Progressive Gifts and Home October/November 2015

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October/November 2015

Drinking Jars Available from

emails: sales@xystos.co.uk

Contact

Tel: +44 (0)191 499 1570

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

From baby to toddler to starting school

EXHIBITIONS

THE HOME OF MARKET LEADING TRADE AWARDS

15

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

This Month

How do you fancy a bit of a giggle on your way to work each day? Yes, me too! And if you work at Ted Baker's HQ in London, that's exactly how you start your day, with unexpected ‘feelgood’ elements around every corner, from whacky illuminated buttons in the lift, to Ted's very own 'hug circle' well, just because. It was definitely the quirkiest company I've ever been to to do an interview, so if you're intrigued, find out more about their new lifestyle shop in London's trendy East End, as well as what makes them tick on the licensing front, turn to Ted At Ten Paces on pages 26 and 27.

Something else that made me smile recently was reading that BBC Breakfast's presenter Bill Turnbull was leaving the Beeb to "spend more time with his bees"! This has to be one of the most original reasons for leaving a company, but I've got to admit that bees are very close to our hearts this year too, as they are the theme of The Greats 2016, along with butterflies and birds. Not only have we been given permission to use the lovely artwork drawn by artist Sharon Jervis, the founder of home fragrance company Beefayre, but we are also linking in with one of our Greats category sponsors, Root Candles, to 'bee theme' our pre-awards champagne reception in the Ballroom at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane on Thursday May 5. (See Greats Awards Move To Park Lane on page 7). What's the link between the company and bees, aside from the candles being made from pure beeswax? Turn to Last Word on page 80 where the company's American president, Brad I. Root, tells us why, if he could only take one item to a desert island, it would be honey!

Talking of The Greats, it's time to enter if you think your shop is a winner. There's an entry form enclosed with this issue, plus, you can also visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk to read more about the competition that's now in its 14th year and continuing to go from strength to strength. No shop or gift department is too large or too small, with shops invited to self-nominate, and the gift industry at large sponsors, suppliers, agents and reps - all invited to let us know who their favourite shops are and why.

Please email your suggestions - or your entry - to me at suem@max-publishing.co.uk. The closing date is Friday January 22, 2016, and if previous years are anything to go by, we're expecting another avalanche!

Meanwhile, if you'll excuse the pun, one company that's buzzing with excitement is i2i Events Group.

For retailers who would love to know the hot hits when it comes to gifts - or children's products or home or fashion accessories for that matter - especially in the all-important run up to Christmas, there's now the opportunity to find out which products get the most clicks on the Spring Fair, Autumn Fair, Glee and Pure websites. How does it work? We put some questions to retail brand manager Saul Leese, who reveals that it couldn't be easier to identify the winners. Take a look at pages 59-61 for the full lowdown.

As this our last issue before Christmas, early Christmas wishes to you all for a hugely successful festive season. With confidence seemingly returning to gift retail this year - see On The Road on page 80 - let's hope there will indeed be plenty to celebrate!

Above: Sue with Stephen Senior, ceo of Root Candles, pictured at the Root's 'honeycomb' entrance to Hall 5 at Autumn Fair in September.

Cover: Cello Drinking Jars distributed in the UK by Xystos.

Publishers Jacqueline Brown, Warren Lomax and Ian Hyder

Design & Production Russell Sutton

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

Progressive Gifts & Home is published 7 times a year.

Subscription: UK; one year £50, two years £85 or three years £110. Overseas; one year £75, two years £125 or three years £165. Please send your cheque to: Progressive Gifts & Home, Max Publishing Ltd, United House, North Road, London N7 9DP. Tel: 020 7700 6740 Fax 020 7609 4222/020 7607 6411 email: ianh@max-publishing.co.uk Copyright 2008. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information in this magazine was correct at the time of going to press, the publishers cannot accept legal liability for any errors or omissions, nor can they accept responsibility for the standing of advertisers nor any organisation mentioned in the text. Views of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Inside 7-19

News

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Gift Of The Gab THE BUSINESS OF RATES

25

Sounding Off GIFT THAT GOES ON GIVING

26-27 Face To Face: Ted Baker TED AT TEN PACES 29-31 Feedback CAN'T PARK, WON'T SHOP 33-37 Spotlight On... Valentine's Day Gifts ALL LOVED UP

Bright eyes and

snowy tales NEW for 2015 – GiftScribes is adding to an already impressive selection of hanging Christmas decorations with a beautiful series of dainty angels and happy young couples. All feature pretty smiles and angelic eyes set in front of Christmas trees, stars, crowns and decorated front doors.

Every decoration is made from high quality poly resin, comes with a gift bag and a hanging ribbon and each can be personalised at the point of sale to ensure that every gift is unique.

