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In Conversation With... Widdop And Co
A Gifted Storyteller
‘Take another look’ is the new motto of major gift company Widdop and Co, and with good reason. Launching at PG Live is Widdop and Co’s first ever greeting card ranges that are being published by the north Manchester-based business - and this is just the start. PG found out from Stephen Illingworth, director of product development at Widdop and Co, that this move into greeting cards and stationery is just part of the company’s “story telling”. PG Live sees Widdop and Co surprise visitors, not only by its presence at the show (having not exhibited there for seven years), but also by what it will be showcasing – inaugural ranges of greeting cards based on its highly popular Bambino new baby brand (that has scored well on the gift front), as well as a wedding collection under its Amore brand. In addition, the Widdop stand will be fanfaring its new distribution agreement with US lifestyle stationery and greeting card brand Studio Oh!, as well as other ‘boutique’ collections. There is no denying Widdop and Co’s strong heritage; its origins date back to 1883. This is a family business extraordinaire - five generations and counting with an impeccable business pedigree, but it is a company that is definitely not shackled by its past glories. This is evidenced in so many ways – of which its move deeper in to the greeting card sector is very much a part. Its bold
Below: Widdop and Co is now taking its popular Bambino baby brand into greeting cards for the first time, launching at PG Live.
Above: Stephen Illingworth, director of product development, with Rosanna Bowles, the founder of the Seattle-based gift and homewares company that Widdop and Co is now distributing in the UK. Bottom left: Rachel Ellen Designs is another greeting card publisher with whom Widdop and Co has forged a licensing relationship.
decision to ditch the historic Widdop Bingham company name and traditional livery with great fanfare last year, superceding it with the fresher Widdop and Co branding, that is more reflective of the company today, percolates throughout the business. The Widdop product portfolio has changed incredibly over the last few years – and you get a feeling there is a lot more to come. Widdop has always been a mainstay in the gift arena, both for product and the
service it offers, the latter underlined on May 4 when the company won the Gold award in The Greats gift retailer awards (organised by PG’s sister magazine, Progressive Gifts & Home) in the much coveted Best Service category. It is just that what the company is now offering to retailers on the product front is dramatically different to even five years ago, something that is reflected in the altering shape of its changing customer base, with more upmarket boutiques, department stores and garden centres responding to what it has to offer. “Five years ago, we launched 4,000 skus a year, 98% of which were bought off the shelf in the Far East. Now, we launch 4,000 new skus a year, 85% of which are designed either by our in-house design team, designed specifically for us or part of a licensing or distribution agreements,” explains Stephen, who joined the business nine years ago, continuing the family tradition (his father Stuart is md, and uncles Andrew and Chris are sales director and ops director respectively). “We are now, in effect, a storytelling business. We take themes or a brand and create collections around these,” says Stephen, its impressive showrooms and large PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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