Party Party

Month: April 2015 Issue 6 Volume 15

CARNIVAL, PARTY & HALLOWEEN New Catalogue Out Now

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y t r a P p o t S e n O Your “Don’t forget, Halloween falls on a Saturday night this year, sure to boost sales!”

. .. n e e w o ll a H r o f p o Sh We’ve got an array of coordinating ranges inspired by key Halloween themes:

Day of the Dead

Family Friendly

Zombies

Creepy Carnevil Classic Characters Plus many more including: Haunted House, Vampires & Sinister Surgery !

Pumpkins

You are in for a treat this year with Amscan’s extensive Halloween collection of themed partyware, costumes, decorations and balloons for your customers to create a delightfully frightful party setting! Featuring the latest trends and innovations, whether it’s the new Day of the Dead theme they are after or classic witches and devils, Amscan have it all. View our full Halloween range online.

TEL: +44 (0)1908 288 500 E-MAIL: sales@amscan-uk.co.uk WEB: www.amscan.co.uk ©Amscan 2015, ©Anagram 2015 All rights reserved

contents Regulars

April 2015 Issue 6 Volume 15

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Leader with Rhys Thomas

8

News – what’s the latest?

10

Exhibition news – updates from the trade show calendar

Editor

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Licensing news – the latest from the world of licensing

Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

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What’s new – unmissable new products

15

Quick-fire round – with Star Cutouts’ James Purcell

16

Retail interview – the third-generation family owners of McPeakes talk party retail in Belfast

Party Party team

Advertisement Manager Paul Yeomans pyeomans@lemapublishing.co.uk

Features

Publishing Director Mark Naish mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director

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Hen and stag – the latest products for the raucous, risqué parties of grooms and brides-to-be

30

Spring Fair review – Party Party looks at the highlights from this year’s show

32

Celebrations and Achievements – all the major occasions that drive the party industry

38

A ‘ghoulden’ opportunity– this year’s Halloween falling on a Saturday means big business according to Amscan

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Managing Director Malcolm Naish malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

Circulation Manager Robert Thomas robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Leg Avenue – Leg Avenue checks in after its trade show world tour

42

Prom night – America’s latest export

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

Columnists 28

Talk to an Angel – how to handle post-show ordering

43

Mark Brett – columnist Mark Brett considers party retail from a different perspective

At the heart of retail

44

The Word – BAPIA’s John Bowler chimes in on the findings from the EBPC’s latest report

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

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Recipe of the month – boost sales with this month’s animalthemed design from Balloon.Education

PUBLISHING

Missed us at Spring Fair its not to late you could still get in touch with us

0203 667 2721

www.dressupamerica.co.uk

sales@dressupamerica.co.uk

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message from the

editor...

Rhys Thomas

PUBLISHING

At Heart of Retail

Also published by Lema Publishing

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E

magazine

TableWare INTERNATIONAL

If you would like to subscribe to any of our other market leading titles please call Robert Thomas on 01442 289930 or email your request to robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

I

t’s only our second issue of the year, and already there’s so much to talk about.

Spring Fair, an annual highlight on the party industry calendar is now behind us, and that means we’ve all seen the great new product lined up for this year.

The same question goes through all of our heads as we make our way from the NEC’s car parks and train station to Hall 3: what fantastic new product will we encounter this year? I think everyone that made the trip to Birmingham earlier in the year was impressed with everything on show. Party Party gave you a sneak peek as to what exhibitors were showcasing in the last issue, and this time we’ve come full circle with our fair review. By all accounts it was a good one for everyone, but you can find out in detail what the highlights were on page 30.

Party Party took a look at the lucrative market for hens and stags - a night when dressing up is mandatory As new product, retailers and people get their start in the industry, we also say farewell to a veteran that many of you will know well.

Ivan Smith retired at the end of February, bowing out on a high from Northstar Balloons.

Party Party caught up with him on page 9 in his final few days, to see how the industry has changed over his long and varied career beginning in the mid-80s, and where he sees the industry headed in the near future. In my time in the industry, Ivan has always been an advocate of all things party, not just as a way to make a living, but also as way to spread joy and help everyone celebrate the special moments in life. I know you’ll all join me in wishing him well in his retirement.

Heading now into spring, the grey skies are beginning to clear, it’s still light as we make our way home each day, and wedding season will soon be upon us. In light of this, Party Party took a look at the lucrative market for hens and stags - a night when dressing up, risqué accessories and hilarious games are mandatory. We found out that no groom is fit to walk down the aisle until they’ve headed out with their mates all dressed as gnomes.

Products that cater to the hen and stag crowd have benefited from the wedding boom, and party retailers are here to make sure the masses are armed and ready for a serious night out. We even caught up with a

bride in the run up to her August marriage, and a 25-year-old groom with his stag do just on the horizon, to find out what would make their nights special. Read all about that and see the best new product for hens and stags starting on page 18.

Here at Party Party magazine, we only need half an excuse for a party. So we took a look at some of the key occasions and achievements celebrated throughout the year on page 32, to find out how retailers can keep sales flowing at a steady pace.

Birthdays, anniversaries and graduations are a given, but an influx of American celebratory spirit is bumping baby showers and new occasions into the limelight.

Another American import is Prom night, an end-of-an-era shebang that makes the oldfashioned disco pale in comparison. Check it out on page 42.

Next month we’re taking a look at some of the party industry’s heavy hitters: Halloween, Weddings and Risqué. Amscan gives us an early glimpse at the opportunities surrounding a Halloween falling on a Saturday this issue, which I urge you to read. There’s plenty more to come where Halloween is concerned.

Oh, and take a look at Window on the World, a new regular tour around the UK’s independent party retailers to see how they’re kitting out their windows to draw the crowds. It’s nice to be able to share the things that are working for us and support each other.

NEW Window on the World - page 8

NEWS Amscan welcomes Liz Brown With an ever-expanding licence portfolio currently including 100 properties, Amscan International has welcomed Liz Brown to its licensing team.

Liz takes the newly-created role of Licensing Associate EMEA, and brings a wealth of commercial and retail marketing knowledge and experience across multiple sectors. The role will provide licensing support across EMEA working closely with Director of Licensing EMEA, Sandra Vanstan.

Safety first Belbal has proved its safety credentials, obtaining the Intertek TickMark Certificate which now covers all branded Belbal latex balloon products for printers, decorators and retailers.

The company’s latex balloons have been tested and approved to be in line with the EC Directive 2009-48-EC including the new EN71-12 standard.

The European Union has the strictest regulations for toy product safety and consumer health, and so the Belbal engineers worked closely with safety testing specialist Intertek to meet these regulations. As a result, Belbal has been granted the Intertek TickMark Certificate for all of its high quality latex balloons (Intertek TickMark Certificate Testing no. 15FUK0149).

“Obtaining the Intertek TickMark Certificate provides our customers a guarantee that they are selecting a product meeting the highest consumer health and product safety requirements,” said Belbal Director Michel Van Even.

Uplifting news New research commissioned by the European Balloon and Party Council has revealed the true significance of balloons to the lives of consumers.

Far from a throwaway decoration, 62% of the 7,000 consumers questioned said that a party isn’t complete without one.

A further 80% agreed that the appeal of balloons is ageless, bringing joy and pleasure to one and all. From an economic stand point, the entire balloon sector is accounts for at least 5,000 jobs in Europe.

Party Party columnist and BAPIA CEO John Bowler takes a closer look at the findings in this month’s The Word on page 48.

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Window on the world Fun Bags Party Shop is the first stop in a new monthly tour around the country to see how independent retailers make the most of their window space.

Owner Heidi Barnaby opened the party shop in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, three years ago. She told Party Party that Book Week has become a great way to pick up some extra sales early in the year, and that’s what inspired her displays.

“It seems to get bigger every year,” she said. “This year’s Book Day was on 5 March and we have dress-up and costumes based around favourite book characters – everything from willy Wonka to Alice in Wonderland.”

If you’d like to show off your latest display, get in touch at rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

Farewell Ivan

Mask-arade says yellow to the Minions A new deal has been signed by Mask-arade to produce masks and standees based on the Despicable Me franchise The company has announced that it has been granted rights to manufacture, market and distribute a range of products based on Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Despicable Me global film franchise.

The range will include face masks, desktop standees and life-size standees. The deal also includes the upcoming prequel Minions, opening in theatres 26 June 2015.

Ray Duffy, Licensing Director, Mask-arade, said: “Mask-arade is really excited about this license, and we are already seeing great interest in the new designs that feature the Minions. We expect there to be huge demand across the product range.”

Product is expected to launch throughout Europe in May 2015.

Industry veteran Ivan Smith, most recently of Northstar Balloons, retired at the end of February. Party Party caught up with him for a look back on his time in the industry and where he sees things heading in the future

Northstar Balloons, I Foil

Where does your party industry story begin?

I started off at Fiesta Balloons, a latex balloon company based in Sheffield. That was back in the mid 80s, and I progressed from there to Unique when it was a much smaller outfit than they are now, and then on to Amscan, where I remained for around 11 years. A few years ago, Gary Kevis, who started Anagram balloons and who I’ve known for 25 years, asked if I’d like to come on board at North Star Balloons as it was finding its feet. I took him up on his offer.

What were your early days like?

When I started off, the party industry was still defining itself as a business and product sector. When I rang a supermarket to speak with their party buyer, I was told ‘we don’t have one’. Buying party products was part of another buyers remit, perhaps a toy or gift buyer.

When did this change?

Slowly but surely the industry grew into what we see today. It was an exciting time to be involved in this business, and around the mid-90s everything seemed to click. Retailers realised that there was a real market for party products, with money to be made selling the whole package, rather than the odd balloon or a handful of paper plates with a birthday design on them. The UK looked across the pond to the US where they had dedicated balloon trade shows and saw there was a similar market right here.

So what was the biggest change?

Designs for success Fun Shack continues its exciting start to 2015 with another expansion of its design team. New designer Charlotte Guest is the latest addition, joining recent recruits Sarah Weelands and Kawther Mokhlif.

With a degree in fashion and textile design, Charlotte brings a wide range of experience and knowledge to the team. Her expertise includes theatre and costume design, CAD design, sewing and pattern cutting.

Halloween became a big thing. It started off as a bit of fun for kids, as it had in America, but, just as it did in the States, it developed into something the whole family celebrated. Adults began dressing up with their kids, those kids grew up and carried on having Halloween parties, and that branched out into adult parties.

Where do you see the industry headed next?

The biggest thing in recent times is obviously the internet. I see it as a very positive thing for the industry, not just as a way for new businesses to enter the market, but as an extension of the specialist bricks and mortar stores. Those that have embraced it – and Pete Uppal at House Parti springs to mind here – have done very well out of it. The way people shop these days is different, but the opportunity is there to be more profitable and successful than ever before. The industry is still growing, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.

What will you miss most?