Proven demand • Good margins Small minimum orders • Personal service Christmas

by GiftScribes Gifts

PAGES 33-37

PAGES 45-49

www.giftscribes.co.uk eMail: sales@giftscribes.co.uk Call: 01584 811 190

39-41 Retailer Focus: Whitehall Garden Centre HOW DOES YOUR GIFT GARDEN GROW? 43

Trends WINTER BLUES

45-49 Spotlight On... Bath & Body PAMPER DAYS, PAMPER WAYS 53-57 Spotlight On... Location Giftware MY KIND OF TOWN 59-61 Trend Charts: Christmas Bestsellers CHARTING SUCCESS 67

Face To Face: Emma Bridgewater STILL POTTY ABOUT STOKE

76-77 Best Sellers 80

On The Road: Anne Sutton

80

Last Word: Brad I. Root, Root Candles

Sue Marks Editor

Angie Bryant Advertisement Manager

Ian Hyder Publishing Director

suem@max-publishing.co.uk

angieb@max-publishing.co.uk

ianh@max-publishing.co.uk PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Industry News

The Greats Awards 2016 Have You Heard The Buzz?

Following the numerous enquiries PG&H has received in recent weeks from would-be entrants, the full details of the Greats Awards 2016 are now online - visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk - with self-nominations and nominations invited from gift independents through to department stores, garden centres and niche retailers, such as jewellery shops selling gifts.

With summer in mind, the theme for 2016 will be birds, bees and butterflies, with artwork for The Greats entry form and website kindly donated by Beefayre. (See A Honey Of An Image, right).

In addition, all The Greats category sponsors, gift suppliers and gift agents are invited to nominate the shops that they feel have really upped the ante over the past 12 months.

The winners will be announced at a spectacular Awards lunch in the newly refurbished Ballroom at the glittering Grosvenor House Hotel on London's Park Lane on Thursday May 5, 2016. (See Greats Awards Move To Park Lane below). An entry form has also been enclosed with this issue of Progressive Gifts & Home.

The last two Greats Awards events have been a sell-out, so for those who would like to be part of the gift industry's most prestigious event of the year - a fantastic chance to network! - please contact The Greats event organiser Clare Davies at Createvents on 01183 340085 or email Clare at clare@createvents.co.uk. p A limited number of sponsorship categories are still available. For further details please contact Angie Bryant on angieb@max-publishing.co.uk.

Left: Hooray, we've won! A joyous moment for the 2015 Greats Awards winners.

Greats Awards Move To Park Lane The prestigious Greats Awards event will be expanding next year, with a move from the Savoy to Park Lane's swanky Grosvenor House Hotel's fabulous Ballroom, which is currently undergoing a £7m refurbishment.

The event takes place on Thursday May 5, with an exciting, original pre-Awards drinks reception sponsored by category sponsor Root Candles, which will be embracing the theme of bees!

Explains Sue Marks, editor of Progressive Gifts & Home: "For the past three years, the Savoy in London has been a magnificent venue for The Greats Awards, but as the event has grown both in numbers and in stature, we felt it was time to expand and move to a larger and equally stunning venue that oozes glitz and glamour!"

The Grosvenor House, home to Award ceremonies that include the BAFTA Film Awards, Pride of Britain Awards, Q Awards and the Crime Thriller Awards, is one of the London's most prestigious venues.

Above: The Grosvenor House in Park Lane, the home of The Greats Awards in May 2016.

Left: The Grosvenor House Hotel's Ballroom is currently undergoing a £7m refurbishment which will be completed in the New Year.

Media Mania At Autumn Fair Reinforcing its positive impact on the gift and home industry, Autumn Fair, which celebrated its 25th edition, was a media hit in September, with i2i Event Group's Louise Young interviewed on BBC Breakfast TV where she highlighted that an estimated £1.2bn orders would be placed by retailers at the show.

Also helping Autumn Fair to hit the headlines this year was the launch of Europe's first trade event Top 100 chart, giving buyers insight into which products were trending at the show, with the charts based on the most clicked website products in the lead up. With the festive season in mind, the Christmas toy chart was picked up by both BBC Breakfast as well as BBC Radio West Midlands. (See Charting Success on pages 59-61).

"The feedback on this year's show was extremely positive," confirmed Autumn Fair portfolio director Naomi Barton.

A Honey Of An Image Taking the theme of birds, bees and butterflies this year, a huge 'thank you' goes to Beefayre for allowing PG&H to use the company's stunning imagery, drawn by founder and artist Sharon Jervis.

"It's been a delightful honour that Progressive Gifts & Home has asked to use my art for this most prestigious of occasions," comments Sharon. "We love that the magazine has chosen the topical theme of bees, birds and butterflies. It's great to raise awareness around the plight of the honeybee and all our hard working pollinators.”

Visit www.thegreatsawards.co.uk Above: Beefayre imagery which is being used for The Greats 2016.

The Greats Sponsors 2016 As The Greats Awards 2016 gets underway, PG&H is delighted to be fanfaring an impressive line-up of category sponsors, which include Carte Blanche Group, Joe Davies, Gisela Graham, i2i Events/Autumn Fair/Spring Fair, Kaemingk, London Stationery Show/National Stationery Week, PG Live, Premier Decorations, Really Good/Soul, Parlane International, Root Candles, Wild & Wolf, The Giftware Association, Xystos and Yankee Candle.

