Progressive Gifts & Home May/June 2017

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May/June 2017

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www.max-publishing.co.uk The home of market leading trade magazines

The B2B Publication For Preschool Products and Retailers

EXHIBITIONS

THE HOME OF MARKET LEADING TRADE AWARDS

Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax: 020 7607 6411 www.progressivegifts.co.uk www.thegreatsawards.co.uk

This Month

As this issue of Progressive Gifts & Home arrives on your desk, it's very likely that some 400 guests will be sitting down to lunch at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London's Park Lane, with lots of excited gift retailers keeping their fingers tightly crossed as the individual category sponsors read out the names of the winners of The Greats Awards 2017! It's sure to be another sparkling occasion, especially as the event marks The Greats15th 'crystal' milestone year.

For those of you who weren't able to make it, we'll be revealing the names of the winners in the next issue of Progressive Gifts, along with plenty of fabulous party photos. But for those readers who can't wait, please visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk on Friday May 5 to see who this year's well deserved winners are! With retailers faced by so many challenges, it's fantastic to be able to recognise and reward the best in gifts, and our huge congratulations to everyone who walked off stage proudly waving a Greats trophy this year!

Of course, one challenge constantly shared by retailers, from the smallest outlet to the biggest department stores, is driving traffic in store. Department stores in particular have been making headlines over the past couple weeks as they look to seriously re-invent themselves. Debenhams, for one, has announced that it will be offering shoppers beauty treatments, along with prosecco bars and restaurants. John Lewis and House of Fraser too, are intending to put in yoga studios and champagne bars, with John Lewis already committed to bikini waxes, opticians, travel agents, spas and additional restaurants in selected stores. (See news on page 19 to hear what MD Paula Nickolds has got to say). Everyone is looking for a point of difference and the gloves are on!

Talking of which, we take a look at summer weddings in this issue (see pages 33-37) with the happy couple as determined as ever to make the day their own. Elsewhere, we sniff out what's new in home fragrancing, where the emphasis is on exotic holidays and fruity cocktails (see pages 39-43), and the latest trends in bath and body products, where male grooming is coming strongly into focus (see pages 51-53). Meanwhile, with Exclusively Housewares getting ready to open its doors on June 13-14, we also find out what's new in kitchen gifts (see pages 55-59).

But first, with trends leading the way at Pulse, which takes place on May 14-16 (see page 27), the Progressive Gifts team will be heading off to London's Olympia.

We also can't wait to see the wealth of greeting card talent on show at PG Live at the beginning of June, organised by Max Exhibitions. For the full lowdown, turn to news on page 15 and to What's On The Cards? on pages 29-31.

We'll be putting our best foot forward so hope to see you there!

Above: Sue is shown with the 'cardie' girls at last year's PG Live, whose colourful dresses are made out of greeting cards.

COVER: Cello Porcelain Range - English Garden.

Distributed in the UK by Xystos - Flame & Fragrance

Publishers Jacqueline Brown, Warren Lomax and Ian Hyder

Design & Production Russell Sutton

Subscriptions enquiries maxsubscriptions@marketingreinforcements.co.uk Tel: 020 8943 9541 ABC figure 6,788 July 1st 2010 - 30th June 2011 Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation.

Progressive Gifts & Home is published 7 times a year.

Subscription: UK; one year £50, two years £85 or three years £110. Overseas; one year £75, two years £125 or three years £165. Please send your cheque to: Progressive Gifts & Home, Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax 020 7609 4222/020 7607 6411 email: ianh@max-publishing.co.uk Copyright 2008. 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.

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ladedaliving

La De Da! Living Pulse, Olympia, London. Stand No. H47 enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk 01242 250 653 trade.ladedaliving.co.uk 04_GH_May 2017.inddPULSE.indd 1 LDD/017 June RD Advert

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Inside 7-21

News

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Gift of the Gab KEEPING TABS ON YOUR BUSINESS

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Sounding Off NO LAUGHING MATTER

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Trends: Retro Pop RETRO ART ATTACK

29-31 PG Live 2017 WHAT'S ON THE CARDS? 33-37 Spotlight On... Wedding Gifts MR & MRS PAGE 32

PAGE 41

39-43 Spotlight On... Home Fragrancing HOME SCENTS 51-53 Spotlight On... Bath And Body SOAP STARS 55-59 Spotlight On... Kitchen Gifts HOME COOKING 70-71 Best Sellers 74

On The Road: Jacqueline McGoogan

74

Last Word: Rachel Bright

Sue Marks Editor

Angie Bryant Advertisement Manager

Ian Hyder Publishing Director

suem@max-publishing.co.uk

angieb@max-publishing.co.uk

ianh@max-publishing.co.uk

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Industry News

Eggscellent Easter Gift Sales Soar Easter is building as a gift and card giving occasion for many independent gift shops and department stores.

John Lewis revealed that its sales of Easter products have doubled in the past five years.

Following the trends in Europe, more Britons are now buying each other Easter presents and decorating their homes with Easter trees, fairy lights, baubles, wreaths, eggs and bunnies, with people actively looking for another reason to celebrate.

Speaking to The Times recently, John Lewis' Emma Cole explained: "Easter cards continue to grow year on year and Easter crackers are now a thing." Plush toys were the most popular gifts for the retailer, with Jellycat's Baby Bunny a favourite.

Clintons’ VP marketing and eCommerce Tim Fairs also highlighted plush as an Easter gift winner, and confirmed that the specialist multiple was very pleased with its Easter sales. “We’ve had significant growth versus last year, and saw a massive demand for plush and confectionery as well as cello card packs."

“Easter is now bigger for us than Father’s Day," concurs Rachael Barnes, co-owner of Dragonfly Cards and Gifts in Knaresborough. "The trend in recent years for Easter decorations has helped, as we now sell as many Easter gifts as we do cards.

We had an Easter tree decorated in the window of the shop and that drew people in.”

Retail sales were strong across the board over the Easter break with in-store sales up by 14% year-on-year on Good Friday and Saturday, according to a report from Barclaycard.

Easter is now seen as the second biggest retail event in the UK after Christmas with Mintel confirming that it was worth some £550m to UK retailers last year.

Gifts For Great Grandma It seems that even the Royals have a dilemma when it comes to gifting, especially when the gift is for the Queen's 91st birthday. Speaking to Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, Prince William admitted: "It was quite hard to know what to give the Queen for her 91st birthday that she hasn't already got," adding that she was very pleased with handmade gifts from Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

"They make stuff and that goes down really well.

It doesn't matter what it looks like."

Above: Handmade gifts from Prince George and Princess Charlotte delighted the Queen on her 91st birthday.

Expanded Gift Shop Greats finalist Alphabet Git Shop, based in Burton on Trent, recently underwent an extensive expansion programme, with the gift space increasing to accommodate the shop's personalised gift offering.

The refurbishment also included an extended bar and coffee shop area, which now has cocktails on the menu!

Above: Alphabet Gift Shop in Burton on Trent.

Above: Bunny heads from Container Group Buying (CGB) Above right: Gisela Graham's Easter themed French Country Kitchen.

Left: Dragonfly Cards and Gifts featured an eye-catching decorated Easter tree in its front window.

Queen's Award For The Art File Buckingham Palace beckons for The Art File, the leading greeting card and stationery supplier. The company has some big news to shout about having won the 2017 Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. “Naturally, we’re absolutely thrilled with the news, and it is also good news for the whole greeting card sector,” comments MD Ged Mace. “As a company, we’ve always recognised the opportunity to export our award winning products to as many overseas territories as possible. With all of our products designed in the UK it’s a fantastic feeling to be showcasing the exceptional quality and creative talents of British designers to the world."

Observes Ged's son James, who works at The Art File alongside his father and was a main exponent of applying for the award: "With the added challenges, due to recent events in the UK, such as Brexit, this shows that British products are still attractive to export markets.”

Right: Ged Mace (right), MD of The Art File, is shown with his son James in the publisher’s Nottingham office.

Happy 10th Anniversary Having started out on a market stall in 2007, gift and lifestyle retailer Daisy Park in South Molton, co-owned by Emma Paisey and her husband David Matthewman, are delighted to be celebrating the shop's 10th anniversary. Having moved shop twice, Daisy Park, a finalist in The Greats 2017, has been firmly established in its current premises for the past five years from where Emma and David also run the online side of their business. “When we moved to Devon from Shropshire in 2006, I wanted a much quieter life, and to be more in control of my destiny," says Emma. "I’m not sure that life is any quieter, and I know that having my own business brings different challenges, but I’m so happy I made the decision to start Daisy Park!"

Above: Daisy Park is celebrating its 10th year.

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Industry News

Finger On The Pulse Of Trends Discover What's Hot For Autumn/Winter Forward trends will once again be to the fore at boutique show Pulse, which takes place at London's Olympia from May 14-16. Show organisers Clarion Events have worked closely with trend agency Unique Style Platform to predict the trends for Autumn/Winter 17/18.

Four key looks have been identified: Botanical (inspired by heritage vegetables, fresh botanicals and perfumed plants, combining scattered florals with illustrated herbs and leafy greenery); DIY (scribbles, doodles, paint drips and hand markings combined with digital artwork); Functional (flat colour, bold shapes, minimal print and pattern), and Retro Pop (inspired by retro gaming, futuristic worlds, neon lighting and computer graphics. See Trends on page 27).

Further emerging lifestyle trends will be unveiled at the show through a series of on-site installations.

A key focus at Pulse will be to help buyers to find undiscovered and unseen brands from both the UK and globally.

With this in mind, new at this year's show will be Makers, a retail event that's dedicated to emerging creative talent, highlighting a fresh new wave of up and coming designer-makers who will be showcasing 150 brands.

On the international front, Found will spotlight unseen international design talent, while Brands, a new feature for 2017, will be dedicated to new product launches from 20 iconic brands.

Left: Colourful key rings from Ark Colour, exhibiting in Makers, reflect the DIY trend coming through for Autumn/Winter 17/18.

Talking Points A strong talks programme at Pulse includes Christina Schmidt, owner and co-founder of christinasinteriors.com and Skandium, who will reveal why storytelling is vital to help retail products stand out from the crowd and how this can be achieved through the power of design. Kirsty Whyte, product Above: Shop Talk seminar speakers include, from left to right: and design manager at Heal's, will explore what a designer Christina Schmidt, Kirsty Whyte and Ruth Wasserman. collaboration looks like and why it can be mutually beneficial for both retailers and designers. Ruth Wasserman, head of design at MADE.COM will give an exclusive insight into what MADE.COM does to understand customers and how research into customer lifestyle informs its product offering, while Rebecca Hossain, head of retail and publishing at The Design Museum will share her 10 top tips for impactful visual merchandising, and how this can be replicated on a shoestring budget.

“From getting first choice of the new Christmas must-haves to discovering the latest unseen design talent, Pulse is designed by experts to give retailers the best tools to make an impact," says Louise Wallace, event director of Pulse. The incredible buying opportunities are complemented by an excellent conference programme in Shoptalk. With the launch of Brands and Makers, Pulse 2017 will be our most unique buying experience to date.” Visit www.pulse-london.com

Birthday Celebrations At Barkers Home Greats finalist Barkers Home in Northallerton celebrated its first anniversary in March, following the furniture store's rebranding and expansion into gifts and housewares.

"We welcomed customers through the doors with a live band, bubbly and chocolates," gift and homewares buyer Julie Poynton told PG&H. "Plus, throughout the week, we invited customers to meet the makers of various products, one of them being Bolsius candles, whose representative demonstrated the company's aromatic wax melts. It was a terrific week, with customers able to take part in a charity raffle thanks to prizes generously donated by our suppliers. Gifts ranged from toiletries up to whole wardrobes!"

Adds Julie: "There was a fabulous atmosphere, with lovely comments from customers that made all the preparation work worthwhile."

Left: The staff at Barkers Home, Northallerton, recently celebrated the store's first anniversary.

An Excellent Result BCTF exhibitor Cathy Hilton Artisan was the winner of The Giftware Association's Award for Excellence in recognition of welldesigned products with commercial viability. “To have the recognition of the Giftware Association is a great privilege," enthused Cathy, who has developed a unique process for printing designs on housewares and kitchen products made from wood. WUD Lighting was highly commended in the category.

Sarah presented Cathy with a special trophy, created for the winner by GA member Simon Denvers. Made from wood, it featured the GA logo.

Top: Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association, with Cath Hiliton, winner of the Award for Excellence, sponsored by the GA, and Pratima Kramer from WUD who won the category's highly commended award.

Above right: A handpainted cheeseboard by Cathy Hilton Artisan. (Images by Hemma Mason Photography)

Animal Crackers An RSPCA gift collection has been added to Widdop and Co's expanding licensing portfolio and will be hitting the shelves in time for Father's Day. Aimed at animal lovers of all ages, it's been designed to have unisex appeal, with a strong, traditional look inspired by the RSPCA's wealth of archive material.

“Gifts for animal lovers have always been an important part of our offering," comments Stephen Illingworth, product development director at Widdop. "Working with the RSPCA adds a rich vein of beautiful heritage designs that lend themselves ideally to our products and packaging.”

Items in the collection include wall prints, drinkware, stationery and pick up gifts packaged in branded gift boxes.

Above: The new RSPCA range from Widdop and Co.

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Industry News

Mum's The Word Mother's Day Sees Soaring Sales What put the 'mmm' into what was a strong Mother's Day trading this year for gift retailers? "Candles proved incredibly popular as did Nesti Dante soaps," reveals Sarah Horsnell, home buyer at Fenwick Colchester.

"Liqueurs Fisseliers bottles of French liqueur was another huge hit, as was a new LA based confectionery brand Sugarfina, whose bears contain Don Perignon champagne. Interestingly, the more luxurious items across home accessories, gift and gift food proved more popular in the run up to Mother’s Day," adds Sarah.

At Barkers Home in Northallerton, homewares buyer Julie Poynton highlights that while reed diffusers are always a popular purchase, candles too, saw an uptake in sales for the occasion. "Silk flowers, in both bunches and vases from Floral Silk, sold really well, as did mugs from companies to include Emma Bridgewater and Cath Kidston. In fact, overall, anything pretty sold really well, to include wooden hanging signs with sentiment sayings on."

For independent gift retailers, a longer lead time, coupled with unseasonably mild and sunny weather, helped to drive sales. "We had excellent Mother’s Day trading figures this year, finishing 9% up on last year," confirmed Fiona Fabien, owner of Papyrus in Glasgow, citing the fact that it was three weeks later than in 2016 meaning that there was no overlap with Valentine’s Day which helped. Fiona adds that an added bonus was the weather in Glasgow in the preceding week. "We had brilliant sunshine and warm temperatures which brought Glaswegians out in droves to the parks, cafes, and attractions driving footfall up in the West End," she confirms.

However, although sales were strong at the three Calliope gift shops in Dorking, Alton and Haywards Heath, director Philip Downer said that the overall feeling in the market was more cautious than this time last year. "We saw less last minute shopping, with stronger sales of Mother’s Day in a longer than usual run-up to the big day.”

Top: Among the Mother's Day card designs from Five Dollar Shake.

Above right: Nesti Dante soaps were a Mother's Day winner for Fenwick Colchester.

Left: An eye catching Mother's Day poster from gift shop multiple Between the Lines, a finalist in The Greats 2017.

At Home With Widdop Following on from the success of previous inhouse events, Widdop and Co. will be hosting the company's second Home Show at its North Manchester showrooms. Taking place from Monday May 8 until Friday May 12, the event will feature Widdop's home brands, to include Home Living and Hestia home accessories as well as Wm. Widdop and Hometime clocks.

The company highlights that its home offer has undergone radical changes over the last few months to include the introduction of wooden and metal furniture lines. Additionally, Widdop's home and garden offer now boasts over 2000 lines across an array of product categories.

Visitors spending over £600 will be offered a free item from the Widdop range, worth over £150 at retail, allowing them to trial leading home brands in the giftware sector. There will also be 'show only' promotions around all home brands, as well as topical information on Spring/Summer 2017 home trends and how to create them in store. To book a place, phone 0161 688 1226 or email sales@widdop.co.uk Above: Widdop and Co. will be holding its Home Show in May.

