Tableware International

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INTERNATIONAL

Month: March/April 2016

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Issue: 1

134

Volume: 138

Each crystal tasting glass is created by Waterford designers and whiskey professionals to bring out the best in every bottle

Tableware Team

TableWare

EDITOR KATE BIRCH kate@lemapublishing.co.uk

ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER PAUL YEOMANS pyeomans@lemapublishing.co.uk

PUBLISHER MARK NAISH mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

MANAGING DIRECTOR MALCOLM NAISH malcolm@lemapublishing.co.uk

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR PAUL NAISH paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

DESIGNER MARIAN MCNAMARA marian@lemapublishing.co.uk

To subscibe to the magazine email: ROBERT THOMAS robert@lemapublishing.co.uk

Published by Lema Publishing Ltd. 1 Churchgates, The Wilderness Berkhamsted Herts HP4 2UB PUBLISHING

At the heart Tel: 00 44 (0) 1442 289930 of retail Fax: 00 44 (0) 1442 289950 Front cover illustration supplied by Rosenthal. For more information see the website www.rosenthal.de

TableWare www.tablewareinternational.com

INTERNATIONAL

Month: March/April 2016

2

Issue: 1

134

Volume: 138

INTERNATIONAL

I

nternationality has been the buzzword of the entire show season with the main tableware spring shows delivering more internationality – exhibitors and visitors – than ever before.

At Ambiente, the world’s leading consumer-goods fair, 55 per cent of visitors were from outside Germany, more than ever before, with 137,000 buyers hailing from an incredible 143 countries.

“The number of international visitors has risen yet again,” says Andreas Buske, CEO, Zwiesel Kristallglas.

And while some exhibitors like Zwiesel were encouraged at seeing such a “large number of US buyers”, others were pleased with the Eastern European turn-out considering the current economic difficulties here, and yet others enjoyed brisk business from Iranian buying groups.

“The lifting of sanctions with Iran means every Iranian is at the show,” says Bill Robodee, CEO, Nambe, who witnessed good business from Iran at Ambiente.

Homi Milano in January was one of the first trade shows in Europe visited by a delegation of Iranian buyers, while Russia also arrived with a large delegation despite the complex economic situation there.

In fact, the two-year-old show Homi Milano saw international growth, both in participation and visitors, and this January achieved a record number of visitors.

What emerged during four days of Homi, says Fiera Milano CEO, Corrado Peraboni, is that of a “market making a comeback, but one that is incredibly diversified – buyers are increasing but orders aren’t as large and are more focused on ‘just-in-time’ strategies”.

What also emerged during show season were exciting consumer and design trends; from the rise of casual dining to heritage companies returning to their archives for inspiration, we’ve spotlighted these throughout the issue.

Discover the trends in our review of Homi Milano on page 84 and don’t miss our extensive annual Ambiente Trend Watch from Frankfurt on page 78 – everything from the return of the coupe shape to colour on everything, even crystal, to coastal motifs.

On our regular product trend page, we highlight the fashionable fusion of greens and blues as consumers look to bring the outside in (see page 20); and our tableware trend analyst Donna Ferrari reports from New York on page 22, discussing how products with top-notch design power to stand the test of time are catching and keeping consumers’ attention.

“Internationalilty has been the buzzword of the entire show season” Our regular retail columnist Barry Seaman also weighs in on the shows on page 34, delivering his report on spring season, including Top Drawer and Spring Fair, and spotlighting his favourite tabletop finds.

Looking forward, we preview the upcoming New York Tabletop Show on page 72 outlining market movements and happenings and highlighting what exciting product brands will unveil at 41 Madison.

The other current industry buzzword is Millennials, a consumer group that’s now more influential in homeware than Baby Boomers. We tackle this key consumer group head on (page 30), discovering what demands Millennials have when it comes to entertaining at home and offering advice to retailers on how to connect with them.

As always, we have our Annual Glass Buyers’ Guide (page 42) in which we investigate the renaissance of the luxury crystal category and look at how private and high-end hospitality projects are providing opportunities for luxury crystal brands; and in our extended hospitality feature on page 60 we look at the growth of this sector for the tableware industry as well as highlighting the companies offering HoReCa-focused solutions.

Finally, we visit the Czech Republic this month to profile Czech retailer Potten & Pannen, a chain of 11 stores across the country, and on page 34, interview founder Pavel Stanek; and to celebrate 100 years of the late Philip Rosenthal, we pay tribute to both the man and the company on page 26 and outline the latest collections that make up the Anniversary Collection of Rosenthal.

Enjoy!

Kate Birch Get social with See our latest news: www.tablewareinternational.com ‘Like’ us: Facebook.com/tablewareintmag ‘Follow’ us on Twitter: @tablewareintmag ‘Pin’ us: pinterest.com/tablewareintmag

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N March/April 2016 • ISSUE 1

News 10

News A round-up of international stories

16

Exhibition news News from the shows worldwide

18

Licensing news We spotlight some of the industry's most exciting designers/licences

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TableWare INTERNATIONAL

Trends 20

Product trend We brings the outdoors in

22

Column: Top-notch design Donna Ferrari reports from New York on the latest trends

78

Ambiente trend watch From the coupe shape to coastal motifs to tropical colour, we look at the trends that reigned Ambiente supreme

Features 24

Profile: Royal Crown Derby We report on how this British brand is setting its bespoke hospitality sights on the global market

26

Profile: Rosenthal We pay tribute to business and design visionary Philip Rosenthal on what would have been his 100th birthday

28

Brand focus: Cumbria Crystal Celebrating 40 years of handcrafting crystal, we spotlight this luxury British brand

30

Feature: Millennials We investigate what this key consumer group wants from its tableware

34

Retail column Regular columnist Barry Seaman delivers his lowdown on the spring shows

36

Retail: Potten & Patten We speak to the founder of luxury Czech retail chain Potten & Pannen

38

Retail: Table talk We find out what's selling from independent homeware stores globally

40

Expert column Tableware expert Isabelle von Boch celebrates the rise of casual dining

42

Guide: The 2016 glass buyers' guide We investigate how cut crystal is witnessing a renaissance and round up the very best in crystal, stemware and everyday glass

60 60

Category: Hospitality We look at the opportunities for tableware beyond retail with a focus on HoReCa and private projects

70

Profile: Crystalex We discover how this Czech glass producer is developing its HoReCa segment

Shows 72

Show preview: 41 Madison From showroom shifts to breakfast seminars to product launches, find out what's expected at the upcoming New York Tabletop Market

76

Show review: Ambiente 2016 With visitor numbers up, we report on the order-heavy, vibrant and buzzy Frankfurt fair

82

Show review: Top Drawer The re-branded Londonbased show was buzzing with positive feedback

84

Show review: Homi Milano The Italian lifestyle fair comes of age. We review the January show

82

Show review: Spring Fair At Spring Fair, innovation and collaboration were buzzwords

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

general news

Portmeirion Group launch window display competition Leading tableware manufacturer Portmeirion Group is set to launch a window display competition to commemorate 200 years of Spode’s timeless British design, Blue Italian.

The compeition, which commences May 1, 2016, invites all of the Group’s UK customers to come together and celebrate the anniversary in true Blue Italian fashion, with striking window displays. With no set theme, suppliers are encouratged to use their imaginations and create stunning displays to highlight the anniversary and the different settings in which Blue Italian tableware can be used. A panel of judges, including group sales and marketing director, Phil Atherton and professional merchandiser Janet Billings, along with our very own Tableware International editor Kate Birch, will have the deciding vote on who will be crowned the Blue Italian display champion, winning £1,000 worth of Blue Italian product. There are prizes for the runners up too. To enter, email mmendes@portmeiriongroup.com for an information pack.

Crystalite Bohemia win big business at Ambiente Czech glassmaker Crystalite Bohemia secured a number of new contracts worth a total of CZK 140 million (nearly US$6 million) at Ambiente 2016. Due to growing demand, the company now intends to buy two new automatic lines for the production of bottles and tumblers for its plants, increasing daily production capacity by 100,000 units, says business director Tomas Firt.

8.8 10 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

Business with Iran now on table After the very recent end to a long commercical embargo of 40 years with Iran, business is now on the table with Iranians as the spring fairs showed.

Homi Milano in January saw a significant increase in numbers of international visitors, partly contributed to by the Iranians. In fact, Homi was one of the first trade shows in Europe visited by a delegation of Iranian buyers who had come to Europe to find the best in what ‘Made In Italy’ had to offer.

“At the January edition of Homi Milano, we discovered that new markets are showing interest, such as Iran, which has recently been released from its trade embargo,” says Cristian Preiata, exhibition manager.

Ambiente also witnessed an influx of Iranian buyers. “Positive signals are coming from Iran following the end of trade restrictions”, says Harald Wüsthof, managing director of Wüsthof Dreizackwerk KG. “The lifting of sanctions with Iran means every Iranian is pretty much at the show,” says Bill Robodee, CEO of American design-led brand Nambe.

Frances Bull, marketing manager at Studio William says: “Many Iranians came to the stand excited they can open up with new suppliers – some even wanted to take away the product at the fair!”

Czech glassmaker Crystalite Bohemia say they are seeing good growth for their crystal especially in the HoReCa sector and particularly with giftware in the Middle East market “especially Iran where there is big demand for Bohemian crystal”, says commercial director, Tomas Firt.

German hospitality brand Zieher is also seeing demand in HoReca in the region.

“Iran is becoming a very interesting market with all the big hotel groups moving in. This may very well provide great opportunities for us in the future,” says Zieher marketing manager, Nikolan Dietz.

the percentage growth of the worldwide consumer-goods market in 2015 on the previous year with a value of Euros 14.8 billion. Leading economists regard consumption as being a reliable pillar for the economy and Germany’s ifo Institute also sees the slight increase in overall production in 2015 as the result of domestic demand. According to a forecast by the Institute, private consumption will increase by around 2 per cent this year.

TAC Palazzo Roro, Rosenthal

Colour and design trends revealed At the recently-held IHHS show in Chicago, Lee Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute not only unveiled the nine colour palettes for 2017 from Pantone View Home + Interiors, but also revealed the colour and design trends for 2016/2017. Commenting that colour and design are at a crossroads, she says: “We are all familiar with consumers’ constant desire to see something new, yet they still want, in many cases, to have somewhat of a familiar comfort level. We have to assess our customers’ aspirations by using credible forecasts as a guide to invigorated colour design palettes that will inform and encourage new colour directions.” Lee outlines some of the colour and design trends (right):

Gilded Muse, Wedgwood • • • • • • • • • • •

Rising use of maps “both traditional and contemporary, as a design element” Resurgence of black and white imagery Power-clashing, which is “the use of unexpected colour combinations that appear discordant but work” says Eiseman Pixilated and digitised patterns Popularity of green “both as colour of nature and of health and wellness” Metallics remain popular “with all kinds of household objects being transformed into objets d’art” Coloured glassware is popular “though so is clear glassware that is more about form and function” Iridescent flatware; “while not new, technology is making it more vibrant” Rescue is the new word that’s replacing recycling Handcrafted and raw materials are seeing a resurgence Pastels of blue (Serenity) and pink (Rose Quartz), which are the Pantone colours of the year for 2016 and which “represent a way of helping consumers escape the stress of their modern lives, offering reassurance and security in difficult times”.

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TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 11

general news

New tableware brand launches 5 minutes with…

New dinnerware company Gaia Group USA (www.gaiagroupusa.com) made IHHS Chicago its Launchpad last month, debuting the new company with five globally-inspired dinnerware collections. Dedicated to bringing consumers “the best of the earth”, Gaia’s ‘better world’ philsophy not only delivers organic shapes and colours, designs and finishes inspired by nature and patterns from around the world, but a portion of proceeds from every sale are donated by Gaia to a US-based food charity. The five table collections launched include Bella Terra, which delivers the organic farm-to-table aesthetic of California and Italian hillsides with its intentionally unfinished look, and Metallic Elements, which features an unexpected earthy metallic bling, such as aged or distressed brass, copper and iron, for a trendy urban feel.

Spotlight on… multifunctionality Designed by Hanna Kruger and inspired by the work of Austrian architect and artist Josef Hoffman, Jos is a new line of multifunctional glass objects from Rosenthal, part of the 100th birthday anniversary collection of Philip Rosenthal. These pieces can be used as a decorative vase or turned over and used as a bowl, and thanks to their polished and matte sections and gold finishes, they are also stunning objects.

10.2

The percentage increase in net profit that one of the world’s largest ceramics manufacturers, UAE-based ceramics factory RAK Ceramics, reported in 2015, driven they say by an increase in sales including in tableware.

“The continued growth in our bottom line is the result of our meticulous planning and commitment to expanding our core businesses. We are aware of the economic and geopolitical factors that will continue to challenge our business in 2016 and may impact our performance, but we are confident that we have the right mechanisms and measures in place to mitigate those risks. As we have wrapped up a strong 2015, we look forward to an even stronger 2016 driven by positive momentum and strategic investments made this year,” says Abdallah Massaad, CEO, RAK Ceramics’ Group 12 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

Sachin Bagga, director, Sabichi

Tell us about Sabichi… We are a multi-category homewares importer, wholesaler and retailer and we’ve been creating affordable homewares since 1994, now offering more than 900 product SKUs in our portfolio, both private label and branded products. We began supplying to the high street retailers and independent stores within the UK, but we now supply to 25 countries internationally too. With a well-developed sourcing infrastructure, our retail partners rely on our expertise to develop and deliver design-led lifestyle products at affordable prices. We pride ourselves on our service levels and for being a trustworthy and honest family business. The Sabichi brand has a fresh and contemporary handwriting offering clean and modern core basics along with vibrant and cheerful colours.

What have been your highlights in the past year? Business has been steady for us. The last few years have seen us expanding in more than 25 countries. We’ve just started supplying to South Africa and Australia. Newer regions in Europe and Australia are the areas where we anticipate growth coming from. We’ve been receiving great feedback on our tabletop collections and as a result we’ve invested in range expansion. We’ve seen continuous growth in cutlery; our vibrant value dinnerware range is a definite growth area; two-tone dinnerware has done very well and florals are here to stay. Cutlery is something we feel will be a great growth area for us.

What about dinnerware and tableware in general? Definitely! Sabichi has become well known for its tabletop collections within the UK. The Sabichi brand is now listed with 30 of the biggest high street retailers and across hundreds of independent and online stores. Our aesthetic brand values of fresh, modern and vibrant design translate beautifully into our tableware designs. Our retail partners have asked for a wider selection in designs and we’ve created that this year with new collections and an expanded range, which will drive growth for us.

So tell us about your new launches? This year at Ambiente we introduced our finest quality steel cutlery in 18/10: spoons and forks are made from the highest quality 18/10 stainless steel, knives are forged from especially hardened stainless steel and all come with a 25-year guarantee. The new cutlery collection includes sets with pastelcoloured stems. The new launches for Sabichi Dining include porcelain 12-piece sets with vibrant bouquets of colourful flowers in watercolour patterns inspired by the English meadow, celebratory dinnerware with metallic decals, handpainted sets with country cottage charm and two-tone stoneware sets in soft versatile colours.

We’ve also expanded our mug assortment to include hip metallic origami patterns for the more style-conscious customer, oversized snug mugs in ice-cream pastels, and charming floral and on-trend geometric patterns in versatile shapes.

And plans going forward? We’re looking forward to our new table and kitchen collection developments; we’re expanding our giftable tableware collections, something we received great feedback for at Ambiente. And we’re also focusing on Australia, new areas in Europe and South Africa internationally. www.sabichi.co.uk

BRITISH LUXURY CERAMICS For more information on the Chamberlain & Co collections and details of your nearest stockist please contact

Chamberlain & Co Merebrook Business Park, Hanley Swan Malvern WR13 6NP Tel: +44 (0) 1684 311704 enquiries@chamberlainco.co.uk www.chamberlainco.co.uk

general news Fiesta

Lucideon announces Ceramics Whitewares training

Arzberg

Burgundy tops tables Burgundy. Claret. Dark red. Whatever you call it, this dark red tone, which dominated fashion last year, is taking to tabletop this season with Fiesta and Arzberg both choosing it as their colour of the season.

Fiesta’s much-anticipated colour of the year is Claret, a rich deep red hue with slightly purplish undertones.

Introduced last month at IHHS Chicago, VP of sales and marketing at Homer Laughlin says, “Claret fulfils a void in our vast Fiesta colour spectrum. Last year we introduced Sage and Slate. Claret is a beautiful progression into this sophisticated colour palette, but it also mixes well with the more vibrant hues bringing depth and a complementary accent into the Fiesta palatte”. With the addition of Claret, Plum will now retire. At Ambiente, German porcelain brand Arzberg revealed its new Tric colour, Amarena, a deep red that delivers warmth and combines well with natural materials. “It gets along really well with other Tric colours such as the subtle Cool, the radiant Sun and the cool Caribic and combines with Arzberg’s simple glassware and plain linen napkins, ideally paired with vintage cutlery and a few wild flowers, for a modern Bohemian style that is feminine and romantic, but not too quaint,” say Arzberg.

Lenox’s Lester Gribetz honoured in Chicago President of Lenox Corporation, Lester Gribetz, was honoured by the Housewares Charity Foundation (HCF) during the 19th Annual Housewares Charity Foundation Gala on Monday evening, March 7, during the 2016 International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago. Gribetz received the Humanitarian of the Year Award during the Gala, which was held at Navy Pier and whose proceeds benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), the HCF’s legacy charity. Lester began his career in 1954 as an executive trainee at Bloomingdale’s and has since worked as vice-chairman of Bloomingdale’s for Home, Cosmetics and Men’s and as senior vice-president for the Waterford/ Wedgwood Corporation. CEO of Macy’s Terry Lundgren was also honoured on the night, receiving the Lifetime Humanitarian Award.

“

Chinese consumers are increasingly demanding highquality and luxury home products, and are paying more attention to stylish and personalised home décor items such as tailor-made digital printing products. This change certainly creates strong potential for overseas suppliers of premium and high-quality products.

”

Wendy Wen, senior general manager, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd.

Fairmont & Main wins award British company Fairmont & Main scooped the top tabletop award at the recent Housewares Innovation Awards during Spring Fair 2016 with the striking Vie Naturelle stoneware collection, which features an outer matte satin glaze coupled with an inner glossy crackly glaze in earthy colours. “Both vibrant and tactile, Vie Naturelle is a collection of stoneware accent pieces in an organic, hand-thrown style,” says MD Rowan Harrison.

14 12TABLEWARE 8 TABLEWARE TABLEWAREINTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL

International materials technology company Lucideon has developed a range of ceramics whitewares training courses for industry professionals. The tailored courses are designed for tableware manufacturers, as well as retailers and suppliers, and are suitable for those involved in various business functions, from technical to manufacturing to marketing and sales. Each course is designed to provide attendees with both the theorectical and practical aspects of manufacturing processes that can be applied to the everyday challenges faced by the industry. “The training is very practical and interactive with plenty of time to discuss current technical challenges,” says Caroline Mullington, technology partner manager at Lucideon. The courses are delivered by Lucideon’s ceramics experts who have extensive experience working within the industry, developing new technologies and providing consultancy to many of the biggest names in the ceramics sector. “With our vast experience of dealing with, and solving, many of the problems that the ceramics industry encounters, we have a lot of knowledge that is beneficial to industry professionals. We are offering specific and dedicated modules to help people really zone in on the topics that matter to them.

The training will be very practical and interactive with plenty of time to discuss current technical challenges. The courses are run throughout 2016 at Lucideon’s Stoke-on-Trent headquarters.

“We can also provide bespoke, on-site training, tailored to specific needs,” says Caroline.

For more information and/or to register for Lucideon’s ceramic whitewares courses, please visit www.lucideon.com/whitewares

W H AT ’ S N E X T I S N O W

AUG 20-24 LEARN MORE AT NYNOW.COM

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exhibition news

news in brief

the NY NOW reports 6 What retailers say… per cent growth “ NY NOW reports growth with its successful Winter 2016 Market.

Almost 25,000 attendees experienced yet another incredible edition of NY NOW, which took place Jan 30 – Feb 3 and which was filled with hundreds of new and returning exhibitors and more than 100,000 new and on-trend products.

“This year’s NY NOW Winter Market continued its tradition of being a truly global stage for companies to share their new products with buyers and the industry,” says Randi Mohr, NY NOW co-director and vice-president.

The Winter Market experienced a 6 per cent growth in attendance compared to last winter’s edition, the growth including a 7 per cent increase in the amount of unique stores that were represented by buyers in attendance. Of the market’s almost 2,300 exhibitors, more than 150 companies returned to NY NOW after a hiatus and over 400 exhibitors were brand-new to the market, hailing from 40 US states and 42 countries worldwide.

“The show has been phenomenal! Every year, it proves to be better than the time before. We’ve had larger orders and reconnected with old accounts that we haven’t seen in some time and not only did they reorder, they reordered in a very significant way,” says Janelle Shufelt of Anna New York/Rablabs, a Tabletop + Gourmet Housewares exhibitor.

As an independent retailer, it’s our job to find the best of the best. If I had to choose only one market to attend – hands down, NY NOW would win.

It delivers the resources for keeping our stores fresh, creative and innovative. That’s why NY NOW is always our first choice for market.

Nathan Waldon, owner, Nathan&Co, home and gift independent store in two locations in Oakland, California, US

”

“

I thought that this NY NOW show was one of the best. We found so many new and exciting items for our stores and can’t wait for them to arrive. We look forward to the August show!

Larry and Marcia Duatch, owners, Jenss Décor

”

Extra day added to Intertextile Shanghai Due to strong demand for high-quality luxury home products, including textiles, in the Chinese market, the Autumn edition of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is being extended from three to four days. The huge demand for home renovation projects in China especially is creating opportunities for home textiles producers, with the value of home renovation projects forecast to exceed US$ 48 billion annually in the coming years and with textile products accounting for around 25 per cent of the total cost of home renovation projects in China. Held from August 24-27, the fair will occupy six halls of the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Shanghai. Compared to a single hall for overseas visitors in 2015, this year international exhibitors and overseas country pavilions will showcase their latest collections in hall 4.1. www.intertextilehome.com

Bringing the three shows under the Top Drawer umbrella enables us to keep things simple. The creation of one website and one marketing campaign, for instance, allows us to communicate more effectively and efficiently with our customers. The show is also easier to navigate with clear sectors and highly appealing to a diverse range of buyers and professionals.

Alejandra Campos, event director, Top Drawer

“

”

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Decorex unveils trends videos With 70 per cent of visitors to last September’s Decorex International reporting the primary reason for their visit was to discover the latest trends in luxury interiors, Decorex has produced a series of trend videos with industry personalities including renowned interior decorater Guy Goodfellow. Find them online at www.decorex.com Top Drawer adds Craft to autumn edition Due to the burgeoning interest in craft and handmade products Top Drawer is adding its spring Craft event to the autumn edition of Top Drawer, taking place Sept 11-13. Craft returned to the recently-held January edition of Top Drawer for the third time bigger and better than ever, with carefully-curated handmade products from over 150 contemporary makers.

Autumn Fair shortlisted for Best Trade Show The UK’s Autumn Fair has been shortlisted for Best Trade Show in this year’s Exhibition News (EN) awards, which assesses show organisers on their ability to meet show objectives, produce innovative content and marketing campaigns, record improvements in commercial performance, demonstrate visitor and exhibitor attendance, growth and diversification and the show’s longevity.

Maison sees drop in international buyers

Eva Solo My Flavor Carafe

Alessi Pulcina cafetiere

IHA announces gia product winners Both product and retailers were honoured for excellence in the gia awards dinner, which Tableware International attended and which took place during the IHHS Chicago Show. While Lords in the UK and Lakehouse in Canada were among the retail winners, Eva Solo and Alessi were among the brands in the product design awards.

Alessi won for its brilliantly-designed cafetiere, Pulcina from designer Michele de Lucchi, while Eva Solo picked up two awards, including one

in the Tabletop category for its innovative My Flavor Carafe, which features a removeable spike for piercing fresh fruit and herbs. Prepara won in Ktichenware for its Adjustable Oil Pourer, Aquarius Brands for its AquaBoy Pro II. “The winners are excellent representatives of the cutting-edge innovation and creativity that is driving the housewares industry today,” said Phil Brandl, IHA president and CEO, on the night. www.housewares.org

The January edition of Maison & Objet Paris saw an increase in French visitors but nearly double-digit drop in overseas buyers. Organisers of the five-day event, which took place Jan 22-26, said domestic attendance was up 4 per cent (of the 76,417 unique visitors, 52 per cent were from France) but international attendance was down 8 per cent, led by declines from countries such as Japan, which sent 26 per cent fewer buyers to the show. Officials said they were not surprised by such declines, which took place some two months after the November 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. Attendance from other European countries, such as Belgium and the Netherlands, however, was up 14 per cent and 4 per cent respectively, while Spain had a 1 per cent increase. The next Maison & Objet Paris takes place September 2-6. www.maison-objet.com/en

TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 17

licensing

news

The collections

Spotlight on…

Sieger by Fuerstenberg This month we shine a light on the decade-long successful relationship between stylish fashion and home brand Sieger and German heritage porcelain manufacturer Fuerstenberg

T

he collaboration between fashion brand Sieger and porcelain specialist Fuerstenberg, which has delivered no less than 14 porcelain tableware and giftware collections, started life in 2005.

“We were searching for a company who shared our high-quality standards and cultural awareness”, says marketing director, Christian Sieger, who along with his brother Michael founded the brand.

The brothers wanted a porcelain manufacturer who could deliver the highly-detailed designs they had visions of and felt that machine-made manufacturing wouldn’t be able to match the quality of hand craftsmanship; to achieve the sophisticated shapes and wafer-thin materials they envisioned.

Enter Fuerstenberg, a German luxury porcelain manufacturer with the expertise – 270 years – and craftsmanship to fulfil such a vision.

In the atelier at Porzellanmanufakturer Fuerstenberg, each individual piece of Sieger by Fuerstenberg’s latest collection Seven, for example, goes through 100 hands, delivering a one-of-a-kind object.

Debuting with the successful dinnerware collection My China! the collaboration has continued unabated for more than a decade with innovative

18 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

and new collections that are beautifully and thoughtfully designed featuring sophisticated forms and decors along with wafer-thin porcelain and precise craftsmanship.

“The Sieger team is responsible for product conception, design and marketing, while Fuerstenberg looks after craftsmanship and distribution,” says Christian.

The company’s design values – excellent workmanship, attention to detail, impressive functionality and surprising colours and forms – translates from the world of men’s fashion and accessories and on to the table.

Whether fashion or porcelain, “our collections are our personal vision of joie de vivre, individuality and quality” says Christian. “We create things for people who seek something special in their lives, who want to buy useful products that provide luxury in a quality you do not find these days and this maxim is apparent throughout the multi-layered product range and market segments – from the wafer-thin dinner services and charming objects through to the lifeaffirming fashion,” says Christian.