New Distribution Deals For Joe Davies Joe Davies has become the official distributor for bath and body company Rose & Co in the UK and Eire, featuring products from the Patisserie de Bain and No. 84 collections, which are hand crafted and made in the UK. (See Bath and Body on pages 45-49).

Also being distributed by the company is the antiseptic ointment Amazing Zam-Buk which is packaged in a tin based on the original Victorian design.

Above: Joe Davies recently become the new distributor for Rose & Co. and Amazing Zam-Buk.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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NEW!

Seasonal collections from the world’s best loved candle Advanced orders now being taken +44 (0)117 316 1200 www.yankeecandle.co.uk

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Industry News

Top Level GA Appointment 'Life Change' For New Chief Executive Sarah Ward has been announced as the new chief executive of The Giftware Association. She takes over from Isabel Martinson who left during the summer.

Sarah, who has been a director at Penny Kennedy, part of the Swan Mill Group, for the past 11 years - has built a reputation in the industry for both her drive and sense of style. She says the move to The Giftware Association follows her decision to “embrace a complete life change”. As she explains: “I have a plaque on my wall at home that says, ‘courage is taking the first steps to your dream, even if you can’t see the path ahead’. And, excitingly, the role within The Giftware Association gives me the opportunity to step out boldly on my new path."

Enthuses Sarah: “I'm so looking forward to working with Above: Sarah Ward, the new chief executive everyone involved in the gift and home industry and I’m sure great of The Giftware Association. things can be achieved in the coming months and years.”

Her retail background encompasses senior management roles with the Arcadia Group and Coast.

She has also worked as a store manager for Next and the Burton Group, “We are thrilled to have someone with Sarah’s retailer and supplier experience leading The Giftware Association into an exciting new era," says GA chairman Michael Papé. "She understands our mission to create more trading opportunities for our members and subscribers through new GA initiatives, helping them to prosper and grow.”

Trade Site Update One year on, Carte Blanche has unveiled a raft of improvements to its trade site online ordering facility, and is also offering an introductory 10% discount, applied to the first order, for customers placing an order via the trade site for the first time.

“We’ve listened to our customers to ensure that our Trader Site really delivers in terms of the service they should expect," explains customer relations manager Chris Barrett. "As well as improvements to the navigation and ordering process, we’ve also made changes to ensure the site is mobile friendly, as many of our customers wanted to be able to access our products whenever and wherever they are wanted. Customers can also download imagery and barcodes for each of our ranges, which, following our user survey, was an important function to offer.”

Below: Making it easier to shop, the updated Carte Blanche trade website.

A Man With A Plan Jeremy Corner, md of Blue Eyed Sun and Ivy Ellen, (greeting card and wedding stationery companies respectively), will succeed the GA's current vice chairman, Henri Davis, who becomes chairman of the GA in 2016.

Looking ahead, Jeremy says that he is excited at the prospect of helping the GA to become even more relevant. "We are living in a world that is shifting from institutional thinking – which is closed, selective and controlling – to network thinking which is open, random and supportive.

"This is led by massive changes in the internet and digital technologies which are disrupting industries globally. Our own, as a whole, will benefit hugely from a GA that is more in line with these changes open to everyone, random and accepting of the variety of members’ needs, and supportive of growing and protecting the giftware industry.”

Adds Henri: “As a supplier with skills in harnessing new technologies and social media to drive businesses forward, Jeremy is able to look at these opportunities from a different perspective. I believe his insight and understanding of these areas will be invaluable to The GA and its members as we all look to prosper in the future.”

Jeremy, who joined the GA in 2003, is a regular speaker on social media and export, runs his own blog and is a Sage Business Expert, working closely with leading social media experts around the world.

Above: Jeremy Corner, the newly appointed vice chairman-elect of the GA. Left: Henri Davis, the GA's current vice chairman.

A Christmas Cracker With almost all stands sold, new exhibitors on board, and a year on year increase in visitor numbers for the past five years, the organisers of Harrogate Christmas & Gift (Jan 10-13 2016) are looking forward to a bumper show. "Harrogate Christmas & Gift continues to go from strength to strength and is now considered the number one trade show for garden centre and visitor attraction buyers as well as department stores and independent gift retailers," says show organiser Simon Anslow. Visit www.harrogatefair.com

Felt Tips At The Ready One of the latest trends for grown-ups, that's coming through for gift shops, are adult colouring books. Four colouring books for adults are already in Amazon UK's top ten selling books, with Waterstones reporting a year-onyear sales increase of over 1000%!

Due to increased levels of stress, and the feeling of being overworked, it seems adults are seeking a creative relief to ease the pressure of everyday lives, say forecasters Trend Bible.

The company says that rapid growth of the adult colouring book is one example of this trend reaching the mass market, representing part of a much broader cultural shift towards embracing a carefree and childlike spirit.

Above: Secret Garden by Among those topping the Johanna Basford is the best sellers lists is Scottish top selling adult colouring book. illustrator Johanna Basford, who has sold around seven million copies of her first book - Secret Garden - worldwide, leading to a surge of similar books such as Animal Kingdom by Millie Marotta and Calming Colouring by Graham Leslie McCallum.

