Progressive Party Europe January/February 2015

Jan/Feb 2015

If it’s not Smiffys, it’s not fun! /smiffysuk

trade.smiffys.com

@smiffysuk

Phone us on +44 (0) 8453 070707 00_PP_JAN FEB 2015.indd 3

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Phone us on 08453 070707 www.rubiesuk.com

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www.rubiesuk.com

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CONTENTS The home of market leading trade magazines

The home of market leading trade magazines max-publishing.co.uk The Thehome homeofofmarket marketleading leadingtrade trademagazines magazines March/April 2013

Welcome to the Party It seems like a long time ago now, but by all accounts the Christmas and New Year period offered party retailers the opportunity to finish 2014 with a bang. It has been a notable year in many ways - not least because it seems that the UK economy has finally turned a corner and consumers are starting to ease up on their spending. That feeling was echoed across the high street as early discounting kept the tills ringing - and Santa suit hire kept party shops on their toes.

In other news, the annual PPE Retail Barometer survey has meant that there is dedicated insight into the current party landscape - and it’s not Above: Progressive Party’s Rob Willis and Jacqui Parr. faring too badly, by all accounts.

The year got off to a great start with Book Week making a real mark for itself both retailers and suppliers are crediting it with being the third busiest time of year, after Halloween and Christmas.

Other significant findings included accessories overtaking costume as the most significant product area - which will come as no surprise to those of you who have reported a huge surge in consumer interest in both make-up and prosthetics in recent months.

We’ve had an interesting few weeks here at PPE headquarters as well, as this issue is the first ever Progressive Party Europe which will also see a significant distribution across European retailers as well. We’ve spoken to our first ever European retailer and previewed the Nuremberg Toy Fair - a key event in the European party calendar.

So to all our new readers - welcome! We’re a friendly bunch here, and we’d love to hear from you as much as possible. If you’ve got something you’d like to shout about, just drop us a line at jacquip@max-publishing.co.uk or robw@maxpublishing.co.uk and let us know what’s on your mind.

Jacqui Parr, Editor

The home of Exhibitions The home of Exhibitions The Thehome homeofofExhibitions Exhibitions

The home of market leading trade awards The home of market leading trade awards The Thehome homeofofmarket marketleading leadingtrade tradeawards awards

What’s inside: JAN/FEB 2015

NEWS

The latest happenings from the world of party, costume, balloons, and retail.

LICENSED TO PARTY

The newest official licensed party products.

RETAIL BAROMETER 2014

The results of our annual probe into the UK party industry.

THE JESTER

Progressive Party’s columnist tells it like it is.

Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP T: 020 7700 6740 F: 020 7607 6411 www.max-publishing.co.uk

NUREMBERG PREVIEW

2015 show preview.

FEEDBACK

The European effect.

05 13 17 25 31 37

28 43 51 55 59 61 63

RETAIL PROFILE

Meeting Mye Moro, Norway’s leading party store.

SPRING FAIR PREVIEW

Party picks in Hall 3.

BOOK WEEK

Turning the page, Book Week picks from Goldilocks to Harry Potter.

FIRST QUARTER EVENTS PPE’s guide to the upcoming mini seasons.

IN PROFILE

Neviti - the secrets behind design success.

NEW PRODUCTS They even smell new.

BEST SELLERS

Retailers share what’s been keeping tills ringing.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Place your book week order now Call +44(0)113 200 1050 visit our website www.fun-shack.com or email sales@fun-shack.com

Visit us at Spring Fair, Birmingham NEC, 1-5 February 2015.

Hall 3 Stand R40-S41

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NEWS PAGE

NEWS UPDATE That Was The Year That Was The new year is traditionally a time to look back and take stock over the last 12 months; to see what was a success, what could be improved upon and what it might be better to try and forget. With that in mind, Progressive Party is delighted to be able to bring you the full results of our exclusive end-of-year report for the fifth year running.

Retail has undoubtedly been tough throughout 2014, with a lack of major celebrations taking place to give the year a boost, so it's reassuring to see that almost three-quarters (74%) of independent party retailers reported that their sales had either grown or remained the same over the last 12 months. Thank goodness for that Friday Halloween!

It also seems that independent retailers have become more accustomed to the internet, with the world wide web coming second only to new customers as having a positive effect on trade in the past year. Whether its a social media site driving footfall or a fully operational e-tail site, it seems that once you go online, there's no going back.

Significantly, 2014 marked the first year in which accessories outperformed costumes in terms of retailers best-selling product areas.

These added extras allow consumers to create their own look at a fraction of the cost of a full costume, and can often be reused – could this desire for quality be the beginning of the end for the one-use costume?

Thankfully, Book Week and Halloween provided two very welcome breaks, as both saw a dramatic boost to business.

Book week celebrations in particular surprised both suppliers and retailers with a huge growth in popularity. Most retailers – an incredible 74%

– said the event had grown for them, way ahead of any of the more traditional party seasons.

It's been an interesting year, with consumers holding on tight to their purse-strings amid continuing news of cuts and price rises. However, after a great deal of scrutinising and interpretation it would appear that independent party retailers have just about managed to hold on throughout 2014 and are entering 2014 with a healthy dose of realism about the year ahead.

Turn to page 17 for the full and complete results and analysis of Progressive Party's 2014 Retail Barometer.

Book Week played a major part in keeping the party industry going in 2014.

All The Fun Of Spring Fair Next month's Spring Fair is the highlight of the buying season for many. Taking place from 1 - 5 February, the four-day event offers party retailers the perfect opportunity to see what's new to the market.

The Party Show in Hall 3 is dedicated to party and costume exhibitors, and offers everything from balloons to banners and fireworks to fancy dress.

One of the highlights is The Stage, which is returning for the fourth year after its successful launch in 2012.

Conveniently situated within The Party Show, The Stage plays host to regular seminars and catwalk shows, giving party retailers a lowdown of the latest trends, tricks and techniques.

Inset: It's business as usual at The Party Show.

Spring Fair Gossip As part of its never-ending quest for information, PPE asked a number of exhibitors what they're hoping to see at Spring Fair this year...

“The Party Show at Spring Fair is ideal for direct interaction with all retail and wholesale channels, as well as meeting with our key existing and new licensors. The fact it takes place in early February means it is a key time of year for buyers to be making important purchasing decisions for the upcoming months, in addition to providing an excellent chance of getting first hand feedback on potential new concepts.”

Mike McGillion, vice president of international retail and marketing, Amscan “Every retailer should, in my opinion, attend Spring Fair. It is still the only party show in the UK and with the market being in a period of change even it is even more important to see who is there, what they have that is different and what is happening in the market place.”

Mark Brett, UK sales agent, Boland Party “As an online wholesaler, the show doesn’t just provide the opportunity to make new contacts, it’s also a great chance to meet with existing customers.

On all levels, it’s a really important start to the year.”

Stuart Wheeler, account manager, Delights Direct

JollyJester's Quarter Century The beginning of 2015 also marked a significant anniversary for one of party's most dedicated retailers. Kate Moore, owner of JollyJesters, celebrated 25 years of being in the party business with this lovely message which went out to all her valued customers, thanking them for all their business – some of them have been returning regularly since 1990!

“Thank you to every single one of our customers for making it possible for Jollyjesters still to be here, doing what we do - and we're delighted and

very appreciative that so many of you from 1990 are still coming to us today!

In a quarter of a century the fancy dress world has seen a lot of changes. For a start, in 1990 there was no Ebay, no Amazon, no Facebook - there was barely even an internet!

Halloween was mainly a few children putting a bin-liner over their clothes and knocking at a few houses on their street... and if people wanted to wear fancy dress, the only options were to put something together themselves or to go a fancy

dress hire shop. Today there are hundreds more fancy dress events - but there are also hundreds more places to buy stuff!

Being part of Jollyjesters was great fun then, and it's still great fun now - even though the goalposts have moved and the grass is harder to keep green. But we love what we do, and I hope we're still doing it in another 25 years! Thanks to you, there's every chance we could be!”

Kate also gave a special mention to all her team – past and present – who have helped and supported the business from day one.

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PARTY NEWS

A Right Christmas Cracker?

Christmas 2014 saw mixed reports as consumers’ shopping habits continued to diversify.

A very successful Black Friday provided a welcome surge in the run-up to the main event, but early sales and online last-minute shopping meant that sales slowed throughout December, and retailers were kept on their toes until the very last second.

While the sales may have started early for many, the last cracker had barely been pulled before retail reports for Christmas 2014 were already attempting to sum up the mood of the nation's shopkeepers after what is the most important selling season of the year for many.

A report from the British Retail Consortium said year-on-year retail spending was 1% higher this December than it was in 2013. This was the weakest December growth since 2008 and formed a sharp contrast with November's 2.2% jump – following the sales-boosting effects of Black Friday, which saw many shoppers bringing their Christmas spending forward.

The BRC figures match a trend reported by individual retailers, with three out of four top high street stores starting their sales before Christmas,

50 Years Of Freddy's Leading fancy dress manufacturer and family business Magic By Freddy's is celebrating its 50th birthday in 2015. Founded in 1965, the company is now run by the children of the founders, Mabel and Wildfred Knops.

“We have been growing as a company every year since the very first day,” said Mabel. “Quality, creativity and service are the most important things to us and we hope that sees us in good stead for another successful 50 years!”

The company is best-known for its unique designs and top-quality tailoring.

Left: This steampunk

costume is new from Magic

By Freddy's for 2015.

Even Santa has to stock up.

with discounts averaging 45% on what is generally considered to be the biggest shopping weekend of the year.

Online businesses were the real winners this year, with soaring numbers of customers using click and collect services and many stores starting their sales online on Christmas Day itself.

The Christmas period was a good one for Philippa Kaye of Absolutely Fabulous Costume Hire in Frome. The store sold a traditionally seasonal product mix during the period, with Santa suits, masquerade masks and false eyelashes doing well.

“Santa was most definitely

at the top of our hire list in December!” said Philippa.

According to Marcia Alker, who runs Fancy Dress Box in Jersey, Christmas and New Year was generally positive.

Christmas business was good, with costumes selling well. “Crackers, reindeer and snowmen were all good sellers this year. Sales did better than hire for us as well,” she said.

New Year's Eve was once again where the real party started.

“It was very busy, with lots of themes parties for NYE,” said Marcia. “The Great Gatsby film influence meant 1920s sold well but 60s, 70s, 80s were all very popular as well.”

A Book Week Boost In a reflection of the findings of Progressive Party Europe's Retail Barometer, two notable suppliers have released dedicated Book Week booklets.

Bristol Novelty has produced a 64 page booklet with suggestions for the upcoming Book Week in March for the second year running, featuring children’s costumes, disguise sets and, of course, something for the teachers.

Similarly, Palmer Agencies has launched its first ever dedicated Book Week collection, which features over 40 different products to help retailers make the most of this key date in the party calendar. The comprehensive range includes some of the most popular and sought-after styles, from pirates to princesses, soldiers to stealth ninjas and many more.

Below: Book Week is making itself at home in the party calendar.

Qualatex Education Programme 2015 The new Qualatex education programme for the first half of 2015 has now been announced, featuring popular courses such as fundamentals, classic decor, retail essentials, twisting made easy and wedding series.

Brand new for this year is the Colin Stewart Tour, ideal for decorators interested in learning how to secure more corporate business, learn tips and ideas for doing large scale decor and gain knowledge on how to approach big sporting events. Graham Lee's Care and Share Days will again be available for those looking to gain more experience with twisting balloons.

Pam's Show Offer This year Pam's is putting forward a Spring Fair offer for both new and existing customers. For the duration of the show, Pam's will be offering a 10% discount on all orders with a minimum order value of £500 +VAT and a 5% discount on all orders with a minimum order value of £250 +VAT. Terms and conditions apply, call for details or see the team at Spring Fair.

New Face At Northstar The Northstar team has welcomed a new UK sales person to the team.

Previously with both Oaktree and Cesar, Nikki Thompson knows the party trade well and is looking forward to getting her teeth into her new role. Her favourite Northstar products are the packaged air-filled minis, and she says that 2015 will be a success if; “I can increase existing business and introduce Northstar to new customers and prove what a great range we have to offer.”

Above: Northstar's Nikki Thomson

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PARTY NEWS

Party And Costume Show Returns Organised by the British Costume Association, The Party and Costume Show 2015 will once again be held at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry from Sunday 22 – Monday 23 March 2014.

This smaller, more intimate trade fair is targeted specifically at the party and costume market and the BCA would like to invite suppliers and buyers both past and new to attend this show.