Spreading The News At the time of going to press, Greats 2017 finalists were certainly making the most of their success, with many hitting the headlines as they shouted about their achievement.

Among them were Sarah Kiely, manager of Lily Blue in Hagley, a finalist in the Retail Employee of the Year category, as well as Sunflower, a finalist in the Best Newcomer South & Wales category and The Keekin' Glass in Prestwick, a finalist in the Independent Gift Retailer of the Year Scotland category. "It's been amazing!" enthused owners Heather and Kenny Newlands. "Our customers have been really supportive."

The Awards took place on May 4 at the Grosvenor House in London. Winners will be revealed in the July/August issue of Progressive Gifts & Home and will also be featured on The Greats website from May 5. Visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk Above: Lily Blue was featured in the Stourbridge News.

Left: Sunflower hit the headlines in the North Devon Journal.

Right: Keekin’ Glass received coverage in a clutch of local newspapers to include the Ayr Advertiser.

Write On Among the new initiatives at an expanded London Stationery show, held at the end of April, was the Craft Business Creative Hub exhibitor workshops, offering visitors the opportunity to try out new products and techniques. The show also revealed the 12 winners of the LaunchPad competition, which was held for the first time as well as the winners of the annual London Stationery Show Awards.

Another first saw a team from nononthehighstreet.com holding a mini stationery Pitch Up event.

Running alongside the London Stationery Show was National Stationery Week, which took place from April 24-30.

The words were franked on all post sent during the same period, with the postmark an important part of the campaign. The organisers highlighted that it was seen by millions of people throughout the UK. Above: The National Stationery Week postmark.

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Industry News

PG Live 2017 The Countdown Begins As greeting cards continue to grow in importance for gift shops, dedicated greeting card show PG Live's Springboard section has been further extended for 2017. The show takes place at London’s Business Design Centre in Islington on June 6 and 7.

In addition to the leading brands exhibiting, visitors looking for emerging talent at will be treated to a varied mix, with a new area of the show opening up to accommodate an additional 30 new publishers and artists, showcasing more than 160 Springboard exhibitors and over 280 exhibitors in total.

“For the third year running, demand for space in the Springboard section of PG Live has outstripped supply,” confirms joint show director Warren Lomax. “We're so excited that visitors will be able to see even more fantastic publishers, further cementing PG Live's position as the largest collection of greeting card publishers in the world.”

Known for its high energy, artistic vibe and friendly atmosphere, PG Live 2017 attracts greeting card buyers from over 40 countries as well as major UK retail multiples and leading independents, all making their buying selections for the next 12 months. l As with previous years, visitors will also be able to enjoy the famous PG Live hospitality, with a complementary twocourse lunch and refreshments throughout the day, as well as a free drinks party on the first night. (See What’s On The Cards on pages 29-31). Visit: ww.progressivegreetingslive.com Left: Visitors, to include many gift shops, will be heading for PG Live which takes place at London's Business Design Centre in June.

Behind The Scenes At PG Live Retailers who register for their tickets in advance of PG Live opening its doors on June 6 and 7 will receive a special glossy show preview, brimming with the biggest launches, the most exciting show offers and hottest industry trends.

It's an unmissable guide to over 280 greeting card publishers, artists and designers with exhibitors from the smallest to the largest outlining thousands of exciting new collections and original designs.

“We know that buyers love the friendly, relaxed nature of PG Live,” comments Warren Lomax, joint show director, “but it's the cutting-edge creativity which really makes the show an essential date in the calendar for everyone who is part of the vibrant greetings sector. We can't wait for this year's show!”

To find out more, and to receive your copy of the essential Above: In addition to the preview, many exhibitors, such as show preview, register online now at Modern Toss, are sending specially created postcards to www.progressivegreetingslive.com or call +44 (0) 1635 29707. retailers to promote what they will be showing at PG Live.

Going Potty Xpressions 4 U is looking forward to increased sales of its Pot of Dreams, with the company keeping its fingers crossed that customers will break into their pots to shake out their old £1 coins in the coming months. (The coins will be defunct from October 15).

"All those broken Pots of Dreams will then need to be replaced which is good news for retailers," says Christine Harrison, Xpressions 4 U’s independent sales director. "We are encouraging all our Pot of Dreams stockists to plan ahead to replenish stock for Summer/Autumn. Retailers could also do a spot of promotion about the coin change," suggests Christine. "For example, if a retailer put their business card into every Pot of Dreams they sell, then those receiving the pot as a gift will know where to go and buy a replacement. We are also launching a new personalised pot stand for the summer which we expect to be very popular, particularly with children.”

Above and right: Pot of Dreams from Xpressions 4 U.

On Your Marks, Bike!

Calling all cyclists! PG&H's publishing director Ian Hyder, joint managing director of Max Publishing, will be among those cycling to raise money for The Light Fund. A co-founder of the charity, Ian is among those recruiting like-minded industry colleagues to take part in The Light Fund's most ambitious charity challenge to date: a 325 mile, four-day cycle tour from Bristol to Dublin between June 12-15, 2018.

The tour will start in Bristol on Tuesday 12 June, 2018, taking in the Welsh and Irish countryside, with challenging climbs and invigorating downhills, before culminating in Dublin on Friday June 15.

Places on the tour have been limited to 120, with The Light Fund hoping to raise between £150,000-£200,000 for the numerous good causes it supports.

It Pays To Display Following the outstanding success of Portmeirion Group's Wrendale Design collection since its launch four years ago, Portmeirion recently got together with Wrendale Design's founder Hannah Dale (right) to launch a global marketing campaign for 2017.

A window display competition for stockists was launched earlier this year, with retailers challenged to create an outstanding window featuring Wrendale Designs products, 50% of which had to be from Royal Worcester's Wrendale Design collection. (Other Wrendale products include gifts, stationery, cushions and greeting cards). The brief was 'to ignite the hearts of passersby and make them fall helplessly in love with Wrendale Designs'.

The judging will be taking place on Monday May 8 where the retailers of the six best displays will receive: £300 (SRP) worth of Royal Worcester Wrendale Designs free stock; a £100 Portmeirion Group voucher for the team that created the display, PR and social media coverage, and a bespoke winner certificate created by Hannah Dale.

Judges are Phil Atherton, group sales and marketing director at Portmeirion Group, Hannah Dale, and PG&H's editor Sue Marks. The winners will be announced on Monday May 15.

Above: Out on the Town, part of Royal Worcester's Wrendale Design collection.

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Industry News

GA AGM

PEOPLE p Trish Rundle has joined LSA International as national account manager.

Proud To Be 70 Get out the bubbly, blow up the balloons and get ready to party! The Giftware Association’s AGM on June 21 will be celebrating the Association's 70th birthday with a party held on the evening of the AGM. “We're delighted that we can host the AGM and our birthday on the same day," enthuses ceo Sarah Ward. "Celebrating '70 years young' is a momentous occasion which we want to celebrate with our members and are hoping to see lots of them there. We have come from a proud past which has shaped our future as an Association, and that's definitely something to make a fuss about.”

The double event will be held in Digbeth, Birmingham. Service providers will be on hand to offer advice and assistance, with informative talks being held throughout the day. Contact enquiries@ga-uk.org Meanwhile, Sarah has been busy sharing the views of GA members with other associations involved in the Genesis Initiative which is setting out to improve the debate on UK and European SMEs. The concept, driven by SMEs, is supported by parliamentarians.

Sarah recently attended a meeting at the Bank of England alongside leading trade associations that included the Food Standards Agency and the Energy Industry Association.

"I was honoured to be invited back to discuss how our members are faring, and also to offer a different view from the more traditional associations," comments Sarah. "It's great to be able to share our knowledge and make our voices heard to the powers that can hopefully enact change." Sarah presented the results of a survey carried out by the GA, as well as feedback from members and non-members. "It was an education for all parties," she confirms.

p Patrick Wade will be stepping down as director of sales for Exclusively Housewares and Exclusively Electrical.

Patrick's successor will be announced prior to the shows which take place from June 13-14.

Patrick continues as adverstising director of Progressive Housewares, PG&H’s sister title.

Sadly Missed Kevin Nolan (right), co-owner of gift and card shop Maddy Moos in Totton, Hampshire a past Greats finalist - sadly passed away in March. The announcement came via the shop's Facebook page. “It's with great sadness and heavy hearts that we announce a loving husband, fantastic dad, brother, son, friend and awesome boss (not forgetting a cracking golfer), Kev, unfortunately passed away late Saturday night. Although our hearts our broken, we are glad he is no longer suffering. Kev was such a big character and we will all miss him so very much.”

Left: Sarah Ward is shown going into the Genesis Initiative meeting which was held at the Bank of England.

Happy 20th Anniversary Rachel Ellen Designs, founded by former ballet dancer Rachel Church, is ‘on point’ in readiness to celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary this year.

Rachel, who co-owns the business with her husband Justin, has expanded her greeting card and children's stationery ranges to include many gifts, bags, accessories and homeware.

"We decided to expand into gifts very early on, beginning with stationery and paper product, and have been steadily growing our offering ever since," Rachel told PG&H. "One of our most successful lines has been our tin range which we launched in 2012, which we have constantly refreshed. Currently we have over 50 different tin items in the collection."

More recently the company has launched children’s drink bottles, a textile line including

rucksacks, tabards and bags, hand-painted glass bracelets and a hair accessories collection to name but a few. But it’s not all about kids gifts either. "We also have an extensive wedding stationery range and lots more 'grown up' stationery in the pipeline!" adds Rachel.

Above: Rachel and her husband Justin (centre front), with the Rachel Ellen team.

Left: Here Come The Girls, among the latest gift launches from Rachel Ellen.

New Chapter For Paul Taylor Paul Taylor (left), formerly ceo of Parragon Books, has turned the next page in his career by officially moving across to Wild & Wolf to become its ceo. “I have admired the innovation and beautiful design of Wild & Wolf products for many years and, having been involved in its acquisition two years ago, I am now pleased to have the opportunity to lead and grow the business internationally,” Paul comments.

Wild & Wolf was co-founded by Jon Cameron and the late Richard Barson in 2005.

Wrendale’s Educated Investment Wrendale Designs, whose licensees include Portmeirion Group, is sharing its success by helping those less fortunate. Working with Build Africa, a charity that helps provide children in Africa with the best opportunity to learn, Wrendale Designs is funding a project at Kiatuni Primary School in Machakos District in southern Kenya.

“We feel very privileged to sell our gifts and cards all over the world and it is important to us that we are able to give something back,” says Wrendale’s founder Hannah Dale.“We have given £20,000 to build a new classroom and a toilet block - lots of the girls were unable or excluded from the school simply because there were no toilet facilities. It is nice to be able to fund a single project like this rather than just adding to a big pot. It also feels amazing to be able to say 'we did that with our gifts and cards!'"

Hannah says that she is hoping to visit Kenya once the build has been completed.

"We're really looking forward to meeting some of the children and teachers and seeing the impact the new classroom and facilities have made for them.”

Above: Work is underway on the schoolroom in Kenya, paid for by sales of Wrendale gifts and cards.

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Industry News

Reinventing John Lewis

NEWS IN BRIEF

Challenging Times Ahead Says New MD With four months under her belt as the new MD of John Lewis, Paula Nickolds has confirmed that she is setting out to re-invent the store, starting by looking through the archives to discover how the retailer has dealt with retail challenges in previous decades. In an interview with Times' journalist Deidre Hipwell, which appeared in the newspaper at the end of March, Paula stated: "When I talk about reinventing the department store I am not talking about the physical space. I am talking about the holistic provision of services that a department store can provide."

She also confirmed that she wants the store to sell more own brand products, with a target of £1bn worth of own-brand sales in the homewares department by 2020, which she predicts is achievable by the end of 2018.

Looking at the wider picture, she told The Times that people now go to shops for entertainment, to seek expertise or for a mooch around. "What they want is more of a day out," she underlined.

Other strategic plans in the pipeline include streamlining the further opening of new stores and providing shoppers with a seamless retail experience.

With increased costs due to the decrease in the £pound, Paula also warned that there could be job cuts this year, with an estimated 770 jobs likely to go. However, almost 400 new jobs are being created which existing staff can apply for. Annual bonuses for John Lewis' 86,700 partners were cut for the fourth consecutive year.

"Many people have predicted the death of department stores just as many people have predicted the death of the high street," she told The Times. "I don't accept that, but I think we will have to change." l Three further John Lewis stores will be opening this year in London's White City, Oxford and Cheltenham.

Above: Paula Nickolds, MD, John Lewis.

Left: John Lewis stores will be undergoing changes. Shown is John Lewis in the Bluewater shopping centre.

p Retail saw its largest fall in seven years in the first quarter of 2017, with the volume of goods sold in stores and online falling by 1.4%. Economists concur that this appears to demonstrate an end to post-Brexit consumer spending with another slowdown predicted. The fall in retail sales has been blamed on higher prices. p Premier Decorations was ranked at No 65 in the recent Sunday Times Profit Track 100 chart. A growing product range and cost savings helped the company to post profits of £7.3m in 2016. p Also appearing in the Sunday Times chart was Paperchase, which is continuing to expand the gift side of the business. The company was ranked at No 55, with profits at £4.9m last year. p In the same issue of the newspaper, Richard and Anthony Joseph, owners of Joseph Joseph, were pictured with their iconic, award winning nesting bowl set. Following a year of investment, the company saw a 6% increase in sales, although profits fell. p A bake off, held by the staff at Widdop and Co., raised £400 for Comic Relief. The total was quadrupled by the directors to a significant £1,600.

Right: Widdop’s bake off raised £1,600 for Comic Relief.

p Debenhams will be undergoing a turnaround strategy, which could involve the closure of 10 of its 176 UK stores in the next five years.

Artist In Residence Artist Sara Miller, and the products that fanfare her designs, are being celebrated by John Lewis' flagship Oxford Street store through a dedicated window display as well as an ‘artist in residence’ event in the stationery and card department.

Sara's distinctive designs currently appear on tabletop for Portmeirion Group, as well as stationery for Blueprint, home fragrance products for Canova and kitchen textiles for My Gifts Trade.

p Six UK town centres have been left reeling after Marks & Spencer announced it is planning to close regional stores in Portsmouth, Slough, Warrington, Wokingham, Monk's Cross and Worksop.

Councils fear this will seriously impact on local trade.

Right: Artist Sara Miller with her licensed range for Blueprint.

A Record For Home & Gift A record number of new exhibitors will be showcasing products at the Home & Gift Buyers Festival in Harrogate, which takes place from July 16-19. Companies include Pignut, Sunnylife, Ginger Ray, Alessi, Grand Illusions, Nkuku, Giftisimo, Tif Tiffy Denmark and High Tide Jewellery.

“We are very excited to welcome so many new companies to the show this year, as they provide a fantastic complement to the returning familiar brands," says show director Cleere Scammell. "We will also have a packed schedule of inspirational speakers."

The event will include the Great Northern Retail Forum, which will cover the whole three days of the show, featuring leading industry speakers, panels, advice and insights. Visit www.homeandgift.co.uk Left: Among the visitors to last year's Home & Gift.

p Central London remains the retail market leader in Europe, driven by Britons and tourists spending more in the capital.

London has also seen more store openings than in any other market, and double digit rental growth.

(Source: Colliers International). p Lifestyle/homeware store LUC.Design, based in Tasmania, was the winner of the Martin M Pegler Award for Visual Merchandising at the Global Innovation (gia) Awards, held at the International Home + Housewares Show in Chicago.

Right: The award winning LUC.Design in Tasmania.

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Industry News

General Election Latest Bira Sets Out Its 'Manifesto'

Left: It is predicted that under Theresa May, the Conservatives will have a landslide victory in June. However, whichever political party gets in, lobbyists are urging the government to offer more help to the retail industry.

