie Sleep. Daydreamer is a soft napping seat with angled back support for babies to help alleviate reflux symptoms that often arise while sleeping flat. The recline angle can be adjusted with straps at the back of the napper, Daydreamer is fully washable too. The napper easily attaches to either Kubbie travel cot with the integral clips.

Adding to the hugely successful Joie travel cots range, Kubbie creates a new compact category for Joie travel cots, measuring just 99cm long and 60 cm wide.

This size fits even more easily into compact living spaces, while providing all the benefits of a traditional travel cot.

As with all Joie cots, Kubbie comes with a full size bassinet that securely clips onto the top rails, with the mattress also being used in the bottom of the cot later for older children. Kubbie is fully mesh-lined on all 4 sides and has 2 integrated wheels to easily move from room to room. It also folds ultra compactly for travel, with an included carry bag.

Cheer

Cheer is another expansion to the popular travel cot line, and is Joie’s first true playpen. With a square design to give little ones a great space for safe and secure play, Cheer is finished in fashions designed to be visually stimulating, with bold contrasting prints and integrated toys.

Cheer is also fully mesh lined on all 4 sides, giving great visibility to baby and parents, as well as temperature control. It includes a central fold and practical carry bag for easy storage or travel.

Kubbie Sleep

Kubbie Sleep expands on this compact line and with all the features of the Kubbie it also provides an innovative 2 in 1 solution as both a travel cot and a side-sleeper. Kubbie Sleep uses a simple strap and clip attachment to connect securely to parents’ bed, and the side easily lowers at the push of a button. This allows safe co-sleeping and easy access to little ones for nighttime sleep, bringing many benefits to both baby and parents, such as encouraging bonding and making feeding easier.

However unlike traditional bedside cribs, Kubbie Sleep can be used far beyond baby’s first few months. The side just as easily raises to serve as a normal bassinet for naptimes. The bassinet also removes, with its mattress used in the lower area for sleep and playtime, up to 15kgs or about 3 years old.

Kubbie Sleep’s travel capability is also a key advantage over competitive bedside solutions. At a lightweight 9kgs, it folds up just as compactly as a regular travel cot for parents to take along easily anywhere and everywhere they go.

Email: uksales@joiebaby.com Web: www.joiebaby.com nursery today

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nursery matters JOHN BARKER

Barking Mad This issue John Barker looks back at Kind Und Jugend, giving his thoughts on his first visit to the show. ’m sat on Ryanair’s finest cruising at however many thousand feet contemplating the words you are reading now. Cologne has been such an assault on my senses it’s hard to know where to start and what to discuss, so I’ll start with my grumbles of which I have only a few. Firstly I am sad to report that I am very disappointed with the “offsite” exhibitors.

The facilities and atmosphere in every hall is something truly spectacular and to expect us to travel off site to see your wares is not only an odd decision but dare I say it (too right I dare) a real two fingers up to your fellow brands. I can only talk for us small independents when I say that we have taken time away from our stores, incurred the expense of travelling to Cologne and some of us have suffered what can only be described as 3rd world living conditions (more on the Hotel later), the least you guys can do is actually show up – at the show!

Grumble two, there isn’t enough hours in the day nor is there enough energy in my legs to take in even a small portion of what’s on offer. In my two days I have walked over 22km and visited all but a couple of my key accounts and I am shattered. Next year it has to be four days so I get the chance to visit more people and soak up more of the atmosphere.

Grumble three only one stand featured a waterfall and I like a nice waterfall. The sound of that cascading water emanating from the Cybex stand made me want to paint a quick “Bob Ross”, it also made me want to

I

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visit the little boys room (I’m at that stage in life where bladder control is becoming a constant consideration).

So that’s the grumbles dealt with let me now tell you about our delightful hotel. I say hotel but I think that someone forget the “s” in the middle when they listed it on hotels. com. Call me old fashioned but I have

Be w ilderin g is prob ab ly th e best w ay to su m up K& J, co mpletely aw e inspi rin g. I found myself th ink in g ab out th at sc en e in Star War s. You kn ow th e on e, “t ha t’s no moon it’ s a sp ac e sta ti on ”. a very simple checklist for a bathroom: shower or bath, sink, toilet and door. I assume my 3ft deep shower tray was an attempt to compensate for the lack of door and toilet. Oh yes, the big white porcelain telephone to heaven was missing and I was a little confused until I discovered it conveniently located in the corridor a short stroll along the damp and no doubt highly contagious carpet. My favourite

feature had to be the u571 themed safe in the room complete with enigma machine dials and the ex catalogue book case devoid of any books. I wasn’t concerned too much as I knew it was only a bed for a few nights, besides with the advancements in medical science I’m sure our trusty NHS would be able to cure me of anything I catch once I was back home.

A pleasant walk around Cologne on day one revealed a lovely city steeped in history, great shops and lots of tourists, it also ended in an impromptu bender with a few bad people (I’ll name no names but you know who you are) which had the added benefit of me not caring where I slept the night. Greggs doorway, wheelie bin all the same when you’re steaming. Day two dawned and so did the reality of my hotel (again) – oh well, up, shower and off to the show.

Bewildering is probably the best way to sum up K&J, completely awe inspiring. I found myself thinking about that scene in Star Wars. You know the one, “that’s no moon it’s a space station”. Chuffing heck (that’s what we say up north when we are surprised) this hall is huge. . .what? it’s just floor one of three in this hall. . . .oops maybe two days won’t be enough.

So for the next two days we walked and walked (luckily Dad B had packed his sensible shoes) like a scene from the Fellowship Of The Ring and

was shown the most amazingly positive welcome possible. Every stand welcomed us with a smile, beer and we where made to feel like royalty. I cannot thank everyone we visited enough – you guys are the best and we love dealing with you all!

I didn’t see everything at the show but here’s my edited highlights (and the highly prized JB’S product of the year award – We need to make this happen for real Ed?) First stand of our trip : Dorel. As I wiped away a tear from my eye I mourned for the Buzz and Moodd – I then rejoiced at the new and very inventive Quinny Hubb. Flexibility is key here and customers will experience levels of flexibility last seen on GMTV circa 1985 when Lizzie used to wake us all up in the morning. Dorel also had the brilliant new Jade on display.

Parents are going to love this innovative new entry in to the industry.

I particularly liked the expression “Car cot”. Musty showed off not only a brilliant new product (Mutsy Icon) but some gorgeous new colours across the range and we left their stand with a spring in our steps after news of the new pricing. Well done to everyone at Mutsy let’s hope us indi’s embrace it and give it the push it deserves.