Buyers will have the opportunity to order quality hire costumes from the some of the leading UK and European manufacturers and suppliers, as well as accessories and other essential party products.

Suppliers will have the opportunity to meet good quality,

Training Time The NABAS Event will be taking place from 1 – 2 March, 2015 at Knebworth Barns, in Knebworth.

The two-day event will offer a host of education, fun and networking opportunities, helping balloon decorators take their businesses to a higher level.

Classes include: Link-OLoons with world-renowned balloon artist Guido Verhoef, big balloon decor for big balloon profits, balloon drops and exploders, light up your decor; light up your profits, balloon characters, spectacular (nonballoon) table centrepieces, twisting with universally renowned twister Graham Lee

Balloon Bonus!

loyal customers and exhibiting will give them the opportunity to secure those all-important extra sales. Organised by the BCA as a non-profit-making venture for the benefit of its members, the show is comparatively inexpensive for One of the costumes exhibitors. Non-members are on show at last also welcome.

There are many good reasons year's event. to visit the Party and Costume Show. The more intimate size exhibiting please contact show of the show allows visitors to organisers Yvonne Bryant or Linda speak with the exhibitors and see Miller on 0191 224 3005 or at the costumes up close to better absolute_designuk@btconnect.com judge their quality. The products presented are unusual, feature the very latest trends, are wellParty & Costume Show 2014 sized and come from smaller (organised by the BCA) manufacturers, so are guaranteed 22 – 23 March to make the contents of any party or fancy dress shop stand out.

Stareton Hall, Stoneleigh Park If you would like more details Exhibition Centre, nr Coventry. about either attending or www.partyandcostumeshow.co.uk and introduction to face painting with international awardwinning face painter Liz Bylett.

Forum Corner will give delegates the opportunity to discuss ideas; what's working, and what's not, while a mini-exhibition on the Monday and party on the Sunday will offer valuable networking opportunities.

NABAS trainers will also be on hand to explain the moneysaving membership benefits of becoming a NMBA (NABAS Master Balloon Artist).

Fun Shack Gets Creative The last few months have seen some big changes at leading costume company Fun Shack. The company has expanded its creative team to include two new designers, Sarah Weelands and Kawther Mokhlif, who bring an extensive knowledge of textiles, fashion and costume design and fashion manufacturing to the company.

A brand new design studio has been built to house the Fun Shack creative team which is fully equipped with the latest technology to ensure that the team can continue researching the latest trends and bring new, exciting and innovative costumes to the market throughout the year.

Far left: Sarah Weelands. Left:

Progressive Party Europe's sister publication Progressive Greetings found some interesting party facts in its annual retail barometer.

While greeting cards are of course the backbone of any independent card shop, sales of non-card products are also crucial to business. When asked to highlight their top three must-have noncard ranges, balloons came top of the indies responses, followed by jewellery, giftwrap and then stationery.

Above: Balloons are providing a boost to the greetings trade.

All Wrapped Up Viewers of BBC2's Daily Politics, ITV News, Good Morning Britain and London Live saw party stalwart Arona Kahn demonstrating speedy ways to wrap Christmas presents.

As the Tesco gift wrapping expert for its 'Every little helps make Christmas' campaign, Arona's demonstrations were streamed live on YouTube from a special event at St Pancras International.

Arona will be sharing exciting new tips and techniques at Christmasworld and Paperworld – both take place at Messe Frankfurt from 30 and 31 January 2015.

New Year, New Skills Face and body painters looking to give themselves a new year boost should take a look at the upcoming classes and events at the Façade Academy.

Learning from videos can be helpful, but having an instructor to demonstrate techniques and correct mistakes on the spot really makes a difference. Classes and workshops at the Façade Academy ensure all students learn under close supervision, to ensure excellent and popular guest instructors such as Naomi Gay and Heather Sharp are able to pick up bad habits or offer extra help with something which is proving difficult.

Feb 16 - Paradise Jamboree Feb 26th - Beginners Face Painting Module 1 Mar 5 - Beginners Face Painting Module 2 Mar 12th - One Stroke Breakthrough Mar 19 - Mastering Monsters Mar 26th - Beginners Face Painting Module 1 Apr 2 - Beginners Face Painting Module 2 Ideal for painters looking to move up to the next level or secure a particular skill, all the new classes can now be seen on the Façade Academy website, www.facadeacademy.co.uk

Above right: Mastering Monsters outlines how to achieve fearsome and scary faces.

Kawther Mokhlif

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PARTY NEWS

BAPIA NEWS

Trade organisation BAPIA (balloon and party alliance) aims to increase public awareness of the industry and is committed to promoting the benefits of using industry professionals.

A regular newsletter, BAPIA News, outlines key industry issues as well as highlighting the most recent activity undertaken by the association. The first issue of 2015 carries articles looking at the 2014 Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Christmas Party

Class, which once again proved to be a highly popular and successful event, and the very special Layla-Mae training day, which saw a gathering of balloon industry trainers raising money for a special little girl. By all accounts, this was a day that will be talked about for a very long time!

To find out more, including a feature on balloon training, you can get your own copy of BAPIA News by e-mailing info@bapiaonline.com or calling 020 8123 1746.

Inset: Great Ormond Street

Hospital’s Christmas Party.

Training Day This training day with a difference was organised

by Sue Bowler cba to raise funds for Layla-Mae, the granddaughter of Bob Armstrong, a popular balloon artist and character within the balloon industry.

The day itself was a great success.

“Wow! Anybody that was part of this absolutely fantastic day will tell you the same thing, it really was amazing,” enthused BAPIA chairman John Bowler.

The event raised in excess of £8000 and proved to be a memorable occasion for all who attended. For a fuller story, see BAPIA News.

Balloons Make The Party!

Paradise Jamboree The eighth annual face painting Paradise Jamboree will be taking place on 16 February 2015, at Paradise Wildlife Park.

Held from 10am to 4pm, this has become the biggest gathering of face and body painters in the country. Tickets to the Jam include entrance to the zoo – always a popular option during the February half-term, as families and friends are more than welcome.

The event itself includes face and body painting, glitter art, demonstrations, nail art, balloons, henna, hair braiding, traders selling paint and all associated products, competitions and children’s entertainment.

Fundraising profits go to the charity Wildlife Heritage Foundation. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/FacadeAcademy

Countdown To Expo The countdown is on to 2015’s Halloween & Party Expo. Taking place in New Orleans from February 6 – 9, the event sees thousands of buyers attending from over 70 countries and territories worldwide. Last year’s attendance saw recordbreaking figures.

With strong Halloween 2014 sales, retailers will be preparing to stock up on new products and costumes for what they hope to be a stellar Saturday Halloween in 2015.

“Sales are always best when Halloween falls on the

weekend,” says Kim Dean, the lead buyer for Wally’s Party Factory, a large chain of Halloween and party-supplies stores in Texas and Oklahoma.

“We definitely need to replenish our inventory after last season, especially in preparation for a Saturday Halloween.”

Industry experts will be presenting educational sessions on a wide variety of topics, while the Kick-Off Party hosted by Party & Paper Retailer takes place on the Thursday night at 7pm, with live music and entertainment.

Interested attendees can register at halloweenpartyexpo.com.

For the second year BAPIA organised the décor for the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Christmas – and the overall consensus was that the balloon décor really did bring the party to life!

Once again the day which was only open to BAPIA members - was 100% oversubscribed. From the feedback received so far it looks as though all of those who took part this year will be putting their applications in again for 2015. If you fancy taking part in this great event later this year keep looking out for the updates.

Agents Wanted Angels Distribution is looking to recruit a team of agents to carry its full wholesale range of Rasta Imposta, InCharacter and Tinsley Transfers lines. Agents are sought for the following areas of the UK: London and the South East, East Anglia, The Midlands, Wales, North East, North West and Scotland.

For an immediate start, please get in touch with Raymond Nedas at RNedas@angels.uk.com or on 020 8202 2244 (2337)

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■ Comic Icon Neviti’s licensed ‘Dennis The Menace & Gnasher’ collection of tableware and party essentials features the mischievous duo from the renowned Beano comic books, and is sure to be a big hit with fans both young and old. The collection offers a vibrant selection of tableware including plates, cups, bowls, treat tubs and napkins as well as fun stationery and balloons.

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With a brand new line of Alice in Wonderland costumes from Rubie’s, customers are invited to fall down their own rabbit hole and share in the magic of Lewis Carroll’s perennial classic.

The sassy new lines include characters from the ever-grinning Cheshire Cat to inflatable versions of twins Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee.

Creative Party has launched a brand new licenced range of coordinated Paddington Bear cake decorations. The range includes sugarcraft toppers, a sugarcraft plaque, edible wafer toppers, Paddington Bear resin topper, cello bags with twist ties and a cookie cutter set which includes a recipe for Paddingtonthemed marmalade cookies.

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■ Barbie Power!

■ Holy Masks Batman!

■ Baaa-rilliant

A range of exciting new Barbie costumes from Amscan include Barbie Power, inspired by the 30th Barbie DVD ‘Barbie in Princess Power’, released in March.

Also new are the Barbie princess and ballerina dresses, all available in ages 3-5 years.

Mask-arade has collaborated with Rubie’s Masquerade on Warner Brothers property, The Dark Knight. This fantastic trio of licensed face masks depicts characters of Gotham’s very own Batman, Catwoman and The Joker.

These iconic faces are out now and can be ordered direct from Mask-arade.

With the new Shaun the Sheep movie due for release in February, and the impending appearance of Shaun during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the loveable character is sure to be an even bigger hit in 2015. As such, Smiffys will be adding women’s and kid’s costumes to its Shaun the Sheep offering this year.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015 PROGRESSIVE 2010/11 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE PARTY

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Come and meet us...

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1st - 5th February 2015 NEC Birmingham Hall 3 Stand R20-S21 & S20 - T21

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TEL: +44 (0)1908 288 500 E-MAIL: sales@amscan-uk.co.uk WEB: www.amscan.co.uk ©Amscan 2015, ©Anagram 2015 All rights reserved

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Retail Barometer 2014

A Clear Outlook Ahead

Buoyed by the increasingly popular Book Week and the phenomenon of Disney’s Frozen franchise, the party market is reporting positive trading overall. Collated by Progressive Party, this Retail Barometer offers first hand feedback into the current state of the party nation.

T

hank you to the busy retailers who took the time to share with the wider market how they fared in 2014. By sharing our thoughts and numbers, we can as a market really focus on growth opportunities, and rejoice in the lucky breaks. And there were a few lucky breaks this year, too.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or hiding in your store-room, the absolutely huge embrace of Disney’s Frozen film has given retailers in nearly all product categories a chance to capitalise. Fortunately for us, as an industry, the characters lend themselves well to party product.

Supply of product was good, though the sheer scale of popularity meant that it wasn’t plain sailing; indeed one popular wholesaler reported having to restrict retailers to six costumes per order.

A second break came in the form of Book Week, surprising both suppliers and retailers with its huge growth in popularity. ‘A wide range of characters’, ‘non-commercialised’, and ‘educational’ are just a few of the key words often associated with this event which is firmly embraced and encouraged by the education sector.

The real key driver, though, is retailers coming to terms with the world wide web being part of their armoury, and indeed embracing one very important aspect: much of it is absolutely free. It takes time and resource to run any form of social media, but independent retail has learnt that there is a direct correlation between a Twitter update or Facebook post and new blood walking into the shop floor. It isn’t a giant leap from there to online trading, with suppliers happy to help you get online, selling, and delivering, for less than the cost getting out of a lease early.

As an industry we have begun to embrace change, we’ve ridden the good waves and calmly learned to traverse the bad ones.

Communication, it appears, is key. If it’s consistently bringing new customers to the till 100% of the time as reported, what else can it bring you in 2015?

Turning Over The Books How has business been for you, 2014 vs 2013?

That optimistic caution statement rings true as over half of all respondents report a slight growth in trading. A significant decline has still been suffered by some, but this was positive compared to the 2013 survey showing the majority of business had remained the same.

15%

0%

■ Significant growth ■ Slight growth

11% 58% 16%

58%

■ Remained the same

16%

■ Slight decline

11%

■ Significant decline

15%

How have you seen the average spend per customer change?

Equally positive news, compared to last year where the figures largely pointed towards reductions in turnover and profit per customer head.

Confidence in spending is evident.

Increased

26%

Remained the same

47%

Decreased

26%

Spend remains steady.

What promotional activities have you used to generate custom?

It is clear that retailers use many different types of promotion, with most stores running seasonal deals.

Seasonal promotions

78%

Local advertising

67%

Enhanced window displays

50%

Staff training

11%

Local events

33%

Exhibition and media help turn the wheels.

