Progressive Gifts & Home November 2021

NOVEMBER 2021

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This Month Welcome to the October/ November issue of Progressive Gifts & Home, and what a rollercoaster few weeks it’s been for the industry!

The good news is that we were absolutely thrilled to recognise and reward the cream of gift retail at the fabulous Greats awards in September.

The sun shone, the champagne glasses clinked, and the joy of being out and about at such a fabulous event, enjoying the late Autumn sunshine, was just the thing to make everyone come together as an industry. If you weren’t able to be there, turn to pages 18 and 19 to see our joyous party pics, and to pages 20-27 to see who this year’s winners are (if you don’t know already!).

Also, re-uniting us as industry were trade shows Autumn Fair and Top Drawer. The shows may have been smaller, but both exhibitors and visitors were there to do business, with retailers out in force to buy not browse. For me, a highlight of Autumn Fair was being offered an exclusive interview with retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis following his packed seminar. Read Theo’s words of retail wisdom on pages 43-45.

Meanwhile, with Christmas around the corner, we’ve tracked down what’s trending this year - the gifts that will be popped into stockings or under the Christmas tree and more. Turn to pages 31-37. And if it's licensed giftware that you’re after, we’ve got some more gift ideas on pages 47-49.

Talking of celebrations, it was lovely to reminisce with Nigel Biggs, ceo of Rex London, which is currently celebrating its 40th anniversary. It was fun looking back at some of the ‘80s ‘hot hits’ while discovering what will be taking the company forward in 2022. Turn to pages 28-29.

Unfortunately though, it hasn’t all been good news. Stock issues have continued to dominate, leading to de-motivating ‘Christmas is cancelled’ headlines in the media. We asked a cross-section of gift suppliers and gift retailers for the current lowdown. Turn to pages 14-17.

And finally, back to some good news; we’re delighted to welcome Ali Farrell (see below) to the PG&H team as advertisement manager. Previously with Housewares magazine, many of you will already have met Ali at trade shows and at The Greats awards, so expect to see and hear much more from her over the coming months!

Sue

Sue Marks, Editor

@Prog_Gifts

Inside 5-13 14-17 18-19 20-27 28-29 31-37

News Industry Issue: Stock issues Greats party pages Greats 2021 winners In Profile: Rex London Spotlight On... Christmas gifts

33

43-45 Feedback: In conversation with Theo Paphitis 47-49 Licensed giftware 56-57 Best Sellers

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Above: Sue Marks (far left) and Max Publishing’s joint MD Jakki Brown (far right) with Lark’s Priya Aurora-Crowe and Dominic Crowe; Jumping Bean’s Nilou Noorbaksh and Terry Newton and The Indigo Tree’s Harriet and Adam de Wolff at The Greats Awards.

The UK gift and home industry is dynamic, innovative and vibrant and The Greats Awards reflect all of this and much more. Be a part of it!

Visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk

Sue Marks Editor

Ali Farrell Advertisement Manager

Jo Pilcher Commercial Manager

Ian Hyder Publishing Director

suem@max-publishing.co.uk

alisonf@max-publishing.co.uk

jop@max-publishing.co.uk

ianh@max-publishing.co.uk

Subscribe to Progressive Gifts from £60 (UK) to £90 (International) You can organise this quickly and easily online at our secure site: www.max-subscriptions.net For assistance, please email subscriptions@maxpublishing.co.uk ISSN 2515-7523

www.max-publishing.co.uk The home of market leading trade magazines Publishers: Jacqueline Brown, Warren Lomax, Ian Hyder and Rob Willis Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax: 020 7607 6411 www.progressivegifts.co.uk Copyright 2021. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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HARROGATE Christmas & Gift

Harrogate Covention Centre

16 - 19 January 2022 The UK’s favourite tradeshow for the festive sector - meet retailers and buyers from garden centres, gift shops, department stores, independent stores, tourist attractions, cathedral and heritage centres, events and venues and much more ...

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Industry A ‘Greats’ Day Was Had By All Tears, Cheers & Laughter On A Sunny Afternoon The winners of The Greats 2021 were revealed at a fabulous sunny September afternoon Awards event that took place at the historic Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) in London at the end of September.

Attended by the cream of the great and the good in the gift community, guests enjoyed pre-lunch drinks on the lawn, as well as a specially prepared Greats lunch, before being entertained by stand-up comedian Stuart Goldsmith.

“It was a fabulous day, with the gift industry finally able to get back together again after 19 months for a live event, so there was a lot of hugging going on!” says PG&H’s editor Sue Marks.

In her welcome speech, Sue told guests: “Our congratulations go to all the fantastic Greats finalists and winners who showed outstanding resourcefulness and resilience in challenging retail times.”

Among the winners who couldn’t hide their excitement at hearing their names called out was Nilou Noorbaksh, co-owner of Jumping Bean in Beckenham and Honor Oak. “I did a cross between a jump and dance on my way to the stage!” she laughed. For other winners, it was an emotional day, with happy tears from James Webster, owner of Josie’s in Bideford. “I felt very emotional. I didn’t expect it all, but I felt very proud.”

The Outstanding Achievement Award was

NEWS Excellent News

Jo Williams, owner of Joco Interiors in Nuneaton, was recently voted as overall winner of the NoW Network Awards Service in Excellence category, held in Coventry. Jo was shortlisted as a finalist in two other categories and also received a commendation in the Locked Up to Looked Up Award.

Below: The Service in Excellence Award won

by Jo Williams.

awarded posthumously to Widdop & Co’s Robert ‘Bob’ Illingworth, founder of the family business, who sadly passed away in August aged 91. His eldest grandson, Stephen Illingworth, Widdop’s creative director, collected the trophy, and recalled the tremendous achievements of his grandpa, with Stephen receiving a standing ovation. (Turn to page 26).

To see the full list of Greats winners, turn to pages 20-27, and to flick through the Greats party photos, turn to pages 18 and 19 to share in all the fun of the day.

The Greats Awards are organised by Progressive Gifts & Home and GiftsandHome.net and owned by Max Publishing.

Details of The Greats Awards 2022 will be announced shortly.

Visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk Above: Max Publishing’s ‘Greats’ team, ready to welcome guests. From left to right are (back row): Sue Marks and Warren Lomax; (centre, from left to right): Jo Pilcher, Ali Farrell and Jakki Brown; (front row, from left to right): Ian Hyder and Rob Willis.

Left: Greats winner Lisa Carberry, owner of Original Artists, was among the winners who made headlines in their local media.

The Greats Sponsors 2021 The Greats Awards 2021 were sponsored by the following companies (in alphabetical order): Allsorted, Ashleigh & Burwood; Candlelight; Carte Blanche Greetings (CBG); Gift Republic; GiftsandHome.net; The Giftware Association; Gisela Graham; Harrogate Christmas & Gift; Heritage Art and Design; Joe Davies; licensingsource.net; Life Charms; Method UK; Premier Decorations; Products of Change; Progressive Gifts & Home; Progressive Greetings Live; Progressive Greetings magazine; Spring Fair and Autumn Fair and Wrendale Designs.

A Marathon Achievement Despite the fact that David Lorimer, co-owner of four Brocante gift and lifestyle shops in Cornwall, (a finalist at The Greats 2021), ‘hates running’, he not only completed the recent 26.2 mile London Marathon, but raised over £3,000 for national charity The Children’s Society.

He took part in the Marathon with his business and life partner Keiron Cockley, revealing that they were spurred on by the cheering crowds and the historic London landmarks around every corner. “Every mile, whether it’s one or 26 is hard, which is why I need a goal to achieve,” he explained.

Kieron completed the Marathon in 4 hours 20 minutes and David in 4 hours 50 minutes. “We felt a huge sense of achievement, and to raise money for the charity felt fantastic,” said David.

Mooch Opens In Fulham Greats 2021 finalist Mooch, which has three shops in Ealing, West London, recently opened a fourth branch in trendy Fulham.

Co-owner Sandra O’Connell explained that it was driven by customer demand. “Customers were always coming into our Ealing gift stores and saying ‘if only we had a shop like this in Fulham’, so we’ve opened one!”

Above: The new Mooch gift shop in Fulham.

Jumping Bean Jumps Into Dulwich The owners of newly crowned Greats’ winner Jumping Bean - winner of the Independent Gift Retailer of the Year - London category, will be adding to their award winning gift shop portfolio in Beckenham and Honor Oak with a third Jumping Bean gift outlet.

Located in Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, and scheduled to open this month, co-owners Nilou Noorbaksh and Terry Newton explained: “We feel that now is the time for independents.

Given that lockdown happened, and the tremendous support we received locally, we decided we wanted to open another shop in an area close to where we are already part of the community.”

Below: Jumping Bean will be opening a third shop in East Dulwich this month.

Left: From left to right: Jo Jenkins (left), executive director, social impact, The Children’s Society; Brocante’s Keiron Cockley and David Lorimer, and the Rev. Mike Todd, The Children Society’s fundraising development manager.

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Industry Chancellor’s Autumn Statement Mixed Feelings From Gift Indies The 50% cut in business rates, announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in his Autumn Statement on October 27, will be a massive boost to the retail sector, one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. The discount, up to a maximum of £1110,000, makes it the biggest single year cut to business rates in 30 years.

Other measures announced include that next year's planned increase in the business rates multiplier will be cancelled; making business rates fairer and timelier, with three year evaluations from 2023; the introduction of investment relief for green technologies for 12 months, along with new rates improvement relief from 2023, where businesses will pay no extra business rates on improvements made to a property.

Views on the news: “For a business such as ours which, in the towns where we trade, deliberately occupy the very best prime sites we can acquire, this is as good a move as we could reasonably have hoped for,” stated Richard Barker, owner of four Cilla & Camilla gift, fashion, homewares and cookshop stores in Beaminster, Bridport and Sherborne. “It's worth well in excess of £25,000 to us in the coming year.” He continued: “the discount provides short-term support as we rebuild post-Covid and the other measures announced show a

willingness to address the inherent inequity of the current non-domestic rating system.”

However, some retailers had mixed feelings. "The package of measures is welcome news, but the increase in the minimum wage does sour it a little,” pointed out Greg Rose, co-owner of Maybugs in Hailsham and Eastbourne. “We pride ourselves in already paying our staff at least £9.50, however as this is now the new minimum rate, we will have to look at if we increase our standard rate further to ensure we can attract and retain the best quality of employee."

Cathy Frost, owner of LoveOne in Ipswich, also had reservations. “I’m pleased to see some good news with respect to business rates, but disappointed not to see a commitment for a fundamental review of the system. Time will tell whether this budget will impact on consumer spend, which at this moment is my biggest worry in the run up to Christmas.”

Andrew Goodacre, ceo of the British Independent Retail Association (Bira) also voiced his concerns. "The devil is in the detail,” he stated. "The rates bill for this year was reduced to 25% of normal levels in response to Covid.

Therefore, reducing rates by 50% next year is, in fact, a 100% increase on what businesses are actually paying. On top of everything else, this will be a challenge. We believe more could have been done, considering all the other inflationbusting increases such as wages, energy, supply chain, etc.” While he welcomed the use of rates relief to encourage investment in properties and the shorter time periods between rates reviews, reduced from five years to three years, he stressed that 2022 will more about survival than investment. “It will be a really difficult year for the high street and we hoped for more recognition to protect local communities, jobs and livelihoods.”

Top: Chancellor Rishi Sunak confirmed a 50% business rates discount.

Above left: Cathy Frost, owner, LoveOne.

B&LLAs Award Winners The Van Gogh Stationery and Gifting Collection from Blueprint Stationery won the Best Brand Licensed Gifting Product or Range category at The B&LLAs 2021 industry awards, held last month at the Hilton Park Lane Hotel in London. The winner of the Best Brand Licensed Home Décor Product or Range was Scion Living x Next from Next.

The event, organised by Max Publishing, was hosted by comedian Dom Joly, and was attended by 400 retailers, licensees and brand owners.

Above: The B&LLAs winners are shown on stage.

NEWS Small Business Saturday Roadshow

Ahead of this year’s Small Business Saturday event, taking place at the beginning of December, a nationwide zero emissions tour is currently underway.

The focus is on supporting six million small businesses across the UK, with the tour - which started in Glasgow on 31 October, the first day of COP26 - on the road for a month, finishing in London slightly ahead of Small Business Saturday on 4 December.

For the first time, the tour will be delivering a hybrid format of online and in person activity. This will include virtual workshops, webinars and mentoring, covering a range of small business topics, as well as on the ground visits and livestreamed interviews with local businesses in cities including Manchester, Belfast, Cardiff, and Edinburgh, as well as coastal towns, such Whitley Bay and rural Hereford.

Retailers can book one-to-one mentoring sessions by visiting the My Business section at www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com The campaign has grown significantly each year with a record £1.1bn spent with small businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2020, and 15.4m people choosing to shop with independents.

Above: Tim Rundle-Wood, owner of natural scent gift shop Twoodle in Shoreditch is among Small Business Saturday’s Small Biz 100 stars.

BLE Puts The Spotlight On Sustainability November’s Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) is partnering with Products of Change to spotlight sustainability in a new section at this year’s event.

The BLE Sustainability Activation, in partnership with Products of Change, will be front and centre on the show floor, featuring six unique zones – Fashion Innovation, Material Innovation, Retail Innovation, Product Innovation, Brands of Social Change and Products of Change free 1-2-1 Clinics - to inspire the industry towards a more sustainable future.

The zones will highlight the inroads that brands, retailers and manufacturers are already making in fashion, product, material and retail innovation, as well as the impact this can have on the global licensing industry, consumers and beyond.