I think I’ll have a bit of a panic when February rolls around next year and I’m not in Birmingham for Spring Fair. But I’ll miss the camaraderie the most, the people. Mark Brett, Tony Esden, the guys at Amscan, I’ve known some of these people for a long time now. Everyone has always been very helpful; competitive but never viciously cut-throat.

www.partypartymag.co.uk

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E XHIBITION NEWS Like Christmas came early Party Party editor Rhys Thomas headed to Frankfurt to see what was hot at this year’s Christmasworld “Christmas comes but once a year, unless you’re lucky enough to work in the party industry. At the end of January I headed to Frankfurt in Germany, one of the original sites of the traditional Christmas market, for Messe Frankfurt’s Christmasworld. Held in the city’s huge exhibition centre, visitors from all over Europe and beyond flock to the city each year for the event to see the latest trends and products for the coming Christmas. It’s easy to see why. As far as the eye could see, the show floor was packed to the rafters with Christmas trees, seasonal decorations, accessories, gifts and partyware. More than 920 companies from 39 different countries filled Messe Frankfurt’s huge, multi-storied halls in total this year, each with unique product to celebrate Christmas. UK party firm Neviti was exhibiting for the first time, with their new ranges of party decorations and tableware. I caught up with the company’s Cathy Locke, over from the UK for the duration of the show, to see how business had been.

“We didn’t really know what to expect when we got here, but it’s certainly been worth the trip already,” Cathy said. “It’s spectacular here and absolutely amazing to see all the lights, decorations and huge trees. The show has been great for us to make more contacts and further our foothold here in Germany.

“Our new Guess How Much I Love You licensed ranges have been getting a lot of attention, which is fantastic. It’s a very popular and recognised property in Germany and France, and some people have been stopping on the stand specifically to see it. We’ve had a good mix of retailers in general, from chains to independents, so I can’t be happier really.”

Further down the hall, I stopped by the stand of another UK import, Christmas cracker specialist Robin Reed. The team told me they had been exhibiting for 10 years and would continue to do so. They always did good business, and in many ways the market was very similar to that in the UK. But it wasn’t just German and UK exhibitors on the show floor, companies from all over were well represented. In the Fest Italy section, Italian exhibitors were grouped together to showcase the best product from across the Alps. Stefania Bendoli of Carnival Toys, said the show had been a great start to the year. “It’s our first time exhibiting here, and although we are also exhibiting at Nuremberg right now, we felt we had to be here,” she explained.

“It’s been a really good show for us so far.” Many exhibitors that largely had Christmas product on their stand also sported Halloween costumes, decorations and accessories, making it a perfect place for party retailers to pick up fresh product for two of the biggest seasonal celebrations. Before I left, I checked in to see what the trends for this Christmas will be. Tender Poem, Mystic Ode, Weird Diary and Inventive Hymn are the names given to them, and while they vary in colour palettes and style, they desire to tell stories and bring a unique way to spread the magic of Christmas.”

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Halloween & Party Expo exhibitor space 80% booked Making its spectacular New Orleans debut, the new show organisers of Halloween & Party Expo have revealed that 80% of exhibition space for the 2016 show is already booked. Held for the first time in the Louisiana city, there was lots of excitement aimed at the “new era that is brewing”, following changes in ownership of the event with a new partnership between Halloween Industry Association (HIA) and Urban Expositions.

This year’s event brought together more than 1,300 exhibitors introducing new and innovative costumes, accessories, party supplies, and paper goods to thousands of attending domestic and international buyers. Under the new management direction of the HIA and Urban Expositions, plans are already in place to rebuild core product categories to the event, add complementary categories for additional content, and diversify and increase the attendance.

Michele Biordi, Executive Director, Halloween Industry Association said that was a “great week” for its members. “We saw a good representation of international buyers on the show floor. We are looking forward to continuing to strengthen and grow international buyer representation, as one of our attendance focuses in 2016, offering members new opportunities for their business.”

The show will return to New Orleans 22-25 January, 2016.

Visit www.halloweenpartyexpo.com for more information.

Get connected Licensing Expo has announced the addition of the Digital Media Licensing Summit to the 2015 show in June.

The Summit, which takes place in conjunction with LIMA’s Licensing University, is a first-of-its-kind programme designed to connect licensees, retailers and manufacturers with the world’s most successful and popular digital media companies and stars.

The inaugural Summit features exhibitors from the digital content world, as well as a full day of programming on 8 June, which features a number of keynotes and panels focusing on new business opportunities focusing on young consumers’ media habits towards digital platforms and stars.

Jessica Blue, Vice President, Licensing Expo said: “Introducing the new digital exhibitors and attendees to Licensing Expo plays a key role in the future of the industry.

For 35 years our event has featured the who’s who of the $251 billion licensing marketplace and we are pleased to add a new digital aspect to an already strong show.”

Visit www.licensingexpo.com for more information and to register.

G N I W E S R I B A R E W A NE

HALLOWEEN INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (HIA) AND URBAN EXPOSITIONS PARTNER TO ACQUIRE THE HALLOWEEN & PARTY EXPO FROM H&P EXPO, LLC HIA and Urban Expositions will take over the management and production of the event following the 2015 show in New Orleans

SAVE-THE-DATES HA LLOW EEN & PA R T Y EX P O January 22-25, 2016 January 14-17, 2017

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center New Orleans, LA www.hiaonline.org www.urban-expo.com www.halloweenpartyexpo.com

Licensing News

Avengers lead 2015 charge Disney Consumer Products has revealed its 2015 licensing plans for Marvel, placing its key The Avengers and associated heroes, and Spider-Man franchises at the centre. DCP will roll out one of its biggest-yet licensing programmes around Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, expand in high potential categories, and launch new animated content and innovative marketing initiatives.

The culmination of Marvel’s blockbuster year will be an expanded, national, multi-platform celebration – ‘Marvel Super Hero Spectacular.’

“Marvel has become a super-brand in its own right thanks to its outstanding universe of aspirational, relatable characters,” said Josh Silverman, Executive Vice President, global licensing at DCP. “We’re excited to build on this huge momentum and the incredible buzz around the next Avengers movie.’

Both The Avengers and Spider-Man drove more than a billion dollars each at retail globally in 2014.

All set for proper sequel Disney has officially announced its plans to produce a proper sequel to Frozen. John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, revealed the news during Walt Disney Co’s annual shareholder meeting in San Francisco on 12 March.

Earlier in March, co-directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee had expressed reservations about a full-length sequel, and what a daunting a prospect it was to follow up the 2013 animated hit.

“It was really nice to do a short and just get back with these characters who we love without the pressure of having to do a huge sequel,” Chris told the Huffington Post in the run up to the release of the short Frozen Fever’s release, adding he and Jennifer were considering “a little break from the Frozen stuff”.

But John confirmed the pair would return to develop the movie alongside producer Peter Del Vecho.

“We enjoyed making Frozen Fever so much and being back in that world with those characters,” John said. “Jennifer and Chris have come up with a great idea for a sequel and you’ll be hearing a lot more about it and we’re taking you back to Arendelle. We’re so excited about that.”

At the meeting Disney also shared its vision for the future of its Star Wars movies. With Star Wars: The Force Awakens to be released later this year, the sequel Star Wars: Episode 8, is slated for release on May 26, 2017, release.

The first concrete details for the first standalone movie, called Rogue One and separate from the core Episodes, were also announced. These movies slot into the calendar between bi-annual core releases. It will be directed by Gareth Edwards and Felicity Jones is the first actress cast.

LIMA commissions global survey LIMA, has commissioned its first Annual Global Licensing Survey, designed to calculate the size of the trademark licensing business globally and within a wide range of key countries and regions, expanding its emphasis far beyond the US and Canada.

The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association asked companies and professionals to fill out a brief survey about their licensing activities, including changes and developments in revenue across different regions.

The aim is to clearly present the data to identify growth and development opportunities to everyone that works with licences.

LIMA President Charles Riotto said: “We are committed to providing the most current information licensing professionals need to make informed decisions for long-term growth. Our new Global Licensing Survey will provide the type of data that is essential for helping to evaluate opportunities and develop strategic business plans, whether conducted globally, in specific international territories, or closer to home.”

The initial results of this report will be presented in June at Licensing Expo 2015 in Las Vegas, and will represent LIMA’s most comprehensive annual survey yet.

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Regular New products

Party Party focuses on some of the hottest introductions to the market

Hot property

Dress Up America

0203 667 2721 www.dressupamerica.co.uk Dress Up America’s roleplay selection, which comes complete with toys and accessories, has become a hot seller. The company has expanded the range this year to include an astronaut, pilot, engineer and much more.

These new additions join existing favourites, including police, fire, army, chef, doctor and construction worker.

With low price points, eyecatching packaging and easy-todress costumes, these products are a perfect way for kids to step into their imaginations for hours on end.

Suited and booted OppoSuits

01592 657 120 tradesales@opposuits.com www.OppoSuits.com OppoSuits will shortly be launching three new styles – Cannaboss, Badaboom and Braveheart.

The new styles have been received incredibly well at this year’s trade shows and bring a unique look to the company’s range. Badaboom brings explosive comicinspired fun, Cannaboss is a smoking hot new style, and the Scottish tartan of Braveheart is not for the faint hearted.

While all styles are aimed to sell yearround and are not specifically targeted at certain events, the OppoSuits team expects to see plenty of Braveheart suits around during the Scotland games at this year’s Rugby World Cup!

Turtle-y awesome Tobar

Fright night Fun Shack

0113 2001050 www.fun-shack.com Fun Shack’s spooktacular Halloween range is available to pre order now. From deadly brides and scary dolls to traditional skeletons, zombies and vampires there’s something for everyone. Fun Shack has also introduced a small range of children’s costumes to its Halloween 2015 range including Scary Gingerbread Man and Living Dead Ballerina.

Orders should be placed as soon as possible to secure product for Halloween 2015.

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0844 573 4299 sales@tobar.co.uk www.tobar.co.uk Tobar has introduced a new collection of bright, bold, affordable lines which are perfect for party bags.

The Tobar Party Fun Filler range comes in attractive packaging with transparent pouches to enable customers to see the gift straightaway.

Suitable for little ones aged 5+, the new lines include: Turtle Erasers (4 pack), Laser Spin Tops (6 pack), Glitter Flip Over Tops (6 pack), Pre-historic dinosaurs and beasts (6 pack), Glitter Heart Bracelets (12 pack), Neon Rings (12 pack), Neon Mini Combs (12 pack), Jumping Frogs (12 pack), Mini Prism Scopes (6 pack), Mini Yo Yos (6 pack).

The complete range of Tobar party gifts and lines are available now.

Quick Fire

Round

Quick Fire Round with…

James Purcell, Sales Manager, Star Cutouts What Star Cutouts product is no party complete without?

Our Stand-Ins. In the age of social media, where everyone has a camera phone, what could be better than a picture of your party guests as the classic Seaside couple, Hollywood couple, or any of our Adult or Child Stand-Ins? Who are your three dream party guests from any time in history?

I would love to party with Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, but not at my house, at his! I would also invite Keith Moon - I think that Iron Man might have a chance of keeping him under control - and Audrey Hepburn to add some class.

Which products are you most excited about this year?

Marvel Avengers: The Age of Ultron is now set to launch and take the party and character market by storm.

The artwork is exceptional. I can’t wait for our customers to see the standees and masks in the flesh – well in the cardboard.

What was the firstever Star Cutouts product?

A Cyberman from Doctor Who and then David Tennant as The Doctor himself.

Sum Star Cutouts up in a sentence.

A new wacky adventure every James Purcell week!

And what trio of Star Cutouts products best illustrates this?