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PARTY WHOLESALERS

Party Plus Limited, based in Acton, West London are wholesalers throughout the UK, Europe and as far as Australia!

See us at Spring Fair: Hall 3, Stand Q50

We are manufacturers of our own shaped plate ranges, along-side being distributors for BBS, Amscan, Creative Party, Unique, Talking Tables, Gemma and many more.

Recent additions to the ranges are the generic Happy birthday, rainbow coloured 1st birthday, and Baby shower which complete our extensive range.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: STEVE@PARTYPLUS.CO.UK PARTY PLUS LTD 16 CANHAM ROAD LONDON W3 7SR TEL +44(0)20 8811 2898 WE SHIP INTERNATIONALLY 17/01/2015 17:24

Retail Barometer 2014

How have supermarkets and discount stores affected your trade in 2014?

With similar results to last years barometer, the number of retailers seeing supermarkets as a significant threat is slightly down from 25%. It’s fair to praise the retail community for maintaining independent trading values in order to stay in the game.

21%

47%

■ Significant effect

31%

21%

■ Slight effect 47% ■ No real effect

31%

Which three main factors had a positive effect on your business in 2014?

Using the web to widen an existing customer base, it’s positive news that investing time and resource to social media does bring new customers to the shop.

New customers

1st

Using the web / social media

2nd

Product diversification

3rd

Which three main factors had a detrimental effect on your business in 2014?

Suppliers of traffic warden outfits be afraid, be very afraid. Local parking issues were a huge headache for town centre shops in 2014.

Something the multiple retailers generally don’t have to worry about.

Parking issues:

1st

Competition from multiples

2nd

Competitive websites

3rd

Product Picks Taking categories as a whole, what have been your best-selling product areas throughout 2014?

Accessories have pipped the number one spot from costumes, as an overall in 2014. Plenty of feedback suggests that it’s a growing area that we can expect to see new product from in 2015.

1

Accessories

2

Costumes

3

Balloons

4

Partyware

5

Décor

6

Greetings and Gifts

7

Craft

Accessories see a continued increase.

Our foe is our friend at Halloween New Year: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

36% 29% 35%

Hen & Stag: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

22% 56% 22%

Birthdays: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

18% 47% 35%

Festivals: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

11% 63% 26%

Valentines Day: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

6% 45% 50%

Book Week: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

74% 26% 0%

And The Products?

How have the following categories performed for your retail business?

In line with the increased Book Week trading, kids costumes show massive growth as reported by 67% of respondents. Accessories and face paint are also increasing in popularity, while all categories in the balloon business also increased.

Kids Costumes: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

Adult Costumes: Increased: 39% 67% Remained the same: 44% 28% Decreased: 17% 6%

Sexy Costumes: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

Comedy Costumes: Increased: 6% 6% Remained the same: 56% 22% Decreased: 22% 72%

Licensed Costumes: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

22% 56% 22%

Doing it for the kids.

Sensational Sensations Which party seasons / events have generally increased or decreased over the past year?

Do believe all you see in black and white; Book Week shows extraordinary growth with a huge 74% increase in 2014. One respondent reported it as “Feeling like Halloween at times.”

Halloween: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

68% 21% 11%

Christmas: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

22% 44% 34%

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Retail Barometer 2014

Dress-up Accessories Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

Wigs and Facepaint 61% Increased: 50% 33% Remained the same: 44% 6% Decreased: 6%

Jokes and Novelties Partyware and Disposables Increased: 0% Increased: 14% Remained the same: 50% Remained the same: 57% Decreased: 50% Decreased: 29% Props and Décor Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

7% 67% 27%

Foil and Premium Balloons Increased: 53% Remained the same: 27% Decreased: 20%

Latex Balloons Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

27% 47% 27%

Gas Hire: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

0% 54% 46%

Commission balloon décor Increased: 14% Remained the same: 29% Decreased: 57%

Party Like Peppa

How It Splits You know it, we know it; Halloween is the reason we exist. We have a lot to thank this American tradition for, as it ranks top of the seasonal polls in balloon and costume, edging slightly to second place in categories such as tableware and décor. Hen & Stag sales have dropped off the radar in an alarming shock, arguably spurred on by the online manner in which the event is organised, resulting in online skewed purchasing.

Which of these celebratory occasions are key for your balloon business: Halloween

1st

Milestone birthdays

2nd

Christmas

3rd

Valentine’s Day

4th

Mother’s Day

5th

Balloons sales split: Foil Gas Hire

67% Vs. Latex 61% Vs. Décor

How do your retail sales fall as a percentage split of licensed product, across these areas?

Costumes overall trading report: Adult 78% Vs. Children Sale 83% Vs. Hire Costumes 78% Vs. Accessories

Characters such as Elsa are top spot.

Partyware and décor Licensed

56%

Vs.

Generic

44%

Balloons Licensed

72%

Vs.

Generic

28%

72%

33% 39%

Which of these celebratory occasions are key for your fancy dress business:

The character business continues to be a real driver across all product categories, not least party products, with licensors counting party suppliers among their top grossing licensees. In all party product areas, licensed product sees a majority share of sales at the till.

Dress-up Licensed

Character desires such as Elsa are top spot.

Vs.

Generic

28%

Halloween

1st

New Year

2nd

Book Week

3rd

Christmas

4th

Festivals

5th

22% 7% 12%

Which of these celebratory occasions are key for your partyware and decor business?

Birthdays

1st

Halloween

2nd

Christmas

3rd

New Year

4th

Anniversaries

5th

Partyware and Décor sales split: Adult 61% Vs. Children

39%

I Need A Hero What has been 2014’s Hero product?

Retailers rejoice as parents weep, Elsa and Olaf make a huge entrance claiming top product across both balloons and dress up.

Amscan’s Air Walkers remain a great sale, thanks in part to their great window display offering.

Left: Glitz has had a sparkling time for Unique Middle: Cool as ice sales for Rubies and Amscan Right: Horsing around with Bristol Novelty.

Balloons: Frozen balloons from Amscan Dress Up: Frozen dress up from Rubie’s Partyware: Glitz Range from Unique Décor: Air Walkers from Amscan Accessories: Wigs from Smiffys, results tied with animal masks from Bristol Novelty.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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17/01/2015 17:27

Retail Barometer 2014

The Supporting Cast

Media Savvy Loathed by many independent retailers just a few years ago, a scathing response was normal to this section of the party overview. It appears we have moved on, with huge proportions of retailers having their own site, whether e-commerce, static, or social media – it’s bringing them in to the shop.

Service levels from suppliers show a positive increase as we all work harder to keep the chain oiled. Retailers report that Spring Fair is still a major purchasing opportunity for them, jointly tied with Progressive Party Magazine (phew!), though reps and agents are still hugely valued by all, also tied with suppliers direct support.

As an independent retailer, do you have your own website?

In the last year, how would you say that service levels from suppliers have been?

Yes:

94%

No:

6%

If you haven’t, are you considering developing one?

Yes:

78%

No:

22%

How has the rise in e-commerce affected your business overall?

Increased

42%

Remained the same

37%

Decreased

21%

100%

No:

0%

24%

Shop:

76%

32%

Decreased:

26%

How do you maintain your links with the trade and make purchasing decisions?

What is your percentage split in sales between your website and your shop?

Website:

42%

Remained the same:

Information is still king, but there is plenty of room for it to be improved, with retailers rating suppliers’ ability to pass on information on new licensed opportunities at only 4.4 out of 10.

As a retailer with a website, does the site help bring customers to your shop?

Yes:

Improved:

Any retailer can connect to any device, really.

The Year Ahead There are only 12 months left to go this year, so what can we expand on? What did we learn? And what won’t we see again? Book Week’s huge growth has been a savior, while Frozen (from Disney) shows no signs of slowing down with ‘Frozen Fever’, a Disney short film due to appear on screen in March 2015.

Spring Fair

72%

Progressive Party

72%

Supplier advice

61%

Reps and agents

61%

Internet

50%

Trade associations

33%

Other trade shows

27%

Other magazines

17%

Autumn Fair

11%

Association events

11%

Have you attended any training course in the last 12 months?

Yes No

15% 85%

What has been your most surprising success – either product or season – over the past year?

Do you intend to?

Yes No

22% 78%

1st

Book Week growth

If yes, in which subject areas?

2nd

Frozen success

3rd

Utilising social media

Balloon decor Marketing

What do you see as the major threats to the party industry in the next year?

1st

‘Bedroom’ traders

2nd

UK Economy

3rd

Multiples

4th

Price increases

5th

Counterfeit product

48% 52%

Dreams And Feedback A varied response from you all this year! Here are PPE’s favourite (and most concerning) picks: Which celebrity or public figure would you most like to dress up, and as what?

Nigel Farage as a clown David Cameron as a fairy.

What do you see as being the major opportunities for growth and expansion over the next 12 months?

Jason Statham as a leather-clad gladiator

1st

Utilising social media

And for the oddest of all Lady Gaga as Mrs Brown

2nd

Niche and diverse product

and The Queen as Ali G.

3rd

Suppliers’ retail partnerships

We couldn’t print Farage or The Queen.

For different reasons.

Keira Knightley as catwoman.

What one word would you use to describe the party industry in 2014?

1st

Challenging

2nd

Competitive

3rd ‘Frozen’ JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Every occasion deserves

© Disney

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Hall 9, Stand D76

Hall 3, Stand U04-V05

Pioneer Europe Limited, 9 Stortford Hall Industrial Park, Dunmow Road, Bishops Stortford. CM23 5GZ Tel: +44 (0)1279 501 090 • Fax: +44(0)1279 501 091 • Freephone: 0800 28 12 15 E-mail: pelorder@qualatex.com • www.qualatex.com • www.thequalatexevent.com Facebook “f ” Logo

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Supplier ©2014 PBC BM-PRP1411038

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11/01/2015 12:43

THE JESTER SAYS...

BARGAIN HUNTING The Jester.

“

I was starting to think about this month’s column while I was still trying to digest the Christmas turkey and the rest of the household were fast asleep watching the Queen’s speech. The big day itself wasn’t even over and yet all the news was already focusing on the Boxing Day sales!

At the end of November I took my long-suffering wife for a quick trip to the USA for some winter sun and a bit of retail therapy for her birthday. On Black Friday I visited a store called Best Buy (a US store similar to Currys or PC world) and watched people fight over the bargains. I saw one man pick up three televisions just because there was $50 off a price of $500. That’s not even such a big bargain, so why all the fuss? It’s all just hype – and has started to take off in the UK – but maybe we should embrace it and fully adopt Black Friday as a great idea.

The original idea was that this was the date that stores first went from the red to the black on their Below: It’s hard to resist a bargain.

Writing freely, from behind a magical cloak of confidentiality, The Jester draws on an entire lifetime of party experience to bring us controversial opinions, interesting viewpoints and all the latest industry gossip, fresh from the grapevine...

balance sheets. This may have already happened for party shops though, as by the time Black Friday comes around we have already had Halloween and Fireworks ringing in the tills.

We should (ideally!) already be in the black and just looking forward to Christmas and New Year’s Eve sales to further boost our bottom line.

So you might ask why should the party trade bother about Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Well I believe that any sale is worth chasing. I always thought that sales were only used to clear old stock that isn’t shifting, but now I believe they are valuable tools which can help retailers increase sales.

We must have all tried the classic ‘Buy One Get One Free’ or the similar ‘Buy a Box of Fireworks and Get a Pack of Rockets Free’ approaches. So why not try the same initiative with other products? Offering 10 or 20% off makeup when buying a clown suit, or maybe a discount on wigs when buying any costume, is a simple enough promotion but can be really effective. Nearly all our clever electronic tills are capable of these simple tasks, and if not it is a very simple thing to do manually!

Right: Adding make-up, nose and wig makes the costume complete – and it all adds up at the till!

Even better, instead of just doing this as just a one-off, why not try a different promotion each month, so that people come back to see what the deals are. This idea is also worth promoting on social media and ofering on your website as well, as it can easily attract even more visitors to your site or store.

Another old idea – but still very effective – is the ‘Loss Leader’. This is an item which you sell at a very low price just to get costumers instore. Trading standard rules state that ‘pre-sale prices should be the last price at which goods where offered and the goods should have been at that price for 28 consecutive days in the previous six months’.

There is of course a way around this legislation. Find out what other companies are selling the item for and list the item as such, saying ‘Competitor’s price is X, our price is Y’. Or make a push and surprise your competitors by selling a wellknown costume or accessory for cost price (remember to add VAT otherwise you will be making a loss!).

As we are fast approaching Spring Fair why not use your time there to do a deal with suppliers and look for some loss leaders in preparation.