And while the fashion doesn’t directly inspire or translate to the tabletop – Sieger’s tableware launches are timed independently from the fashion

The two latest collections from Sieger by Fuerstenberg include Seven (pictured left) and Omnia (above). Launched for its 10th anniversary last year, Seven is a clever back-to-basics dining service encompassing just seven different pieces, each of which can be used in any number of different ways and combinations. Featuring five different patterns including satin white, geometric blue and light gold, and both glossy-glazed and satin-matt surfaces on the finest handcrafted porcelain, Seven unites minimalism with maximum universal style. Launched for Spring 2016, Omnia is the essence of modern dining culture, the entire service comprising of four pieces: a dinner plate, a side dish, bowl and cup.

Featuring a matte exterior, the thin-walled porcelain pieces come in pure white as well as anthracite, light brown, bronze and dark brown and are stackable. www.sieger-germany.com;

launches – “both can enrich the other”, says Christian, pointing to one of its most recent collections, Seven, introduced for the Sieger by Fuerstenberg’s 10-year anniversary last year.

“One décor in our Seven dining service, Hanami, shows an image you can also find in the accessories of our current 2016 Spring/Summer fashion collection, Koi-Koi, which is inspired by the Japanese cherry blossom, the symbol for beauty, and the famous traditional festival,” explains Christian.

And due to such coherence, Sieger decided to combine the products – the tabletop and fashion – in its recent fashion photo shooting (pictured top) and marketing materials.

Of this, Christian says: “We have more and more concept store partners who reach out to premium and luxury consumers; even original fashion retailers have started to sell porcelain accessories.

“On top of that, our marketing and communication measures achieve a higher emotional level by combining both sides. This way, we also manage to reach younger consumers and generate benefits in being seen in both markets.”

What inspires and drives designs for the tabletop concepts, in particular, are “the continual changes in our environment, society and culture”, says

Christian. “As designers, we observe society, its changes and its needs more closely than perhaps any other professional group.”

Christian cites how ‘simplify your life’ and ‘less is more’ are tendencies the brand has noticed in society more recently – with the Millennial generation, in particular – and this has inspired their two latest collections, Seven and Omnia.

A dining service of just seven different pieces, to be used in multiple different combinations, Seven is “perfectly in line with changes in society and is for those who consciously choose to own fewer things”, says designer Michael Sieger.

Now entering the second decade of its collaboration, Sieger by Fuerstenberg continues to do well, not just in retail but also in hospitality.

“We are positively surprised at the growth in the hospitality sector as well as that of private VIP projects.

“Last year was a historic year for us with our 10-year anniversary. We saw strong growth compared to 2014 and, for example, realised the growing interest of the US market as our product lines seem to attract more and more American customers,” Christian concludes.

5 minutes with...

http://www.fuerstenberg-porzellan.com

Sophie Conran Designer and foodie Sophie Conran has extended her partnership with cutlery and gift company Arthur Price delivering new cutlery pattern Dune and a gift set. “We’ve been working with Sophie since 2010 and the success of her first pattern Rivelin has been amazing. For 2016, we’ve not only created a new pattern Dune but we’ve also ventured into gifting with the creation of a four-piece knife set in an innovatively-designed box, which will take centrestage in the kitchen,” says Simon Price, CEO. We talk to Sophie Conran about the recent collaboration...

Why Arthur Price? I was delighted when Arthur Price asked me to design a range of cutlery for them as they are a market leader with a long history of making the highest quality cutlery. The joy of working with Arthur Price is that I’m always confident that the quality of the production, the finish and the materials used are never compromised. Together, we strive to make cutlery that will always be an absolute pleasure to use and that has a timeless elegance.

What is your design aesthetic? Being tactile as well as beautiful and functional is key to good design. I try to think about all the senses and how the piece will not only be used but how it will make you feel when developing a new product.

What inspired the design for Dune? Rivlin, our first collection, was inspired by the movement of water and is as smooth and tactile as a pebble that has been worn by the constant flow of the river. Dune takes a trip to the beach and has the added pattern of delicate ridges like the ones found on a beautiful shell.

The design was influenced by my love of simplistic, geometric shapes.

The Dune collection includes pastry forks, salad servers and steak knives, plus a 24 and 44-piece box set. The partnership has also extended into gifting with a four-piece knife set in an innovatively-designed box, comprising a slicing knife, chef’s knife, utility knife and paring knife and comes with a 10-year guarantee.

Design Duo

Iittala and Issey Miyake The collaboration Finnish glass brand Iittala, part of Fiskars Luxury Brands, and innovative fashion designer Issey Miyake have joined forces for the first time on a home collection, a range of textiles, ceramics and glass that invites consumers to celebrate the rituals of domestic life by setting a gentle mood with its colours and delicate shapes. “The two brands have always been true to their philosophy of timeless design and creative thinking. They also value tradition, functionality, craftsmanship and the use of innovative materials and methodologies in their design work,” says design director, Harri Koskinen.

The collection The collection consists of 30 items, from platters, plates and cups to vases, placemats and napkins in shades of pastel pink, white, black and aqua blue. The tactile play of textiles and pentagon forms of the glass and ceramic objects is an invitation to touch the material, while the colour scheme is inspired by the awakening of spring.

The textile products are based on Issey’s original folding and pleating techniques used in its clothes-making since the late 80s. www.iittala.com

While on the road I dined in all kinds of spectacular settings, which really fuelled my interest in design and greatly expanded it internationally – from royal palaces to the finest hotels and restaurants. I wanted to do something that was going to make a statement in design – classic contemporary is the best way I would describe it. I’m not trying to design a fad. I’m trying to design a timeless collection that will be around every year for the rest of your life. The collection is inspired by my travels and my Southern roots.

I’ve also tried to incorporate elements of my home and hints of some of my favourite collectables in the collection.

“

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Award-winning music icon Lionel Richie on his brand-new Home Entertaining Collection Lionel Richie Home. Created in collaboration with Impulse International! it includes a range of bone china dinnerware featuring six different motifs – Riviera, Regal, Geneva, Versailles, London and Milano – designed to be mixed and matched, along with weighted crystal barware in four ornate styles including the Manhattan, Empire, Rockefeller and Park Avenue. www.lionelrichiehome.com TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 19

trends products

TONALE Alessi Italian design brand Alessi has updated its Tonale tableware collection, which was conceived by British architect David Chipperfield in 2009, with two new on trend shades, pale blue and pale green. Tonale draws inspiration from Oriental ceramics and the shades used by Bolognese painter Giorgio Morandi in his works with the purity of form. Produced from ceramic stoneware with a satin-finished exterior surface and smooth internal finish, the blue and green extensions that join the original warm, earthy tones are designed to recall natural elements such as water and sky.

Pieces include a cup, teacup, soup plate, bowls, salad bowls and vases.

www.alessi.com

CASALE BLU Villeroy & Boch Villeroy & Boch is presenting a brand-new décor on its successful awardwinning Artesano Original shape. Created from premium porcelain and delivering the entire tabletop, Casale Blu offers a Mediterranean feel.

The design is typical of the Majolica style and is dominated by a bright blue combined with a delicate green and white. Four additional decors have been added to selected pieces, allowing this basic blue, green and white pattern to be enlivened and accentuated, while mix and match combinations can be created using the white porcelain of Artesano Original.

www.villeroy-boch.com

TREND: Blues & greens This year in interiors, there’s a focus on bringing the outside in with mossy greens and swampy blues. Tableware is tapping into this with collections that fuse blues and greens for a soothing and uplifting feel LIMA Q Squared NYC Created from 100 per cent luxury melamine, Lima is one of the latest patterns from luxury melamine pioneer Q Squared NYC. Guaranteed to brighten the day, Lima delivers lively greens and fresh blues in a mosaic tile pattern with pieces including a serving platter, dinner plate, salad plate, side plate, serving bowl and cereal bowl.

www.qsquarenyc.com ENTERTAIN 365 Lenox Lenox has this year extended its highly successful textured white range Entertain 365 to include its first coloured pieces. Sculpture Blue and Green is a colour block 2D pattern, the design of which was inspired by the prismatic texture design of the carved white version. The prismatic design features various shades of blue and green alongside dusty pink and neutral grey. “Blues and greens remain a popular colour trend for dinnerware,” says Sherri Crisenbery, VP, Lenox. A way of brightening the table, it offers numerous ways of layering in colour in either an impactful or subtle way.

www.lenox.com 20 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

We, the Great Wall of Culture Group Holding Co., Ltd. Guangdong mainly produce household porcelain, decoration porcelain in and other kinds of arts and crafts for more than 25 years.

We consistently devote ourselves to the creation of famous, good quality and new products and actively take part in the competition of the international market. We have a strong research and development team of more than 50 persons.

We have strong production capacity of more than 100 containers per month.

Our management concept is “Quality is the first life of enterprise, reputation is the foot hold base of enterprise”.

We warmly welcome customers, scientific research institutions and people of all circles at home and abroad to build up our “New Great Wall” hand in hand.

The Great Wall Of Culture Group Holding Co.,Ltd. Guangdong www.thegreatwall-china.com www.thegreatwall.en.alibaba.com/ Email: Vincent@thegreatwall-china.com, Email: Kerry@thegreatwall-china.com Tel:86-768-2932508, Fax:86-768-2931009

ID NO.: 1001176470

Trends Column

Tableware Trend Analyst Donna Ferrari

Donna Ferrari has worked in magazine publishing for over thirty years. As a consumer magazine editor she specialised in the tableware, homeware and bridal markets, and styled and produced stories related to bridal gift registry, wedding reception design and at-home entertaining. Personally, she has eleven different sets of dinnerware and closets dedicated just to tabletop accessories; she says she loves not ever having to set her table the same way twice.

Functionality Sambonet

Christofle

Multi-tasking is a way of life, now tableware that can do likewise is the focus behind many products’ development and message. The functionality of an all-purpose wine glass, transitional dinnerware, and the coupe-shaped canapé plates that can just as easily hold a biscuit, underscore a jar of jam brought to the table, serve as a spoon rest on a buffet … I could go on, are all household items that earn their keep in both space-challenged homes and by engaging the imagination of customers who feel the freedom, ever since rules went out the window, to employ an item creatively – think bone broth served piping hot table side poured from a porcelain coffee pot. In 1951 Gio Ponti designed his two-part centrepiece to serve double duty as a pair of footed serving bowls.

Sambonet is re-imagining this classic piece by applying a nanotechnology paint containing particles of porcelain on to the stainless steel: the colour options include Leather, Cement and Fluo – a quasi-fluorescent pink. Mood by Christofle is an ovoid-shaped, mirrorpolished, stainless steel capsule that serves to be decorative while compactly storing a Auratic

Topnotch design The trend toward products ro oducts esign with the top-notch d design est of power to stand the te test d keeping time is catching and n consumers’ attention four-piece service for six of silver-plated ted d cutlery. Nambé’s alloy Drift chip & dip ip server, designed by Wei Young, can be pre-chilled to serve crudités or warmed med d for nachos and cheese sauce or hold da floating flower, river rocks, or whatever ver whenever. Magisso’s White Line ceramic collection is designed to be pre-soaked in water to create a cooling effect that keeps food best served cold cool. When serving hot food just skip the pre-soak.

Villeroy & Boch’s premium bone porcelain Pasta Passion line includes two cleverly conceived bowl shapes that help you make an art of twirling spaghetti or snagging small slippery pasta pieces, and between bites, from keeping your fork from sliding into the bowl. Given a small plate’s multi-function forte Auratic is rounding out an array of its dinnerware patterns with corresponding canapé plates; the platinum accented Binche premium porcelain is shown here.

Timeless style The tableware category is one of the truest expressions of the decorative arts and offers a wide range of the best crafted, most timeless objects for accenting modern lifestyles. Lalique gives new purposes to its iconic anemone by adapting the motif to a line of crystal Anémone bowls, vases, decanter and votive. The design of William Yeoward Crystal’s Natalie hurricane / flower holder defies the passing of trends with its deep vertical cuts referencing a neo-classical approach to ornamentation. At Kosta Boda

Kiyasa Nambé

Functionality

Shine on

Lalique

the way the coloured glass within the clear glass in the Globe collection designed by Anna Ehrner seems to flux virtually elevates the vases and bowls to sculpture status. To celebrate its 80th year the Alvar Aalto glass vase collection for littala – a staple of modern Scandinavian design, adds a deep Emerald green to its colour range.

Glam and groovy Among some of the best new products count those with retro roots from: Hollywood Regency, a style high on dramatic shapes and glossy surfaces; the Art Deco era which applied inspiration from machine forms and technology to decorative objects, and thirdly, the craze for repeating geometric patterns made sensational in ‘60s/70s interior designs. These retro styles add Wedgwood a touch of glamour and pop to contemporary settings. The repeat pattern on Jonathan Adler’s Newport glass barware embellished with gold is as glam and groovy as it gets. For Haviland’s Hollywood porcelain dinnerware range designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard combined interpretations of tribal style tattoos with elements of all three of these retro influences; the lavish display of stylised geometrics are detailed with matte

Iittala

Jonathan Adler

Glam and Groovy

Ercuis

Timeless style Haviland and polished p platinum. At Mikasa the platinum finish on the sets of Cheers platin Metallic Ombré glassware echo the Meta Hollywood Regency fascination with reflective surfaces. Brian Gluckstein

by Lenox’s Clara platinum-accented bone china dinnerware channels the symmetry of art deco jewellery. Vista Alegre presented twenty collections of tableware and giftware with art deco styling, among them, the Emerald porcelain tableware features colourblocked panels in shades of green, matte gold details, and an art deco-style shape. Yet another homage to art deco aesthetics appears in Ercuis’s silverplated Transat cutlery.

Black again Once again designers are enlisting black’s versatility to create new statements in design. At Richard Ginori 1735 creative director Alessandro Michele’s Cirque des Merveilles collection proposes fanciful old-world silhouette and cameo images for a modern consumer; the porcelain collection includes coffee and tea sets, tabletop and giftware and is offered in the white background

shown or a tricolour version with black, sky blue and rose pink. Richard Brendon has a way of paring down formal, traditional designs to an elegant essence making them easy to live with today. Here, the matte black with burnished gold half orbit border on his Arc bone china pattern looks both avantgarde and classic. On Nachtmann’s Prezioso Nero crystal tumbler the sphereshaped cut facets create a symbiotic positive and negative design while focusing light on the drink. At Rogaska, the bowl shape of the Expert Y Black wine series of black crystal stemware resembles the letter Y; the why of which is to enhance swirling.

Shine on The Luxe-Casual trend has consumers taking a shine to products with gilt, glow, and shimmer, particularly when the glow is more buffed than bright and the shimmer subtle vs bling. Wedgwood’s Arris crystal collection, fused with an opaque copper embellishment, offers an understated glow to suit a chic, but casual, lifestyle. At Donna Karan Lenox the oil-rubbed Copper Luxe steel bowls and charger take on a luminous, soulful aura. At Annieglass the border of each

piece in the Edgey glass collection is hand-chiselled with a ball-peen hammer then finished with gold or platinum; the final effect looks raw yet sophisticated.

The colours of Raynaud’s Minéral Irisé Limoges porcelain dinnerware range, designed by Thierry Cheyrou, use metallic pigments to create an iridescent effect. The Swarovski crystals embedded Brian Gluckstein in Kiyasa’s Alligator Gold pattern,

by Lenox designed in partnership with Domenico Vacco, add eye-catching sparkle to the fine bone china’s naturalistic alligator skin appearance. For her Quadrotto collection for Egizia designer Paola Navone chose a soft satin finish for the ultramodern geometric designs Rogaska silk-screened on the glass with sterling silver; while at Luigi Bormioli, the Precious Glass barware achieves a mirror finish using a waterbased vanish.

And lastly, like all good things S.W.A.K., Rosanna’s porcelain Chez Elle wine coaster presents a kiss in gleaming gold.

Richard Brendon

Nachtmann

Black again Richard Ginori 1735

Rosanna

Raynaud

Profile Royal Crown Derby

Oscillate Collection Bespoke collection for Bettys Tearooms Bespoke collection for The Dorchester

Royal Crown Derby delivers bespoke tableware to global hospitality market With a reputation for creating custom-made high-quality tableware for high-end hospitality destinations like The Dorchester and Warwick Castle Royal Crown Derby is setting its hospitality sights on the global market

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enowned English fine bone china manufacturer, Royal Crown Derby, has a long-established status for combining the highest level of craftsmanship and design excellence to produce the finest tableware, giftware and intricate artistry vases, as well as a reputation built on being creators and innovators.

There are no signs of this reputation abating in 2016, with the brand moving into the Scènes D’Intérieur gallery at Maison et Objet, Paris in January, launching two new patterns – Oscillate and Broadway – to great acclaim, followed by a triumphant event at Ambiente Frankfurt in February, where it once again joined forces with parent company Steelite International to showcase its current collections and luxury bespoke service to the global high-end hospitality sector.

No small part of Royal Crown Derby’s innovative reputation comes from its distinguished history of creating unique custom-made quality commissions for clients including royalty, VIPs, dignitaries and highend hospitality destinations, which include, most recently, The Dorchester, London; Bettys Tearooms; The Waldorf Hilton London; and Warwick Castle.

With pieces executed by skilled artisans using traditional methods, the highest standards of perfection are achieved to meet clients’ expectations; and Royal Crown Derby’s wealth of heritage and design archives ensure it offers an abundance of creative luxury

24 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

solutions to its esteemed clientele.

Expertly managed by an inhouse design team to ensure the utmost discretion and efficiency, from commission right through to completion, the bespoke service is offered to private clients, highend luxury brand hotel and dining establishments and interior design consultants specialising in luxury jets, yachts and private residencies.

Andrew Klimecki, creative director for Royal Crown Derby, says; “Luxury is increasingly becoming defined by handcrafted, bespoke design and, thanks to the skill of our dedicated artisans, we have an opportunity at Royal Crown Derby to offer this service direct to our clients.”

It was the heritage and artisanship of Royal Crown Derby that really forged the collaboration with the iconic Bettys Tearooms, which commissioned the fine bone china perfectionists to create tableware for its indulgent, reservationonly ‘Lady Betty’ Afternoon Tea, which is offered in the Imperial Room, Harrogate or the Belmont Room, York.

The collection, designed exclusively

by Andrew Klimecki was inspired by a tea leaf design discovered in the extensive Royal Crown Derby pattern archives, which dates back to Bettys’ founding year, 1919, and features a dual-branded backstamp.

“Our shared British heritage focus on artisanship and our mission to deliver the experience of luxury and indulgence to our customers created a clear synergy for this collaboration,” says Christopher Oakes, sales & marketing

director of Royal Crown Derby.

“We worked closely with the team at Bettys throughout our bespoke programme, from design consultation and pattern development through to durability testing in our in-house laboratory, and we are extremely proud of this new union between two established British heritage brands.”

A commission in 2015 by five-star hotel, The Dorchester, London, to create a bespoke 15-piece banqueting china collection, also saw the brand deliver its largest ever order to date within the luxury hospitality market.

Each piece in the collection features an exclusively-created bespoke design incorporating 22k gold triangular stars inspired by the luxury hotel’s crystal chandeliers, as well as spirals reminiscent of those on the carpets of the Crystal Suite and is finished with a backstamp bearing the five-star hotel’s name and logo.

Christopher adds: “Our recent partnerships with Bettys Tearooms and The Dorchester, as well as our existing clients, such as The Waldorf Hilton London and Warwick Castle, mark a definitive move into the luxury hospitality sector for Royal Crown Derby.

“Response to our new patterns, shapes and bespoke service at both Maison et Objet, Paris, and Ambiente in the opening months of the year has only strengthened our position as the leading provider of luxury, bespoke tableware for the hospitality and food service industry, as well as private individuals and interior designers.

“We believe that 2016 will be an exciting year for Royal Crown Derby and we are looking forward to growing our relationships with existing clients, as well as forging new partnerships with future clients.”

Welcoming a creative approach to the experience of creating bespoke tableware and luxury giftware, the Royal Crown Derby design team provides on-site design consultations and works closely with each client to ensure every commission is tailor-made to a patron’s unique and exacting requirements.

The process begins by understanding the clients’ requirements and ideas, before progressing inspiration through design proposals and alternatives, including consideration of pattern, colour and shape. Only when the client is entirely happy with the proposed shapes and patterns will a project move towards completion.

As well as the full bespoke service, a wide range of existing patterns can also be customised, personalised with monograms and crests, or simply colour-matched to their personal preference using Royal Crown Derby’s in-house colouring service, catering for the diverse needs of the most exacting private clients, finest hotels, restaurants and dining establishments.

Royal Crown Derby supplies the retail and hospitality sectors in over 50 countries. For further information, contact Royal Crown Derby sales on +44 (0)1332 268 901 or email enquiries

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Profile Rosenthal

Far left: Philip Rosenthal; left: Walter Gropius with Philip Rosenthal; Above: Andreas Gerecke, marketing director

Celebrating 100 “ years of Philip On the occasion of Philip Rosenthal’s 100th birthday, we pay tribute to this design and business visionary and show how through Rosenthal’s brand-new Anniversary Collection the spirit and vision of Philip lives on in this innovative and exciting brand

S

ummiteer. Check. Sculptor of his environment.

Check. Job hopper. Check.

Comrade. Check.

Philip Rosenthal was a multi-faceted, talented and charismatic man. He climbed the highest mountains.

He drove a VW Bus and flew a plane. He loved good design.

Philip discovered, promoted and commissioned the most creative minds. He was a smart businessman and an enthusiastic politician. He was committed to his employees and allowed them to share in the company.

“Philip Rosenthal was a visionary entrepreneur with great ideas and a clear mission for Rosenthal: to create extraordinary design products with

Swinging Vases

state-of-the-art usability and he involved designers and employees in a process of creation,” says Andreas Gerecke, marketing director, Rosenthal.

A pioneer in the porcelain industry, Philip introduced technical innovations, state-of-the-art production facilities and contemporary products transforming his father’s porcelain factory in the 1960s in his hometown of Selb, Germany, into an international company for sophisticated tableware and home décor.

For example, “the studioline he developed marked a turning point in product development in the 1960s”, explains Rosenthal CEO Pierluigi Coppo.

And long before design was en vogue, Philip collaborated with contemporary artists, architects and designers – the

To sum Philip up, I feel it is best to quote him: ‘I personally have not developed or come up with anything, I have simply found people and ensured that they work together.’ For me, Philip was a visionary with the ability and the luck to succeed.

”

Andreas Gerecke, marketing director, Rosenthal GmbH

likes of Otto Piene, Tapio Wirkkala, Angelo Mangiarotti and, of course, Walter Gropius, architect and founder of the Bauhaus movement, who designed two of Rosenthal’s buildings as well as various Rosenthal collections.

“There are two things that Philip Rosenthal and Walter Gropius had in common: a sense for forward-looking design and the belief in improving the social environment through architecture and design,” says Andreas.

“That was the basis for their friendship.

At the end of the 1960s, together with his architecture firm TAC, Walter Gropius designed the factory buildings in Selb and Amberg, as well as the TAC tea service. These were key projects for Rosenthal that brought a lot of

international recognition. Even now, TAC remains one of the bestselling collections of Rosenthal,” explains Andreas.

Today, with more than 125 years of experience and expertise in producing innovative and stylish tableware, glassware and giftware ranges, Rosenthal – now part of the Italian Sambonet Paderno Group – has brought the precision legacy of Philip Rosenthal into the present day and is renowned globally for manufacturing innovative, ambitiously-designed and superiorquality lifestyle products, and continues to work with a diverse range of partners and designers.

Andreas says: “Philip Rosenthal´s vision, to create extraordinary and functional design and involve designers in the

Anniversary Gifts... Rosenthal has collaborated with different designers to create unique vases and bowls in porcelain and glass. The Squall and Blown Vase Series, designed by Cedric Ragot, are two new vases reminiscent of a whirlwind.

Designed by Silke Decker, glass vase series Swinging Vases (pictured) is inspired by delicate grasses and flowers gently swaying in the wind. Hot Spots vase series, designed by Christine Rathmann, features combinations of on-trend colours that create new moods depending on angle and light.

Palazzo Roro Inspired by Walter Gropius’ drawing of a pig sty for Philip Rosenthal’s pet pig and created by porcelain designer Ewelina Wisniowska, Palazzo Roro combines heritage and modernity, designed as it is using 3D techniques yet featuring a hand-drawn feel.

The sharp linear structure of the hay, which merges with the mesh of the fence and the outline of the palazzo, is the defining element creating the illusion of movement thnks to delicate reflections of shiny and matte gold in TAC architectural design. This results in a unique texture combining past and present, craftsmanship and technology. The pig itself is not far from the drawing – sitting in the middle of the plate, adorning the inside of a bowl. process, still drives the brand. In many ways his thoughts were ahead of his time and they are a great inspiration today.

“These thoughts are still driving the spirit of Rosenthal. For example, collaboration is still one of the key factors for the brand; we continue to work with young and established designers like Charlotte von der Lancken and Sebastian Herkner who create fantastic product.”

Some 15 international design awards in the last three years underline that such collaborations are highly successful.

Celebrating Philip’s 100th birthday, the company has launched an anniversary collection “representing everything that was important to Philip – innovation, the joy of experimentation, promotion of young talents, and good designs, and

15

incorporating both the historic heritage and the contemporary sides of Rosenthal modern,” says Andreas.

Enter a special range of Anniversary Gifts, the result of collaborations with different modern designers, delivering unique vases and bowls in porcelain and glass, from the Squall and Blown Vase Series designed by Cedric Ragot to Jos, a multi-functional glass object that can serve both as a bowl or decorative vase.

But that’s not all. “Rosenthal has also found an exciting way to combine history with new ideas and today’s interpretation,” says Andreas, pointing to TAC Palazzo Roro, a design inspired by the legendary story of the pig bet between Philip and Walter.

The story goes that Walter Gropius

lost a bet with Philip Rosenthal and so he had to build a sty for Philip’s pet pig Roro, producing a drawing of a Bauhaus-style sty. And, to honour Philip, that drawing of the sty, including pig, hay and fence, has inspired the design of a new anniversary pattern for the popular Rosenthal TAC form, which Walter himself designed.

“To create a new pattern with the pig sty as a starting point gave us the chance to combine an historic story with a contemporary design,” says Andreas.

Andreas concludes: “To sum Philip up, I feel it is best to quote him: ‘I personally have not developed or come up with anything, I have simply found people and ensured that they work together.’

“For me, Philip was a visionary with the ability and the luck to succeed.”

100 years of Maria For the 100th anniversary of the Maria design, Rosenthal’s most successful formal line and its most extensive tableware collection, Rosenthal has launched a new gift range. “Maria is a very special collection in Rosenthal history – the incorporation of a beautiful love story between company founder Philipp Rosenthal and his second wife Maria,” says Andreas. Enter Maria Originals, a special mug collection featuring eight mugs, eight designs, eight imaginative creations. Swiss textile designer Regula Studli has digitalised historic elements from hand-painted Rosenthal design books and combined them with her own modern designs featuring delicate blossoms and leaves in a contemporary colour palette. Also new this year in Maria is a delicate Christmas pattern and additional archive pieces.

The number in millions of Maria plates sold in the last 25 years making it Rosenthal’s bestselling formal tableware line. Comprising more than 100 pieces and featuring more than 200 designs, it is Rosenthal’s most extensive tableware collection.

TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 27

Sabre

Brand Focus Cumbria Crystal

Regency

Grasmere on the Downton Abbey set

40 years of handcrafting crystal Celebrating 40 years of creativity and craftsmanship Cumbria Crystal remains the last manufacturer of completely hand-blown and hand-cut, full-lead luxury English crystal in the UK

I

t was a passion for the preservation of British glassmaking heritage that gave birth to English crystal manufacturer Cumbria Crystal, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary.

It was in fact at a dinner party in a small English countryside town in the mid-seventies, hosted by Lord and Lady Cavendish of Holker Hall – where talk turned to the decline of British glassmaking heritage – that the idea was born. And in 1976, the Cavendishes, thoroughly passionate about helping preserve the traditional crafts of England, set up shop with Cumbria Crystal.

Today, 40 years on, Cumbria Crystal remains true to its artisan roots continuing to make everything completely by hand.

In fact, Cumbria Crystal, which is set in the town of Ulverston in the beautiful English Lake District countryside, is the last remaining producer of completely hand-blown and hand-cut, full-lead luxury crystal in the UK. Using only traditional glassmaking processes, the small team of 22 highlyskilled artisans create crystal of the

highest quality, using techniques and processes that have hardly changed since the Roman era – mouthblowing, hand-marking, hand-cutting and hand-finishing all of its products.

Unlike the majority of crystal manufacturers Cumbria Crystal specialises in working with 30 per cent full-lead crystal, which offers a number of benefits.

“The full-lead crystal boasts an increased refractive index promoting brilliant sparkle in the cut and a reassuring weight in the hand, which far outweighs the additional complexities associated with the manufacture and ensures a superior product exuding character and uniqueness,” says managing director, Chris Blade.

No surprises then that Cumbria Crystal is the crystal of choice for British Embassies, Royal families, luxury stores and residences worldwide.

So stunning is the company’s crystal that it has featured extensively on screen in luxury set-ups, both in James Bond films and a variety of period dramas, including Downton Abbey, the latter showcasing the Grasmere Collection.

Designed by Graine Cavendish herself in 1976, Grasmere remains the company’s most iconic collection, though new ranges have been introduced in recent years – subtle contemporary designs such as Lyre, Six, Regency and Sabre.

The company now manufacturers and supplies seven core stemware collections, supplying to the most luxurious retail addresses globally including London retailers Linley, Thomas Goode and Fortnum & Mason.

A new contemporary collection is currently being developed in collaboration with award-winning designer Peter Ting “whose name is synonymous with luxury goods” says Chris, pointing out that it will be launched at Maison & Objet, Paris in September.

It is the manufacture and supply of bespoke crystal, however, that is proving particularly interesting for the company with “30 per cent of our business now dedicated to bespoke work” says Chris.

“The flexible nature of the handmaking processes and the versatility of the workforce position the company well to undertake high-quality bespoke

production with lower development and prototyping costs,” says Chris.

And soon the company will be able to diversify further. As a result of winning an Innovus development grant earlier in the year, Cumbria Crystal will be introducing two smaller furnaces capable of expanding the provision to include colour.

They currently design and manufacture bespoke product for a number of luxury retailers, distillers and individuals including David Linley, Spey Whisky, Goviers, Christopher Jenner, Lee Broom, Glyndebourne and Hamilton & Inches.

It is such collaborations and partnerships that are helping the company develop many new initiatives and strategic alliances, which, says Chris, “will help secure the heritage of luxury English glassmaking over the coming years.

“The company is now looking to expand into new geographical markets including Japan, China and North America.”

Contact: email: info@cumbriacrystal. com; call +44 (0) 1229 584400; www.cumbriacrystal.com

Did you know...? Using historical processes, every part of the manufacturing process at Cumbria Crystal is done by hand, with nothing sub-contracted. The raw materials arrive in the factory, are then melted, blown, processed, marked up, diamond-cut, polished and inspected all by hand. In fact, the stems and legs are still cast on using an old Stourbridge technique, which is now almost extinct elsewhere.

28 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

Focus on trends and deals for Christmas at this year’s Exclusively shows!

With the UK’s largest line-up of top-quality homewares suppliers under one roof, it’s easy to spot new market trends and get your Christmas orders placed.

ADDIS HOUSEWARES s AEROLATTE s AMEFA s ANNIVERSARY HOUSE s APOLLO HOUSEWARES s ARTHUR PRICE s AUTEUR s AYDYA s CHARLES BENTLEY & SON s BERGHOFF WORLDWIDE s BHL GROUP s BLACK + BLUM s BODUM s BOSKA CHEESEWARES s BRABANTIA s BRITA s BURTON MCCALL s CHARLES VIANCIN s CITY LOOK IMPORTS s COOKWARE CO s COUNTRY MATTERS s CREATIVE PRODUCTS s CROWN TRENT s CULINARY CONCEPTS s CURVER s DAVID MASON DESIGN s DENBY BRANDS s DKB HOUSEHOLD s DNC s THE DRH COLLECTION s DUBOST COLAS PRADEL s EATON HOME & DINING s E-CLOTH s ECOEGG s EDDINGTONS s ELIA s EMILE HENRY s EUROPASONIC s FAIRMONT & MAIN s FALCON PRODUCTS s FISKARS s FOSSEWAY TRADING s GEH s GILBERTS s GOURMET GADGETRY s GREEN PIONEER s I GRUNWERG s HAREWOOD INTERNATIONAL s HAUS s HORWOOD HOMEWARES s HOT PLATE PRODUCTS LTD s IC INNOVATIONS s ICB s ICTC s IMPERIAL INTERNATIONAL s JERAY s JOSEPH JOSEPH s JUST MUGS s JWP s KILNER s KIS s KUHN RIKON s LE CHATEAU TEXTILES s LE CREUSET s LEKUE s LURCH s LUXURY HOUSEWARES s MAGEFESA BY VITRINOR s MAHITTI s MASON CASH s MASTRAD s MAXWELL & WILLIAMS s METALTEX s MEYER s MICROPLANE s MY GIFTS TRADE s NAVIGATE s NEAT IDEAS s NORDIC WARE s OCTOPUS PUBLISHING s OXO GOOD GRIPS s PENDEFORD HOUSEWARES s PHA KITCHESSENTIALS s PLAN B MARKETING s PLASTICFORTE s POLDER s PREMIER HOUSEWARES s PRICE & KENSINGTON s PYREX s RAVENHEAD s READY STEADY COOK s RKW s ROBERT WELCH DESIGNS s ROOT 7 s ROSTI MEPAL s H&L RUSSEL s RYLAND PETERS & SMALL s SABICHI s SALTER s SCOTT BROTHERS s SIMPLEHUMAN s SISTEMA s SMASH GLOBAL s SODASTREAM s STERCK s SWAN PRODUCTS s T&G s TAYLOR’S EYE WITNESS s TEFAL s TERRAILLON s TONTARELLI s TRADESTOCK s TYPHOON s ULTIMATE PRODUCTS s VACU VIN s VILLEROY & BOCH s WESCO s WESTERN HOUSE s WHITEFURZE s WHITFORD s WILTON BRANDS s WORLD KITCHEN s ZODIAC STAINLESS PRODUCTS s ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS s ARZUM ELEKTRIKLI s BENROSS GROUP s BEURER s CONNECT SERVICES s DUALIT s EPE INTERNATIONAL s EUROPASONIC s GROUPE SEB s HEALTHY FOODS/YONANAS s JURA PRODUCTS s KALORIK s KITCHENAID s MAGIMIX s MEYER s NUWAVE s RKW s SAGE APPLIANCES s SMART WORLDWIDE s SMARTWARES EUROPE s TEAM UKI s ULTIMATE TE s VITA-MIX EUROPE s WITT

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Run by the industry, for the industry

Exclusively Housewares will run alongside its NEW sister show Exclusively Electrical, designed especially for small domestic appliance buyers

FEATURE

MILLENNIALS

What Millennials want...

T The Millennial generation is now the biggest and most influential consumer group. We investigate what this key group wants from its tableware and discover how suppliers are meeting such Millennial dining demands

Omnia, Fuerstenberg Embodying the essence of modern dining culture, Fuerstenberg has cut back to the essentials with its new Omnia service. A universal tableware set, the entire Omnia service comprises a dinner plate, plate for breakfast, side dish, bowl and cup. Pieces are stackable and can be dressed up with the 24k gold-plated Omnia Ritual pieces as well as mixing and matching the white with anthracite, light brown, bronze and dark brown – “colours that satisfy the urban lifestyle’s yearning for naturalness and sustainability”, say the brand.

www.fuerstenberg-porzellan.com 30 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

here are now more Millennials (aged approx.

18-34) in the home and housewares-consuming marketplace than Baby Boomers.

With this influential consumer group dominating, it means a total reset of industry strategies on the part of stores and suppliers alike.

One area influenced heavily by this consumer group is product design and development.

Thanks to Millennials, the design focus for dining has shifted with this consumer group living more casual lifestyles, residing in smaller spaces and desiring product that is high quality, tells a story and doesn’t just focus on pure purpose but instead delivers impeccable aesthetics.

“Millennials are attracted to tableware that speaks to their casual lifestyles but with products that have great style and functionality,” says Sherri Crisenbery, VP of Lenox.

“They dress their tables to impress but in a more relaxed presentation of the most essential of items.”

The recently-launched Shades collection from Marchesa by Lenox is one example of a range tapping into the casual luxury demands of Millennials; fusing as it does a finedining, high-fashion look with gold banding alongside convenience and versatility – think microwave-friendly alongwith graduated shades and a variety of colourways.

“It’s the perfect dinnerware collection for someone who wants a beautiful, chic style for entertaining that also offers everyday care convenience,” says Sherri.

Luxury silversmiths Christofle, who are renowned for their fine dining designs, are also tapping into this key consumer group.

At the October New York Tabletop Market Christofle debuted its luxury casual Mood concept with the aim of “introducing Christofle to Millennials”.

Shaking up the classic codes of table setting, Mood is a streamlined, contemporary egg-shaped decorative object in mirror-polished steel with a walnut wood interior that holds a silver-plated service of flatware for six (24 pieces).

What do Millennials want..?

Italian Countryside, Mikasa

Ono, Thomas

Lifetime Brands has reinvented its 20-year-old design – this new modern mix-and-match stoneware range is focused on layering with four new colours (slate, grey, tan and blue), glass additions and relevant Millennial-friendly pieces like small appetizer bowls. It features scrolls, fluted bands and column-like details.

New collection Ono puts emphasis on the essentials – clever and multi-functional, casual yet suitable for any occasion. The striking grooved relief is not just there to provide a visual or sensory ‘wow’ factor but also has a functional use; the saucers for example can be used for any sized cup thanks to the grooves and cn also serve as practical covers for different-sized bowls. The porcelain is chip-resistant and dishwasher/microwave-safe.

www.lifetimebrands.com

www.thomas-porzellan.de

Designed for inpromptu dinners and casual brunches, this design-oriented piece is elegant, contemporary and yet practical and space-saving.

“This is what entertaining looks like today. It’s clean and contemporary and cuts across generations. It save space, doubles up, yet is a luxury item offering an informal way of being formal,” says Liz Nightingale, executive director of marketing for Christofle in the US. “Millennials have small spaces, yet want beautiful things and have the disposable income to afford them.”

Similarly embodying the essence of modern dining culture are two recently-launched collections from German luxury brand Fuerstenberg.

Designed with the Millennial in mind, for those who consciously choose to own fewer things, Seven from Sieger by Fuerstenberg is a 7-piece multi-functional collection for everyday with each product able to be used in any number of different ways and combinations.

“Today, consumers have smaller homes yet still have big disposable incomes and enjoy luxury – Seven fits this, it’s for them,” says Florian Marquardt, director for international sales at Fuerstenberg.

Also aimed at cutting back to the essentials, Fuerstenberg has launched Omnia for Spring 2016 (being unveiled in the US at the April

2016 Market), a service comprising a dinner plate, breakfast plate, side dish, bowl and cup.

“With Omnia, Fuerstenberg takes another major step towards the future by presenting porcelain that fits our contemporary way of life,” say the brand.

New collection Ono from Thomas similarly puts emphasis on the essentials with a stripped-back range that is clever, multi-functional and suitable for any occasion.

“The sophisticated concept means Ono functions with a reduced selection of items, creating more space in the cupboard,” say Thomas.

As Sherri Crisenbery at Lenox says, “Millennials are more practical about tableware and look for items that are multi-purpose and versatile, not just for storage and space-saving but also so they fit into a variety of different entertaining styles and functions”.

Vive la versatility In fact, versatility takes centrestage in Millennial tabletop demands; this consumer group not only want products that perform various functions but collections that have been designed to be mixed and matched, dressed up or down.

Sherri continues: “Versatility is extremely key to fit a variety of different entertaining styles and functions. What’s also important to Millennials are unique styling options.

Mood, Christofle Shaking up the classic codes of table setting, Mood is a streamlined, contemporary egg-shaped decorative object with a compact shape in mirror-polished steel with a walnut wood interior that holds a silver-plated service of flatware for six (24 pieces). Both functional and decorative, it is also spacesaving yet elegant.

www.christofle.com

“The new generation aren’t constrained by tradition and don’t feel they have to collect a whole set or have exactly matching pieces. They expect great design, fashion in tableware and the highest quality. It has to be versatile enough to offer multiple uses and of course it needs to be dishwasher-safe. They are also very aware of the features and benefits of the product and will happily compare and shop around for exactly what they want.”

Phil Atherton, group sales & marketing director, Portmeirion Group “Millennials are attracted to tableware that speaks to their casual lifestyles, but with products that have great style and functionality. Millennials are more practical about tableware and look for items that are multipurpose to satisfy multiple meals and occasions.

They dress their tables to impress but in a more relaxed presentation of the most essential of items.

Millennials like unique styling options.”

Sherri Crisenbery, VP of Lenox “Dining and entertaining is much less formal; consumers need products they can ‘dress up’ for entertaining but can also deliver for a night on the sofa in front of the TV.” Robert Levien, European product designer TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 31

FEATURE

MILLENNIALS

Natural Canvas, Denby This versatile and casual tableware range is designed for modern living.

With all the benefits of stoneware and the simplicity of white, Natural Canvas is Scandinavian in its influences, tactile glazes and functional forms. The roulette texture, inspired by the Chevron pattern of the 60s, showcases the earthy, artisan roots of the range. Smart design means each piece is multi-functional and it mixes and matches with other ranges.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, this collection fuses casual and formal dining with pieces designed to be multi-functional and practical.

Extensions are continually being made, including new patterns like Sophie Christmas and Sophie Blue, which deliver mix-and-match opportunities.

The latest extensions include Melamine for outdoor entertaining.

www.portmeiriongroup.com

www.denby.com For instance, they might love our French perle collection but want a unique table setting which they can create by mixing and matching the colours and patterns in their own personal fashion.”

Sherri also highlights Entertain 365 by Lenox, a casual dinnerware collection with three contemporary carved patterns and various shapes as well as new wooden pieces and the addition of colour, all of which works together in different combinations for every occasion.

“It’s designed to mix and match so you can make it your own, it’s stylish, sophisticated and stacks for storage,” says Sherri.

Product designer Robert Levien also believes that for Millennials “dining and entertaining is much less formal; consumers need

Sophie Conran for Portmeirion

products they can ‘dress up’ for entertaining but can also deliver for a night on the sofa”.

Robin points to his recentlydesigned Skye collection for Nambe with its “simple ‘easy-tolive-with’ shapes made in the most durable of tableware materials – bone china – and offering multipurpose functionality combined with elegance that fits how consumers live today”.

Similarly, Denby’s new Natural Canvas range delivers ultimate versatility with its smart multifunctional shapes meaning each piece can be used for multiple purposes and the range can be mixed and matched with others.

Phil Atherton at Portmeirion Group says that “people have limited storage space and are

also time poor so expect their tableware to be able to go from oven to table to dishwasher and to suit different dining occasions, from relaxed breakfasts to lively dinner parties”.

He continues: “Millennials aren’t constrained by the old ‘rules’ of tableware and will happily repurpose ware to suit their needs at the time so you may see a pitcher being used as a vase or a little bowl as a tealight holder. It’s all about flexible products that are durable, practical and easy to use.”

Mix and match With versatility so key, broad collections with a diverse offering of items in different shapes, colours and materials for mixing and matching are in demand.

“The new generation of tableware buyers has a totally different view of tableware to their parents and grandparents.

“They don’t feel they have to collect a whole set or even have exactly matching pieces; they are happy to select pieces that work for them and suit their lifestyle and expect to be able to buy the elements individually,” says Phil, pointing to the company’s 10-year-old super-versatile Sophie Conran for Portmeirion collection.

“It’s the perfect collection for Millennials – good for both casual and formal dining; and not only are the pieces designed to be multifunctional and practical but the launch of new patterns like Christmas and Blue enables the consumer to mix and match,” says Phil.

What the designer says... “Experience tells us to add as many features and benefits to our designs as we can, whether or not they are obvious to the retailer or the end customer. Stacking is an obvious example of this approach as the limited space in many urban homes makes compact storage a key benefit. For the retailer, if the saucer fits on top of the cup, three cups and saucers can be stacked on top of one another to create height and interest in a display.” Product designer Robert Levien on creating Millennial-friendly space-saving product, which he has done with the Skye collection from Nambe – think ergonomic pieces designed in such a way they stack well so retailers can build them up.

32 KITCHENWARE INTERNATIONAL

Shades, Marchesa

by Lenox Delivering casual luxury at its most versatile, the dinnerware collection Shades from Marchesa by Lenox was designed by haute couture fashion designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig. It not only comes in four colourways Marchesa Shades of Blue, Grey, Teal and White, but each colourway offers different shades within that colourway for maximum versatility. Its luxury contemporary looks – scalloped shapes, graduated shades and gold banding – are paired with everyday convenience.

www.lenox.com

Vision, Zieher The Vision series of wine glasses from Zieher are designed to be multi-functional aimed at “stimulating the creativity of the chefs and hoteliers who are working with them”, says head of Zieher, Manfred Zieher.

Made of lead-free crystalline using a traditional hand-blown method, the series of glasses designed so they can be used to present food as well as wine..

They are now available at retail.

www.zieher.com Robin Levien says that what is key for Millennials is a diverse combination of items that deliver a level of functionality that makes them truly multipurpose and therefore workable for many cuisines.

“Skye not only delivers a broad range of items, including bowls for pasta, rice, salad and presentation, but also delivers a mix of materials - bone china, glass and acacia wood – allowing for even greater versatility, mixing and matching.”

Royal Doulton’s collaboration with Barber & Osgerby last year delivered a collection Olio that combines contrasting materials – stoneware with wood – and a variety of shapes.

“We set out to design a tableware range of eclectic shapes, materials and textures – we imagine people will use the range in an ad-hoc way and enjoy combining it with existing pieces. This concept moves away from the conventional idea of buying a set of matching tableware,” say the designers.

And finally, aiming to appeal to a younger audience, Lifetime Brands recently reinvented its 20-year-old Mikasa Italian Countryside design, delivering a modern mix and match range that is focused on layering. It features four new colours, glass additions and relevant Millennial-friendly pieces like small appetizer bowls appealing to today’s shared dining experience.

How Millennials are shopping for homeware A recent presentation entitled ‘How Millennials Make Themselves at Home’, hosted

by HFN along with a panel of retailers and manufacturers at IHHS Chicago in March, discussed brand-new, exclusive consumer research.

The findings show that Millennials love to entertain, eat out less, crave unique experiences and authenticity, are environmentally-aware and socially-conscious; and that health and wellness is integral to their lives.

More Specific findings on the way Millennials shop for tabletop include: 70 per cent prefer lifestyle furniture stores to traditional ones; they are unafraid to combine decor styles, with rustic contemporary a favourite; and when it comes to glassware, design is the most important feature with contemporary looks the most popular.

So what does this all mean for housewares manufacturers and retailers?

Millennials have “raised the bar for manufacturers and for retailers as well. It’s important that we all listen to and learn from them,” says Jeffrey Kruskall, vicepresident business development, Meyer Group. “This consumer group’s biggest concern is that they want to be heard. At the same time, it’s not ‘one size fits all’ within this age group.”

Millennials like to do their own research, which has affected marketing and merchandising. Both packaging and online copy needs to be bite-sized or bulleted, simple, and in priority order. “Because they’re already so well-educated, we’ve found that when they come into the store, it’s beneficial for our sales associates to step back a little,” says KC Lapiana, owner of In The Kitchen and president of HTT Buying Group. “If vendors can provide us with video... that’s helpful. Millennials don’t like to be talked to unless they’re ready to be talked to.”

“Millennials trust their parents, they trust bloggers, and they trust online reviews,” adds Julie Owens, director of marketing, Blendtec.

“Brand for us is key,” says Kecia T. Hielscher., vice-president, Nordstromrack.com.

“Brands incite credibility. That being said, if we find a product that doesn’t have a strong brand but hits our other criteria, we can build a story around it.”

With Millennials in mind, Kecia’s team evaluates products for function, techsavviness, trendiness, customisability, and quality.

The panel agreed that social media and a strong online presence is key, though there may not be a single approach. While Julie says that “there’s no secret sauce for digital strategy” she believes you should always try to “tell a compelling story”.

Those stories can help cut through the clutter. “(Millennials) think quickly – they want it yesterday – and they’re multi-taskers,” says Jeffrey. “They could be watching House of Cards and researching cookware on their phone at the same time.”

As far as the push and pull between online sites and bricks and mortar stores, the panel had different experiences. The higher the item price, the more “likely they are to come in and try it out in-store”, says Julie. KC concurs: “They still want an experience. They like to be engaged.”

Kecia, however, says 50 per cent of her (multi-channel) company’s sales during the recent holiday shopping season were from purchases made on mobiles.

At the end of the day, Millennials are “completely comfortable with who they are,” said Julie. “And I think that’s one of the coolest things about them.” http://www.housewares.org/education/presentations-webinars

Did you know... Millennials, born between 1980 and 2000, are both the 20th century’s last generation and its first truly digital one and therefore are making their mark within the demographics of online shopping with nearly 72 per cent of Millennials researching and shopping their options online before going to the store, according to a recent study

by The Intelligence Group (TIG). When it comes to online shopping, statistics show that 68 per cent of Millennials desire an experience that is both integrated and seamless despite the channel. The same study reveals that nearly half of Millennials say they are interested in helping the brands they love develop new products. Companies who take the time to interact and take their customer feedback into consideration have a much higher chance of scoring brownie points on both a personal and professional level. According to a global market research survey by Accenture, some 95 per cent of Millennials would appreciate if brands would actively make an effort to reach out and send them material via email such as coupons and discount notices. Millennials love personalised, targeted promotions and discounts.

Barry Seamann Plate Tableware

Retail Column

Plate Tableware opened 10 years ago in Fulham, London, and stocks a contemporary range of tabletop, cookware, accessories and giftware for those with a passion for cooking and entertaining at home. Owner, Barry Seaman, sees dining as a great artistic opportunity and selects products from British and European brands for their quality, design and functionality. www.platetableware.co.uk

Tabletop showstoppers

My tabletop picks

Having just trawled the spring/summer shows, British independent tableware retailer Barry Seaman gives his lowdown on where and how to shop for tableware at trade shows and picks his best finds this spring

F

or most of us independent retailers, the first job of the New Year is to replenish those tired and empty shelves resulting from, what was hopefully, a very busy Christmas trading period.

For me, shopping for new tableware is the part of my job that gives me the biggest thrill. Finding new and exciting stock often leads to ideas and in-store initiatives that drive the business forward.

So how convenient is it that by the end of the second week in January, we are catapulted into the new trade fair season full of exciting new products, innovations and inspirational trends?

Trade shows are not only a source of new products and new suppliers but a time to preview all the new ranges from your existing suppliers.

In addition they are a great opportunity to identify current trends and themes, attend talks and seminars to keep up with what is happening in the retail world, and pick up ideas and tips on displays that can be taken back to your store. Socially, it’s also good to meet up with other retailers, especially when, like me, you’re a small independent shop.

There are several fairs to choose from early in the year, especially if you’re prepared to venture overseas.

Personally, I try to visit a new venue each year that I haven’t done before, along with the UK shows.

So this year, with flights and hotel rooms booked, I set off on my mission to find the best in new tableware.

First stop, as always – Home, part of Top Drawer. Described as ‘the definitive

34 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

homewares and interior accessories event’, organiser Clarion is certainly successful in creating an experience that matches any of the design-led halls at the European shows by attracting a unique gathering of companies with high-quality, innovative and stylish tableware products. Top Drawer continues to offer plenty of tableware products more suited to the gift market.

Maison & Objet in Paris never fails to disappoint and is, without doubt, my favourite show. It oozes style, taste and sophistication and is an absolute must for anyone looking for design-led products. Tableware, in one form or another, appears in many of the halls.

Ambiente in Frankfurt is not a show for the faint-hearted. Described as the world’s biggest consumer show with a total floor space equivalent to 48 football pitches (apparently), I would recommend anyone to go once, just for the experience of it all, even though you’ll spend most of your time navigating the huge site on mini buses and moving walkways.

In order to make the most of your visit to a trade show there are a few key points to follow. Armed with comfortable shoes, notepad, pen and a supply of business cards – know exactly what you want to achieve from your visit, what products you’re looking for, or ideas you want to explore.

Do your homework in advance.

Go through the exhibitor guide and identify your regular suppliers and other companies you want to investigate – identify their location and create a route and a hall by hall list. Tackle the halls systematically and tick them off once you’ve done them. You never know where you’ll find ‘the next best

thing!’ Identify talks and seminars and incorporate them into your daily plan.

Taking notes and collecting information is crucial, especially if you plan to order at a later date. Insist on being given the trade price and not the recommended retail price.

Don’t be pressured to order there and then, even though there will be special show offers to entice you.

Go away, take your time and put an order together at your leisure when you’ve explored the whole show. As you progress around a show you will hopefully see products from various companies that you can mix and match together to create stories and themes.

Customers nowadays are much more demanding and experimental in their approach to interior design because how they decorate their home expresses their personality. For this reason current trends should, to some extent, influence our buying.

Highlights for me this season include: a new range called Viva, a collaboration between Magpie and Sarah Campbell for Cubic Products Limited (cubicwholesale.com) with its geometric mood of diamonds and triangles; some beautifully-coloured ceramic bowls, platters and jugs from Quail’s Egg (quailsegg.co.uk); and Repeat Repeat’s continually expanding Menagerie range of mugs, jugs, coasters and placemats (repeatrepeat. co.uk).

It’s good to know that design and innovation in the tableware industry is still strong and that there is a great deal on offer out there to fill our shelves and entice our customers.

Quail’s Egg

Sarah Campbell for Magpie

Repeat Repeat

HOT SPOTS

BY CHRIS TINE R ATHMANN

www.rosenthal.de

Retail Potten & Pannen

Czech please!

Czech retailer Potten & Pannen delivers aspirational lifestyle concept stores where luxury, elegance and quality fuse and design and functionality are at the heart of the product offer

C

zech retailer Potten & Pannen, which represents some 30 global brands in its 11 stores across the Czech Republic and Slovakia, has built a reputation for itself over the past two decades as the most prestigious importer of design-led premium dining, kitchen and household products in the Czech Republic.