Jake, the shapeshifting dog from Adventure Time; C3PO, from Star Wars; and Spiderman 2015 will be a success for Star Cutouts if…

We listen to our customers’ feedback, and continue to expand the range with new licenses and products.

What did you dress up as at the last fancy dress party you visited?

I dressed up as Superman, and my partner as Wonder Woman. However, it turned out not to be a fancy dress party, a la Bridget Jones. Thanks - great joke guys!

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Retail McPeakes

Belfast Starting life as a wallpaper shop in the 1930s, McPeakes has seen its fair share of changes. Now, under the guidance of third-generation family owners Daniella and Sean, the store is a goto destination for Belfast party goers, including actor Martin Sheen!

Hi Daniella and Sean. McPeakes has quite a heritage. When did it first open its doors and how has it changed over the years?

Daniella: My grandfather opened McPeakes in 1939, originally as a wallpaper and paint shop, and to this day we still sell these products. But over the years we have expanded on the range of goods that we sell. My parents took over the shop in the early 80s and introduced flowers to the business, and I served my apprenticeship as a florist and received my City and Guilds qualification.

As the years went by I was given more managerial control over the business by my father, and I noticed that customers were always asking if we had any balloons or cards for various occasions to accompany their flower arrangements. I thought it best to give the customers what they wanted and that’s how McPeakes Party Shop was born.

Sean: When Daniella and I took over the shop in 2004, beginning the third generation to work in the family business, it had already expanded so much that I was unsure if there would be room for more changes. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Since we took over the business, we have not only broadened

Fancy that! McPeakes has had its fair share of celebrity customers, including actors Martin Sheen and Tom Berenger

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our party shop but introduced a new addition in the form of fancy dress, which has thrived since its opening in 2008.

Fancy dress and partyware are relatively new additions to McPeakes then. How has that developed over the years?

D: Foil balloons were our entry level into the industry, and we quickly realised the potential of the party market. We hit the ground running to offer our customers anything from a simple set of three balloons to bespoke corporate displays, catering for any occasion. We felt that there was

an opening in the market for a wider range of novelty costumes, so our further development of the party shop was our move into fancy dress, S: Luckily enough for us, we had one of Europe’s main fancy dress wholesalers on our doorstep in the form of Palmers Agencies. With their help and advice we were able to introduce a high quality range of costumes and accessories. The fancy dress side of the business has gone from strength to strength, not just at Halloween but throughout the year, with people hosting more fancy dress parties each year and schools introducing dress up events such as World Book Day. How much of McPeakes’ overall offering is now partyware then?

S: I’d say the shop is equally split 50/50 between our original core business and partyware. At the minute partyware is achieving a good percentage of the sales as it is still a young industry, and we hope to keep adding to our product range in order to provide a wider variety of choice to our customers.

McPeakes tagline is ‘The name you’ve trusted for over 70 years’. What does being a ‘trusted’ retailer mean to you and how do you foster this relationship?

D: Due to the business now being in the third generation of my family, it is very important to both Sean and myself to ensure we continue my grandfather’s and father’s legacy by providing an impeccable customer

service with high quality products. McPeakes has been a well-known business for 75 years and it is important to us that our costumers trust our merchandise and expertise in the market.

Is this relationship with the consumer what sets you apart from the competition?

S: Yes, I feel that our trustworthy and reliable relationship with our customers is what give us an edge and a places us ahead of our competitors. We are charged with the responsibility of organising and setting many special events for our customers, such as birthday and christening parties, as well as the most important event in many people’s lives - their wedding. We therefore have to ensure that we are the constant professionals.

Fancy that! McPeakes biggest claim to fame was when President Clinton got his photo taken outside the shop in 1995.

So how has business been in the first few months of 2015? Are sales up?

D: January is always a quiet month but it give us time to do some housekeeping on the shop floor and behind the scenes.

Business always picks up again in February with one of our busiest days of the year being Valentine’s Day, and we also have Mother’s Day, Easter and, of course St Patrick’s Day at this time of year. It’s a busy period, but we are not complaining and are geared up and ready for, hopefully, another successful spring.

What is your average Belfast party-goer looking for?

D: Fancy dress is one of our best selling products, partly due to us being one of the biggest retailers of novelty costumes in Northern Ireland. Our customers know when they come to us they will have a huge amount of choice and have the opportunity to not only see the costumes but also try them on, which, surprisingly, not many other fancy dress stores offer.

What have been your top three best-selling products/ranges?

S: Our licensed products are very popular.

We ensure we offer our customer an excellence choice of licensed products such as Marvel, Disney characters and pop icons.

“

Our comedy range also sells very well for hen and stag parties.

D: Personalised banners and balloons have also been very popular since we introduced them. Our customers want something unique and trending at their parties. We can add photos to any of our balloons and banners, which always impress party guests, sometimes to the embarrassment of the recipient especially at ‘big’ birthdays!

Foil balloons were our entry level into the industry, and we quickly realised the potential of the party market

”

Let’s talk licensing. Do you find offering your customers a good variety of licensed product is important?

D: Licensed fancy dress products are always in our top-10 sellers. We ensure that we are aware of any new films or TV shows that have been recently released or are coming out so we can provide our customers with the most current selection.

What events and themes do you focus on at this time of year?

S: We focus mostly on Mother’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and Easter. We provide a wide variety of products to cater for each of these events, such as flowers, St Patrick’s Day themed costumes and readymade Easter baskets as well as all the accessories customers need to create their own. World Book Day has also just been, and it was a huge success, with many schools in the area having fancy dress days for the occasion.

What licenses are currently the most sought after? What’s making the tills ring?

S: Frozen was a big seller and, surprisingly, over a year after its release we are still being asked for the costumes for both adults and children. Super heroes, for both male and females, have also always been very popular with our party-goers.

D: And on the horror side of the spectrum, Chucky, Freddy Krueger and Beetlejuice are all costumes that we ensure we have plenty of.

What party theme are you putting your weight behind this year?

D: Halloween still takes the title for this one. It has always been our mainstay and a consistent event to ensure the tills are ringing.

What in your opinion is the one thing you must get right to stay relevant and competitive today’s market?

S: Sourcing high quality products at affordable prices. It allows us to give our customers a sense of value.

You mentioned your bespoke balloon decoration service earlier. Have you found this helps promote your party offering as a whole?

S: Definitely. It has enhanced our reputation with our corporate customers, providing stunning displays for special promotions.

And finally, you sell plenty of them, but what costume did you wear to your last fancy dress party?

D: Sean and I recently hosted a fancy dress party and we dressed up as the Mario Bros, Mario and Luigi, resulting in a few laughs and a great night had by all!

www.partypartymag.co.uk

17

Feature Hen & Stag

Night to remember Party Party takes a look at the market for hen and stag dos, a burgeoning market that offers unlimited opportunity for savvy retailers

The stag says…

Bristol-based marketing executive Jonny Savill’s stag do is on the horizon. Party Party caught up with him to see what would make his night complete.

“I’m not one that needs an excuse to dress up, so we will definitely be wearing something silly for my stag do.

We haven’t chosen a theme yet, but I’m going all out. My twin brother can be a stick in the mud sometimes, but I think that’s what makes these parties different.

“Everyone gets involved an as far as I’m concerned, if you haven’t got some kind of costume, you can’t come!

Ideally I’d like to get some costumes that all match each other and make us stand out.

“There are some hilarious things at our local party shop Flingers, on Gloucester Road, which I’ve been to a few times before. I think I’ll head down there when the time comes to see what they have, and find out what kind of things other people planning stag dos opt for.”

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O

rganising a send-off party worthy of the most indulgent and happiest day of many people’s lives is a tall order – but somebody

only by the imagination. From a boozy stumble round the local watering holes, to a spa day, trip to a major city or fullblown weekend abroad, the ways to make the day special with a theme, costumes has to do it. and more are endless.

Each year, thousands of best men and What they all have at their core though maids of honour throw themselves into is the chance for people to let their hair the challenge with gusto, all with the down, embrace their chosen theme, dress same result in mind – one last hurrah up and have some good old-fashioned before their friends walk down the aisle. fun.

The stag do and hen night have always For the bride-to-be’s party, accessories been an essential part of wedding and novelties remain in high demand. celebrations, and nothing has changed in From the classic sashes and veils, to that respect. themed balloons and risqué novelties, What has changed, consumers are mixing and however, is the amount matching accessories to of money spent on the create their own unique event; even a modest look. wedding will set you Sergio Battaner from back a fair amount, and Palmer Agencies says the prerequisite final that this is where the blow-out has to live up independent party to that. retailer can really profit.

Despite penny pinching – Jelle van der Zwet “Accessories like willy and tightened belts, the OppoSuits wands and tiaras are very wedding industry has popular for hen parties. It continued to grow at a is true you can pick these steady pace, exploding in up from value stores on the last few years to be worth £10 billion the high street, but the choice is limited annually, according to a 2014 survey by and the quality is often poor. www.hitched-wife.co.uk “Specialist party retailers that carry a And, with hen and stag nights as large range these products can gain sales integral to the wedding experience as by offering superior choice, quality of something old, new, borrowed and blue, a product and using their experience and good chunk of the average £36,127 spent knowledge to help party organisers tailor on each special day is set aside for them. their purchase.

It’s not just the amount of money “Often the bride and groom will be people are prepared to spend on their dressed up in a costume to make them hen and stag parties that has grown stand out, and accessories give the either. The diversity has also broadened rest of the party a way to join in on the to include a variety of themes limited theme. But that doesn’t rule out everyone

“

All stag and hen dos are meant to be fun-filled nights or weekends away, so humour plays a key element

”

Hen & Stag Feature

“

Specialist party retailers that carry a large range of these products can gain sales by using their experience and knowledge to help party organisers tailor their purchase – Sergio Battaner Palmer Agencies

”

getting dressed up. Our gnome costumes work particularly well when everyone in the group wears one. They are proven sellers and lots of consumers will order one of each.”

Dressing as a group is a good way to get everyone involved and into the swing of things. Even those that wouldn’t always want to dress up like to get involved on a hen or stag do, and offering consumers a full package means a convenient solution for them and a strong sale gor retailers.

Jelle van der Zwet, Co Founder of OppoSuits agrees.

He says that customers frequently buy more than one of their funky suits at a time. “It’s obvious that wearing our suits as a group creates the biggest impact and we often see everyone wearing a different suit as our big range of styles makes this easy.”

Jelle also points to humour as a big draw: “I think all stag and hen dos are meant to be fun-filled nights or weekends away, so humour plays a key element. OppoSuits’ products reflects that humour, while also adding a touch of class and style.”

Humour is a key trend for the majority of products aimed at this market, and Mask-arade’s customisable masks play up to this with hilarious results.

“The look on the face of the hen or stag when they walk into the room and see everyone wearing their face is priceless,” says Maskarade Sales Director Chris O’Nyan. “They’re the ultimate ice-breaker.

You can guarantee that by the end of the evening they will

be on the bar staff, hung from walls and even on statues in the town square!”

Something for retailers to keep in mind is that many of these products work across a number of celebrations, and aren’t limited to hen and stag dos. Jelle says they’re an investment, marketable to consumers with a range of demands.

“The long-lasting quality and the good fit of OppoSuits are definitely among the USPs and what makes it such a good value at the affordable retail price point.