Another shout out goes to Bebecar with their continued support of the independent sector and a display of some truly inspired fabrics, my personal favourite being the “Ziggy

john@pramland.co.uk

Stardust” aka the all over glitter model (Feel free to go with a Bowie themed name Bebecar).

Next came Hauck and we saw some wonderful additions all priced to allow us independents to compete and offer a range of high quality, low price products to our customers. Their take on the “next to me” crib is an independent must have.

For those venturing on to Joie the introduction of the iSize Spin 360 is another game changer – how the other brands will respond to this customer pleaser will be very interesting.

Day two saw even more walking than day one, yes you saw it coming. . . . .more walking than seen in the Two Towers! First stop for us was Kiddy. A new banding structure has been introduced, as has been some nice new products – all seemed over shadowed by the elephant in the room (we’ll say no more on that matter – what a cracker – no pun intended).

On to Cosatto and hello Woosh XL and Wow XL both great products and welcome additions to the range, and how about the Paloma Faith collaboration? Fresh, inventive and perfectly Cosatto.

This brings me to the JB’s award for show stopping stand. . . <INSERT

DRUM ROLL> and the winner is Cybex! Waterfall? Check. Huge restaurant area? Check.

Overwhelming range of products to wow at? Check. Insanely amazing news of the Priams rework? Check.

Don’t even let me get started on e-Priam – what a product and something I cannot wait to start demonstrating in store. The ease of pushing the e-Priam up and down the ramp cannot be underestimated.

I love tech and this is bang on the money for me and many gadgetminded parents.

A couple of honourable mentions go to Roma for the great additions to their range and Diono for some products so pretty that I nearly gave myself whiplash from my massive double take during my casual stroll past.

And now to my final mention, Babystyle. I have been very vocal about my love for the Oyster 3 and that has not subsided since Harrogate but unfortunately I’m not declaring it as my favourite show stopper (Don’t worry Andy and Team – I still love the Oyster 3). That honour is travelling just a few feet away to Egg! The reinvention of Egg is perfect. The Egg for me has been a product that caters to a certain customer. Egg 1.0 (as I’ll be calling it)

needed to be bling, it needed to grab people by the eye balls and shout “LOOK AT ME!”, and it did this. The downside to this was that some customers wanted some more mainstream, conventional options – This is what Egg 1.1 offers. Tasteful fabrics nestled upon a range of complimentary chassis’s, the mass market appeal is no longer in question.

I’m therefore declaring 2019 the year of the Egg (for us at Pramland anyway).

So that’s a potted guide to my time at the worlds biggest and best nursery

trade show. I am officially hooked and cannot wait to visit again next year.

Once again, a HUGE thank you to all the exhibitors we visited and an equally HUGE sorry to those we didn’t get time to see. Next year we’ll have more time to see more of your lovely faces, stands and products. . .we’ll also have more time for beer and joppie sauce too – PROST! Finally things that shocked me at Cologne – Avocado, Jason’s PJ’s and Salvatore Greenwood’s app collection (just kidding on the last one – honest).

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focus WEANING

Food for thought The weaning market offers a wealth of products, from pots to spoons to cups and plates to bowls all the way through to food processors and highchairs, which are all products parents will need when weaning their little one. arents can often find themselves feeling anxious when the time arises to make that transition toward weaning infants onto solids.

Feeding time with little ones can become an absolute nightmare for some parents with perhaps

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the most problematic area being the transition from breast/bottle feeding then moving onto introducing solids. Although that said, which parent doesn’t delight in baby taking their first spoonful – the joy this brings can be astounding.

How though as an industry can we assist? By offering products that are specifically created with baby in mind. Ergonomics is big business in this product category as baby’s mouths and hands aren’t the same as that of an adult. Therefore the overall design of feeding utensils is of upmost importance when looking at the design and function of products available.

Of course the weaning sector isn’t just about cutlery and bowls. This is a growing sector that includes a host of products from training cups through to bibs, highchairs and of course food processors. Take a look through these pages to whet your appetite.

Double Up with Beaba Beaba’s Babycook Plus has all the great features of the Babycook – with double the capacity!

This 4-in-1 food processor steam cooks, blends, defrosts and reheats, plus has two bowls with a combined capacity of 2,200ml. This means that parents can cook even bigger batches of food in just 15 minutes, whilst preserving those essential vitamins and minerals.

It can steam, blend, defrost and re-heat, so this multifunctional kitchen buddy can be used for pureeing, baby-led weaning and cooking solids. It requires no supervision and stops automatically once the food is cooked, leaving parents free to get on with other daily tasks.

Email: natalie.jackson@beaba.com Web: www.beaba.co.uk

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Monkey at mealtimes

The Taf Toys Mealtime Monkey is the perfect companion for introducing your little one to finger foods and encouraging independent eating. Ideal for baby-led weaning, parents can place food in monkey and reveal it with the entertaining peekaboo element, allowing babies to engage in mealtimes, making them easier and fun!

Using finger foods is a brilliant way to develop a child’s motor control and independence. With the suction cup feature, the Taf Toys Mealtime Monkey can be easily attached to any flat surface, meaning your baby can use it self-sufficiently. It can also be used as a fun bonding exercise for parent and baby to enjoy.

Dishwasher safe BPA free.

Web: www.halilit.co.uk

Making progress s Chicco’s Polly Progres5 highchair converts as little one grows. Newborns can sit in the spacious and deep padded seat to sit, play or relax. As they get older and are ready to try their first taste of solid food, it can be used like a traditional highchair with either the tray attached or moved closer to the table so your baby can sit and join in with family mealtimes.

As baby grows, the Polly Progres5 converts to a booster seat, which can be secured to a dining room chair with the tray attached and later on the booster seat can be made more compact so they can sit at the table. The highchair can be adjusted to eight different heights, four different reclining positions, and also features an adjustable leg rest.

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

REDUCE THE STRESS AND MESS OF WEANING

BABYCOOK, THE ORIGINAL BABYFOOD MAKER www.beaba.co.uk please contact natalie.jackson@beaba.com for more information

focus WEANING

ction emade ade perbeyofe Homemborn nd, never has cooking hom , weaning age and

From pregnancy to new Nutribaby+. and cost-effective for parents than with meals been so attractive, convenient Annabel or auth and rt expe ition ing baby nutr Tried, tested and APPROVED by lead ing where wean of food prep methods beneficial for Kar mel, Nutribaby+ offers a variety blending. and ing steam ous key - including simultane food texture and diversity for baby is whole a are prep y easil can nts pare the market, With the largest cooking capacity on minimal with o es in advance to store or take on-the-g week’s worth of baby meals and pure flavour. work, minimal cleaning and maximum can be set to rate cooking baskets with a timer that sepa two des inclu ts The Nutribaby(+) les lost nutrients s and a cooking juices collector enab multiple cooking times for different food y+ ibab Nutr with No waste = maximum nutrition to be added back into blended foods.