Born in 1992 by founder and president Pavel Stanek, the initial idea was to become the Czech exclusive importer of luxury homewares.

“Having worked in the premium kitchenware industry in the US and the Netherlands, I wanted to bring my experiences and knowledge to the Czech Republic,” explains Pavel.

“At that time, in 1992, just three years after the Velvet Revolution, there was a lack of quality producers, distributors and retailers in the Czech Republic. I wanted to show a range of high-quality products and communicate via my showcase that tableware and cookware is not only a

common consumer product.”

And Pavel has done exactly that.

Today, Potten & Pannen showcases tableware and kitchenware in aspirational lifestyle concept stores where luxury, elegance and quality are brought together.

In addition to being a wholesaler and distributor to big brand names such as Zwilling, Christofle and Rosenthal in the Czech Republic, exclusively representing such brands as well as supplying to major retail chains, Potten & Pannen has 11 lifestyle stores, six in Prague, one in Bratislava and the others throughout the rest of the Czech Republic.

The company has been strategic about its outlets creating different and relevant concept stores in order to appeal to different markets and tastes.

There are tableware and kitchenware concept stores, franchised cookshops, brand-specific concepts, an outlet and an airport store.

“We have the unique opportunity to show the entire wealth of our ranges in different environments and

Potten & Pannen founder Pavel Stanek

in different contexts and that’s what we’ve done,” says Pavel.

He continues: “Consumers can find the best equipment for sophisticated cooking and baking at the Cook Shop, while the Concept Store is more dedicated to trends, inspiration and luxury. One of our stores, for example, is mostly about steel, so it’s the place to go for the best knives and cookware.”

In fact, Potten & Pannen has been awarded for its creativity in concept store creation; the franchise project of Potten & Pannen Cook Shop – a retail concept intended for industry newcomers – was honoured with the gia award in 2013-2014.

Design and functionality are at the heart of Potten & Pannen’s product offer with high-quality luxury brands such as Rosenthal, Christofle, Villeroy & Boch, Alessi, Emile Henry, Lalique, Laguiole en Aubrac and Peugeot featuring alongside Potten & Pannen’s own-brand tabletop.

And Potten & Pannen’s broad portfolio of brands are showcased in

differing combinations depending on the store concept.

The 330-sqm Prague Concept Store features a mix of tableware and kitchenware – think silver from Christofle, traditional ceramics from Emile Henry and design-led collections from Rosenthal; the Bratislava Concept Store is divided into three zones, including one dedicated to luxury brands such as Christofle, Lalique, Rosenthal and Villeroy & Boch; the Cestlice Outlet Store offers porcelain and glass from Rosenthal, Thomas and Hutschenreuther, ceramics from Emile Henry, knives from Zwilling and flatware from BSF alongside kitchenware offerings all at 30 per cent or more discount; and the Terminal 1 Prague airport store presents luxury home and gift including large collections of Rosenthal Meets Versace and Rosenthal alongside silverware from Christofle, Peugeot spice mills, and gifts from Alessi and Lalique.

Tableware Brands... Christofle, Villeroy & Boch, Rosenthal, Opinel, Rosle, Kilner, Peugeot, Emile Henry, VacuVin, For Life, Staub, Bodrum, GreenPan, Zwilling, Bamix, KitchenAid, Kuhn Rikon, Mauviel, Lekue, Yankee Candle 36 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

Spotlight on...

tabletop Traditional sells Czech and Slovak customers are still quite conservative – our most popular patterns in dinnerware are plain or with traditional decors. Smooth glassware in simple lines and traditional flatware are most in demand.

“Our product portfolio consists only of ‘best of the best’ brand names and our customers are aware of this.

They know we are highly selective and if they buy here, they will always get a great product and great service,” explains Pavel.

But while Potten & Pannen already has a quality collection of brands, they certainly do not rest on their laurels, continuing to add new brands to the Potten & Pannen portfolio, visiting trade shows worldwide to source them.

“We regularly attend Ambiente, Maison & Objet, Paris and IHHS Chicago as each of these shows deliver their own specific orientation and flair,” says Pavel.

But it’s not just the broad high-end product offering that pulls consumers into Potten & Pannen’s lifestyle stores.

They also create and deliver creative and beautiful environments in which consumers can peruse.

In addition to offering unique and stunning surroundings (“We always work with renowned architects on our stores, who cooperate closely with the brand’s merchandising department,” says Pavel), the stores deliver interactive and experiential areas encouraging customers to interact with the products.

The Bratislava Concept Store boasts a zone dedicated to Swiss capsule coffee system brand Cremesso, which encourages consumers to try selfprepared coffee and tea; the Prague Concept Store features an in-store kitchen consisting of five stations for cooking lessons by leading Czech chefs; and the franchise Potten & Pannen Concept Store in major Prague shopping centre KOC Novy Smichov features an in-store Twin Café.

“To draw customers and to maintain loyal customers, we offer in-store extras and events, organising cooking events and demonstrations in cooperation with chefs,” says Pavel.

This isn’t the only strategy Potten & Pannen employs. “Besides our renowned service, we also have a loyalty programme,” says Pavel.

With 20 years behind it the Gourmet & Design Club has 7,000 members with those members receiving “permanent discounts, free additional services and special offers as well as being invited to free events and demos”, says Pavel.

From free coffee with each purchase and points collated for each purchase to percentage discounts, extended reservation periods and free delivery, Potten & Pannen’s loyalty programme is certainly proving successful.

“Last year – 2015 – was a busy and very successful year for us,” says Pavel.

“We exceeded turnover of 2014 by 15 per cent and we expect growth of at least 10 per cent in 2016 thanks to our new assortment and services.”

Part of Potten & Pannen’s new assortment is its own-label collection Pohlreich Selection. “The launch of our private label collection Pohlreich Selection by Potten & Pannen was an important marketing step for us last year,” says Pavel, explaining that the collection was prepared in collaboration with a famous Czech chef and therefore garnered great public attention.

Last year was important for the company’s ecommerce too – they launched a completely new e-shop offering new services to customers.

As for expansion in 2016, “we wish to grow our ecommerce and our franchise concept and we are continuously searching for interesting retail premises in both Czech and Slovak Republic capitals”, says Pavel.

“A personal dream of mine is to open a luxury dining store in Prague in order to present our tableware brands in a more complex and representative way.” http://www.pottenpannen.cz/en

Versatility is key Czech customers mainly look for simple beauty and versatility in tableware as many live in small spaces and need one simple collection they can dress up or down. This gives us an opportunity to offer them a simple yet high quality collection, which can easily be completed with a few interesting pieces for different occasions.

Bone china rising Bone china is becoming more and more popular in the Czech Republic.

Bestsellers Free Spirit by Rosenthal and Artesano

by Villeroy & Boch are two of our most popular tableware collections.

Mix and match purchasing The majority of our customers prefer to buy tableware open stock and build their collection piece by piece rather than buying a set.

Christmas collectables We have a strong Christmas tradition here – customers are keen on collecting Christmas pieces from their favourite brands. For many, it’s part of family tradition to collect a Christmas range. We represent Rosenthal, Lenox and Villeroy & Boch with Christmas tableware and gift lines and these are very popular.

TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 37

Retail Comment

Table talk We talk with independent homeware stores in the UK and Norway to find out how and where they source their unique product offer and what sells well

Triangle Victoria Mullen, co-owner, Triangle Store, London, www.trianglestore.co.uk Triangle Store was set up by three friends in London in 2013 and has since become known as a retailer of beautiful products. It offers a mix of mid-20th Century furniture, accessories, ceramic tableware and kitchenware, including products from Hay, Normann – Copenhagen, Iittala and Ferm Living.

On what criteria do you curate products?

We maintain a mix of products from local designers and the bigger brands. Our aesthetic is modern with a mid-century feel. We only sell products we like and display them in a way that feels like ‘home’. A lot of customers say they’d like to live in the shop! The continual pursuit of original, distinctive designs is an ideology central to us, keeping us relevant and fresh.

How key is it in retail to have a point of view?

It’s essential to stand out and offer different products.

Our focus is to keep the shop fresh and offer new products every season. We spend a lot of time looking for new designers and emerging brands. We don’t work on a ‘stack it high’ basis. The shop is curated like someone’s home – we need a point of difference in order to make people choose our shop.

From where do you source product?

We attend most of the shows including Stockholm, Maison & Objet, Paris and Top Drawer in London.

Although it’s useful to catch up with some of our larger brands, we also find visiting new cities, shops, exhibitions and places of interest really useful.

What trends are you seeing emerge?

People really want to buy quality products for their homes and kitchens, in particular. Customers are happy to pay more for an item that will last. There has been a real re-emergence in stoneware this year, with lots of smaller potteries creating beautiful ceramics for the kitchen. A big Japanese influence is happening.

What tableware does well for you?

We’ve just started stocking Iittala, its glass and ceramic ware and stunning kitchen products. Due to demand, we’ve also expanded our kitchenware offer.

38 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

Palmyre Living Nicolette Horn, interior designer, co-owner, Palmyre Living, Oslo, Norway Born out of a passion for adventure and a love of fine and unique objects, Palmyre Living delivers tropical island décor from around the world statement furniture and accessories, including tabletop, that is colourful and one-of-a-kind.

There are napkins from Kim Seybert, serveware from Mario Luca Giusti, dnnerware from Juliska and Herend and cutlery from Sabre.

On what criteria do you curate products?

Products exclusive to Palmyre and with a colonial traditional look and exotic island influences. I’m so inspired by Oriental/Asian and Colonial art and architecture so I curate accordingly, everything from bamboo-rimmed plates to tropical fruitcoloured glassware. It’s been really successful.

How key is it in retail to have a point of view?

Absolutely essential – you have to stand out, give consumers a reason for visiting. Having such a distinct point of view is probably the reason we do well. It’s taken time to change people’s décor vision from greys to colour, though; in Norway, people tend to copy each other. But now people are starting to be more daring, to embrace colour.

From where do you source product?

I attend few shows but I travel the world sourcing product; I have lots of contacts in the design world. Most products are sourced in Asia or the US; very little comes from Europe but that is changing for us. Just this morning I was doing business with a lovely lady in the Philippines – I love the Phillipines, they are such talented people.

What trends are you seeing emerge?

I feel a huge move into Melamine tabletop and thankfully, I love it too. My favourite is Mario Luca Giusti, his colours are so intense. Coloured casual glass is doing well; I love Hans Rottner – think deep colours meets edgy design. In the US, a tabletop with placemats, napkins and statement pieces has been popular for a while but in Europe, it is less so, though it seems to be becoming more of a thing in Europe today... to have more on the table.

What tableware does well for you?

Juliska, Herend and Alberto Pinto tableware; Sabre flatware and the colourful Melamine tableware from Mario Luca Giusti.

Goulds department store & garden centre Anne Pitman, cookshop and gifts buyer, Goulds, Dorset, UK, www.gouldsonline.co.uk Started in 1902, Goulds has developed into the premier department store group in Dorset, Devon, in the UK. Goulds offers the latest innovations in home furnishings, including tableware and cookware, as well as gifts, women’s fashion and gardening. In addition to opening a catering outlet for busy people, Dorset Kitchen Food To Go, in 2012, the company launched Goulds Online (www.gouldsonline.co.uk) in 2007.

On what criteria do you curate products?

Made In England is important to our customers and we like to support suppliers who are still manufacturing in this country, though customers do still hesitate at the price. Dorchester is still very traditional which is why Portmeirion Botanic Garden tableware remains one of our bestsellers.

How key is it in retail to have a point of view?

I think it’s key to have something that makes you stand out from the crowd and for Goulds it is definitely our customer service as we always go the extra mile to make sure our customers are happy.

From where do you source product?

I attend Spring fair and Autumn Fair in the UK and we are a member of AIS so we have several shows a year as well as Exclusively Housewares. Trade magazines are good for keeping up with trends and they also help keep up with what’s happening on the cookery programmes on TV. Listening to your customers is valuable as well as they have more time to watch TV programmes and discover the latest gadgets and trends.

What trends are you seeing emerge?

In homewares, Joseph Joseph is still a front runner as it’s trendy, it works, it appeals to all age groups and the price range is good. In tableware, apart from Portmeirion Botanic Garden, I’m finding that customers are opting for plain white and pastels; it has to be dishwasher-safe too – customers today want to use their tableware every day, not keep it back for best.

What tableware does well for you?

Tableware is steady as I think people get fed up with the tableware they have and are always looking for something new. We’ve never got enough mugs in stock; they are very much an impulse buy and customers do like to have a huge choice. Dunoon mugs are particularly good for us but you also need to have a lower price point and the mugs from Churchill China are a good choice as you get a lower price point but also Made In England. Portmeirion’s Botanic Garden, Evesham Gold and Sophie Conran for Portmeirion are all performing well because they offer giftware as well as tableware. Denby’s Imperial Blue and Regency Green just seems to keep on selling year in, year out. Maxwell & Williams’ Basics range and Cashmere Collection and its boxed sets of mugs are popular as they deliver plain white tableware that goes with anything and is dishwasher-safe, so consumers can mix it in with existing patterns and add brightly-coloured mugs for everyday use.

TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 39

Meet Isabelle von Boch

Expert

An eighth generation member of the Villeroy & Boch family, Isabelle grew up on a farm in Germany near the French border. Isabelle inherited her family’s passion for dinnerware and is an ardent advocate for using your good china every day. Today, Isabelle lives in California and is a spokesperson for the company her ancestors founded and enjoys sharing her knowledge about the latest trends in dinnerware as the editor of the Villeroy & Boch On The Table blog and through her Fashion of Tableware tour.

Column

Isabelle von Boch

www.villeroyandboch-blog.com

From mixed materials to multi-functionality to outdoor dining pieces, our tableware expert Isabelle von Boch celebrates the rise of casual dining

O

ne of the most fascinating things about being in the tabletop industry is seeing how social and cultural trends impact it.

More recently, I’ve noticed this more and more as culturally we’ve become increasingly casual and global — and this is being reflected on the table.

When it comes to dining today, the emphasis is increasingly on the social aspect of getting together with people demanding quality time, quality food and quality products to go along with that.

This makes perfect sense; who, after all, wants stress in their downtime when they already have it in their pressured, fast-paced lives? Who wants the hassle of pulling off formal entertaining?

A formal setting creates higher expectations among both host and guests and it can take forever to prepare for a formal dinner.

In contrast, a casual dinner can be pulled together quickly and reflects a more laid-back lifestyle that is currently being enjoyed in homes globally.

Open-plan living spaces no longer feature formal areas; the extended kitchen is emphasised – foodies like to be around people, around the kitchen, and are into communal areas rather than cordoned-off rooms.

But casual doesn’t have to mean unsophisticated and that’s particularly true when it comes to the table.

You can still use your runners and placemats to add visual interest; when chosen properly, they allow you to change the mood quickly and effectively.

You can also create ambience with soft lighting, votives or candles, fresh flowers or greenery.

The key to casual tabletop success is in the mix. Juxtapose glass and porcelain with rustic wood and jute; 40 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

the way that pieces are mixed allows consumers’ personal style to shine.

No matter what, I always use crystal and pair it with colourful glass such as Colour Concepts. I also use chargers; they’re often relegated to formal settings, but the glass ones in Colour Concept work beautifully in a less formal setting.

I am all about casualising the formal: using the most elegant, traditional bone china – the ‘good stuff ’ – with pieces from Amazonia and casual placemats and linens in natural textures. Mixing Artesano white plates with Artesano Provencal lavender bowls, for example.

It’s not unlike the return to casual looks in fashion: rather than head-to-toe glam, the look du jour is a cashmere sweater worn with torn jeans.

This shift to casual has also seen the traditional configuration of the five-piece placesetting fly out the window. It’s all about open stock now.

Demand for, and appreciation of, global cuisine is key in casual dining too.

As a multinational company, resident in 125 countries, Villeroy & Boch is intrinsically connected to many different cultures offering open stock to suit a variety of cuisines.

We speak to global cuisine with a dazzling array of sizes and shapes: dip bowls for sauces, small plates for tapas, rice bowls, pasta bowls, salad and soup bowls, serving bowls, fish platters. We have a plate – or bowl – for every food.

We are in fact seeing the rise of bowls over plates – today’s consumers like to layer and combine flavours rather than segmenting meat, potatoes, veg. Bowls, such as poke bowls – my personal favourite and a major food trend – help consumers accumulate the depth of flavours in a dish; on a plate, the sauce runs away.

Healthy and fresh is the mood du jour and bowls are perfect for filling with vegetables, greenery and spices.

Anmut Flowers BBQ Passion

People today are concerned with where their food comes from, what’s in it, and how what they eat makes them feel.

It’s truly exciting.

Villeroy & Boch has catered to these healthier trends with dinnerware concepts. BBQ Passion caters to grilled meats, vegetables, and fish – think Paleo or low-carb eating. Pasta Passion is not just for pasta but also for couscous, quinoa salads, noodles, one-pot meals – the circular portion made for twirling pasta makes anything easier to eat.

Such multi-functionality is a key part of the casual trend where no tableware piece is restricted to just one function or just one occasion, with pieces now designed to be used both indoors and outdoors, for example.

Outdoor dining has become increasingly popular with the patio, deck and terrace now extensions of the home. More and more people are barbecuing outdoors – feeding into the rising casual dining trend.

I like to use outdoor pieces indoors; it makes me feel like I’m outdoors when the weather doesn’t comply.

Similarly, taking indoor pieces outdoors, like Anmut Flowers and S Plus flatware, adds texture and colour that beautifully matches that in nature, creating a connection and enhancing the experience.

After all, meals with loved ones are about more than just the dinnerware —they are about the entire experience.

kate e n g r a v e d

www.cr ystalex.cz

Guide Glassware

Waterford Crystal With brewers now crafting beers with the complexity of fine whiskey, Waterford Crystal has introduced Lismore Connoisseur Beer collection, a new range of speciality barware crafted for the connoisseur of beer, including four different beer glasses – a beer mug, pint glass, craft beer glass and Pilsner glass – each crafted with the intricate Lismore design.

Essentially Waterford is a modernised approach to luxury home entertaining – it delivers two distinctive new patterns on giftware, barware and stemware.

Essentially Dungarvan (pictured) recalls a motif originally created

by Waterford Crystal’s chief designer, Miroslav Havel in the 1950s, and features intersecting cuts and linear chevrons.

Essentially Wave includes a fine diamond cut with dramatic diagonal flares suggesting the rugged Irish coasts against the wild Irish seas. www.wwrd.com

42 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

The annual glass buyers' guide

Crystal clear growth Cut crystal is having a renaissance with more contemporary crystal designs reaching a new customer who is fine drinking at home and handcrafted bespoke designs in demand in the luxury sector

T

he growth of the global luxury market is exponential. From US$247bn five years ago to $338bn last year, this market has seen a rise of 36 per cent according to market data specialist Euromonitor, with demand hailing from Russia, China and other fast-growing countries as well as developed markets. Euromonitor forecasts that spending on luxury goods will be $463 by 2019, an increase of 88 per cent in 10 years.

Fine wines and spirits are among the luxury goods growth segments with Euromonitor predicting a 94 per cent increase between 2009 and 2019.

It’s no surprise therefore that crystal and cut crystal barware, in particular – stemware, cocktail glasses, decanters and spirits glasses – in contemporary designs is witnessing a bit of a renaissance with consumers,

Millennials especially are investing in crystal barware in order to entertain in style and showcase their fine wines and experimental cocktails.

“Heavy, deep-cut crystal luxury glassware is making a resurgence, even in the hospitality industry, as it communicates exclusivity and personality. It is a category doing well for us right now,” says Robert Pierucci, CEO of Italian crystal company RCR Cristellaria.

Serena Williams, senor manager of retail channel marketing at Libbey concurs: “Glassware today isn’t just a commodity household item, it’s an important way to add style, incorporate trends and elevate the experience of consuming beverages. And with the growth in the spirits category in particular, we are seeing interest in more refined glassware to elevate presentation.

“Millennials, in particular, are leading the way with their desire

to experiment with different flavours and types of drinks and are investing in glassware that allows them to celebrate the experience of the beverages they consume.”

As the last UK manufacturer of crystal that undertakes every production process in house without any subcontracting, Cumbria Crystal says that its full lead (30 per cent) hand-cut crystal in contemporary designs is increasingly popular.

“We have experienced significant demand for our products over the past six months,” says Chris Blade, managing director of the luxury British brand.

“Demand in the luxury sector is very strong especially as it’s now easier to develop bespoke ranges without exorbitant developments,” says Chris.

Cumbria Crystal has in fact seen significant growth, in

“

For a long time people have been paying more attention to the provenance of the food and drink they consume. I think this way of thinking and consuming is now trickling down to tableware – and to glassware – and the size of the audience interested in beautiful crafted products is growing.

”

Designer, Richard Brendon particular, for bespoke projects, which is no surprise considering the luxury sector growth.

“Some 30 per cent of our time is spent on bespoke projects and demand is strong. Recently we developed a range of new glasses and decanter with Spey Distillery and this will launch in a few months,” says Chris.

One of the UK’s only major crystal factory Dartington, which hand-makes 24 per cent lead crystal stemware and barware in the UK, is also celebrating strong growth, driven they say by working with some of the world’s leading brands; they recently partnered with luxury Scotch whisky brand Chivas Regal to produce a mouthblown, hand-finished crystal decanter for Chivas Regal The Icon, its premier whisky.

Sector growth is also crystal clear due to the significant investments crystal companies are currently making, especially with regards to taking on crystal-cutting apprentices.

Dartington is one. With some 120 employees, the company has just taken on two young glassmaking trainees – the first time in many years they have needed to recruit and train new glassmakers.

Waterford Crystal, which handmakes 50,000 pieces each year, is another. Having not taken on any apprentices for the past three decades, Waterford

Retail spotlight...

Tanagra Stores, Middle East Gwendoline Fontaine, general manager at Tanagra, a chain of 10 speciality multibrand luxury home and gift concept stores in five countries across the Middle East

recently re-ignited its Apprentice Programme, recruiting eight trainees.

“We’ve seen growth in the demand for crystal pieces and therefore the need to reintroduce the apprenticeship programme,” says Waterford's European brand manager, Emily Brophy.

“It’s a healthy sign that desire for cut crystal is certainly strong. We're finding that since the recession people are once more seeing the value of quality and investing in pieces they can pass down from generation to generation.”

Emily points to cut crystal barware, in particular.

“People are more into home entertaining and the service and ritual is important. Our whiskey story is especially strong as we are finding that an appreciation of fine drinking has become cool again, this time with a brand-new generation.”

Serena Williams at Libbey agrees: “Cut glass designs are popular, particularly those featuring new twists on classic cocktails. Glasses with faceting and cut glass designs deliver a retro-inspired look that is popular with consumers and we are seeing a growing interest in such glassware."

Fine bone china specialist Richard Brendon, who recently entered the hand-cut crystal barware segment having witnessed such demand concurs: “People

“

Tanagra offers four crystal brands to its customers: Baccarat, Lalique, Mario Cionni and Moser. Each brand completes each other in style, know-how and price range and each delivers a lovely and unique manufacturing and handcrafted story to tell.

Baccarat is the Tanagra companion brand, introduced to Tanagra customers 50 years ago, and it has been our major crystal brand in sales ever since. Moser is the last one to have been introduced, two years ago, and we share the pleasure of their exceptional engraving know-how and the delicacy of their colours with our customers. Mario Cionni is seeing the fastest growth in the decorative bowls category; its modern style has engaged new and younger customers.

Finally, Lalique is only present in the UAE and Bahrain stores where the brand enjoys excellent performances in the crystal figurines category, in particular.

Handcrafted crystal is a key trigger for customers across the Middle East, for those looking for unique pieces created via generations of talented craftsmen who have built the reputation of these European crystal manufacturers.

The brand reputation both pleases customers and offers them security in their purchases. Our customers get to enjoy pieces from brands that are seen in European museums and they understand that each piece is part of a patrimonial culture where Art of Living involves beauty.

Our customers understand that generations of Kings and Emirs enjoy the pleasure of this know-how in their palaces and so it has become part of the overall culture in the Middle East.

Tanagra offers crystal in all categories – home lighting, decoration and tableware. Thanks to Baccarat chandeliers, the lighting category today represents a 10 per cent share of our overall sales; but the star category of our crystal sales are the decorative pieces, 47 per cent with bowls, candelabras, vases and figurines.

”

TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 43

Guide Glassware

Zwiesel Kristallglas For more than 140 years Zwiesel Kristallglas has been a market leader in the manufacture of glass receptacles for the hospitality sector. For 2016, it has launched an innovative new collection, Air – a collaboration with Swedish design duo Bernadotte & Kylberg. Characterised by a purist, timeless and lightweight design, the Air series (pictured above left and right) consists of two different versions that come under two different brands: the machine-made Air under the Schott Zwiesel brand; and the mouthblown Air Sense under the Zwiesel 1872 brand. The slightly curved, almost weightless glass form unites both versions and both are made from the company’s patented Tritan Protect crystal, a technology offering double protection, increasing breakage resistance and robustness. Both consist of ten different glass sizes – water, Chardonnay, Riesling, red wine, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and dessert wine, as well as an all-round tumbler and Champagne saucer. Red and white wine decanters round off the series. Air delivers a gently curving form of bowl designed for the sensory enjoyment of well-known wine types and a delicate stem. Air Sense delivers delicate glass wall thickness and includes an innovative integrated glass decantation sphere – this crystal clear glass sphere is located at the bottom of the stemmed glasses and decanters and guarantees an additional decantation effect. www.zwiesel-kristallglas.com

“

We are finding that since the recession people are once more seeing the value of quality and investing in pieces they can pass down from generation to generation.

”

Emily Brophy, European brand manager, Waterford care more about the drinks they are consuming than ever before and it seems only logical that they will want beautiful handcrafted barware to serve them in.

“For a long time people have been paying more attention to the provenance of the food and drink they consume. I think this way of thinking and consuming is now trickling down to tableware – and to glassware – and the size of the audience interested in beautiful crafted products is growing.”

Diamond by Richard Brendon is a contemporary cut crystal barware collection with simple forms that are mouth-blown and then handcut with a tight diamond pattern; as light passes through the crystal it is brought to life by refraction

What the retailer says… There is significant demand for crystal glassware in the Greek market so we find it a stable category.

We offer lead crystal and crystal glass pieces from our major suppliers such as Rosenthal, Riedel, Villeroy & Boch, Leonardo, Lenox and Schott Zwiesel as well as our own brand Madelene, delivering crystal items made specially for us from various manufacturers. We sell mainly crystal stemware and then crystal decorative items followed by crystal for everyday use such as carafes and ice cream bowls. Mary Sarafidis, chief buyer, Parousiasi, a chain of 48 luxury tableware stores throughout Greece 44 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

creating a myriad of colours and glistening sparkles.

“Nothing compares to mouthblown, hand-cut crystal – the tiny variations from piece to piece gives it character – you can literally see and feel the craftsmanship that goes into making each piece,” says Richard.