“People are therefore able to reuse the suit at other events.”

Lots of party products make the same crosscelebration leap.

The new Pink Champagne Bottle balloon from Qualatex, for example, works equally well for the girls on their hen night, the wedding itself, or any other occasion when the bubbly flows. And Fun Shack’s Hen Party Deck of Dares naughty card game also works whenever the girls get together for a night out.

So, as we head into the most popular wedding months, stags and hens will be gearing up for their final sendoff. Now is the perfect time for retailers to ensure they’re stocked and ready to meet demand.

The hen says…

Busy planning her August wedding, Mairead Wilmot told Party Party about her hen night expectations.

“I’ve organsied a few hen nights myself, but I have no idea what to expect for my own. I don’t wnat anything too crazy, but then it’s not exactly my choice!

“For me, it’s not about having a massively elaborate costume, although they can be fun if everyone gets dressed up in some kind of group theme.

“Accessories can be fun, and really no hen night is complete without them. A lot of accessories are quite risqué, but once you’ve had a few drinks and are in the swing of things they just make you have a laugh. They’re good ice breakers too, and gets everyone involved even if they wouldn’t usually.

www.partypartymag.co.uk

19 7

Feature Hen & Stag

It’s ladies’ night Alandra www.alandra.co.uk Alandra’s range of novelty products with a twist includes everything necesssary for a naughty hen night.

Alandra’s new Willy Veil consists of a long, soft and fluffy veil, sprinkled with pink and silver willies and L plates. The top of the veil houses a large, clear comb for a comfortable fit to last all night long.

For a bit of fun and games, the Hen Night ‘Willy Word’ Search Game tasks the ladies with finding all those naughty words for willies.

Perfect for the girls to have a laugh and play with on that wild night out.

And if the girls are having a drink on their big night, Alandra has just the thing. There are lots of plastic shot glasses on the market already, but the company has created a Hen Night Drinking Tube on a pink beaded necklace.

costumes Dress to impress Stand out Rasta Imposta InCharacter

0845 180 6545

0845 180 6545

distribution@angels.uk.com

distribution@angels.uk.com www.angelsdistribution.co.uk For themed nights fit for an exotic party destination, hens and stags can choose InCharacter costumes. Themes include the Fetching Fraulein and Bavarian Guy – perfect attire for a bustling beer hall!

www.angelsdistribution.co.uk Every self-respecting hen and stag knows that an eye-catching outfit is a must on their last night of freedom, and Rasta Imposta’s tongue-in-cheek novelty costumes are guaranteed to turn heads!

Men can choose from Get Real Loaded Hot Dog or Cheeseburger, The Big Pink, and Anita Waxin’ to name but a few. Ladies have some great options too, from the incredibly popular Lightweight Peacock to Mail Order Bride. The lucky bride-to-be can even star on the cover of her very own Penthouse Wedding Issue (on sale now), or dress as her favourite alcoholic beverage with the Wine Bottle Dress!

Or hen and stags can both choose to all dress up and go as a group in their favourite Crayola Crayon Tank Dress or Tunic.

Family time Creative Party 01202 590222 www.creativepartyltd.com It is increasingly common for brides to have a family-friendly party, as well as a hen do with the girls. The family friendly parties are replicating the bridal shower trend in the US, with more of a sophisticated feel, such as an afternoon tea or garden party. Creative’s rustic wedding ensemble is perfect for an afternoon hen tea party, and the new centrepiece sticks are particularly pretty when worked into floral centrepiece display.

For a classic hen party design, the hen night range includes banners, sashes, balloons. New for this year is paper bunting, a cookie cutter set and sugar craft toppers which are idea for creating easy themed cupcakes for ‘Team Bride’.

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WIDMANN S.r.l.

W

M I LANO

Party Fashion

Vi dell’Industria, 3/C Viale 20020 Busto Garolfo (Milano) - Italy 20 Tel. (+39) 0331 560001 - Fax (+39) 0331 537565 Te E-mail: info@widmannsrl.com E-

www.widmannsrl.com w

National UK Wholesaler/Distributor National UK Wholesaler/Distributor Tel. 01702 447676 - Fax447677 01702 447677 Tel. 01702 447676 - Fax 01702 sales@sanctointernational.co.uk @sanctointernational.co.uk E-mail: salesE-mail: www.sanctointernational.co.uk

www.sanctointernational.co.uk

Feature Hen & Stag

Let your hair down Fun Shack 0113 2001050 www.fun-shack.com Hen and stag parties are a major feature in the party calendar and a key part of the Fun Shack range, with its traditional hen party accessories - such as sashes, head boppers and willy wands, to name just a few – proving extremely popular.

Costumes are also big sellers, and the more outrageous an outfit for the bride-tobe and stag, the better - especially where stags are concerned.

The Gypsy Bride and Bridesmaids costumes are very popular for both hen and stag parties, and the Pink Mankini is always a hit with the guys.

Face the music Mask-arade 01926 814292 www.mask-arade.com No self-respecting stag or hen party should be without Mask-arade’s world famous personalised and celebrity face masks. After nearly seven years in business, sales of personalised products from Mask-arade remain consistently high. Funnier than a t-shirt, the personalised masks are sure to put a smile on everyone’s face.

The Midlands-based mask makers can also help with themed hen and stag weekends through its licensed designs. Hens and stags can choose to go as Breaking Bad characters, Where’s Wally?, WWE Superstars, Mrs Brown’s Boys or one of the top Premier League football teams.

Another good source of amusement is a life-sized Standee of the hen/stag. Consumers can find a good quality, full-body image, tell Mask-arade the rough height and, just like, that they have another companion to take to the party.

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Feature Hen & Stag

Heigh-Ho Palmer Agencies 028 9064 7119 www.palmeragencies.com The Gnomes collection of costumes from Palmer Agencies is a great way to get everyone dressed up and involved in the fun.

Not only do a stag and his pals look hilarious all dressed up the same, it’s also easy and convenient for consumers to buy the whole collection in one go.

The costumes include various colourful tops with attached contrasting waistcoats, trousers, a rope belt, and a cone hat to complete the look.

For those looking for something gross, unique and stand-out, Palmer has introduced the Poopie Jammies costume. The costume comes complete with baby blue jammies that have a back flap to attach the poopie butt. Carefullyconcealed tubing and a poop-shaped pump brings the accident to life, pumping the included 2 fl oz of brown theatrical liquid around the costume. A bib and baby bonnet completes the look.

Suited and booted

What a corker!

OppoSuits

Qualatex

01592 657120 www.opposuits.com With more and more styles available in the OppoSuits Collection, the stag and his pals can really be noticed. And now, the ladies are getting in on the act as well, wearing smaller sizes and rolling up the sleeves.

OppoSuits’s collection is more about friendship than risquéthemed parties, but certainly do come into the comedy and edgy bracket. Many stag groups decide to dress up the stag as Mr Lover Lover (pictured) for a great result that works especially well when the whole group gets in on the fun by wearing other suits from the OppoSuits range.

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01279 501090/0800 281215 www.thequalatexevent.com Whether it’s a hen night or a whole weekend, Qualatex balloons are sure to liven up the party. New for 2015 is the 18” Hen Night Pink Microfoil, with coordinating 11” Hen Night Bubbly latex balloons. The latex balloons come in a 25ct bag as an assortment of Wild Berry and Rose or a 6ct retail bag in Wild Berry.

Also new to 2015 is the Pink Champagne Bottle with popular zebra print. It can be personalised with any message, making it a great addition to a hen night or any girl’s party.

CARNIVAL, PARTY & HALLOWEEN New Catalogue Out Now

+44 28 9064 7119

+44 28 9064 5655 @palmeragencies

sales@palmeragencies.com palmeragencies.com

Feature Hen & Stag

Red faced Widmann srl / Sancto International 01702 447676 www.sanctointernational.co.uk From the silly and embarrassing to the unashamedly naughty, Widmanns’ range of hen night accessories is a great way to make ladies’ and gents’ last night of freedom one to remember!

Whatever they may have planned, whether it’s an evening out or an action-packed weekend away, these accessories distributed by Sancto are crucial for any hen night or stag do.

Make sure the bride or groom-to-be are made as prominent as possible by donning her with a novelty veil or him with an inflatable willy costume. The perfect costume really does set the tone for all the forthcoming fun.

If it is inspiration they are seeking, Widmann has plenty of fun ideas, ranging from sashes, badges and costumes, to a great range of head attire for a group of hens or stags. There is also a range of naughty novelty items that are great to add a mischievous twist and make fun souvenirs after the event.

Now there’s a novelty

Style and comfort

Smiffys

+353 1 254 8373

www.smiffys.com

Stag and hen parties seem everywhere these days. The tourist spots of Dublin on a Saturday night are packed with herds of excited, loud and friendly groups of lads and ladies from every corner of Ireland and the British Isles.

They’ve arrived with a mission: to give the stag or hen a final night to remember before they embark on a voyage to the unknown world of married life. And what better way to go out in style than to dress up in a Traxedo?

It’s best described as a cross between a Tuxedo and a Tracksuit, hence the company’s slogan ‘When smart meets casual’.

Starting out as a single black style to replicate the classic tuxedo look, the range has evolved into six styles and counting. These include Green, know as the Irish; Orange and Light Blue, replicating the ‘Dumb and Dumber’ look; and the Flamingo, popular with the posh stag parties!

Although it wasn’t something the Traxedo team much considered before the launched three years ago, the stag and hen market is now a vital part of its strategy moving forward.

0800 590599 Hen and stag season is one of the most exciting consumer events in the calendar, and Smiffys has everything retailers need to ensure their promotional opportunity gets off to a great start.

For hen parties, novelty accessories remain in high demand and now is a great time to ensure you’re stocked up with items from the Smiffys Miss Chief range.

There is also a huge selection of fun and flirty costumes, including wigs and accessories, that are perfect for the hen party’s chosen theme - from fairy-tale to uniforms, burlesque to 80s.

Historically, stag parties typically involve dressing the groom up for maximum embarrassment, so ensure you have all bases covered on their last night of freedom by topping up your comedy collection.

Smiffy’s predicts the hilarious Well Hung Highlander costume will be a big hit with the boys!

With recent trends towards a more sophisticated night out, the hugely popular range of Stand Out Suits will ensure stags can keep their dignity intact.

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Traxedo tradesales@traxedo.com

Naughty but nice Amscan www.amscan.co.uk 01908 288500 Whether it’s a night on the town, a day out, or a cheeky party, Amscan have a great selection of naughty but nice accessories, games, balloons and wearables for the bride and her hens.

New for 2015 are the girl’s night out shot glasses, hen party badge sets and Big L plate confetti, plus the Bride To Be dress up set including sash, wand, necklace and fascinator.

Amscan also have a selection of stag night accessories and fun ideas for fancy dress wearables and costumes, including a new Gorilla outfit.

Regular Talking with an Angel

It’s a tall order

You’ve been to Spring Fair, seen all the new products, imagined them looking new and shiny on your shelves, and all that’s left is the simple job of filling out order forms. But as Emma Angel points out this month, the devil is in the details.

Have you missed something obvious?

O

nce the bright lights of Spring Fair have faded, it can be easy to forget exactly what was going through your head as you zipped in and out of meetings and took in the huge selection of products on offer.