BLE returns to London’s ExCeL from 17-19 November, followed by an online event from 30 November - 1 December. See Licensed Giftware on pages 47-49. Visit www.brandlicensing.eu

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Industry Global Gold For Ian Snow Company Triumphs At Global Good Awards Independent ethical brand Ian Snow has been awarded prestigious gold and bronze medals at the 2021 Global Good Awards, designed to celebrate the continuing commitment by businesses to act responsibly and to support people, the planet and the economy.

The company was awarded a gold medal in the category Waste Reduction and Minimalisation category, (alongside DPD), and joint bronze in the Global Good SME of the Year category. The brand was also honoured to be nominated as a finalist in the COVID Crisis Champions category for its efforts in response to the March 2020 lockdown in India, where Ian Snow fundraised and donated over £40,000 equating to over 200,000 meals for five makeshift kitchens in Jaipur - to help communities in need of support when their means of making a living was taken away.

Top Trends Showcased At Top Drawer

“We are absolutely thrilled to have achieved gold and bronze awards, as well as a finalist position, alongside such huge brand names as DPD, ITV, NatWest and Santander, across three very prestigious categories,” commented Daisy Snow, director of Ian Snow. “It's fantastic to have the work we do as a smaller brand recognised in a global award like this.”

With a mid-December closing date, there’s still time to enter the Gift of the Year Awards, organised by The Giftware Association (GA). “The accolade opens doors and raises a company’s business profile to an audience that matters - the buyers and retailers who judge the competition,” says the GA’s marketing and PR manager Chris Workman.

“We are excited to welcome new products and to see what everyone has been hard at work on during the various lockdowns,” he continues. “In addition, we are looking forward to discovering who will be crowned winner of the Judges Choice award, as well as the People’s Choice category, which was introduced for the first time last year.”

There will be two rounds of judging - online in December, and in person in January 2022.

To enter, visit www.giftoftheyear.co.uk or email chris.workman@ga-uk.org

Busy Autumn Fair

British artisan designer Julie Dodsworth has created a bespoke range of Shaun the Sheep giftware for Bristol Children’s Hospital’s The Grand Appeal. It features a unique take on Shaun the Sheep, and an original design and pattern.

The range, which is eco and vegan friendly, as well as Made in Britain, includes grow your own seed pots; grow your own letterbox gifts; palm oil free soap; a soya wax candle and glass tea lights as well as a reed diffuser. “Playing our part in such a worthwhile charity is a privilege and an honour to serve,” comments Julie.

Left: Julie Dodsworth’s Shaun the Sheep giftware.

Four top trends for 2022 - Tobacco Brown, Monochrome Magic, Lavender and Modern Folk - were unveiled at Top Drawer in September, featuring exhibitors’ products that ranged from home fragrancing, bath and body, jewellery, interiors and ceramics to fashion accessories, glassware, greeting cards and giftwrap.

“It was a really successful three days,” confirmed Top Drawer’s show director Russell Rule. “We re-united the industry in a safe, secure environment and received extremely positive feedback from key exhibitors and retailers.”

Below: Monochrome Magic was among the key trends at Top Drawer.

Top: The team from Ian Snow with the company’s gold award. Daisy Snow proudly holds the trophy.

GOTY Closing Date

A Grand Fundraiser

NEWS

A busy, buzzy Autumn Fair brought the gift, home and fashion industries back together again for four days that saw retailers out in force and exhibitors confirming that buyers were happy to place orders at the show.

“To our great delight, the NEC was buzzing with colour and innovation, with exhibitors and retailers trading with excitement and hope, and the show refreshing and refuelling the high street,” commented Julie Driscoll, managing director of Retail, Fashion & Digital at Hyve Group. “We were overwhelmed by the positive comments from our exhibitors across the show.”

Over 400 curated, bespoke meetings took place, between buyers and exhibitors, with feedback “overwhelmingly positive,” said Julie. “Now, we can’t wait until February’s Spring Fair!”

Do What You Love, Love What You Do Small business champion Holly Tucker MBE, co-founder of Notonthehighstreet.com, and founder of Holly & Co, was the keynote speaker at Top Drawer in September, bringing colour and passion to the RetailFest stage during an informal, inspiring and powerful conversation with life coach Tiwalola Ogunlesi, founder of Confident and Killing It. Speaking to a packed house, Holly stressed that small businesses in particular need to connect to their community to be successful. “There’s something about connecting with other people and creating something together,” she stated. “If you do interesting things, interesting things will happen to you. Even if something scares me I do it anyway because something exciting might happen.”

Earlier this year, Holly’s book Do What You Love, Love What You Do became a Sunday Times best seller, with Holly signing copies for her fans at Top Drawer.

Below: Holly Tucker MBE, (left), in conversation with Tiwalola Ogunlesi, founder of Confident and Killing It.

Above: Julie Driscoll and event director Simon Lau at Autumn Fair.

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Industry Ongoing Expansion At Gallery Direct

Below: The exterior of Gallery Direct’s northern distribution hub OrionOne.

A New Northern Distribution Hub Is Underway The Gallery Direct Group has secured a long-term lease on the newly built OrionOne warehouse at Markham Vale near Chesterfield, an established distribution hub located at Junction 29A on the East Midlands, South Yorkshire border.

This vast new facility, with 14 metre eaves, 21 docking doors and spaces for 39 trailers, boasts over 224,000 sq ft of space, enough to house 35,000 pallets. Fitout work, including racking, electrical and office accommodation, will start immediately. It will serve as Gallery’s northern packing, warehousing, and distribution hub, with enough space to accommodate the ongoing expansion of the business. The property also offers space for the development of 30,000 sq ft of state-of-theart showrooms, over three floors, for client reviews and meetings.

NEWS NEWS IN BRIEF l Half Moon Bay’s May

The Thoughts Be With You giftware collection is helping to raise funds for the Student Minds mental health charity.

Right: Half Moon Bay’s May The Thoughts Be With You giftware.

“The new property, combined with our southern warehouse and head office, further improves our distribution and operational capacity,” comments managing director Peter Delaney. “We will be able to serve 96% of our clients’ requirements with one day delivery times, utilising our own home distribution fleet.”

The company will be expanding Gallery’s established home interiors categories, including furniture, lighting, wall décor and textiles, as well as the newer developments in outdoor living, home accessories and Christmas.

l Sustainable stationery

company VENT for Change is supporting Cycle of Good’s Krizevac school’s project in Malawi, recently sending out a consignment of hundreds of notebooks for school children.

Right: Schoolchildren in Malawai.

l Scottish gift and housewares company

Selbrae House has unveiled a new trade website - www.selbraehouse.co.uk - with over 60 new products launched for AW 21.

Sad Loss

l Sarwat Jaleel, founder of Kushboo Soaps,

Robert ‘Bob’ Illingworth (1930 – 2021) It was with great sadness that Widdop & Co’s Illingworth family announced the passing of Robert ‘Bob’ Illingworth on 23 August 2021, aged 91.

“Retiring officially in 1990, aged 60, he never stopped working at Widdop and remained the company’s chairman until November 2020, watching with pride as his sons and grandsons took the business he grew from strength to strength.

“Bob was the sole member of the Widdop Bingham third generation in the family business, which was founded by his grandfather, William Widdop, in 1883. He joined the very small Widdop business in Manchester around the time of his marriage in 1956, and became an exemplary pioneer in the giftware trade, from attendance at the very first Spring and Autumn Fairs to the installation of the first computer in the industry, and much celebrated paper catalogues. He expanded the business, taking over four other older businesses, until Widdop’s settled and expanded in Chadderton on the outskirts of Manchester. He became the heart of an incredible growth story that has continued today.

“For so many years, he was the heartbeat of this business and the energy behind much of what this company does today. He was the root of our family’s values, an old school leader who epitomised everything the business is and will be in future, and all of us owe him so much for the opportunities we have today.”

Bob is survived by his wife Jean, his four sons, 11 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

was interviewed on Radio 2’s Good Morning Sunday programme by presenters the Revered Kate Bottley and Jason Mohammad.

Above: Robert ‘Bob’ Illingworth.

Left: Bob with three of his sons, from left to right: Stuart, Andrew and Chris.

Amscan Acquires Ginger Ray Worldwide designer, manufacturer, distributor and omnichannel retailer of party products and supplies, Amscan International, has acquired celebrations brand Ginger Ray, with the move marking an important step in the group’s ambitious strategic growth plans.

“Ben Spence and the Ginger Ray team have developed an industry leading brand and we believe that with a combination of our mutual strengths we can help the brand develop further,” comments Gary Panons, ceo, Amscan International.

Added Ginger Ray’s managing director Ben Spence: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Amscan International. We believe that access to the global network and capabilities of Amscan International will enable us to fully focus on what we do best - crating beautiful products for our customers.”

Ginger Ray will continue to operate under its own trading name and the existing Ginger Ray team, including managing director Ben Spence, will continue in their current roles.

PEOPLE l Jak Kelly-O’Donnell (right)

has been appointed sales manager of Scotland’s Trade Fairs, organised by Springboard Events. She spent eight years in sales for The Wedding Show and has also worked on the Baby Show.

John Lewis Reveals Survey Findings The findings of John Lewis & Partners’ annual report, which analyses Britain’s shopping habits over the past year, has revealed that the pandemic has significantly changed the way people shop, live and work.

More people are socialising with friends at home, with gardens becoming extensions of kitchens and dining rooms, driving sales of garden products and garden accessories.

The report confirms that the lockdowns have changed the way people are shopping.

John Lewis’ website currently accounts for between 60% and 70% of sales, up from 40% before the pandemic.

Below: Homes and gardens have become a focus.

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Industry New Era For Wax Lyrical New Factory Is Up And Running Wax Lyrical has completed the build of its new factory in Lindal-in-Furness, with owners Portmeirion Group investing £1.5m to build the new production facility which has expanded capabilities at the Cumbria plant, heralding a new era. The investment reflects Portmeirion’s longer term plans for growth.

“This is a huge undertaking and I could not be prouder of the design, science, engineering, production and office teams who made this possible,” states chief executive Jacqui Gale MBE. “Beauty is a new sector for Wax Lyrical, but we have

the expertise in our state-ofthe-art lab and a very experienced team throughout the company.”

The first products are about hand care and include a hydrating wash, moisturising lotion and a fragranced norinse hand cleanser.

Continued Jacqui: “By repurposing and restructuring our plant, we’ve built a new factory to accommodate six, 50 tonne storage tanks, several 36 tonne mixing tanks and a filling, labelling and finishing line. We’ve re-trained staff and restructured to maintain a competitive business in a financially difficult decade.”

Above: Wax Lyrical’s chief executive Jacqui Gale MBE pressed the button to commence manufacture.

Above: The company’s Sunflower hand care range

Hale Events Celebrates 30 Years Hale Events, which organises coastal and tourist gift and home show Giving & Living in Exeter, is celebrating the company’s 30th anniversary.

"It’s been two very challenging years for the events sector,” says managing director Mike Anderson, "but we are now planning our events with confidence, and companies are booking stands because they are feeling the same way. We all have to get on with it!"

With staycationers providing a welcome boost for retailers in coastal areas and tourist hot spots during the summer, there will be two Giving & Living shows in 2022 one physical and the other online. The live show will be back at its usual home of Westpoint, Exeter, from January 16-18, with a second virtual show, Giving & Living ONLINE, taking place from May 9-11.

Both shows will be showcasing a wide range of gifts and homeware, with a focus on giftware for the coastal and UK tourism markets. Visit givingliving.co.uk

NEWS Moda Debuts At Spring Fair

Following on from a successful Autumn Fair, Moda will be making its debut at Spring Fair, which takes place from 6-9 February, 2022. The sector will feature womenswear, jewellery, accessories and footwear, as well as sustainable UK and global brands, and will incorporate Jewellery & Watch, encouraging crossover buying opportunities, say organisers the Hyve Group.

To date, Moda has seen a 90% rebook, to include brands such as Jayley, Goose Island and Perfection Clothing.

With a desire for sustainable and ethically sourced brands continuing to grow, there will be new designs from returning brands Nomads, Zelly and Earth Squared.

The show will also be welcoming Pretty Pink Jewellery, which uses only raw materials ethically sourced from Brazilian cooperatives in the Amazon rainforest.

Turkish brands will also be returning, including ready to wear, contemporary brand Hukka Design and Jus De Pommes. Moda’s VIP Programme will also take place.Visit www.springfair.com; www.moda-uk.com Above: Bags of colour from Moda exhibitor Jayley.

Right: The Hale Events team celebrating the company’s big 3-0.

Ambiente’s Top Trends For 2022 + According to Ambiente’s trends forecasters studio Stiburo bora.herke.palmisano, visionary ideas, sustainability and an appreciation for traditions will shape people’s everyday life in 2022 and beyond, with the trends offering an overview of giving, living and dining.

"After a long period in a state of emergency, we are ready for a new beginning,” says Philipp Ferger, vice president Consumer Goods Fairs at Messe Frankfurt. “The last one and a half years have fundamentally changed our social and economic behaviour, and this is reflected in Ambiente’s Trends 22+.”

The three forecasts - Remedy Solving + clearing; Identity Knowing + making, and Improving + liberating - build on previous themes, with the + sign reflecting that the path is unfinished. In the Ambiente trends area, studio Stilburo will be selecting exhibitors’ products reflecting the three themes, making the trends tangible to buyers.

Ambiente takes place from 11-15 February 2022. Visit www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com; Above: Remedy Solving + clearing is among the trends at Ambiente 2022. www.ambiente-trends.com

Dunelm’s Gift Of Giving Following on from a hugely successful Delivering Joy Christmas campaign last year - which saw Dunelm donate 18,000 gifts to the vulnerable, and those who wouldn’t normally receive a present on Christmas Day - the retailer is again asking kind-hearted locals to donate a gift with a minimum value of £10.