He continues: “I think when things are machine-made they lose their character, everything looks and feels the same and this is very boring and not special. It is essential that lead crystal is cut, not moulded, even if the cutting is done by machine. This is because the cuts create refractions of light, which bring this beautiful material to life. Moulded crystal is lifeless and feels soapy.”

What the retailer says...

“

Retro styles and cut crystal is big – we're finding that we can’t keep enough French vintage Champagne coupes and cut glass decanters in stock. Opulent and timeless glass pieces are always popular as they are so desirable and make amazing gifts.

Libbey tumblers

”

Shaun Clarkson, renowned interior designer and owner of eclectic design store Pitfield London Chris at Cumbria Crystal also believes that “the story behind handmade, cut and blown crystal is very compelling”.

Mary Sarafidis, chief buyer for luxury tableware retail chain Parousiasi, which sells a lot of hand-cut crystal across its 48 multi-brand stores, says that “a hand-cut handcrafted product is a symbol of preciousness to Greek consumers signifying hard work, attention to detail and uniqueness”.

Retailers are increasingly putting emphasis on barware stories, creating themed stories around entertaining at home with statement barware and some are even “creating tasting

experiences and events to promote and support the sales of their products”, says Robert, RCR. Serena Williams at LIbbey agrees: “Our research tells us that consumers are celebrating just about anything – big or small – at home. These everyday celebrations and social experiences demand versatile glassware that reflect the uniqueness and specialness of each event.

"Retailers know that showcasing trend-right tablescapes – from sophisticated to casual to everyday – is critical to increasing sales. Consumers want to see themselves in the stories retailers are telling.”

Did you know…? In the past, Nambé enjoyed a partnership with Waterford Rogaska in the creation of its beautiful crystal designs.

Nambé are now thrilled to announce that in 2016 the design and manufacturing of Nambé Crystal and Glassware will transition back to Nambé. And with casual glassware a category poised for growth, Nambé will be introducing a comprehensive glassware collection spanning bowls, serveware and giftable items during the April New York Tabletop Show.

Serena Williams

Amy Miles

5 minutes with... Libbey We talk to Serena Williams, senior manager of retail channel marketing and Amy Miles, senior manager of global branding and digital, both at Libbey What categories are doing well for Libbey right now?

Consumers today are more educated about the range of beverage options and appreciate glassware that enhances flavour. They also have high standards when it comes to taste and presentation. Millennials are leading the way with their desire to experiment with different drinks and are investing in glassware that allows them to do so. The growth of these beverage segments illustrates a shift in the diversity of beverage consumption. At Libbey, we work diligently to stay ahead of emerging beverage trends. We’ve created beverage-specific glassware designed to enhance the flavour profile and presentation of the drink. Several beverage trends, including craft beer, dark spirits and wine, are driving sales of glassware. With the popularity of craft beer, more consumers now understand that different types of beer are best served in beer-specific glassware. American whiskey is leading the growth of the spirits category – the right glassware will elevate the presentation and experience of speciality spirits.

Wine sales continues to trend upwards as consumers have more knowledge about wine varietals, they are also understanding different wines are best served in stemware that enhances its attributes.

What is your bestselling glassware?

Surprisingly, tumblers are the most popular glassware product category worldwide. The shape is rather non-descript, which gives the perception that it is a universal glass and can be used with a wide range of products. While the glass definitely serves many purposes, we believe that reliance on this glass will begin to change over time as consumers continue to trend towards using the specific glassware to enhance different beverage experiences.

What trends are you seeing?

We’re seeing a growing interest in glassware with design elements including textures and facets. These features add to the look and presentation of the drink and enhance everyday celebrations. Retro-inspired styles of glassware are popular as well, especially for dark spirits. In addition, we’re seeing an increasing incorporation of colour. https://libbey.com TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 45

Crystal

Guide Glassware

Positioned at the high end of the glassware market, crystal – both handcrafted and machine-made – is defined by its exquisite craftsmanship and cutting techniques, superior shapes and high-quality materials. With manufacturers today giving crystal contemporary updates including colour and with barware soaring as a category, highquality crystal is seeing a renaissance among younger generations.

RCR Traditionally strong in pressed production, RCR offers both traditional and cutting-edge design products and is the only company that can offer everything from moulding and blowing production techniques and from virtually weightless stemware through to weightier vases. They also offer a bespoke service and can add colour, cutting, customisation and even design unique ranges. “At the moment, the US, Africa, Middle East, Japan and China are good markets for us. We are finding the categories of heavy, deep-cut crystal glassware and retro styling are doing well, though the classic style of a not-too-long stem so the glass fits in the dishwasher with a nicely rounded belly and a cut rim continues its popularity,” says CEO of RCR, Robert Pierlucci. “At the same time, blown light stemware is increasing RCR distribution in the hospitality market.” RCR has an entire catalogue dedicated to varietal-specific glassware including wine tasting, barware and spirits. For 2016, they launched Enigma – inspired by traditional cut crystal it’s a line featuring precious details that illuminate objects, creating relief and includes red wine and white wine goblets, Champagne flutes, dof tumblers and HB tumblers, a jug and whisky decanter with drink and whiskey sets.

www.rcrcrystal.com

ORREFORS The largest glassworks group in the Nordic countries and dating back to 1742, Orrefors Kosta Boda AB is a Swedish design company that designs, develops, produces and sells a wide range of utility and art glass for private and public use under the brands Orrefors and Kosta Boda. At Ambiente 2016, Orrefors unveiled new Carat crystal glass series, Nordic Romance.

Taking inspiration from jewels and gemstones, designer Lena Bergstrom has renewed cut crystal delivering a sharp and unique asymmetrical grinding that reflects the times with a sense of Nordic romance. The collection includes a luxurious vase, stylish bowl and candleholders.

www.orrefors.com

VISTA ALEGRE For 2016, Portuguese manufacturer Vista Alegre has debuted a number of new crystal pieces and collections. Delivering timeless elegance, new decanter, Adao, features an organic, simple shape along with subtle decorative detail. Also new is Jardim (pictured), a barware set created from 30 per cent crystal that consists of stemware, a pitcher and decanter. Jardim features engraved décor of climbing plants with the walls of the gardens cut in a contemporary style. On the decorative side, there are new Dorian Vases, featuring a contemporary design with gold band and crystal clear base; and new collectable mini vase series, Zahara.

www.vistaalegre.com

www.rosenthal.de

Guide Glassware

WRZESNIAK GLASSWORKS Known for its handcrafted mouthblown glassware, Polish glass manufacturer Wrzesniak Glassworks fuses both tradition and orginality in the creation of its product producing a variety of shapes, colours and decorations in glass. In addition to producing tabletop products such as stemware, tumblers, jugs and bowls, Wrzesniak also manufactures decorative glass objects, such as vases and candle holders. They can produce glassware in clear or in colour, in all possible sizes, and also offer a variety of decorative techniques.

www.glassworks.pl

LA OPALA RG LTD La Opala Rg Ltd, manufacturers of the Number One tableware brand in India, leads the category with products made of tempered opal glassware and more than 24 per cent handcrafted lead crystal. The company has pioneered both categories in India. Its tempered opal glass offers comprehensive compositions of dinner, tea and coffee sets, along with various combination sets, under premium umbrella brand Diva from La Opala.

To match variations in consumer needs of all socio-economic strata and to magnify the range of designs, two sub brands, Ivory and Classique, have also been created under Diva from La Opala. The quality of the handcrafted crystal is reflected in the brand name Solitaire Crystal, with each product handcrafted and therefore unique. The range offers barware items like whiskey glasses, tumblers, beer mugs and stemware, as well as vases and gift items. La Opala boasts a large fleet of diamond cutters.

www.laopala.in

RIEDEL CRYSTAL This year marks the 260th anniversary of the global leader in varietal-specific glassware. Renowned for its mouthblown handmade decanters, Riedel has launched two new decanters, designed by Maxmilian J Riedel, designer and CEO, for its anniversary. The signature Decanter Ayam (pictured) takes its name from the world’s most exclusive breed of hen indigineous to Indonesia. The decanter marries functionality with exceptional aesthetic appeal offering a duel decanter function, meaning the wine is aerated both when it is poured into and from the decanter, significantly reducing the time needed to ‘open up’ the wine. The gurgling sound produced illustrates the intensity of the oxygenisation process. Easy to handle and space-saving the vessel can also hang from the table for a new and modern piece. Following on from the success of the Mamba Decanter in 2011, Riedel has also launched the Mamba Double Decanter – a decanter in double magnum format with limited edition of 260 pieces per colour.

www.riedel.com

Talking retail... “We are seeing retailers create more and more barware stories today. Today’s glassware isn’t just a commodity household item, it’s an important way to add style, incorporate trends and elevate the experience of consuming beverages. Research at Libbey tells us that consumers are celebrating just about anything – big or small – at home. These everday celebrations and social experiences demand versatile tabletop products and glassware that reflect the specialness of each event. Retailers know that showcasing trend-right tablescapes – from sophisticated to casual and everyday – is critical to increasing sales.

Consumers want to see themselves in the stories retailers are telling.”

Serena Williams, senior manager, retail channel marketing, Libbey

HoReCa ...serving professionals

www.crystalex.cz

specials

VILLEROY & BOCH

Guide Glassware

Villeroy & Boch offers a wide range of glassware, from premium glassware line Grand Royal to the soft drink glass line Dressed Up. “In retail, we develop glass concepts for different target groups and also for distribution channels and we are increasingly successful with glassware for gifting,” says Kurosch Afchani, product manager, stemware and flatware. New in 2016 for crystal are line extensions for Entrée, Purismo and the Boston Coloured line. In Boston Coloured, low crystal glasses are decorated with an all-over diamond-shaped engraving and come in various colours including the Pantone Color of the Year, Rose. Entrée, a line of stemware, tumblers and a jug made of high-quality crystal, has been extended to include a cognac glass, grappa or sherry glass and a beer glass. The barware module of Purismo (pictured), which comprises simply-designed glass of highquality crystal, has been extended to include six cocktail glasses for martini, long drinks, exotic cocktails, whiskey (two sizes of tumbler) and a shot glass.

www.villeroy-boch.com

KROSNO Polish glass manufacturer Krosno produces both handmade and automatic domestic glassware for private projects as well as for retail under its Krosno brand in some 80 countries.

The Krosno brand offers some 50 products, including brandnew collections launched at Ambiente – barware, serveware and giftware – in nine countries including Australia, the US, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and China through stores such as Macy’s and Crate & Barrel. Renowned for its traditional glass forming, they also offer a full range of services for private label, from creating the design to the final product.

www.krosno.com.pl

CRYSTALEX

Crystalex’s product portfolio covers every beverage from a shape perspective – stemware for white, red and sparkling wines; glasses for brandies and liqueurs; and three specific-shaped glasses for cocktails and for beers plus a wide range of decanting and other carafes, jugs and pitchers. In addition to launching two new stemware suites – Attimo and Bella – and extending Grace with two tumblers, Crystalex has extended its successful stemware series Turbulence to include a stemless glass. Designed to enhance the aroma and flavour of wine, Turbulence features an embossed swirling element, which results in faster oxidation and improved release of wine aromas. Turbulence now offers a stemless glass with the same oxidation benefits to spirits.

www.crystalex.cz

Spotlight on… Crystal in Horeca CRYSTALITE BOHEMIA Czech glass producer Crystalite Bohemia is seeing good growth for its crystalline (equivalent to 24 per cent leaded crystal) especially in HoReCa. At Ambiente 2016 the company secured new contracts worth CZK 140 million (nearly $US 6 million).

Tomas says that the introduction of titanium in their crystal, delivering improved clarity and brilliance, greater abrasion-resistance and increased reistance to dishwasher cycles, was part of the success. Due to such demand, they are now buying two new automatic lines for the production of bottles and tumblers. The daily production capacity will grow by 100,000 units. “Business is going well," says commercial director Tomas Firt. "The HoReCa sector is key as it's the one with biggest growth. We're finding the best market for giftware is the Middle East and especially Iran – Iranian people like glass products and there is big demand for Bohemian crystal. For machine-made crystal stemware our biggest market is the US and of we have marked growth in Europe, especially France and Spain.” www.crystalite.org

CUMBRIA CRYSTAL Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Cumbria Crystal is a UK manufacturer of crystal that undertakes every production process in-house delivering handmade, cut and blown crystal to luxury retail as well as undertaking luxury bespoke projects.

They recently developed a new range with Spey Distillery, due to launch in the next few months. “Stemware is always strong and continues to remain so,” says managing director, Chris Blade, pointing to the Grasmere Collection (pictured), which continues to perform outstandingly well. “Its timeless, classic design and elegant proportions remain as popular as ever.” The company spends some 30 per cent of its time on bespoke projects with demand strong in this segment. See page 28.

www.cumbriacrystal.com

LENOX With its barware category currently its fastest-growing business, Lenox continues to expand the category. Its latest launches show a commitment to growth with extensions to its bestselling Tuscany Classics Collection, the Number One pattern in better glassware, according to NPD. Its Tuscany Classics Whiskey 101 collection is a varietal-specific collection for whiskey connoisseurs. Based on the idea that there are dozens of different varieties of whiskey – Scotch, Bourbon, Tennessee Whiskey, Rye and Irish Whiskey – that differ in base product, alcohol level and quality, this collection delivers four glasses. The Belly Shaped Tumbler is ideal for holding and swirling whiskey; the Single Malt Glass allows the whiskey to open up as it hits your tongue and lips; the Old Fashioned Tumbler with stem is best for whiskey on the rocks; and the Tulip Shaped Glass is smaller with a tapered opening allowing for a concentration of the whiskey accents, providing the maximum aroma. “The clean and contemporary styling of the Tuscany Classics Collection appeals to multiple generations of consumers,” says Lenox’s vice-president of crystal and metals, Jim Mylonas.

www.lenox.com

Wrześniak

G L A S S W O R K S

Creativity and Beauty Made in Poland

www.glassworks.pl TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 51

Guide Glassware

Stemware

High functionality meets high design with the latest stemware – varietal-specific stemware to enhance flavour and aroma for a variety of drinkware categories, including wine, beer, spirits and Champagne.

STÖLZLE LAUSITZ Beer in Germany is increasingly changing from an historic thirstquencher to a drink to be savoured, says German glassware brand Stolzle, which has just launched a special Craft Beer glass. With its distinctive stem and long top, the new glass is reminiscent of a noble goblet, with the goblet drawing deep into the stem and the roundness of the goblet, which has all the makings of a sophisticated wine glass. There are two details which make the difference: at the very top this glass ceases to narrow and offers a vertical finish to the bowl; on the other hand, the glass offers an increased wall thickness and a solid stem, compared with its counterparts in the wine glass segment.

LIBBEY Libbey designs, produces and markets an extensive line of high-quality tableware including glassware to retail and hospitality in more than 100 countries. Libbey’s global brand portfolio, in addition to its namesake brand, includes Crisa, Royal Leerdam, Syracuse China and World Tableware International. “We work diligently to stay ahead of emerging beverage trends, creating beverage-specific glassware designed to enhance the flavour profile and presentation of the drink,” says Serena Williams, senior manager of retail channel marketing for Libbey. With growth in the spirits category, Libbey is seeing an interest in more refined glassware to elevate presentation. Enter Perfect Signature collection, a premium collection of fine glassware which features characteristics typical of traditional handmade crystal. Crafted using ClearFire Formula, the glass delivers exceptional brightness, clarity and strength and brilliance.

Driven by the consumer preference for elegant and durable stemware, the new high brilliance stemware collection features thin rims, tall stems, a flat foot and unique shapes.

The line has also just been expanded to include a luxury barware collection with stemless wine glasses, cooler, dofs and martini glasses.

www.libbey.com

www.stoelzle-lausitz.com

LSA INTERNATIONAL Mouthblown glassware from LSA International benefits from a quality and finish that can only be achieved by leading glass artisans. Choose from the extensive and comprehensive stemware collections, designed by the company’s creative director, Monika LubkowskaJonas. Practical and versatile, each piece in the Otis collection (pictured) – new for SS16 – can be teamed with other items across the brand’s signature collections – Bar and Wine, and pair with Dine and Circle collections to make beautifully coordinated tabletop settings.

http://trade.las-internatoinal.com

RONA

ROYAL LEERDAM

Rona glassworks has introduced its 2016 range of novelties, expanding its extensive machine-made, handmade and decoration portfolio. All new machine-made stemware ranges now come in an upgraded gift-boxed packaging concept. Rona's new suite, Medium Stemware (pictured), produced by its cutting-edge double-blown pulled stemware technology, is designed for the enjoyment of wine. A geometric modern design, it comes in five sizes. The new Spirit Stemware, a launch from Rona’s non-lead crystal machinemade portfolio, is a very fine stemware pattern, well balanced in design, it comes in five sizes and in gift-boxed sets of six. Rona offers an unlimited variety of decorating techniques, from pantograph etching and diamond cutting to spraying of organic colours.

The oldest table glass brand in the Netherlands, Royal Leerdam produces elegant yet functional wine glasses for the consumer and hospitality sector. At Ambiente 2016, Royal Leerdam unveiled its first beer glass. In collaboration with beer consultant Derek Walsh and beer sommelier Andre Koppen, Royal Leerdam has designed the perfect beer tasting glass for optimal drinking and tasting of different beer types. The Ander 1.0 Beer glass offers a balanced shape to enhance the foam, aromas and flavours. The nucleation sites in the bowl encourage bubbles to take shape leading to a beautiful foam head and development of aroma.

www.royalleerdam.com; www.libbey.com

www.rona.sk

5 DECADES, 5 MATERIALS Celebrating 50 years of creativity and craftsmanship with new collections Utility and Circle trade.lsa-international.com

LUIGI BORMIOLI

Guide Glassware

This Italian glassware manufacturer will unveil Vinea, a collection of machine-blown stemware, which is elegant, sophisticated, highly transparent and sparkling. The lightweight stem glasses boast features typical of mouthblown glass, but are sturdier and precise, manufactured in high-tech blown lead-free crystal glass SON.hyx® with stems Titanium reinforced®. This collection is dedicated to the most important native (autochthonous) Italian vine varietals. The shapes of all items differ from all the other stem glasses on the market as the wine contained releases an explosion of all the characteristic flavours of the territory of origin, while also lessening the alcoholic elements in the aroma.

Due to the unique design of the bowl, the aromas’ diffusion has a ‘ring’ effect; the alcoholic elements concentrate outwards while the wine-specific aromas develop in central part of the bowl.

This all enhances both the wine’s aromas and flavours without any interference with gaseous ethanol.

CRYSTALEX

www.luigibormioli.com

Czech glass producer Crystalex boasts a product portfolio covering every beverage from a shape perspective – stemware for white, red and sparkling wines; glasses for brandies and liqueurs; and three specific-shaped glasses for cocktails and for beers (lager, semi-dark beer and dark beer). They also offer a wide range of decanting and other carafes, jugs and pitchers. In addition to adding extensions to successful series Turbulence and Grace, Crystalex has this year launched two brand-new stemware suites – Attimo and Bella. Attimo (pictured) is a line of glasses characterised by an exceptionally slim stem and thin glass. The unusual shape of the cup and very thin stem deliver a unique look. As well as stemware, Attimo offers two exclusive tumblers for the serving of water or wine.

www.crystalex.cz

ROSENTHAL Rosenthal has added glassware to its successful dinnerware series TAC. With its exquisite, extremely vivid geometric cut, the linear drinking glass series TAC 2016 is an exciting and extravagant accompaniment to an elegantly laid table. The clear glass is embellished with a precise wedge cut and reflects the structure of the new TAC design Palazzo Roro with its tapered, criss-crossing lines. The Collection includes white and red wine glasses as well as Champagne, water and whiskey glasses.

www.rosenthal.de

ZIEHER Fusing filigree craftsmanship with innovative design, German hospitality band Zieher has unveiled a series of wine glasses designed to enhance consumption. Created from lead-free crystalline glass using a traditional handblown method, the new Vision range offers maximum aroma and optimum development of the wine. “Zieher glasses are all about top quality craftsmanship, created in one of the most innovative and best glassblowing workshops in the world,” says designer Silvio Nitzsche. The glasses are theme- or character-based, with no distinction made between red wine or white wine. Instead, they are named Fresh, Straight, Intense, Balanced, Rich and Nostalgic. “You intuitively reach for the glass which presents the flavours of the wine you particularly wish to emphasise in the best way,” says Silvio.

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www.zieher.com

ROYAL DOULTON Celebrating 200 years of manufacturing in 2015, Royal Doulton continues to create contemporary, accessible ranges. Launching in Autumn 2016 is Helix, a brand-new collection of contemporary styled drinking glasses. Made from Crystalline, the collection comprises of red and white wine glasses, tumblers, hiballs and flutes. The range takes its name from the striking decoration of a helix – a 3D curve that’s been cut into every piece. The helix curve matches the proportions and emphasises the elegant contours of each of the five different shapes. Each Helix sparkling Crystalline wine glass shape is available as a set of four glasses and is gift boxed.

www.wwrd.com

Everyday

Guide Glassware

Used in everything from drinkware to serveware to dinnerware, everyday glassware is designed for daily use. With increasing retail demand for casual glassware, multi-functional pieces featuring simple yet innovative designs are tabletop prolific.

RCR CRISTELLARIA This Italian crystal brand is extending its tableware offer with items for serving and tasting dishes – four new lines of plates and bowls – a flat, soup, dessert and consommé featuring styles from refined and elegant to simple and minimalist. Medici (pictured) is a classic line with traditional decor for stylish, refined table settings; Galassia is Scandinavia-inspired featuring millions of bubbles swirling around; Sunbeam features feathery linear cuts for timeless elegance; and D’o, a line from celebrity chef Davide Oldani, delivers minimal design. In addition, RCR’s patented crystal Luxion will now be used for all plates and tableware, including these four new lines. Unlike other materials, Luxion is safe and 100 per cent recyclable; and plates in Luxion stay bright and clear after dishwasher use, with a transparency that makes food look tastier. They also keep food at its serving temperature and withstand sudden temperature changes; plus they don’t scratch or stain.

www.rcrcyrstal.com

KINTO Japanese design brand Kinto unveiled its new collection Hibi (‘hee bee’) at Ambiente 2016. The word Hibi in Japanese has multiple meanings rooted in everyday life. As its name indicates, it is an effortlessly refined and versatile series of glass tumblers that can be used and enjoyed everyday. The thickness of the glass and the stable form are ideal for frequent use. The slightly narrowing base naturally fits your fingers and is comfortable to grip. High-quality clear glass exudes clarity, while smokey-coloured variations evoke tranquility and the silhouette becomes accentuated by drinks poured inside. They can be stacked.

www.kinto.co.jp

NAMBÉ

Until recently Nambé created beautiful crystal designs courtesy of a partnership with Waterford Rogaska. Now, however, the company has transitioned the designing and manufacturing of Nambé Crystal and Glassware category back to Nambé and will launch its initial collection at the upcoming New York Tabletop Show in April. “Casual glassware is a category that is poised for growth and Nambé will be introducing a comprehensive glassware collection spanning bowls, serveware and giftable items this April,” says Lou Scala, chief marketing officer. “Additionally, we’ll be introducing a new barware series to complement the giftware collection later in the year.” Currently, Nambé offers select barware pieces including decanters, hiballs and dofs as well as some giftable pieces such as the heart bowl and butterfly bowl. Most recently, Nambe has introduced glassware – a decanter and tumblers – as part of its Skye Dinnerware Collection (pictured), designed by European product designer Robin Levien.

www.nambe.com

VIDIVI Italian glassware manufacturer Vetrerie Riunite Spa delivers a variety of glass pieces via its Vidivi brand and for this year has launched a variety of new collections and pieces both for retail and hospitality.

Thanks to its delicate grooving, the Accademia collection, which includes tumblers and bowls, is a modern interpretation of the traditional grinding effect. The new Barena collection (pictured), with its spotlight on the HoReCa sector, delivers a sinuous and irregular almost scalloped design, the thick rim defining its bowls and trays, making it perfect for an impressive buffet. The new Dolomiti collection features a cracked glass effect inspired by a frozen lake. The 4-in-1 Rialto cake plate is an innovative and multi-tasking product with two completely different uses: the reversible plate presents on one side a 32cm cake plate but if you turn it upside down, you can use it as a 5-part dish. It boasts helpful handles, making the plate easier to use. Presented in a gift box, it also comes with a bowl and a spoon that matches so it can be used as a sauce boat. The factory also offers complete customisation for its glassware, including advanced decorative techniques to enhance the colour with iridescent and sparkling nuances; spray-on pantone colours; customised colour logos; and even use of pure gold and platinum varnishes that are food-safe.

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www.vetridellevenezie.com

VINTAGE collection

the colors of glass

made in Italy IVV Industria Vetraria Valdarnese soc. coop., Lungarno Guido Reni, 60 - S. Giovanni Valdarno (AR) - Italy Tel +39 055 944444 - Fax +39 055 944447 - Email info@ivvnet.it

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www.ivvnet.it

Guide Glassware

TRADESTOCK Tradestock’s glassware division is enjoying a buoyant period across all brands, which includes its own iStyle My Home brand, along with several brands they distribute in the UK – Durobor and LAV. Within the iStyle My Home brand the Classic Crystal collection comprises a selection of sleek stemware, while the Club Collection offers a selection of on-trend cocktail, liqueur and stemmed beer glasses. The comprehensive American Barware range (pictured) extends from everyday drinkware including multi-functional tumblers and shot glasses to co-ordinated glass pitchers and sundae dishes. There is currently a noticeable increase in some trenddriven ranges including beer glasses on the back of the popularity of craft beers; cocktail glasses and multi-functional glasses that are perfect for creating impact. Bubbly, particularly Prosecco, is enjoying massive popularity as the drink of the moment and Tradestock has recently introduced two new flutes from Durobor: Bubble Flute is slender and stemless, while the sleek Royal Flute fills right down to the base of the flute.

www.tradestockltd.co.uk

KOSTA BODA Swedish design company Orrefors Kosta Boda AB has been handcrafting crystal and glass in the forests of Sweden since 1742 and designs high-quality utility glassware and art glass, developing, producing and selling a wide range for retail and hospitality. New this season is a lifestyle tableware collection Bruk, which means ‘ to use’ in Swedish. The colourful new casual lifestyle collection, designed in a beautiful symbiosis of function and form and inspired by nature, is made up of plates, bowls of various sizes and cups. The multi-functional mix and match Bruk collection is dishwasher-safe, stackable and can hold both hot and cold content.

www.kostaboda.com

LSA INTERNATIONAL Versatile and practical, LSA International glassware is recognised for its original design and signature high-quality finish. The comprehensive range includes tumblers, hiballs and wine glasses for everyday use and casual dining as well as specialist shapes for gifts and formal entertaining. Available in clear glass, embellished with colourful decoration or paired with wooden accessories, LSA International collections offer distinctive designs to enhance every setting, from casual dining to special occasions.