That’s why it’s so important to tie up any loose ends as soon as possible and confirm exactly what it is you want.

Your first job is to follow up with suppliers to get any information that you requested, and confirm any deals you made at the show.

Ask to be sent samples to confirm your selection is appropriate, and make sure you also have information from suppliers who weren’t at the show – you need to be certain you have a complete picture of what’s on offer.

Spring Fair is a great place to see what’s available, but it isn’t the be all and end all - request catalogues from everyone so you don’t miss out.

Once you have all the information you need, take a step back and get an overview of your order – this will be your stock for the year.

Make sure that you have a good range of products and that

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Emma Angel is Director of Angels, the world’s largest and longest-established costume house. Emma has over 20 years of experience in fancy dress and Angels has two stores, a fancy dress website – www.fancydress.com - and is the UK distributor of Rasta Imposta, InCharacter and Tinsley Transfers. Emma is the sixth generation of the family to work for the Oscarwinning company and is the first female member to take on a directorial role at Angels.

but useless - these products should be you haven’t ordered too many of one turning into revenue for your business, thing but forgotten another. It’s easy not gathering dust at the back of a shelf. to accidently over-order when two It seems like a simple thing to suppliers have equally great versions complete an order but, just like a of one costume. teenager handing in an exam, don’t For this reason, double-check you forget to check it line by line to ensure aren’t buying what is essentially there are no mistakes the same product from Double check before it gets sent. different places, and Errors are ensure you have your you aren’t buying incredibly easy numbers right. essentially the to make and not It’s worth considering same product so easy to fix, so popular themes and from different prevent problems upcoming film places before they can releases to ensure even think about you have enough happening! products to last you That being said, it’s important not through those periods where to delay too long in placing your demand might be particularly order after Spring Fair - the earlier high. the products are ordered, the higher Remember up on the priority list you will be so to check out submit everything as soon as possible. kids’ films Theoretically, this means you will be and books selling the products sooner and so can that are set to be also reorder sooner if successful. popular too.

Finally, don’t forget to let customers Similarly, it’s important know about your amazing new to be 100% clear on when products. delivery dates for products Using social media is an easy way actually are. You don’t want to promote new products when they to miss out on key events arrive - most suppliers will be happy and sales periods, or over to provide you with images. order products that won’t New lines should be front and centre even come in time to cover and on display in-store too or, if you the rush. are an online only company, then An Easter bunny outfit ensure you are pushing new products that arrives in May is all on your home page.

Little devil - keep an eye Let your customers see what you on the details to ensure have on offer and the rest will take you get the most from a trade show care of itself.

“

”

Licensing Report Feature

All dressed up with nowhere to go Characters, copyright and the new parody law Licensed product and costumes inspired by the biggest names in pop culture are big business in the party industry. But how does Jeremy Morton, Partner, Harbottle & Lewis LLP view the phenomenon?

D

id Christmas 2014 mark the start of a new and unfamiliar party season, in which competitors can now copy designs as long as they qualify as parodies?

Readers with an eye to legal matters may have noticed that copyright law changed last October meaning the UK now permits use of copyright material without permission, for the purpose of “caricature, parody or pastiche”. So what does this mean, and should the industry be concerned?

Infringements of intellectual property rights, otherwise known as knock-offs, can take a number of forms. Smiffy’s, for example, have publicised several cases where competitors have agreed to cease selling costumes that allegedly reproduced Smiffy’s original designs.

That kind of issue isn’t likely to change with the introduction of the parody exception, not least because costume designs would mainly be protected by design rights, which are different from copyright.

The parody exception only applies to copyright infringement. But what if a costume supplier sells items based on a cartoon character without a licence? Can they claim that it’s a parody?

The new UK legislation doesn’t define parody, but there has been some case law at the wider European level which has thrown some helpful light. In particular, the European Court of Justice has said that a parody must evoke an existing copyright work, while being noticeably different from it, and must express humour or mockery.

So, let’s imagine a costume or party novelty based on Bart Simpson (pictured), or a character from the animation Frozen, but with extra, humorous elements or adaptations.

Zombie Bart or Elsa, for example. Would that now be legitimate parody, or is it copyright infringement?

The answer is far from clear, because a parody only benefits from the exception if its use of the copyright work is “fair dealing”. Again, fair dealing isn’t defined.

But if you copy more than is necessary for the purposes of parody, and encroach on the right holder’s economic interests by competing with them, it is unlikely to be fair dealing.

Hang on, I hear you say, wasn’t there that case about Star Wars Stormtrooper helmets a while ago? Lucasfilm were unable to enforce UK copyright against a producer of unauthorised replica helmets, and that was before any consideration of parody defences. But that was different.

In the UK, designs for 3-D products are only protected by artistic copyright if they are sculptures, and the court didn’t think that a Stormtrooper helmet was a sculpture. But there is copyright protection if our would-be parodist is reproducing a 2D cartoon, whether in 2D or 3D. OK, so we may see parodies of cartoon characters testing out this new law. What can legitimate licensees and rights holders do about it?

One strategy is to focus on protecting trademarks.

There might be a parody exception for copyright, but there’s none for trademarks - although this might be introduced under proposed EU changes. It’s important to register trademarks, though.

While there is protection for unregistered trademarks against “passing-off”, this has

only limited application in the field of character merchandising. The reason is that customers often don’t care or know whether a product is officially licensed or not, so the necessary misrepresentation and damage for a passing-off claim may be absent.

How about real-world characters, living or dead, who find themselves the subject of humorous party novelties?

For example, masks of politicians or celebrities, or those karaoke favourites, Elvis wigs?

Our parody exception is not engaged, because there is no copyright in a person’s image. And, as with character merchandising, it is difficult to show that the public would be materially confused, unless there is an implication of celebrity endorsement.

The pop star Rihanna won a rare High Court victory recently against Top Shop in her complaints about a t-shirt depicting her image. But the public associates Rihanna with the business of fashion, and she had a history of endorsement with Top Shop. Usually, these cases will not give rise to infringement of legal rights.

So, the law is complicated, and the limits of the new parody exception still need to be tested.

Of course, I’m hoping for a Zombie Bart Simpson or Elsa dispute. If only for the entertainment value!

Jeremy Morton is a solicitor who advises in the specialist area of intellectual property law, which includes copyright, brands and patents. www.harbottle.com/jeremymorton

www.partypartymag.co.uk

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Feature Spring Fair

The party’s just begun

i

Northstar Balloons

Nevit

Amscan

Spring Fair kicked off another year of business with visitors and exhibitors convening in Birmingham to see and showcase the hot new products for 2015. Party Party was on the show floor to soak-up the positive energy and find out how the show had been for all involved

T

he business done during Spring Fair is central to a huge amount of the UK’s retail industries – none more so than the party industry. Spring Fair is an annual fixture that brings the best product and brightest people from every link in the supply chain together under one roof, and its importance cannot be understated.

For small-scale independents, where frequent visits to showrooms and time away from the shop isn’t always viable, the chance to catch many of the leading domestic and over-seas suppliers under one roof is an unmissable opportunity.

On the other side of the coin, party product suppliers, manufacturers and distributors count on the influx of retailers, buyers and decision makers to make the biggest splash possible with their new launches.

If there is new product to be seen, chances are you’ll find it a Spring Fair. If there’s a key new member of a supplier’s

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“

team, chances are you’ll meet them at Spring Fair. If there’s new trends to be found and merchandising insight to be gleaned, chances are you’ll encounter them first at Spring Fair.

When a show is as central as Spring Fair is to the party industry, it can set the tone for the year ahead. So, never ones to be wrongfooted at the first turn, the party industry was out in force to ensure that this year’s show was a success.

For licensed mask specialists Maskarade, it couldn’t have gone much better.

“There was a sense of fresh interest in our products and we were busy on the stand throughout the show,” said Joe Alsop, Design Manager, who believed this year’s fair was a busy and bustling event.

“As a result we wrote a lot more

business at the show. We also regained a glut of old customers who had come back to Mask-arade because of our consistent quality of product, service and supply.”

Over on the Angels stand, it was a similar story, with a strong turnout from retailers and buyers all enthusiastic about the supplier’s fresh product.

“We had a great and very busy time at Spring Fair this year, with Angels showcasing Rasta Imposta, Tinsley Transfers and InCharacter Costumes. It was enormous fun (albeit exhausting!) and 2015 looks set to be an exciting year,” said Director, Emma Angel.

“We placed a lot more orders at the show than normal – it was an incredibly productive event.”

And there was similar good news on the Fun Shack stand. Marketing Manager

Spring Fair

was exceptionally good for us this year - Michelle Comerford, Pioneer Europe Ltd

”

Spring Fair Feature

Qualatex

Party Stage

“

We have come away with much to allow us to surpass last year - Chris Smalley, Amscan

Kerrie Stapyton told Party Party: “As always it was a pleasure to meet with both existing and new customers. Our new range of both every day and Halloween products was received with positive feedback from customers as was the feedback regarding the exciting plans Fun Shack has for 2015 and beyond.

“It is always nice to hear such positive feedback as at least we know we are doing things right. We managed to speak to a great number of new customers who were impressed with the quality and price of our costume range and we look forward to working with them in 2015 and beyond.”

For Qualatex, a company that always impresses with its balloon displays, frequent balloon and merchandising tutorials, and of course, exciting new product to give retailers’ balloon offerings a lift, it was good business as usual.

“Spring Fair was exceptionally good for us this year,” Michelle Comerford, Head of Sales and Marketing at Pioneer Europe Ltd told Party Party. “The 2015 Qualatex Everyday Catalogue is 40 pages bigger and all the new products have received great feedback from our customers. It was nice to catch up with old friends and see how their business is doing, as well as meet new customers and help them start in the balloon business.”

Visitors to the Qualatex stand were suitably impressed with both the company’s stand and its latest creative balloon offerings. Sonya Kelly, co-owner of Irish retailer Partyworld said the stand looked beautiful. “It was vibrant,

colourful, fresh and created a lot of ideas to work with in our own business,” she added.

“The SpongeBob display was a great idea for children’s parties, and the Pink Champagne Bottle balloon is a perfect product to add to the hen section or just a girls’ night out or party.

I think it will be a great success.”

Speaking to Helen ‘Rixy’ Rix of Party Superstores, who was bouncing from stand to stand, exhibitors had more than met retailers’ needs. “It’s been great so far and I’ve seen loads of stuff,” she said. “I don’t know if I could pinpoint a certain product that I’ve seen that stands out, but there is a lot of stuff here that refreshes proven ideas and lines. Couple that with brand new product and some of the new character licences and there’s been a lot to see this year.”

No annual show stands on its own though, and it will always be compared with years past. The strength of any good trade event is its ability to develop and deliver better results year-on-year, and for Chris Smalley, Amscan’s Business Unit Director, Spring Fair 2015 hit all the right notes.

“Spring Fair evolves every year for Amscan. We put great effort into designing a stand that reflects and shows both our new and current ranges at their best. Customer feedback was great, new ranges were particularly well received and we were very busy, so yes an overall success,” he explained.

“2014 was also deemed successful, however we like to grow, and we have come away with much to allow us to surpass last year. Our new dress up

”

ranges attracted a huge amount of interest. If we couple this with licensed tableware and balloons, and Halloween, we had a number of distinct highlights!”