Following the confirmation of a General Election on June 8, British Independent Retailers Association (bira) was fast off the mark to issue a passionate plea that all parties will pledge their support for independent retailers.

The Association urges political parties to commit to implementing a business rates threshold, and is also lobbying for politicians, whichever party they support, to commit to a serious review regarding parking.

Bira will also be encouraging parties to allow the Low Pay Commission to lead an independent process of setting wage rates so that workers are rewarded for their endeavours and that businesses can continue to succeed and provide the jobs that people need.

While the retail sector currently accounts for 5.7% of gross domestic product, the Association points out that this is not guaranteed to continue in the future unless an incoming government helps ensure that Britain will not be hit with a stalling economy, rising prices and a weak £pound.

At the British Retail Consortium (BRC), chief executive Helen Dickinson OBE added: “Political stability will be crucial to negotiating the best deal for the UK in the Brexit negotiations, as Britain’s exit from the EU will have a profound impact on the goods that Britain imports, the products that UK consumers buy and the prices they pay. The retail industry will want to see plans from the next government that puts consumers first in the Brexit negotiations and ensures that ordinary shoppers aren’t hit with the cost of unwanted new tariffs."

Adds Helen: “The retail industry is a driving force in our economy. Political and economic stability, and a business tax environment fit for purpose in the 21st century, is what’s needed for the retail industry to drive productivity with better jobs, innovation and new skills for the digital age.”

However, Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI Director-General, believes that in the run up to the Election, the government must not take its eye off negotiations with the EU.“Businesses will be looking to each political party to set out their plans to support economic stability and prosperity over the next Parliament in a way that is fair and sustainable for communities across the UK. Distraction from the urgent priorities of seeking the best EU deal and improving UK productivity must be kept to a minimum."

International Flavour Autumn Fair will see more international visitors than ever, predicts show organisers Ascential, as influences from other countries are increasingly adopted in the UK. Comments Naomi Barton, portfolio director: "We have secured a wider international base this year in response to changes in the gifting market. We received our best visitor feedback ever for last year's show and we are excited to build on this and make the 2017 edition even better."

The show will be returning to the NEC, Birmingham from September 3-6. The Volume Hall will open on September 2. Visit www.autumnfair.com

India's Rich Heritage

Two Seasons, One Date With a much earlier timeline this year, Tendence, which takes place from June 24-27, will see exhibitors using the show's new products platform to present their trends for the winter and Christmas season. This will give volume buyers the opportunity to place orders in plenty of time for their Spring/Summer collections, say organisers Messe Frankfurt.

The show boasts a significantly broader product spectrum under the motto, Two Seasons, One Date, with show sectors which include the new Impulses by Tendence workshops and Outdoor Living, and new halls.

“Our aim was and is unequivocal: growth in terms of both new exhibitors and new visitor target groups, and we are on the right track," states Tendence's group show director.

The wide ranging product portfolio covers gifts, home, furnishing, decorating, jewellery, fashion accessories, home textiles and outdoor living.

Visitors will also be able to attend special shows to include the Concept Store exhibition, Tendence Village, Tendence Academy and All Things Green, as well as a wide ranging complementary programme of events. Visit www.tendence.messefrankfurt.com Above: Tendence will be devoting a special exhibition to the concept store to show ways in which smaller retail formats can react quickly and flexibly to changes.

Left: Among the products on display at the IHGF Delhi Fair Spring.

The recent IHGF Delhi Fair Spring, held at the India Expo Centre & Mart, saw another impressive turnout of visitors from around the world to include the UK, France, Germany, Australia, China and Japan.

"The show has grown manifold to become a 'must attend' event for importers, wholesalers, retailers and professionals seeking the best of home, lifestyle, fashion and textiles across a spectrum of classic and contemporary styles," comments Rakesh Kumar, executive director of the Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts. "The large turnout of regular patrons at this fair, joined by new exhibitors and buyers with each successive edition, have made this trade event a matchless B2B platform."

Curated theme pavilions - including crafts from the North Eastern region and Jodhpur Mega Cluster - showcased regional craft traditions. The organisers highlighted that the show saw significant expansion in all categories ranging from fashion, jewellery and accessories to furniture, home textiles, lighting, Christmas and floral decorations.

NY NOW Summer Market Registration is now open for NY NOW which will be taking place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Centre, New York, from August 19-22. Collections feature Home, Lifestyle and Handmade. Visitors will have access to new, design focused resources from around the world.

With over 400 product categories from more than 2,400 suppliers, the show will feature new exhibitors as well as regulars, along with Artisan Resource for volume buyers featuring 100 artisan enterprises.

Visit www.nynow.com

Teddy-tastic Charlie and William Morris (above), founders of Charlie Bears, were recently featured in the Sunday Times' How We Made It article.

The company was launched in 2006 with £60,000 seed capital and, this year, is expected to report revenues approaching £10m.

"If you believe in your products others will too," Charlie told the Sunday Times' Laura Onita.

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Carrie Elspeth H A N D M A D E

I N

WA L E S

Please get in touch for our new full colour Summer catalogue e sales@carrieelspeth.com | t 01446 771271 | w www.carrieelspeth.com

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Left: Nic Stone.

Below: Mary Portas recently shared her views on high street retail.

GIFT OF THE

GAB

Keeping Tabs On Your Business PG&H is delighted to welcome a new columnist, Nic Stone, owner of The Bottle Kiln in West Hallam, who has spent 27 years in the gift industry. With costs continually going up, Nic highlights the positive benefits of being a member of TAB, a local non-competing business networking group where members offer each other help and support when the going gets tough.

"One of the things I have found over the years is that the nature of our business makes us the perfect bellwether of the state of the economy. We tend to know when there is a slowdown coming before almost everyone else.

Accordingly, at The Bottle Kiln, we have noticed quite a pronounced slowdown in progress since the middle of December.

And what a time to have another slowdown!

Inflationary pressures are everywhere.

Almost all new products coming in are going up in price, often significantly. Wages are being forced up by the government; pensions are now kicking in, and some of you will have received heart-stopping business rates increases (while Amazon & co. see theirs drop). Even our credit card processing company has recently raised its charges. What next?

However, what we can do is to help each other. Possibly the best thing I did last year business-wise was join a local group called TAB where a group of noncompeting business people meet up once a month to give each other help, advice and support. They share their challenges and receive advice from the rest of the board, some of whom will have had similar issues, as well as having ‘one to ones’ at each other's businesses, and coaching from the facilitator. It’s very powerful and it’s surprising how often the views of the board members tend to coalesce around an agreed point of view by the end.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect for me was how much this group of people have come to care about each other's lives, both professional and personal. Running a business can be lonely and isolating. For retailers in particular, the people in the same trade can feel more like the enemy than your friends. Anyone who went to Mary Portas’ talk at the NEC will have recognised it when she described how hard it can be to get traders on the same street to work together. But we can all learn from each other and should talk more. I went to a meeting in London attended by a few key gift retailers a year or so back, brought together by the organisers of Spring Fair and Autumn Fair, and it was heartening to

discover how keen the participants were to exchange views and problems once the sense of competing was taken away. (We were all from different parts of the country).

So here are a few suggestions from me to help ease those slowdown blues: l Bank charges: It amazes me how few people shop around for banks. A few years ago our then bank suddenly announced that it would be charging for all services after years of free banking which would have cost me £thousands. I looked around, and through the Federation of Small Business got free banking through the Coop Bank (from whom, incidentally I always get excellent customer service). l Card services providers: I have changed these three times in the last 10 years and check them at least annually against a couple of other providers.

Savings have been significant. Do read the customer feedback online however before going with someone new. l Electricity, gas and insurance: Again, invest some time and you will invariably save. l Word of mouth: Everything becomes wallpaper after a while, and even the best businesses need to remind people that they are there. Change elements of what you do constantly. Peoples’ attention spans are getting shorter and a it keeps things fresh. l Honest feedback: Get someone you trust to critique your business. It’s painful but interesting, and you can always do the same for them.

Last but not least, let’s all work together, so send in your best ideas to me and I will share them. Other industries and organisations share best practice in order to improve everyone’s lives and it’s mad for someone to be struggling with a problem that someone else has solved. Let’s make this tough year a positive one and come out a little wiser!"

Email: bottlekiln@gmail.com PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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New products.

Fresh ideas.

More reasons to visit than ever before Register now!

Find out more and register at homeandgift.co.uk/PGH

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LESLEY DUNNE

SOUNDING OFF

No Laughing Matter There was, of course, a certain irony in April 1 being chosen as the date that the majority of small businesses, many of them independent retailers, faced the reality of a most unwelcome increase in business rates.

For the next five years, there's simply no going back, as gift retailer Lesley Dunne of Feathering Your Nest in Rayleigh, Essex, points out.

"The 1st of April always sees a few lighthearted jokes in our house. My husband Chris usually manages to catch one of us out at some point during the morning. In fact, I'm sure he spends half the night planning some mad trick or other and it's become a family tradition!

This April Fool's Day however, the date seemed more like a cruel joke for many retailers and small businesses. The first rate rise in seven years has brought anger and fear to many, including ourselves - yet another tax to add to our own personal income tax, car tax, VAT and domestic rates - oops, another tax - where the rates pay for the upkeep of roads and street lighting, but not for the refuse collection. (For the record, our street lights go off at 12, and our roads are full of pot holes).

Historically, the Valuation Office undertakes the revaluation of property in Britain every five years, with the last revaluation in 2010. Therefore, according to the rule book, businesses should have received a rate rise in 2015. Alas, it was controversially delayed due to a General Election that had to be won on May 7 just saying!

As the rates system is decided on the rent of a building - and rents have gone up massively in some areas - it has created a vast imbalance for businesses around the country. So here's the rub. London and the South East have seen huge property price increases in the last seven years, hence, they are experiencing some of the highest rate rises around the country. Most of the businesses North of the Watford Gap, who have not had such property price increases, have either seen their rates stay the same, or received a welcome drop in their rates.

In fact, the government has not, in essence, massively hiked up business rates.

It is the uneven spread of the rent rises that has impacted on businesses, with central London suffering the most. London has, in effect, become the product of its own success and is paying a hefty price tag for it.

Businesses based in Mayfair, for example, have seen a staggering 415% rise. Trendy London hot spots such as Shoreditch, Hackney and Brixton have also seen sharp increases, as have businesses in the South

Top: Lesley Dunne.

Above: asso is among the out-of-towners that has seen its business rates fall.

East, to include Brighton, Oxford and Southwold. Consequently, many will seek to vacate these areas or close their doors.

Naturally, retail lobby groups have complained and campaigned for the government to review the way it sets these business rates. Over the next 12 months, the government will collect ÂŁ29bn in rates, and with two years of Brexit negotiations, despite the best intentions of the lobbyists, it seems highly unlikely that there will be any form of major overhaul any time soon.

However, for those whose business rates are less than ÂŁ12,000, there is a positive in the form of an exemption. The government has also introduced a new

transitional relief scheme to ease the increase over the next five years for businesses in areas where the rent spikes are felt the most.

It would seem to me that it would be fairer all round if everyone's rates were lowered rather than some pay none and others pay ludicrous amounts. Another way forward might be to put tax upon the land, rather than the building, or possibly put the rates onto business profits, but I'm no economist and I'm sure you all have your own suggestions. I struggle keeping to my own business budget!

Rates increases affect high street bricksand-mortar shops the most because this is where rents are at their highest point. With increases in wages, pensions, rent rises, utility increases, product price increases, online competition and Brexit causing so much uncertainty and fear, it's hard to gauge where retail will be in five years time when the next rates review is due. It appears the government has given little consideration to the fragile but slowly recovering high streets.

By comparison, online retailers seem to have triumphed, as the majority of their warehouses, distribution centres, garden sheds or spare rooms are not on a high street but more often than not in out-of-town locations, attracting little if any increases. According to the CVS, Amazon's bill will fall slightly, asos' warehouse in Barnsley will fall slightly, and Boohoo's Burnley warehouse will fall by 13%. Their vast competitive edge enables better discounts, ultimately leading customers to window shop on the high street but to ordering online later.

All in all, it seems to me, everyone's margin is getting squeezed from every angle, and bottom lines are going ever lower.

Therefore sadly, I feel sure that many wonderful and dedicated retailers, who love what they do, will be asking themselves some serious questions when it comes around for lease renewal."

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Immerse yourself in the greeting card world PG Live 2017 is the UK’s leading launchpad for thousands of original designs and fantastic new card collections.

With over 280 major greeting card publishers, new start- ups and creative artists and designers, the must-visit show is essential for everyone who is part of the vibrant greetings sector.

“It’s always a pleasure to visit PG Live. It’s such a treat to see so many card publishers all together and meet with buyers from across the world at one event. Being at PG Live makes you purely focus on cards – I’m looking forward to the 2017 show already!”

Emma and Pauline Gillett, owners, Special Occasions.

Book your free tickets now to receive your free show preview and start planning your visit! www.progressivegreetingslive.com

PG Live 2017

Tuesday 6 - Wednesday 7 June Business Design Centre, London

BOOK YOUR TICKET NOW!

+44 (0) 1635 297070 @PGLiveLondon www.progressivegreetingslive.com

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TRENDS: RETRO POP

Retro Art Attack

Working with trend forecasters UPS, Pulse, which takes place at Olympia from May 14-16, has unveiled Retro Pop as one of the emerging trends for Spring/Summer '18.

Artificial brights dominate the colour palette, toned down with microchip grey, mandarin red and almost black. Look out for magenta, cyan, marigold and lime clashing with vibrant shades of violet and indigo, with print and pattern taking inspiration from retro gaming, futuristic worlds, neon lighting and computer graphics.

PG&H highlights a selection of Pulse exhibitors whose giftware reflects the colourful, retro trend. (Pulse show sectors are shown in brackets).

Above: Trendy desk accessories from Lund London. (Living) Below: Unusual bags from La Campanie BMC. (Living) Above: Quirky pin badges from U Studio. (Brands) Below: Tech accessories from Inkase include statement iPhone cases. (Makers) Above: Lisa Todd Designs' bright bold cushions take their inspiration from tribal African art. (Makers)

Right: Striking deskware from Block. (Brands)

Above: Colourful small leather accessories from Ark Colour Design. (Makers) Right: Wild & Wolf's collaboration with Tatty Devine features playful lifestyle accessories to include this make-up bag. (Brands)

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Progressive Greeting Live 2017

What's On

The Cards?

According to PG&H's recent Retailer Barometer, published in March, upping the ante on greeting cards was revealed as the most positive business driver for independent gift retailers last year.

Cards are not only profitable, but a great footfall booster, which is why more gift indies than ever will be heading to Progressive Greetings Live next month.

Taking place on Tuesday June 6 and Wednesday June 7, the two-day show, held in Islington's stunning Business Design Centre, offers a fantastic opportunity for buyers to immerse themselves in the busy, buzzy world of greeting cards.

PG&H took a peek behind the scenes.

As a specialist trade exhibition, Progressive Greetings Live 2017 takes visitors on a creative journey to the very heart of the greeting card world. Now in its ninth unmissable year, PG Live 2017 is an inspiring celebration of the innovative greeting card industry, with thousands of original designs, exciting ranges and exclusive show offers all waiting to be discovered, thanks to a packed exhibitor list featuring publishers, artists and designers from around the globe.

Retailers, along with international distributors and licensees, confirm that they find the show invaluable for sourcing fresh product, discovering exciting new

Far left: A friendly welcome awaits visitors to this year's PG Live, the largest collection of greeting card publishers in the world, which takes place from June 6-7.

Above middle: Visitors are sure to be inspired by a wealth of creativity on display from talented artists and publishers.

Above right: The Business Design Centre in London's trendy Islington.

Below left: Exhibitor Blue Eyed Sun's Fabricadabra range which was launched this year.

Below right: Tatty Teddy is sure to take centre stage on the Carte Blanche stand.