There are so many different combinations to try that you will always be different to your competitors.

An old man who is a lot smarter than me once told me that if a customer comes into your store to buy a clown outfit and buys one then you have sold something. But if the same man comes in to buy the costume and you suggest some make-up and a clown nose and a wig and he buys them all, then – and only then – have you made a sale.

“

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BREAKING NEWS Market-leading title Progressive Party has extended its readership to become Progressive Party Europe.

Following the huge increase in UK exports to Europe, the magazine now reaches party and costume buyers in all European countries, both online and in print format.

This hugely extended readership allows UK-based suppliers to reach their total possible buying audience, while also giving European manufacturers the opportunity to include the UK retail market as part of their target market.

Progressive Party Europe is read by retail buyers and distributors within the European Union.

• Austria • Belgium • Bulgaria • Croatia • Republic of Cyprus • Czech Republic • Denmark • Estonia • Finland • France • Germany • Greece • Hungary • Ireland • Italy • Latvia • Lithuania • Luxembourg • Malta • Netherlands • Poland • Portugal • Romania • Slovakia • Slovenia • Spain • Sweden • United Kingdom

“

Like most major manufacturers to the costume trade, the UK is just one market we serve. As a global business, the news that Progressive Party has become a UK and European magazine is thrilling. It will act as a vital tool to help us promote to such a huge territory, and we also completely trust that the usual high level of content the magazine offer will also help us better understand these international markets”

Fraser Smeaton, director, Morph Costume Company

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19/01/2015 16:27

“

This is an exciting time for Progressive Party Europe as we develop our offering further in order to continue serving the party product market to it’s fullest potential, recognising the advancement of international trading.

To find out how to be a part of Progressive Party Europe, or to discuss this exciting development further, please contact me directly on 0203 370 4752 or Jacqui Parr on 07742 822425”

Rob Willis, publisher

■ CIRCULATION & REACH The circulation and reach of Progressive Party Europe encompasses all European countries. The complete database currently stands at just over 1,600 party and costume buyers. This is in addition to the market leading UK circulation already achieved.

■ CONTENT European content in the news, product and retail pages of Progressive Party Europe act as an information point not just for suppliers, but also retailers who may seek inspiration from events outside of the UK.

■ ADVERTISING Progressive Party Europe advertisers benefit from this huge additional visibility to advertisements without having to take additional space. In addition to traditional retail leads, it also paves the way for new distribution enquiries.

For further information please contact Rob Willis on 0203 370 4752 or Jacqui Parr on 07742 822425 26-27_House Ad_NEW_02.indd 3

19/01/2015 16:27

Retail Report: Mye Moro

Inset: Mye Moro’s most recent opening, Sandvika in western Oslo.

Meeting P

arty and costume retailer Mye Moro opened its first shop in Oslo at Manglerud Shopping Centre in November 2003 just after Halloween. “The timing was not perfect,” laughed Andre, “but at least we got the Christmas sales!”

Andre was practically born into the party industry, as his father has been the Norwegian agent for several Scandinavian party and novelty suppliers since he was a child. “It was a natural step for me to try out on my own,” he Right: Bjørne (right) and Stian Andersen– manager of Mye Moro Manglerud – get into the Halloween spirit.

Andre’s top three party products for 2014 1. Scarecrow vampire fangs 2. Old fashion striped bathing suit 3. 80s-style shell suits

28

explained. “I wanted to make something of myself and I had a ‘little entrepreneur’ in my stomach, so – along with my boyfriend Bjørne Nejdefelt– we just took the leap and went for it.”

THE SHOPS The pair’s first shop was quite small and sold jokes and novelties – costumes, wigs and accessories were more expensive to have in stock and so they had to wait a bit. By late 2004 they finally could afford to buy costumes and accessories, and that’s when the Mye Moro story really started.

More shops quickly followed as Andre and Bjørne saved as much money as they could and put it back into the company. The second shop was opened in 2006, in Norway’s biggest shopping mall Lagunen Storsenter in Bergen (in the western part of the country and 550 km from home).

With four shops in total, Mye Moro is one of the leading party retailers in Norway.

PPE spoke to founder Andre Nerhagen to find out more about the Norweigan market and how business is for the party store whose name translates to ‘lots of fun’.

Farmandstredet in Tønsberg (about 120 km south of Oslo) came in 2008, and finally Sandvika Storsenter (in the western part of Oslo) in 2010. “With our four shops we cover almost 35% of Norways population of five million,” said Andre. “They can all get to one of our stores within an hour’s drive. Our webshop covers the rest – for now!”

The shops themselves are quite small (around 100sqm). “It’s quite expensive to be located in the best shopping centres in the country,” Andre explained, “and we have to be focused on cost efficiency and ‘square meter sales’ all the time.”

Andre is proud of his staff and the way the team work together despite the miles between them. “We focus on communication between the shops and

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Retail Report: Mye Moro

Top: Oktoberfest is a growing celebration in Norway. Andre can be seen here (third from the left) with some of the Mye Moro team. Top right: The first Mye Moro opened over ten years ago at Manglerud shopping centre. Right: Mye Moro’s website helps to drive customers instore.

all employees to strengthen the team spirit and fun at work ethic! We think that is really important, and that’s why we have such highly motivated staff who are happy to bend over backwords for our customers. Without all of them Mye Moro would not be what it is today.”

WHAT’S INSIDE? Starting out as a joke and novelty retailer means that a sense of humour is important to Andre, and is one of the key values Mye Moro holds dear. “Of course, we always want to be funny,” he said, when asked what his stores offer the customer. “But most of all we want to be solid and nice, with a high ethics and business morals.”

The team achieves this by ensuring that all employees work as consultants, rather than just standing behind the cash register. “The customer must feel that we know our business and merchandise the best,” he said.

As for the product itself, it covers everything from value-for-money items to quality theatre costumes. “Fashion sense is very important among our customers,” said Andre, “and in my opinion is perhaps the most important ingredient for success. Many of today’s younger generation haven’t even seen a needle and a thread before, but they still expect fancy dress quality to be as high as any clothing brand.”

Andre also ensures the stores offer a good range of product, both wide and deep. “It’s an important element for us,” he said, “and so we always buy more and more. Maybe that’s the drawback of having two gay guys doing all the shopping!”

BUSINESS TALK Last year was a very good year for Mye Moro. “It was our best ever actually,” Andre commented. “We really focused on getting our existing shops and webshop even better, and spent a lot of time looking

inwards and trying to make each day better than the day before.”

They did this by making continuous small improvements across the shops and online, to better prepare for the new growth expected in 2015. “The webshop is quite important,’ said Andre, “it definitely brings customers instore, but I’m sure it could be better. The online market is quite crowded though, bearing in mind the relatively small Norweigan market.”

Mye Moro’s most important range is adult costumes and accessories, which make up more than 50% of its business.

Décor comes next, then balloons and

Horror Show According to Andre, Halloween is by far the most important season for Mye Moro. “Some 30% of our sales are Halloween-related,” he pointed out. “Halloween is big everywhere, from preschools to nightclubs and student parties.

Everyone takes part!”

Right: Halloween is a key party season in Norway.

partyware – while funny gifts and novelties are an add-on item.

“In our four shops this is the typical mix,” said Andre, “but I would believe it’s typical for Norway in general as well.”

THE NORWEGIAN PARTY MARKET The Norwegian party market is very much influenced by trends in both the UK and the US. “Film and television are really important, so licensing really plays a part – but we also need to consider fashion trends as they influence the market too.”

According to Andre those trends come in waves, moving from the 1970s to toga parties seamlessly. “Last year was all about The Great Gatsby at first,” he said, “and then Downton Abbey themes took over! Having said that, 80s and 90s partys were huge all year.”

Andre explains that the Nordic countries are adopting more international trends such as Halloween, St Patrick’s Day and Oktoberfest, while the traditional carnival and Mardi Gras season (in February/March) has not been popular for some time.

“Denmark has a big carnival season in February,” Andre explained, “but in the last ten years or so it has gone from Norway’s best season to just ok.”

Andre and Bjørne expect business to remain much the same 2015, perhaps with a small increase, as they are expanding their main shop in Oslo. “At the moment Norwegian consumers are quite pessimistic for 2015,” said Andre. “Our economy is driven by the oil markets, so we’re not expecting a great year ahead!”

The Norwegian party market has been growing in recent years, with more people holding theme parties. “We don’t sell a lot of Vikings, even if we are from ancient times,” laughed Andre. “I suppose it’s too close to home. All our suppliers still want to sell us viking costumes though!”

PARTY PRODUCT Party is an international market, and as such Andre and Bjørne travel all over the globe to see the latest trends and make sure they keep their fingers on the pulse. “We keep on top of party trends and fashions by living life and being curious,” he laughed.

When asked which brands have made a mark on the Norwegian market in the last year or so Andre didn’t hesitate.

“OppoSuits and Morph Costume Company are true innovators,” he said.

“Smiffy’s and Fever have wonderful, easy-selling packaging and great quality wigs, while Palmer Agencies have some incredible high-end Fun World costumes.”

THE FUTURE So what’s in store for Mye Moro in the future? Well, over the coming year, the main Oslo shop will be undergoing a major expansion as it doubles in size.

Other than that, while Andre and Bjørne are always looking out for good oportunities and locations, nothing is planned so far.

As for the Norweigan market in general, Andre believes that even more supermarkets and discount stores will begin participating in the popular party seasons. “No matter what happens, people will still want to be silly and enjoy themselves. We are going to be there all the way, providing them with everything they need for a good party!”

Which sounds like a good motto for us all!

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M

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CM

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Nuremberg Show Preview

Alles Ist Gut At

Spielwarenmesse

O

ften famed as the show where you can ‘meet everyone from everywhere’, it is a must-attend event for serious retailers. Nestled within the world’s largest toy exhibition, hall 9 is home to party and carnival, and is arguably the brightest and liveliest sector of the show.

Among key and well-known global manufacturers, the Rubie’s, Amscan, and BBS’ of the world, are hundreds of European product manufacturers, often specialising in Carnival dress up and accessories. The magnitude of arnival is widely hailed, with show organisers quoting retail sales of over 300 million euros at retail (2013 figures).

“The Nuremberg show is very important to us,” said Sergio Battener, marketing director at Palmer Agencies.

“We’ll be looking to expand our European distribution even further, and the show is ideal for that. It’s very productdriven and there’s a great atmosphere so we always have a successful show.”

The visitor profile is truly international, with attendance from over 75 countries.

For suppliers and manufacturers, it’s a must-attend event in order to further international distribution, predominantly

with partners in mainland Europe territories.

Abigail Buckle, new product development coordinator at Orion Costumes, explained the company’s focus on finding new partners. “Last year, Spielwarenmesse was tremendously successful for us in regards to meeting new business partners. Since returning, we have received orders from the Netherlands, Germany and Sweden.”

She continued; “We are very excited to be heading back to Nuremberg and to receive the same positive response to our new products for 2015.”

Licensed product is also becoming a larger draw for European party product, with 2013 Top: Licensing is important to the European figures also market, as these Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles estimating that from last year’s event indicate. Above: The over 35% of Wilbers Karnaval stand at Nuremberg 2014. sales were for character merchandise – an impressive 25% increase on 2009.

Andre Nerhagen, owner of Mye Moro party stores in Norway, gave an insight into that side of Norweigan market. “Film and television are really important,” he said, “so licensing really plays a part – but we also need to consider fashion trends as they influence the market too.”

Licensing continues to be important to supliers, but so too is innovation and bringing new and exciting ideas to the party market. “We’re excited to attend Nuremberg this year with what we feel is the most technologically advanced Marvel Morphsuit

Spielwarenmesse – or ‘Nuremberg’ for the diary reference – is home to one of the largest collections of party product on exhibition floor space, and is certainly the main show for manufacturers and suppliers who trade across Europe. With some 2,700 exhibitors, 75,000 visitors, and a whopping one million products on display, it’s not an event to take lightly.

SHOW INFORMATION 28 January to 2 February 2015 Register online: www.spielwarenmesse.de Party, Carnival, Fireworks and more: Hall 9 ever made,” said Fraser Smeaton, director at the Morph Costume Co. “For the first time a costume gives the wearer virtual superpowers via the app, which can be targeted via phone and watch. It will be seriously interesting to see how European retailers engage with this.”

“For years already the sales of costumes and accessories across Europe has not been restricted to just Carnival,” explained Mark Smits, of Wilbers Karnaval. “Each country has its own traditions where people like to dress up, so there are numerous events and parties throughout the year.”