Celebrities who are said to have embraced the craze include Nigella Lawson and Kirsty Allsopp.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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7-11 FEBRUARY 2016

SAVE THE DATE.

NEC BIRMINGHAM UK VOLUME OPENS 6 FEB

Secure your complimentary ticket to the UK’s largest showcase of inspirational new gift and home products.

www.springfair.com Espresso Cup, Bialetti, Hot Plate Products · Tree, CB Imports · Pineapple, Two’s Company by Mulhouse · Stool, Baa Stool · Foo Dogs, India Jane · Cockatoo Cushion, Bombay Duck · Patterned Cushion, CB Imports.

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Industry News

Customers In Control John Lewis Reveals A New 'Master Shopper'

Fund Raising For Hattie Below: A new John Lewis report has revealed the rise of the master shopper.

A surge in shoppers using their mobile phones to buy online has created the rise of the ‘master shopper’, according to John Lewis. Around 60% of traffic to the retailer’s website is now driven by mobile phones.

The third annual John Lewis retail report - How We Shop, Live & Look - has confirmed a new age of shopping, with a confident, flexible master shopper taking control of the omnichannel shopping environment, moving between a phone, tablet or PC, store or call centre, to get what they want, in the way that they want it.

The report, a comprehensive review of Britain's shopping habits this year, proves that today's customer is more savvy and empowered, thanks to a new and dynamic form of shopping that mixes research methods, advice and shopping channels.

Two thirds of John Lewis customers used both physical shops and online channels, with the number who bought from both channels increasing by 9%.

"2015 will become known as the year the master shopper came of age", states John Lewis' md Andy Street. "Shoppers are now more enabled and more in control than ever. It's an exciting time in retail history with John Lewis well-positioned to lead the revolution in providing the services the master shopper needs."

However, despite omnichannel purchaing, a trip to the shops still remains a key part of the journey for master shoppers, particularly when it comes to touching, tasting and trying before they buy. The report highlights that while shops still serve a 'need it, buy it' purpose, customers are also are using social channels for inspiration on what to buy, engaging with friends and the John Lewis website to research and gather information which is fuelling significant growth in the retailer's social platforms. Since last year, John Lewis' Instagram channel has grown by 338%, with Pinterest and Twitter also growing by 68% respectively. However, Facebook remains the most popular, with almost 1m followers to date.

Adds Andy Street: "Our shops are changing to become more inspirational and multi-purpose than ever before. We're helping facilitate our customers' abilities to shop anytime, and anywhere, and to make their user journey the most flexible it has ever been. Shopping today is less about 'I need it now' and more about 'I need it flexibly, when I want'."

The report says that other highlights that have helped to shape the way we shopped include: p Black Friday, which saw the highest volume of sales in shops and online. p Technology items which have seen the demise of traditional wedding gift items, such as crystal stem glasses and formal silver tableware - although crockery remains a top gift list item. p The birth of Princess Charlotte, which caused a spike in christening items. The store recorded a 170% increase, attributed to Princess Charlotte's celebrations in July.

Closures Overtake Openings In the first half of 2015, more shops - both big and small - closed than opened for the first time in the past five years, reveals new research from the British Independent Retailers Association (bira) and the Local Data Company (LDC).

Since 2010, the net number of independents has grown, adding more than 7,000 extra shops to the high street, and providing the only significant driver of reduction in the vacancy rate of shops. Bira says that this has been a lifesaver for town centres in a period in which multiples have consistently shuttered shops – as they continue to do.

The number of openings of independents has remained fairly consistent since the crash - at about 15,000 a year in this wide sample - indicating some 30,000 in the wider economy. But closures have been accelerating, and this year they have caught up with and overtaken openings.

Every region in the country has seen a fall in numbers in the first half of this year, with the exception of the North East, which recorded a tiny net gain of shops. Independents as a whole fell nationally by 144, but, in the first six months of 2014 they rose by 289. By comparison, 2011 saw a gain of over 3,600.

Bira points out that prices in shops have been falling for more than two years, faster than inflation measures such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The costs of employing people and occupying property continue to rise ahead of inflation. Six out of 10 shop leases are due for renewal by 2017 with the end of a lease the most frequent cause of shop closure.

Gift retailer Lynn Tait, owner of the Lynn Tait Gallery in Leigh-on-Sea - who herself has multiple myeloma, a bone marrow cancer - is holding an inspirational raffle to raise funds for a two year old girl called Hattie, who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukaemia 10 months ago. Hattie has had 40 blood transfusions, 400 tablets of daily chemo, 15 general anaesthetics, 150 doses of steroids and countless blood tests and IV meds, and isn’t even half way.

Hattie’s parents, Katie and Chris, are patrons of Leukaemia Care, and to help raise funds for the charity, Lynn is selling raffle tickets at £2 each, offering the winner a prize of over1000 high quality photographic cards by three of the world’s top photographers, to include Charlie Waite.

Tickets can be bought directly from Lynn by emailing her at: info@waiteandtait.com. The winner will be drawn at random on November 23.

Below: Hattie is the focus of a fund raising raffle organised by gift shop owner Lynn Tait.

