FEEDBACK You don’t need us to tell you that 2021 provided a wide range of challenges to the party industry and beyond. Over the past year, you’ve overcome a pandemic, a shipping crisis and Brexit, to name a few of the hurdles. But when Progressive Party sat down with some key suppliers to discuss their hopes, expectations and plans for 2022, there was a lot of excitement in the air.
TIME TO CELEBRATE LISA NORRIS, commercial director, Amscan “While recovery to pre pandemic levels is set for 2022, there are still new challenges to face consequently, such as the headwinds of price inflation driven by global factors. This will be challenging for us all, but something the consumer will have to reconcile with. “Despite this however, there is still a plethora of things to be excited about for the year ahead. “Big birthdays are one for sure. With Amscan hitting the 75th birthday celebration and the Queen marking her 70 years with a summer Jubilee, we’re definitely in the celebratory mood.
“We’re excited to build on the significant sustainability progress within our group businesses, including enhanced projects such as the Terracycle foil balloon recycling scheme; continuing to lead sustainable products across all categories; and making sure we’re fully schooled on our carbon footprint and making positive tracks, something which has become the measure of a business to continue to succeed in this brave new world. “Amscan International also continues to drive innovation and new products throughout the year ahead, across both everyday generic, licensed favourites and seasonal ensembles. We’re looking forward to new launches throughout the year, and really hoping we can support our customers and consumers, to finally have the year of celebration we all deserve.”
MARK BRETT, sole UK agent, Boland
“The big hit for 2022 is the Queen’s Jubilee. This promises to be a momentous occasion, reinforced by a four-day weekend and the UK Government spending many millions promoting it. In April 2020 we had VE day, which despite being in a total lockdown, was a major success. But there was a shortage of last minute product. This time around, there will be little change, except it will most likely be many times bigger and there will be stock shortages, but for different reasons. “A number of suppliers have been offering ranges for some time and booking orders, but there are many who have not ordered. The likely shortages will occur if the remaining customers do not order in the early part of 2022 and leave it until later as the suppliers will not have, and will not be able to replenish their own stocks. “The beginning of June 2022 might seem like six months away, but from an ordering point of view it is more like two months at the most. The overall disruption to the world supply chain that we have all experienced will not improve within the first half of year. So please whoever your supplier is, don’t leave it too late.”
JONATHAN GRASSI, managing director, Grabo “Despite the pandemic for Grabo, 2021 was a year of great prosperity and satisfaction. “We have achieved unprecedented production records and we must certainly be grateful to our customers for the trust they place in us every year, but also to all the workers who are part of this great company. We are and will
22
always be, a community, which has proven over the years to be united and collaborative, in the bad and the good times, in the moments when the work increased exponentially and we were all ready to roll up our sleeves together. “We hope that the spirit of this ‘family’ will never die out, because it has always been the engine to keep things going and take Grabo up, right to where it is now. We are positive, we envision a flourishing future, the new recruits who have arrived at Grabo have proven to be
up to par in order to continue to do well. It was great to see how the veterans and newcomers collaborated and had fun together. Two generations in comparison who have combined wisdom, competence and experience on the one hand and novelty and discovery on the other, but also lightness and the desire to jump into it. It is precisely the young people who brought a breath of fresh air to Grabo by making us discover other points of view from which to look at the world.”
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE
22-23_Feedback.indd 24
19/01/2022 18:17