Those visiting a Dunelm store will find tags on a Christmas tree, each representing a person in the community and their interests, enabling people to choose who they give the gift to. Gift bags can be filled with products from anywhere. In addition to customer donations, Dunelm will be giving £17,500 worth of gifts across its 175 stores, with teams preparing and delivering the gifts to ensure that they arrive in time for Christmas. Recipients include local schools, care homes and refuges.

Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring will be back in person at the SEC in Glasgow from 23-25 January 2022. The show follows on from the successful Scotland’s Trade Fair Autumn in September. Over 500 exhibitors will showcase their products, ranging from gifts to crafts and jewellery to textiles.

Returning to the January show will be the Best Product Awards, workshops and talks from experts, as well as the Launch Gallery and Craft Gallery.

In addition, Scotland’s Trade Fair Online is keeping suppliers and retailers in touch with an online product directory and live product sessions. Visit www.springboardevents.com Above: Visitors at 2020’s Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS VISIT PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Industry Issue: Stock Issues

CHRISTMAS CANCELLED At the time of going to press at the end of October, due to a massive bottleneck at Felixstowe, ships carrying goods, including Christmas gifts, are currently being diverted to EU ports, inevitably causing new delays. And if that wasn’t bad enough, a huge shortage of HGV drivers in Britain isn’t helping, with shoppers being warned to expect a ‘nightmare’ Christmas.

So how have gift retailers and suppliers been mitigating stock issues to ensure that there’s product on the shelves for the allimportant run-up to Christmas?

PG&H spoke to both suppliers and retailers for their views.

Above: Worldwide shipping delays are being blamed on new outbreaks of Covid in China, with the UK’s labour shortage being blamed on Brexit.

A Short-Term Problem “The last few months have, without a doubt, caused issues of supply due to the global container shortage in, in particular, ex-Chinese ports,” comments Mark Howard, managing director of Puckator. “These issues have been exacerbated by port delays in Europe and the UK, soaring demand in North America, and an imbalance in equipment globally, with the repositioning of empty containers still very much a work in process.”

Continues Mark: “Apart from problems of container availability, other factors such as manpower shortages in factories, port lockdowns in China due to Covid, and China’s dual control of energy consumption, have all impacted on delivery times.

Nonetheless, while the last few weeks have caused Puckator continuity of supply issues for some products, it is very much a short-term problem. Working hard with our cargo agent partners, and focusing on shipping 40ft containers or Hi-Cubes only, volumes currently in transit are at very high levels. Although the shortage of containers is likely to continue until after the Chinese New Year in February 2022, the strong relationships we have with our cargo agents should ensure that during Q4 of 2021 our stock levels will return to normal levels.”

Above: Mark Howard, managing director, Puckator.

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Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

Stock To Spare “For many reasons, I think Christmas will be something of a shock in terms of product shortages, coupled with prices on the high street,” says Mike Winch, founder and owner of Candlelight. “With that in mind, in April, we took the decision to increase our purchasing for the back end of this year and early next year, on the basis that if you don’t have stock then you can’t sell anything,” he explains.

“We know from our own experience that a lot of major retailers have been hugely let down this year, and fortunately we are more than able to fulfil those orders. Our warehouse is bulging with stock, so for all retailers - both big and small - we have the stock to not only fulfil immediate orders, but also to supply stock to cover the January/February period, when the shelves need filling again.”

Above: Mike Winch, founder and owner of Candlelight.

We’re Well Stocked “I don’t think that Christmas will be the Armageddon that people are predicting,” says Nigel Biggs, ceo, Rex London. “People will just be buying earlier. We are well stocked and carry stock of most lines. Earlier in the year, we realised the current situation was likely to happen and forward ordered. Unusually, we have run out of a few lines - considerably less than 1% - which is simply because things are taking longer to arrive. Looking ahead, we are physically ordering product for next Christmas, which is due in April. We are also trying to look beyond China, as we feel it is prudent to source from other countries too.”

Right: Nigel Biggs, ceo, Rex London.

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Industry Issue: Stock Issues

Started Buying In February

We Took Stock In Earlier “We always knew that getting stock into the business was going to be a challenge this Christmas,” explains Sarah Cox, gift buyer at Roys of Wroxham department store in Wroxham. “We therefore made a decision to take stock in earlier than we normally would if suppliers had stock available. This has proven to be a big positive for us, as we were able to open our Christmas departments within all our stores on time and they look amazing, already producing some excellent sales.

More stock is arriving on a daily basis, so we are managing to keep our shelves looking full and provide our loyal customers with everything they need for the magical season ahead.”

“We decided to start buying in February this year as we had foreseen the stock issues and began warehousing popular lines for the run up to Christmas,” states Priya AuroraCrowe, co-owner of seven Lark London stores. “Although this has interfered with our cashflow, we are certain that these measures were necessary to ensure a healthy Christmas trade.”

Above: Priya Aurora-Crowe, co-owner of Lark.

Below: One of seven Lark stores.

Above: Department store Roys of Wroxham has avoided gift supply issues by bringing stock in early.

Right: Sara Cox, gift buyer, Roys of Wroxham.

We’ve Had To Think On Our Feet Good Supply Of Stock “Despite the challenges affecting global supply chains, we have managed to successfully maintain a good supply of stock into our UK warehouses,” confirms Bruce Bell, marketing director at Gallery Direct. “We were ahead of the game looking for solutions and began to use bespoke charter ships to bring containers to the UK, with the first arriving in the early part of this year. Over the last few of months, we had hundreds of containers arriving each month, so we have the vast majority of our products in stock here in the UK, ready for delivery to our customers. Going forward these arrivals will continue, to ensure we maintain our stock levels.”

Continues Bruce: “With our expanding catalogue of products, and to enable us to hold even more stock in the UK, we have secured a long-term lease on a brand-new warehouse near Chesterfield which can house 35,000 pallets. This is in addition to our current warehouses. And we are strengthening our transport fleet with the purchase of new vehicles and the recruitment of additional drivers. The result will be to further improve our distribution and operating capacity, to help ensure we can continue to meet our customers’ needs.”

Left: Bruce Bell, marketing director, Gallery Direct.

"The current stock issues have made the past few months particularly challenging,” says Lisa Hemingway, owner of Chalk. “Luckily, all of our collections are designed in the UK and over a third of our products are made here so we’ve been able to keep control of that stock and fulfill demand.”

She says that in order to save on freight costs, the company has had to shop around and find new places to manufacture. “We’ve also had to think on our feet and develop our range to include new styles and colours that can be made by new suppliers in different regions. Although challenging, this has allowed us to develop a more interesting and varied collection.”

She continued: “Being a small team, we’ve been able to adapt to the unfolding situation and keep things running relatively smoothly. Planning and ordering ahead has helped us to ensure that we are stocked up for Autumn/Winter. We have a good relationship with all of our stockists, which has meant that we’ve been able to manage expectations on delivery times and keep people informed along the way."

Above: Lisa Hemingway, owner, Chalk.

Continued on page 17

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Industry Issue: Stock Issues

We Placed Orders Early

Above: Yarnton Home & Garden, Yarnton.

Right: Gift buyer Bryony Taylor-Edwards.

“Shopping local and British made was always part of my buying strategy,” confirms Bryony TaylorEdwards, marketing manager and gift buyer at Yarnton Home & Garden in Yarnton. “And this plan has really come into its own with this year's Christmas buy. To mitigate the stock shortages and transport delays we made sure to place orders very early in the year and ask for delivery earlier than normal. We also over ordered in many instances, as we fully expected not to receive all of our stock allocations. This was risky but again has paid off, and I am pleased to say Christmas is not cancelled!

Yarnton Home & Garden has all our customers need for Christmas this year, both in store and online.”

Backed Our Instinct “This year, the grocers and major high street chains do not have the best Christmas stock all for themselves, only to panic with four weeks to go and announce a big sale,” says Boxer Gifts’ managing director Thomas O’Brien. “We smaller companies will be nimble and trade well. We spot the trends and commit to stock as was our only way of surviving for so many years - with nimble retailers showing their passion for product and what they do, making quick calculations to reach decisions relatively large for their size, which would take weeks or even months in a larger company.

It gives them an opportunity to grab market share and grow.”

He adds: “For our own opportunities, Boxer currently has good stocks of most lines, as we always do though not as much as we’d like. Like everyone else, we’re suffering delays from Far East deliveries, which we now are mitigating by assembling some Better In My Day jigsaws in the UK. We had to make some big decisions in the summer to get behind certain lines with little consumer feedback. We did the same as many retailers are doing right now and backed our instinct.

“Golden Quarter problems can derail a seasonal businesses like Boxer Gifts, and many gift retailers across the country, as October to December is often our only profitable months. We know our product, like retailers, but that doesn’t stop us being nervous - this is not an exact science - so we won’t be completely right. We just have to be more right than wrong to survive another year. With good trading, we will have enough funds to develop more new products to see us through until Christmas ’22 sales begin again, as they always do.”

Above: Thomas O’Brien, managing director, Boxer Gifts.

Orders Were Placed During Lockdown “We placed the majority of our Christmas orders during lockdown in January and February, mostly via Zoom, as we felt uncomfortable visiting our suppliers’ showrooms,” explains Jo Barber, owner, No. 14 Ampthill, Ampthill. “It was a painfully long process, but well worth it.

“As we planned to launch Christmas online on October 1, we requested early delivery dates and saw our first deliveries arrive in August. We’ve seen so many delays recently, so we kept requesting updates from our suppliers and I do think this pushed us higher up the queue. We managed to launch online with around 80% of our Christmas decorations already in stock.”

Continues Jo: “Christmas gifting was proving trickier, so we placed some very large orders which we hope will see us through to the end of the year. We’re fortunate to have an offsite storage facility and will use this as our own warehouse. By doing this, not only are we guaranteed to have the stock, but we won’t need to spend time receiving deliveries and pricing stock during our busiest months.”

Above: No.14 Ampthill, Ampthill.

Left: Owner Jo Barber.

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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A ‘GREATS’ DAY

Inset: We’ve won! Big smiles from the delighted Greats 2021 winners.

Inset: The historic Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) in London’s Shoreditch hosted this year’s fabulous Greats Awards.

The sun shone brightly for this year’s fantastic Greats Awards, with temperatures sizzling in the 70’s.

Held on September 23 at London’s historic Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), guests enjoyed a pre-lunch glass of bubbly on the lawn, a delicious three course lunch and stand-up comedy, before the winners of this year’s awards were announced!

If y cldn’t be there, we’d love to share r o bum wh y . . .

Left: Lovely to meet you!

Rob Hutchins and Helen Mansell-Stopher of Products Of Change, left, category sponsor, met up with finalists Alan and Denise Laird, owners of Spirito in Glasgow.

Bottom left: A line-up of lovelies, from left to right: Lily Cush, Agata Weycha, Bertie Wakefiled and Darcy Beattie from Life Charms, category sponsor.

Right Simon Anslow (centre), organiser of Harrogate Christmas & Gifts, category sponsor, (centre), with Lesser & Pavey’s Julian Hunt (left) and Jonny Greves.

Inset: Here’s to a ‘great’ day! Helena Riggs (right) and Olivia Collins from category sponsor Ashleigh & Burwood.

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Below right: Joe Davies’ sales manager David Cree (right) is shown with Jason Kells , Martin Leonard and Sharon Jackson.

Inset: A peek into the dining room where tables were beautifully laid for the Awards lunch.

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Inset: Enjoying a glass of bubbly in the sunshine were the team from The Hollies in Little Budworth. From left to right: finalist Alex Kirkham, Heidi Alexander, Mia Crowther, Sarah Holland and Ann-Marie Manning.

Left: Above: Part of the afternoon’s fun included taking part in a ‘higher or lower’ competition.

Right: A star raffle prize – a £250 voucher to spend at John Lewis, courtesy of Joe Davies – was won by Olivia Richardson from Funky Pigeon. who received her prize from PG&H’s advertisement manager Ali Farrell.

Left: And the winner is . . . Nilou Noorbaksh co-owner of Jumping Bean, who received a magnum of champagne from Max Publishing’s Warren Lomax.

Left We did it! Mother and daughter Davina ‘Bean’ Parkhouse (right) and Emelye Parker, owners of The Bean Hive and the Bean Hive By The Sea, are shown with their Greats trophy.

Right: Music was provided by duo Marcel and Matt.

Inset: Winner Helen Nicholson, owner of Robert and Ruby, with her husband Mark.

Left: Winner Libby Holden, (centre), owner of Lovely Libby’s with Georgia Burness (right) and Hannah White.

Inset: Three generations of Widdop & Co’s Illingworth family, to include granny Jean, are shown enjoying the sunshine on the lawns at the HAC.

Inset: Time for one last drink before guests made their way home.

Inset: Jennifer Peters, (centre), director, Gisela Graham, category sponsor, with colleagues Pearl Moonsamy (left) and Christine Pantrey.

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RETAIL EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR 2021 2021 WINNER: Kirsty Hammond, manager, No. 14 Ampthill, Ampthill ““It was totally unexpected. It still hasn’t really sunk in!”

Kirsty Hammond, manager of No. 14 Ampthill, Ampthill Left: Delighted! Kirsty Hammond, manager of No. 14 Ampthill, was presented with her award by John Barry (left) from Method UK, category sponsor. Also shown is The Greats Awards compere Stuart Goldsmith.

Award sponsor

Right: John Barry announces the name of the category winner.