TV Times For Henry Could 11 year old Henry Patterson be the next Richard Branson? If his current form is anything to go by, it's a distinct possibility. The young entrepreneur - who created the children's gift brand Not Before Tea, and is author of The Adventures of Sherb and Pip - is celebrating the company's first anniversary with the launch of an online video channel.

Not Before T-V is produced and presented by Henry, with co-presenter Bubbles the Goldfish, a character in his story books. " "When I do school book tours, I get asked so many questions about how I published my book, how I Above: Young entrepreneur Henry Patterson. got started and what I do when I am not at school or running my business," he explains. "Not Before T-V shows you what goes on behind the scenes."

Currently, his business empire spans over 50 products, all designed by him, which are stocked in 55 outlets across the UK. Henry has met a number of business leaders including Richard Branson, and will be launching two further books in the next six months. Visit www.notbeforetea.co.uk/nbtv/ PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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For more info please email sales@xystos.co.uk or call 0191 499 1570

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Industry News

Living Wage

How Cool! Is That?

Below: One of 45 Oliver Bonas stores.

Oliver Bonas Leads The Way Lifestyle retailer Oliver Bonas recently became the first high street chain in Britain to pay staff an independently calculated living wage.

Employees aged 18 and over are now getting paid a minimum of £7.85 an hour, or £9.15 in London. (This compares with the national minimum wage of £6.50 an hour for over-21s and £5.30 for workers between 18 and 21).

“We are thrilled that we are now able to pay the Living Wage to all members of our team," commented Oliver Tress, founder and md of Oliver Bonas. We want to do everything we can to pay our team at Oliver Bonas a wage that reflects their hard work and loyalty - and the ‘real’ cost of living, and it is exciting to be the first retailer on the high street to make this commitment. This is a direct result of the hard work of our team, helping us to grow the business at a good, steady pace over the last 20 or so years. We hope it also encourages more people to come and work with us in the future."

In his summer Budget, George Osborne surprised many by announcing that the minimum amount employers must pay staff aged over 25 was to rise to £7.20 an hour from April next year. The figure will climb to £9 by 2020. The measure is part of a strategy to boost productivity, remodelling Britain as a “higher wage, lower tax and lower welfare” country.

Cool! Cards and Gifts in Skipton was the winner of Cherry Orchard's Shop of the Month competition for September, with owner Tina Botterill receiving a prize certificate and a bottle of champagne. The shop now goes through to the next round, and will be entered into a Grand Prize Draw where one lucky Shop of the Month winner will win a grand prize of £1000 worth of greeting card stock (based on RRP) to be presented at Spring Fair in February.

Below: Tina Botterill (right), owner of Cool! Cards and Gifts, received her prize certificate and a bottle of champagne from Cherry Orchard's Karen Rathbone, area sales manager for the North East, Yorks & Humber.

Little Hats Go Big At Oliver Bonas Oliver Bonas has partnered with Innocent and The Point 1888 to create life size hats in support of the Big Knit for Age UK, in order to help keep older people warm this winter.

Now in its 12th year, the Big Knit sees knitters across the UK knit miniature woolly hats to adorn Smoothie bottles which will be sold in store nationwide from February next year. For each be-hatted Smoothie sold, Innocent will donate 25p to Age UK. Oliver Bonas meanwhile, has teamed up with The Point 1888 to create six life size, limited edition hats available exclusively from the company.

"We love Big Knit and are thrilled that we are working with our friends at Innocent to help raise money for Age UK," says Oliver Tress, founder and md of Oliver Bonas. "It is an exciting collaboration. Two great companies working together for an important cause."

Left: Above: Hats off/on to Oliver Tress, founder and md of Oliver Bonas (left) who is shown with Nick Canney, md of Innocent.

When Fragrance Met Fashion In an exciting fusion of fragrance and fashion, Ashleigh & Burwood's A Thousand Rose Petals fragrance was a hit at London Fashion Week, scenting Fyodor Golan's SS16 show - a fashion brand that's a favourite of Rita Ora and Laura Whitmore.

The collection featured prints inspired by '80s TV show Transformers, as well as bright red, yellow and pink rose prints, which were complemented on the day by the release of Ashleigh & Burwood's A Thousand Rose Petals fragrance.

The fragrance, was distributed into the British Fashion Council show space at Brewer Street car park using a combination of home sprays and reed diffusers from the company's The Scented Home collection.

Ashleigh & Burwood attended the show with upcoming lifestyle blogger Rosie Ladkin of www.agirlonajourney.com, who had already spoken highly of the company's fragrances online. Rosie, who has upwards of 10,000 followers on Twitter, later reported: "A lot of the fabrics featured in the SS16 collection include floral patterns or retro flower features in them, and filling the venue with a really gorgeous floral scent, A Thousand Rose Petals, from Ashleigh & Burwood really tied the whole experience together for me."

Thinking Of You Week Goes From Strength To Strength Retailers, publishers, suppliers and even Royal Mail, (who created a special franking mark), got behind the second consecutive Thinking of You Week last month. The initiative, which was instigated by the Greeting Card Association (GCA), ran from September 21-27 and encouraged people to send an extra card a day for the duration of the week.