Mark also explained that for the last ten years, Halloween has been increasing in popularity across mainland Europe.

“It’s expected that Halloween – and also Oktoberfest – will continue their enormous growth from the last year, since these are another great reasons for people to dress up and party.”

It’s clear to see that in order to keep up with the fast-moving trends of the party and celebration market, all major party product manufacturers and retailers need to make sure they visit the Spielwarenmesse toy fair. Or, to put it another way; Sie müssen sich an die Spielwarenmesse sein!

Right: Morphsuits digital Marvel costumes – like Ironman – are bound to get people talking.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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National UK Wholesaler/Distributor Tel. 01702 447676 - Fax 01702 447677 E-mail: sales@sanctointernational.co.uk

www.sanctointernational.co.uk

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Nuremberg Show Preview

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■ OppoSuits ■ Smiffys Drawing inspiration from current trends and popular culture, R H Smith believes its the 2015 collection is the best yet. A wide selection of costumes and accessories from the Smiffys and Fever ranges include never-before-seen Halloween costumes and accessories.

New for 2015 is Smiffys Tales of Old England costume range. Olden days England is full of famous figures, both real and imaginative, that make for excellent fancy dress costumes. Travel back through time and choose from kings, queens and other historical characters, from the medieval, renaissance and Victorian ages.

As a Dutch company with warehouses in Europe, OppoSuits is well placed to service the broad range of clients that come from all across Europe. As Carnival is slightly later this year, OppoSuits is expecting Nuremberg to be busier than previous years – and has a new carnival-themed suit for just that market. The company also has a number of new designs for 2015, including a new Halloween line and dramatic block colours for making a statement.

Balloon Time Helium Kits offer consumers the convenience of filling balloons anytime, anywhere to instantly transform an everyday space into a celebration. Kits are fully recyclable and made in Europe. Live demonstrations will be available during Spielwarenmesse.

Above: Balloon Time’s helium kits are great for offering consumers flexibility.

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Above: The purple OppoSuit is called, appropriately, Purple Prince.

■ dh konzept GmbH Offering a hugely comprehensive range of European manufactured party products, including exclusive designed paperplates, papercups, napkins, garlands, invitations andgreeting cards, table decorations and so much more. Popular ranges include the very successful kids party range Isis Welt, designed by Isabell Paustian.

Above: Historical lines from Smiffys.

Above: Yo ho ho! The pirate theme is a hit for dh konzept

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The Roller Coaster Costume makes a fantastic centrepiece at any party or festival where the emphasis is on group participation. With a little choreography and practice, this unisex costume will ensure a group is the centre of attention and the main attraction!

Palmer Agencies is one of the most highly regarded Halloween specialists on the continent, with 50 years of experience supplying the specialist Carnival and Halloween trade throughout Europe. Official stockists of Scream merchandise, FunWorld distributor to Europe, Palmer offers a wide range of new lines across décor, props, accessories, wigs, prosthetics, make-up and more.

Above: Scream if you want to go faster!

Above: Palmer’s classic Scream costume is always popular.

■ Orion Costumes

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■ Amscan Europe Amscan Europe is part of the Amscan Group, the world’s largest designer, manufacturer, and distributor of party goods. The booth at Spielwarenmesse will display new party and balloon ranges such as Minions, SpongeBob SquarePants, Transformers, One Direction, Prima Ballerina and Animals, as well as a wide range of Barbie and generic costumes.

Above: Colourful partyware from Amscan Europe.

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Magic by Freddy’s is an international manufacturer in the field of fancy-dress clothing. The Magic by Freddy’s collection is always unique; all designs for the fabrics and costumes are produced by the manufacturer internally.

View the entire collection via our online catalogue and web-shop at www.magicbyfreddy.com

Magic by Freddy’s Europark 7 3620 Lanaken, Belgium Telephone: +32 (0)89-730240 Fax: +32 (0)89-730241 E-mail: saskia@magicbyfreddy.com

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Nuremberg Show Preview

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■ Boland Party

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Accessories

The DualAir Sizer is the only inflator available to digitally and accurately size all modeling balloons and all latex balloons for decoration.

With two-speed motor and digital inflation of 5” latex and larger balloons, it is powerful enough to inflate a balloon inside a balloon.

The push-button display screen allows users to adjust inflation time in seconds, and includes a cycle counter. Retailers are advised to visit the booth to see the wide range of inflators available.

With the launch of two brand new catalogues and over 600 new products, there are plenty of good reasons to visit Boland Party at Nuremberg. Boland is well aware of the rapid growth of Halloween on mainland Europe over recent years, to the extent that it is only second to Carnival in much of Europe.

For 2015, many of Boland’s new items are designed for the increasing demand for props and décor. Thanks to the talent and skills within Boland’s own design studios, much of what can be seen on the stand is Boland’s own product, creating a cohesive product collection that works throughout Europe – not an easy task!

Above: Time for a European summer of love with Boland.

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Above: The DualAir Sizer is available from spring 2015.

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■ Pioneer Europe Nuremberg Toy Fair 2015 will see the official launch of Qualatex 2015 Everyday Catalogue which includes new licenses and the brand new Qualatex party range.

The Qualatex stand is essential for retailers as well as events and party organisers. It will be offering inspirational balloon displays, retail solutions, product demonstrations and the sales team will be advising on product offers and training.

There will also be a number of ‘trade show only’ product offers.

The Qualatex range includes an extensive selection of latex, foil and Bubble balloons, featuring licenses including Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon, Me to You, Hello Kitty, Lalaloopsy and more.

Party products are a recent addition to Pioneer’s portfolio, with tableware, candles, badges, banners and confetti.

Above: Inspiring product at Pioneer Europe’s stand.

■ Maskworld

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■ Rubie’s Rubie’s will be introducing several new costume ranges at the Nuremberg show. The hugely popular line of Frozen dress-up will have several additions to the range, while new Disney Princess dresses include an elegant new Cinderella dress from the live-action film due for release in the spring.

Rubie’s vast Marvel range will have new Avengers Assemble kids’ costumes as well as a great new line of Guardians Of The Galaxy costumes and accessories. The run-up to the new Star Wars movie The Force Awakens and the recent success of the popular Disney animated series ‘Star Wars Rebels’ have seen a surge of popularity, so Rubie’s has introduced a new kids range featuring The Inquisitor and Rebels Ezra, Kanan and Sabine.

Rubie’s will also be showcasing new ranges of costumes for TV shows popular in the EMEA region, including Mia & Me and Masha and the Bear.

Above: Rubie’s deluxe Inquisitor child’s costume from Star Wars Rebels.

Established in 1999 in Berlin, maskworld.com is now one of the leading online suppliers of high-quality costumes and delivers to customers all over the world.

The company specialises in make-up special effects such as latex prosthetics, fake teeth and lenses, as well as fantasy leather products and original Venetian masks.

This year at Nuremberg, maskworld.com is offering a wide selection of new lines, including over 1,800 masks, wigs, make-up products, special effects and leatherwear.

Above: Many Maskworld products are developed in-house and made in Germany.

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■ Wilbers Karnaval

Mask-arade has announced the launch of a brand new set of One Direction life size standees. These fantastic new official cut outs represent the band’s progressive style and will be on show for the first time ever at Nuremberg Toy Fair.

Wilbers Karnaval will be presenting a large part of its extensive range of costumes, hats, wigs and party accessories at Nuremberg. Wilbers annually presents more then 200 new costumes for babies, toddlers, kids, ladies and men – as well as plus and petite sizes – along with numerous new party accessories.

From pirates to penguins, musketeers to mice and spartans to spacemen, there really is something in the Wilbers range for every person and or event.

A dedicated European sales and customer service team, short lead times and sensible minimum order quantities help Wilbers meet the demands of evolving market places and individual customer requirements.

Above: One Direction standees from Mask-arade.

Above: Kids and adult lines from Wilbers are equally popular.

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©2015 PREMIUM BALLOON ACCESSORIES®

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Talking Heads

FEEDBACK As Progressive Party expands into the European market, we wanted to know how important the EU is to the party business and how that has developed in recent years. We asked suppliers to share their perspective on how other countries differ from the UK market, whether it has potential for growth and which trends and themes from the UK will translate well overseas, and vice versa?

Here’s what they had to say.

The European Effect Alan Green managing director, Alandra “The European party market is growing for us, as the concept of women dressing up for their hen night is increasing. They certainly know how to drink like we do and we believe Alan Green by providing more naughty fun and sophisticated products it will continue to grow as it has the UK over the past 15 years.

Customers in Germany, Poland and France seem to favour us but we’ve also noticed an increase in countries like the Netherlands, Hungary and Turkey. It appears that the European party industry is controlled by a few distributors who have exclusive supply with the various importers. This isn’t always a good thing; many small distributors will create more of a demand. Competition is good!

The European market has plenty of potential for growth for us as more of the traditionally religious countries love a little bit of fun naughty product. Although willy products are not welcomed in Turkey!”

Charles Dulles, head of export sales, Widmann “Widmann is active in 40 European markets, including all 28 members of the EU. A network of local sales Charles Dulles agents and distributors ensures close customer contact and serves as a sounding board for market trends and new product innovation.

Generally speaking, the fancy dress and party industry is expanding, both geographically as well as the number of occasions and events to dress up and celebrate. Traditional events like Carnival and Halloween continue to grow, especially Halloween, which was relatively

unknown in many parts of Europe until recently and is rapidly becoming a mainstream event.

In most European countries, theme parties have grown in popularity, and Europeans are beginning to dress up throughout the entire year, not just for a few seasonal events.

Price and quality expectations differ considerably from country to country, with varying tastes demanding a very broad assortment of party items from a pan-European supplier.

Intelligent and flexible product packaging is essential – our products are packaged and marketed in 16 languages, while our website is designed to be ‘European friendly’.”

Geoff Rees, customer service manager, Bristol Novelty “The UK market is well-established and any growth would be steady rather than spectacular, so the obvious area for extra Geoff Rees revenue is to look abroad. Bristol Novelty has seen a noticeable increase in its European business, in particular Germany, The Netherlands and Scandinavia but also further afield in Russia and the UAE. These markets do not differ much from the UK in respect of the products purchased and their command of English helps the process. It also makes us aware of our language limitations! The balance seems to be more internet companies than shops and this follows the generational change in shopping habits all over the world. Easter carnival orders are already starting to be placed due to the early date this year.

We think Europe is the area for future business and Progressive Party’s move into this area can only help spread the word about UK companies and what we can offer.”

Left: Any excuse! Fancy dress is not a seasonal event in the UK.

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Progressive Party Europe now reaches party and costume buyers across all European countries, both online and in print format.

Your friendly contacts are: Advertising and subscriptions Rob Willis robw@max-publishing.co.uk +44 (0) 203 370 4752 Editorial and features Jacqui Parr jacquip@max-publishing.co.uk +44 (0) 7742 822425

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Talking Heads

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Kerrie Stapylton marketing manager, Fun Shack “We see the opportunity of Below: Oktoberfest growth from the European in Munich. Germany’s famous beer festival has market as a natural started to creep into the progression of our position UK party calendar. in the UK. The European Kerrie Stapylton market is probably not as well-developed as the UK market both in terms of product and competitive pricing, largely down to the various distribution channels that service the end customer.

We believe that we have product lines that fit into the European profile as well as recognising the need to satisfy the Carnival aspect of the European fancy dress culture.

Fun Shack has already been successful with the introduction of its products in France and Germany with positive feedback via our distribution channels.

Entry into a new market or sector is always a challenge, the Fun Shack creative team see this as a real opportunity to provide unique product solutions for any party event.”

ike McGillion, M vice president of international retail and marketing, Amscan “The European market has always been an integral part of the Amscan business. We have, and have always Mike McGillion had connections with every country in Europe, either through distribution partners or key retailers.

Some European countries, due to their maturity on this category, are growing faster than the UK which is where party, balloons and dress-up have a longer history. Most UK-focused product and categories translate well into most European countries – the consumer’s tastes are a lot closer than people realise. Occasions can be different however, with Halloween only really beginning to grow in Europe and Carnival being nonexistent in the UK, for example.

We hope that the party market in Europe will continue to grow at its current rate – when the consumer is exposed to the category our experience tells us they want the products!”

Sergio Battaner, marketing director, PalmerAgencies “As the world starts shrinking due to globalisation, the internet and more trade, Sergio Battaner the European market seems more approachable and accessible.

Doing business in Europe requires a bit of common sense, practicalities and some tact! Let’s not forget, it is only the last few decades of peace that have brought Europe and its people closer. With an enormous variety of languages, English seems to be the Lingua Franca, but knowledge of other tongues is a clear advantage.