Email: sales@babymoov.co.uk

The full range Of the many categories of baby products available at Baby Brands Direct, weaning remains a significant one with feeding aids from some of the biggest, most trusted manufacturers in the industry including Munchkin, Tommee Tippee and Philips Avent to niche brands including Annabel Karmel, Nuby and Vital Baby. Combined they give retailers quick access to a range of aids including bibs, food feeders, cutlery, storage and snack pots right through to food processors.

NEW products include the colourful ‘Splash’ collection by Munchkin that includes divider plates, bowls, plates, and cups. The weaning lines all have deep sides for easy scooping, non-slip bottoms for fewer accidents and are dishwasher and microwave safe, BPA free, and nest within each other for convenient stacking.

Email: sales@babybrandsdirect.co.uk Web: www.babybrandsdirect.co.uk

Vital for feeding Vital Baby knows that that the weaning journey, although it can be an adventure, it can also have its challenges.

The new BabyFood Pro caters for all stages of baby’s development, from bottle warming to self-feeding and makes preparing fresh, healthy and nutritious meals easy. Parents can cook and blend food - from first purees to chunkier meals as baby grows. Easy to use and with less mess, steaming and blending all types of food ensures that baby is eating healthy, delicious meals at home, made by a baby food pro.

Email: sales@vitalgroup.co.uk Web: www.vitalbaby.com

New Silicone Self-Feeder N Designed to help babies safely explore new tastes and textures, the new Silicone Self-Feeder helps little ones experience new flavours from 6 months old, through the art of self-feeding.

The silicone pouch fits comfortably in baby’s mouth and features a generous capacity to allow plenty of food to be added at once. Made from high quality, durable, food-grade silicone, the Self-Feeder finely sieves food, introducing new tastes one small step at a time, whilst preventing the risk of choking.

Easy to clean, the pouch and handle can be separated with a simple twist. The handy cap keeps the pouch clean and makes for convenient storage of food when out and about.

Email: info@oxouk.com Web: www.oxototuk.com W

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Super support

Seeing the growing po pularity and desire for multi-functi onal, versatile products, Summer Inf ant have launched a new 4 in 1 SuperSe at. Offering 360° of floor time, feeding and activity fun plus a booster in one!

This floor seat includes four unique stages to accommodate younger children while they grow, making it ideal for weaning and much more.

Offering great value for money the 4 in 1 SuperSeat includ es a 3 point safety harness, removable dis hwasher safe tray, chair straps to attach it to most dining chairs and multi-sensor y toys to stimulate little ones’ ha nd/eye coordination. An exc lusive deluxe version with an addit ional toy bar will also be launching with a key UK retailer for Spring Summer 20 19.

Summer Infant have also recently launched a new 3 in 1 Support Me Seat to help keep little ones comfortable and safe as a seat position er, feeding seat and booster. This 3 in 1 Su pport Me Seat offers a more premium addition to the Summer Infant Boost ers range.

Web: www.summe rinfant.c

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social media ROSS HEWITT

Email Marketing; there’s life after GDPR So, May was a fun month this year! I thought I would focus on one aspect of GDPR in this piece, and that is the role of email marketing in this new holy consumer data world. he main message that every business owner needs to remember is that it is still OK to send emails to consumers c or to people who have subscribed s to your newsletter list.

There are just a few rules and best T practices p that you must abide by regarding how you have previously r collected that data and how you are c collecting c it going forwards.

Data yo you collect for email marketing n needs to be freely given and specific and the consent you receive needs to be informed and unambiguo unambiguous.

To quo quote some official wording, freely give given data is “Data that is given to you by a consumer for the obvious intent of you being able to message T data that them”. Therefore,

T M an a g in g , t it w e H an d Ro ss ec ret Pi e e d i a ’.

S f o r o t c M D ire vvy S oc i a l a rket in g a ‘S f o r o al m a ut h n h is d ig it h a d h is fi r st a g e b s s o R try 1 9 9 8 an d c a reer in t h e nu r sery in dus fo r a y into o f M a rket in g & a s H e a d r S ilver C ro s s in in c e fo E c o m mer set up S ec ret Pi e e g 2 0 0 8 . H d h a s b een h e lp in 2 0 10 an foun d an d lo ve d c li ents g et ever s in c e . on lin e k etp i e .c o .u k r c e .s w w w .u ec retp i e .c o | R o s s @ s 4 10 0 2 7 | 0 1 9 0 4 ec ret _ Pi e @S | Tw itter :

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you collect in an obvious and GDPR compliant subscribe form is freely given. Data that is collected during an ecommerce checkout process and then used for email marketing without any consent is NOT freely given.

Data collected on a physical sign-up form (e.g. data capture cards at consumer shows) is fine if consent is also collected. DO NOT throw away such materials though after data-entry or at least store an electronic copy of them in a secure online storage area so that consent can be verified if ever challenged.

Specific data is data that is specifically relevant to allowing you to send email communications to the safest level, this is consumer. At the ‘safest’ just Name & Email

Address. ‘Extra Value’ data such as Date of Birth, Postcode, Age of Children, etc is still allowable but you need to be able to justify WHY you want to collect such extra data.

Consider NOT making such data mandatory on your subscribe forms.

If you haven’t already then you need to look at data you have from previous data capture activity prior to May 25th and rank it by ‘Justified’ and ‘Nice to have’. If you don’t sell outside of the UK, then ‘Country of residence’ is justified whereas ‘Favourite Book’ isn’t!

You MUST ensure that consent for email marketing is given by the consumer. The starting point for this is

Fo r cons umer em ail m arketin g it fee ls to me th at pu rc ha se d to make sure the consumer is informed that they are about to give you data for that specific function. Everything around consent needs to be transparent and unambiguous; for example, consumers need to click/tap the opt-in box to AGREE and NOT to opt-out and you must be able to prove consent was given on ALL records that you are currently sending marketing emails to (pre & post May 25th, 2018). If you cannot prove consent was given to you then delete the record!

For consumer email marketing it feels to me that purchased lists are dead now. The riskiest data you may hold is any previously purchased data.

Even if you have emailed them lots of times in previous years it is still risky if you cannot prove consent for YOU to email them (you are storing & using

that data). If you went through the exercise of getting these recipients to opt in to your newsletters again ahead of May 25th then they are fine though because they have now agreed consent with you.