A raft of promotions ranged from Thinking of You Week competitions and special card offers to imaginative window displays, with everyone enthusiastically joining in the theme of letting friends and family know that someone, somewhere had been thinking about them.

Among the gift and card retailers to embrace the promotion was Heidi Early, a director of Earlybird Designs in North London, who said that the shop had had a terrific response to its children's Design A Card competition. "We displayed the entries in the window before choosing a winner," Heidi explained.

Below: Thinking Of You Week, organised by the Greeting Card Association, was another huge success.

Right: A Thousand Rose Petals fragrance from Ashleigh & Burwood's The Scented Home brand.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Unicorns

TRADE SHOWS 2016 17 - 20 Jan : Giving and Living: Westpoint - Exeter, UK Stand A 718/619

29 Jan - 1 Feb : Homi Milano - Milan, Italy

20 - 23 Jan : Formex - Stockholm, Sweden 22 - 26 Jan : Maison & Objet - Paris, France

3 - 7 Feb : Intergift - Madrid, Spain

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7 - 11 Feb : NEC Spring Fair International -Birmingham, Hall 4 Stand C10-D11 23/10/2015 12:54

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Industry News

Waxing Lyrical Company Aiming For £20m Turnover Wax Lyrical is targeting a £20m turnover by 2017 with the launch of new ranges and the development of a new home fragrance offering.

Following a recent £1m investment in the factory, md Joanne Barber has signalled that improvements in productivity, reform of manufacturing techniques and upskilling of staff, means the company will achieve this growth while maintaining current staffing levels.

“Our recent investment in the factory has allowed us to enter the seasonal gifting market in a serious way and is helping to drive improvements in productivity," states Joanne.

"We are in a really strong position to take Wax Lyrical to the next stage of growth.”

Seasonal gifting ranges include a Christmas gifting collection for 2015, while other special occasion/seasonal gifting ranges have also been developed for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter. A garden range will be launched for Spring/Summer 2016, coinciding with the Olympics and Euro 2016.

In addition, the company’s R&D team recently developed a new super-wax blend which gives Wax Lyrical’s candles a stronger fragrance and longer burn.

The company, based in Cumbria, has its own in-house laboratory and employs two full time PhD chemists.

Above: Joanne Barber, md of Wax Lyrical.

Left: Wax Lyrical's new advent calendar, part of its seasonal gifting ranges.

Black Friday Sales Surge Predicted Black Friday – the Friday following Thanksgiving in the US – has become the biggest day for retail spend in the year, with retail forecaster GfK predicting that 2015 will be the biggest yet.

Last year, UK consumers spent £375 million during Black Friday week, which was up 23% on figures in 2013. “We’ve seen year on year increases not just in the total retail value, but also the increase in ticket price,” GfK's Max Templeman told delegates during his seminar at Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) in October. “Consumers are buying big ticket items during the Black Above: Shoppers will be getting ready to flash their cash on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Friday sales, and we expect to see another increase in 2015.” p With Black Friday and Cyber Monday established as major days in the retail calendar, Singles Day, which originated in China on November 11, 2011, could be set to become a huge shopping event in the UK too, stealing a march on Cyber Monday. According to ParcelHero, it currently represents the biggest online sales day in the world.

Second Export Award For Portmeirion Group Portmeirion Group recently added to its trophy cabinet by scooping the prestigious Medium and Large Exporter Award at this year’s Insider Midlands International Trade Awards which were held in Birmingham in October.

According to the judges, the Group epitomised the renaissance of British manufacturing and exporting. They were praised for reinforcing the Made in England stamp and for bringing new life to the ceramics sector, boosting production in the Midlands, investing in technology and people, and developing exports to three quarters of the company's output.

“This is a fantastic achievement and is further recognition of the hard work from everyone in the business over the last 12 months," commented Phil Atherton, Portmeirion Group's sales and marketing director. "To Above: Portmeirion Group has receive another award for received a second international award this year. our international performance is outstanding."

The accolade comes hot on the heels of the company's success at winning the Exporter Large Award at this year’s West Midlands Business Masters Awards.

Over the last year, Portmeirion Group has reported a 25% growth in emerging markets such as Taiwan, Pakistan, Thailand and India.

New Distributor For FRED From January 2016, Kitchen Craft will be the official UK distributor of FRED design-led gift products, which aim to put the fun into the home. Quirky products cover four sections: Table, Kitchen Kids and Party.

Explaining the name, namesake Fred Roses comments: "My mom always told me that Freds were friendly, fun and helpful around the house, which is what FRED the company aims to be."

Kitchen Craft and FRED are both owned by the USA's Lifetime Brands.

Below: Fred Slow Brew.

Window Display Winner Gift shop Your Unique Chique in Alton, was the lucky winner of the Enesco 2015 Wedding or Baby themed window display competition, winning an M&S voucher for £400.

"Your Unique Chique picked a Beatrix Potter theme and not only created a wonderful window display but also spread the display throughout the town of Alton," explains Enesco's director of marketing Helen Shield. "We were overwhelmed with the effort and creativity of our dedicated retailers."