IVV

http://trade.lsa-international.com sales@lsa-international.com

Italian glassware company IVV has unveiled its Everyday brand, aimed at those who embrace the contemporary, on-trend and functional. Everyday is a range of practical, fresh and original designs that are also affordable. For Spring/Summer 2016, Everyday offers several new ranges. Easy is a line of mouthblown solid coloured glassware in clean shapes with minimalist design yet captivating colours; Colors Break is a collection of handmade coffee and tea cups made from double-walled borosilicate glass so the liquid looks like it’s floating yet it won’t burn your fingers; and Denim is a line of drinkware the comes in an explosion of colours and delivers the texture of denim on glass. Industrial Chic (pictured) is all about clean lines with an industrial design – think rigid shapes; and Net delivers a netting design formed by diamonds intersecting and includes a pitcher, liqueur glasses and tumblers in Amber and Red.

www.ivvnet.it 66 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

Barena Collection Vetrerie Riunite SpA Business Unit Vetri Delle Venezie Via Calcinese, 60 vetridellevenezie.com info@vetridellevenezie.it

Guide Hospitality

More than just retail With luxury hotels, restaurants and brands wanting to stand out from the crowd and the ever-growing interest in the culinary experience, high-quality innovative bespoke tableware is in high demand. We investigate this burgeoning segment and the opportunities presented to tabletop brands

Villeroy & Boch The Hotel & Restaurant Division, which makes up 10 per cent of Villeroy & Boch’s overall business, provides customers with solution-oriented services globally. Service personnel are present in 100 countries and logistic services ensure reliable ‘just-in-time’ deliveries. In recognition of the importance of availability and deliverability, Villeroy & Boch has introduced AAA – Article Always Available – a programme that guarantees the constant availability of selected articles. They create HoReCa-specific and bespoke collections for luxury hotels, restaurants and cruises – from the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem and The Gainsborough in the UK to Swissotel The Bosphorus in Istanbul. Recently, they delivered bespoke tableware for the Eastern & Oriental Express (Belmond Group) and have been Belmond’s preferred supplier for tableware since 2014.

Genesis by Affinity is a new décor for hospitality on the popular multi-functional and stackable form Affinity - 29 new decorated pieces featuring a décor reminiscent of artful eruptions of colour that can be mixed with the 71-piece pure white series for ultimate versatility. Casual dining concept collections BBQ Passion and Pasta Passion, already successful at retail, have now been extended to the hospitality sector. www.villeroy-boch.com/hotel

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I

ncreasing standards of living, the shift in consumer preferences towards living a luxurious lifestyle, along with the rise in the number of international events, is fuelling demand for luxury hotels worldwide according to The World Luxury Index Hotels 2014.

Global consumer interest for the luxury hospitality industry grew by 7.7 per cent in 2014, and the Luxury Exclusive category experienced10 per cent growth year-on-year.

This demand for luxurious living is seeing not only an increase in luxury hotels globally but also in demand by such hotels to offer the highest-quality services and products, including tableware.

Luxury level growth Tabletop companies focused solely on hospitality and private projects or with HoReCa divisions – Bauscher, Schoenwald, Sambonet, Zieher, Libbey Foodservice, Villeroy & Boch Hotel & Restaurant Division, to name but a few – are finding growth at the luxury level.

German hospitality brand Zieher, which delivers tabletop to five-star destinations such as Burj Al Arab Dubai and Claridge’s London, has seen “the international luxury hospitality market grow for us in the last few years”, says marketing manager, Nikolan Dietz.

Sambonet Paderno Industrie, which is strong in HoReCa across its many brands including Sambonet, Paderno and Rosenthal, is seeing the “HoReCa sector currently going through a strong growth period”, says Barbara Cincott, group sales director, HoReCa division.

With investment in service and innovation, Sambonet Paderno Industrie saw growth of 15 per cent during 2015; the HoReCa sector now constitutes 70 per cent of the Group’s sales volume.

Schoenwald, one of the world’s leading providers of high-end porcelain for hospitality, had a very good 2015 and sees a positive outlook for this year especially at luxury level; and Villeroy & Boch, which supplies to hotels such as the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem believes “the luxury hospitality sector offers our brand definite growth moving forward”, says product manager, Kurosch Afchani.

Hospitality growth What the suppliers say…?

What the operator says… “Selecting the right tableware for this sacred British tradition was of utmost importance. The timeless, tasteful elegance and quality finish of the Okura china teaware range adds gravitas to the classic experience we are trying to emulate. Park Chinois is about being entertained and delighting people with grace, charm and elegance and the ranges of Okura handpainted teaware and Noritake fine bone china fulfil that desire.”

Alan Yau, the restaurateur behind Wagamama, Hakkasan and new Mayfair restaurant Park Chinois on Okura’s handpainted teaware range, a unique combination of shape and pattern, and Noritake’s fine bone china dinnerware that is now in use at Park Chinois. Global Luxury Brands, which is the UK agent for luxury tableware brands such as Noritake, Okura, Villeroy & Boch, Herend and Chamberlain & Co, worked with founder Alan Yau to provide Park Chinois with the finest of afternoon tea and dining ware.

Continental Chef Supplies, one of the world’s foremost suppliers of innovative tableware to luxury catering, fine dining and high-end hospitality, say they have been experiencing good growth for the past few years.

“As their competition continues to grow, chefs, operators and restaurateurs continually review their presentation to ensure exacting standards are further developed,” says managing director Paul Brown, highlighting how it is his job to make sure Continental Chef Supplies provides a constant flow of inspirational, thought-provoking tableware.

Bespoke matters more Such competition among chefs and restaurateurs is fuelling the need to offer a unique guest experience, to help operators stand out from the crowd.

“In luxury hospitality, differentiating products from innovative suppliers and visionary designers plays its part in enhancing the overall customer experience,” says Paul.

Nikolan at Zieher concurs: “The luxury sector in hospitality demands excellent

design, constant innovation and exclusive products.”

This translates as an increased demand for bespoke tableware that is exclusive, unique and taps into a hotel’s or restaurant’s branding.

“One factor for success in the luxury hospitality sector lies in the ability to create and communicate a clear and present image of who you are to your guests, which for us, means creating bespoke product to fulfil their particular needs. In the luxury sector, demand is to supply tableware that meets not just functional demands but also corporate style,” explains Nikolan at Zieher, pointing out how speciallydesigned, exclusive products like Zieher’s helps customers stand out.

Restaurant owner Tom Lawson Rafters of Rafters, one of the finest restaurants in Sheffield, UK, says bespoke is one of the biggest trends in luxury hospitality today.

“Restaurants always want something no one else has,” says Tom. Paul at Continental Chef Supplies concurs: “In recent years, we have seen

a significant increase in requests for greater personalisation and wholly bespoke products.”

He cites a recent commission to work with Michelin-starred chefs like El Bulli's Ferran Adria and the Roca brothers and how, with a number of its exclusive suppliers such as Gifre, they were able to support their customer demands with fantastic inspirational product.

“Many suppliers tell me that there is nothing more rewarding for a chef than to create his ultimate dish and present it on his bespoke tableware. I don’t doubt this trend will only gather pace," says Paul.

Carrs Silver, which offers a customised cutlery service, believes “bespoke product is increasingly important at the top end of the hospitality market as more and more top-end hotels, restaurants and chefs strive to put their own unique stamp on the food they are serving”, says MD, Richard Carr.

Richard continues: “I believe as the boundaries continue to be pushed on the food side, there will in turn be an increase in customers looking for

Last year was very successful for us – we have traditionally been strong in the southern European markets, which are finally stabilising, though the Euro crises is not over yet. However, we’ve grown our business in the US, central European countries like Austria and Switzerland and in more distant markets like Australia.

Our outlook for 2016/17 is very positive although the political and economic situation presents some challenges in international markets.

Matthias Schoeffel, head of marketing, Schoenwald

“

”

“

Although the economic climate is weakening, we still see good potential for growth worldwide in our focus target markets – hotels, restaurants, professional catering, healthcare; apart from our core market of Europe, we see good growth in America moving into 2016 and 2017.

Manuela Kufner, marketing manager, Bauscher, which delivers Made In Germany porcelain tableware to some of the most exclusive hotels in the world, including Marsa Malaz Kempinski in Doha and Nuo Hotel Beijing.

”

TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 61

Guide Hospitality something different or special tabletopwise and Carrs is well-placed to satisfy such demands. We share their passion for perfection and attention to detail and believe that our cutlery will create the ultimate dining experience helping to realise their vision.”

Villeroy & Boch is also finding “more and more clients requesting custommade solutions to stand out from the competition and masses”, says Kurosch, highlighting how special and unique designs can be applied to all products – porcelain can be elaborately decorated, crystal can be sandblasted and cutlery can be etched, stamped or engraved.

And while Villeroy & Boch has plenty of premium HoReCa-specific lines that are doing well, an increasingly large part of their business is the provision of custom-made solutions, especially in the Asia-Pacific region and the Near Middle East where “we primarily equip luxury hotels or offer custom-made solutions for Royals or for private yachting”, says Kurosch.

The company has just delivered bespoke tableware for the Eastern & Oriental Express (Belmond Group), featuring the logo of the luxury train in gold.

“We are delighted to be working with Villeroy & Boch – they have an excellent reputation in the market and have designed and produced beautiful crockery that complements the surroundings of the colonial style carriages,” says Nicolas Pillet, general manager, Eastern & Oriental.

Retail design brands entering hospitality This demand for bespoke tableware in luxury hospitality and in private projects is also providing opportunities for highend design-led brands, which were once retail-focused only.

Take Rosenthal – traditionally a retail-oriented brand, they are now experiencing great growth in hospitality, “the HoReCa segment now represents an area of strong growth for Rosenthal”, says Barbara, Sambonet Paderno Ind. Design-led British cutlery brand Studio William is increasingly in demand in the hospitality sector, the growth in this market “due in large part to the ever-growing need for unique and beautifully-designed cutlery”, says marketing manager Frances Bull.

Renowned for its design-led product at retail, Alessi is increasingly making waves in the HoReCa / private project world recently partnering with Delta Airlines to create its on board serveware.

“The luxury hospitality market is a big focus for us right now – we’re convinced 62 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

it’s a growth area for Alessi,” says Mateo Alessi, CCO for Europe/North America.

“We are multiplying our efforts and improving our company organisation in order to implement specific projects for increasing the weight of these activities.

“Beauty, functionality and innovation are the main demands for the luxury hospitality sector and bespoke is closely related with the notion of innovation.

At Alessi, we have great experience in realising tailor-made products as corporate gifts – now we’re ready to use our expertise and excellence in design management to face the growing demand of the market,” says Mateo.

Alessi isn’t the only luxury tableware brand increasing its focus on the hospitality / private project segment.

British brand Carrs Silver, which supplies its Made in Sheffield cutlery to retailers and distributors in more than 80 countries, now sees the “hospitality market as a major target area for future growth”, says Richard.

“We think the growth potential is huge; the luxury market is a much bigger one than the silverware retail market that is currently our main business, so developing our brand within the new market is a very exciting prospect for us,” says Richard, pointing out that they are currently working with a number of high-profile restaurants, celebrities and Royal families.

With a bespoke service, Carrs gives “total flexibility to the hospitality buyer allowing them to select and build the place setting from over 30 unique dining pieces per design, allowing the hotel or restaurant to precisely tailor the range to their individual requirements”, says Richard, further explaining that logos and crests can be added to cutlery.

From smaller luxury brands like Carrs, Royal Crown Derby, Studio William and Cumbria Crystal to larger companies like Alessi, Lenox, Crystalite Bohemia and Crystalex – all of which have the ability to create bespoke and unique product – tabletop companies are tapping into the luxury hospitality sector and its increasing demand for customised highend, high-quality unique tableware.

Operator spotlight

5 minutes with...

Rafters Restaurant, UK We talk hospitality demands, trends and suppliers with Alistair Myers, owner of Rafters Restaurant in Sheffield, UK When selecting cutlery for your restaurant, what criteria do you consider?

When choosing cutlery we look for three key things – how the items look on the table; how they feel in the hand; and maintenance, so how durable are they? The design must be in keeping with the rest of the restaurant design and tableware but it must also be user-friendly. We chose stainless steel over silver because we have a small team and if silver is not looked after properly it loses its appeal. Also, we are based in Sheffield, so stainless steel was the obvious choice.

What cutlery supplier do you use and why? Carrs Silver is our preferred supplier because they offer us a bespoke service. Our entire cutlery has our brand logo on it which is a wonderful touch. And because they do all the work in-house, they’ve been able to produce lots of bespoke pieces for us, all with the brand logo on, including Oak bread boxes, chocolate boxes and cheese boards. Carrs also offer a personal service and you're always made to feel very welcome when you visit to arrange the bespoke pieces. The products also speak for themselves and quality really does shout. Customers often ask where we purchase our Vision pattern cutlery from and some customers have even bought it for themselves. Since we’ve had Carrs cutlery it never goes unnoticed.

What tableware/cutlery trends are you seeing emerge in hospitality?

Having bespoke is increasingly popular, while stoneware is making a comeback – this is something I love and have invested in. Also, restaurants are no longer using whole collections of white plates; it’s all about finding the right plate for the dish. Today, diners are more discerning than ever so it’s key that restaurants recognise this and offer quality from start to finish.

Did you know...? Studio William, renowned for its award-winning design-led cutlery, is increasing its stronghold in the luxury HoReCa and private project segment. Both its brands, Studio William and Charingworth, are used in hospitality and feature in many Michelinstarred restaurants, top hotels and airlines. They have been nominated global supplier to the Hilton Worldwide Hotel Group and recently supplied to Etihad Airlines for its First Class Service and The Residence. Studio William has growth in this market, which is due in part to the evergrowing need for unique and beautifully designed cutlery.

SCHOENWALD With 135 years of experience, Schoenwald is one of the world’s leading providers of high-end porcelain to the hospitality industry, supplying to more than 110 countries.

Schoenwald’s selling points include exceptional yet functional design, Made In Germany quality, customised service, expert advice and long availability. Its high-quality porcelain body, created with a high-firing temperature of over 1400˚C, is extremely durable.

Schoenwald’s collections range from traditional banquet to gourmet restaurant to cruise ship; there are 40 collections and 1,700 individual pieces. Schoenwald works with renowned designers and has frequently been recognised with design awards – most recently, the German Design Award 2016 Special Mention for its Allure collection. “There remains a trend for elegant dinnerware, especially in banquets, for which our new collection Allure in the innovative Bone White Noble China body is the perfect answer,” says head of marketing, Matthias Schoffel. One of Schoenwald’s greatest success stories is Pottery. At Ambiente, Schoenwald presented new decorations under the motto ‘from new glam to shabby chic’ featuring nine colours and decors, including a stoneware effect.

Schoenwald can develop customised logos and decors and produce exclusive designs.

www.schoenwald.com

Resource alert! Steelite International, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of tabletop to the foodservice industry, has worked alongside the Foodservice Consultants Society Internatoinal Europe Africa Middle East (FCSI) to create a multimedia guide to opening a restaurant. The Restaurant Startup guide, available in print and online, includes a section on ordering tableware. Heather Lovatt, head of marketing says: “As part of our work supplying tableware to restaurants all over the world, we have gathered substantial insight… In particular, we understand the significant task of selecting and ordering the right tableware for each business, and the benefits of selecting high-quality tableware from the outset to save money in the long run.”

Take a look here: http://www.steelite.com/restaurantguide/#/1/1

VISION

ZIEHER NEWS 09/2015

”YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN WINE LIKE THIS!“

Silvio Nitzsche WEIN | KULTUR | BAR, Dresden

The VISION: No distinction is made between red wine or white wine glasses in the VISION collection by Zieher: the glasses are simply theme-based or characterbased.

GERMANY

WWW.ZIEHER.COM NOSTALGIC

“Fakir“

INTENSE

BALANCED

THE VIDEO STRAIGHT RICH

FRESH

“Capiz“

Hotelex Shanghai, CN booth W5A01 29.03. - 01.04.2016

www.zieher.com/en/products/vision.html

sk ilf ul ly

VISION

ha nd bl ow n

The names of the glasses clearly explain what they are used for: You intuitively reach for the glass which presents the ÀDYRXUV RI WKH ZLQH WKDW \RX SDUWLFXODUO\ wish to emphasise in the best way.

“Reef“

FHA Singapore, booth 4C3-01 12.04. - 15.04.2016 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 63

Guide Hospitality

CONTINENTAL CHEF SUPPLIES

BAUSCHER German hospitality tableware brand Bauscher delivers porcelain collections to exclusive hotels, cafes, hospitals and care facilities. Quality, design and service sums up Bauscher – they offer competent consulting, delivery reliability and quality, often in just 24 hours, versatile replacement options and fast accessibility. Bauscher porcelain is manufactured in Bavaria delivering Made In Germany excellence with environmental protection and resource conservation firmly fixed in the Bauscher philosophy. In particular, the international luxury hotel and restaurant sector has been captivated by the Purity Collection, which was nominated for a German Design Award 2016, with operators like Marsa Malaz Kempinski in Doha, Qatar, and Nuo Hotel Beijing, China, selecting it. Purity combines design and functionality.

Its Come4table range offers caterers, hoteliers and restaurateurs an attractive collection of porcelain that harmoniously blends into any ambience.

www.bauscher.com

As a trading division of Bunzl UK & Ireland Ltd, CCS is a prestigious brand specialising in supplying high-calibre and unique products to the catering industry through their superior brands and bespoke service offering. They provide cutlery, glasses, bar equipment, crockery and pastry equipment. Tabletop brands include Gifre, Zieher, Jars, Merlini, Pordamsa, Jacques Pergay and Studio William, among others. “We’re currently creating demonstration and al fresco dining awareness days around the UK and arranging exclusive supplier trips to brands like Jars in France, supporting bespoke product desires of Michelin-starred chefs,” says MD Paul Brown. Recently, CCS began working with UK artisan pottery company 1265 Degrees North and will distribute a tableware line that includes tapas bowls, platters, deep wing bowls, saucing jugs and cups in four colours inspired by nature with each piece unique.

www.chefs.net

STEELITE INTERNATIONAL With industry roots that span more than 100 years, Steelite International is a world-leading manufacturer and supplier of award-winning, inspirational tabletop ranges for the international hospitality industry. Its core chinaware products are manufactured at its factory in Stoke-on-Trent where up to half a million pieces of ware is made every week. Steelite trades with more than 140 countries with industry sectors including commercial catering to contract caterers and cruise lines; and the leisure/hospitality market including restaurants, casinos and hotels. Its products are the favoured brand of hotel chains such as Hilton and Four Seasons as well as pub/restaurant giant Whitbread and P&O Cruises. Steelite creates its own ranges, including the popular pottery-style Craft range, which has recently been extended to include Melamine. Steelite also partners with other brands; they recently teamed up with Bodum to become the exclusive supplier of its coffee and tea ranges to the UK hospitality industry. They’ve just launched a new Speigelau wheat beer glass, designed in conjunction with Bell’s Brewery, to cater to the specialist craft beer trend.

www.steelite.com

BONNA For the past 35 years, Kar Porselen has been the leading porcelain manufacturer in Turkey. In 2013, they developed porcelain brand Bonna, which is focused wholly on the HoReCa market. Some eight million pieces are produced annually. Bonna supplies to more than 20 countries, with that number growing rapidly, and they target the medium to medium-high segment of the market with clients including Marriott, Ramada and Rixos hotels. Bonna delivers innovative and on-trend products including the handpainted Aura collection. Bonna offers Lifetime Edge Chip Warranty for its fine china body products. Bonna began exhibiting at international fairs in 2015, firstly with Host, then Ambiente this year and they will show at Hostex 2016 in Johannesburg.

What the operators say…

“

We understand every aspect and detail of the travel experience matters to our customers. Working alongside the talented and creative teams at Alessi, a design house that continues to set the standard for innovative and unique design, we are able to bring to the airplane an uncompromising level of elegance and service that builds on Alessi’s renowned design inspiration.

Robyn Klein, Delta’s MD for On Board Services

”

64 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

www.bonna.com.tr

“

When we were looking for a British manufacturer to produce a bespoke set of fine bone china for our new Lady Betty Afternoon Tea, one name stood out: Royal Crown Derby. Like Bettys, Royal Crown Derby has a long tradition of the finest craftsmanship and attention to detail in creating things of real beauty.

Paula Kaye, Bettys retail and catering operations director

”

LY’S HORECA

The new product line of Minh Long I porcelain for hotel & restaurant

MINH LONG I CO.,LTD. 333 Hung Loc, Hung Dinh, Thuan An, Binh Duong, Vietnam T: +84.650.3668899 - E: sales@minhlong.com - W: www.minhlong.com

Guide Hospitality

LIBBEY FOODSERVICE Building on its heritage as America’s Glassmaker, Libbey Foodservice inspires complete tabletop solutions and is the largest manufacturer of glass tableware in the western hemisphere and one of the largest in the world. They are firmly established as masters in providing stemware, beer, spirits and barware glasses that optimise the user experience and enhance service life. Offering a full spectrum of inspired tableware products from fine dining to casual, Libbey manufactures and distributes the complete tabletop, including Libbey Glassware and Master’s Reserve, a collection of premium glassware; Syracuse China and World Tableware dinnerware and flatware. In addition, Libbey Foodservice distributes the Artistry Collection, a complete premium tabletop offering which includes Schoenwald dinnerware, Spiegelau and Nachtman glassware and Reed & Barton flatware, in select markets.

https://foodservice.libbey.com

CARRS SILVER ZIEHER Established in 1876, Carrs Silver is a leading British brand of sterling silver and silver-plated photo frames, gifts, barware and cutlery, supplying to independent retailers, including Harrods, in 80 countries. This family-run company has recently entered the hospitality market having built a reputation for its highlyspecialised bespoke product service. They work with high-profile restaurants and international Royal families and are developing the export side of HoReCa. “In all market sectors, we are overwhelmed by the enthusiasm our customers have to buy British-made products,” says MD Richard Carr, highlighting how exports account for over half of their business. Carrs bespoke service means hospitality operators can choose from over 30 unique dining pieces per design and they can do everything from etching a logo or crest to making individual pieces or bespoke patterns. “The most common bespoke request tends to be adding logos by etching or engraving, stamped crests or gold embellishment,” says Richard.

German hospitality brand Zieher offers innovatively-designed products for tabletop and buffet service catering to luxury hospitality, everyone from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Bangkok to Burj Al Arab Dubai. Zieher creates products that are high-quality, durable, highly functional and stylish from a fusion of materials including porcelain, glass, stainless steel and slate. “At Zieher, we believe that every functional demand can be fulfilled.

Specially-designed, exclusive products like ours will continue to be in demand as they will help our customers stand out,” says Nikolan Dietz, marketing manager, Zieher. There are plenty of new collections from Zieher, including its stoneware series Pueblo, organically-shaped bowls and plates with matt exterior and shiny glazed interiors.

www.zieher.com

www.carrs-silver.co.uk

SAMBONET PADERNO INDUSTRIE Comprising both retail and HoReCa-focused brands including Rosenthal, Sambonet, Hutschenreuther, Ercuis, Arzberg and Paderno, Sambonet Paderno Industrie saw 15 per cent growth in HoReCa in 2015. “Our Group distinguishes itself by its creation of customised solutions and a 360-degree service,” says Barbara Cincott, group sales director, HoReCa division. Sambonet, in particular, has a long tradition of quality and excellence in luxury hospitality and this is now its core business, its target market four- and five-star hotels, though “even small operators in the medium to high sector are beginning to focus on quality and attention to detail”, says Barbara. Sambonet offers traditional techniques like its renowned silver plating along with new production techniques such as photo-engraving, vintage finishes and PVD colourations that show stainless steel in all shades. “Sambonet can also offer a specialised consultation thanks to Centro Stile, where R&D with materials and innovation is pursued resulting in avant-garde techniques such as chemical photo-engraving and nanoceramic painting.”

www.sambonet.it

MINH LONG I Porcelain products combining unconventional design and a luxurious ivory colour have been gradually dominating the global market. For the last three years, Vietnamese porcelain manufacturer Minh Long I has delivered tableware made from luxury ivory porcelain, which offers not just an elegant ivory colour but also retains its brand-new look thanks to the hardness of the enamel surface, which also makes it more resistant to scratching by silverware. The super-solid porcelain body is also highly durable and chip-resistant thanks to special amalgam technology; and also highly shock-resistant – it can be moved from very high to very low temperatures and is microwave and dishwasher-friendly. Minh Long I uses this material to produce a range of products under its brand Ly’s Horeca to cater to hospitality, including Vietnam Airlines in business class service.

www.minhlong.com; sales@minhlong.com

Where form and function combine perfectly and quality is paramount. At Elia, innovation is second nature.

Elia. Serving Professionals.

Elia International Ltd. 10 Aintree Road Perviale, Middlesex UB6 7LA United Kingdom Tel +44 (0)20 8998 2100 Fax +44 (0)20 8997 5596 sales@elia.co.uk www.elia.co.uk

Profile Crystalex

Cocktail glasses

Siesta suite

Rebecca suite

Service please!

One of the largest glass manufacturers, Czech glass producer Crystalex is rapidly developing the HoReCa side of its business

C

zech company Crystalex ranks alongside the world’s leading producers in the glass industry.

The company, whose headquarters is located in Novy Bor – the heart of Czech glassmaking – specialises in the production of stemware, tumblers, vases and decanting vessels.

And while the majority of its business is currently in the retail segment, Crystalex is expanding its reach beyond retail and into the rapidly growing HoReCa segment, delivering its high-quality glassware to hotels and restaurants all over the world.

“The HoReCa industry is a rapidlygrowing segment of the market,” says Crystalex marketing manager, Petr Kaplanek. “We recently presented the HoReCa offering of Crystalex at HOST in Milan securing many new clients and we are now working with hospitality clients.

“We have strengthened our position in Europe in this segment and we are now cooperating with clients in the US, Canada and Asia, including Malaysia.”

70 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

In terms of product, assortment lines designed for the HoReCa segment form an integral part of the company’s product portfolio.

“We are aware of the fact that heavy demands are made on glass in this market segment. Therefore, the articles should offer high levels of resistance and stability, serviceability, and last but not least, distinctive and individual design,“ explains Petr.

To this end, Crystalex has developed the glass material Sparkle for its HoReCa articles, a material which fulfils the high demands of the hospitality sector.

“The material is characterised by high mechanical strength, excellent resistance to dishwashers as well as against thermal shocks,” says Petr.

“Sparkle products are distinguished by absolute clarity without any colour shades, sparkling brightness and perfect transparency, thereby offering a unique visual effect.”

Products made from the Sparkle material for hospitality include stemware, tumblers, carafes and decanting carafes as well as jugs and pitchers.

Soul suite

“Currently, we have more than 150 items in our HoReCa range; 15 of them are brand-new just for 2016,” explains Petr.

This year, Crystalex has introduced the Rebecca suite to the HoReCa market, a series of elegant great-looking glasses as well as a completely new range of long drink cocktail glasses in original forms. The company’s in-house designers developed a comprehensive collection to cover the most common cocktails.

“We are seeing rising demand for cocktail glasses, especially demand for the hurricane style as well as increasing demand for glasses with volume CE mark,” says Petr, pointing out that the company will be expanding the Crystalex range of volume CE mark items.