INDEPENDENT GIFT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

MIDLANDS & WALES 2021 WINNER: Mooch Gifts & Home, Bewdley and Stourport-on-Severn Right: Exhibition organiser Simon Anslow, (left), of Harrogate Christmas & Gift, category sponsor, presented the winning Greats trophy to Jon May and Luke Jacks, co-owners of Mooch Gifts & Home.

“There were such fantastic finalists in this category, and we were so pleased to be one of them. To win was the icing on the cake.”

Jon May, co-owner, Mooch Gifts & Home

Award sponsor Right: A proud moment for Luke Jacks.

INDEPENDENT GIFT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

SCOTLAND 2021 WINNER: Original Artists, Gourock Far right: Lisa Carberry, owner of Original Artists, was presented with her Greats trophy by Lincoln Exley, managing director of category sponsor Allsorted.

Right: Lisa with her trophy.

Award sponsor

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PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

“'The uproar from our table confirmed that Original Artists had won and I was in disbelief. As I walked up to the stage, I felt so relieved that no speech was required!”

Lisa Carberry, owner, Original Artists, Gourouk.

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INDEPENDENT GIFT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

NORTH & NORTHERN IRELAND 2021 WINNER: Robert & Ruby, Helmsley “I was over the moon when my name was called out.

It’s the best feeling to receive recognition for all the hard work that goes into my shop.”

Helen Nicholson, owner, Robert & Ruby.

Right: Helen Nicholson, owner of Robert & Ruby in Helmsley, received her Greats award from David Cree, sales manager of category sponsor Joe Davies, category sponsor.

Award sponsor

Left: Helen is shown with her trophy.

INDEPENDENT GIFT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

SOUTH WEST

2021 WINNER: Highworth Emporium, Highworth “We are chuffed to bits, and for me personally, it’s the most important award we have won so far!”

Aga Marsden, co-owner, Highworth Emporium Left: Aga Marsden, coowner of Highworth Emporium, received her Greats trophy from Warren Lomax, joint managing director of Progressive Greetings Live, category sponsor. Also on stage was assistant manager Paula Zielinska, a finalist in the Retail Employee of the Year category.

Award sponsor

Right: And the winner is . . .

PG Live’s Warren Lomax announces the winner.

INDEPENDENT GIFT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

EAST ANGLIA

Below: A huge smile from Libby Holden, who was presented with her Greats award by Peter Goodman, co-owner of category sponsor Heritage Art and Design.

2021 WINNER: Lovely Libby’s & Olive Branch, Billericay, Brentwood and Rayleigh “I felt very proud of my shop! It was extremely nice to be recognised for our hard work during the past year when things have been very difficult for everyone.”

Libby Holden, owner, Lovely Libby’s

Below: Absolutely thrilled! Libby with her Greats trophy.

Award sponsor

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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INDEPENDENT GIFT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

LONDON (INSIDE M25) 2021 WINNER: Jumping Bean, Beckenham and Honor Oak Left: A big congratulatory hug for the Jumping Bean’s co-owner Nilou Noorbaksh, from category sponsor Sam Wahid, managing director of Gift Republic.

Right: Nilou proudly shows off her trophy.

Award sponsor

“We were absolutely jumping for joy, we were so surprised! After 20 years of trading this award really means so much to us.”

Nilou Noorbaksh, co-owner, Jumping Bean

INDEPENDENT GIFT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

HOME COUNTIES, SOUTH & SOUTH EAST 2021 WINNER: Lulu Loves Home, Stubbington “The competition was so strong so to be a finalist was incredible, but to be able to say we have won . . . wow! Just amazing!”

Louise Prydderch, owner, Lulu Loves Home

Above right: Smiles all round from Joanne and Emma, and Wrendale Designs’ Hannah Dale.

Left: Joanne McHugh and Emma Richardson were presented with the Greats trophy on behalf of Lulu Loves Home by Hannah Dale, founder and creative director of Wrendale Designs, category sponsor.

Award sponsor

BEST NEWCOMER-MIDLANDS, NORTH & SCOTLAND 2021 WINNER: Keepsakes Scotland, Inverness, Loch Lomond and Pitlochry “To win this award means the world to us, but we couldn’t have done it without the support of our amazing staff and customers.”

Scott Nichol, co-owner, Keepsakes Scotland

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PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

Above: Scott Nicol and Stephen Nicol, owners of Keepsakes Scotland, received their award from Progressive Greetings’ joint managing director Jakki Brown.

Left: A big thumbs up from Scott and Stephen.

Award sponsor

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BEST NEWCOMER-MIDLANDS, SOUTH & WALES 2021 WINNER: The Bean Hive, Kettering, and The Bean Hive By The Sea, Falmouth

“We were so delighted to win such a prestigious award. When we saw how strong the competition was we certainly didn’t expect to win so it was a lovely surprise.”

Davina ‘Bean’ Parkhouse, owner, The Bean Hive and The Bean Hive By The Sea

Right: Davina ‘Bean’ Parkhouse (right), and her daughter Emelye Parker, winners of The Greats Best Newcomer – South & Wales category, were presented with their trophy by Richard Holmwood, (left), national account manager at Carte Blanche Greetings, category sponsor.

Award sponsor

Left: We did it! Huge smiles from Davina and Emelye.

BEST SPECIALIST MULTIPLE 2021 WINNER: Lark London “We’ve been in the industry for over 20 years, and this is one of the most amazing moments of having a gift shop.”

Priya Aurora-Crowe, director, Lark London

Left: Priya Aurora-Crowe was presented with her Greats trophy by Helen Mansell-Stopher, founder of Products of Change, category sponsor.

Above right: Helen Mansell-Stopher announces the winner.

Award sponsor

BEST DEPARTMENT STORE 2021 WINNER: Roys of Wroxham

Right: Presenting the trophy to Sarah Cox, buyer at Roys of Wroxham, was Helena Riggs, sales and key account manager of category sponsor Ashleigh & Burwood.

Far right: A big smile from Sarah.

Award sponsor

“This award means so much to us here at Roys and reflects the dedication and hard work of everyone involved.”

Sarah Cox, buyer, Roys of Wroxham.

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BEST NON-SPECIALIST RETAILER OF GIFTS 2021 WINNER: Oliver Bonas Right: Gabi with the Oliver Bonas trophy.

Left: A delighted Gabi Thomas, PR and community officer, accepted the NonSpecialist Retailer of Gifts trophy on behalf of Oliver Bonas from Start Licensing’s managing director Ian Downes.

“It was such a joy for us to be awarded ‘best retailer’ in this category in a year when so many worked so hard to continue to deliver little moments of happiness however and whenever we could.”

Oliver Tress, founder and managing director, Oliver Bonas

Award sponsor

BEST LIFESTYLE OR HOMEWARES RETAILER OF GIFTS 2021 WINNER: Josie’s Interiors, Bideford

“I felt very emotional. I didn’t expect it all. We were up against such amazing competition, so I’m feeling very proud.”

James Webster, managing director of Josie’s Interiors Above: A delighted smile from James Webster, owner of Josies, winner of the Best Lifestyle or Homewares Retailer of Gifts category, sponsored by HousewaresNews.net. James received his award from Rob Willis, director, Max Publishing.

Award sponsor

Above: A beaming James.

BEST GIFT RETAILER OF JEWELLERY AND FASHION ACCESSORIES 2021 WINNER: MiMi, Hartley Wintney and Wokingham Left: MiMi’s Julianne Moore and Sarah Laurence received their trophy from Tony Barrett, managing director of Life Charms, category sponsor.

“When Sarah and I heard MiMi’s name we jumped with joy. I couldn’t be more proud of the MiMi girls.”

Julianne Moore, owner, MiMi

Right: So thrilled! Julianne and Sarah, a finalist in the Retail Employee of The Year category, with their trophy.

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Award sponsor

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BEST GARDEN CENTRE RETAILER OF GIFTS 2021 WINNER: Yarnton Home & Garden

Below: Yarnton Home & Garden’s Bryony Taylor-Edwards was presented with her Greats trophy by Danny O’Halloran, buyer at Premier Decorations, category sponsor.

“The best news we could have hoped for. I’m still riding high on the wave of recognition.”

Bryony Taylor-Edwards, head of marketing and gift buyer

Award sponsor

Above: A beaming smile from Bryony.

BEST MUSEUM OR VISITOR ATTRACTION GIFT SHOP

Award sponsor

2021 WINNER: Milestones Living History Museum “All the hours and hours of hard work have really paid off and we are totally thrilled to be winners!”

Lorna Standing, retail manager, Milestones Living History Museum Left: Lorna Standing, retail manager at Milestones Living History Museum, was presented with the Best Museum or Visitor Attraction trophy by Samantha Loveday, (left), editor of licensingsource.net, category sponsor. On stage with Lorna was the Museum’s volunteer manager Lisa Chenery.

Right: Happy smiles Lorna (left) and Lisa.

BEST IN STORE OR WINDOW DISPLAY 2021 WINNER: In Heaven At Home, Market Harborough

“I was completely gobsmacked, and would like to highlight the ladies do the window displays.

They will be absolutely thrilled with this Award.”

Anne Barber, owner, In Heaven At Home

Left: Piers Croke, marketing director, Gisela Graham, category sponsor, presented Anne Barber, owner of In Heaven At Home with the winner's trophy.

Award sponsor

Abovet: Anne shows her delight at the shop’s success.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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BEST RETAILER INITIATIVE 2021 WINNER: The Celtic Company, Welshpool For its video appeal to the Welsh government Award sponsor

Above: Emma Cain was presented with the Best Retail Initiative trophy on behalf of Candlelight by Emma Yeardley, sales director of Candlelight, category sponsor.

Left: So thrilled! Emma with the coveted Greats trophy.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2021

Above: Robert ‘Bob’ Illingworth.

2021 WINNER: Robert Illingworth Widdop & Co Award sponsor

Above: Stephen Illingworth, on stage with Sarah Ward, chief executive of The Giftware Association, category sponsor.

Stephen collected the Award on behalf of his grandpa, Robert ‘Bob’ Illingworth.

Left: Stephen Illingworth’s moving words about his grandpa Bob received a standing ovation from guests.

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PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

One of the most prestigious categories at The Greats is the special Outstanding Achievement Award, which is presented to someone who has contributed greatly to the UK gift industry.

This year, the Award, sponsored by The Giftware Association, was won, posthumously, by Robert ‘Bob’ Illingworth, founder of family business Widdop & Co. It was collected by his eldest grandson Stephen Illingworth, Widdop’s creative director, who received a standing ovation from guests as he looked back on his grandpa’s incredible career.

In a moving tribute, (edited), Stephen said: “the whole Illingworth family – with three generations represented here at The Greats – are honoured and humbled to collect this first ever Greats award for posthumous outstanding achievement for my grandfather, who passed away, aged 91 on Monday 23 August 2021.

Ironically, as a humble Yorkshireman, I’m certain he would have found it difficult to celebrate himself, and his successes, and accept this Award were he still with us today, as much as we all wish he was.

“Grandpa saw out recessions, wars, crises and the advent of the internet, and he always told me that in tough times, that is when our industry thrived as the creators of affordable gifts that bring happiness. If he were here today, he would be relishing the challenges we all face right now, from shipping to supply chain, Amazon selling to pricing.”

Stephen continued: “The why behind our what, and the way we do things, underpins everything, always, and that is rooted in the legacy of our family in Widdop - none more so than Bob, who grew up in this trade and then spent 70 years working in it, latterly as our greatest ambassador, chairman, showroom host and even mail opener and distributor after he turned 60 in 1990. Unlike the famous saying, my grandfather, as the third generation, didn’t break the business, he began our greatest chapter.

“He would quietly be so honoured and thrilled to be acknowledged for his lifetime’s work.”

USE GREATS WINNERS GRID 2021_muk.qxp_USE GREATS 2021 WINNERS GRID 01/11/2021 18:12 Page 27

BEST SERVICE TO THE INDEPENDENT GIFT RETAILER BRONZE WINNER 2021: Gislela Graham

Below: Piers Croke, Gisela Graham’s marketing director, accepted the Bronze award from Mick Worwood (left), Expose Travel, category sponsor.

“The award is a much appreciated pat on the back from the gift trade for our efforts in this awful year, and is an encouragement to do even better next year!”

Piers Croke, marketing director, Gisela Graham

Award sponsor

Above: Piers with the bronze trophy.

SILVER WINNER 2021: Joe Davies Left: Delighted! Ian and Lisa with the silver award.

Award sponsor

“Everybody at Joe Davies is extremely grateful to our lovely customers for taking the time to vote for us in such an rollercoaster year. Thank you for your support. We promise to work harder than ever for you as we return to normal trading.”

Steve Davies, managing director, Joe Davies Above: Joe Davies’ Ian Gardner, general manager, and Lisa Kirton, sales executive, collected the silver award on behalf of Joe Davies. It was presented by Mick Worwood (left), Expose Travel, category sponsor.

Below: Beaming smiles from Sarah and Chris who received the gold award on behalf of the company.

The trophy was presented by Mick Worwood (left), Expose Travel, category sponsor.

GOLD WINNER 2021: Widdop & Co

“We are so thrilled and honoured to win this award again and we will never take it for granted or lightly. We pride ourselves on the service we offer and it means the world to us at Widdop that our customers feel we are doing a good job. We will continue to work tirelessly to improve and recognise that. In an industry full of amazing businesses, we can always do better tomorrow than we did today.”

Stephen Illingworth, creative director, Widdop & Co

Award sponsor

Above: Chris and Sarah with the gold Best Service award. Their smiles say it all!

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In Profile: Rex London

Celebrating 40 Years Since the company was founded 40 years ago, Rex London, a successful wholesaler and online retailer of ‘gifts of random kindness’, has worked to stand out from the crowd, with unique designs that set the company apart from the mainstream.

