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Industry News
Mary Portas Headlining At Autumn Fair
Gift Of The Year 2020 Launches
Successful Retail Is About Being A Visionary, Says Mary
The Giftware Association has announced the launch of its 2020 Gift of the Year competition. There are 20 gift and home categories, with the Judges’ Choice category sponsored by Progressive Gifts & Home. Now in its 42nd year, the Association says that the 2020 competition is set to be the ‘biggest and best’ yet, with products and ranges given an exclusive platform that will be seen by buyers, retailers and industry experts. There is no limit to how many products or categories companies can enter, or how many categories the same product can be entered into. A panel of retailers, industry experts and trade press, to include Progressive Gifts & Home, will judge each entry on its commercial merits. Visit www.giftoftheyear.co.uk or call 0121 237 1142.
‘Queen of Shops’ Mary Portas will taking part in a live Q&A at 2pm on Monday September 2 at Autumn Fair, discussing how retailers should be creating ‘communities’ through focusing on their loyal customers. The retail consultant and broadcaster will also be talking about the retail sector’s fundamental need to change its attitude to talent, based on too few young people viewing retail as a viable and rewarding career path, with Mary explaining why the sector needs to embrace and value soft skills and more traditional attributes, such as empathy, instinct, kindness and trust. Her seminar will offer a vision for how Autumn Fair visitors can drive change in the retail sector, with 200 visitors receiving a free, signed copy of her book Work Like A Woman. Ahead of her talk she states: “Now’s a time for visionaries. The old dinosaurs and faceless corporations are on the out and retailers who place people and community at the heart of their business are on the up. I truly believe there’s never been a more exciting time to be in retail and I’m excited to see what’s on offer at Autumn Fair this year.” Commenting, Julie Driscoll, regional director of Spring & Autumn Fair adds: “Mary Portas has been a true champion of the UK retail sector for much of the past two decades and will bring a renewed sense of optimism in the great British high street to the show, along with her characteristically unique, creative ideas as to how the sector can improve and grow into its future.” Autumn Fair takes place from September 1-4 at the NEC, Birmingham. Visit www.autumnfair.com Above: Mary Portas will be the keynote speaker at Autumn Fair. Left: Mary will be giving away 200 signed copies of her book Work Like A Woman.
Theo Paphitis Returns To Autumn Fair Following the huge success of the #SBS Pavilion at last year’s Autumn Fair, the show has once again teamed up with retail entrepreneur and former Dragon Theo Paphitis, who will be sharing his views on the last 12 months in retail at 2pm on Tuesday September 3. Plus, there will be a special Q&A session with three of last year's #SBS Pavilion winners who will be talking about the impact that showcasing at Autumn Fair has had on their business over the past 12 months. As with last year, 12 #SBS companies – selected from 36 businesses that were shortlisted in Theo Paphitisis’ #SBS Small Business Sunday initiative – will be showcasing their products in the #SBS Pavilion. “It’s a pleasure to be able to bring the #SBS community back to Autumn Fair,” states Theo. “As we saw last year, the chance to exhibit at Autumn Fair can have a fantastic impact on a fledgling business’s sales, connections, leads and brand exposure.” #SBS Small Business Sunday is an online business community founded by Theo. Above: Theo Paphitis, the keynote speaker at last year’s Autumn Fair, will be back at the show at 2pm on September 3.
Celebrating A Trio Of Shops
Above: Polkadot in Keynsham.
Tracey and Chris Bryant, the owners of Expressions in Swindon, and The Cats Whiskers in Bishops Cleeve, have added a third shop, Polkadot in Keynsham, to their portfolio. “We have received such a warm welcome from the people of Keynsham that we feel very at home already and are very excited,” said Tracey. “Polkadot sits perfectly alongside The Cats Whiskers as they sell similar lifestyle products - which also feeds our website www.catswhiskersuk.com - with Gisela Graham, Jellycat and East of India featuring among our top gift suppliers. In the longer term, we hope to have our website fulfilled by all three shops.”
GA’s Oliver Bonas ‘Exclusive’ Opportunity In a ‘scoop’ for The Giftware Association, members are being offered the opportunity to showcase their products to a team of buyers - to include the head buyer of prestigious multiple retailer Oliver Bonas - at a Meet The Buyer event on Thursday October 24. The retailer will be looking for products in five categories: branded gifts; cosmetics/wellness; novelty products; gardenware and confectionery. The curated event will take place at The Giftware Association’s offices in Birmingham, with members invited to submit photos of either their products or their catalogues for review by the Oliver Bonas buyers. The companies whose products are selected will then be invited to attend the Meet The Buyers day, where they will be able to have 20 minutes of quality time with a member of the Oliver Bonas buying team, enabling them to discuss their products in more detail. Visit www.ga-uk.org Above: The Oliver Bonas store in London’s Blackheath.
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