Also meriting a special mention were: Off the Wall, Hereford; Abracadabra, Sedburgh; Simply Gorgeous Gifts, Brampton; The Samovar, Melksham; and Lanchester Country Home & Gift, Lanchester.

Left: Your Unique Chique in Alton won Enesco's recent window display competition.

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Industry News

Spring Fair 2016

NEWS IN BRIEF

Buyers Power List A new category, Best Online Retail Buying Team, has been added to i2i Events Group's Buyers Power List 2016.

"Last year was our inaugural awards which caused lots of excitement and anticipation as we recognised the individuals and buying teams that keep the retail industry moving forward," commented Nick Davison, Spring Fair's show director.

"We will once again be looking for those teams and individuals who consistently demonstrate great buying decisions and are most valued by suppliers."

The awards, launched for the first time last year, are designed to celebrate, reward and recognise the contributions of buyers and retailers throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The winners are chosen using an industry-voted nomination system featuring six key categories: Best Buying Team Multiple (six stores or more), Best Independent Buying Team, Best Pure Play Buying Team and the Buyers Power List itself.

The first round of nominations will reveal a Power 30 list of 30 buyers who industry peers will vote for and rank to produce an overall winner - considered by the industry to be the most inspirational retailer in the country.

The Buyers Power List shortlist will be compiled and reviewed in the run up to Spring Fair by an advisory panel of key industry influencers that include The Giftware Association, bira, bira direct and BHETA. The winners will be announced at Spring Fair, which takes place from September 7-11 at the NEC, Birmingham.

To vote, visit www.springfair.com/Content/SpringFair-s-2016-Buyers-Power-List Left: Spring Fair opens its doors in February.

Very Non PC TV For the golden oldies in the industry, an item on BBC TV's Pebble Mill in 1976, filmed in Birmingham, will have them giggling in the aisles, most notably, at the political incorrectness of the exhibition's TV coverage in today's very PC world!

The clip, recently shown again on TV, dates back to the first Spring Fair at the NEC, revealing a side-burned presenter not only languidly smoking a cigarette on screen, but having it lit by one of a bevy of so called 'dolly birds', scantily dressed in a bra she was promoting at the show. Other 'dollies' were happy to be called "dear" as the presenter asked them about the goods they were promoting. There were lots of giggles, but where were the feminists of the day? Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0BszS70rqU

Scottish Crafts Beautiful

HOMI Opens Its Doors

Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring will be taking place in Glasgow from January 24-26, showcasing new product from over 400 exhibitors. New for 2016 is the Craft Gallery, featuring 30 specially selected, quality craft producers exhibiting in their own designated gallery organised by Craft Scotland and organisers Springboard Events.

Other highlights of the Show will include the Launch Gallery for young, original companies, The Orkney Aisles, the Best Product Awards and the adjacent Scotland’s Speciality Food Show. A focus this year will on textiles and clothing, with almost a third of stands dedicated to the sector.

Seminars will cover a wide range of topics from social media and ecommerce to pop-up shops.

"What we offer in Scotland is rarely found elsewhere in the UK," states show director Mark Saunders.

Scotland’s Trade Fair Spring is held in conjunction with Scotland’s Speciality Food Show.

Visit www.scotlandstradefairs.co.uk

HOMI, the lifestyle show organised by Fiera Milano, will be taking place at Fieramilano, Rho, from January 29 to February 1, featuring a host of design ideas for the home.

Themed satellite sections include Living Habits, Home Wellness, Fragrances & Personal Care, Fashion & Jewels, Gifts & Events, Garden & Outdoor, Kid Style, Home Textiles, Hobby & Work, alongside different special areas and events, all focused on business, conviviality and experimentation.

Visitors will also find a Festivity area, devoted to Christmas decoration and festivities and a new La Dolce Vita area dedicated to Italian costume jewellery, focusing on Bijoux in the 1970s. Visit www.homimilano.com/

p The BJGFF will be holding its annual Benevolent Society Ball on December 3 at the St John's Hotel in Solihull. Silversmith Rebecca Joselyn has donated a Britannia silver wine carafe for auction. For tickets, contact Gill Price on 0121 237 1138 or Lynn Snead on 0121 745 4613 or visit www.batf.uk.com Above: There's sure to be fierce bidding for a Britannia silver wine carafe, designed by Rebecca Joselyn, at the Benevolent Society Ball.

p Jan Constantine has created a limited edition collection of home textiles in celebration of the Queen's forthcoming 90th birthday, and as a tribute to her becoming the longest reigning monarch in British history. The wall hanging, named Flower Above: Jan Constantine's Flower Power, portrays the head Power cushion for the Queen. of the Queen at the start of her reign, crowned and surrounded by flowers. p The London Stationery Show will be sponsoring a new Diaries category in the Desk and Personal Use section of the annual Calendar Awards, which take place at Stationer's Hall in London on January 27. p Calliope Gifts has opened a third gift shop in The Orchards Shopping Centre at Haywards Heath. The company also has outlets in Dorking and Alton. p Fiona Fabien, owner of Papyrus in Glasgow, has taken the decision to close her other gift shop, Illuminati, also in Glasgow.