Show Essentials Date:

Tuesday 6 and Wednesday 7 June, 2017 Venue: Business Design Centre, London Tel: +44 (0)1635 297070 E-mail: warren@progressivegreetingslive.com Web: www.progressivegreetingslive.com Visitor Registration: www.progressivegreetingslive.com

names and browsing inspiring portfolios, while publishers of all sizes make the most of the opportunity to showcase their latest designs and newest promotions.

Renowned for its vibrant energy, artistic vibe and friendly atmosphere, PG Live 2017 is the perfect launchpad for exciting new collections and original design. In fact, PG Live will be the only trade show of the year for many leading publishers to include Hallmark, UK Greetings, Gemma, CardMix, Paperlink and Icon.

For gift retailers looking to differentiate their card offer on the high street, the show is the place to go to discover exciting new collections and original designs in the greatly Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Progressive Greeting Live 2017

Did You Know...? l The UK greeting card market

is widely recognised as a world leaders in greeting card design and publishing and is worth £1.6bn. l It is the highest per capita greetings card market in the world. l The average person exchanges 31 cards a year.

(Source: GCA)

extended Springboard section which focuses on bright, new talent.

“Once again, we are very excited to be bringing hundreds of talented card suppliers together under one roof,” enthuses joint show director Warren Lomax. “This year's offering is simply outstanding in terms of originality, imagination and quality, and there are some amazing new ranges that we know retail buyers will love. We really enjoy working with so many enthusiastic people, and, as always, we will be coming up with some exciting surprises for the 2017 show!"

With so much fresh new talent on display, and so many card companies together in one place, Progressive Greetings Live is not only ideal for building relationships, but for getting involved as well placing lots of orders!

PG Live At A Glance

Above left: Exhibitor Cherry Orchard’s Sent With Love range.

Above: A celebratory birthday card from Talking Pictures.

Springboard@ PG Live Springboard@ PG Live, which is the biggest to date, and growing year on year, is dedicated to fanfaring new and emerging publishers. A treasure trove of undiscovered and exciting publishers, Springboard is a 'must visit' sector of PG Live.

Join Us For Lunch Well known for its generous hospitality, PG Live is one of the friendliest, most relaxed shows on the calendar offering a free two course lunch and free teas and coffees (served in 'proper cups’ throughout both days.

You're Invited To Our Drinks Party Everyone attending the show on Tuesday June 6 is invited the show's fantastic free postshow industry party - a chance to let your hair down and network, network, network!

Admission Admission to the show is free to greeting card buyers, retailers, wholesalers, retail agents, overseas distributors and anyone wishing to buy or licence designs. (Non-exhibiting trade suppliers are not permitted entry, but are invited to go on a tour along with would-be exhibiting publishers).

Below: A selection of new card designs from exhibitor Paper Salad.

Below right: One of 42 new designs being shown by Wendy Jones-Blackett.

Calling All Greats Winners And Finalists Greats winners and finalists are cordially invited to clink glasses at a pre-lunch 'bubbly' party on both days of the show.

It will be held at the back of the Gallery from 12:45pm on both Tuesday June 6 and Wednesday June 7.

Below: Denise Laird, owner of gift shop Spirito in Glasgow, is shown spending her £50 voucher as the winner of The Greats 2016 Best Initiative category.

What Gift Retailers Say... l "I thought last year's show was the best in the 20 years that I have been visiting trade

shows. For retailers looking for cards, look no further than Progressive Greetings Live."

Tina Botterill, Cool! Cards & Gifts, Skipton l "Progressive Greetings Live is always a joy to attend. I especially love to support the young companies in Springboard and watching them grow." Peter Whiteman, Amore, Worcester l We love the fact that there is a separate hall for new companies where we found some great new card suppliers last year." Sara Rao, co-owner, The Lemon Tree, West Wickham l We enjoy seeing all the card companies together, especially the new smaller companies." Diz Williams, co-owner of The Tokenhouse, Nottingham Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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original artwork featuring

GIFT GIVING‌all wrapped up Enesco Limited, Head Office & Customer Services, Brunthill Road, Kingstown, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 0EN. Tel: 01228 404022 email: uksales@enesco.co.uk Overseas Customer Services: Tel: +44 1228 404066 email: eurosales@enesco.co.uk Š The Estate of Cicely Mary Barker. 2017 Licensed by Frederick Warne & Co.

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Spotlight On... Wedding Gifts

Not so long ago, the wedding gift market was very much about young couples excitedly going round a department store putting their wedding list together.

Today, with most couples choosing to live together before they tie the knot, it's much more about a luxury mini-moon or exotic honeymoon, with cash donations the name of the gift game.

Yet as suppliers confirm, wedding gifts nevertheless remain a huge gifting sector, with the couple themselves splashing out on gifts for parents, bridesmaids, ushers and anyone else playing a significant role on their big day. But that's not all when it comes to gifting, with personalisation a given, and a contemporary twist on the traditional still very much in demand.

Who doesn't want their wedding day to be the best day of their lives? Which means that couples are willing to put a huge amount of time - and money - into making it as perfect - and as personal - as possible.

"Being a unique couple is very important to most people who are planning their wedding," says Kat Grant, copywriter, PR and sales support at Signature Gifts.

"Everybody is looking for that bespoke touch, and as with everything to do with weddings nowadays, couples are given a huge amount of choice, meaning that personalising a wedding is becoming paramount. Our range of personalised wedding alcohol, for example, means that newly-weds can add an extra special touch to their wedding breakfast, or give it as gifts to the principal members of the wedding party."

Staying with personalisation, Giggle Beaver's PR manager Rhian Williams concurs that the demand for personalised gifts has been growing in the past few years, not just for weddings but across all occasions, with keepsakes for wedding gifts in high demand. "Our range of light boxes sell incredibly well, and, with the demand for personalised gifts for couples growing, we are currently designing a range which will make ideal wedding gifts, such as 10 Reasons You Are Perfect Together."

At La De Da Living, director Dominique Fracasso-Stroud agrees that the wedding season plays a huge part in the retail year.

"Something that has been personalised for the happy couple is always a preferred gift," she states. "One of our main focuses is to provide our stockists with a bespoke service in store, and with many of our products made in the UK, this only takes a few days.

Additionally, with wedding gifts no longer just about the bride and groom, the bridal party has become just as important. Gifts for the bridesmaids, for example, include our personalised envelope clutch bags that can be embossed with the bridesmaids' initials."

Above: Signature Gifts' personalised alcohol is a popular gift for members of the bridal party.

Above right: La De Da Living’s wedding candles.

Below: Giggle Beaver's 10 Reasons We Are Perfect Together.

Thomas O'Brien, senior operations director at Boxer, confirms that today's wedding gifts are all about the contemporary.

"Times have changed and wedding gifting etiquette has evolved to reflect that," he points out. "Most couples already live together so don’t need practical gifts such as a toaster or coffee percolator to set up the marital home, favouring vouchers or cash gifts. However, the guests still do not want to attend the ceremony empty handed and choose to also give a small token or meaningful gift, such as our Starlight bottle that the couple can unwrap after the big day. In fact, our wedding Starlight bottles and champagne glass sets are an ideal example of a modern wedding gift or wedding day table decoration. As keepsake gifts, they can be kept on display by the bride and groom in their home, or as a precious memento of the day."

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Discover Discover more... more...

www.gaeltagkeltika.com www.gaeltagkeltika.com Call +44 (0) 20 8998 1781 Call +44 (0) 20 8998 1781 Email sales@gaeltag.com Email sales@gaeltag.com

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Spotlight On... Wedding Gifts At Joe Davies, md Steve Davies confirms that weddings are increasingly themed to follow the current styles in home décor with gifts following suit. "We offer a vast, up-to-date selection for weddings, and all occasions, where we're seeing strong sales of our white and gold collections.

In addition, our new Firefly LED wedding jars are proving hot sellers as they're great for wedding tables and evening do’s."

LED's have, of course, been finding their way into all sorts of gift products over the past year, and Transomnia's wedding ranges for this season are no exception, with the company's Mr & Mrs LED frosted jam jar and light-up photo frame among the company's top sellers in this category.

"The runaway trend of recent years for humorous and sentimental signs has

also found its way into the wedding-related market, with many new messages on the themes of love and marriage joining our already extensive range this Spring," says director Rod O'Mahony. "And, of course, heart-shaped gifts sell all year round but really come into their own at this time of year, as Valentine's Day is followed by the onset of Spring and the wedding season. We also give a nod to the trend for hen party and bridal party gifts with our '# Team Bride' keyring." Adds Rod: "Weddings have long provided a significant focus for the giftware industry, especially at this time of year as we enter the traditional wedding season, with the introduction of equal marriage in 2014 providing a further fillip to the growth of this market."

Guests often look for something unique and personal, but something that works within any home setting,"

Left: A wedding Starlight bottle from Boxer.

Right: Black Tie is a new addition to Lesser & Pavey's Mad Dots Wedding range.

Below: Our Name Is Mud mugs from Enesco.

Below left: Joe Davies' Firefly LED wedding jars.

Below right: From Gisela Graham's wedding collection: white wire bird cages with fake flowers.

Bottom left: # Team Bride keyring from Transomnia.

says Helen Shield, director of marketing at Enesco. "We see great sales across Lolita wedding, Our Name is Mud, his and hers gift sets and, of course, Willow Tree, the ultimate sentiment driven gift line."

Continues Helen: "Brides put so much effort in their wedding theme, that guests now pay particular attention to the save the date and

wedding stationery for clues as to the perfect gift, be it colour theme, or something more specific such as butterflies or roses."

Lesser & Pavey's Mad Dots collection saw the launch of Mad Dots Wedding at Spring Fair, with MD Julian Hunt confirming that ever since, the wedding range has continued to grow in popularity and diversity.

"It's high quality and works with most wedding themes, as well as representing excellent value for money." Adds Julian: "We’ve just released the Black Tie gent’s gifts additions and they too are receiving a fantastic reaction."

Preferring to focus on the wedding day itself, Gisela Graham offers a pretty, fun wedding collection. "It's all about decorating the wedding reception, as well as small

bridesmaid/groomsman gifts, all at deliberately modest prices, as weddings are now so expensive," says sales director Piers Croke. Examples include bunting, his and hers novelties and fake flowers. Adds Piers: "White and silver are still by far the main colourways."

Meanwhile, East of India's new wedding range for 2017 combines existing favourites with new products. "Weddings are very personal, so whether the couple are looking for a traditional guest book, or a fun alternative, such as our wedding wish jar, we try to offer something special," comments Anne Spratling, director, East of India. "For example, our customers love our vintage Continued on page 37

A Toast To The Happy Couple "Wedding themes will vary with fashion trends but some traditions will never alter," says Gaeltag Keltika's md Frank Emmel. "The raising of a glass to celebrate the occasion, and the desire for lasting memorials of a new life to be shared by the happy couple will always be intrinsic to any wedding."

To add sparkle to the wedding prosecco, the company has developed new Italian tulip-shaped prosecco glasses, designed to maximise the bubbles, based on Megan Claire card designs, which are the latest additions to Gaeltag's Here’s to You gift glassware range. A wedding themed figurine has also been introduced to the company's You are an Angel range.

Left: Galetag's new tulip shaped prosecco glasses.

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Spotlight On... Wedding Gifts Left: New from East of India.

Right: Really Good's champagne flutes come boxed and ready to give.Below: Widdop's Amore wedding range.

sixpence and horseshoe range, which we have expanded for 2017. Also, our porcelain collection continues to thrive, with ring dishes, elegant hanging hearts, Mr & Mrs mugs, coasters and lots more."

At Widdop And Co, marketing manager Sue Grant says that the wedding market remains buoyant, with sales rocketing for the company.

"Tongue in cheek humour has always played a prominent role in our wedding brands, with Amore, boasting a fun collection of wedding gifts, including the saying 'Happy Life, Happy Wife' on a gift boxed pair of wedding mugs," comments Sue. "In addition, delicate, pretty designs, incorporating sprinkles of crystals, or showers of tiny gold and

silver hearts, add a designer touch to simple frames as well as our new candle pairs. New for 2017 is a range of gift bags within the Amore range, an ideal add-on purchase across the brand."

Looking to gifts for the bridal party, Sue highlights that those with a novelty element always go down a storm. "Cosmetic bags for the bride, or a Mr and Mrs passport holder and luggage tag, both from our Always and Forever collection, have proved hits, while Lucky Feather, our new American jewellery brand, boasts a Best

Day Ever collection with delicate, pretty necklaces for the bridal party."

Katie Burt, marketing, Really Good, says the ultimate trend for wedding gifts is to shower the couple with a gift they would never buy for themselves or a gift that they wouldn't be expecting. "Guests need to offer something different, as the wedding market is full of similar products. They need to look for gifts that are unique so the couple will not receive two of the same item," she recommends.

"Plus, a gift that holds a memory gives the happy couple something to look back on, while something useful, such as our Mr & Mrs champagne flutes or our Perfect Wife and Perfect Husband mugs makes another lovely gift for the couple's special day."

Cheers to the happy couple!

Trendy Typography "A clear trend that’s currently present in wedding gifts is the use of strong typography combined with neutral colours and tones," says Keren Dicken, PMC's sales and marketing director "This works particularly well with personalisation, as these designs can suit any wedding theme, and is where items from our extensive personalised Mr & Mrs range really shine. The simple typographic design looks right at home on a range of our personalised items which include glassware, slate signs, wooden chopping boards, wedding albums and guest books. We have also seen increased demand for personalised venue decorations, such as our metal signs, LED lanterns and wooden heart decorations, which are ideal for adding a personal touch to a wedding venue."

Keren adds that while there is a constant demand for traditionally strong wedding gifts, there’s also a growing demand for gifts that go beyond the wedding Above: PMC's Mr & Mrs album.

Right: Just For You from Dartington. day. "Our new personalised leatherette and wooden keepsake boxes really fit the Below: Wedding gift ideas from Sass & Belle. bill," she highlights."

"Personalised gifts for weddings and other occasions remain very popular," concurs Richard Halliday, commercial director, Dartington. "Glassware is ideal for engraving and many of our items are purchased to personalise with a special message to make it a memorable gift. It's not just the champagne flutes for the bride and groom - it can be the gift for the best man or the crystal vase for the mothers’ flowers - with our Just For You collection offering a readymade selection of glass gifts engraved for most popular gift occasions. As well as expressing thanks or good wishes on the day, these gift items make a fine way to raise a glass to the future."

At Sass & Belle, sales manager Megan Walsh says that the major wedding trend emerging this year is decorations featuring gold accents. "Our Mr & Mrs Gold collection is the embodiment of this hybrid, featuring typography on a clean white background, with the aesthetic accentuated with gilded highlights. This light touch adds glamour to the 2017 wedding season, making it completely on trend."

Adds Megan: "Our wedding gifts are also about products adorned with quotes, featuring inspiring messages resonating with the wedding party and guests. But, of course, no wedding would be complete without flowers! The trend to move away from traditional flowers and bringing the outdoors in is something we’ve been incorporating into our collections."

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Hollyberry Balsam

Our brand new RHS Fragrant Garden fragrance for Christmas 2017

Continuing to celebrate our successful partnership with the RHS - enjoy festive favourite Hollyberry Balsam in all of our popular wax and diffuser products this Christmas.

NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER 01229 461166 • www.waxlyricaltrade.com • info@waxlyricaltrade.com © The Royal Horticultural Society. Manufactured under licence granted by the Royal Horticultural Society. Registered Charity No. 222879/SC038262

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Spotlight On... Home Fragrancing

Home Scents One phrase that keeps coming up this year is 'bringing the outside in', and what better way to do that than by lighting a summer scented candle or fragrancing the house with a diffuser.

But it's not just summer florals that are topping the fragrance charts this summer. Think exotic holidays and fruity cocktails say the leading suppliers. PG&H breathed in the scents of summer.

For many people, summer is all about fragrance - the scent of newly mown grass, the sizzle of a neighbour's BBQ, and, of course, summer flowers, especially, roses, lavender and sweet pea.