A consumer also now has the right to request that you delete any data you have on them (The Right to be Forgotten). This means you need to know where the data is!

For email marketing you should only store data in one secure location (e.g. a CRM system or online email marketing system) so it is time to consolidate the various spreadsheets and Google Drive documents that you have always relied on and get the data into one safe digital place. Consumers also have the right to view and update the data you store about them.

If you still need to grasp the nettle

lists are de ad no w. The riski est da ta you m ay ho ld is any previous ly pu rc ha se d da ta . of GDPR compliance for email marketing then I now recommend MailChimp as the service to use.

Mailchimp allows you to easily set up GDPR compliant sign up forms and they supply links during the consumer sign up process to their own Privacy Policy which covers your storage of the data!

They also provide links in emails

you send to allow a recipient to view and change their own data and the unsubscribe process is easy and effective and it is impossible for you to accidentally mail someone who has unsubscribed.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m out of space and word count but if you need help then a great starting point is to Google â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mailchimp GDPRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and read and learn.

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focus LICENSING

Picture courtesy of Rainbow Designs

Full of character Products that carry familiar characters hold instant appeal for many consumers, but what makes a good license for a nursery product? icensing is big business, with many companies choosing to align a particular product or range to a beloved character.

Nursery is no different. We asked Anthony Temple (Rainbow Designs) why licensed products are important to the nursery sector.

“Licensed products and the nursery sector go hand in hand. They are extremely important and have a pivotal place not just in the toy and gifting areas but in nursery as a whole, across other segments such as bedding, décor and apparel.”

L

I th ink th e industry “ ha s a nee d for lic ensed

products as a ch ara cter can bring a ran ge to life . Di sn ey is th e one th at stand s out as it ha s globa l app eal .

”

Sue Griffiths, Hauck

However, it isn’t just a case of finding a license and using the image. The chosen license needs to fit with the product. Naturally there are certain characters that work within this category for nursery products. We asked Sue Griffith (Hauck Group) for

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her thoughts on what works well within this sector.

“I think the industry has a need for licensed products as a character can bring a range to life.

Disney is the one that stands out as it has global appeal.”

Beth Henry (Obaby) agrees. For them Disney has always performed well. “We have always found that Disney performs particularly well in the nursery sector for us, we currently have Winnie the pooh, Minnie/Mickey mouse and Dumbo products and we find that these perform fantastically and are very eye catching to new parents.”

We posed the same question to Anthony, who feels that characters who have a trust heritage and longevity will always perform exceptionally well in nursery. Anthony told us: “Our Classic Peter Rabbit, Classic Winnie-the-Pooh ‘Hundred Acre Wood’ and Guess How Much I Love You nursery collections are evergreen brands, and consistently successful in the nursery sector. Another extremely successful nursery and preschool license is The Very Hungry Caterpillar and in 2019 we will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Eric Carle’s lovable, nostalgic character. To mark half a century of The Very Hungry Caterpillar we will be launching an exciting new range of developmental product to commemorate this momentous occasion.

“One of our key aims for all our collections is to ensure that we meet the parent’s needs for products that are both beautiful and fit with their child’s developmental milestones, ensuring that the play value of the range grows with the child at all ages and stages.”

And what about placement? Is the positioning of a licensed character on a product important?

“More often than not, our products usually are the

character themselves, such as in our Paddington for Baby collection.” Said Anthony. “We always ensure that the character has a true resemblance, all the important brand qualities are in place and when possible, to include developmental elements – particularly evident in our The Very Hungry Caterpillar range.”

Of course, licensing in nursery is also about childhood memories of the parent. We asked Beth whether she felt that licensed products gave parents a feeling of nostalgia? “Yes, Disney has been around for many years are most parents will have grown up with Disney films or books so using these licenses will give the parents a feeling of nostalgia.” Said Beth.

Anthony agrees, commenting: “Many of our perennial brands – Peter Rabbit, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Paddington Bear, to name but a few – began life in much-loved children’s literature. Parents are now reading the bedtime stories featuring classic characters from their childhood to their own children.

“Parents are drawing on their own emotions, memories and experiences as a child which means these brands have longevity and a special place in the hearts of many parents.”

Finally we asked Anthony whether he felt that licensed product ranges held a higher perceived value and why. “There’s a perceived higher value and association of quality with licensed character products, because they deliver the core brand values - and also there’s an element of kudos that comes with a recognisable brand.

“Licenses are at the heart of what we do and we always strive to ensure that the perceived higher value is matched by the high quality materials we use, the production and the packaging too.”

Cool Vibes Hauck are pleased to announce the arrival of two new exclusive designs for Disney Baby going forward into 2019.

The first - Mickey ‘Cool Vibes’ - is produced in neutral shades of grey and beige with contrasting powder coated chassis and frames. Together this creates a subtle but stylish take on the classic Mickey Mouse image.

This small, but comprehensive, range of products includes items for both indoors and outdoors, so there is something to suit everyone, plus there’s always a touch of that all important Disney magic.

Tel: 01978 664362 Email: info@hauckuk.com

TM & © 2018 Eric Carle LLC.

The Home of Classic Characters nursery today

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focus LICENSING

Toying with licensefromsretailers stocking

With the increase in demand for toys increase in via Baby Brands Direct, there has been a steady onal toy additi New ble. branded and licensed goods availa obil, Vtech Playm Flair, e includ ble availa ers brand manufactur Frog.

Leap and Also expanding is the licenced range available and Shine, includes T.V. series toys for PJ Masks, Shimmer and There is it.

Rabb Peter and ines Mach ter Mons the Blaze and ic Jurass ing includ s also merchandise from the latest movie r tophe Chris and tures Adven World, Thomas Big World sizes.

Robbin – all at trade price with no minimum pack facturers These toys, backed by some of the biggest manu highly the to value and ability globally add tremendous credit . screen on arised popul cters sought after chara Email: sales@babybrandsdirect.co.uk Web: www.babybrandsdirect.co.uk

Ferrari fever Any budding car enthusiast will love the new Ferrari Formula 1 RC, inspired by the Vettel F1 2017 vehicle.

In an industry first, this new addition is the first remotecontrolled car with pre-determined racing paths and additional ‘try-me’ features. Begin the race at the start line and follow one of three paths using the four-directional remote control. With exciting and realistic Formula 1 sound effects, kids will be transported to race day every time they play. To add to the realistic nature, the remote control wheel is inspired by the Vettel F1 2017 steering wheel.

Suitable for ages 1 to 4 years.