Everyone involved at the show shared this positive energy, and Neviti’s Cathy Locke was particularly pleased to have met with a lot of new faces, including some from outside the UK. “This is always one of our favourite shows and it’s great to see the attendance of more international visitors,” she said. “There was a real buzz at this year’s Spring Fair and it seemed to be busier that ever with the chance to meet a lot of new faces in the party industry.

“We were delighted to be launching 6 new ranges at this year’s show with a mix of designs for birthdays, baby showers, seasonal and wedding celebrations all of which received positive feedback from our customers. Our show highlight has to be the launch of our two new licensed ranges Guess How Much I Love You and Dennis The Menace & Gnasher. Both collections received great feedback from our customers and we even had a visit from Dennis himself.”

So what next? As Amscan’s Chris Smalley says, “attending the show is a snapshot in time, the hard work really starts straight after when we begin the follow up.”

With the trade’s biggest event behind us, it’s time to look to the year ahead.

Now comes the tricky task of locking in orders and stocking up for the coming celebrations. Party Party columnist and Angels Director, Emma Angels, gives her top tips for that process on page 28, which is definitely worth a read.

And don’t forget to mark your diary with next year’s dates, Spring Fair returns on 7-11 February, 2016.

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Feature Achievements

Celebrate good times Major celebrations and achievements are a cornerstone of the party industry. Party Party explores the products that should be a staple of every party retailer’s offering

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e are all in the celebration business, providing balloons, decorations, novelties, costumes, and everything else that gives a special day that extra-special touch. Major celebrations and achievements like milestone birthdays, anniversaries, and, increasingly, baby showers make up the core of these, and there will always be a consumer looking for party goods tailored to these occasions.

The challenge for any party retailer, however, is balancing their product offering to meet all requests, and capitalise on the celebrations and achievements that matter most to people. Anna Bubnova, Marketing Communications Manager at Pioneer Europe says the number of these core celebrations is ever-growing.

“New baby, weddings and wedding anniversaries are popular occasions for balloon decor, and we are noticing a growing demand for baby showers, hen

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nights and graduations,” she says.

Balloons are a staple in this sector, and Anna says these celebrations form the foundation of Pioneer’s business. “The colour, excitement and magic of Qualatex balloons has celebrated birthdays, launched marriages, announced births, in fact celebrations are at the very heart of what we do,” she explains.

“There is something magical about balloons. The delight balloons gave us when we were young remains with us as adults. This is why balloons make the perfect tool to turn any celebration into a memorable event and Providing consumers achievement celebrations with a full, tailored are the big drivers for package like this is a Qualatex balloon sales.” great way to pick up a Balloons are symbolic significant sale. shorthand for a party “Generic party ranges Anna Bubnova, and complement the are certainly a popular Pioneer Europe other decorations, choice, but when it comes tableware and novelties to special milestone that complete a party’s birthdays or special look. Importantly, none of these products occasions like baby showers, customers directly compete with each other, are looking for specific items to celebrate working in tandem to fulfil different these occasions,” Cathy adds. needs and desires. Neviti’s latest ranges Anna says that Qualatex has balloons bring all these components together with messages for almost any occasion or into complete collections, each tied theme, but flexibility is key. together with a unifying print or design.

“If you are looking for a generic Consumers can pick up a wide variety of product that would fit absolutely products to suit their scale or needs. any occasion, Deco Bubble Balloons Neviti’s Creative Manager Cathy Locke are exclusive to Qualatex and are a explains: “For younger children the Guess popular generic product as they can be How Much I Love You range is perfect, customised for any occasion simply by with beautiful illustrations from the adding a latex balloon inside with any children’s book classic. The collection message,” she adds. offers a wide selection of tableware and So how can retailers maximise the decorations perfect for decorating a party presence of these products in-store? room and fun scratch and match game Cathy says that the simple solution is cards are an imaginative addition.” the most effective. “All of our products Other ranges from Neviti include Little in each range feature coordinating Owls for kids, Fancy That for adults, packaging,” she says. “Presenting the and the licensed Dennis The Menace & whole collection together is a great way Gnasher collection. to encourage additional sales.”

“

Celebrations are at the very heart of what we do –

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Feature Achievements

Every occasion covered Amscan www.amscan.co.uk 01908 288500 From first birthday celebrations to the major milestones later on in life, Amscan has everything for a spectacular birthday party to suit any age and theme. Four delightful new first birthday ranges have been released for 2015 alongside a striking new Sweet 16 celebration range, and for other milestone occasions from 18–60 years Amscan has extended its popular Chevron birthday range.

Amscan has also produced dedicated party ranges to mark the momentous occasion for Silver, Ruby and Golden Wedding anniversaries, including partyware and balloons, as well as new favour boxes and organza bags.

A celebration of the mum to be and the little one to arrive, baby showers are certainly growing in popularity here in the UK. Amscan has six adorable baby shower ranges to choose from including gender specific designs and unisex. The collection also includes a licensed Fisher-Price Baby Shower range featuring a cute wild animal theme in pretty pastel colours contrasted with a rustic brown.

A key part for the baby shower celebrations is to have fun and celebrate the new mum, so Amscan has added to its selection of baby shower games. New options include a Baby Shower game kit, Bingo Game, Nappy Game kit and more.

Get into character InCharacter 0845 180 6545 distribution@angels.uk.com www.angelsdistribution.co.uk Perfect for birthday parties and special occasions, the Lil’ Characters and 2b InCharacter Baby ranges from InCharacter include some adorable costumes for babies aged six months to two years. Choose from the endearing Precious Puppy, Goofy Gator and Tiny Toucan as well as Huggable Hippos, Wee Wabbit and Mischievous Monkey, plus many more. All costumes are fully lined all-inone outfits, with poppers to allow for easy nappy changes.

InCharacter costumes have an exceptionally high-quality finish, and skid-resistant pads on the feet allow toddlers to run around in safety.

Added features include detachable wings with Dinky Dragon and Baby Bat.

On-trend ensembles Creative Party 01202 590222

Drinks are on you Rasta Imposta 0845 180 6545 distribution@angels.uk.com www.angelsdistribution.co.uk Rasta Imposta’s ever-expanding range of entertaining costumes will ensure this year’s celebrations are the best yet. Ladies can enter into the party spirit by choosing the Wine Bottle and Beer Mug fitted outfits - perfect for toasting the birthday boy or girl. Men can also get in on the action with larger-than-life foam cut-outs of Vodka, Beer Bottle and Get Real Beer Pint, available in one-size-fits-most. Or if you want to dress as a couple, Beer Girl and Beer Man are the perfect celebration costumes.

Alternatively, Get Real Pink Cupcake, Get Real Doughnut and Sweet Eats Cupcake are all great options for partygoers who enjoy the sweeter things in life. Pampered pooches can even join in the fun with Rasta Imposta’s adorable matching Dog Cupcake costume, complete with sprinkles and a cherry on top!

A great range of Crayola crayons in a variety of colours are great for kids, alongside Turtle, Giraffe and Shark costumes for the animal-loving little ones.

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www.creativepartyltd.com Creative Party have always focused on what it does best: generic children’s birthday designs. Catering for the nonlicenced market place, the ranges cover Fairies, Pirates, Princesses, Jungle Animals, Cupcakes, Owls, Transportation and many more. The key for Creative Party is bringing lots of new designs to the market each year. The focus is always new, refreshed and on-trend. For children’s parties alone, the company launched 13 new ranges for 2015, including refreshed Fancy Fairy, new Cycle Shop and on trend Forest Fox. These join an extensive and impressive category of 39 different ensembles.

A fantastic new innovation for children’s parties are airfilled centrepieces. The new Air Filled Centrepiece Kits make the perfect table decoration for a children’s party. The balloons are self-seal so the centrepieces can be filled either in store or directly by the consumer - a great innovation to save on storage and merchandising space. Each kit contains one printed 18” balloon, three solid colour 6” star balloons, one 6” joiner stick and a foil fringe base – the joiner stick double as an inflation tube. The kits come packaged in a Eurotabbed box for easy merchandising too!

Creative’s range of napkins was developed with customer feedback in mind, who love the simple, stylish design of the engagement and anniversary banners and balloons, and were looking for a napkin too.

Feature Achievements

Rising stars Northstar Balloons 01538 382998 www.northstarballoons.eu Any celebration and achievement is important to Northstar Balloons. From new babies and milestone birthdays to graduations, every event is a chance to increase sales.

Northstar is offering consumers not only a range of 18” foil and large shape balloons, but also a 16” air-filled, self-sealing range that can be used to decorate and personalise any celebration.

Alongside the range of 16” numbers and letters, Northstar has introduced a range of 16” kits, including Happy Birthday, Congratulations and Baby, to make every event a special one.

Celebrate in style

Gold standard

Neviti 0845 638 1358

Qualatex

www.neviti.com

01279 501090/ 0800 281215 Neviti has a wide selection of celebratory party ranges to suit every occasion. Little Owls is a versatile new range, perfect for baby showers, Christenings, and birthdays. As the name suggests, the range features a colourful owl character, illustrated in a bold, graphical style. All the essentials are here: paper plates, cups, treat tubs, napkins, beautiful cake accessories to give home-bakes some additional style and more.

Expand your product range for Christenings, baby showers and first birthday celebrations with the gorgeous new Guess How Much I Love You collection, based on the bestselling children’s book. Featuring stunning original illustrations and logos in a delicate pastel colour palette, this range includes all the celebration must-haves, such as paper plates, cups, treat tubs and bowls. Other necessities such as napkins and pretty cake cases are featured in the collection which draws inspiration from the heart-warming story.

Room decorations complement the tableware and include adorable bunting, and pretty confetti featuring a mix of designs.

The new licensed Dennis The Menace & Gnasher collection of tableware and party essentials features the mischievous duo from the renowned Beano comic books. This collection is sure to be a big hit with fans of the brand both young and old.

The collection offers a vibrant selection of tableware, including plates, cups, bowls, treat tubs and napkins featuring Dennis and Gnasher illustrations and fun phrases from the comic book. The range also offers some fun stationery including name stickers perfect for party guests to wear, for labelling cups or party bags and fun invitations for any celebration. The decorations in the range coordinate perfectly with the vibrant tableware.

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www.qualatexevent.com Gold anniversaries are popular occasions for balloon décor and Qualatex has introduced a new Anniversary Classic Bubble balloon with elegant gold writing for 2015. The new Bubble will be available to order in late spring.

Capitalise on the increasing popularity of baby showers in the UK with fresh pastel designs from Qualatex, including Precious Moments Baby Shower Bubble and Baby Shower Moons and Stars 11” latex design. Or, help your customers organise a Gender Reveal Baby Shower party with a brand new He or She? Footprints 18” Microfoil balloon from Qualatex.

SpongeBob SquarePants features an energetic and optimistic sea sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. The entertaining cross-generation humour and plot of the cartoon appeal to both kids and adults.Make sure to stock up on this popular license for the upcoming demand for children’s parties. Qualatex now offer SpongeBob & Friends Bubble balloon and two 11” latex designs with Happy Birthday message and without.

Be unique!