"Think of summer, and images of sunlit sandy beaches and fresh, fruity cocktails spring to mind, a picture that Yankee Candle is bringing to people’s homes with their new Viva Havana range," says the company's brand & marketing manager Sarah Dixon.

"With all things Cuba becoming more and more of a trend, and a strong focus on exotic cocktails and prints, this new range brings the spirit of Cuba right into the home."

Staying with a tropical theme, Sarah adds that the consumer’s love of all things coconut is sticking fast, with Yankee Candle also offering a unique Black Coconut candle. "Additionally,

accessories, such as candle shades, holders and jars transform Yankee candles into features for the home as well as for the garden," Sarah highlights.

Heart & Home too, has gone with a tropical feel for 2017, with Paradise Sunset, in new boxed packaging, featuring warm shades on the company's distinctive lid. "It reflects relaxing evenings watching the sun set over calm seas," explains the company's group marketing manager Jacquie Russo.

"Coconut Escape’s opening notes of coconut infused with vanilla are reminiscent of tropical cocktails, and we have also included Lime Splash as a way to invigorate at the end of a balmy day. In addition, our everyday collection features floral fragrances reminiscent of English cottage gardens,

such as Rambling Rose and Sweet Pea, ideal for outdoor dining on long summer evenings."

Jacquie adds that although jar candles are the mainstay of Heart & Home's collections, the company has added two new formats this year - fragrance sachets and car air fresheners - featuring the same designs that appear on the candle lids.

Rob Tyler, sales director at Di Palomo, says that fragrance gifting is a key category to generate year round sales as customers change their colour schemes and décor with the changing seasons. "For Spring and Summer, clean fresh colours are coupled with fragrances that evoke feelings of holidays and escapism," he concurs. "With such a wide choice of home fragrance being offered, quality of fragrance is paramount.

Customers often want to create a signature

Top: Di Palomo's Orange Blossom with Wild Honey.

Right: Paradise Sunset from Heart & Home.

Inset: Yankee Candle's brightly coloured quartet of Cuban Mojito, Viva Havana, Delicious Guava and Tobacco Flower.

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Spotlight On... Home Fragrancing fragrance for their home, so a product offer that includes coordinated reed diffusers, room sprays, candles for a summer evening on the patio, and even liquid soaps, gives retailers a great opportunity for linked sales."

With a further seven new designs in La De Da Living's best-selling POP Candle collection, made in the UK, there is a big summer feel to the range with fragrances including Mojito and Summer Cocktails combined with witty sentiment for friends and fun living. "Design and packaging always plays a very important part, and with every candle showcasing splashes of metallic foiling, and with a luxury gift box too, the collection is a must-have for this coming season," says director Dominique Fracasso-Stroud.

At Wax Lyrical, md Joanne Barber highlights this year's trends as feminine florals, pastel colour palettes, solar flower reed diffusers and larger reed diffusers for open plan living spaces. "We're also seeing lots of fresh fruity fragrances, packaging that communicates the fragrance before the

Flying The Flag

powder blue or sage green candle rather than just having those that are red or blue," says Tom. He says that the fragrances in 2017 will also be more subtle in terms of blends and mix. "Plus, there is still lot of potential for expansion in wax melts and Cello electric melt burners," he adds, "where we have probably seen a six fold increase in the sales of wax melts and burners in the last two years. Customers have the Continued on page 43

Above: POP Candles from La De Da Living.

Below left: Wax Lyrical's Vintage Posy collection.

Below right: Cello Persia, distributed by Xystos.

Bottom right: Ashleigh & Burwood's Fragrance Lamp Gift Set in Garden Mint.

customer gets a chance to smell it, as well as brightly coloured citronella for use outdoors," she states.

Xystos director Tom Sykes says that while fragrance is, of course, crucial in the candle market, so too is colour, with a lot of green coming through and more pastel shades rather than solid colours in both the WoodWick and Village Candle ranges.

“These are more aesthetically pleasing for discerning end-users who might buy a

Below: Stoneglow's new Occasions range.

"Post-Brexit, Britishness is key this year, with retailers and consumers looking for price stability and high-end quality," says Stoneglow's head of design Winnie Wong. "All our products carry made in the UK accreditation and include our designer-inspired ranges such as Metallique which features natural wax scented candles and diffusers."

The company recently teamed up with renowned letter artist Carol Kemp, to launch an Occasions collection, inspired by the Gift of Giving. "Not only is this range beautifully designed in white candle jars and matching diffusers, they are packaged in rich gold foiled gift boxes," highlights Winnie. "Each item carries a sentiment message, along with heartwarming fragrances."

Top Retailer Tips l "Use brand blocks, POS and communicate the story behind the products on the shelf. Also, always enable customers to smell home fragrance products before they commit to buying and distinguish a favourite fragrance of your own to spark a conversation with a customer while they’re browsing. Open and use diffusers in store allowing your customer to fully experience the product."

Joanne Barber, MD, Wax Lyrical l "If the consumer can smell the fragrances when they walk in the shop, it’s the strongest initial attraction.

Samples in use on the shop floor, in particular for diffusers, are really important to show off home fragrancing products." Laurence Whiting, national sales manager, Prices l "In addition to tester fragrances, the right POS materials can play a key role in a number of ways including gaining the attention of shoppers, as well as educating them about the benefits associated with a specific product." Deborah Bettinson, PR manager, Ashleigh & Burwood l "Customers buy using all their senses.

A sweet smelling fragrance product enhances the customers experience and encourages them to buy – and not just fragrance gifts." David Cree, sales manager, Joe Davies l The best way that retailers can drive sales is by showcasing a collection to its full potential. When a consumer can see that the retailer has confidence in a collection by the way it is displayed, and the amount of lines on offer, they will buy into the concept." Dominique FracassoStroud, director, La De Da Living

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Call 01670 512222 Email sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

Just Because Candles

Always Seriously Scented!

Best Kept Secrets, Coopies Field, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 6JT Tel: 01670 512222 Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk 42_GH_May June 2017.indd 42

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Spotlight On... Home Fragrancing opportunity to try a wax melt for a few £pounds before going on to purchase the fragranced candle at £25.99.”

"With green signifying freshness, growth and natural beauty, it’s the key colour this season to bring a little of the outdoors in during summer months," says Deborah Bettinson, PR manager at Ashleigh & Burwood. "We are also seeing pink as an important colour choice for the season. Tying into this trend, two of our key Spring/Summer '17 fragrances launches are Garden Mint and Peony, which bring the freshness of the garden indoors. With so many brands and products on the market, consumers become ever more discerning. Every product must therefore have its own USP and hit the right note in terms of fragrance, design, packaging and price to win the attention of shoppers."

Denise Edwards, director of Best Kept Secrets, points out that while trends come and go, the fundamentals of a great fragrance remain the same: a careful balance between top, middle and bottom notes. "As we saw last year, trends towards fruit and floral fragrances were very popular, with this likely to continue during 2017 at least until the Autumn." With this in mind, Best Kept Secrets has formulated 12 new fragrances for its new Burning Gold collection, combining notes that are as near to fine fragrances as possible.

"Customer’s fragrance choice tends to pre-empt the up-coming season," Denise continues. "With this in mind, the savvy

Right: Romance from Paddywax.

Below: Best Kept Secrets' Sweet Pea candle tin.

Below middle: Flora Home from Joe Davies, where packaging is allimportant.

Bottom left: Price's Signature range features coconut and lemongrass, new for this Summer.

retailer that's looking to be on trend will also be looking several months ahead. The best fragrance will always be king."

At Price's, national sales manager Laurence Whiting points out that this year sees an evolution from 2016, rather than a revolution.

"There is still a large focus on pastel colours and, as always with the summer months, light and sharp floral and citrus fragrances to refresh the home. In our Signature range we are introducing fresh new fragrances in coconut & lemongrass and cherry blossom as examples of evolving

fragrances from last year, with the addition of lemongrass to create extra intrigue."

Rachel Parker, brand manager at The Fragrance Lounge, highlights the importance of vessels."For Paddywax, containers are a key element of any candle design and the company does everything it can to encourage their reuse. The use of tactile and raw materials entices the customer to pick up, feel and smell the candles with concrete, cork, metal and wood key materials, giving a sense of warmth and getting back to nature."

"Fragrance gifts are an important part of any successful gift retailer’s collection," emphasises David Cree, sales manager at Joe Davies, "with the trend for natural designs and scents remaining as strong as ever. Our Havana collection is available in a wide variety of designs and practical uses, featuring fragrances Green Tea, Sandalwood and Vanilla. It’s important that customers have access to a scent and want to pick it up. This is particularly key when the item is a gift. We would certainly encourage retailers to make use of the products in their shops to maximise sales."

Bringing The Outdoors In At Bolsius, the company says that it has seen an increase in demand for tealight holders, candle torches and its citronella candles and tealights. "We have developed a unique range of brightly coloured citronella glass and tin candles that come with a twist - Citronella and Basil, Citronella and Rosemary plus, new for this season, Citronella and Tomato Leaf," explains Richard Wood, sales director, Bolsius UK & Ireland. "We also have a range of new deco glass filled fragranced candles decorated with floral prints to brighten up an indoor or outdoor candle display."

Richard adds that this year is all about individuality. "With an increased offering in scent blending wax melts, and customers looking to create their own signature scent within homes, we believe that personalised fragrances will continue to grow throughout 2017. Our wax melts range includes a selection of pick n' mix chips and pre-packaged fragrance chips making them suitable for retailers of all sizes and perfect for customers looking to create their own home fragrances to match their moods."

Above: Bolsius' Citronella Garden range.

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Tropic Cooldown

Love in the air

Sunny Beach

Summer light

Summer Limited Edition Evoking memories of holidays and sun kissed sands. Tropic Cooldown, Sunny Beach, Love in the Air and Summer Light are available in frosted glass candles, reed diffusers and melts.

T +44 0800 169 5126 sales@uk.bolsius.com www.bolsiusaromatic.com

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest scented candles and fragranced gift products to be showcased this month.

Scents Of Summer Summer’s just around the corner so what better way to think about sand, surf and Sangria than with Coastal Breeze candles.

Seriously scented with fresh ginger, clove and patchouli, they create the aroma of the seas and the shell toppings complete a great presentation. Denise Edwards of Best Kept Secrets said: "Coastal Breeze has been a great success in our range of Summer Seriously Scented candles. There’s lots to choose from including florals, smoothies and summer fruits. Sorry no Sangria."

Best Kept Secrets Tel: 01670 512222 Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

Seaonal Stocking Fillers Our Enter-Tin-Ment range was received well in the Summer of 2017 as a fun and novelty purchase for candle lovers. New for Autumn/Winter are four seasonal themed tins that turn the perfect novelty gift into the perfect stocking filler. Featuring the same retro style imagery and a tried and tested winter colour palette, these tins are sure to put a smile on your face and make for a great talking point with your customers.

Wax Lyrical Tel: 01229 461111 Email: info@waxlyricaltrade.com www.waxlyricaltrade.com

Candle Of The Month Customers choose different fragrances at different times of the year. During the summer months, we purchase more fruity and floral fragrances. Yet in the darker months, the fragrances tend to be heavy and spicy. A particular favourite at this time of year is Daisy Bouquet. A fresh floral candle with notes of jasmine, lily and musk and, of course, a touch of sparkle!

Best Kept Secrets Tel: 01670 512222 Email: sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

New Festive Fragrance We’re releasing a brand new festive RHS Fragrant Garden fragrance for this winter. Hollyberry Balsam is a sweet, fruity fragrance. Perfect for filling your home on a cold winter’s day. Featuring seasonal designs in all of our Fragrant Garden products, this is the perfect gift and makes a delightful Christmassy display on any shop floor.

Wax Lyrical Tel: 01229 461111 Email: info@waxlyricaltrade.com www.waxlyricaltrade.com

Exceeding Expectations As a new brand, all Hassett Green products are stylish, innovative, and fashionable. We have teamed up with experienced fragrance and product professionals to ensure that every Hassett Green product is not only on trend but incorporates decades of experience. We ensure that your expectations will be exceeded with unrivalled quality and performance, so when quality matters choose Hassett Green.

Hassett Green Tel: +00 44 (0)1227 634142 Email: Sales@hassettgreen.com www.hassettgreen.com

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Est. 2007 Fashion with passion!

www.hot-tom.com sales@hot-tomatouk.com Tel: 01225 422188

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest scented candles and fragranced gift products to be showcased this month.

The Scents Of Summer The new Citronella Garden Candle Tins from Bolsius are the perfect addition to any outside space. Perfect for adding a pop of colour, these bright scented candles will bring a sense of summer to your store. Available in three unique scents; Citronella & Rosemary, Citronella & Basil and Citronella & Tomato Leaf. The candle tins retail at £3.99 each.

Bolsius Tel: 0800 169 5126 Email: sales@uk.bolsius.com www.bolsius.co.uk

Country Garden Fragrance One of seven refreshingly new fragrance introductions for SS17, Ashleigh & Burwood presents Garden Mint for Fragrance Lamps. Bask in the sweet scent of a sun-drenched traditional country garden with Garden Mint. Freshly-picked mint infused with a juicy symphony of green and red apples, juicy watermelon and delectable fruits. The fragrance is available in 250ml and 500ml sizes.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: +44 (0) 1932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk

Small Fragrance Lamps Ashleigh & Burwood has recently introduced four new small fragrance lamps in the stunning mosaic style including the sultry Midnight Blossom. One of Ashleigh & Burwood’s most popular and iconic products, fragrance lamps are a stunning interior design statement which provide incredible, fast and efficient home fragrance whilst also improving the air quality in the home.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: +44 (0) 1932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk

Botanicals & Natural Wax A stunning collection of candles and reed diffusers. Reusable gel candles created using real botanical pieces and filled with natural wax are complemented by a range of home fragrance products.

Stoneglow Candles Tel: 0208 595 8878 Email: sales@stoneglowcandles.co.uk www.stoneglowcandles.co.uk

Shades Of Grey Limited Edition Inspired by the scent of summer, the new limited edition Summer Light fragrance from Bolsius makes a fantastic seasonal addition to the shop floor. Available as either a reed diffuser or fragranced glass candle, customers are able to display this gorgeous scent in two different ways within the home. The reed diffusers retail for £4.99 and the glass fragrances filled candles at £2.99 each.

Bolsius Tel: 0800 169 5126 Email: sales@uk.bolsius.com www.bolsius.co.uk

Sultry, moody, chic and contemporary sums up Stoneglow’s exciting new Metallique collection of tumbler candles and reed diffusers. Four tantalising new fragrances – Bois et Vanille, Truffle D’Orient, Rose Ambre and Fleur Aquatica - are stylishly housed in grey glassware and grey textured packaging accented with copper branding to complement all interiors.

Stoneglow Candles Tel: 0208 595 8878 Email: sales@stoneglowcandles.co.uk www.stoneglowcandles.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest scented candles and fragranced gift products to be showcased this month.

Car Jars Yankee Candle has extended its Auto Range launching a range of new fragrances including Shea Butter, Soft Blanket, Red Raspberries, Fresh Cut Roses, Aloe Water and Sicilian Lemon.

The fragrances are available to our customers in the Car Jar Air Fresheners. This summer will also see the extension of the Yankee Candle Vent Sticks with Lemon Lavender, Summer Scoop and Soft Blanket joining the existing fragrance line-up.

Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1200 Email: sales@yankeecandle.co.uk www.Yankeecandle.co.uk

All About Fragrance A stunning new collection, featuring the stylish new Sandy Bay branding, candles are hand poured at our own facility in Essex using our unique natural wax blend which contains coconut wax. Sandy Bay are renowned for their exquisite fragrance blends, and the six fragrances offered in this collection include best sellers such as Pomegranate Rouge, Orange Amaro and Persian Rose.