Having been honoured to win a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade in 2019 for outstanding continuing growth in overseas sales, ceo Nigel Biggs tells PG&H why Europe is more important than ever in taking the business forward.

Rex London is a brand that sets out to appeal to a wide demographic.

“However, we now do more children’s products than we used to, but we don’t want to lose sight of the fact that people aren’t just buying for children,” says ceo Nigel Biggs, who joined the company in 1989 as sales manager and was appointed ceo in 2008.

“Many years ago, we did a lot of homewares and gifts, but a big slice of that marketplace has been taken by companies that bring product in directly, either through Amazon or discounters such as the £pound shops, and multiples such as B&M. Nevertheless, we haven’t given up on that sector. We are fighting back by doing things differently and

not sourcing everything from China. For example, we are currently doing more with India, with myself and the buying team recently visiting the IHGF Autumn Fair in Delhi to source quality, design-led products, Top: Nigel Biggs, ceo, Rex London.

Above: Nigel Biggs, (second right), accompanied by the Rex London senior management team, is shown with the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade which was awarded two years ago.

Left: A few ideas for Secret Santa gifts.

Right: A trio of colourful children’s tambourines.

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Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

to include rugs, throws and cushions products we used to be very successful with - as well as other homeware items. The products in India are fantastic, and we love the combination of traditional skills and contemporary designs, as well as the striking vibrant colours,” Nigel highlights. “Also, with such a big focus on sustainability, Indian producers are increasingly using eco-friendly materials, which works well with how retailers globally want to source. We’ve come back feeling very confident that we can make it work.”

In fact, India is a country that Rex has been buying from since the company was founded in 1981.

“We’ve found that our customers don’t mind paying a bit more for products that have got that something different about them,” Nigel points out.

As well as visiting trade shows overseas, the company also exhibits at international trade shows (as well as at the UK’s Spring Fair and Autumn Fair), with exhibitions a major factor in Rex’s continuing success.

“We started by taking a small stand at Ambiente in Frankfurt, followed by a stand at Maison&Objet in Paris, and it was these shows that really set the ball rolling,” explains Nigel. “We have therefore continued to

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In Profile: Rex London

Rex London: The Lowdown

Inset: A selection of children’s desktop items.

exhibit at both shows as well as at the Toy Fair in Nuremberg.”

With the company’s EU business representing roughly 50% of Rex’s turnover, earlier this year, a big investment was made into the opening of a European hub in Belgium. “It was born out of necessity post Brexit,” states Nigel, “as trying to export from the UK became a nightmare. Initially, we were subsidising our customers, paying the VAT and all the tariffs. If we hadn’t, we would have had to put our prices up by close to 30%. Realistically, we knew that this couldn’t happen, so a European hub was always in the frame.”

He continues: “we were already trading from four sites in Europe under an umbrella arrangement - collaborative wholesale warehouses featuring different suppliers trading in a massive cash and carry area to support smaller independents. Someone we knew told us that there was warehousing

space available in Belgium and we took it from there. The European hub went live in May and thankfully, it’s proving to be very successful, helping us to expand our European business.”

The company is also looking at another phase for next year, with product from the Far East being delivered directly to the Belgian hub, which, Nigel says, will be a massive step. “It would mean employing Belgian nationals and paying Belgian corporation tax which would have an impact here, but that’s the reality. Plus, post Brexit, we are rather limited to some of the things that we can export from the UK. There are still a lot of logistical headaches, but we are mindful that it is something we may have to do.”

Currently, the company’s strongest overseas markets remain France, Germany and the Benelux countries, along with Italy and Spain. “We also have strong markets in

Our Biggest Hits If Nigel could bring back any product from the archives, what would they be? “It would have to be inflatables,” he smiles. “We originally sold them in the 1980’s and they were such a fabulous, fun product. Bananas at football grounds became a massive thing and were all supplied by us. Then we started to get into textiles,” he recalls. “Our Sun and Moon rugs became such amazing sellers in 1992 that people queued outside our building to buy the rugs as they were being unloaded from the containers!”

Another ongoing, huge hit for Rex has been the company’s colourful, original multi-purpose jumbo storage bags. Some 4.5m - and counting! - have been sold, all featuring original designs, with lunch boxes too, another winner - over 2m have been sold to date. Meanwhile, a favourite in Europe is the Rabbit night light. “We’ve sold around 750,000 of them!” highlights Nigel.

Above right: A favourite in Europe is the Rabbit night light.

Right: Some of the biggest inflatable hits for Rex in the ‘80s. Nigel Biggs is second on the right.

l Rex International was conceived in London’s Portobello Road in the mid ‘70s by two young entrepreneurs, Eri who had a shop selling jeans and ponchos, and Rob who was making and selling candles. l They decided to join forces and start a wholesale company importing giftware, mainly sourcing from India and China. l As a result, Rex International was officially launched in 1981. l The company re-branded as Rex London in April 2017, with the company’s website rebranding in April 2018. l In 2019, Rex London was presented with the Queen’s Award to Enterprise: International Trade. l Post Brexit, a European hub was opened in Belgium in 2021. l Based in Acton West London, the company’s HQ employs over 70 people across its offices, showroom and warehouses, to include six in-house designers.

Eastern Europe, especially the Czech Republic and Poland,” Nigel confirms.

So how does it feel to be celebrating 40 years? “More than anything, a vindication that we must doing something right, and winning the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade in 2019 has been a major highlight in our company history. It was the culmination of many years of hard work, from a standing start in 2012, and we are immensely proud.”

He continues: “Of course we have had highs and lows along the way, the same as any other successful company, but have always managed to steer a clear path ahead.

Over the years, it has been amusing to have sold kimonos to Japan, boomerangs to Australia and inflatable tulips to Amsterdam!”

So, what does he see as the company’s secret of success? “The backbone is the longevity of our employees, with everyone invited to contribute ideas. We work collaboratively. Three members of the senior team - Taig Karanjia who is the chief operating officer, Candy Smith, our head of buying and Les Whiteman, design director are among the decision makers who have all started out on the shop floor. We also listen very closely to what our customers tell us.

Plus, while we are aware of current and emerging trends we are not beholden to them, as ultimately, the product has to sell.”

So how is Nigel feeling about the allimportant fourth quarter? “Very optimistic,” he confirms. “It’s already been a very busy run up to Christmas, so we’re feeling very excited!”

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Spotlight On... Christmas Gifts

Having missed out on a ’proper’ Christmas in 2020, Christmas spending started earlier than usual this year, with people wanting to have their gifts bought and wrapped ahead of the big day.

From £5 and under stocking fillers, to more considered purchases at around the £20 mark, it’s been an encouraging start to the festive season, with plenty of ideas around to keep the tills jingling.

here’s a very different feel to Christmas this year, with most people feeling optimistic that it’s going to be a really good one, making up for last year’s lack of getting together with friends and family.

Gifting is, of course, top of the list, and shortages aside, (see Taking Stock on pages 14-17), with people shopping early, hopefully it will be a season to be jolly, with fun, laughter and lots of gifts to open under the Christmas tree. Jewellery always makes a lovely gift, especially if it’s Christmas themed. “Novelty Christmas jewellery, at under £10, is a popular choice year after year, with retailers and customers alike, as it is an ideal stocking filler, works really well as a Secret Santa gift and is a firm favourite as a teacher’s gift,” says Mary Caputo, buyer at Joe Davies.

“It’s also the perfect self-purchase for office parties and family parties

T

Above: Tis The Season To Sparkle from Joe Davies.

Right: A selection of Hot Tomato’s sparkly brooches.

Above right: Life Charms Christmas sleeve collection.

over the festive period.

In fact, Christmas novelty jewellery scores highly on all fronts,” confirms Mary. “Our Equilibrium ‘Tis The Season To Sparkle Christmas jewellery collection is supplied with an eye-catching Christmas tree shaped counter display unit, and holds Santa, snowman and reindeer fun, bauble shaped earring designs, and three modern on trend fun Christmas brooches, with a Christmas bell or two to really get people into the Christmas spirit!”

As Hot Tomato’s managing director Alex Machin says: “Hair clips, clamps and bobby pins hit the sweet spot for those special little gifts and stocking fillers, along with lovely brooches, all of which make a terrific festive gift. And with most coming in at under £10 they won’t break the bank!” points out Alex.

Staying with jewellery, in the £20 and under category, Life Charms has launched a festive Christmas sleeve collection featuring an adjustable silver-plated bracelet and festive charms. “It’s a lovely way to show love to someone special during Christmas,” says managing director Tony Barrett. “'Tis the season to gift!” enthuses Katie Loxton, founder of her eponymous company and also Joma Jewellery. “Whether Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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The UK’s leading supplier of drop ship Personalised Gifts

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Spotlight On... Christmas Gifts

Jump(ers) For Joy For gift retailers, one of the main success stories of the past 19 months has been one size clothing, with tops and jumpers set to be a winner this Christmas.

“Stylish loungewear has remained a firm favourite with our stockists and is continually growing,” concurs Lisa Hemingway, owner of Chalk.

As she points out: “being mostly one size enables stockists to select from the subtle colour pallets across the range, mixing and matching to suit an independent retailer’s style. This is easy to do on a small or large collection, adding in homeware and accessories in similar tonal colours to complete the look."

Right: Chalk’s Vicki jumper range shows off an assortment of colours in one size.

Entertaining At Home customers are on the hunt for a special Secret Santa gift or looking to treat a loved one, our selection of Christmas crackers make a lovely place setting addition to the Christmas Day table.”

Festive, fun and full of cheer, the cracker collection features three different styles, each boasting a sentiment, silver plated ‘A Little’ bracelet, decorated with a luxe gold speckled design.

In addition, Joma Jewellery has launched a new ‘A Little’s’ festive collection featuring Christmassy styling, and decorated with tiny elves and shooting stars.

Above: Joma Jewellery’s crackers contain a silverplated ‘A Little’ bracelet.

Puzzling It Out Of course, one of the most endearing traditions of Christmas is playing puzzles and games, especially after lunch on Christmas Day, with an illustrated 1,000 piece, sustainably sourced puzzle from Wrendale Designs featuring over 100 of Hannah Dale’s best loved illustrations.

“The puzzle is packaged in a tall box making it a really special gift,” highlights creative director Hannah.

Below: Wrendale Designs’ sustainable jigsaw puzzle is ready to gift.

Left: Candlelight’s newly re-launched amber kitchen storage jars.

Below: A gift for dog lovers from Selbrae House.

Below left: Two quirky kitchen storage tins from Rex London.

t all started with baking banana bread during the pandemic, but now, with people regularly enjoying entertaining friends and family at home, and wanting to expand their culinary skills, buying gifts for ‘foodies’ is on course to be a big trend this Christmas.

“With the pandemic encouraging more and more people to turn their hand to home baking, our newly re-launched amber jars which will be commemorating our 50th anniversary in 2022 - reflect vintage kitchen storage but with a contemporary twist,” says Candlelight’s marketing manager Kate Winch. “To complement the storage jars, we have also created a co-ordinating range of home fragrance to fill the kitchen with the aroma of home baking, vanilla and cocoa butter,” adds Kate.

I

Also focusing on kitchen storage is Rex London, with the company’s quirky, colourful tins appealing to Christmas shoppers looking for something different. “They encourage gift givers to multi-purchase, with these unusual tins adding a pop of colour into a kitchen environment,” says Rex’s marketing & communications manager Anna Williams.

With over 60 new products launched for AW 21, Scottish gift and homeware

business Selbrae House is looking forward to a bumper Christmas season. Donny Carstairs, founder and managing director of Selbrae House, which also has sibling brands Just Slate and Scottish Made, highlights: “After last year’s lack of Christmas entertaining, it's expected that families and friends will want to be together more than ever this Christmas, so products that help with home entertaining will be flying off the shelves.

Most of our products are made in Scotland, with our Scottish Made wooden products manufactured from wood sourced from a local Fife social enterprise.” On trend products include Continued on page 35

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Spotlight On... Christmas Gifts

bee related gifts, dog designs and new barware and drinks gift ranges.

With stocking fillers in mind, T&G’s marketing manager, Jenny Handley, adds, “with so many people going home baking crazy over the past 19 months, our sustainable wooden spoons and spatulas have a giftable twist for home bakers and foodies, as each has a tongue in cheek message.

They include Star Baker, Chief Cook, Homemade and Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well, making them great gifts for home cooks and bakers, with prices starting at £2.75.”

Also looking to get gift recipients chuckling are Go La La’s Trollied Dollies minichopping boards, (a newly launched gift line that complements the company’s greeting card captions), which are manufactured in the UK from sustainably sources eucalyptus.

“They make fun gifts for Christmas stocking fillers, and with a durable melamine coating, they bring a bit of playful humour to the kitchen making them ideal for cutting a Christmas cheeseboard or slicing lemons and limes for a festive tipple,”

points out Go La La’s director John Higgins.

With food flasks currently trending, Lifetime Brands’ marketing director, Claire Budgen, concurs that consumers are becoming dab hands at meal prepping in an effort to save money, reduce food waste and eat healthier and easier. “Mindful of the time of year, we see these food flasks as a very popular choice for Christmas stocking fillers as consumers plan to switch to better habits in the New Year,” says Claire. “Plus, they're a great way of keeping healthy, hot food hot during the winter months when out and about.”

Meanwhile, a stoneware mini-jug, featuring an embossed robin, designed in house, is among Gisela Graham’s newest products this year. “It’s sweet and festive but goes on being useful for rest of the year, such as for warm milk on the side when enjoying a coffee,” says Piers.