Unique Party 01724 281113 www.uniqueparty.co.uk Welcome the latest addition to the family with Unique’s new Clothesline baby shower range. Boy or girl, one baby or twins, welcoming a new baby is an exciting time. Be sure to offer your customers a way to celebrate the new baby’s imminent arrival wit Unique’s cute and colourful array of accessories and coordinating solid-colour tableware in lovely pink and powder blue.

Unique’s adorable new Mini Cup Cake Cut-outs are great for parties and celebrations no matter the occasion. They work great as tabletop decorations, window accents, wall ornaments or name tags, and are available in 10-count packages.

Unique also manufactures a huge selection of Solid Colour Paperware, and has introduced a new quarterfoil design in six popular colours: sunflower yellow, hot pink, Caribbean teal, pretty purple silver and midnight black.

NO M IMU N I R M DE OR

Dress Up America is proud to be an independent wholesale company featuring a beautiful collection of superb quality Halloween and year-round costumes, fancy dress costumes, wigs, exciting accessories in all sizes ranging from infants, boys, girls, teens, men and women.

0203 667 2721 www.dressupamerica.co.uk co.u uk sales@dressupamerica.co.uk

Interview Amscan Halloween

With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, Amscan highlights the potential for extra sales

Ghoul-den opportunity H

alloween is always a major date on the party industry’s calendar. Its growing popularity over the past decade or so has been impossible to miss, and the soaring consumer spend and demand shows no sign of slowing down.

Halloween

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as a moneymaking event has catapulted to the forefront over the past 15 years, dethroning Valentine’s Day to become the third largest retail season. Worth just £12 million in 2001, according to Planet Retail, today Halloween is worth a whopping £300 million in the UK alone.

Party retailers look to do well in October every year, but Halloween 2015 is extra special.

Falling on a Saturday this year, many retailers are anticipating a boost in sales. But Amscan, whose sister companies include US party retailers Party City and Halloween City, has gone beyond anecdotal evidence to run the numbers.

Research undertaken by the leading party, balloon and costume supplier has shown that, historically, sales really do spike significantly when Halloween falls on Saturday. This, Amscan indicates, is likely to be impacted by factors such as greater convenience for adults organising parties and the fact that children can ‘trick or treat’ throughout the day.

The company’s research also indicates which categories look to perform particularly well. In 2014, dress up accessories was the largest category in terms of product choice available in the market. These items make great impulse buys and are convenient purchases for consumers, and this has made them increasingly popular.

This category was closely followed by decorations, which have grown in demand

significantly as more and more adults look for items to transform their house or party venue. Favours and novelties as well as candy were equally the next largest categories, with costumes shortly after.

Key Halloween trends to look out for in 2015 include Day of the Dead, a creative theme inspired by the traditional Mexican holiday.

Here products feature sugar skull designs combined with vibrant colours and quirky patterns. The zombie trend also continues to be strong, likely influenced by the popularity of programmes such as AMC’s television series The Walking Dead. Zombies are also ideal for Halloween party-goers that like to customise their own look. The theme provides endless opportunities for new costume ideas from a rock star zombie to a zombie surgeon. Also set to be popular are tasteful party decorations which eschew the spooky in favour of trendy designs in coordinating key colours for the seasonal event, such as orange and black.

Amscan has recently released its new 2015 Halloween catalogue incorporating a new layout of sections split by key themes, like zombies for instance. Each section comprises of all the relevant partyware, balloons and costumes for that particular theme with a view to make browsing as easy as possible.

Graham Heeley, Amscan’s Product Manager who was instrumental in forming

Sales really do spike significantly when Halloween falls on Saturday

”

Orange is the new black Key trends for Halloween 2015

Product breakdown: Halloween SKUs by category Dress Up Accessories 26%

Decorations 24%

Favours & Novelties 13%

Candy 13%

Costumes 11%

Tableware 8%

Candles 4%

Balloons 1%

Boooo!

the company’s 2015 offering, explains: “The selection of wearable accessories and costumes for Halloween this year has significantly increased ahead of the anticipated demand. The whole range offers extensive choice and the latest trends across party, balloons and costumes. We aim to provide customers with the convenience of a ‘one stop shop’ solution to suit their Halloween requirements.”

Look out for Amscan’s new Day of the Dead range showcased at Spring Fair in February, which is set to be a best seller and is already benefitting from a lot of interest from retailers. Items include sugar skull patterned decorations, costumes, balloons and wearable accessories.

Amscan has also extended its range of gruesome zombie decorations to create a scene worthy of any post apocalypse.

With Halloween landing on a Saturday, the number of family celebrations are likely to increase so Amscan has extended its offering of family-friendly Halloween ensembles to include a Friendly Mummy tableware design, plus new decorations to create a spooky, yet fun and colourful setting for a party.

Retailers can choose from Amscan’s extensive range of Halloween products available to pre-order. The full range is available to view via the website and also in the One Stop 2015 Halloween Book.

For further information visit www.amscan.co.uk or call 01908 288500.

• Day of the dead: Inspired by the traditional Mexican celebration Dia de Muertos, this trend is all about sugar skulls and plenty of colour • Zombies: Zombie doctor, zombie pop star, zombie superhero, zombie anything nothing is off limits!

The shambling hoarde comes in many shapes and sizes and is a perfect way for consumers to spook up any costume • Contemporary and tasteful: For the quirky and trend driven consumer, decorations that fit in with the key colours of orange and black evoke the spirit of Halloween without any of the gruesome stuff

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Interview Leg Avenue

One step ahead Back from an international trade show tour, Party Party caught up with Leg Avenue’s Trudy Pijnacker to find out what retailers were looking for around the world and what’s next for the quality costume specialists

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Trudy, where did Leg Avenue’s international trade show tour take you this year?

Leg Avenue exhibited at Spring Fair in Birmingham, Spielwarenmesse in Nuremburg and at the Halloween & Party expo in New Orleans.

And how do these shows differ from one another?

Spring Fair and Spielwarenmesse are both fairs where we meet lots of European customers. Where Spielwarenmesse is more Carnival related, Spring Fair revolves largely around Halloween. But both shows make it possible for us to expose our new collection in a short matter of time, and customers can see our costumes down to the smallest detail.

It’s a great opportunity for us to share our story and train our customers, as well as provide them with information on our products. It’s a way to convince visitors that

Leg Avenue products are distinctive in this market.

Our American customers already know how distinctive Leg Avenue is, and this is one of the reasons that our staff was constantly writing orders at Halloween & Party Expo!

How important is it for you to have a presence at each of these shows?

It’s very important, because we really want to keep in touch with our customers and these shows offer a solution to keep upto-date with everyone. Advancements in technology means we are now better able to communicate with retailers through video chat and such. But of course we will make an effort to exhibit at well-attended shows.

But these shows are still the best place for retailers to see product for the first time and really get hands on with the products?

Yes they are. People can see the costumes

down to the seam, which is always a benefit.

They can feel the fabrics, have a close look at the nicely stitched costumes and hear our story. Besides this, we also like to show the fitting of our costumes, so we always bring models to the shows to provide a good impression of our costumes.

So what new products did you unveil this year?

We’re expanding our costume collection a lot this year. The styles are more unique and beautiful than ever. We’ve added new styles to our big hit from last year, Cozy costumes, two of which - Cozy Lion and Cozy Goldfish - are already best sellers.

Of course, there will always be a market for low-priced costumes, but the demand for better quality product is definitely a rising trend. Customers want something made of high quality material, with a perfect fit and a unique design. We truly pay attention to this and I’m confident to say that we meet these requirements.

Our Disney Princess license, which was never available in Europe, has also now ended. This means that we have a wide range of fairytale figures again. The creativity of Leg Avenue is now limitless and we’ve added six new deluxe costumes with greater detailing and more delicate fabrics.

Was there anything that buyers and retailers from all territories were universally after?

A couple of years ago, customers were afraid of adding higher priced costumes to their assortment. Even though the quality was better, customers saw this as a risk. But we see that this trend is changing.Everyone is looking for something different. Price isn’t as decisive anymore, and the quality and craftsmanship of a costume are more important.

How is 2015 looking for Leg Avenue following this year’s trade shows?

We have seen a huge growth in the costume sales over the past two years, since the opening of Leg Avenue Europe.

We especially see growth in Germany and Southern European countries where the economy offers opportunities for higher priced costumes. Customers in Europe dare to add distinctive and higher costumes to their assortment. The feedback we’ve got from visitors is that they are looking for a high quality product and this is what brought them to Leg Avenue.

What’s next for Leg Avenue? What can we expect from you in the coming months?

The best is yet to come from us. Our new collection will be available in the summer, and we expect a big growth within costumes sales. Also, we’re busy with the follow up for existing and new customers we’ve met at the shows. We’re setting up best-seller lists to prepare them for our new collection.

To top that off, we’re working on a training program for our customers on how to sell Leg Avenue products. With this program it’s easy for our customers to train their staff. They can learn about our products, what materials we use, why it’s a high quality product and how the product is created.

What makes Leg Avenue such a strong brand?

Leg Avenue consistently has the best sell-through on adult female costumes.

Customers continually seek out our costumes by brand name, and our design and quality are still among the best in the industry.

Although there is a rise of private label costumes at larger chain stores, there still is high value in the brand. We make a huge effort to continually increase brand awareness and make Leg Avenue a name that customers ask for, so we move forward as we always have with innovative designs and a strong market presence.

www.partypartymag.co.uk

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NEW Feature Theme Nights

Take me to prom The US prom tradition is taking hold in the UK. Are you on board yet?

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ike Halloween, the US phenomenon of prom night has made its way across the Atlantic and into the Facebook events diaries of thousands of teenagers in the UK. While the end of a school year used to be marked with stale crisps and a cheap DJ, GCSE and A-Level-age teens – 16 and 18 respectively – have embraced the Gatsby-inspired US dream of prom night – a night of glamour and chic décor; an end-of-an-era party to remember.

Fashion is a huge part of prom night: glamorous and often expensive dresses for the girls and tuxes for the boys – both natty and nutty if possible. Suit and hire specialist Moss Bros reported an increase of 3.2% in suit hires for school proms in its 2013/14 annual report.

Once everyone has their outfit sorted, the main talking point is who’s having the best pre-prom bash, and the hosts will need all the right products to put on a party fit for the main event.

Charlotte Kearney, an 18-year-old sixth former and member of her school’s prom planning committee told Party Party: “It sounds cheesy, but it feels like a big deal to us school leavers. This might be the last time we’re all together, so we want do it right.

“I suppose our prom and prom parties are a bit like a small wedding in style, so balloons, streamers, glittery bits and all the knick-knacks and decorations you can pick up at party shops are a must.

“Everyone I know is going to some kind of party before the actual prom, and I think there’s a bit of competition as to who will be putting on the best do.”

A growing tradition that goes one step further each year, party retailers stand to do well from these events if they can capitalise on the short but enthusiastic buying window each summer. Here are just a few of the great products already on the market that work great for prom parties.

If you’ve already jumped on the school prom bandwagon, Party Party would love to hear all about it, email rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Pretty Neviti 0845 638 1358 www.neviti.com Neviti’s table accessories and decorations are perfect for school proms to add a pretty touch to décor. Table crystals and confetti come a wide variety of colours and designs to fit in with any colour scheme. Other pretty items include Neviti’s paper straws and straw flags perfect for adding some fun decoration to party drinks. If teens are planning to have a candy buffet, then Neviti has a wide selection of items perfect for this new trend including delicious confectionery, sweetie bags and candy buffet bunting. Neviti’s wonderful selection of bunting and balloons offer a great way to decorate for this special occasion.