Sandy Bay London Tel: 10992 579949 Email: enquiries@sandybaylondon.com www.sandybaylondon.com

Just Say I Do! The Yankee Candle Décor Pillar Candles are a beautiful choice to dress any wedding venue. With a peelable label to ensure the candle style fits any colour scheme, they are available in popular fragrances from the wider Yankee Candle collection. Alternatively, the Yankee Candle Seven Days of Wedded Bliss Votive Candle Gift Set includes two glass votive holders and a range of votive candles from all five fragrance families, including: Wedding Day, Peony, Black Coconut, Macaron Treats, Snow In Love, Pink Sands and Home Sweet Home.

Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1200 Email: sales@yankeecandle.co.uk www.Yankeecandle.co.uk

Cuban Keepsake Capture the essence of a Cuban summer with the new 12 wax melt Viva Havana gift set, including six fragrances - Viva Havana, Cuban Mojito, Tobacco Flower, Delicious Guava, Mango Peach Salsa and Black Coconut. Each beautifully designed gift box is reminiscent of a Cuban cigar box and is ideal as a unique consumer keepsake. Or, consumers can bring a sense of Cuba into the garden this summer with the Old Havana votive holders adding a splash of colour.

Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1200 Email: sales@yankeecandle.co.uk www.Yankeecandle.co.uk

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Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

Not Just for Him If you’re looking for something different, then look no further. Sandy Bay Gentlemens Club Collection is designed for men, but the ladies love it too. The range is presented in impressive black and gold glassware, and is available in six exquisite fragrances including, City Boy, The Charmer and Forever Man. Sandy Bay London Tel: 10992 579949 Email: enquiries@sandybaylondon.com www.sandybaylondon.com

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest scented candles and fragranced gift products to be showcased this month.

Summer Fragrances The HearthWick Trilogy range evokes the fragrances of lazy, hazy days of summer. Distributed by Xystos, the buyers’ favourite now features Fruits of Summer, with its pineapple, lemon and coconut fragrance, while Botanical Garden has lilac, rose and honeysuckle scents. There is also Nautical Escape and its trio of scents – At the Beach, Sand & Driftwood and Tropical Oasis – as well as the Odour Neutralising Candle. Each has an RRP of £29.99.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk

Great For Gardeners Xystos has launched a new bath and body Gardener’s Range from Woods of Windsor. The fresh floral accord of Blackberry & Thyme opens with refreshing notes of green tea and ripe blackberry followed by a heart of rosemary, thyme, mimosa and white jasmine, resting on a background of musk and amber. The unisex range comprises a hand wash, hand scrub, hand cream and hand balm/butter, with RRPs from £4.99 to £7.99. A counter display holds four hand washes; five hand scrubs; five hand creams and six hand butters, and has a combined retail value of £130.80.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk

Subtle Village Candle The trend toward more subtle candle fragrances and colours is reflected in the new Village Candle limited editions available from Xystos. Urban Nights has scents of fresh sage, patchouli and a touch of vanilla, while Forest Hike comprises rainforest moss, juniper and dark timber. The trio is completed by Acai Berry Tobac, featuring light tobacco, sweet berry and soft musk. They are available in three core vessels, 11oz, 16oz and 26oz, with RRPs of £12.49, £16.99 and £19.99 respectively.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk

Melt Burner Magic Frosted and Metal feature in the popular Cello melt burner collections from Xystos that are flying off the shelves. Metal features four patterns, Gallery (available in bronze or white), Persia (bronze or silver), Portrait (black or silver) and Romance (black or white). Frosted also has four patterns, Moonlight, Glacier, Harlequin and Polka. Each is available in Frosted or Crimson. They also serve as night lights and have an RRP: £29.99.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk

Making Scents Shoppers now have the opportunity to create their own personal blend of fragrances when melted in a burner. The Basic Collection from Xystos comprises 36 sumptuous scents – fruity, fresh or sweet – while the Extended Collection also has three dozen fragrances. Buyers can order ScentChips in one-fragrance bags – weighing either 1,360 grams and containing approximately 226 pieces, or 500 grams with around 84 pieces. A choice of box is offered – small, holding eight pieces and with an RRP of £4.25; medium, 13 pieces, £6.49; large, 26 pieces, £12.99; extra-large, 38 pieces, £16.99.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk

3D From Xystos The Porcelain Collection is one of three new Cello lines from Xystos that are available in six patterns. When illuminated, a 3D effect is created. Pictured is English Garden. Buyers also have the choice of Fairy Tale, Finesse, Silk Lace, Spring Time and Summer Time. Each pattern comprises a votive holder (RRP £3.99), tea-light holder (RRP £9.99) and electric melt burner (£29.99).

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk

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O

riginating from an 18th century apothecary, situated beside Windsor Castle, Woods of Windsor is a premium English niche lifestyle & gift brand inspired by Windsor’s beautiful landscape and the nostalgic romanticism, charm & wildness of an English country garden.

Xystos Flame & Fragrance • Bath & Body

The UK’s No.1 Home Fragrance Supplier to the Gift Industry

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For more info, contact our Customer Service Team Email: sales@xystos.co.uk or Tel: +44(0)191 499 1570 www.xystostrade.co.uk

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Spotlight On... Bath And Body

Soap Stars Men's grooming has taken the bath and body sector by storm over the past couple of years, tapping into the trend for neat beards and male personal care, whether at home or on the go.

Meanwhile on the female front, manufacturers and suppliers agree that, ingredients and fragrance aside, it's packaging that continues to catch the eye.

For Millennial males in particular, a wellgroomed beard is currently de rigeur, with male grooming products in general a growth market and one that gift shops have been quick to recognise.

Rex London first dipped a toe into the men’s grooming sector last year with the company's new Modern Man, Departure Lounge and Le Bicycle collections. "We were aware of the boom in the specialised male grooming market and a steady rise in visibility on the high street, as well as in the media, of a new generation of barbershops and accessories, so we knew that to be successful, we would have to present original products to compete in such a hectic marketplace," explains Les Whiteman, design director of Rex International. "Our inhouse design team therefore created a collection which would be a unique and modern take on the traditions of male grooming, incorporating a selection of traditional products, such as shaving brushes and soap, to create a range for an aspirational new generation of men which has vintage appeal, yet is, at the same time very contemporary."

At Wild & Wolf, the company is tapping into the trend for male grooming kits and sets that aid on-the-go personal care. "While travel-sized products are nothing new, sets and kits curated for specific grooming needs are a handy and easily transportable answer

to keeping essentials in one place," says Dave Heffernan, Wild & Wolf's brand director. "Our Gentlemen’s Hardware Flight Ready Kit does exactly what it says on the tin, providing avid jet-setters with travel-sized toiletries, packaged in a convenient, vintagestyle tin which includes 60ml bottles of hair & body wash, face wash, shaving cream and post-shave lotion."

Another addition to the Gentlemen’s Hardware collection is the Beard Care kit, designed for men on the go. "The 30ml beard oil, beard balm and a beechwood comb are presented neatly in a stylish, durable tin, with the new sets are an addition to the existing Gentlemen’s Hardware grooming kits – the hand care kit and shaving kit," adds Dave.

When it comes to female bath and body products, Rob Tyler, sales director at Di Palomo, highlights that the choice of bath and body ranges in the gift sector is growing by the season.

"Therefore brands need to attract a strong following and customer loyalty to stay ahead," he points out, "with quality of formulation

Below: Rex International's Modern Man collection, highly commended in the Gift of the Year Bath and Body category.

Bottom left: Gentleman's Hardware Beard Care Kit from Wild & Wolf.

Below right: A luxury, gift packaged soap from Di Palomo.

and fragrance the key to this. Attention to detail in packaging will attract the gift consumer, but this must be backed up with a product that the recipient wants to use again and again."

Rob adds that price points are key in the summer months, with events such as teacher presents and holiday gifts generating great sales opportunities. "Instead of large gift sets at this time of year, the key to success is a co-ordinated range with products at different prices. This enables customers to pick and choose a selection of items to suit their budget, with complimentary gift bags a great way to encourage this."

Enticing fragrances are, of course, at the heart of the bath and body gifting sector, with Denise Edwards, director of Best Kept Secrets, highlighting the company's range of handmade natural bath bursts, bath hearts Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Spotlight On... Bath And Body

and natural soaps. "By their very nature, bath and body products need a special approach to fragrance choice as the customer is effectively choosing the fragrance they wish to represent themselves to the world," she points out. "This means that the successful design of bath and body fragrances requires a very specialised approach. Lavender, patchouli and lime are always in great demand but, in this market, it is also important to take account of the needs of customers with sensitive skins, and sometimes extremely sensitive skins, with calendula and aloe vera without fragrances fulfilling an important choice for people."

Continues Denise, "products also need a tactile approach, with the creamy, smooth feel from shea butter in a soap contrasting

markedly with exfoliating properties of hemp in our Hemp & Patchouli soap, with both fulfilling an important customer need."

Taking a fashion meets function approach meanwhile, is award winning MAD Beauty. "Our new MAD Beauty modern florals collection of soaps, hand cream and hand sanitiser range takes its inspiration from contemporary, fashion and design-led fragrances and packaging, which are both paramount when we launch new collections," confirms MD Trevor Cash.

At Joe Davies, bath and body products remain a particularly strong gift. "This year, we are seeing a trend towards fruit fragranced products," says sales manager David Cree. "An example is our latest offer in partnership with Rose & Co., where all products are hand crafted and made in the

Garden Themed With the great outdoors one of the biggest trends this year across all product sectors, Xystos has launched a new bath and body Gardener’s range from Woods of Windsor, where fragrances include Blackberry & Thyme.

“With summer on the way, we expect great things from the Gardener’s range, plus retailers will be able to maximise sales by positioning these pick-up products near the till.” The range comprises a hand wash, hand scrub, hand cream and hand balm/butter, with a counter display available.

In addition, Xystos is also introducing the new Ayr gifting range from Woods of Windsor which complements existing Woods of Windsor collections. Adds Tom: “These new products are in instantly recognisable Woods of Windsor packaging, which is so important when it comes to selling muchloved and trusted ranges."

Amanda Pullen, PR, marketing and new business manager at Heathcote & Ivory, concurs that this year is very much about bringing the outdoors in - from gardening collections designed for the home to fresh bouquets, Spring/Summer floral fragrances and bright and cheerful botanical designs for bath and body as well as interiors. To tie in with the theme, the company has launched two striking new floral collections for Spring/Summer, Lavender Fields and Sweet Pea & Honeysuckle.

Above: Woods of Windsor's 50ml shower gel gift set, distributed by Xystos.

Right: New from Heathcote & Ivory's Lavender Fields collection is a softening body cream.

Above left: Best Kept Secrets' Hemp and Patchouli soap.

Above: Patisserie de Bain soaps and bath bombs from Rose & Co., distributed by Joe Davies.

Left: A new trio of hand care sets from MAD Beauty.

Below right: Winner of the Body, Bath & Spa category at this year's Gift of the Year Awards: Oh K! 12 Days of Beauty by NPW, a Christmas gift containing a mini nail file, mini nail polish, mini nail polish glitter and a lip gloss ball.

UK." Continues David: "The range of soaps, bath melts, bath bombs, hand creams and lip gloss marries great product with exceptional packaging. New items include roly poly soaps, body mists, hand creams and bath tartlets that feature many food and fruit fragrances."

With a strong focus on selfpurchase as well as gifting, male and female bath and body products are an all year round winner for many gift retailers and gift departments, with the traditional rubbing shoulders with the quirky. With Father's Day on the horizon, could a beard care kit be just the thing?

Top Tips For Retailers l "Retailers should buy into related themes, layering their displays and encouraging the consumer to buy into the idea of the whole collection as a package."

Trevor Cash, MD, MAD Beauty l "It’s vital for retailers to supply testers, if not in every product then certainly one from each fragrance, to assist in making the sale. Plus, an eye-catching 'hero' product makes a good focal point for a display as, when surrounded by coordinating lines, it creates a great visual impact." Amanda Pullen, PR, marketing and new business manager, Heathcote & Ivory

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Spotlight On... Kitchen Gifts

Cooking

Who doesn't watch a cookery programme nowadays?

From cooking at home with Mary Berry to 'masterchefing' up a banquet for John Torode and Gregg Wallace, showing your prowess in the kitchen is what it's all about.

And even if you're not up to a showstopper, most of us are bound to know someone who is. So what better gift to give a foodie than a versatile, beautifully packaged, design-led kitchen gift?

With the Exclusively Housewares trade show opening its doors at the Business Design Centre in June, PG&H took a look at what's trending for gift shops this summer.

In the days when a vegetable peeler was, well, just a vegetable peeler, and men were rarely seen in the kitchen whipping up a souffle, prosaic kitchen equipment was used, washed, dried and duly put away in cupboards and drawers. But not any longer. Now, the trend is to display beautiful kitchenware and housewares that are not only functional but also say something about the owner.

"In the Instagram age, products have to be a visual experience right from the moment of purchase," agrees Katrina Lawton, marketing and public relations manager at Creative Tops. "Packaging can seal the deal for a consumer and needs to look as well designed as the actual product. As the afternoon tea trend has continued to stay strong, afternoon tea products have surged in their appeal for gifting with our new Alice In Wonderland afternoon tea story enhanced in puzzle packaging - a luxury black and white gift box with gold detail and a 'pull me’ tab of ribbon that reveals the product inside."

She adds that kitchenware products which consumers can make use of and enjoy, but wouldn’t normally treat themselves to, remain highly giftable, especially gifts for entertaining, with lifestyle bloggers and influencers helping to

Above: Creative Tops' V&A Alice in Wonderland cake stand.

Left: Part of Ulster Weavers' RHS Foliage collection.

Below: KitchenCraft's Prosecco gift set.

fuel the trend for beautiful, seasonally styled kitchenware.

Jennie Harvey, in-house designer at Ulster Weavers, highlights that natural materials, such as wood, marble and metals, are currently very popular in home interiors, with the company's products adding vibrant bright pops of colour to people's homes.

"The colour green is prevalent this year as seen in our Jennie’s Farm design, and, more subtly, in our collaboration with

Sophie Conran. Plus, tropical and green leafy prints are dominating the market this year, which is evident in our RHS Foliage collection. Vibrant blues, pinks and yellows are trending too," continues Jennie, "as show in our Clarissa Hulse collection. In addition, bohemian and more eclectic styles are popular, such our Moroccan Tiles range, and our new conservational collaboration with Elephant Parade."

At KitchenCraft, marketing director Claire Budgen emphasises that consumers and trends are demanding more impulse purchase 'treat yourself' gifts that focus on having fun. "For that reason we are seeing gift purchases as main drivers in housewares categories such as barware, including cocktails, Prosecco and wine, and also entertaining/serving. Our BarCraft collections come gift boxed, while packaging is a key contributor to the Artesa brand offer, capturing key entertaining and serving trends, such as presentation boards, mini pizza ovens and marble serving statements."

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Spotlight On... Kitchen Gifts

Claire says that to ensure that there is a variety of 'giftables' at different price points, the company's range of espresso cups depict a variety of design styles with statements such as All You Need Is Love (and coffee). "However, perhaps the most definitive example of trends within housewares-cum-gift is our Fred brand which is designed to bring a smile. It takes the most mundane everyday kitchenware items and gives them a fun twist," explains Claire.

Above: T&G Woodware's range of wooden pepper mills.

Top right: Welsh Slateware's fish h'ors d'ouvres board.

Far right: Popular tinware from Elite.

Right: Portmeirion Group's Wrendale Design display unit.

At T&G Woodware, head of marketing Jenny Handley says that the rustic casual dining look is continuing to grow, with vintage and retro trends still very popular complementing gifts for the home. "Also, there is definitely a move towards housewares products being bought by women for men," she comments. "For example, the new T&G CrushGrind Opera salt, pepper and spice mills are a good example of a modern design, but the mills have a function, grinding not only salt and pepper but also whole dried herbs and spices allowing consumers to blend their own spice mixes for cooking."

Meanwhile at Portmeirion Group, Sara Dickenson, marketing communications manager, points out that not only are housewares items inherently giftable, they look great in store too. "Relative to clothes or fashion accessories, as gifts, they are a safe bet and are likely to be welcomed by the recipient," says Sara. "After all, we’re all looking for the next big thing that will revolutionise our cooking, baking or eating habits."