Far left: Among T & G’s gifting ideas for home bakers.

Left: A Christmas themed mini jug from Gisela Graham.

Stocking Up With Home Fragrance t’s not just decorating the Christmas tree, or the arrival of Christmas cards, that fanfares the arrival of the festive season, it’s also the evocative festive fragrances that let you know that Christmas has arrived, with many home fragrancing products making lovely stocking fillers.

I

Left: A humorous Go La La mini chopping board.

Below: A trendy food flask from Lifetime Brands.

Above: A line-up of festive scented sachets from Ashleigh & Burwood which retail at £3.

“Shoppers are looking for novel, inexpensive gift ideas at this time of year,” says Ashleigh & Burwood’s PR manager Deborah Bettinson. “With festive hampers continuing to grow in popularity, a wide selection of smaller gifts are ideal.”

The company has added four new festive scented sachets - Christmas Spice, White Christmas, Frost Holly and Christmas Nights to its The Scented Home Collection. “Each one features a different colourful festive design and is finished with a grosgrain ribbon for hanging,” highlights Deborah.

Continued on page 37

Animal Crackers For many people, the unconditional friendship of a furry friend - dogs and cats especially was a huge comfort during the lockdown period, with pet sales soaring over the past 19 months. It therefore comes as no surprise that pet gifts, as well as pet-themed gifts, are continuing to trend this year.

“Our guides on How to Speak Cat and Dog make perfect gifts for anyone who might be getting a new pet for Christmas,” says Gift Republic’s designer Isaac Michael, “while our dog and cat IQ tests will be appreciated by pet lovers looking to get closer to their four-legged friends this winter. We have also released a new Doggy Bath Bomb this season – a great stocking filler for any pooches who deserve a bit of extra love and a luscious winter coat this Christmas.”

Left: Testing times for dog lovers, Gift Republic’s dog IQ test.

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Stacking bento boxes Reusable bento box with a trio of stacking compartments perfect for a wide range of snacks. Complete with freshness locking lid and secured with an elasticated strap.

Daruma stacked bento box LBOX62 • Maneki Neko stacked bento box LBOX63 Tel: 0800 011 6969 • customerservices@puckator.co.uk • www.puckator.co.uk

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Spotlight On... Christmas Gifts Best Kept Secrets too, offers a myriad of Christmas gift ideas, from boxed candles with matching gift bags, to small, inexpensive pickup gifts that include the company’s Christmas range of wax melts.

“Retailing at under £5, they make a lovely, easy gift for someone, or as a festive self-treat,” says managing director Vanessa Curry.

“Although Lesser & Pavey produces lots of products for the Christmas period, a key player for us has been our extensive ranges of candles, fragrance diffusers and aroma lamps,” confirms managing director Julian Hunt. “We have many aroma lamps that feature symbols of Christmas, while producing fragrances associated with the festive season - light and fragrance all

rolled into one - setting a wonderful ambience anywhere in the house for this time of year. Plus, our hand filled, soy wax Desire Aroma candle jars come in different sizes and in a wide range of different colours and fragrances.”

Right: Merry Christmas red wax melts from Best Kept Secrets.

Above rightt: Lesser & Pavey diffusers and candles in rose gold come in sparkle containers.

Confirms Julian, “diffusers have been particularly popular, and their popularity continues with our range of rose gold, silver and gold diffusers, along with our matching candles. They come in ‘sparkle containers’ making them an ideal festive gift, as they are gift boxed and come at an affordable price point.”

Focusing On Nature One of the positives to come out of the pandemic is that it has made people aware of nature and the great outdoors, with sales soaring for associated gift-led products.

“Our new Botanicals Lavender & Sage hand wash and lotion is an ideal Christmas gift for nature lovers,” says Sarah-Jayne Crowle, marketing executive at St Eval. “It’s made with a harmonious blend of 100% naturally derived ingredients and pure essential oils for calming, balancing, and healing effects.

Additionally, the range is vegan friendly and paraben-free, featuring recyclable packaging.”

Also focusing on recyclability and the environment is Tom Willday, founder of Willsow, which is setting out to educate young children to go from indoors to outdoors thanks to a range of plantable vegetable and herb books - featuring carrots, lettuce, basil, dill and parsley which have seeds embedded in the covers.

“They’re a great stocking filler for adults to buy as a sustainable, educational gift for a young child,” says Tom, whose company received an investment from ‘dragon’ Sarah Davies earlier this year. “They make a lovely gift for Christmas with children able to plant the seeds in the New Year.”

Above: St Eval’s Botanicals Lavender & Sage hand wash and lotion.

Right: Willsow’s The Plantable Children’s Book.

Christmas Novelties For Boxer Gifts, the Secret Santa season is where the company comes into its own.

“The fun gift, usually £10 or under, will make someone smile, and can really bring work teams together,” says Boxer’s managing director Thomas O’Brien.

“We find office gifts, such as the Workplace Mood Swings flip books or hobby mugs - to include Knit Happens are fun, but still useful beyond the event, so it’s £10 well spent. Plus, a gift that gets kids engaging with their family on Christmas morning always drive great sales for stocking fillers, with a sweet spot at £5 or under. Fun lines like the Naughty Elf joke book and the Grow an Elf trigger these emotions and are right on price too.”

Meanwhile, Mad Beauty’s retro Christmas wind-up hand cream is a totally new concept for the company this year, a hand cream in a mechanical holder which offers a fun and different way to dispense the product. “The holder can then be used afterwards with similar sized products, and will look great on someone’s desk or dressing table,” says Mad Beauty’s creative director Julia Cash.

Above: Workplace Mood Swings from Boxer Gifts makes an amusing office Secret Santa gift.

Above right: Mad Beauty’s wind-up hand cream dispenser squeezes out every drop.

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest Christmas gift products to be showcased this month

A Little Box of Advent This super-cute seasonal Gift Box is inspired by ChilliWinter’s popular ‘A Little Box of Mindful Moments’. Each Advent Box contains a bundle of x24 handmade beeswax candles, and a brass candle holder. With each candle burning for 15-20 minutes, this gives you a mindful moment each day, helping you to slow down and relax during the busy festive season.

ChilliWinter

Visage Collection

T: 07912 946 574

Joe Davies introduce their new contemporary Visage Face Collection

E: info@chilliwinter.co.uk

of vases and home décor items. The modern face design is inspired by

W: www.chilliwinter.co.uk

the simple drawings of cubism artists and is embossed onto a simple textured background available in two popular colourways. This elegant collection has been designed by Joe Davies in the UK, making them beautiful show-stoppers to match current UK home trends. There are four different modern vase shapes to choose from, matching planters, tealight holders, round décor ball and a new addition of an oil burner.

Joe Davies T: 0161 975 6300 E: sales@joedavies.co.uk W: www.joedavies.co.uk

Equilibrium Jewellery Gift Sets The Equilibrium collection from Joe Davies is a very popular brand with all the retailers and for Autumn Winter 2021 there are lots of exciting new ranges perfect for the Christmas selling period.

The necklace and earring gift sets are beautifully packaged in a new style box that looks like a mini wardrobe, this elegant box has magnetic doors that houses a stylish silver or rose plated necklace with the added surprise of a slide out draw that holds a pair of matching earrings. There are also earring gift box sets which boast three pairs of earrings, choose from popular icons such as bees, moon, stars and cats.

Joe Davies T: 0161 975 6300 E: sales@joedavies.co.uk W: www.joedavies.co.uk

Wonderful Hedgehogs and Hoglets These wonderful Hedgehogs and Hoglets form part of Frith’s extensive range of sculptures.

Handmade in the UK, these sculptures are sure to make the perfect gift. Starting at only £30 retail, 48 hour delivery and quality assured, as well as no stock shortages! Frith’s large and varied collection gives you fantastic choice with a minimum order of only £350.

Blue Poppy Art T: 01666 577110 E: sales@bluepoppyart.co.uk W: www.frithsculpture.co.uk

Winner of The Great Taste Award A gorgeous collection of artisan Indian spices carefully selected for flavour and freshness, giving you everything you need to make fragrant, tasty Indian dishes, delivered straight to your door. The Indian Spice Tin is a staple in every Indian kitchen, and for good reason. Each tin contains all the core spices required to make virtually every Indian curry.

Spice Kitchen T: 0151 245 1603 E: soldwithlove@spicekitchenuk.com W: www.spicekitchenuk.com

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Over 700 models available from stock

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest Christmas gift products to be showcased this month The World’s First Plantable Book The world's first PLANTABLE children's book. Read the incredible story and then plant the book to meet the main character! They’re fully sustainable and biodegradable, even containing 500 nonGMO seeds. Inner pages are made of postconsumer waste recycled paper are printed with eco-biodegradable and vegetable-based inks.

Stitched with 100% natural cotton to avoid the use of harmful metal staples or toxic glue. Willsow, a gift for Christmas, to plant in the new year.

Willsow W: www.willsow.com

A Retro-inspired 1950’s Christmas Spread festive cheer throughout the home with Rex London’s retro-inspired 50s Christmas print - from cake tins to loo roll, and everything in between! In this range comes the bestselling jumbo bag (perfect as an updated Santa’s sack for presents), cake and mince pie tins to store festive treats, and even novelty toilet paper! And finish everything off with some seasonal tissue paper for jolly gift wrapping.

Rex London T: 0208 746 1700 E: info@rexlondon.com W: www.rexlondontrade.com

Gifts for the Gardener As we hurtle through the festive season, thoughts begin to turn towards spring and we just can’t wait! With gardens soon starting to wake up from their winter slumber, keen gardeners are taking charge and preparing for riots of colour bursting up through the soil. Help them nurture their oasis with gifts for the garden from Rex

Exciting new designs from Sock Therapy!

From the company that brought you Up In Lights, Sock Therapy by Smiling Faces is an exciting range of

London.

Rex London T: 0208 746 1700

bamboo socks for men and women, featuring funny,

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cute and contemporary designs. The latest include,

W: www.rexlondontrade.com

Crazy Plant Lady, Whisky, and from our new Welsh collection, Cariad, T'in Seren and Penblwydd Hapus. Eco wooden Counter Display - Low Carriage Paid re-orders Smiling Faces

Miss Milly’s Magnetic Brooches

E: sales@smilingfaces.co.uk

Miss Milly’s magnetic brooches are a fantastic gift. Available in a

W: www.smilingfaces.co.uk

great range of designs, there are no fiddly clasps and no pin holes. Worn on clothing, scarves, bags and hats, they are easily moved from one piece to another. They can also work as a pendant in conjunction with the innovative Miss Milly magnetic necklace gift sets. Try the colourful range of jewellery, scarves and accessories with a low £100 minimum and no MOQs. Miss Milly T: 01905 622509 E: hello@missmilly.co.uk W: www.missmilly.co.uk

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Feedback: In Conversation With Theo Paphitis

A New Dawn For Retail

Below: Theo Paphitis was interviewed by Mark Faithfull, editor of World Retail Congress at Autumn Fair.

Bottom: Taking questions.

Retail entrepreneur Theo Paphitis took to the stage at Autumn Fair in September, telling a packed audience, “I can only see opportunities for physical retail to start growing and prospering again.”

With lower business rates and rents, and a consumer hunger for hybrid retail and convenience shopping, Theo confirmed that he was feeling very upbeat about retail’s future. PG&H was in the front row to find out more.

Theo Paphitis was in a very bullish mood when he stepped onto the stage at Autumn Fair in September. Fresh from a six week break, where he said that he had time to reflect and take stock, he was brimming with confidence that retail was ‘through to the other side’.

“If it hadn’t been for Covid, it may have taken another five years to see the transformation, the rebirth of retail,” he stated. “However, what Covid has done is to accelerate everything by at least five years, achieving that rebirth in 18 months,” he told attendees.

“You have to imagine that retailers have been on a massive travelator, with the direction of the travelator going backwards, while retailers have been trying to look forwards. We’ve been walking, and walking faster, but the travelator’s been going faster and faster - and backwards. Retailers have therefore been jogging, but in the end it’s been full pelt just to survive. And when the travelator was going backwards, if you didn’t go fast enough you fell off, with some great household names in retail doing just that, retailers who weren’t able to run fast enough

in the opposite direction to the direction of the travelator.”

He cited Top Shop, Top Man and Debenhams, pointing out that retailers such as Comet and Woolworths were among those that had fallen off the travelator early on.

“The reason was that they couldn’t travel fast enough,” he emphasised. “And today, even John Lewis is having to run at full pelt to keep up. But we are finally through to the other side, because Covid has forced the travelator to slow down.”

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We would like to thank all of our wonderful customers for voting for us. We are extremely proud and honoured to have won the Silver Award for ‘Best Service to the Independent Retailer’.

Joe Davies, 149 Broadstone Road, Reddish, Stockport. SK5 7GA Tel: 0161 975 6300 2021 10 - Progressive Gifts Greats 'Thank You' FP.indd 1 00_GH_October 2021.indd 1

Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk

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Feedback: In Conversation With Theo Paphitis Nevertheless, he urged retailers to be careful and not get carried away. “The world is growing and evolving at a rapid rate, with Covid accelerating the differential between physical and online retail. Prior to Covid and the speed of the travelator, we had a ridiculous disadvantage in terms of ridiculous business rates and ridiculous rents, with physical retailers finding it really tough. We were peddling very fast to stand still. On top of that, we had to endure our online competitors, without the same cost base, taking away some of our business.

Therefore while our costs were going up, we were losing business. I now believe that this is truly coming to an end or has already come to an end.”

He continued: “what we’ve seen, spectacularly, is the collapse of the shopping centre industry in the way it worked. We’ve seen big shopping centre owners go bust.