While the UK market is a bit more Atlantic-centric, the ‘old continent’ is more self-centred. There are clear differences that have the potential to become huge opportunities. Carnival is not Halloween. But it can represent more business in the long run!”

Tom Baker, managing director, Creative Collection “Party is all about having fun and mainland Europe makes partying a way of life in the early part of the year. We stock party ranges from over 25 mainland European party importers which means we have some very Tom Baker interesting lines, new to the UK market.

Brits are often accused of being a bit eccentric, but in my experience our friends over the water take everything one step further. A good example is carnival.

In France, Germany and the Netherlands, carnival is a holiday.

Everyone wears colourful costume and enjoys a drink – hats that can carry over three litres of beer are especially popular.

Spain celebrates Carnival in midMarch and locals spend five days partying, with parades, pageants and fireworks. Italy and Greece take their turn in April – so in the UK we celebrate Easter by eating chocolate while the mainland Europeans parade, play and party. Viva le EU!”

Neil Goldman ceo, Colpac “All European markets combined currently represent over two-thirds of our export market – and we deliver to over 50 countries around the world. We have seen strong growth in the snacking and party Neil Goldman sectors in traditional markets like France and Germany, where British creativity and innovation have been much appreciated.

Jelle van der Zwet director, OppoSuits “As we originate from the continent (Amsterdam), the European market is extremely important to us. OppoSuits Below: Masquerade at the has acquired a strong Carnival of Venice. Carnival footprint across the whole Jelle van der Zwet is a major event across of Europe, particularly most of Europe.

Western and Northern parts of the continent.

We feel price sensitivity and market saturation is lower in Europe compared to the UK, but it may only be a matter of time before that changes. Certain parts of Europe are underdeveloped within the party industry but that simply means high potential and a lot of growth.

There are so many occasions in the UK where fancy dress is now the norm, with non-seasonal fancy dress events making it a year-round industry.

This trend will translate more into the European markets which are currently dependent on the big seasons such as Carnival, Halloween and Christmas.

We have high hopes for the European party market and are looking for long term partnerships. Compared to the US, the European market (including the UK) is pretty fragmented, although hopefully that will change now that Progressive Party is expanding into Europe.”

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VISIT US AT STAND 3Q30-R31

+44 845 180 6545 www.angelsdistribution.co.uk distribution@angels.uk.com

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Show Preview: Spring Fair

The ever-popular catwalk shows will be back for 2015.

Spring Fair’s Party Picks Getting the year off to a great start, Spring Fair sees the retail industry come together to do business from across Europe and beyond. With perhaps the widest product reach of any of the major buying events, the four-day show offers around 70,000 retailers the perfect opportunity to see what’s new to the market.

By showcasing the hottest new lines from 3,000 British and international suppliers, Spring Fair gives retailers the opportunity to see exclusive products and brands outside their ususal remit, encouraging diversification and industry cross-over. Because the show covers

such a broad product offering – it is estimated that over 300,000 new products will be launched – it offers retailers a great way to keep up with the latest trends and fashions.

So whether you’re looking to expand your offering and try something new or focusing on a core area of your business, The Party Show will help you ensure your retail offering is as unique as possible. The popular catwalk and seminar area The Stage will also be returning to showcase the very latest in designs, creations and techniques – get there early if you want to get a seat!

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■ Alandra Alandra is one of the most innovative and creative companies when it comes to hen and stag products and managing director Alan Green says that 2015 will be no exception. A new Bride-to-Be Tiara has a whopping 95cm long white veil, while Alandra has also developed a giant 30” willy shaped foil balloon and a new sexy willy veil which has to be seen to be believed.

Also new for 2015 are naughty hen night games, baby shower games and something special for the fancy dress industry.

Amscan will be showing around 1,500 new products; covering key occasions and themes across the party, balloon and fancy dress categories. An extended costume collection includes a variety of exciting new costumes for key themes including pirates, story book characters, history themes, professions, Halloween and more.

Over 30 key licensed party and balloon ranges will be on display; from leading licensors such as Disney, Nickelodeon, Hasbro and Mattel. New first birthday ranges and accessories, combine contemporary designs with traditional colour themes while animal-themed ranges and new milestone party accessories will also be key.

Amscan’s expert ballooon decorator Chris Horne will also be on hand to run a selection of seminars and demonstrations.

Spring Fair’s The Party Show features party exhibitors offering the very latest in balloons, novelty items, partyware products, fireworks and a wide range of fancy dress.

Creating a party haven within the cavernous halls of the NEC, anyone who’s anyone will be at Birmingham’s NEC between 1 and 5 February 2015. Here are PPE’s picks of what The Party Show will be presenting to retailers in 2015.

The Stage One of the highlights of the February show is the The Stage, which is returning for the third time after its successful launch in 2012. Conveniently situated right in the middle of The Party Show, The Stage is a focal point for the party industry and plays host to regular seminars and catwalk shows, giving party retailers a lowdon of the latest trends, tricks and techniques.

■ Boland Party Boland Party will be launching brand new catalogues and new product lines including new themes such as hippie, party zone and 80s at Spring Fair.

In dress-up, Boland will be offering a brand new range of nails, wigs and an exciting range of Faux Real t-shirts.

Boland’s costume range much of the packaging has been brought in line with UK needs, and the company is now offering a far wider range of sizes. Innovative product development, competitive pricing and customer service is key to Boland Party’s offering for the coming year.

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Show Preview: Spring Fair

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■ Delights Direct The Delights Direct team will be showcasing one of the the biggest wholesale ranges of balloons, partyware and fancy dress in the UK. With many new additions to Delight’s extensive listing, like the fantastic new Bubble Guppies partyware range plus new offerings in licensed and generic tableware, costumes, accessories, balloons and much more.

With no minimum order and next day delivery on all UK orders, Delight Direct’s trade-only service is a must for all businesses in the party sector. A show deal will be available to new and existing customers alike.

■ Fun Shack ■ Creative Party Creative Party will be showcasing an incredible number of brand new ranges at Spring Fair 2015. With three new baby shower lines and four new preschool birthday ranges the youngest members of the family are well catered for. Four new birthday boy and five new birthday girl lines have also been introduced for the older kids, with on-trend colours and exciting themes keeping the children happy.

The new adult themed birthday lines include a classic brown Kraft paper style, which is very on-trend. Other new grown-up collections cater for special occasions with a rustic wedding ensemble, a new hen party line and a chalkboard retirement range.

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■ Celebration Crackers Celebration Crackers has been hand-making crackers in England for over 30 years and the company has grown continuously in that time. The company takes pride in how each of its crackers is individually hand-rolled, pulled and trimmed to the highest standard, with the utmost care taken in adding the finishing touches.

New lines for 2015 include the ‘Ros Sheirs Bunny’ cracker which is filled with toys, cookie cutters and other wooden gifts. The complete new 2015 range will be on show, as will a number of bespoke designs which are ideal for all sorts of special occasions.

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Fun Shack believes that the Spring Fair is the most important UK trade fair of the year and as such will be launching its compete 2015 range of innovative new costumes and wigs.

The company will be showing plenty of high-quality and affordably priced new costumes and accessories for men, women and children, as well as an extensive range of new and improved wigs. As always the Fun Shack team looks forward to meeting customers both new and old on the stand.

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InCharacter InCharacter Costumes will be exhibiting at this year’s Spring Fair with an exceptional selection of outfits. With a variety of unique and exquisite designs, InCharacter Costumes are all created from superior fabrics with premium finishing.

Gorgeous baby options include the adorable Precious Peacock, Baby Bat, Count Cutie, and Santa’s Lil’ Helper. Tweens and teens are also catered for, with a fantastic range of quirky costumes, which high-quality adult costumes for both men and women are also available in a range of sizes.

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■ Bristol Novelty Bristol Novelty will have about 700 new samples at this year’s Spring Fair with items from every category it carries. Customer feedback is important in deciding which items will become a ‘stock’ line, and retailers are encouraged to offer their opinions.

New lines will include higher quality adult and children’s costumes, more rubber animal masks, disguise sets and much, much more.

Last year saw a number of new lines sell out very quickly, so show up early if you want to see the new must-have products for 2015!

■ I.T.I. (UK) For the 2015 Spring Fair I.T.I. (UK) has doubled its stand size, allowing it to display its extensive range. Many new lines will be on show, including a brand new range of plain and printed balloons, new metallic and pearlised colours in both14” round decorator balloon and a matching range of 5” balloons.

The complementary collection of partyware and bunting has been extended for 2015 and includes a range of eight-metre giant bunting in single colours plus a brand new range of number , holographic, multi-coloured pennant bunting ranging from 1-100.

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Call the sales office now for more information or to request a 2015 catalogue +44 (0) 1202 590222 sales@creativepartyltd.com

New 2015 brochure available

NOW!

Anniversary House is a trading name of Creative Party Ltd www.anniversaryhouse.co.uk Creative Party Ltd • Roundways • Elliott Road • BOURNEMOUTH • BH11 8JJ • Fax: +44 (0) 1202 590333 • www.creativepartyltd.com

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Show Preview: Spring Fair

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■ Neviti Neviti is launching some fantastic new ranges at this year’s Spring Fair, including new wedding offering With Love, new summer party range Fancy That and Little Owls – a versatile range which features items suitable for birthdays, baby showers and first birthday celebrations.

The team will also be launching two brand new licensed ranges including ‘Dennis The Menace & Gnasher’ featuring the iconic characters from the renowned Beano comics and ‘Guess How Much I Love You’ with beautiful illustrations from this children’s bookshelf classic.

■ Maskworld.com Established in 1999 in Berlin, maskworld.com is now one of the leading online suppliers of high-quality masks, accessories and costumes, delivering to customers all over the world.

At Spring Fair, maskworld.com will be showing over 1,800 masks, wigs, make-up products, special effects,leatherwear and original Venetian masks. With an extensive product range maskworld.com has something for everyone, from theater and movie professionals to those looking for a costume for Halloween, Carnival, theme parties and even live role-playing.

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■ OppoSuits The latest installment of outrageous high-quality suits from Dutch company OppoSuits will be on display at Spring Fair, and there’s a lot to see. A new range of versatile block coloured suits which are suitable for all types of occasion includes Evergreen, Purple Prince, Yellow Fellow, Blue Steel and Cool Blue designs.

A brand new design called Harleking is aimed at Carnival within Europe and Mardi Gras in the USA, while a new Halloween suit (black with bloodied skulls) is expected to be particularly popular for that key party season.

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Northstar Balloons is launching a number of new lines which will be on display at Spring Fair. New air-filled balloons come packaged with a cup and stick, making it easy for consumers to inflate and assemble at home, with a self-sealing valve.

Other new lines include a fun new range of realistic looking dinosaurs, chevronpatterned numbers, and new symbols including hashtag (#), percent (%) and dollar ($) signs, to accompany the letters and numbers line.

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■ Mask-arade ■ Palmer Agencies Leading importer and distributor specialising in the party and Halloween market, Palmer Agencies carries one of the most innovative and comprehensive range of quality costumes, carnival masks, make-up, party decorations, wigs, accessories and display props. Palmer Agencies is looking forward to unveiling the new products for the coming year at Spring Fair. Stand-out lines include new décor lines and make-up as well as some fabulous new on-trend accessories and costumes.

■ Leg Avenue American brand Leg Avenue will be showcasing many costumes for all occasions at this year’s Spring Fair, with over 200 new original styles. While mainly a women’s brand, leg Avenue also carries costumes for the rest of the family.

Major new collections and extended lines for 2015 include the Doll costumes, the cosy costumes and a new Ninja line.

Leg Avenue is focusing on the fairytale category for the coming year, with all storybook characters included from sweet to evil and classic to rebellious!

Leading provider of licensed celebrity masks and cutouts.

The current range includes Disney Frozen, One Direction, Breaking Bad, Mrs Browns Boys, The Dark Knight and many more famous brands from the world of music, film, sport and television.

New Jose Mourinho and Diego Costa Life Size Standees are among the best selling products from Mask-arade and with the addition of new player face masks, the Chelsea FC license is set to be strong throughout 2015.

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Birthday Kraft

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Anniversary House is a trading name of Creative Party Ltd www.anniversaryhouse.co.uk Creative Party Ltd • Roundways • Elliott Road • BOURNEMOUTH • BH11 8JJ • Fax: +44 (0) 1202 590333 • www.creativepartyltd.com

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Show Preview: Spring Fair

1–5 FEBRUARY 2015 VOLUME SECTOR OPENS 31 JAN NEC BIRMINGHAM, UK WWW.SPRINGFAIR.COM

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■P retend To Be Pretend To Bee specialises in children’s costumes for imaginative play and is the only dress-up brand dedicated to preschool learning. Educational role play costumes include doctors and nurses, pirates and princesses and supersoft plush all-in-one suits.