In addition to launching new HoReCafocused collections, Crystalex is aiming to complete established collections by extending them to include new sizes or by adding tumblers to stemware lines.

“Last year, the Siesta range was extended to include four tumblers as well as three sizes of beer/water glasses, while our Specials collection was enlarged to include new cocktail

glasses, thereby extending the versatility of this suite,“ says Petr.

Crystalex is able to offer its full assortment in various decorated designs, from company logos and sandblasting to combinations of engraving and spraying, to name but a few.

The most common decorative requests Crystalex receive are for standard decals with logos or decoration created by engraving techniques as they are the most durable – but more intricate decorations are also in demand.

“Last year we prepared the suite Soul with pantograph decoration combined with spray colour and gold for the Kempinski Hotel in Budapest,” says Petr.

“The HoReCa industry, a rapidlygrowing segment of the market, boasts customers who desire uniqueness in order that they can stand out to the consumer. Our goal is to support such demands and meet our customers’ requirements for different high-quality durable glassware,” concludes Petr. www.crystalez.cz

Visit us at 41 Madison

Contemporary and Classic Design Made in France

3rd Floor, BIA cordon bleu showroom

www.capdeco-france.com

Show Preview 41 Madison

“ New York Tabletop Market welcomes showroom shifts and seminars This April market will not only deliver plenty of exciting new product but showroom relocations and exciting breakfast seminars

A

n abundance of new products will be on display when the doors open Tuesday, April 12, for the four-day spring edition of The New York Tabletop Market at Forty One Madison, showroom headquarters for more than 120 of the world’s most renowned brands.

“The manufacturers and factories are making an incredibly strong statement and demonstrating that they’re fully investing in this market, leaving nothing behind and bringing everything they’ve got to impress, inspire and sell,” says Laurie Burns, director and senior vice-president of Forty One Madison.

“There’s going to be a tremendous amount to see with a high level of activity taking place as retailers, hospitality decision makers, interior designers and all those responsible for purchasing tabletop come through.”

According to Laurie, a half dozen showroom moves have recently taken place, and during the market the most convenient and reliable

GPS for guests to find their way to appointments is the Forty One Madison App, downloadable to smartphones and tablets.

Showroom shuffle In a move to the 7th floor, Libbey is taking over an 8,500-sq-ft space that reflects the company’s continuing growth plus a brand revitalisation.

Having undergone a gut renovation, the larger space allows Libbey to showcase its entire foodservice division with its consumer products.

Reed & Barton, the American silversmith, which was acquired last year

by Lenox, is headed to a new 9th floor space. With plans to significantly build upon the Reed & Barton brand and its singular legacy, Lenox has committed to giving it a showroom of its own, and with the calibre of neighbours on the 9th floor, it’s certainly a plum location.

For TarHong, a leader in the manufacturing of melamine, its growing pains have been addressed with relocation to a 3,000-sq-ft showroom on the 15th floor. A full renovation of this

space is yielding not only more display area for its vast range, but also offices and meeting rooms.

Sango, a tenant for the past three decades, can now be found on the 8th floor, where the showroom has been given a loft-like look that is sophisticated.

TL Scafati LLC, a showroom housing such distinguished brands as Clayton Fine China, San Miguel Glassware, Secrets de Provence-Sud table linens, among others, has moved to the 15th floor, where it will be in good company with the likes of Degrenne Paris, Joseph Joseph, WMF Americas Group and Zwilling J.A. Henckels.

With an ever-evolving product line since its establishment 30 years ago, Over and Back is settling into newly remodelled digs on the 7th floor – a showroom that is 25 per cent larger than its previous locale.

Outside the showrooms In addition to all that’s taking place inside the showrooms, lots will be happening for Tabletop Market attendees outside, including a

The manufacturers and factories are making an incredibly strong statement and demonstrating that they’re fully investing in this market, leaving nothing behind and bringing everything they’ve got to impress, inspire and sell Laurie Burns, director and senior vice-president, Forty One Madison

”

Breakfast Seminar (see information at bottom of page).

Thursday, April 14th is Interior Designer Day hosted by Traditional Home magazine. Senior style editor Krissa Rossbund will moderate a panel discussion, ‘Tabletop: A Secret Sauce to Bottom Line Success.’

The breakfast programme is scheduled for 9.30 to 10.30am at A Voce, Forty One’s ground-level restaurant.

Following, guests can explore and shop the participating showrooms, meet with company executives. and see first-hand the newest products and latest trends.

Showrooms remain open until 6pm.

The Café, adjacent to the Buyers Lounge on Level A, has been rechristened The Forty One Energy Bar and will be helping showgoers refuel with light bites and beverages served daily.

Hours for this service, complimentary of Forty One Madison, are Tuesday and Thursday, 9.30am – 2.30pm and Wednesday, 11am – 2.30pm.

For the showrooms listing, app information, and to register, visit www.41madison.com

Don’t miss… breakfast seminar with Antiques Roadshow appraiser Forty One Madison’s annual Breakfast Seminar will feature Nicholas M. Dawes, who for the past 20 years since the Antiques Roadshow first aired on PBS, has been one of the show’s most popular appraisers specialising in china, glass, silver and decorative objects. A former antiques dealer and Sotheby’s auctioneer and also considered one of the country’s foremost experts on the work of Rene Lalique, Nicholas will conduct on-the-spot appraisals for guests who bring their own small tabletop treasures from 8-9.30am in The Café on Level A and a buffet breakfast will be served. “We’re incredibly fortunate and proud to have someone of Nick’s stature and experience to bring us this insider view of such a beloved broadcast icon. Nick will also draw from his own personal background in retail to provide some valuable insight for our industry audience on selling heirlooms – and future heirlooms – and mastering merchandising showmanship.

So it promises to be a fun yet valuable session,” says Laurie Burns, senior vice-president, Forty One Madison.

Seating for this session is limited and reservations are suggested at www.41madison.com

Why 41 Madison matters…

We ask four Forty One Madison tenants why this building and its bi-annual Market is so key to them and to the industry

Libbey

“

7th floor Libbey will showcase extensions to its Be Social collection with the unveiling of Be Social Pueblo Entertain-ware, a range of baking and serving pieces.

The line features high-quality, oven-to-table stoneware in an array of vibrant colours (Chilli red, sage green and pumpkin orange) and a variety of distinctive shapes that can be mixed and matched for the prep and serving of hot and cold dishes. “We’re seeing interest in serving pieces that make a statement.

Pueblo stoneware provides a bold backdrop for dishes that go from the oven to the table. These pieces elevate the home celebrations of special moments that matter,” says Serena Williams, senior manager of retail channel marketing, “The addition of new bakeware to our portfolio of products represents a new approach for Libbey as we integrate new materials and aesthetics to complement our traditional glass tableware offering.”

https://libbey.com

The New York Tabletop Market is a great time for us to meet with our retail partners and discuss opportunities to grow their business. It’s always exciting for me to see their enthusiasm when we present Michael Aram’s new collections for the first time.

Terri Eagle, president and CEO, Michael Aram, 8th floor

”

“

The Market is the industry’s most important event in the US, bringing buyers and suppliers together.

Forty One Madison acts as a flagship market space for the industry making it easy for everyone to connect in one place. To me, it’s the fashion week of tabletop. You save to showcase your best then.

Yasamin Bahadorzadeh, co-founder Kiyasa Group, 17th floor

”

Lenox 24th floor Lenox will introduce a number of new dinnerware ranges. Neutral Party (pictured) is a twist on neutral dinnerware with patterns that take on the classics with personality – think three fresh designs in soft taupe and greige colours that mix and match for creative flair. This four-piece place setting is made of chipresistant porcelain. With Medallion, stylish pinstripes border the warm taupe rim of the dinner plate and mug, while a modern medallion motif on the salad plate and bowl elevate the look. Link delivers a stylish trellis or link design in a mix of greige colours against a bright white canvas. Finally, wtih Knot, decorative knots are weaved throughout the pattern to give the table distinctive flair.

www.lenox.com

Noritake 7th floor Noritake will introduce three new patterns as extensions to the popular Platinum and Golden Wave Collection. Platinum Wave Ebony, Platinum Wave Indigo and Golden Wave Chocolate are colour-banded versions of this relaxed approach to formal dinnerware. Keeping to the simple modern feel of the originals, these patterns interpret a classic scroll motif in a playful manner. Washing against the rim of the plate, the platinum/gold waves create a bold yet elegant presentation against the high-gloss coloured band. Beautiful on their own or mixed with Platinum / Golden Wave these additional colour options provide the opportunity to create a table that reflects one’s own unique style.

www.noritake.com

“

The New York Tabletop Show avails us the unique experience to meet with retailers, licensees, the trades, and our industry partners, all in one place twice a year.

The location also provides a forum where vendor senior management and retail senior management can meet for face-to-face dialogue.

Rich Brinkman, VP of sales & marketing, Homer Laughlin China Company, 16th floor

”

“

Due to the layout of private showrooms and limited brands per floor, the market offers a unique platform giving you the opportunity for more oneon-one time with sales teams and clients, and therefore a high quality of feedback and information is shared.

We view this market as our primary show to share new introductions, to gauge trends, and to receive feedback in a curated environment prior to each season’s mass launch.

Shannon McAlpine, VP of sales, Q Squared NYC, 7th floor

”

TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 73

Show Preview 41 Madison

Mottahedeh & Co 21st floor Mottahedeh is introducing the new Grand Parc collection by Robert Haviland & C Parlon. Grand Parc was inspired by the most famous 17th Century French gardens, the timeless harmony of the gardens expressing themselves through geometry and symmetry and softened by natural elements. Each object of Grand Parc has a different design with closeups and framings showing parts of French garden surfaces. The collection is produced from hard porcelain made in Limoges France.

www.mottahedeh.com

Michael Aram 8th floor Lifestyle brand Michael Aram will introduce a number of new collections including the Dogwood Collection. Inspired by the beautiful flowering tree Dogwood, pieces are interpreted in metal and enhanced with white enamel petals with branches finished in oxidised brass. Also new is the Wheat Collection, which captures a sense of abundance with its golden sheaves; and the Torched Collection, which explores the magic of metal put under intense heat. These bold, abstract pieces suggest radiant light and landscape horizons.

Gibson

www.michaelaram.com

24th floor Gibson Overseas, Inc. plans to make a splash at the April New York Tabletop Market . The star of the show will be the new multi-category Laurie Gates line providing “retailers with the opportunity to deliver a fashionforward statement across multiple categories for the table and whole kitchen,” says Gibson’s brand marketing manager Tania Gabbay. Gibson will also unveil its new Tosca brand that delivers rustic high-end Italian designs for the modern home and includes dinnerware, flatware, glassware, cutlery and coordinates. “Tosca is a great option for retailers because it delivers affordable luxury to their floor,” said Gabbay.

www.gibsonoverseas.com

Fiskars Living Brands 23rd floor The Fiskars Living Brands showroom (formerly WWRD) now showcases the brands of Wedgwood, Royal Albert, Royal Doulton, Waterford Crystal, Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Rogaska, Arabia and Rorstrand. Waterford will unveil a number of new collections with a focus on colour including its latest collaboration with Jo Sampson, Half and Half, a contemporary gift range that juxtaposes heavily-repeated flat cutting, delineating wedge cuts, striking areas of colour, respites of clear crystal and modernistic silhouettes. Pieces include vases, jugs, a creamer and breakfast bowl and includes shades such as warm orange, teal and mulberry. Also colourful from Waterford is its new barware and accessories range Lismore Pops (pictured), a collection of contemporary shapes, jubilant colours and featuring the successful Lismore pattern.

www.wwrd.com

Don’t miss...Lifetime Brands 45 Madison Avenue Adjacent to Forty One Madison, the Lifetime Brands showroom will showcase new Mikasa dinnerware during the show. Jessa offers a fun design in black and gold on bone china; Tate (pictured) delivers an intricate and delicate design with a textural element on fine bone china; and Mezzo provides a versatile geometric design. A new floral addition, Turquoise Zinnia, will be added to the Kim Parker for Gourmet Basics collection. www.lifetimebrands.com

Nambe 6th floor This year, in celebration of its 65th Anniversary, Nambé will introduce a commemorative serveware collection designed by Karim Rashid.

Rashid has been designing for Nambé for almost 30 years. Additionally, Nambé will debut a new concrete collection that blends concrete and the brand's signature Alloy; it will include serveware and barware items.

Casual glassware is a category that is poised for growth and Nambé will be introducing a comprehensive glassware collection spanning bowls, serveware and giftable items this April. They will also introduce a new barware series to complement the giftware range; and for Christmas, they will expand the Miniature Nativity to include Three Wise Men, a Mini Angel, Shepherd and Lamb, and will introduce two-toned silver and gold ornaments including Merry, Joy, Our First Christmas Together and some giftable items including a Snowman Cheese Board with Top Hat Spreader.

www.nambe.com

Fuerstenberg 9th floor Embodying the essence of modern dining culture, Fuerstenberg will present new tableware service Omnia, a super-versatile collection of just four pieces – dinner plate, side dish, bowl, cup – that is designed to fit any culinary eventuality. The stackable pieces feature a matte, organic and rough exterior and a smooth interior. In addition to pure white, Omnia comes in various colours including anthracite, light brown, bronze and dark brown, as well as the option for Omnia Ritual, anthracite-coloured pieces with hand-applied 24k gold plating. The fine porcelain pieces are thin-walled yet double-walled meaning the handle-less cup and bowl can be held without the burning of fingers.

www.fuerstenberg-porzellan.com

Vista Alegre 9th floor

Herend 10th floor Debuting in the Herend showroom will be numerous additions to the Reserve Collection. Making its US debut is the Pair of Finches figurine, the female finch painted in a combination of fishnet colours, greys and oranges, and the male in corals and pinks. There are three new figurines combining the best of two Herend traditions, natural-style painting and fishnet – the giraffe, tiger and zebra figurines feature heads painted in a natural-style, the bodies are painted in Herend’s signature fishnet style.

Commemorative bridal Mr and Mrs coasters in porcelain will also launch.

www.herend.com

Villeroy & Boch 18th floor Innovative food concepts, premium gift ideas and classic tabletop series will be introduced this market. Not only is Villeroy & Boch showcasing extensions to the successful BBQ and Pasta Passion lines launched last year, but will unveil brand-new concept Pizza Passion. New in tabletop is the Casale Blu décor (pictured) presented on the award-winning Artesano Original shape, a design with Mediterranean flair; and Golden Oasis, a unique décor with white relief and real gold plating on premium bone porcelain. Gift-wise, the special gift article collections Rose Cottage and Little Gallery have been extended with new decors; while for Christmas, Villeroy & Boch will present its extensive line of holiday décor items, dinnerware and baking tools including new articles and decors to Classic Christmas, Winter Collage 2016 and Winter Bakery 2016.

www.villeroy-boch.com

Vista Alegre will showcase its new porcelain and crystal collections for 2016, pieces that combine classic inspiration with design trends. In some new collections themes and shapes are reinvented like Olhar o Brasil by Chicô Gouveia and Love Who You Want in collaboration with Christian Lacroix Maison; in others, the highlight goes to the aesthetic elements from different cultures like Fiji, Izmir and Zahara. They will also present Blue Ming, a collaboration with award-winning designer Marcel Wanders, a versatile collection of symmetrical pieces with sculptural elements that reinvents the century-old tradition of Delft porcelain, Blue Delft. Finally, Bordallo Pinheiro will showcase Rua Nova, a tableware set that highlights one of the most recognised symbols and objects of Bordallo Pinheiro – the tiles – via a contemporary approach.

www.vistaalegre.com

Show Review Ambiente

Ambiente celebrations

Fantastic Frankfurt At Ambiente 2016 visitors outside Germany accounted for 55 per cent of the total – more than ever before, visitor numbers were up, and exhibitors reported an order-heavy, vibrant and buzzy show

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mbiente, the world’s leading trade fair for the consumer-goods industry closed its doors on February 16 after welcoming 2,500 more visitors than last year and recording a further increase in the level of internationality on both exhibitor and visitor sides.

In fact, the proportion of visitors from outside Germany accounted for 55 per cent of the total, more than ever before, with some 137,000 buyers from 143 countries (up from 134,600 in 2015) attending. They were visiting the 4,387 exhibitors from 96 countries (also up, from 4,814 in 2015) who presented their latest products, trends and ranges in 27 halls across the fair.

“The number of international visitors has risen yet again. In particular, we welcomed delegations, many of them including senior managers, from major trading houses,” says CEO of Zwiesel Kristallglas, Dr Andreas Buske.

“Encouraging too is the large number of buyers from the USA, despite the warning about travelling to Europe. Overall, the mood is good; visitors are willing to buy and are committed and dedicated.”

Also pleased with the show’s internationality was French brand Deshoulieres who attended Ambiente to “take advantage of the high level of internationality, which we find nowhere else,” says marketing manager, Lucie Steffen.

German porcelain manufacturer, Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur 76 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

Meissen, who returned to the show this year after a seven-year absence.

“We at Meissen were delighted to take part in this year’s Ambiente.

We were able to renew many old connections and make highly promising new contacts with potential customers from all over the world.

“The fair is an excellent networking platform and a great opportunity to obtain first-hand reactions to new products, and to see the current trends in the sector at a glance,” says Meissen CEO, Dr Tillmann Blaschke.

New to Ambiente this year, British company Sabichi chose Ambiente “for its high number of international buyers”, says director Sachin Bagga.

“Our international business has been steadily growing; having seen great acceptance for Sabichi products in markets across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in recent years, we were keen to meet retailers from other geographies. The whole world does business at Ambiente,” says Sachin.

The top 10 visitor nations after Germany were Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, the UK, China, the US, Switzerland, Turkey and South Korea, with above average increases noted from Italy ( this year’s Partner Country) who brought an additional 500 buyers, as well as from Japan, South Korea, South America, Africa, the Middle East and countries bordering the Mediterranean.

And while expectations were low in terms of high levels of Eastern European visitors, many exhibitors

reported more than expected from this region, the Ukraine especially.

“We were really busy and had lots of new clients especially from Eastern Europe and also from Iran,” says founder of Twig New York, Jackie Lim. “It was slow last year with Eastern European clients but if this year’s fair is anything to go by, it seems to be picking up now,” says Jackie.

Frances Bull, marketing manager of Studio William also saw an “influx of Ukranian and Iranian buyers.”

The recent end to a 40-year commercial embargo with Iran meant that large buying delegations from Iran visited the Frankfurt fair this year.

“The lifting of sanctions with Iran means every Iranian is at the show,” says Bill Robodee, CEO, Nambe; while Laszlo Szesztay at Herend said they had had several enquiries from Iran.

“Until now, we had limited business in Iran but prospects are looking positive there now,” says Laszlo.

Contract business also delivered success. Andrea Tauber, director of international sales at Schoenwald says: “At Ambiente, we always find visitors from our target group of hotels and foodservice”, while French brand Deshoulieres “made numerous contacts with buyers from different segments, inlcuding the retail, hotel and restaurant trades”, says marketing manager Lucie Steffen, highlighting how key this is for Deshoulieres.

Ambiente 2017 will be held February 10-14 and will spotlight British design with UK anounced as Partner Country.

A celebratory mood captivated the fair with various exhibitors taking advantage of brand or pattern anniversaries to host parties and launch collections.

LSA International paid tribute to 50 years of creativity and craftsmanship with a cocktail party and the debut of several collections that pay homage to the five materials – glass, porcelain, wood, leather and enamelled steel – central to the brand’s aesthetic over the past five decades.

Celebrating 25 years in the business, designer Michael Wainwright also paid tribute to his brand’s craftsmanship acknowledging its beginnings with a collection inspired by his first art studio on Dean Street in Brooklyn. The giftware and serveware range delivers a brilliant blue glaze finished in 24k gold.

Riedel’s 260th anniversary was acknowledged with not just one, but two, handcrafted mouthblown decanters designed

by CEO Maximilian J Riedel; and Richard Ginori recognised its own 280th anniversary with the debut of Babele – 65 dinnerware and giftware SKUs in four different shapes and shades of blue and red featuring original designs from the company’s Florentine factory.

Portmeirion Group had plenty to celebrate. With its successful brand Sophie Conran for Portmeirion hitting the 10-year mark, a special anniversary mug collection was launched; and in tribute to 200 years of one of the most enduring designs of all time – Spode’s Blue Italian pattern – the company went to town with two anniversary collections, one traditional and featuring pieces from the archives, and one modern (Giallo) delivering a brand-new contemporary pattern.

The biggest celebration, however, came courtesy of Rosenthal, with its tribute to Philip Rosenthal who would be 100 years old this year. Enter an anniversary collection featuring everything from a new décor on the TAC form to innovative decorative pieces resulting from collaborations with a variety of designers. See page 32.

“Traffic was more than last year and there was lots of buzz and excitement around new products – in fact, it’s like night and day comparing last year to this year.

People actually placed orders at the show. Fenwicks is taking our new collection Skye. There were lots of Middle East clients here and a lot from the Middle East and Asia on the hospitality side, especially.”

Bill Robodee, CEO, Nambe “Ambiente 2016 was a big success for Zieher. We had more visitors at our booth than in previous years – one of the reasons for this we think is our extensive advertisement campaign that we launched in the print media, online and on the Ambiente compound.

While we’re a hospitality brand, interestingly, we had 50 per cent visitors from the retail sector as we ‘re currently working on introducing a bespoke selection of our products – including our new stemware series Vision – to the retail sector. We were really satisfied with the result.”

Nikolan Dietz, marketing manager, Zieher

“We made our debut at Ambiente this year. It was an exhilarating experience showcasing our products for the world to see. We met amazing people, designers and potential customers, many of which represent the most important tableware brands in the world. Their appreciation for our products was very inspiring.

We look forward to an exciting year ignited with partnerships forged at Ambiente 2016.”

Rishabh Patel, CEO, Arta Broch

We had an excellent reaction to our new Dankotuwa fine porcelain products; I really do think buyers are looking for technically-innovative product, not just new designs, and this is what we had to offer. We couldn’t have hoped for a better reception.

David Queensberry, co-owner, Queensberry Hunt

“

”

What the exhibitors say?

It was a very successful edition for us with a good flow of visitors. We received orders from around 30 per cent of our visitors, which is great, and now we hope to develop all the deals we have made.

Barbara Zanardi, marketing manager, Vidivi

“

”

“For both Prouna and Twig New York, we felt like the overall traffic was similar to last year but we met a lot of potential new customers and more serious buyers and we’re now busily following up with many new accounts. There were a lot of new customers from many different countries and especially Iran, India and the Ukraine. Usually, during Ambiente, we tend to meet importers and distributors but this time I was surprised to see many store owners.”

Jackie Lim, Prouna and Twig New York

What the retailer says... “This is the most important fair for us as we meet most of our vendors here and are able to get a good impression about the trends. This year, we had 20 buyers visiting and we discovered some great new exhibitors. We felt the novelty presentations on offer were really interesting and that manufacturers had a lot of great new ideas, which is good for us as part of our philosophny is to offer products that aren’t available everywhere. Hermann Hutter, MD, abt department store, Germany TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 77

Show Review Ambiente

Ambiente

trend watch While archives mattered and innovation reigned tabletop supreme, casual and colour took centre stage, coupe defined the new shape and coastal inspired many a pattern

Royal Albert

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ith heritage and history playing a big part in brand communications right now, a more than usual number of heritage companies are dipping into their rich company archives.

And plenty of new patterns – even shapes and bodies – took inspiration from archival references at Ambiente this year, taking historic patterns or shapes and re-imagining them for the contemporary customer.

Archives

Archives mattered

Schoenwald

New pattern Blue Bird, inspired by an archive floral design taken from the first series of Wedgwood pattern books, dating from the 18th century, was translated on to Wedgwood’s Queen’s Ware in honour of this exquisite cream-coloured ceramic body’s 250th anniversary.

Royal Albert added three new patterns to its 100 Years Collection – Mint Deco, Rose Blush and Bouquet – inspired by pattern archives from the 1930s and 1990s; while Waterford’s new Essentially Dungarvan collection recalls a motif originally created by Waterford Crystal’s chief designer Miroslav Havel in the 1950s.

Rosenthal’s new mug collection Maria Originals celebrates 100 years of Maria and looks to the past with historic designs from the Rosenthal archives; these have been brought up to date by designer Regula Studli.

Even HoReCa-focused brand Schoenwald dug deep into its archives this year uniting “zeitgeist nostalgia with the modern formal vocabulary of professional tableware design” say the brand.

They have revived a décor that is 60 years old and reinvented an 80-year-old floral pattern as part of new collection Shabby Chic, which features eight décor variations that

102 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

Wedgwood

is meant to “convey homely feelings, recall fond memories and tell heartwarming stories” says Matthias Schoeffel, marketing director, further pointing out that these archive-inspired designs met with an enthusiastic response at Ambiente.

Innovation ruled While the past provided an inspirational source for many new patterns, it was to the future that many brands looked, delivering technological feats and innovative product development.

In glassware, Schott Zwiesel delivered big on innovation with varietal wine series launch Air Sense, which features a genius integrated glass decantation sphere that claims to “guarantee an additional decantation effect”; RCR introduced an extensive tableware range created from its award-winning, patented high-resistant and brilliant glass Luxion; and Crystalite Bohemia announced that all its new glassware would be enriched with titanium for increased strength, abrasion-resistance and brilliance – this resulted in the Czech glassmaker securing new contracts worth CZK 140 million (US$5.75m) at Ambiente alone.

Porcelain saw innovation too. In celebration of their 50th anniversary, design duo Queensberry Hunt joined forces with Dankotuwa re-introducing fine porcelain but at exceptional value. Positioned with a higher price point than standard porcelain but below bone china, the first collection combines the translucent thin porcelain with very transparent coloured glazes delivering great delicacy and “keeping the whiteness and translucency of the porcelain”, says Martin Hunt.

Hospitality bone china factory Arta Broch, which made its debut at Ambiente 2016, showcased the results of having pushed the boundaries with bone china, delivering innovative colour

Sambonet

Zwiesel Kristallglas

Denby

Innovation

Casual experiments adapted to fine china.

“We are working on two new bodies focusing on how to bring the price down without compromising on the look and feel of bone china. Introducing these innovations and showing exactly what we can do at Ambiente convinced us there’s an appetite for it,” says CEO Rishabh Patel.

Finally, stainless steel was given innovative technological treatment.

Sambonet showcased its new nanoceramic protecting coating; this means stainless steel can now take on accents of colour through the new coating technique.

Casual rising Tapping into the continued trend in casual tableware, work-it-your-way, multi-functional collections took centre stage. Wedgwood introduced a new casual collection on earthenware – Blue Bird is a blue-and-white pattern on the 250-year-old cream-coloured Queens Ware body, while Creative Tops took a casual approach with its Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, licence, delivering a pretty stoneware collection, Meadow Bugs, that features delicate illustrations of flora and fauna.

Due to its success, Royal Doulton extended casual collection Pacific with further casual pieces; rectangular dishes for serving tapas and a large pitcher for outdoor dining, all of which is packaged in raffia to fit with the casual everyday theme.