But we’ve also seen that the people who are taking over the shopping centres have become more realistic, allowing retailers to predominantly pay turnover rent. This will ultimately pay dividends, with more retailers taking space and helping to drive footfall into the centres.”

Encouraging retailers with retail outlets to open more stores, he told the audience: “Now is a wonderful time for those who want a bigger physical presence, and now is the time to do a deal, although it doesn’t mean retailers shouldn’t have an online business as

Theo’s View On... Today’s Consumers “Giving customers what they want, when they want it, is key to being a successful retailer,” stated Theo. “Today’s consumers are demanding. There are times they want to do this - go into a physical shop - and times they want to do that - shop online, and as a retailer, you have to provide that service otherwise your customer will go elsewhere.”

well, which is a must. But this is the time to grab opportunities. It’s never been more positive as far as retail is concerned. The costs of having a physical store are going down while the cost of online marketing is going up, driven by online players having to keep showing growth. I’m not saying that they are perfectly equal yet, but it’s much more competitive,” he stated. “With lower rental costs and lower business rates, I can only see opportunities for physical retail to start growing and prospering again.”

As for his own retail businesses Robert Dyas, Rymans and Boux Avenue - which have worked both online and offline over the past 19 months, Theo was asked if it had made him think differently about the business and about the balance.

“Covid was the most amazing forced retail experiment,” he replied. “All of a sudden, people lost us as physical retailers, but they could see that we could still trade. So, hybrid retail is here to stay. It’s not going away. People are used to using technology every day and it’s technology that brought the two together.”

Asked if we could be entering a ‘golden age of retail’, he said that it’s never been easier to become a retailer. “You can do it from your back bedroom. The barriers to entry have come down so quickly I didn’t think I would see it in my lifetime, and it’s thanks to technology,” he pointed out.

Commenting on his own stores, he confirmed that they have been doing well and are seeing growth because there’s still a demand. “Sixteen to 18 months ago, I would have said that it would be long and very

Theo’s Views On... Convenience Shopping Discussing convenience and neighbourhood/local shopping, Theo stressed that there are opportunities for those with physical stores. “There are some considered purchases that the high street can’t supply, but overall, with so many more people working from home, people are happy to go into their local high street for everyday purchases, not just one day a week, or one day a month, but visiting regularly.”

He continued: “Convenience shopping is growing, and we have seen our stores in market towns and on high streets doing incredibly well. So much so that we are currently investigating 200 new sites. This is the time to do it, while there is availability. These sites won’t be there in two to three years’ time.”

Left: Theo feels passionately that retail will not only survive but thrive.

Below left: While at Autumn Fair, Theo visited #SBS company Kate O’Brien Art.

painful,” he admitted. “However, people want to go out and do the things they did before the pandemic. They don’t want to do everything online. In our shops, we are seeing a bigger average spend although footfall is slightly down.”

Referring back to his analogy of a retail travelator, he explained: “I’ve been through many recessions and have always been incredibly positive that we would pull through, but this is a different time. We still have challenges, we could still have further lockdowns and restrictions, but I think we have arrived, and that is key. There has been a reduction of physical costs, so now online and physical retail are almost exactly the

Theo’s Views On...

Business Rates Theo Paphitis has long been a champion of pushing successive governments to make business rates more realistic. “Since Covid, we’ve seen a suspension of business rates, and a reduction in business rates for this year, and that has to continue,” he stated in September (prior to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement).

“Business rates can never go back to where they were. It would be disastrous. With lower business rates and lower rental costs, I can only see opportunities for physical retail to start growing and prospering again.”

same. It’s no longer two different things. We can enjoy hybrid retailing - giving customers what they want, when they want it - and meeting their different expectations for both.

It’s convenience shopping. I’m sure we’ll have a few landmines and hiccoughs along the way, but as retailers, we know where we have to spend our money and our investment. We have the tools and the technology we need.”

So how does Theo view the secret of his success? “The harder I work, the luckier I get,” he told PG&H. “I love what I do and although it doesn’t always go right, overall I’m please to say that it does.”

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Recycled Leather & 100% Sustainable Paper

Sustainable stationery with style Protecting the planet and supporting children’s education projects worldwide with every item sold. www.ventforchange.co.uk 00_GH_October 2021.indd 1

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Spotlight On... Licensed Giftware

Brand

and Deliver

Licensed giftware was a big trend at the recent Autumn shows across all sectors, with dedicated licensing show Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) getting ready to welcome visitors from November 17-19 at London’s ExCeL. With Christmas gifting in mind, PG&H spoke to some of the leading licensed giftware companies about their latest launches.

Puckator

Enesco Game of Thrones; Manga-style Harry Potter Following on from the whimsical Harry Potter charm figurines inspired by the characters from the Wizarding World, Enesco, in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, has introduced new Japanese Manga-style characters - Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy and Professor Snape - into its growing Harry Potter charm figurine collection.

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

“It’s set to be a firm favourite with Game of Thrones fans, with the collection featuring seven pieces, including characters from the show such as Jon Snow and the Night King,” highlights Enesco’s marketing and product director Helen Cottrill. “The village pieces have been designed to scale, along with the original set pieces, and are mains operated, so the windows light up when they are plugged in, helping to bring the scene to life.”

Above: Enesco’s Japanese Manga-style Harry Potter figurine features an enlarged head, over-exaggerated eyes and dainty features across the nose and mouth.

Pusheen The Cat Puckator recently announced a collaboration with Pusheen the Cat, with an exclusive Christmas Pusheen range due to launch in late 2021.

“Building on a collection that already contains more than 20 individual products, this collaboration will continue to grow long into the future,” comments designer Olivia Homar.

“Throughout 2020/2021, the world has seen an influx of cat-related content on many social media platforms. Whether it's giftware, home accessories or clothing, cats were - and still are - everywhere! By incorporating a mix of super-cute cat illustrations, doughnuts, hearts and stars, we have managed to capture the true essence of the cheeky food-loving cartoon tabby cat that everybody adores.”

Puckator’s Pusheen range includes homeware, lunch accessories, fashion and beauty as well as LED digital watches.

Above: Part of the Pusheen giftware collection from Puckator.

Mad Beauty Star Wars; Star Wars The Mandelorian “The newest licence in our portfolio is Star Wars, as well as Star Wars The Mandalorian - two very different ranges, both with their own distinct design features,” explains Mad Beauty’s creative director Julia Cash.

“The Mandalorian unisex range focuses on Mandolorian the Child, Grogu, with his oversized ears and iconic green skin-tone. Almost all of our products are shaped in some way to be a true reflection of baby Yoda himself.”

Continues Julia: “For our Star Wars range, again, we have moulded products to really capture the characteristics of the iconic characters, with this licence enabling us to widen our offering within men’s gifting. The face masks sachets are shaped like the helmets for each character, while the printed masks are infused with indulgent ingredients.”

Above: Mad Beauty’s Star Wars Stormtrooper men’s sheet face mask.

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ISLE OF SKYE CANDLE CO.

cosy starts here...

N AT U R A L H O M E F R A G R A N C E Our products are lovingly hand-poured from start to finish on the Isle of Skye, using premium, sustainable ingredients.

skyecandles.co.uk

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Spotlight On... Licensed Giftware

Half Moon Bay Jurassic Park; Agatha Christie Half Moon Bay has introduced two evergreen licences into its portfolio Jurassic Park and Agatha Christie.

The company’s Jurassic Park range celebrates the best of the films, and features quotes and imagery, ahead of its 30th anniversary in 2023, and the release of Jurassic World: Dominion in 2022.

The range features a selection of mugs - including a life-like shaped mug of a T-Rex - as well as stationery and travel accessories, to include a rucksack and lunch bag, inspired by Jurassic Park’s ranger uniform.

The company has also introduced a new Agatha Christie collection to sit alongside its already popular giftware range.

“The designs are inspired by the books themselves and make wonderful gifts all year round, while also playing on seasonal holidays,” says Half Moon’s head of trade sales, Ben Craddock.

Above: Some of the giftware in Half Moon Bay’s new Agatha Christie collection.

Mclaggan Smith Mugs Dandelion Stationery Mclaggan recently introduced a new licensed range of mugs from award winning greeting card brand Dandelion Stationery. Featuring designs that appeal to both men and women, the range features eight screen-printed bone china mugs reflecting a playful sense of humour along with colourful illustrations.

“Dandelion’s fun, quirky greeting cards first caught our eye at Harrogate Home & Gift in July and we instantly knew that we had to work with the company on a range of mugs,” comments Stuart Williams, Mclaggan’s marketing manager.

Above: One of Mclaggan’s eight new licensed Dandelion mugs.

Fizz Creations Peter Rabbit Collection Fizz Creations has collaborated with Penguin Ventures, (part of Penguin Random House), to launch a brand new collection of licensed gifts featuring Peter Rabbit. In addition to keepsake gifting, the range includes lighting and children’s games.

“We have taken a traditional brand and put a ‘Fizz twist’ on the collection,” says the company’s marketing manager Zoe Ryan. “Peter Rabbit is an iconic character that has enchanted families for nearly 120 years, so we wanted to create a collection of gifts that was sympathetic to the brand and used the traditional Peter Rabbit style, but with a modern twist. For example, the mood light represents a fusion of traditional Beatrix Potter with a contemporary lighting product.”

Above: Fizz Creations’ licensed Peter Rabbit collection.

Nemesis Now Harry Potter Lord Voldemort Bust; Halo Master Chief Bust Box; Original Stormtrooper Bust Nemesis Now’s Harry Potter collection is the latest addition to the company’s bestselling selection of movie merchandise, with the Harry Potter Lord Voldermont bust the most recent addition.

Also new is the company’s Halo collection, ahead of the December release of Halo Infinite, with the Master Chief bust box spearheading the collection.

A third launch for the company is the Original Stormtrooper bust, with original moulds created by Andrew Ainsworth of Shepperton Design Studios, which were used to create the helmet and armour in the 1997 blockbuster film. “Our range of products are as close as you can get to the original film props,” confirms Nemesis Now’s managing director Andrew Norman-Smith.

Above: Nemesis Now’s Lord Voldermont bust.

Blueprint Collections Frida Khalo Stationery company Blueprint Collections is launching a licensed Frida Kahlo range of gift and stationery products in the UK and ROI, which will be available from December.

“This powerful brand, coupled with the bright, vivid designs will give it a unique position in the market,” says Blueprint Collections’ managing director Lisa Shand.

The range includes over 20 different skus with gold foil detail and tassels. including a handbag notebook, recipe journal, travel mugs.

Above: Some of the colourful Frida Kahlo stationery items

Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) DATES: November 17-19 VENUE: ExCeL, London WEB: www.brandlicensing/eu This year, BLE is partnering with Products of Change to spotlight sustainability in a new activation at this year’s event. The show will be followed by an online event from November 20-December 1.

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest licensed gift products to be showcased this month Fun Flasks Puckator's shaped flasks not only look great but are perfectly practical! They can be found in three adorable designs, each with shaped ears: Mopps the pug, Feline Fine and Maneki Neko lucky cat. The flasks are thermally insulated, allowing the contents to stay either warm or cold for hours. The compact design makes them great for on the go as they will fit in most bags.

They are also fitted with a handy silicone carry strap.

The lid fully seals, allowing a stress-free transporting experience. The Push Top Stainless Steel Thermal Insulated Drinks Bottle is another new product recently added to the extensive Puckator product range Puckator T: 0800 0116969 E: customerservices@puckator.co.uk W: www.puckator.co.uk

Halo Master Chief Bust Box Iron Maiden: The Trooper Bust Box

Halo is the latest video game series to join Nemesis Now’s ever-

Known for their heavy hitting rock band

growing list of licenses. This collection is based on series

merchandise Nemesis Now have returned to

protagonist Master Chief John-117 and features a Tankard, a

the stage with a brand-new addition to their

Helmet Box and this Bust Box. The highly detailed, hand painted

best-selling Iron Maiden collection. This Bust

bust box stands apart from the rest of the collection at 30cm tall,

Box is based on the band’s iconic zombie

the iconic battle-scarred green armour will stand out to any fan

mascot “Eddie”. This iteration of Eddie is taken

of the series.

from the single “The Trooper” which depicts

Nemesis Now

the monster wearing red military smock.

T: 01782 596660

Remove the top half of its head to reveal a

E: sales@nemesisnow.com

secret storage space, perfect for hiding away

W: www.nemesisnow.com

any trinkets. This eye-catching piece is perfect in any metalheads collection.

Nemesis Now T: 01782 596660 E: sales@nemesisnow.com W: www.nemesisnow.com

New Beauty Range New for 2022, the Puckator beauty range will be expanding and is set to welcome new themes and collections, including official licensed products. A product to keep on your radar and one that is set to become an instant bestseller is the Konjac Cleansing Sponge. Due late December, you will be able to get the Konjac sponge in nine different scents, including; calming lavender, aloe vera and bamboo charcoal.

These sponges are created using natural plant fibres; they're vegan and, of course, cruelty-free.

Puckator T: 0800 0116969 E: customerservices@puckator.co.uk W: www.puckator.co.uk

Peter Rabbit Fizz Creations have collaborated once again with Penguin Ventures, part of Penguin Random House, to launch a brand-new collection of licensed gifts featuring Peter Rabbit™. Playing to the award-winning strengths of Fizz, the range includes lighting and children’s games in addition to keepsake gifting. The new Peter Rabbit collection from Fizz Creations is available for pre-order now.

Fizz Creations T: 01903 327006 E: sales@fizzcreations.com W: www.fizzcreations.com

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GiftsandHome.net is published by gift sector experts, for gift trade experts

From the publishers of Progressive Gifts & Home, and the organisers of The Greats Gift Retailer Awards.