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

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Dreamy licensed collection This Dreams & Wishes selection of furniture is perfect for families with Winnie the Pooh in mind and features adorable illustrations of Winnie the Pooh co-ordinated delightfully throughout all items in the set. Beautifully designed and built to last, the Winnie the Pooh furniture set includes a cot bed, under drawer, closed changing unit and spacious wardrobe, all packed full of convenient storage solutions to give parents a much needed helping hand in organising baby’s room.

Running across all the pieces in the collection, the beautiful Dreams & Wishes design features cute and fun illustrations of Winnie the Pooh throughout. The design harmonises the collection and would look perfect in any child’s nursery, surrounding your little one with the magic of Disney from their earliest years.

Tel: 01652 641491 Web: www.obaby.co.uk

focus OXO TOT

Do the Mash with

OXO Tot

As one of the country’s leading character soft toy and nursery companies and the name behind an abundance of high profile brand collections, Rainbow’s prestigious licensed nursery portfolio includes: Classic Peter Rabbit, My First Paddington, Disney’s Classic Winnie-thePooh ‘Hundred Acre Wood’, Guess How Much I Love You, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, My First Peppa, Miffy, My First Thomas & Friends, Elmer and The Snowman and Snowdog ‘My 1st Christmas’ collections.

All of the infant collections feature beautiful nursery essentials including My First Plush, Ring Rattles, Comfort Blankets as well as developmental toys to encourage learning through play.

s little ones grow and learn to master the art of self-feeding, they often show more interest in what their parents are eating. With OXO’s Mash Maker transforming grown up food into a smooth purée for little ones, is easier than ever.

Conveniently shaped to add ingredients with ease, simply spoon the food into the mill and slide the body back on top for mess-free mashing, adding a little liquid if needed to control the thickness of the purée.

With a non-slip base and comfortable handle, the masher features a stainless-steel blade and grinding plate to turn a wide range of foods into a healthy, nutritious meal for baby. The lid stays firmly in place so no need to worry about spills when travelling, plus the mash maker disassembles for easy cleaning and is top-rack dishwasher safe.

Tel: 01329 227300 Web: www.rainbowdesigns.co.uk

Email: info@oxouk.com Web: www.oxototuk.com

A

The Home of Classic Characters

Bags of energy This radio-controlled race car has the grit and energy of a real Fiat 500 sport. The icon car features a horn and engine rumble noises.

Suitable for toddlers aged two years and upwards, the friendly face will win over both little ones and parents. The Fiat 500 changes direction by turning the steering wheel-shaped remote, just like a real car.

Web: www.chicco.co.uk

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focus Health & Well being

All well and good When we look at health and wellbeing products, it’s not just baby that is focussed on.

T

he world as we know continually changes, and as parents we adapt with these changes and use a whole plethora of products that are available to us and this includes those targeted at the healthcare and wellbeing category.

For example, air pollution doesn’t appear to be getting any better and it is becoming more and more apparent that we are a nation with an increased level of asthma sufferers and what is also more noticeable is the amount of colds and sniffles we all seem to experience – and that doesn’t just effect adults, it also causes anxiety for parents whose babies may be

Healthy skin, happy baby

Both Earth Friendly Baby and Mothercare skincare products are available to retailers at trade price alongside volume price incentives, annual promotions and a quick dispatch service.

The comprehensive range of Earth Friendly products are made in the UK and are 99.2% natural, 50.7% organic and dermatologically approved for baby sensitive skin with the products complete free of SLS, parabens and artificial colours and fragrances. The brand also uses eco-friendly packaging and ensures no animal testing. It’s no wonder its products are award winning.

The Mothercare, ‘All We Know’ range includes a body wash and shampoo formulation both with olive oil and chamomile extracts for skin nourishment and soothing respectively.

Suitable from birth, it has been dermatologically and hypoallergenic tested, as well as tested by an independent panel of midwives, culminating in strong sales.

Email: sales@babybrandsdirect.co.uk Web: www.babybrandsdirect.co.uk

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experiencing levels of congestion.

Therefore, products that can aid congestion are always a good and reliable product in-store.

Even during pregnancy, expectant mothers have huge concerns about their health, the welfare of their unborn child and of course the health of their baby once born – anxiety can come from so many different aspects, mums diet, skincare routine or just preparing for their babies arrival and what products to use to ensure a healthy happy environment.

This product category covers a variety of areas, from skincare all the way through to room humidifiers! So this is a vast retail opportunity and should not be overlooked – especially when you think that you could get an expectant mother walk in through the doors who may be looking for their first pram/cot/ monitor etc. From here, you can gain valuable information, talk to them about any anxieties they may have, establish whether mum is looking for ‘feel good’ products also!

Sleeping soundly

Crane USA, distributed in the UK by Nimans Home, is committed to helping babies sleep sounder with their award-winning range of cool mist humidifiers.

Babies prefer to breathe through their noses the first 4-6 months, so when their tiny noses get stuffy, this can lead to problems with sleeping, resting and feeding! Hum idifiers have been growing in popularity as a must have baby essen tial due to their ability to help relieve coughs and sneezes, sniffles and wheezes!

Recommended as a non-medicated alternative, a Crane humidifier provides moisture for nasa l congestion, dry cough, sinus irritation, dry skin & allows easier brea thing for a good night’s sleep.

Crane has added two exciting new char acters to their range of Cool Mist ‘Adorable’ Humidifiers for 2018 - the ‘Crane Train’ and ‘Misty the Unicorn’ which offer the same incredible benefits that parents have enjoyed with the Elephant , Frog and Drop designs.

The Crane Filter-Free Cool Mist Hum idifiers run whisper quiet for up to 24 hours and have an auto ‘off’ function when tank is empty for safety. The humidifiers emit a cool mist into the air and effectively humidify small and medium rooms up to 500 square feet.

Email: Rebecca.fuchs@nimanshom e.com

Personal trainer

Elvie Trainer is a smart kegel trainer that was launched in 2015 with the mission of aiding wome n in improving and strengthen ing their pelvic floor.

Using biofeedback technology and sensors to detect movement, measure force, correct technique and kee p score, the product effectiv ely trains the user on how to properly exercise and stre ngthen their pelvic floor.

Elvie Trainer was proved so successful in its mission tha t it was taken on by the NHS in August 2018. Elvie Trainer has been proven to show results wit hin six weeks for the 83% of wo men who suffer with urinary incont inence and have tried the produc t.