Spal introduced a number of casual dining collections including Light Blue with its handmade look and feel; and even high-end fine bone china specialists Royal Crown Derby took to the casual stage with new

collection Oscillate, a casual range that is more affordable, delivers a more contemporary coupe shape and features a geometric design.

Denby also introduced its latest casual collection Always Entertaining, which, say the brand, is designed for informal gatherings.

“Modern trends for relaxed, often bowl-based meals and our increasingly global food tastes mean that informal dining and entertaining has overtaken more formal meal occasions,” says group sales director, Martin Duggan, highlighting the range of contemporary bowls and platters in mix and match colourways and glazes, which serve everything from deli and Italian dishes to salads and takeaways.

Finally, Villeroy & Boch continued its focus on collections based on casual food concepts, delivering extensions to its pasta and barbecue lines – think new soup and pizza concepts; while Thomas unveiled the young, fresh, functional and casual Ono Collection, with all 28 pieces multi-purpose and versatile.

Coupe shape Retailers are demanding the coupe shape, so say a number of tableware suppliers and, at Ambiente, many manufacturers delivered. Royal Crown Derby brought the coupe back – it hasn’t done a coupe since the seventies – adding it to its new casual pattern Oscillate.

“While firmly rooted in our historic and traditional design and manufacturing processes, Oscillate clearly demonstrates the new, futuristic direction for Royal Crown Derby and provides a glimpse of what is to come from Royal Crown Derby

this year,” say the brand.

Denby’s new Entertaining Collection, a casual range of bowls and platters, consists of a variety of bowls and one plate – a contemporary coupe shape; while hospitality brand Schoenwald showcased its brand-new and casual Shabby Chic décorations on its contemporary coupe plates from the Unlimited Collection.

Traditional tabletop brand Herend also delivered the coupe shape across many of its new patterns, including Pomme; and Maxwell & Williams extended its Cashmere collection with Cashmere Mansion dinnerware in fine bone china, high-rim coupe shapes that combine gentle translucency with high visual impact.

Prouna introduced the coupe shape to its recently-launched Marble collection, while contemporary sister brand Twig New York delivered a new coupe shape in the recently-launched platinum-rimmed yet microwave-safe contemporary Twig Platinum range.

“Lots of retailers have been asking for the coupe shape so here in Frankfurt, we’ve delivered,” says Jackie Lim, owner of Twig New York.

Coastal calling

Thomas

Villeroy & Boch

Coupe

Coastal inspirations and undersea motifs took centrestage, validating predictions of coastal themes being big this year, having previously spotted sprinklings of coastal at the October 2015 Tabletop Show and the January Homi show in Milan.

Royal Doulton added striking coastalthemed additions to its popular Pacific collection. Drawing inspiration from the coast by blending indigo blue

What the retailer says... “At Ambiente 2016, we found that many participating companies were moving towards design, colloborating with designers who they feel add value to their products. George Sarafidis, owner, Parousiasi, a chain of 48 multi-brand tableware stores, Greece

TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 83

Royal Crown Derby

Show Review Ambiente

Coastal Wedgwood Royal Doulton

Lenox

Rosenthal Meets Versace

Tropics

Vista Alegre

Waterford Crystal

patterning on a white background, the new ‘splash’ dinner plates design is inspired by the spray of the ocean, while the lines print cereal bowls capture the natural tides of the coastline.

Lenox delivered its new British Colonial Carved collection featuring figural pieces such as fish-shaped and textured serving accessories with a carved cross hatch design in aqua and white; and Serax unveiled Fish & Fish, Italian designer Paolo Navone’s collection comprising green pressed glass fish-shaped platters, bottles and jars.

Even the most formal dining took inspiration from below the sea: among Spal’s 15 new designs came formal dining collection Seaport, a nauticalinspired blue and white collection with gold trim featuring abstract underwater leaf forms in a watercolour effect; while at Rosenthal Meets Versace, the brandnew formal dinnerware collection Les Etoiles de la Mer, a fresh take on the iconic Les Tresors de la Mer, features sea symbols – shells, starfish, pearls, coral – rendered in a colour palette of light grey and ivory, framed by orange.

Colour of the tropics

Spal

Inspired by the tropics, and in anticipation of a Brazil Olympics, perhaps, vibrant colours and junglethemed oversized graphic botanicals feature on many new ranges and was prominent on the WWRD stand.

“Colour is very important at WWRD this year,” says brand manager Antony Robson, European marketing

Marble

manager, WWRD, pointing to Wedgwood’s new Vibrance range, which features large stylised floral blooms re-drawn and updated from Wedgwood archive patterns and contrasted with modern, directional stripes in a riot of colourful backgrounds like deep magenta, canary yellow, tangerine and bright turquoise.

“Colour is key in this collection as turquoise contrasts with black, white and gold for a modern update on statement tableware,” says Antony.

Colour came to Waterford in a big way too with Half & Half from Jo Sampson, a mix and match colour block crystal range featuring jugs, biscuit barrels, water bottles and pitchers.

“We’ve found that colour works well for us and we’re therefore introducing more expressions of colour with this colour blocking mix and match collection,” says Emily Rutherford, brand manager.

“People have been waiting for more colour in Waterford and the reaction has been great so far.”

Vista Alegre also turned tropical with Fiji – think light, stylised floral motifs along with geometric details, designed to “take you on a journey to a tropical paradise,” say the brand.

The marble effect

been extended to include dinnerware, a variety of colours and a new coupe shape. “The new colourful Prouna Marble dinnerware collections were the most popular on our stand,” says Jackie Lim of Prouna. Inspired by natural Italian Carrera marble the fine bone china pieces come in four shades – blue, green, burgundy, grey.

Marble-inspired collections were also unveiled at Gibson, Spal and Vista Alegre, the latter unveiling Carrara, a porcelain dinnerware range inspired by the noble marble of Carrara and featuring alongside black and white geometric pieces.

Scattered florals A number of companies took us on a pastoral journey with contemporary takes on florals, many meadowinspired or with a scattered approach.

Herend’s Hommage A Saxe is a new decor featuring 18th century scattered Saxonian flowers; while Gien’s elegant, soft and light Azur pattern, designed by naturalist Estelle Rebottaro features scattered and swaying delicate fresh blue meadow flowers and includes dinnerware.

Finally, taking Arzberg in a new bohemian direction is Ramo – think scattered botanicals in two vintage shades including celudean green.

The translation of the marble material on to porcelain is a design trends that’s been creeping into collections of late.

And at Ambiente, the marble effect was prolific.

Prouna’s Marble Collection has

Arzberg

Florals

Vista Alegre

Prouna

Now distributed in America by: BIDKhome Cold Spring, NY info@BIDKhome.com

Serving more than 100 (Michelin) Stars.

www.serax.com

Show Review Top Drawer

New look Top Drawer delivers success The re-branded Top Drawer, including Home, which took place January 17-19, was buzzing with positive feedback

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orld-exclusive product launches, a brand-new food emporium, live demonstrations, daily fashion shows, an engaging seminar programme and an unrivalled showcase of the highest standard of products.

This is what visitors to the latest edition of Top Drawer, which took place Jan 17-19, experienced with the event’s most recent evolution, which presented four distinctive worlds – Home, Gift, Fashion and Craft – all under one, united Top Drawer brand.

“The re-branding of Top Drawer this January created one major destination for design-led products.

By simplifying the brand architecture, we have been able to focus more on relevant engaging content,” says Alejandra Campos, event director.

“Our edit of the best brands and compelling new content created a

must-attend event. Over the three days, Top Drawer was buzzing with a variety of UK and international buyers from fashion boutiques and gift shops to lifestyle stores and top multiple retailers. Feedback has been extremely positive and we are already looking forward to delivering the next edition!”

In the sub categories of Interior Accessories, Kitchen & Dining, Furniture & Lighting and Outdoor Living, Home presented a carefully edited, global cross-section of products from over 200 of the finest brands and designers – from Alessi, Bliss Home and Iittala to Robert Welch, Royal Copenhagen and Sagaform.

Clarion say they apply strict standards of selection and expert insider knowledge in the curation and selection process with criteria including “quality of design, originality, innovation and commercial appeal”, says Alejandra.

What the retailers says…

“

Clearly defined and rebranded, Top Drawer’s Home was filled with contemporary and inspirational brands whose product was appealing and relevant to all designled & home & lifestyle home stores.

”

Lucio Longoni, head of buying, Skandium 82 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

“We also consider branding, market positioning and type of stockists who carry the product concerned.

“Our concept of curation and selection of design-led brands is totally unique and is what sets Top Drawer apart from the competition. No other event has an advisory panel like we do, or the depth and breadth of experience we do; our team spends the year cherrypicking the best in class across the key sectors.”

Alejandra continues: “As a result, we save buyers time by sorting the wheat from the chaff and creating a curated, exciting and focused event that presents up-and-coming trends and showcases the best of each sector.”

And the proof was in the proverbial pudding. A wealth of young independent designers, including Marta Bordes, winner of the 2016 confession of a design geek (COADG) bursary, sat comfortably among established brands such as Skandium, who presented the

SS16 Marimekko collection, and Joseph Joseph who introduced their ingenious stackable storage containers with datable lids.

On the Whitebrands stand, Stelton revealed the new extensions to its successful Emma range revealing products in colours straight from the catwalks of Milan – from deep burgundy to granite grey; while slow brew coffee took centrestage at Barista & Co. On the Hot Plate Products stand, Barista & Co showcased its slow brew carafe, designed to enhance the natural flavour notes of coffee.

The most significant growth for Top Drawer this January has in fact “been a number of homeware-related brands who are opting to exhibit exclusively with us”, says Alejandro.

In January, this included LSA International, Joseph Joseph, Bliss Home, Alessi, Seletti, Iittala, Stelton and Forma House, to name but a few.

New and a particular highlight this

“

I think the latest evolution of Top Drawer has cemented it as the must-visit UK trade fair. The addition of new names to the Home show has given it a really nice balance between established names, strong brands and new discoveries.

Chris Gardner, strategic account development manager – Home & Garden, eBay

”

Top of the tables We highlight some of the brands and their product offerings at the show

Make International ERADU Ceramics

The UK pottery of potter Keith Brymer Jones, Make International displayed the tableware collection it has made for Hokolo, the brand of architect and designer Jen Taylor which fuses modernist design aesthetics and punchy colourful patterns.

Inspired by the fusion of East and West, ERADU launched a new and eclectic collection. Reflect consists of several sets – Sushi, Sake and Everyday Dining – that explore the diversity of east meets west traditions. year included the apperance of Keith Brymer Jones, British potter and judge of BBC2’s Great British Pottery Throw Down, who “drew huge crowds at the entrance to Home with daily live throwing on his potter’s wheel”, says Alejandro, as well as the launch of the Food Emporium, a curation of more than 50 leading artisans, producers and brands that was “introduced in response to a growing interest in speciality foods.”

Alejandro continues: “With more shops and lifestyle stores adding cafes and food items to their offering; and delis, farm shops and speciality food outlets increasingly selling food gifts, it seemed the perfect time to present an impeccably-curated selection of food

brands to our retail community.”

Debbie Hicks of retailer Stag Gifts & Stationery in Bath, UK, says: “We’ve sourced some great premium products in the new Food Emporium; this enables us to sell something unique alongside our gifts and stationery. The Food Emporium has not only given us access to some well-priced gifts and seasonal products, but it also presented us with a good choice of suppliers local to us in the West Country”.

The Food Emporium will be expanded for the Autumn edition.

The next Top Drawer will take place at Olympia London on September 11-13, 2016. www.topdrawer.co.uk

Orla Kiely Fashion designer Orla Kiely creates striking patterns inspired by mid-century design. For BlissHome, Orla Kiely designed a brandnew range Orla Kiely House, enamel kitchen and dining pieces that feature a retro flower print with wooden finishing touches.

What the exhibitor says…

“After much consideration of all the UK retail shows, we felt that Top Drawer was a great fit for us. The important criteria in the selection of a show for us is the way our brands Studio William and Charingworth are reflected. The show offered the ambience, layout and the location along with the attendance of Premium UK/EU buyers, which included department stores, ecommerce and interior designers. The organisers placed us in an area where brands complemented each other making the buyer’s job easier to navigate.

The team at Top Drawer were an absolute delight to work with and made the task of a trade show seem easy. Over the past year we’ve worked with a lot of potential customers and this UK show gave us a great platform to meet with them all; it gave us the perfect arena to show our product portfolio and to meet new customers.

Exhibiting Studio William at Top Drawer gave us credibility in the retail market.”

Frances Bull, sales & marketing manager, Studio William

TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 69

Show Review Homi

Tabletop spotlight We talk trade fair growth, Italian innovation and tableware trends with exhibition manager of Fiera Milano, Cristian Preiata

Arzberg

Homi Milano comes of age With a record number of visitors at its January show, the two-year-old Italian lifestyle fair is proving that its unique and versatile concept can – and does – work

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ome 1,400 companies – 20 per cent from overseas – met with 81,450 industry professionals at the latest Homi Milano lifestyles show in Milan, which took place at Fiera Milano from Jan 29 – Feb 1, 2016.

Such results show how mature this young show, now in its third Spring edition, has become in just two years, delivering as it does a unique format that has seen its identity grow in a number of segments show after show.

“After years of hard work, the most important product in our portfolio of shows saw an increase, albeit slight, in terms of visitors, and this testifies to a real reversal of the trend,” says Fiera Milano CEO, Corrado Peraboni.

Homi Milano, which is a key event for Italian companies looking to break into new markets and for international companies looking to access European and Mediterranean markets, saw an increase not just in visitor

numbers but also in internationality with visiting delegations from the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Turkey, Russia and Iran.

In fact, Homi was one of the first trade shows in Europe visited by a delegation of Iranian buyers who had come to Europe to find the best in what Made In Italy had to offer; this after the very recent end to a 40-year commercial embargo.

Russia, meanwhile, arrived with a large delegation despite the complex economic situation there.

“The buyers with the greatest amount of buying power are today located in markets that are geographically distant, and then there are those from Old Europe – Germany, France, Spain, which are similar markets that continue to be of interest for companies,” explains Corrado.

“For all the overseas industries, the appeal and quality of Made In Italy continues to mean that products from our country are at the centre

of global commercial strategies. And this is why the collaboration with ICE was once again a winning strategy for Fiera Milano,” says Corrado, pointing out that ICE is an indispensable player in bringing in foreign buyers via continuous scouting initiatives in emerging and promising markets.

“The main trend that emerged during the four days of Homi January was that of a market that is making a comeback but that is incredibly diversified,” says Corrado.

“Buyers are certainly increasing, but orders aren’t as large and are more focused on ‘just-in-time’ strategies to avoid having surplus of stock in the warehouse at the end of the season.”

Homi’s participation overseas continues with the second edition of Homi New York from May 14-17 at the Javits Convention Center, New York; while the Autumn edition of Homi will return to Fiera Milano from September 16-19, 2016.

A successful January show for Homi, yes?

Yes, in January, we reaped the rewards of two years of hard work. The fair has now reached a level of maturity that stimulates us to improve it further but also reassures us about what we have achieved so far. We have seen growth across the board. Certainly some sectors are coming back, like the tableware sector, which is growing again with manufacturers attending in ever-higher numbers. That said, newer sectors, like textiles, are also expanding considerably.

The record number of more than 81,000 visitors for the January show is an excellent sign but it also challenges us to continue to make the Homi format even stronger, even better.

Why do you think the format is so successful?

Homi was designed to have a versatile format so it could evolve and change according to the needs of the businesses, the various trade sectors represented within the exhibition, current trends and of course, the preferences of visitors and this has been its success.

How key is tabletop in the Homi mix?

The traditions associated with the table and kitchen are fundamental parts of the legacy inherited [from Macef ] by Homi; an area that was

What the retailer says… “Our main target market includes the table, wedding registries and gifts… these are industries that have undergone great transformations over the years and this is why we have also changed what we have on offer, having expanded our merchandise categories to include home décor as well as bijoux. At Homi, we find just the right range of products to suit all our categories and we’re able to do all of our orders while we’re there for two or three days and this saves a lot of time. It’s also really important for us to see what’s new and meet and talk to our suppliers. It’s a time to exchange views.”

Paolo Cambria, owner of Cristal Flint, Palermo, Italy 86 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 84

Onlylux

Ichendorf

Buyers are increasing but orders aren’t as large and are more focused on ‘just-in-time’ strategies to avoid having surplus of stock in the warehouse at the end of the season

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emphasised last year by the theme of Expo2015, which underlined the important role of Italy in the culture of conviviality and was represented with a ‘style at the table’ exhibition.

In Italy, there are a huge number of companies associated with this sector, many of them well-known on a global scale – it is therefore one of Homi’s fundamental tasks, to raise the profile of these companies and their overseas counterparts by delivering events and exhibits that showcase the innovative design and stylish ideas of this sector.

How are you seeing the tabletop industry faring right now?

We see encouraging signs in many sectors. According to research company ANIMA, which represents Italian housewares companies, exports are increasing and in 2015 reached 562 million. Exports account for 65 per cent of the total turnover of the estimates for 2016. One of the countries most interested in Italian exports in this sector is the US, a market that in 2015 reported an increase of 54 per cent. Exports from this sector continue to go mainly to European countries – Germany, France and Spain, in particular – but Italian manufacturers also want to increase their share outside Europe. What’s more, in Italy, the segment believes in innovation and in 2015 investments reported an increase of 4.5 per cent, a very encouraging sign that shows that the segment is focused on improving the quality of its products.

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What consumer trends are currently driving tableware?

We’ve noticed much attention being paid to environmental sustainability and consumer health; not just factors associated with production techniques but also the creation of innovative products that allow consumers to choose practices and behaviours which respect the environment. There were many such solutions showcased at Homi including the return of natural materials in cookware and serveware and/or natural processes in the field of textiles.

Are you finding enough innovation in tableware right now?

There is a great deal of innovation and a lot of research going on right now – new materials or clever combinations of existing materials, brand-new shapes, objects that have multi-uses – these innovations are driving the sector. We’ve seen a fair amount of cross-pollination of different design languages lately, for example tabletop with fashion as both share the same seasons, colours, patterns and designs, and these have delivered all sorts of ideas for innovation and newness. We’ve also seen evermore interesting customised articles – a demand for uniqueness and exclusivity.

Trend-wise, in Italy, we are seeing Italian ceramics very much based on the clean, minimalist forms of Eastern chinaware as well as continuous references to the figurative arts, or even music.

Tognana

Trends spotted…

Walkure

Coastal took centre stage At Gien, there were lobsters and crabs on dinnerware; at Easy Life, a blue and white theme featured stripes, starfish and shells; ASA Selection delivered fishshaped/textured platters and serveware in aqua and cream. Contemporary blue fishes adorned platters and a cake stand at Unitable, while Modigliani delivered a fish-inspired blue range and a crustacean-inspired orange range, the latter offering octopus motifs and crustacean-shaped bowls.

Pastels were prolific With pastel pink and blue the Pantone colours of the year, pastels proved prolific: pastel pink was introduced across the board at Iittala – think salmon pink tumblers; while at Wald, retro pastels like mint and pink reigned supreme. Mint and pink pastel tones on scalloped shapes were the centre of Tognana’s new tableware range, Charme; at Palais Royal, mint green, pink and blue pastels on textured dishes delivered a shabby chic feel; and at luxe acrylic brand Baci, pale pinks, blues and mint dominated its new ranges. Finally, distributors Corrado Corradi delivered pastel glassware from Walkure and pastel tableware from Ichendorf.

Cork was cool Glass company IVV introduced cork in a new range of food storage jars and condiment bottles, the cork tops doubling as stands or trivets; while Bormioli Rocco mixed cork with glass canisters and water carafes.

Metallics continue reign Bormioli Rocco revealed its innovative metallic painted glass on bottles and storage containers; while copper and gold was introduced into Elleffe Design’s stainless steel range for the first time.

What the retailer says… “Trade shows are important and Homi Milano is a source of inspiration for us, helping us select product and interact in a concrete way with industry players. Homi is really well organised with special spaces just for business meetings and they offer interesting training sessions. All of this makes it an important event for our business.”

Anna di Veroli, buyer, responsible for Italian retailer, C’Art Group, Rome, Italy TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL 85

Show Review Spring Fair

the A spring in its step What retailers With innovation and collaboration the buzzwords of Spring Fair 2016 we get the lowdown on how successful the 2016 UK-based spring show really was

T

he UK’s key retail buyers turned out in force for a buzzing edition of Spring Fair, which took place Feb 7-11 at The NEC, UK. The show brought together thousands of exhibitors across 13 sectors, including key sector Kitchen, Dining & Housewares, from around the UK and wider global community with hundreds joining Spring Fair for the first time and many choosing the show as their exclusive UK or international Launchpad.

Among newcomers in the Kitchen, Dining & Housewares sector, which was located in Hall 9 having changed location last year, was Global Luxury Brands, along with tableware giant Villeroy & Boch, who returned to the show after a few years out.

For newcomer Global Luxury Brands, a tableware and decorative arts distributor representing luxury porcelain brands such as Herend, De Rosa, Noritake and Okura, Spring Fair was a “great opportunity to showcase these ranges, both of which have never been at UK shows before”, says owner, Simon Willis.

“The timing of Spring Fair has always been great as far as getting to retailers when they’re planning their activities for the year ahead.

“Overall we were delighted with the reaction from customers to both ranges, with many saying that the market for high-quality collectables was starting to show considerable signs of life.

After opening a good number of new accounts we were very happy with the show and will be back in 2017.”

Business was also good for many of the usual Spring Fair suspects in dining, from Denby and Creative Tops to Portmeirion Group and Arthur Price.

“Spring Fair was a good show for Denby, the level of footfall on the stand was generally good and on par with last 86 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

year,” says sales director, Martin Duggan.

“It’s the second year that tabletop has been located in Hall 9 and the new hall location is starting to be established with visitors, however, we feel the number of ‘walk-on’s’ or casual visitors is less than the previous location of Halls 1 and 2.”

At the show, Denby launched three new collections, with the main focus on its new handcrafted versatile tableware collection, Natural Canvas, which “created a real buzz on the stand”, says Martin.

“Customers commented that Natural Canvas is very much on-trend, contemporary and with broad appeal and they really value the fact that it’s Made In England.”

Made In England product was prolific, in fact, with many tableware manufacturers tapping into the current consumer mood for English heritage.

And the Made In England tag is clearly one in demand by British retailers.

Cookshop and gifts buyer for Goulds Department Store & Garden Centre, Anne Pitman, told TI that “it was nice to have such a good choice of Made In England tableware” and that she had plenty of new suppliers to follow up with.

As well as an abundance of Made In England product in Hall 9, there were lots of collaborations that not only delivered plenty of innovative licensed product, but a higher-than-usual number of onstand celebrity appearances.

Kitchen Craft’s collaboration with The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) presenter Paul Hollywood, announced just a week before the show, delivered a fantastic new bakeware range alongside an appearance from Paul on the stand on Monday; while GBBO winner Nadiya Hussain graced the Wow! Stuff stand, also on Monday, to launch a bespoke range of giftable bakeware including personalised bake tins.

And Spring Fair celebrity stalwarts Laurence Llewelyn Bowen and Sophie Conran returned, Sophie extending her successful design style to cutlery, designing a new pattern for British cutlery manufacturer Arthur Price; as well as presenting a new range for T&G. Further tabletop licences came courtesy of Creative Tops, with new and exciting licence launches from Victoria & Albert, Katie Alice and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew; and of Ulster Weavers with its stunning new licensed range with British designer Kelly Hall.

Innovation certainly reigned tabletop supreme, from Spode’s Giallo, a new and contemporary take on its 200-year-old blue and white pattern Blue Italian, to the adaptable, practical and stylish Gastro range from James Martin for Denby.

“There are some interestingly designed products and there is innovation in the industry again. I think the homewares selection is very strong this year and on-trend,” says Mark Jones, owner of etailer, Occasions Direct.

Owner of independent retailer White Mint, Christopher Dell, in Berkhamsted, says: “Spring Fair was hall after hall of ideas, helping me find new brands to work with… we came out buzzing with ideas of what to do next. The people we find at Spring Fair have new ideas that keep our shop relevant and fresh, which hopefully gives us the edge we need.”

Commenting as the show closed its doors on Thursday Feb 11, Spring Fair portfolio director Nick Davison said: “There have been some exceptional results and wonderful special events and there was a great atmosphere of camaraderie throughout the show.”

Autumn Fair 2016 takes place Sept 4-7 and Spring Fair 2017 runs Feb 5-9, 2017. www.springfair.com www.autumnfair.com

say…

At Spring Fair, the atmosphere seemed very upbeat, a lot busier than last year with lots of new products in kitchenware and tableware especially.

It was nice to have a good choice of Made In England tableware.

Anne Pitman, cookshop & gifts buyer, Goulds Department Store & Garden Centre, Dorchester, UK

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Spring Fair still remains one of the most important dates in the buying calendar.

It continues to provide buyers with the best opportunity to see new products and pick up on the latest trends.

My team found Spring Fair 2016 invaluable for meeting new manufacturers, catching up with existing suppliers and viewing the latest developments.

Martin de la Fuente, senior buying manager for non-food, Ocado

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THE NEW YORK TABLETOP SHOW

®

2016 SHOW DATES APRIL

SEPTEMBER

12–15

27– 30

Where the most important brands and buyers meet.

41 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010 • 212.686.1203 • 41madison.com • A Rudin Building

American Silk Anchor Hocking Arc International Arthur Court Designs Artland Auratic USA BauscherHepp Inc. B.I.A. Cordon Bleu Bormioli Rocco Glass Cambridge Silversmiths Certified International Christofle Circle Glass Crystal House International Degrenne Paris Denby USA Deshoulières DeVine Corp.

Euro Ceramica, Inc. Fisher Home Products Fitz & Floyd Fürstenberg Gibson Overseas Godinger Group Gourmet Settings Hampton Forge Hankook Chinaware Herend Hering-Berlin Hermès Home Essentials and Beyond Homer Laughlin China Co. iittala Jay Import John Jenkins Joseph Joseph Julia Watts LLC Juliska Kavalier Glass Kiyasa L’OBJET Lee’s Group International Lenox Corporation Libbey Glass Lifetime Brands Luigi Bormioli Maxwell & Williams Meyer Corporation Michael Aram Michael Wainwright Moser Mottahedeh Mr. Christmas Nambe Nikko Ceramics Noritake Odiot Oneida Ltd. Orrefors Kosta Boda Over & Back Pasabahce USA Pickard China Portmeirion Prima Design Prouna Puiforcat Q Squared Design LLC Ralph Lauren Home Reed & Barton Ricci Argentieri Richard Ginori 1735 Riedel Crystal of America Robinson Home Products Rosenthal USA Royal Crown Derby Royal Copenhagen Royal Doulton Royal Limoges Royal Worcester Saint Louis Sambonet Sango America TL Scafati & Company Shinepukur Ceramics Signature Housewares Inc. Spode Steve Dolce Marketing 10 Strawberry Street TarHong Direct Tervis Tzeng Shyng Vietri Villeroy & Boch Vista Alegre Waterford Wedgwood William Yeoward Crystal WMF Yamazaki Tableware Zak Designs Zwilling J.A. Henckels