With an unrivalled email subscriber base of 7,559 readers and industry leading open rates, - largely dominated by retail buyers, the twice-weekly this fast-paced sector.

The modern, easy to navigate website provides a in-depth articles, an industry jobs board, retail analysis, digital issues of Progressive Gifts & Home, and much, much more.

Advertising and Commercial Opportunities: Advertisement Manager - Ali Farrell alisonf@max-publishing.co.uk

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Editorial and Content Opportunities: Editor - Sue Marks sue@suemarks.co.uk

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest licensed gift products to be showcased this month Peter Rabbit Baby Collection Enesco present its multi-award-winning Peter Rabbit Baby Collection. Having already won a Gift of the Year award in 2020 and a silver award in the UKMums.TV awards 2021, the collection has now been shortlisted in the Progressive Pre School Awards ‘Best Pre School Gift Range’ category and the new Peter and Flopsy backpacks were also shortlisted in the ‘Best Kids Lifestyle Range’ category.

Enesco T: 01228 404022

Winne the Pooh Collection

E: uksales@enesco.co.uk

WTP Hand Care Duo - In honour of the beloved

W: www.enesco.co.uk

bear’s 95th anniversary this October, Mad Beauty has created a 100 Acre Wood inspired Winnie the Pooh collection to warm the hearts of beauty lovers everywhere. Get paws prepped with this hand care duo featuring a fun Tigger

Assassin's Creed Altaïr and Ezio Bookends

shaped nail file and wildflower scented travelsized hydrating hand cream.

New for 2021 is Nemesis Now’s Assassin’s

Mad Beauty

Creed Altaïr and Ezio Bookends. Based on

T: 0208 958 0555

the best-selling video game franchise,

E: sales@madbeauty.com

Nemesis Now continues to develop highly

W: www.madbeauty.com

detailed, officially licensed merchandise for casual fans and ardent collectors alike. These decorative bookends feature the franchises two most iconic protagonists Altair (Assassins

Harry Potter Lord Voldemort Bust

Creed) and Ezio (Assassins Creed 2). They will

Harry Potter is the latest license to be acquired by

make the perfect gift for any fan of the series.

Nemesis Now and it has soon become their flagship

Nemesis Now

brand. The latest addition to the spellbinding range

T: 01782 596660

is this officially licensed Lord Voldemort Bust. This

E: sales@nemesisnow.com

highly detailed, hand painted sculpted bust is based on the primary antagonist from the Harry Potter

W: www.nemesisnow.com

series. This will make the perfect centrepiece in any Potterhead’s collection.

Nemesis Now T: 01782 596660 E: sales@nemesisnow.com W: www.nemesisnow.com

Festive Pom Pom Soap Pom Pom Soap - The perfect stocking filler this Christmas, these solid soaps feature fun and festive designs with cute pom pom decoration. The two designs contain two joyful fragrances, Christmas icing and winter berry, to leave hands smelling delicious and the hydrating formula will ensure hands stay soft in the cold months.

Mad Beauty T: 0208 958 0555 E: sales@madbeauty.com W: www.madbeauty.com

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products to be showcased this month Alcora Lanterns – Add a touch of Warmth & Ambience The unusual Alcora Lanterns are perfect for adding a touch of warmth and ambience. They feature a black metal framework with open sides and a glass cylinder to enclose the candle. They are perfect for use throughout the year internally or in the garden over the summer. The Alcora Lantern is available in two sizes, which look great used individually or grouped together. Both sizes are also offered with an antique gold effect finish.

Alcora is just one the range of lanterns that Gallery offers as part of its extensive home accessories collection.

Personalised Valentine’s Day

Gallery Direct

The Personalised Memento Company (PMC) is feeling

T: 01795 439159

the love as it gets ready for Valentine’s Day 2022! These

E: sales@gallerydirect.co.uk

brand new LED light-up jars come in a variety of designs

W: www.gallerydirect.co.uk

including this beautiful personalised jar which is perfect for a married couple celebrating their first Valentine’s Day as newlyweds! See PMC’s website for the full range of drop ship gifts.

Personalised White Wooden Tealight Holder These white wooden tealight holders are a

Personalised Memento E: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk W: www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

beautiful addition to PMC’s rapidly growing homeware selection! With a wide selection of new designs available these are perfect gifts for throughout the year! Visit PMC’s website to find

Urban wear Bottlesoc covers

out how to become a trade customer of the one

At Bottlesoc, our sights set firmly on sustainability, we

stop shop for personalised gifts.

created our product to help drinks bottles last longer by

Personalised Memento

preventing them from getting damaged in the first place.

E: sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk

Not only for your re-usable drinks bottles, Bottlesoc can

W: www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

also be used to protect single-use plastic bottles. Fully washable, preventing the spread of surface contamination, your Bottlesoc now comes with a fully adjustable strap. So, you can take your personalised product with you wherever you go, hands free.

Bottlesoc T: 07969360958 E: hello@bottlesoc.com W: www.bottlesoc.com

Dragonfly Candles Three designer glass tumblers have been sourced each available in twelve ‘Seriously Scented’ fragrances in White Wax and, of course, with Sparkly Toppings. A stunning Presentational Box in Navy Blue & Pink with a Dragonfly theme adds enormously to the whole package. And there’s more. A matching designer Dragonfly Bag results in a truly glamorous Fragranced Candle Gift at a sensible Price. Seeing is believing.

Best Kept Secrets T: 01670 512222 E: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk W: www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

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Best Sellers

Progressive Gifts & Home asked a selection of Greats 2021 winners about the products which have been flying off their shelves this month.

Helen Nicholson owner, Robert and Ruby, Helmsley A large gift and interior shop at Beadlam Grange Farmshop & Tearoom which has a country theme.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Wrendale Designs; across the board

Beautiful quality. Perfect for our country customers.

Home Fragrancing

Stoneglow: Modern Classics;

Excellent quality and gorgeous fragrances. We get a lot of repeat orders.

Lily-Flame: candles in a tin

A brilliant price point for a gifting candle.

Jewellery

Joma Jewellery: ‘a little’; Tutti: earrings and hair accessories

A great price point and beautifully packaged.

A higher price point, but our customers like the unusual designs and quality.

Fashion Accessories

Katie Loxton: bags; Owen Barry: purses and cross body bags

Perfect pouches and handbags.

Quality British made products. The hide purses in particular are a hit with customers.

Greeting Cards

Wendy Jones-Blackett: Quicksilver

We can’t keep the stand stocked! A great card selection.

Giftwrap

Artebene

Good quality wrapping paper and gift bags at reasonable prices.

Other Hot Hits

Sophie Allport: mugs and fabric kitchen accessories

Anything animal themed is very popular.

Top: Some of Wrendale Designs’ best selling items.

Above: Kate Loxton bags in on trend colours.

Rachel Owen, owner, The Celtic Company, Welshpool A medium sized gift, jewellery and lifestyle shop on a high street.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Walton & Co: across the board; Richard Lang: across the board

A heritage British company offering a mix of modern designs with a classic feel.

New products include an embossed mugs and jugs range.

Home Fragrancing

Marmalade of London: across the board; Calon Candles: across the board

Beautiful fragrances, simple packaging. It’s the quality that people come in for.

Independent Welsh stockist. Simple, unique, fresh fragrances.

Jewellery

Qudo: interchangeable rings;

Above right: Household textiles from Walton & Co. Right: Among the striking new designs from Powder.

Carrie Elspeth: across the board

Beautiful product at a great price. Once people start collecting its addictive.

The Autumn/Winter range features simplistic, beautiful pieces. Very affordable.

Fashion

Cadenza: ponchos

Fabulous colours, great designs and quality.

Fashion Accessories

Powder: across the board

Amazing quality, bold, exciting designs, great packaging.

Greeting Cards

IC&G: Pretty in Pink; Avec Amour; Barley

Consistently great designs that sell throughout the year.

Giftwrap

Glick

Bold, beautiful designs.

Other Hot Hits

Alphabet Design/Cocoa Pzazz: chocolates

Great packaging by Alphabet Design and the tastiest chocolate!

Packaging matches our card range so a great gift.

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Libby Holden, owner, Lovely Libby’s, Rayleigh A medium sized gift, fashion and lifestyle store across two floors, which also has a traditional tea room.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Joe Davies: decorative glasses Richard Lang: across the board

These are very popular with our customers.

Richard Lang products are great for us, especially the small sentiment gifts. We also we do well with the company’s pet section, frames etc.

Home Fragrancing

Inis The Energy Of The Sea: unisex fragrances; Amelia Art Glass: glass diffusers

We sell a lot of this lovely Irish brand. Once the customer tries it, they come back for more.

The gorgeous, handblown heart shaped glass diffusers are a top seller for us.

Jewellery

Black & Sigi: handmade jewellery; Gracee Jewellery: costume jewellery

A local company which makes unique pieces from semi-precious stones. Love, love, love!

A customer favourite. Fantastic quality at affordable prices.

Fashion & Fashion Accessories

Chalk: clothing;

Mostly one size, but works well for us.

Wonderful quality.

The leather camera bags and changeable straps are great sellers.

The Bee range is another great product for us.

Miss Short Hair; ladies fashion Alice Wheeler: Bee bags Greeting Cards

White Cotton; Five Dollar Shake; Rush Designs

Fantastic products and best sellers. The cards are handmade.

Giftwrap

Artebene

Fantastic choice of gorgeous giftwrap and gift bags for all occasions and all ages.

Other Hot Hits

Container Group Buying: counter top pick ups Widdop & Co: Bambino and Celebrations

The counter top stands are brilliant for ‘pick-ups’ by the till, especially around Christmas.

Top: An agate gold bangle Top sellers throughout the year. from Black & Sigi.

Above: One size clothing from Chalk.

Lisa Carberry, owner, Original Artists, Gourock A small gifts and arts shop on a high street.

CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Heather Butterworth Designs: Harris Tweed tea cosies; Wild Goose Studio: Gallery collection

An all year round best seller with a new tartan in every collection. A great gift to send overseas.

A staple for our customers and one of our most popular home accessory gifts.

Home Fragrancing

Storm In A Teacup: vintage tea sets; Shared Earth: joss sticks

Porcelain vessels filled with fragrant soya wax sustainable, recycled quality gifts.

Customers love these fair trade, good quality scents.

Jewellery

Designs By Lucy: Hearts & Flowers collection; Sarah Drew: sustainable jewellery

High quality jewellery. Customers often request a bespoke element in the design.

Unique jewellery with a story behind every piece.

Fashion Accessories

POM (Peace of Mind): scarves; Roka London: recycled backpacks

A constant flow of new designs, colours and textures. Fair trade and recycled boxes.

Waterproof, great designs and colours.

Top: The Wild Goose Studio’s For An Eternity.

Above: A handmade silver ring from Designs By Lucy.

Greeting Cards

Eloise Hall: boxed card sets

Simple, tasteful, beautiful designs.

Giftwrap

Original Artists

Pouches and envelopes re-using handmade paper etc. Seasonal embossing and embellishing

Other Hot Hits

J Duncan & Co: hand-painted mural

Iconic 100 year old tiles that show a panoramic view of our area.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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SIMPLY GORGEOUS JEWELLERY AND ACCESSORIES X

PLENTY OF STOCK AVAILABLE

ONLINE BUY ONLINE www.missmilly.co.uk or tel: 01905 622 509

New Swiss Classic Trend Colours Bring a burst of joyful and fresh hues into the kitchen.

Three versatile knives and two vibrant peelers offer effortless prepping and professional level sharpness.

For one year only, while stocks last.

FIND US

Distributed By Burton McCall Ltd Order now - T: 0116 234 4611 E: sales@burton-mccall.com

coulson macleod.

Vintage GREETING CARDS

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S TAT I O N E RY

Words |

PRINTS

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G I F T WA R E

No Minimum Order New Catalogue Available Now Carriage Free: £150+ A wonderfully wordy range that says what you want to say without having to say it. Designed to be just a little bit different, each of the 57 designs focuses on a different interest or hobby and is filled to the brim with humour and warmth, and available in a variety of different formats, including cards, mugs, coasters and prints.

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Best Sellers

What better testimonial for products than those of your fellow retailers. Here's all the information you need to get in touch and start stocking!

MARMALADE T: 01242 257509 E: helen@marmaladeoflondon.com W: www.marmaladeoflondon.com

JOE DAVIES T: 0161 975 6300 E: sales@joedavies.co.uk W: www.joedavies.co.uk

CARRIE ELSPETH T: 01446 771271 E: sales@carrieelspeth.com W: www.carrieelspeth.com

JOMA JEWELLERY T: 01295 263430 E: enquiries@jomajewellery.com W: www.wholesale.jomajewellery.com

KATIE LOXTON T: 01295 250879 E: enquiries@katieloxton.com W: www.wholesale.katieloxton.com

CALON CANDLES T: 07971929146 E: hello@caloncandles.com W: www.caloncandles.com

ROKA T: 07393 598 647 E: hello@rokalondon.com W: www.rokalondon.com

INIS T: +3531 286 7125 E: info@inis.co.uk W: www.inis.com

CHALK UK T: 01843 231300 E: info@chalkuk.com W: www.wholesale@chalkuk.com Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Brand new

Stock due February 2022, order now to secure yours New account enquiries please contact uksales@enesco.co.uk

www.enesco.co.uk

ENESCO LIMITED, Brunthill Road, Kingstown, Carlisle, Cumbria, England, CA3 0EN. UK Customer Services Telephone: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk Overseas Customer Services Telephone: +44 1228 404066 Email: eurosales@enesco.co.uk © Disney.

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