Global Solutions for Clothing (GSC) started the Pretend To Bee brand six years ago, producing a range of carefully designed, good value and well-made costumes for children between six months and 11 years. The range offers some of the best quality generic role play costumes on the market, made with robust materials they are machine washable and made to last.

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This year, Rasta Imposta has some exciting new ranges bursting on to the scene, from new Crayola lines, British-themed costumes, flip flops, spray cans and more – all of which will be showcased at Spring Fair.

Alongside these fabulous new additions, existing lines will also be on show, including bestsellers such as Light Weight Penguin and Light Weight Hot Dog, as well as Zombie Banana and Anita Waxin’. The licensed Ted costumes are also expected to remain popular.

These Hollywood film-quality 3D FX transfers are in stock now. With terrifying designs including Vampire Bites, Cheek Decay, as well as Cut Throat, Running Dead and Zipper Face, these gruesome lesions are sure to add horror to any Halloween costume.

New for 2015 are Full Face Tattoos, and a brand new zombie range of transfers from Tinsley. All transfers are applied with water, with no need for latex or glue - making them an excellent and easy-to-use choice for beginners and make-up experts alike.

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■P arty Plus Party Plus, based in Acton, West London, is a wholesaler which operates throughout the UK and Europe. The company also manufactures its own shaped plate ranges, alongside being distributors for BBS, Amscan,Creative Party, Unique, Talking Tables, Gemma and many more.

Recent additions to the ranges include the new rugby ball, dinosaur and birthday cake lines which complete the extensive range.

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Rubie’s will be showcasing an extensive range of adult costumes from its 2015 catalogue at Spring Fair. The company’s impressive roster of licensed costumes will be on display including new ranges from summer blockbusters including Guardians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

A new adult dress is being introduced in line with the upcoming Cinderella live action movie, while a new Marvel line will tie-in with 2015’s summer blockbuster, Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Rubie’s will also be adding to its hugely successful Disney’s Frozen line with adult Anna and Elsa dresses, as well as a new line of sassy Alice in Wonderland costumes, including inflatable Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee outfits!

Spring Fair 2015 will see the official launch of the Qualatex 2015 Everyday Catalogue with products including new licenses and the brand new Qualatex party range.

New products to be showcased at the Spring Fair include an extensive selection of latex, foil and Bubble balloons, many featuring popular licenses such as Disney, Marvel, Nickelodeon, Me to You, Hello Kitty, Lalaloopsy and more. Recent additions to Pioneer’s portfolio also include party products, such as tableware, candles, badges, banners and confetti.

Product demonstrations will be taking place daily at both the Education Centre and on The Stage, while the sales team will be advising on special trade show offers and training.

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■P am’s For 2015 Pam’s Spring Fair offering will be displayed on a more modern and social stand where retailers can come along, enjoy a drink and have a chat with Pam’s friendly staff who will be more than happy to give updates on new products for 2015.

Pam’s will have hundreds of fancy dress costumes and accessories such as hats and wigs on display, while retailers are encouraged to take full advantage of the fabulous show offer. See page 9 for more information.

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S E M U T S O C S ’ N E R D L I H C S E I R O S S E C C A & S E S I DISGU TEACHER’S COSTUMES

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COME SEE US AT THE SPRING FAIR Tel: +44 (0) 117 972 4012 www.bristolnovelty.co.uk 50_PP_JAN FEB 2015.indd 1

Spring Fair, NEC 1st-5th February Hall 3, Stand T50–U51

Showcasing hundreds of new products and our exclusive collection of Forum lines.

17/01/2015 17:36

Focus On: Book Week

Turning

The Page

A celebration of the power of reading, World Book Day – which takes place on March 5 2015 – is the most popular of all the school-based book events. From preschoolers dressing up as Incy Wincy Spider to older children plumping for Harry Potter, schools across the country will be encouraging kids to wear their best character-based fancy dress. So that’s where we step in...

Right: Disney’s official Peter Pan line from Rubie’s always does well for book week.

W

orld Book Day was originally introduced as a way for schools to celebrate books and characters with children, and it quickly became clear that getting children to dress up as their favourite characters makes the whole experience come to life.

While World Book Day and other book week celebrations provide a great opportunity to encourage children to explore literature via the power of fancy dress, children’s fancy dress in general has increased in the last few years. It’s probably no coincidence that this has come about as harrassed parents have begun to grudgingly admit that their lastminute attempt to create a Cat in the Hat costume from an old pair of tights and a cereal box hasn’t quite gone to plan.

At the same time, the quality of children’s dress-up has improved enough to make costumes a viable play product, and so, with the pressure of not having to provide a home-made costume

removed, parents are free to turn to their nearest friendly party retailer to see what literary-themed lines are in stock.

Book week has increased in significance for Bristol Novelty over the last few years, and a seperate flyer is produced for the season each year – for 2015 it is 64 pages. Last year, Bristol Novelty widened its range to include an XL (146 – 158cm) version, to complement the three sizes already stocked, which was a great success. According to Geoff Rees, the season ranks behind only Halloween and Christmas/New Year in importance.

“Our most popular costumes are the historical lines such as Roman, Grecian and Victorian,” he said, “closely followed by the animal costumes. As for this year, we have introduced 47 brand new costumes to last years line-up – and thanks to our new link up with Rubie’s, there may well be further developments in the future.”

The literary celebration is similarly important to Pam’s, explained sales director

A Book Boost “There is undoubtedly a growing market and demand for book-themed fancy dress costumes for babies, children and teenagers, and sales of these products have increased significantly at Angels this year.

Book Week is one of, if not the, most popular time for children’s costumes, with only Halloween coming close in terms of sales and orders. Curriculum-driven fancy dress is continuing to grow, and we get hundreds of requests from parents with specific book characters in mind. As such, licensed costumes such as Mr Fox and Willy Wonka are particularly popular at this time of year, but as demand increases, so does parents’ creativity!”

Emma Angel, director, Angels Fancy Dress

Carl Taylor. “Over the years Book Week has become a very important time of year for us. Throughout the year our purchasers plan hard to make sure we have a successful time including sourcing new and exciting costumes.”

Last year Pam’s found that fairytale costumes were a huge success, with lines such as The Queen of Hearts and Robin Hood doing well. “As always, planning ahead is the key to success,” Carl continued, “and we have ensured we have a wide range of the best-selling 1 Everyone’s favourite detective is bought to life by Magic By Freddy.

2 Amscan’s knight in shining armour is inspired by classic fairy tales with this heroic costume.

3 This urchin boy costume from Bristol Novelty is perfect for school dressing-up days.

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4 Bristol Novelty’s Queen of the Nile costume is a great choice for book week.

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Focus On: Book Week

costumes in stock so customers can rely on us to supply them with the most popular costumes for this event.”

Also offering a delightful collection of fancy dress costumes to inspire children; from fairy tale characters to historical legends, is Amscan. Marketing executive Charlotte Cox explained that the range is also Amscan’s third most important costume category following the key seasonal events of Halloween and Christmas.

“We have a number of traditional and historical lines in our costume collection,” she said, “and they’re always extremely popular. We have outfits based upon fairy tales such as Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks and the Three Bears which are perfect for younger children and fans of the classic story, while historical costumes include crusaders, goddesses and of course ancient Egypt’s Cleopatra.”

This year Smiffys is expecting its licensed ranges to be more popular than ever, with the likes of Horrible Histories, Roald Dahl and Where’s Wally costumes selling fast.

“A whole host of brand new children’s costumes have already been released for 2015,” said Grace Hutchinson, marketing executive, “meaning both parents and kids Below: Rasta Imposta’s impressive selection of kids’ animal costumes are ideal for Book Week. Below right: Smiffys Roald Dahl license allows kids to enter the scrumptious world of Willy Wonka.

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will be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing their Book Day character.”

Continuing with the licensed costume theme is Rubie’s. According to trade marketing manager Struan Robertson, the most in-demand non-licensed ranges are those with a historical theme; Roman Gladiators and Victorian costumes, but licensed lines lead the way.

“Year-on-year it’s our licensed Harry Potter range which has seen the most uplift in sales during Book Week,” he said, “although Horrid Henry also does well, as do our Disney ranges such as Peter Pan and assorted Princess Dresses.”

Significantly, The Diary of Dennis the Menace has been shortlisted as one of World Book Day’s £1 books so Struan is expecting Rubie’s Dennis costume to be a popular choice. “We’ve also noted an increasing trend in adult costumes during Book Week for lines such as Mary Poppins and Harry Potter,” he continued, “which seems to be down to teachers getting involved, so we’ve also included an adult version of the Dennis the Menace costume to cater for that growing market!”

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5 Lost in Space! A Fun Shack costume which can be used for various kids characters.

6 Traditional Alice in Wonderland costume from Fun Shack.

7 A number of InCharacter costumes are available, with this werewolf proving very popular.

8 And for teachers who don’t want to be left out, Rubie’s adult Dennis the Menace costume is perfect.

9 Delights Direct expects this Dennis the Menace costume to be a big hit for 2015.

10 This Goldilocks costume from Amscan is ideal for book week – just add bears!

11 This pirate costume from Palmer Agencies is a versatile option.

12 New children’s costumes from Pam’s budget range of fancy dress include historical costumes ideal for book week.

Savvy retailers can capitalise on World Book Day and the surrounding celebrations by ensuring they stock a wide selection of kid’s costumes. Supermarkets are starting to see the potential in this relatively new dress-up season, but don’t have much room for a wide range, making this a great opportunity for independents to make the most of their flexibility. Go big on the window display!

Something Extra “Book Week grows year on year.

As we offer a quick turnaround service, we were kept busy last year up until the very last minute!

It’s an interesting event because some parents look to buy generic or licensed costumes off the peg while others want to make their own using accessories. It’s a great opportunity to do well with a wide range of product.”

Stuart Wheeler, account manager, Delights Direct

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Spring Time

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Join

The new year means spring is on its way, and with it comes a wide variety of seasonal celebrations to boost sales, from carnival to Easter.

PPE takes a closer look at what’s in store.

N

ow the mad rush of Halloween, Christmas and New Year is over and done with retailers will be looking towards the steady flow of seasonal events coming up.

These early ‘sub-seasons’ might not be huge but they certainly get the year off to a good start for the party market and offer a vital opportunity to keep momentum going as we enter a new year.

“All these mini events in the spring season help our industry,” explained Bristol Novelty’s Geoff Rees. “They offer opportunities for sales both in the UK and on the continent.”

Right:OppoSuits brand new Harleking design has a Mardi Gras look in purple, yellow and green and is perfect for carnival celebrations.

Indeed, certain celebrations such as St Patrick’s Day and Easter are celebrated worldwide, while Mother’s Day falls on different dates in different countries.

Other holidays – like Carnival and Mardi Gras – aren’t celebrated so much in the UK (although the market is growing), but are a significant season in Europe, with orders coming from countries like Cyprus and Italy.

Mother’s Day is an important occasion during the early months of the year; particularly for foil balloons which make an ideal gift to complement the traditional cards and flowers. According to Carl Taylor, Pam’s sales director, “Mother’s Day was particularly popular in 2014 and we are hoping to continue this popularity into 2015. We have plenty of lovely new items for our retailers!”

The first event to really get the party going is St Patrick’s Day, which offers a great opportunity to boost sales.

It’s easy to create an effective Above left: One of InCharacter’s cute bunny costumes, ideal for Easter.

Above: Delights Direct has a comprehensive range for the early seasons, such as this Leprechaun foil.

St Patrick’s Day - 17 March

Fun Shack has introduced a leprechaun and a sexy leprechaun ideal for any St Patricks day celebrations.

St. Pat’s Leprechaun (46” Foil Shape) from Betallic.

Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with Qualatex’s Shamrock balloons, these coordinating Microfoil and latex balloons will make great balloon decor for pubs, supermarkets and shopping centres.

Irish theme and the UK has embraced the event as a chance to celebrate as the winter comes to an end. Moving into Easter, which is more of a family occasion, it’s ideal for fun and games and giving kids the opportunity to get creative with Easter egg hunts and competitions.

While it has always been popular across Europe and the US, over the last few years Mardi Gras celebrations have taken off in popularity in the UK as well. Costumes and decorations have exploded, as the celebrations – which focus on music, parades, food, floats and excitement – get underway.

With any of these events, placing orders early is the key – so here’s PPE’s round-up of the best new products for this spring.