Email: info@bebelep hant.com Web: www.bebelephan t.com www.elvie.com

oo R

the new generation of nasal aspirators

Almost 77% of the questioned British parents know about the

importance of nasal aspiration for babies and toddlers.*

The complete Nosiboo product range is available by the baby products distributor BĂŠbĂŠlephant. *Opinion survey by Nosiboo in 2018

ULTRASONIC COOL MIST

HUMIDIFIERS

Helps babies breathe easier, sleep better and stay healthy

Distributed in the UK by Nimans Home 01937 847 766 I hello@nimanshome.co.uk I www.nimanshome.co.uk

focus Health & Well being

Essential baby care items

The cold and flu season will soon be upon as, so demand for a good infant healthcare kit is likely to increase. The Summer Infant Deluxe Nursery and Bath Kit is really convenient and provides a comprehensive set of essential baby care items in a carry case, ideal for travel and storage purposes. The kit includes: a digital pen thermometer, forehead thermometer strips, medicine dropper and spoon, emergency information card, nasal aspirator, alcohol wipes, bath water temperature tester, teether, gum massager, hairbrush, comb, scissors, tweezers, nail clippers and emery boards for just £14.99.

For every day healthy oral hygiene care the Summer Infant 3 Piece Oral Care Kit provides parents with a useful finger toothbrush, gum stimulator and soft bristled toothbrush for infants and toddlers. The double sided finger toothbrush fits over an adult finger to clean and massage baby’s gums and emerging teeth. While the gum stimulator helps clean and stimulate baby’s gums and the toddler toothbrush gently cleans first teeth.

The Summer Infant 3 Piece Oral Care Kit is available now with a guide RRP of £3.99.

Email: socialmediauk@summerinfant.com Web: www.summerinfant.co.uk

er ng Wond Well Beis with . While a clean and safe environment for baby The perfect nursery start pollution, it is easy to neglect common we are increasingly aware of outdoor are less-well advised about inside the hazardous indoor pollutants that we home. newborn lungs when sensitivity is Providing the ultimate protection for Babymoov offers an unrivalled air at its highest, the noiseless Hygro+ by with a full water tank) to eliminate purification solution (up to 22 hours room temperature and humidity level g indoor air pollution while regulatin around the clock. by cleansing the air of bacteria Hygro+ benefits everyone in its path hs, nasal infections, asthma, coug s, and allergens, reducing the risk of cold bronchitis and even snoring! night light and gentle oil diffuser, As well as a soothing colour-changing backlit touchscreen panel and sleek Hygro+ easy ‘plug and play’ function, idifier the ultimate nursery hum this e teardrop-shaped silhouette mak well-being wonder.

Email: sales@babymoov.co.uk

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Keeping it clean

Say goodbye to throwing away a pacifier after it’s been dropped on the floor, and say hello to RaZbaby’s Keep-it-Kleen Pacifier, the only pacifier that automatically closes when it hits the ground. The orthodontic nipple adapts easily to baby’s natural sucking action and will not damage their developing mouth.

The silicone nipple is non-toxic, odourless and easy to clean and does not retain stain or residue. Each pacifier comes with an attached shield which snaps shut the moment it’s dropped. The first 21st Century pacifier.

Tel: 01278 434440 Email: mike.bird@hippychick.com

Why to Use a Nosiboo Nasal Aspirator?

Illnesses of the Upper Airways Babies and toddlers cannot properly blow their noses if they catch a cold or get ill. That’s why the secretion stagnating in the paranasal sinuses can get superinfected causing serious illnesses. By removing the nasal mucus, you can prevent several illnesses and medication can be avoided.

Facilitating Nasal Breathing As parents, it is our responsibility to secure the nasal breathing of babies because they cannot blow their nose.

By aspirating the nose, we free their airways and provide for the conditions of a peaceful rest and nourishment.

Allergy-like symptoms By the combined use of saline solutions and nasal aspiration, you can remove the allergenic secretions stagnating in the sinuses and flush out the nose. By doing so, you can prevent superinfections and relieve the symptoms of runny nose, sneezing and itchy eyes.

Web: www.bebelephant.com Web: www.nosiboo.eu

The award-winning Kegel exercise trainer

The world’s first silent wearable breast pump

Strengthen and tone your pelvic floor

Fits in your bra and your life

info@bebelephant.com | 020 8202 1467 | bebelephant.com

more info at: elvie.com

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Sponsored by

new!

Winter warmer its newest nighttime essential: the winter

aden + anais is thrilled to introduce sleeping bag. Woven from premium jersey cotton, this seasonal sleep solution cradles baby in supremely soft winter warmth—without the worry of loose blankets in the cot.

Designed with mum in mind, the wearable blanket is easy to slip on and off over baby’s pyjamas thanks to convenient shoulder poppers. With a 2.5 TOG rating, the winter sleeping bag ensures a sound slumber in cooler room temperatures of 16 – 20 degrees.

From feathered friends and water-coloured whales to soft petals and rolling waves, the newest classic and silky soft muslin designs give little ones a taste of the great outdoors when it’s too cold to venture out. Whether an infant is snoozing in a swaddle or a toddler is snuggling up with a dream blanket, they are sure to enjoy a fun-filled winter surrounded by bold colours and playful prints.

Email: boutqiue@adenandanais.com Web: www.adenandanais.co.uk

rdinates Ollie coo Grofriend has flown in

Ollie the Owl and stolen the hearts of many, with CrySensor technology Ollie automatically activates when baby cries, soothing little ones gently back to sleep. The plush Owl sleep aid is utterly adorable and has helped countless parents settle their young babies to sleep. For a more coordinated look Ollie is now joined by a range of co ordinate products including a cuddly owl comforter, perfect for newborns the Ollie Grosnug, Supersoft velour Ollie Grobag, and for Owl loving toddlers the Gro to Bed. This beautiful Ollie family collection makes the perfect gift or newborn starter set for parents and parents to be.

Web: www.gro.co.uk

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New to Hippychick

Just in time for the colder seasons, Hippychick have welcomed six new colours to their Wallaboo Newborn Footmuff collection. The footmuffs are made from beautiful soft suede and fleece – perfect for protecting little ones from the changing weather.

Suitable for all 3 and 5 point harnesses and for use up to 12 months or 21 lbs, it is the perfect footmuff for infant car seats, prams, carrycots or bike seats. The new colours include a stylish and on trend striped grey, eye catching silver and vibrant red.

Tel: 01278 434440 Email: mike.bird@hippychick.com

new!

Sponsored by

Touch of luxury

Pick up a penguin

Say hello to Percy, the cutest penguin for little ones to tuck up with this winter! The loveable chap is The Gro Company’s newest friend; he will be waddling onto the scene this October making the perfect companion as the nights get cooler.