Natty OppoSuits 01592 657 120 www.opposuits.com OppoSuits has experienced increasing demand from the younger crowd for suits to wear to their school prom as an alternative to hiring one. The bright, solid coloured suits from the OppoSuits range have been a huge hit, and the company expects many more kids will follow this trend during this year’s prom season. New solid colours having been added to the collection. including Yellow Fellow, Blue Steel, Purple Prince, Evergreen or Cool Blue.

Nutty Traxedo +35312548373 tradesales@traxedo.com Traxedo’s range is the epitome of smart meets casual, combining tuxedo styling and tracksuit comfort. Perfect for prom goers that want a funky twist on the traditional tux, six new styles include Orange, Light Blue and Green, known as the Irish.

PARTY NEEDS YOU!

Matters of perception Sir Dave Brailsford, Team GB & Team Sky cycling Head Coach, is examining the effect of perception on the performance of world class cyclists. Great stuff, but what has it got to do with party? Hopefully all will become clear.

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re-2000, the only interesting comment about Skoda cars was the joke that the way to double its value was to fill the petrol tank. In 2000 it was taken over by Volkswagen, which invested money, engineering know-how, tough quality control, and set about the enormous task of changing perceptions. Part of the strategy was the simple technique of model names, such as Superb, Rapid and other seemingly daft names. It’s a little like calling a garden shed boutique or deluxe; it is still a garden shed.

Combined with VW’s reputation, however, perceptions did start to change.

Now the cars regularly win awards, sales are strong and there have even been waiting lists at times. Yet our roads are not flooded with them. There are still lingering perceptions, and some of it relates to the way potential buyers believe other road users will perceive them. It’s a tough nut to crack.

On the retail front, Poundland do a very good job of telling everybody that everything is £1. They don’t claim to be the cheapest – sometimes they are, and sometimes they are not. Aldi and Lidl, on the other hand, try and create the perception that they are the cheapest.

In December 2014, Waitrose sold a Gressingham duck breast for £5. Lidl sent out flyers shouting about a one-day-only offer that the very same piece of duck was £5.99.

Apple could be considered the masters of perception. They not only create a product that the consumer perceives as being the best, they create a kind of club to which the consumer, wittingly or unwittingly, wants to belong. But even they occasionally get it wrong. A couple of years ago they said they believed the consumer did not want a large-screen phone.

Samsung did and introduced a model, which sold very well - hence the new supersized, and very successful, iPhone 6.

So what has this to do with the party industry? Unfortunately everything.

Everything is perhaps a slight over exaggeration, but it is critical to any retailer, in whatever format, to try and have an understanding of how the consumer

www.partypartymag.co.uk

INFO Mark began working for the family business in 1977, manufacturing and marketing Fantasia latex balloons in the UK and around the world, until 2008 when he set up shop on his own and created the Fantasia brand. Since 2011 Mark and his wife have been the sole UK agents for Boland Party, a Dutch company who are one of Europe’s largest distributors of party and dress-up products. And that’s not all, Mark has been a Director of HITF Ltd since 1996, and in 2002, he was the founder member of the European Balloon and Party Council, holding the post as chairman from 2002-2012. perceives the product and the outlet from which it is bought. Unfortunately, because the party industry does not have the resources of Apple, it is a tough ask.

As to how important it is to the party retailer, perhaps we can consider two major retailers that have the resources but may have got it wrong in the past.

For years, Marks & Spencer dominated its market sector, but it did not perceive the need to accept credit cards or advertise.

It was wrong on both counts and paid the price, losing market share and shareholder confidence. Consequently, it started with its own credit cards, then accepted all the major cards, and is now one of the highest ad-spending retailers on the High Street.

The second retailer up for the award of not understanding their customer could be Tesco. It dominated the grocery market for so long, thought it knew and understood its customer base, and then pop, it all goes south.

Once again, if there are no resources to investigate and react to perceptions, what is the point in writing about it?

With no financial resources, perhaps a little time and thought could be expended.

The first thought would be accepting that maybe a retailer’s perception of itself is different to that of the consumer.

Discovering any difference could be a pleasant surprise; equally it could be unpleasant. Either way, it is worth investing a little time to find out if your concerns are unwarranted or whether some changes are needed.

A suggestion would be to try and step outside of your business, whether bricks and mortar or online, and try and look it at from your customers’ point of view. It may even be worth a shot asking a few friends or relatives with no connection to the business to visit your store or site and make purchases (you may have to fund this) ask

questions, seek advice and generally be a purposeful yet needy customer.

Whatever the results, it would be a useful exercise, as it will confirm you are on the right track, or you are way off beam. The likelihood is that you will find opportunities for change and be somewhere in the middle. No matter what industry we work in, we all work in a slightly cosseted environment. The majority of party retailers are always looking to improve their business, but not always sure of how to do that.

The areas that first come to mind are store refits, staff training, new product, product display, and pricing policies. Online operators can replace a store refit with a site redesign.

Yet how many can really say they know what their customer expects when they come in-store and what they feel like when they walk out. Even with the regular customer, who you assume is happy with everything because they keep coming back. Are they buying some party product elsewhere as well because you don’t stock it?

Maybe they perceive you to be expensive in some areas? This, in particular, is a perfect example of perception. There is a degree of evidence to suggest that when a party retailer is near a major supermarket, the supermarket will be perceived to be cheaper on product such as balloons. It is often not the case.

Simplistic, perhaps, but because of the word limitation of these articles, simplistic it has to be. So, back to Sir Brailsford, the King of Lycra - what does he know about the party market? Well, he is evaluating how his team can best understand and alter their perceptions in order to beat their rivals and create the best performance.

Which is surely what most retailers aim for in one way or another.

www.partypartymag.co.uk

43

THE WORD from

The AAH-Factor BAPIA CEO John Bowler chimes in on new research comissioned by the EBPC that reveals just how indespensible balloons are to the majority of consumers

E

ver watch news programmes or read articles where one or both sides use facts and figures to argue their side of the issue and wondered where they get this information from?

Well there is the Office for National Statistics, which holds a lot of data on general statistics for the UK. But I am pretty sure they don’t have much information regarding balloons and party products, how the public relates to them or how their sales contribute to society in general.

This is where industry organisations such as the European Balloon and Party Council step in and invest in reports such as the one they recently commissioned, titled ‘The AAH-Factor, The contribution and role of balloons in Europe.’

The report was carried out by Ernst & Young and Regioplan Policy Research along with the European Balloon and Party Council and it makes very interesting reading.

The current Chairman of the EBPC, Gloria Veta, opens the report with the following foreword: “Balloons have served us for many decades, from latex balloons first developed in the early 19th century, to foil balloons that became available in the 1970s. The balloon industry is well established – providing employment to thousands around the world with a dedication to bringing a smile to all who interact with the product.

Whether consumers want balloons for decorations, sentiments or fun, the versatility of balloons makes for an endearing product for every occasion.

As with all industries, there is growing awareness of sustainability, environmental factors and biodegradability issues and

44

www.partypartymag.co.uk

“

this report addresses these concerns as well as giving an overview of the industry. The large-scale research undertaken carries significant weight and demonstrates the value placed on balloons and their function.”

The report gleaned information from various sources including a survey of over 7,000 consumers.

It concluded that balloons are a well loved and indispensible consumer product for young and old alike, with nearly two-thirds of consumers occasionally buying a balloon. In most cases the purchase is for children, but 40% of balloon purchases are for an adult. Perhaps unsurprisingly to most of us, consumers consider balloons to be indispensible, with 91% indicating that children enjoy playing with balloons and nearly 80% agreeing that balloons bring pleasure to people of all ages.

Some 62% consider that a party is not complete without balloons, and in view of this it is no wonder that nearly 80% of the consumers are against a ban on balloons.

Balloons are not only a source of fun and pleasure but they are also a product with significant economic impact. You might be surprised to know that the market for balloons and related accessories in the EU totals almost 540 million Euro, with the UK and Germany being the largest markets. I was personally surprised to see that the overall supply chain in the balloon sector accounts for between 5000 and 6500 jobs in the EU and the national government revenue from the production and sale of balloons

totals between 126 and 143 million Euro a year.

The report goes on to say that as an industry we are tackling challenges positively and proactively, stating that: The balloon sector aims to minimise the adverse effect of balloon releases and promotes the use of good practices to retailers and consumers.

The sector is also investigating how it can lower the risk of allergies to the materials used in balloons.

The balloon sector encourages a reduction in the use of helium for balloon lifting purposes.

Manufacturers and retailers are already offering attractive alternatives This information is courtesy of EBPC and we acknowledge the work and investment by them on behalf of the industry. While this report is focused on balloons simply because of specific issues that need addressing - the EBPC is committed to working on all aspects of the balloon and party industry.

As a member of EBPC, BAPIA is working to get the report’s findings out to the industry and to educate the public on the positive aspects of balloons. We will be releasing further information and data from the report via our website, social media and newsletter, so keep watching.

62% [of consumers] consider that a party is not complete without balloons

”

Check out the BAPIA website at www.bapiaonline.com or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

INFO For more information on BAPIA and the benefits of membership go to www.bapiaonline.com or contact John on info@bapiaonline.com

Balloon Recipe

Animal magic This month, Dominic Cassidy, CBA & Keith Stirman, CBA of Balloon.Education bring us a simple balloon recipe to create a BobbleHead Buddy. Here the pair makes a friendly Zebra, but this method can be used to create a whole range of inflatable pals

1

. To make the body, inflate two 5” latex balloons to 3” and tie them separately. Pinch one of the balloons in the middle (make sure the knot is included in your pinch) to make two bubbles, then twist several times. Hold this balloon in one hand, and repeat with the second balloon to make two bubbles.

and tie off both ends. Leave 1” on the uninflated end.

Repeat with the other 160Q and tie them into a loose pair.

6

. Inflate a 5” latex balloon to 3” and tie.

Pinch the balloon to make two bubbles similar to step 1, but make one bubble slightly larger than the other. Make a pinch twist with the smaller bubble. Repeat to make another foot.

2

. Push the intersecting twist of both balloons together and twist the four bubbles until it looks like a 4-balloon cluster.

3

. Repeat Steps 1-2 to make a second cluster.

4

. Connect the two clusters together using the neck from one of the 5” latex or a scrap of 260Q.

5

. To make the legs and feet, inflate a 160Q so it is 8” inflated,

Ingredients: 8 x 5” latex balloons Scrap 260Q 4 x 160Q 1 x Animal Head Shape 1 x 260Q

7

. Wrap the knot end of a 160Q (the leg) between the bubbles from Step 6 to attach the foot.

8

. Repeat steps 5-7 to make arms and hands, but inflate the 160Qs to just 6”.

9

. To finish, inflate a 14” Animal Head Shape and tie on to the top of the body using an uninflated 260Q.

Dominic Cassidy CBA and Keith Stirman CBA make up The Balloon Brothers.

They own successful online and highstreet retail store All Things Fun, in Durham. See more of their spectacular designs on www.balloon.education

All balloons used in this design can be supplied by Qualatex www.partypartymag.co.uk

45 21

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