When it comes to materials, slate is seen as very tactile, and also eminently practical. "Our products can be used for presentation on the dining table as

well as in preparation, making them ideal gifts for birthdays, weddings, Father’s Day and Christmas," says Nicki Oakes, finance director at Welsh Slate. "Some of our smaller items, such as coasters, are impulse purchases while our Honed collection fruit bowl makes a very special gift."

Tinware too, continues to be extremely popular as a kitchen gift or self-purchase, with licensed tinware in particular ringing up sales for many gift shops. James Brierley, owner of Elite, says that products featuring birds continues to sell strongly with a further premium brand bird range launching in the Autumn. "Where a brand exemplifies quality, in materials as well as design, it allows the gift giver to make a statement," James emphasises.

Continued on page 59

Making Cooking Fun "Kitchens offer a fantastic canvas to reflect the home owner's personality and style," says Thomas O'Brien, senior operations director at Boxer. "We have a range of quirky kitchen items such as our knob grabber - for pan lid knobs of course! - which are not only useful but also a talking point."

He says that a kitchen range is a must in many gifts shops. "Everybody has one, and baking and cooking is bang on trend. A great way for a gift shop to set their range apart is to include some quirky cook books such as the The Brexit Cookbook and the Twisted Cookbook –recipes that shouldn’t work but really do and the Kitchen Wit & Wisdom book. At under a tenner, these books are a great impulse purchase and add to the display," he states.

At Half Moon Bay, marketing assistant Emily Moores says that the company's brand new Made to Measure range also focuses on the idea of having fun as it is inspired by using minimal equipment. "Through hand drawn illustrations and lettering, the recipes and methods needed to create a range of drinks and desserts are detailed on the items themselves," she explains. Products in the range include a fruit smoothie glass, microwavable mugs for mug cakes, and a trendy freakshake jar-style glass. "Thanks to the easy to follow and quick to make recipes, the range is great for enjoying with friends and family. Its fun nature and intriguing design also makes it ideal for gifting."

Right: Boxer's The Brexit Cookbook.

Left: Made To Measure's Berry Smoothie glass from Half Moon Bay.

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T: +44 ( 0) 1225 789909 sales@ wildandwolf.com H O M E

GA R D E N

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Spotlight On... Kitchen Gifts "The kitchen is the heart of the home and useful gifts that take advantage of the popularity of home cooking are showing strong growth," confirms David Cree, sales manager at Joe Davies. "The design of kitchen items are increasingly targeted at gift retailers with the best combining practicality with collectability. He says that the company's range of white bamboo cruet sets are an example of this, as they are available in lots of fun designs and are a collectable item too, as well as being useful. New additions to the range use a mix of materials, including slate, to further enhance the design.

At Fizz Creations, sales support administrator Hannah Ashburner highlights that there is still a big demand for retro style kitchen products and designs. "Our Volkswagen range has led the way for this strong retro trend that comes through year

Top Retail Display Tips l "Mixing different products together with flowers and foliage creates a look that shows

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customers how the products would look in their home. It makes them appear more naturally displayed, and more personal - for example a table setting." Jennie Harvey, inhouse designer, Ulster Weavers "It's important to be able to effectively tell a whole collection and lifestyle story in a POS display without it looking cramped or cluttered." Katrina Lawton, marketing and public relations manager, Creative Tops A well thought out display will immediately illustrate the value of a product range. For example, an afternoon tea display should include teapots, teacups and saucers, cake stands, tea plates and any relevant accessories to cross sell." Sara Dickenson, marketing communications manager, Portmeirion Group Range extension makes a great display, whether this means stocking the same brand from multiple suppliers through adding on complementary items, such as mugs, or, as in our case, adding melamine to our mainstay tins." James Elite, owner, Elite "Presentation is key to maximising sales. Retailers can look to creating interesting displays to further build interest using themes that have proved popular on TV such as the Great British Bake Off." David Cree, sales manager, Joe Davies "Selling a product’s uses, especially if there are a multitude of them, will always result in higher sales." Nathalie Cuffy, chief designer, Lobster Homeware "To make the most of a kitchen range, be different, be interesting, and most of all, have that 'wow' factor. What better way for a retailer to market their store than for a customer saying 'you should see what they had in there!'” Thomas O'Brien, senior operations director, Boxer Left: Fizz Creations' VW retro toaster.

Right: Cream Kitchen from Lesser & Pavey comes gift boxed.

Below left: Among Joe Davies' white bamboo and slate kitchenware.

Below right: Among the latest Lobster Homeware aprons.

after year and features a toaster, kettle, mini fridge and our award winning BBQ hamper."

Hannah says that men are buying into the retro industrial look this year with simple classic designs. "Standalone storage is also on the rise thanks to men wanting to hide away extraneous clutter from prying eyes.

People want something different and personal for their kitchens."

With multi-function and versatility clearly the way forward in kitchen gifts, award winning Lobster Homeware's aprons have been designed with integrated oven gloves, which can also be used as counter top heat mats, as well as a mobile phone pocket and integrated tea towel loops. "With summer BBQs and men in mind, our Aaron, Alec, Theo and Camouflage ranges include additional pockets," highlights the company's chief designer Nathalie Cuffy.

Of course, homewares are an ideal gift as a wedding present or for those moving house, says Julian Hunt, md of Lesser & Pavey. "Given that kitchens have become the hub of the house for both the family and social gatherings, consumers want worktop accessories that

complement today's designer kitchens. "We ensure that products are of the highest quality in design and finish to make sure it’s about functioning as well as they look on the kitchen worktop," says Julian.

With so many cookery programmes to watch, and recipes to try, kitchen gifts look set to be a key ingredient for gift retailers looking to make the most of a growing trend.

Show Essentials DATES: VENUE: TEL: WEB:

June 13-14, 2017 Business Design Centre, London, 0121 237 1130 www.exclusivelyhousewares.co.uk

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CONTEMPORARY HOME ACCESSORIES FOR THE MODERN HOME Find out more about the Hestia brand by visiting the website: www.hestiacollection.com

To become a Hestia stockist visit: www.widdop.co.uk or contact us on: sales@widdop.co.uk | 0161 688 1226

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

Strawberry Summer Lesser & Pavey’s brand new tabletop range, Strawberry Fayre, is of the highest quality and consists of glass cutting board, lap tray, tea towels and napkins, Summertime shopping bag, two different shaped fine china mugs, a cup and saucer, breakfast mug as well as sets of two mugs and four mugs, teapot, and tea for one, accompanied by a jug and sugar/cream, coasters and placemats, three sizes of melamine trays, a teabag tidy, spoon rest and scented candles.

Lesser & Pavey Tel: 01322 279225 Email: sales@leonardo.co.uk www.leonardo.co.uk

Down On The Farm The new Kitchy & Co home décor collection of figurines, trivets, chopping boards, mugs and coasters is inspired by the witty and colourful photographs taken ‘down on the farm’ by Anthea Kitching. The imagery has a warm country style with a contemporary twist, and the collection, now available from Border Fine Arts Studio, is expected to have wide appeal. All Kitchy & Co products, except figurines, are packaged in windowed kraft boxes so that their decorative appeal can be instantly identified.

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

Flying Out…

Tools Of The Trade The Paul Hollywood Collection offers a host of practical, innovative kit to make it easy to perfect baking skills. Amidst ranges of bakeware, baking prep tools and accessories, there are a host of highly giftable items such as a wooden cookbook/tablet stand, a mezzaluna set and this super new kitchen tool set containing essential items such as pizza cutter, bread knife, paring knife, dough cutter and multi-purpose scissors. Fabulous packaging has been designed with a rustic, artisan look and feel in keeping with Paul’s homemade style.

KitchenCraft Tel: +44 (0) 121 604 1111 Email: sales@kitchencraft.co.uk www.kitchencraft.co.uk

As part of the successful You Are An Angel gift brand, Gaeltag Keltika has a range of six new bone china mugs featuring angel themed designs with inspirational sentiments. As with their 12 figurine designs, the mugs celebrate the special people in our lives. The designs are in pretty pastels, come boxed and are dishwasher and microwave safe. They join the extensive You Are An Angel merchandise comprising fridge magnets, magnetic bookmarks, pin cards, keyrings, journals, and wish bottles. Gaeltag Keltika will be exhibiting at PG Live Stand 527.

Gaeltag Keltika Email: sales@gaeltag.com Tel: 020 8998 1781 www.gaeltagkeltika.com http://www.cowparade.eu

Big Brew Tea Infuser Fred is hilarious, practical and, most of all, giftable – a brand covering home, kids and party. One key focus within the brand is ‘tea’, with a host of frolicsome, funny tea infusers in the range just waiting to prepare the perfect brew.

One participant is Big Brew – a perky pink elephant who will bring big smiles as well as making a brew worth trumpeting about! Big Brew is made of soft, food-safe silicone and is packaged in a full colour gift box.

Fred at KitchenCraft Tel: +44 (0) 121 604 1111 Email: sales@kitchencraft.co.uk www.kitchencraft.co.uk/fred

Great British Bake Off Start Licensing are working with popular TV personality Nadiya Hussain to develop a brand licensing programme. Since winning the Great British Bake Off, Nadiya's popularity has grown making her one of the UK's most recognised personalities. She is regularly on BBC TV, has written a number of books, writes for the Sunday Times, and makes frequent 'live' appearances at events such as the BBC Good Food Show. Please get in touch to discuss opportunities.

Contact: Ian Downes Tel: 07776 228454 Tel: 020 8 337 7958 ian@startlicensing.co.uk

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Beautiful Lifestyle Giftware Home and garden gifting inspired by iconic British designs

Tel: 01963 269077 Fax: 01963 402060 sales@briersltd.co.uk www.briersltd.co.uk

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

Wonder Robe With the release of the new Wonder Woman film, showing in cinema’s June 2017, Groovy has designed a new range for its revamped heroine that sits perfectly with the successful, favourite retro range. The super soft bathrobes have embroidered emblems on the chest and back, which is mirrored on the front of the slippers, Also watch out for Groovy’s range of new superhero bags. RRP: Robe £37, Slippers £12.

Groovy UK Tel: 0844 372 7820 Email: info@groovyuk.com www.groovyuk.com

Light Up Your Life

Father's Day Gift Following on from the phenomenal success of their Equilibrium poppy collection Joe Davies’ has introduce new poppy cufflinks, tie pin and key-ring into the range. The addition of these men’s gifts into what is already a massively successful range is sure to please retailers and customers alike. The exceptional quality, exquisite packaging, together with the added advantage of the 50p donation to forces related charities by Joe Davies for each piece sold makes these the perfect gift for Father’s Day. Joe Davies Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

Turn any room from the dark side to the light with Groovy UK’s Star Wars Neon lights. Bright neon tubing surrounds a high quality PVC print of favourite characters including a Storm Trooper, Darth Vader, Light Sabers, Death Star and Star Wars logo. Just plug it in (it comes with a EU main plug adapter) and enjoy the lightsaber-esque glow it gives off. A fantastic gift for Star Wars fans, it's unique and eye catching with an RRP of £25.

Groovy UK Tel: 0844 372 7820 Email: info@groovyuk.com www.groovyuk.com

Boxing Clever The new Heart sentiment box plaques from Joe Davies are proving a hot seller for independents. The plaques stand or hang, retailing for just £8.99. Easy to merchandise, they tick all the trend boxes with shiny gold script and charming messages. Our box plaque collection is fast expanding to meet popular demand where customers can choose from the new pastel and bright series which feature attractive frames too. It’s easy to try these plaques in your store as Joe Davies’ minimum order is just £100 and carriage is free nationwide.

Joe Davies Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

A Sense Of Nostalgia Aimed at lovers of floral prints and vintage styling, the new collection of ladies gifts from Sophia, Vintage Boutique is imbued with a sense of nostalgia. Each item has been thoughtfully designed with exquisite, surprising touches – a gorgeous light up bottle featuring light up stars, an LED light up plaque and a three drawer storage box with co-ordinating patterns.

The loose coordination across the range adds a modern twist with appeal across the ages.

Widdop & Co Tel: 0161 688 1226 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk www.widdop.co.uk

A Jewel Of A Gift Lucky Feather was created to fill the niche for pretty, trendy jewellery at an affordable price. Ten collections include customisable jewellery in both silver and gold with a choice of 20 different charms and Best Day Ever' necklaces, perfect for the entire wedding party. The trend for inspirational quotes is captured in the Strong and Sassy collection. The design continues through to the coordinating gift box or carded packaging and branded counter top displays and backing card for each collection.

Widdop & Co Tel: 0161 688 1226 Email: sales@widdop.co.uk www.widdop.co.uk

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

Proudly Made In Wales Summer sees Carrie Elspeth add more beautiful designs to her stunning best-selling jewellery collection. With gorgeous branded packaging and versatile PoS, these adorable adornments in bright summer colours are keeping pace with the latest trends. Approaching her 18th year of manufacturing in Wales, Carrie is determined to make 2017 a year of celebration, so keep an eye out for all her latest promotions. Call the studio for the latest full colour summer brochure.

Carrie Elspeth Tel: 01446 771271 Email: sales@carrieelspeth.com www.carrieelspeth.com

Father's Day Figure Introduced in January 2000, Willow Tree continues to be one of the most popular gift choices in the UK and around the world. In January 2017, Lordi introduced a new, beautifully expressive figure that will be an ideal gift for Father's Day, as well as birthdays. 'That's my Dad' has the poignant sentiment of ‘My favourite time is time with you’. Such powerful, emotive sentiments give meaning and longevity to the collection, which celebrates its 17th anniversary in 2017.

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

Gifts For The Handyman The M Gifts for Men collection includes 12 different tools, finished in matt black, for completing tasks both inside and outside the home. Many of the tools have several functions making them indispensable – such as the bottle opener which also includes a corkscrew, can opener and foil cutter. The collection includes multitool sets combining popular tools – such as the three piece set comprising multi hammer and flash light with screwdriver bits to turn the hammer into a screwdriver.

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

Cake Making Made Easy RECIPease Cake Mugs are a fresh, delicious take on how you make and eat cake. Eight mug cake recipes and hand drawn cake illustrations have been cooked up exclusively for the new RECIPease collection making it easy to rustle up a delicious cake and enjoy it in minutes. Each stoneware mug comes packaged in an attractive gift box with details of mug cake topping ideas and step-by-step instructions — the Mug Method - printed on the inside of the lid.

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

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Bedrock Meets Folk Art The modern Stone Age family from Bedrock are back!

Three fabulous new figurines have been added to the Flintstones by Jim Shore collection for January 2017, following the successful mid-year launch last year. Capturing the humour of the original cartoons, the latest figurines have been inspired by three iconic scenes — Fred mowing the lawn (in other words pushing a grass-munching dinosaur!), Wilma pushing her daughter Pebbles in her pram and Dino jumping on Fred and licking his face.

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

Worth Singing About GUND is introducing three adorable soft toys based on characters from the new animated feature film Sing. Distributed by Universal Studios, and produced by the makers of Despicable Me, Minions and Secret Life of Pets, everyone is talking about Sing and stocks of GUND’s new characters are due in May. Enesco Tel: 01228 404022 Email: uksales@enesco.co.uk www.enesco.co.uk

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

Inspired By The Countryside Leading the way this Spring/Summer season is Dew’s gorgeous brand new collection available now in a new style catalogue for 2017. Country Living features charming designs inspired by the countryside. Everyone loves puppies, and the Dew retailer and consumer will adore our new silver dog motif pendants and studs. In solid form or stencil cut there is a whole kennel full of cute canines from the bonnie beagle with its golden ears to our precious little silver pug studs. The new cuddly cockerpoo design is destined to be a winner! Dew is a contemporary and feminine every day and occasion sterling silver jewellery brand showcasing versatile, wearable designs – many exclusively designed in-house – with Dew branded point of sale displays and packaging featuring eye catching graphics to support the collection.

Dew’s 2017 catalogue is available now.