The adorable ice blue penguin will feature across three of the brands muchloved products including the iconic and award winning Grofriend Light and Sound Sleep Aid, the flagship Grobag and the must-have Grocomforter. Bought as a set or individually Percy has arrived just in time for Christmas and is sure to make the cosiest gift!

Web: www.gro.co.uk

lo Wave hel a slick and smooth addition to the

The Wave is Nula range with an instant wow factor straight out of the box.

With a combination of a retro and modern finish the Wave appeals to a wide customer base who enjoy a wood and fabric look to their bouncer.

During the design process we have been careful to split focus equally between both appearance coupled with simple functionality to give the Wave a self-bouncing motion enjoyed with unrivalled comfort for baby. The Wave also features an adjustable back rest and allows the bouncer to fold compactly for storage when not in use.

They’ve included a soft seat insert with added head support allowing newborn babies to sit comfortably in the Wave. There is a toy bar with cute toys which include play activities which is again finished in natural wood. Definitely the new bouncer destined to be on all parents wish lists!

Baby accessories specialist MuslinZ has added a new eco-friendly MuslinZ Hooded Towel to its popular range of baby essentials.

The super soft and luxurious towel has been designed with 50 per cent pure cotton and 50 per cent bamboo – an eco-friendly fabric which is naturally anti-bacterial and gentler on skin than many man-made fibres. It is ideal for babies sensitive skin as the MuslinZ Hooded Towel is silky soft as well as being highly absorbent and fast drying. The hood itself is made from cotton Muslin fabric so is light and comfortable on baby’s head.

Caroline Taylor, managing director from MuslinZ, said: “We were inundated with requests from our MuslinZ customers to introduce a hooded towel to our range so the time was right for us to add this to our collection.

Our Muslinz brand is well-known for its soft materials and people trust our products.

“Our new MuslinZ Hooded Towel is perfect to use to wrap up baby straight from the bath to keep them warm and snug after bathtime without getting them too hot and making that bath-to-bed transition as easy as possible. The hood also works perfectly to dry baby’s soft curls and is extra useful as baby’s hair gets longer.”

The MuslinZ Hooded Towel is 75cm x 75cm and available in Classic White with the hood featuring the popular MuslinZ Star Print in a soft Mint and Grey.

The MuslinZ product range includes high quality 100 per cent cotton and luxury bamboo/organic cotton muslin squares as well as dribble bibs, swaddles, prefold nappies, terry squares and nappy wraps. The MuslinZ hooded towels are available now from all official MuslinZ stockists.

Tel: 01295 810008 Email: sales@merrygorounduk.co.uk

Tel: 01454 326 562 Web: www.redkitebaby.co.uk

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focus

THE INSIGHTS PEOPLE

Best placed tech A tech becomes the family gatekeeper, is your marketing best placed to As rreach this generation of parents?

Jenny Kieras Product Manager Experienced in product development and both B2B and B2C marketing, Jenny’s focus at Parents Insights is expanding the products offered by the business, which currently surveys 10,000 parents each year to give brands valuable insights into emerging trends.

Jenny has worked for brands and with buyers and retailers in this industry for many years, so also knows it is more important than ever before to be able to stay ahead of trends and back product decisions with data and insight.

Parents Insights was launched

by Manchester-based The Insights People in 2018 to give companies direct access to flash trends and key data to enhance their knowledge about their target audiences’ attitudes, behaviours and consumption.

About Parents Insights Parents Insights is the most comprehensive and dynamic market intelligence resource on all things expecting and new parents in the UK. Every week we survey 200 expecting and new parents (up to the age of 4), which is more than 10,000 every year – which enables brands and agencies to provide significant insight what is influencing into the attitudes, behaviour and consumption of this generations of parents.

For more information on Parents Insights, a sample report and a demo of the Parents Insights award winning portal visit www.parentsinsights. co.uk/nurserytoday or call Jenny on 0330 159 6631.

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edia fragmentation is one of the biggest challenges and opportunities for brands – if you get it right you can grow quickly, get it wrong and it can be an expensive, if not critical, mistake.

Data from the ONS reports that 100% of UK households with children have internet access, and our data shows how this generation of parents are predominately turning to the internet to access content to help them parent; so how effective is your marketing in building awareness, engagement, preference and advocacy?

Parents are continually moving away from traditional resources in favour of utilising their tech devices to gather multiple sources of information to help them with parenting and to help make their busy lives more efficient. More than half of parents, in fact, will use search engines for information about purchasing products and 60% will consult Facebook groups and Instagram daily (increasing to an astonishing 87% at least weekly).

But that is just the start of the journey, as parents will then continue to use tech in many ways – with some preferring social media, forums, blogs, vlogs, websites or even download apps.

The amount of content which they have access to is almost never-ending, and what our data is consistently showing is how these different groups of consumers are behaving – meaning that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to marketing is no longer fit for purpose.

Keeping children occupied is clearly a key factor for parents, and with technology now providing a 24/7 entertainment solution for families, we also see how it works as a driver for the purchase of subscription services. Our data shows that parents are increasingly likely to have access to TV subscription services the more

M

children they have; in fact, our last reports showed that 43% of parents with two or more children subscribe to Amazon Prime, compared to just 28% of families with only 1 child. Amazon Prime functionality enables each member of the family to consume their own content simultaneously, as does Netflix, which also sees an increase in subscription as family size increases - although not as much as Prime, suggesting that the additional services offered by Prime (next day delivery, content on demand) also have an appeal to parents.

For marketers, this demonstrates how video on demand (VOD) platforms have fragmented family’s TV consumption away from traditional, linear programmes.

Tablets and Apps are now the number one medium for keeping toddlers and young children entertained, with Tablets being the device of choice for younger children

as parents increasingly utilise tech to engage their children.

We also see the attitudes and behaviours of parents adjusting to reflect the evolving challenge of keeping children entertained as they grow older and become more active; approximately two-thirds of parents will allow their baby to use a tablet, yet as these babies get older we see an astonishing 96% of the toddlers that use a tablet, doing so every day.

One area which is growing at a phenomenal rate is Voice, with our data showing that the use of Voice devices in the home (such as Alexa) has grown from 11-18% in the last quarter. It is no surprise that brands are starting to capitalise on the opportunities this presents.

Companies such as DUPLO have been quick to join forces with Amazon and adopt the new Alexa Skills software and develop options that enable Alexa to assist and

One area whic h is grow ing at a phen omen al rate is Voice , with our data show ing that the use of Voice devic es in the home (such as Alexa ) has grow n from 11-18 % in the last quarter. It is no surp rise that brand s are start ing to capitalise on the oppo rtunities this presents. engage these busy, digi-savvy parents and their children by leading them through stories designed to encourage children as they play with the physical blocks.