Carnival Time This Mardi Gras foil balloon from Betallic is ideal for signposting a carnivalthemed celebration.

Look the part for an Irish shindig with Amscan’s St Patrick’s Oversized Hat.

OppoSuits own shamrock covered Patrick has a new sidekick Evergreen. Perhaps for the cooler and more sophisticated partygoer.

Coordinating carnivalthemed balloons and other products from Pioneer make it easy to transform a room into a colourful carnival scene.

For all the luck of the Irish this St Patrick’s Day, choose Rasta Imposta’s Shamrock Sweetheart, Lightweight Beer Bottle or Green Beer Mug Hat to enter into the spirit of things. Fun accessories include the Leprechaun Hat, Irish Top Hat and Feelin’ Lucky.

Pioneer’s updated Masquerade themed balloons are perfect for carnivals, birthdays, proms, and other Mardi Gras-themed events.

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TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!

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© 2014 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. Nickelodeon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

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Spring Time

Mother’s Day – 15 March

Get creative for Mother’s Day and make a custom bouquet with Northstar’s rosette design.

This Big Head Rabbit costume from Bristol Novelty is a must for Easter egg hunts!

This Anagram Orbz balloon by Anagram is a perfect gift for Mother’s Day. Qualatex is introducing ten new Mother’s day balloons this year, including a brand new Tatty Teddy microfoil.

This 23” foil square flower is a lovely Mother’s Day balloon, from Betallic.

These Easter-themed sugarcraft toppers from Creative Party are ideal for Easter baking.

Easter – 5 April InCharacter has some loveable Easter costumes including Baby Bunny and Wee Wabbit, which include snap fastenings and skid-resistant feet.

Easter is a growing season for balloons and Qualatex has introduced a brand new Easter collection of both microfoil and latex balloons.

Mums are certain to love the pretty flower and heartshaped balloon designs from Creative Party.

It’s all about the bunny with this 39” foil chocolate Easter Bunny balloon from Betallic.

This popular item from Pam’s is perfect for Easter parties and a themed Egg and Spoon race.

These Mother’s Day crackers from Celebration Crackers can be filled with little gifts.

Create an Easter eggstraveganza with these cute chick and egg honeycomb decorations from Amscan.

Neviti’s new Fancy That collection is likely to be a popular choice for Mother’s Day, with its classic floral, butterfly and polka dot design.

Ideal for St George’s Day is this boy’s crusader knight costume from Fun Shack.

Neviti has developed its Easter Craft collection with a fantastic selection of colour-in products along with items perfect for fun-filled Easter egg hunts.

This cute Mother’s day foil balloon from Pam’s will go down a treat.

St George’s Day – 23 April

A wide selection of Easter crackers from Celebration Crackers include a ‘make and bake’ line, filled with themed cookie cutters and mini utensils.

The tried and tested Mr Jack from OppoSuits fits the bill for any St George’s celebrations.

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All Aboard

for the Smiffys Experience 2015

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19/01/2015 16:32 10:58 19/12/2014

Face To Face: Neviti Left: A new wedding theme for 2015: With Love.

An Invite

To Success

Leading partyware company Neviti is, appropriately, an anagram of ‘invite’.

Specialising in high-quality party tableware and accessories for everything from sophisticated weddings to funky children’s birthday parties, the Neviti name is synonymous with great design. PPE spoke to Cathy Locke to find out more about that elusive Neviti style and what’s in store for 2015.

A

BuckinghamshireEight new lines are based company, launching for early 2015, Neviti has including Easter Craft, experienced considerable Little Owls Birthday, Little growth since it first Owls Baby shower, Fancy began in 2007. Eight That!, With Love, Dennis years later, it offers a The Menace & Gnasher wide choice of ranges and Guess How Much I Above: Cathy Locke, Love You. The unique, marketing manager, Neviti. for every celebration imaginable and takes stylish designs offered by pride in the fact that fresh collections are Neviti make a real impact in the party developed by the team throughout the market, and Cathy acknowledges that it year. Has that always been the case? is: “very important that we remain true “As our business has to the Neviti style.” grown so has the vast The company ensures selection of occasions this by following a design and celebrations we process which involves cater for,” explained in-depth market research Cathy. “The most to find gaps in the popular occasions market, the latest trends for us are weddings, and what the end user children’s parties and is looking for. “We also seasonal occasions.” listen to valued feedback Neviti continuously from our customers,” releases new collections, continued Cathy. “Our covering all the major products will never You Love I Much How Guess range Licensed Above: seasons and special be the cheapest on the is ideal for baby showers occasions and ensures market, but the in-depth it offers something for all tastes and design process, high-quality materials changing trends. “Certain occasions are and unique designs all mean we have an really growing in popularity,” Cathy excellent reputation in the industry. We continued, “such as baby showers and want people to recognise the Neviti brand naming ceremonies. So for 2015 we and buy our products with confidence.” have introduced Guess How Much I “Trade shows also give us the Love You and Little Owls collections opportunity to get to know our customers to keep up with this growing trend.” better and find out how we can support

Brand Bits “It’s important that we choose established brands which our customers can sell with confidence.

For example, Dennis and Gnasher is a well-known brand – the Beano is loved by all generations and the popular TV show is an ongoing top ten programme on CBBC.”

Inset: The colourful new offering featuring Dennis The Menace & Gnasher.

Left: One of Neviti’s most popular collections (with both multiples and independents) was the Just My Type range. Featuring a type-writer style font and heart motif with the text ‘love is sweet’ the collection is perfect for weddings and anniversaries. Above: Neviti’s new ranges for 2015 include this fabulous Easter Craft collection.

Top Sellers Neviti’s top five most popular ranges are: ■ Keep Calm ■ Just My Type ■ Tiny Feet ■ Frills & Spills ■ Shimmering Snowflake them further,” said Cathy. “Independent retailers are very important to us and we offer the same level of service and support to all our customers no matter how big or small. Our aim is to make life as easy as possible by providing whatever they may need to help sell our products.”

The company expanded its sales team last year, introducing new team members to support both UK and international customers and sustain future growth. “We are committed to continuously offering a high level of service to our customers and building lasting relationships is very important to us,” Cathy continued.

The coming year is set to be a busy one for Neviti, with eight brand new collections launching in January and even more new collections already planned throughout the rest of the year.

Sounds like an invite to success.

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In The Woods

This fantastic range of woodlandthemed foil balloons from Betallic are great for children’s birthday parties with a difference. The Woodland Critter collection is on-trend, with an owl, fox, squirrel and hedgehog all making an appearance alongside New Baby and Happy Birthday message balloons.

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Matching Pair

The ever-popular range of plumber’s mate costumes from Fun Shack has been extended to include sexy plumber’s mate girl and a yellow and purple male and female version. An exciting new range of high quality affordable costumes and wigs is also in stock and available to order now.

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Fun For One

Amscan has added some exciting new additions to its 2015 collection including four brand new first birthday ranges with coordinating accessories. The All Aboard range features cars, trains and planes, Sweet Girl combines a pretty butterfly and flower design while the two Wild One collections each contain 19 coordinated lines.

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Boxing Clever

Food packaging solutions provider Colpac has launched two new ranges within its selection of party boxes.

Boutiques is perfect for kids who want to play shop, while Tropics will transport young party-goers to the magical world of the Amazonian forest. The boxes are fully recyclable and biodegradable.

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Air Solution

The MaxiCup II and MaxiStick II from Premium Balloon support large 18” to 28” foil, latex and shaped balloons, eliminating the need for helium. The MaxiCup II has a large oval holder for improved support of jumbo and shaped balloons, while the MaxiStick II offers maximum strength, rigidity and support.

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Say Cheese

One of the hottest trends last year was the photo booth. These are set to continue on into 2015 and the chalkboard photo props from Creative Party are the perfect accessory – they can also be personalised with chalk for an extra personal touch. Hen night photo props also add a touch of fun to a special night.

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Costumes

visit us at Spring Fair 2015 Hall 3 Stand Q47

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Best sellers Fancy Dress Box CAT E G O R Y

With the festive season over for another year, Progressive Party finds out the best sellers in December... from angels and elves to Christmas puddings and, of course, Santa!

Marcia Alker / St Helier, Jersey

M A N UFACTURE RS/RANGES

Sales and hire from a family-run business, just off the high street with ample parking nearby.

COMMENT

Xmas Adult Costume

Wicked, Bristol Novelty, Opposuits

Christmas lines like crackers, reindeer, snowmen were all good sellers. Good quality. Christmas OppoSuits sold well, but the generic suits were very popular too. Sale did better than hire.

Adult Costume

Wicked, Bristol Novelty, Smiffy’s

Lots of themes parties for NYE. Great Gatsby film influence meant 1920s sold well but 60s, 70s, 80s all very popular.

Accessories

Bristol Novelty

Lovely range of masquerade masks. Good value too – customers expect them to be more expensive.

Make-Up

Charles Fox

Kryolan theatrical make-up, eyelashes and face paints are popular all year but they had a really good run over Christmas.

Anything else?

Mesmereyez

Coloured lenses in bright blues and browns – natural colours but a bit more vivid!

Absolutely Fabulous CAT E G O R Y

Philippa Kaye / Frome

M A N UFACTURE RS/RANGES

OppoSuits

Kryolan

Specialising in quality hire and bespoke costumes, as well as a massive range of accessories.

COMMENT

Adult Costumes (hire)

Palmer Agencies

Palmer’s deluxe Santa was most definitely at the top of our hire list in December. We have multiple Santa costumes and they worked hard all month, going in and out continuously.

Accessories

Bristol Novelty, Smiffy’s

Bristol Novelty is simply the best for face masks. We stock a huge range of face masks and they sell all year but more so at the end of December for New Year. Wigs, beards and moustaches are always popular throughout December; lots of Santa wigs and beard sets.

Make-up

Pamarco, Snazaroo

We stock a full range of Pamarco false eyelashes which sell brilliantly all year round, but especially in December. Face paints and glitter gels are top sellers too.

Great cracker gifts!

Anything Else?

Pam’s

Glitter and coloured hairspray is very popular during December and is another of our best sellers.

Palmer Agencies

Pam’s

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Best sellers Fancy Dress Hire CAT E G O R Y

continued

Debbie Turner and Maureen Nobes / Hitchin

M A N UFACTURE RS/RANGES

COMMENT

Adult Costume (male)

Fun Shack, Smiffy’s

Classic fancy dress costumes mean there is no confusion over what people have come as! Pirates, aviators, bananas and hazmat suits have been popular this year.

Adult Costume (female)

Smiffy’s, Fun Shack

There were lots of fancy parties at home this year with people avoiding expensive pubs!

Popular themes were 80s Wild Child, 20s flapper and pirate outfits.

Accessories

Bristol Novelty, Smiffy’s

Bristol Novelty have the best selection of masquerade masks. They’re very popular and great quality. Fairy wings and halos also very popular for kids and adults.

Make-up

Snazaroo, Smiffy’s

This sells all year round, but around Christmas we have lots of kids dressing up for shows and nativities.

Anything Else?

Rubie’s, Smiffys, Bristol Novelty

Pirate and gangster hats and wigs. There were lots of themed parties this year, especially murder mystery parties. We also have a 8ft wig wall that is very effective and grabs people as soon as they walk in.

Instant Redress CAT E G O R Y

Fun Shack

Bristol Novelty

The shop has recently relocated to the high street and extended to almost four times the size.

Gill Crump/ Bridport

M A N UFACTURE RS/RANGES

Family-run business, just off high street, free parking on doorstep.

COMMENT

Adult Costumes (male)

Rubie’s, Fun Shack, Bristol Novelty, Smiffy’s

Superheroes, especially Batman and Robin were hits for the hire market. For sale costumes 80s were popular as several local pubs had an 80s theme for NYE.

Adult Costumes (female)

Fun Shack, Wicked

The 80s again for pub themes. Also, a local hotel hosted a 1920s Gatsby party so lots of flapper dresses as well as beaded and sequin lines.

Children’s Costumes

Wicked, Bristol Novelty

For nativity mainly, so lots of traditional lines. There were no Shreks this year, but lots of elves.

Accessories

Bristol Novelty

Themed parties again with 80s and 20s lines.

We almost sold out of everything, such as headbands, necklaces, garters guns, pistols with shoulder golder, gloves, fishnet tights.

Jokes and Novelties

Diabolical, Paladone, Creative

Stocking fillers and Secret Santa gifts. The most popular was a beer mat from Paladone that you hang from your nose!

Anything Else?

Smiffy’s

The red siren wig can be used for a number of different themes. It’s glamorous and overthe-top.

Wicked

Smiffy’s

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