Kit Heath Tel: 01271 329123 Email: sales@kitheath.com www.kitheathretailer.com

Sentiment Bangles Inspired by sleek metallic lines and sweet sentiment, our message bangles are a must have for any fashionista. With a choice of sentiments including Wish, Love, Friendship, Happiness, Dream and Sparkle, these bangles are best worn stacked against each other mixing the cherished words and ontrend colours for a statement look. The finishing touch….each bangle comes with a gift card and is beautifully encased in a luxury box. See the full collection at Pulse Stand H47.

La de da! Living Tel: 01242 250 653 Email: enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk www.trade.ladedaliving.co.uk

Sentiment Scarves La de da! Living products are all based on sentiment and our sentiment scarves - RD by La de da! Living - are no exception! Each scarf is 100% cotton and has been designed to make a statement. Adorned with a beautiful, inspiring print and slogan, with silver foil details running through, each scarf is encased in a luxury gift box complete with silver foiled detail for that finishing touch. The perfect gift to suit all occasions! See the full range at Pulse – Stand H47 La de da! Living Tel: 01242 250 653 Email: enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk www. trade.ladedaliving.co.uk

Making A Statement Bright, bold and statement, it will be hard to miss the Tatty Devine stand at Pulse. Wild & Wolf are introducing its collection of Tatty Devine lifestyle accessories, including a never before seen launch at this year’s show. All products have been inspired by some of the brand’s most popular jewellery designs including the Vintage Lady, Dental Bling and London Bus. The unique brand has put its own stamp on everyday items, such as makeup bags, purses and luggage tags. For a burst of colour and original, fun designs, visit the Tatty Devine stand at H16.

Wild & Wolf Tel: 01225 789909 Email: sales@wildandwolf.com www.wildandwolf.com

A Double 'First' Wild & Wolf is showcasing its Gentlemen’s Hardware collection at Pulse. This is the first time the range will have its own individual stand, offering an exciting chance to see all Gentlemen’s Hardware collections in one place, including grooming accessories, enamelware and leather pieces. Plus, for the first time, Wild & Wolf will be showing brand new Autumn/Winter attire and barware with over 30 new products! For unique tools, vintage-inspired accessories and gifts suitable for all year round, visit Gentlemen’s Hardware on stand G16.

Wild & Wolf Tel: 01225 789909 Email: sales@wildandwolf.com www.wildandwolf.com

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Best Sellers Progressive Gifts & Home asked a selection of retailers about the products which have been flying off their shelves this month.

Alison Chapman, owner, Wonder Stuff, Treorchy A medium gift shop on the high street CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Fenton China/Global Designs: memory boxes;

These are great for all occasions and have lovely sentiments on them. Our customers love them.

The mugs have lovely sentiments and are boxed making them a complete gift.

East of India: porcelain mugs

Fragranced Giftware

Yankee Candle: across the board;

Bath Bubble & Beyond: fragranced marbles

Yankee is still one of our best sellers, especially the new fragrance spheres which are reasonably priced and a great pick up line.

With such a vast range of fragrances and colours, we pack these up into little gift bags as they make a great add-on gift.

Jewellery

La De Da Living: Shaard personalised jewellery; Joe Davies: Equilibrium

This is a new line for us and has become one Above: Wonder Stuff, Treorchy. of our best sellers.

This gift boxed range keeps on extending. Each piece is a winner and simply flies off the shelf.

Greeting Cards

Second Nature

We have stocked the pop up cards for many years. Customers love them because they offer something different.

Other Hot Hits

Cozy Time: hand warmers

These are a good all year round gifts, but we do especially well with them at Christmas. Our customers love them.

Russell Yeoll, owner, The Secret Garden, Borough Green, Sevenoaks A small gift shop on the high street CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Widdop And Co: Juliana;

An extensive gift range that includes photo frames. High quality and a good price.

Fresh, uplifting and quirky.

Really Good: Bright Side Fragranced Giftware

History & Heraldry: Heart & Home

Good prices, well designed product. The USP is in the decorated lid.

Jewellery

Talbot Fashions: Tide;

Rodney Holman: fashion

The Tide paua shell jewellery has been a tremendous success for us. Great colours and designs.

High quality jewellery at an affordable price.

Fashion Accessories

Scarf Heaven: across the board

Colourful, fashion-led and very tactile scarves. Once a customer has felt the quality it usually leads to a sale.

Greeting Cards

Pigment: Fleet Street

This is a humorous range that we can't get enough of.

Giftwrap

MIC

A wide range of good designs at sensible prices.

Other Hot Hits

Cherry Orchard: Down Memory Lane

These mugs are age related and do brilliantly. A great pick up gift.

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Above: The Secret Garden.

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Stuart Delahoye, owner, Set, Leicester A medium shop on the high street CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Chive: Liberty;

On trend, glazed ceramic plant pots.

A very contemporary colour palette with pastels and metallics. We've put a range together.

NPW: Live Like This

Fragranced Giftware

Paddywax: candles;

Pintail: candles

Prism is one of the newest ranges and is flying out.

We've had a really good customer reaction.

An all year round winner.

Summer Fruits & Prosecco is always a good seller, followed by Wild Raspberry

Above: Set

Jewellery

Set: own brand; Tatty Devine: across the board

The pendants and earrings are working very well for us.

The fox necklace is a current favourite.

Fashion Accessories

Katie Loxton: across the board

The pouches are definitely winners, and we also do well with keyrings and fashion-led stationery items.

Other Hot Hits

Abrahams & Chronicle: lithography books

Thanks to Instagram, bullet journals are currently very popular.

David Theobald, owner, Emporium, Cheltenham and Winchcombe Large high street gift shops CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Evans Lichfield: Jennifer Rose collection;

A huge range of cushions.

The Jennifer Rose collection, which is made in England, is particularly strong.

We have increased our offer over the past two years and have yet to take a product that hasn't sold.

East of India: across the board

Fragranced Giftware

Marmalade: candles and diffusers;

Heaven Scent: own label products

A Cheltenham based company that produces unique products and fragrances. Its latest range, Rhubarb and Peony, is selling extremely well.

We have had our own label candles and diffusers made for the past six years and sales have increased year on year due to repeat purchases.

Jewellery

Miss Milly: across the board; POM: across the board

Just that little bit different with an ever expanding range.

It's never a problem to find a good selection of bracelets and necklaces.

Fashion Accessories

Lua: bags;

Year after year, Lua produces an extensive range of fair trade bags that seem to sell themselves.

Quality canvas and leather bags which are ideal for work or leisure. A big seller in both shops.

Troop London: bags

Greeting Cards

Louise Mulgrew Designs

Without question, our biggest range of greeting cards. They're brilliant sellers.

Giftwrap

Glick

A comprehensive, well priced range of giftwrap and gift bags.

Other Hot Hits

Orange Tree Toys: wooden toys

Another Cheltenham based company that has attractively packaged wooden toys to suit all ages.

Above: Emporium.

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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!

LA DE DA LIVING T: (01242) 250 653 E: enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk W: trade.ladedaliving.co.uk

PIGMENT PRODUCTIONS T: 01423 520089 E: sally@pigmentproductions.com W: www.pigmentproductions.com

HEART & HOME T: 01709 730700 E: info@heartandhome.com W: www.historyandheraldrygroup.com

TALBOT FASHIONS T: 01273 776415 E: info@talbotfashions.com W: www.talbotfashions.com

ORANGE TREE TOYS T: 01242 244500 E: sales@orangetreetoys.com W: www.orangetreetoys.com

REALLY GOOD CARD T: 01235 537888 E: ello@reallygood.uk.com W: reallygood.uk.com

CHERRY ORCHARD T: 01684 295500 E: info@cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk W: www.cherryorchardpublishing.co.uk

NPW T: +44 (0)20 8735 2777 E: sales@npwtrade.co.uk W: www.npwgifts.com

GLICK T: 01274 655980 E: info@glick.co.uk W: www.glick.co.uk

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

Personalised Travel The Personalised Memento Company are helping to ensure that holidays are organised and stress-free with their new personalised travel document holders.

Available in a range of designs, they are ideal as wedding and honeymoon gifts and can be used to store passports, tickets, boarding passes and money.

They even feature a built-in pen pocket for quick notes!

PMC Tel 01782 744900 Email sales@personalisedmemento.co.uk www.personalisedmemento.co.uk

Grow Your Own Ever wanted your own mermaid best friend or pug dog? Well now you can with our Grow Your Own versions. Just pop them into water and watch them grow up to six times their original size!

Boxer Gifts Tel: 01133 955 595 Email: sales@boxergifts.com www.boxergifts.com

Escape Brexit Save up to escape the 'doomed UK' with our Brexit Saver Tin. With hilarious escape options suggested on the reverse of the tin, such as: Save for an Irish Passport or have a last minute holiday!

Boxer Gifts Tel: 01133 955 595 Email: sales@boxergifts.com www.boxergifts.com

Cute And Collectable Ollie and Molly are adorable, realistic, childlike cheeky characters in subtle colouring and realistic poses to brighten up a rainy day. Molly sitting with a lantern in hand; Ollie leapfrogging a toadstool, or skipping with a rope, or blowing a kiss to each other, these highly collectable, durable and frost resistant ornaments will take pride of place in any garden.

Premier Decorations Tel: 020 8624 5555 Email: sales@premierdec.com www.premierdec.com

Rocking Unicorn Light Box Gift of the Year overall winners Giggle Beaver have added more personalised light boxes to their range. In addition to their winning light box 10 Things I Love About You they also have a very charming Rocking Unicorn Baby Name light box. Four colourways are on offer; Bubblegum, Peppermint, Marshmallow and Candy Corn.

Giggle Beaver Tel: 01926 819333 Email: sales@gigglebeaver.com www.gigglebeaver.com

Believe In Fairies Enchanted Garden from Premier Decorations is a gorgeous collection of miniature fairy houses, wishing wells, garden paths and fences, lampposts, chairs and more – and, of course, the actual fairies themselves.

Guaranteed to appeal to children, or adults who still believe in Tinkerbell, this beautiful collection will add a little magic to every gift shop setting.

Premier Decorations Tel: 020 8624 5555 Email: sales@premierdec.com www.premierdec.com PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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On The Road Jacqueline McGoogan Just over two and a half years ago, Jacqueline McGoogan joined her husband Paul 'on the road' in Scotland as a gift agent. Her principals include Mala Leather; Design Collections; Landon Tyler; Glick; Posh Paws and Le Toy Van. Having had a good start to the year, and with Mother's Day and Easter under her belt, Jacqueline says she's really looking forward to the next quarter.

"2017 has been very positive so far, with customers telling me that they're feeling optimistic and looking forward to a good year," states Jacqueline. "In the past 11 months, I've driven 35,000 miles and will shortly be adding the Orkneys to my geographical area. Mother's Day was a very good one for most of my customers, who placed their orders with me four to six weeks ahead, about the same as last year.

Handbags and purses sold very well, as did mid-priced candles and small decorative accessories, such as sentiment wooden plaques. Home fragrancing products and leather goods, to include £85-100 handbags, and purses retailing at up to £35, continued to be very successful due to the quality and design."

Despite recent post-Brexit price increases and a re-evaluation of business rates, Jacqueline says that it's been business as usual in Scotland. "I think everybody accepted that the price increases were coming, so it wasn't a shock. Business rates are decided by the Scottish Government and so far, I haven't heard any complaints from any of my

customers although I know it's a different story elsewhere in the country."

Jacqueline adds that in the run up to Easter, more and more gift retailers were using props to decorate their shops. "I think that retail outlets are making it more of an occasion these days. Also, with school children on their Easter holidays, and mums taking them to the shops, vibrant themed windows with visual emphasis - through the use of Easter colours - really caught the eye, encouraging people to push open the shop door. Gift shops were definitely seizing the opportunity to stock up on more Easter related wooden and plush toys, to increase their sales during Easter."

Does she think the uncertainty over Brexit is impacting on Scottish retail? "There are a lot of changes pending," Jacqueline highlights. "Noone knows what's going to happen, so for the foreseeable future, Scotland is just getting on with it."

As for the coming months, Jacqueline says she's feeling extremely positive. "The tourist season started in April which has definitely seen an increase in footfall as the £1 is still weak against most currencies. Plus, I intend to continue to be very proactive, networking wherever I am to try and find new customers. To be honest, I think my success this year has had a lot to do with the versatility and quality of the product ranges that I carry."

Last Word Rachel Bright Really Good's Bright Side range is based on the optimistic, 'bright side' thinkings of acclaimed artist, illustrator, wordsmith and children's author Rachel Bright.

Now in its 10th year, some 5 million Bright Side gifts, and over 10 million greeting cards have been sold, with new gift ranges for 2017 including yoga and well-being as well as gifts for mums-to-be. "All I've ever wanted to do is to think happy thoughts and to send them out into the world," Rachel told PG&H. l Three words that best describe you: "Optimistic, romantic, happy-go-lucky." l What was your first job? "After leaving university, I worked as a junior designer at Smythson on Bond Street in London. It was the first step on an interesting journey that has taken me to where I am today." l Where did Really Good come in? "I went into a card shop, the cards from Really Good caught my eye, and I subsequently contacted the MD David Hicks. I sent in four designs and he asked for more." l What's the best advice that you've been given? "Show people what you can do, and be totally authentic in what you want to say, as people will connect with that." l What advice would you give to others? "There's never a perfect time so just do it. Today is the day that you can change 70

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

l

l

l

l

l

l

l

everything, so just dive in professionally. It's very often you yourself that stands in the way."

Did you ever have a plan B? "No, because I have so many plan 'A's!"

What are your favourite films?

"Life is Beautiful and Amelie.

Both, to my mind, capture the very essence of what it is to be alive.”

What's your favourite book?

"The Neverending Story by Michael Ende."

Do you enjoy travelling? "Hawaii is my spiritual home. I feel very in awe of the majestic scenery - waterfalls everywhere and beautiful beaches. I always feel that I want to go back."

How do you start your day? "I always try and start my day by going for a run. If I can get my body moving first then I can get my brain moving too."

How do you end your day? "Very late! I am a writer by night. I put my daughter River to sleep between 8.30-9pm and then tap away on the computer till midnight. Plus, I always read before I go to sleep and have five minutes of mindfulness where I think about how lucky I am."

What items would you take to a desert island? "I would take a sketchbook and pencils. Creative expression is the antidote to everything, especially loneliness."

(Photo taken by Keith Morris)

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BESPOKE

Manufacturer & distributor at your door.

Your one stop shop for bespoke photo frames.

GIFT IMPORTERS & DISTRIBUTORS

Just a few reasons to buy from Joe Davies

Wood, plastic, metal & glass frames.

Over 8000 gift items Low £100 minimum order ‘Little & Often’ order system Free carriage

T: 01908976443 E: sales@homsquare.co.uk www.homsquare.co.uk

Please contact our Award Winning sales staff for further details.

Tel: 0161 975 6300 Email sales@joedavies

GIFTS & GREETINGS

www.joedavies.co.uk

TRADE ASSOCIATION

The Giftware Association is at the heart of the UK’s gift and home industry with 70 years unique experience listening to your needs and finding solutions to your problems. We can help you make money, save money and save time with or knowledge and contacts within the industry.

Website: www.ga-uk.org Email: enquiries@ga-uk.org Tel: 0121 237 1104 10 Vyse St, Birmingham B18 6LT

BASED IN SCOTLAND AND LOOKING FOR A NEW CHALLENGE? Do you want to work with exciting, innovative, design led brands - all with an established, upmarket customer base?

It costs as little as £250 per annum to advertise in the Product Directory.

Contact Angie Bryant on 01993 212 994 for further information.

A field sales role has arisen at a leading Scottish gift agency.

The role would suit a sub agent, but a salaried role will be considered for the right candidate. Location flexible.

Part time considered.

Email salesagencyscotland@gmail.com in confidence for further information 71

emails: sales@xystos.co.uk

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Contact

Tel: +44 (0)191 499 1570

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