This is a great example of how a company based in the offline world is utilising the digital space to ensure they are responding to the needs of millennial parents and fully engaging with them in a way that meets their expectations. There are many more examples of this and they are accessible to companies of all sizes. As an independent trader you can create ‘how-to’ videos to share on social media on assembling baby furniture or demonstrating special features on buggies. The Alexa Skills kit has been designed to be very accessible, specifically to encourage take-up from small to medium businesses and there is no end to the creative ways to utilise voice technology; from telling bedtime stories to answering common FAQs about your product set.

So, what does this mean for your business and your 2019 plans?

What we are seeing therefore, is the emerging use of technology to monitor and entertain children, arguably taking the role of the grandparent – though without the cuddles and treats…..yet!

We know this busy millennial generation appreciate innovative parenting options that are ‘hands-free’

and allow efficient multi-tasking and will become strong advocates of the brands that address these needs. They turn to devices to entertain their children when they are busy, and they refer to websites and forums for information, advice and reassurance about everything relating to parenting, children and family issues. Knowing what is shaping their attitudes, behaviour and consumption has never been more critical, and by utilising research data, you are able to find not just where your audience is, but also what is influencing them, to help inform your future advertising and content strategies.

“What a month! We were delighted to be asked by Kind + Jugend to do a number of talks at this year’s event. The organisers were keen for us to share our data and insights on how the market is changing and how brands need to adapt their approaches to engage and appeal to this generation of parents who are not just heavy users of tech, but who are increasingly using tech to assist them with parenting – meaning that the media which parents consume to help shape their opinions is becoming increasingly fragmented. If you would like to receive a copy of the presentation, please feel free to email or call me” - Jenny

In the know Subscribe today to receive your daily news feed from Nursery Today

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BPA notice board

Robert Anslow M anaging Director If you r company is a me mb er of the Bab y Pro duc ts Ass ocia tion and you are not cur rently receivin g me mb ers ’ e-bulletins wit h industry upd ates , but would like to, ple ase em ail juli e@ b-p -a. org wh o will add you to the databa se.

The Baby Products Association’s team, together with over 50 of its members, recently returned from one of the world’s largest baby trade shows, Kind+Jugend which took place in Cologne, Germany at the end of September.

Once again, the British delegation certainly made a huge impact at the show as the largest country specific pavilion exhibiting; and with prominent branding which was widely commented on by visitors and exhibitors attending.

We attended Kind und Jugend to launch our baby product and whilst we attended with preproduction prototypes, it went down a storm and interest and engagement has been incredible.

Thank you.

Johanne Holman, Dumforter

With the subject of ‘Brexit’ on the tips of many tongues, noticeably and without doubt pride in Great Britain remains high and the Union Jack was prolific not just in the UK Pavilion but throughout the halls of Koelnmesse as visitors collected and carried the much-coveted British cotton bags, sponsored by BabyStyle, y y , which c we weree given out at the show.

The A Association’s an was ugend Kind+J networking event excellent trade show for us as held on the first we made contact with a large day was another number of distributors in huge success with a good mix of territories that we were buyers an targeting. We are confident exhibitors that a number of these enjoying the contacts will convert to sales.

British hospitality Matt Dyson, N2M Ltd (Rockit) on offer. Once again, the drinks reception receptiion was kindly supported by MIQ Logistics which provided its services to many exhibitors attending the show.

Robert Anslow, managing director of the Baby Products Association and president of the European Nursery N Products Confederation (ENPC), comments: co “The UK Pavilion was once again ors visit ity qual We had high testament te to the excellent work of the Baby ising to the stand with prom Products P Association and its members and leads and the possibility that provided p an outstanding platform for international in trade and a gateway to exporting, we will take on at least two particularly p for some of our smaller and newer new inter national members. m We were also proud to host the distributors. We would have ENPC’s E board meeting with representatives strug gled to make contact from f trade associations throughout Europe attending.” a with these without this show.

As a relatively new business, we already export more than 90% of our sales. Kind+Jugend is a vital meeting point for new contacts across Europe and Asia and a very cost-effective way to meet sales partners from our 15 existing sales territories and demonstrate and sell new lines.

Jennifer Unsworth, Be-Baby

www.thebpa.eu

Meemoobaby – Julia Kelly

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nursery today

The Association has already received enquiries from companies wishing to confirm stands in the UK Pavilion for the 2019 show. Space for this will go on sale later in December. Association members will be informed as soon as the information packs and booking forms are available.

This show was great and being part of the Baby Products Association has helped small new businesses like mine to reach new markets.

Rebecca Patterson, Zellie

Buyersdirectory Coordinated Bedding

Textiles

Ambassador Textiles are a major supplier to the Nursery manufacturing industry, we stock an extensive range of top quality Baby Care fabrics in popular pastel colours:-

Baby Clothes • Caroline Jane International ltd • Dandelion baby clothing • Spanish design pastel babywear • Designed in the UK • Manufactured in Portugal.

• Garments essential for all seasons • Made from 100% Cotton and gorgeous Knitwear.

Telephone: 01908-690726 / 01455-844469 Email: sales@dandelionclothing.co.uk Website: www.dandelionclothing.co.uk

• Soft & Cuddly – Velboa, Dimple, Stars and Coral Fleece Circles • Cotton Waffle & Cotton Interlock • Moisture Absorbing – Bamboo Towelling & Woven Towelling • Lightweight & Pretty – Dobby Spot Polycotton & Brodierie Anglaise • Warm & versatile – Anti Pil Fleece Our Anti Pil fleece range has over 50 colours and 20 prints which can be made to order into Fleece Blankets in Cot, Pram and Picnic Blanket size (minimums apply) Visit our website to view the full range at www.ambassador-textiles.co.uk Or contact our experienced helpful team on 0161 624 4167 info@ambassador-textiles.co.uk

Wholesale

Reserve this advertisement space now in the UK’s only monthly nursery trade magazine, features as follows: November issue – copy deadline 26th October Wheeled Goods & Accessories Pregnancy & Maternity /Clothing Travel Systems Baby Mattresses Books

December issue – copy deadline 16th November Car Seats & Accessories Pacifiers/Soothers/Comforters/Teethers/Teething Necklaces for Mum Dapper Dads The Winners Are – a look at winning products through the year HKTDC – show preview

Call Christine on 01442 289936 or email christine@lemapublishing.co.uk for more information.