"We had a break clause in our lease and after much deliberation decided to concentrate on our main Papyrus brand," she told PG&H. p Container Group Buying's (CGB) Do Not Open Until 25th December Santa sacks were recently featured on BBC Breakfast TV.

Coast To Coast At Giving & Living Giving & Living, which focuses on coastal giftware, will be opening its doors from January 17 - 20 at Westpoint Exhibition Centre, near Exeter. The show offers a huge range of products for those buyers targeting the coast and tourism market places. Show features include a Newcomers area, Designed & Made in Britain, the Naturally Trail and Enhance. Visit www.givingliving.co.uk

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Industry News

Putting The Style Into Lifestyle Concept Store Opens in East London Continuing to reveal the brand's quirky side, Ted Baker & Moore is a brand new retail concept from Ted Baker, which puts the focus on the products from its 17 licensing partners.

This year alone, the Ted Baker brand has added crockery (Portmeirion Group), Wild & Wolf (gifting & stationery), bedding (Ashley Wilde), bicycles (Quella) and tiles (British Ceramic Tiles), and is about to launch rugs (Brink & Campman). Other licensees include Simon Harrison (jewellery), Geneva (watches), Mondottica (eyewear), Pelham (luggage), Pentland (footwear), and Debenhams (kids and lingerie/sleepwear).

The new store, based in Commercial Street in East London, features digital window displays evolving the bespoke content.

“We hope that the new retail concept, which includes a focus on clothes, albeit a small one, will help to create awareness of what we do across the board, with some of our partners using the opportunity to offer limited edition and exclusive items,” said Paul Burden, head of product licensing at Ted Baker.

Greeting customers into the warehouse space - which features a bespoke interior that harks back to the era of industrial manufacturing and East London's market traders - is a glowing ampersand. p Further recognition for the Ted Baker brand came when it picked up the Best Licensed Home, Décor, Tableware or Housewares Range for The Fine Collection Rosie Lee and Best Brand Licensed Property at The Licensing Awards in September. Ted Baker's multi-product licensing programme is now one of its biggest growth areas.

See Ted At Ten Paces on pages 26 and 27.

Right: Ted Baker & Moore, a new concept store in East London.

New Business Rate Powers For Councils There was mixed reaction to the Chancellor's promise to allow councils in the UK to retain business rates, worth some £26 billion.

Bira's view was that when the Chancellor makes his Autumn Statement on November 25, and reports on his next set of conclusions about the future of business rates, shop closures should be in the forefront of his thinking. (See Closures Overtake Openings on page 11).

The Association says that if he does not announce a fundamentally helpful reform of this damaging tax, which bears disproportionately on retail, the trend towards shop closures will accelerate, adding that if he does not renew the £1,500 discount for small retail and leisure businesses, small business rate relief and the small business multiplier for next year, then he could trigger a crisis that will drive the high street back to the bad old days of five years ago.

"This is a bold step by the Chancellor, and one that we are keen to see more detail on quickly," said Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation.“It will be imperative for the Treasury to engage with industry to ensure that this does not lead to a proliferation of different rates of tax across the country, which businesses will find difficult to negotiate and which could lead to uneven growth across the country.”

Concurred the British Retail Consortium (BRC): "We will look closely at the detail as it emerges, but it’s worth remembering that there is a widespread consensus that any package of reform to the system must address head on the need to reduce the burden of a tax that discourages investment in jobs and growth. The national business rates multiplier needs to be frozen, and then reduced to encourage local and national growth." p Turn to The Business of Rates on page 21 to find out what happened when gift shop Retro36 in Scarborough took their local Valuation Office Agency to court.

Above: The owners of Retro36 in Scarborough recently went to court to reduce their business rates.

On Top Of The World International buyers from over 65 countries visited Top Drawer and Home in September, the biggest Autumn Top Drawer show to date, reflecting an overseas visitor increase of 16%. Helping to spread the word were Twitter and Instagram where activity increased by 84% and 76% respectively. p The next show, which takes place from January 17-19 at Olympia, will see a major re-branding, alongside new elements, to include speciality and fine food.

PEOPLE p Antiques Roadshow specialist Steven Moore (right) has joined Burgess & Leigh as creative director. p Tradestock has announced the appointment of Richard Walker as business development manager. Richard was previously with Junction 18 for 10 years.

An Enhanced Furniture Show Visitors to the 2016 January Furniture Show will be among the first to see the NEC in Birmingham unveil its new facilities. Thanks to a new £150 million leisure and entertainment destination on site from Resorts World Birmingham, and a significant investment to Birmingham New Street, the new facilities are set to enhance the exhibitor and visitor experience at the show which takes place from January 24-27.

"The changes to the NEC campus, plus the improvements at Birmingham New Street, mirror the re-building of the January Furniture Show," says Laraine Janes, co-director of the Show. "The investment shows the confidence in the future of the venue and results in a better experience for all attendees."

Visit www.januaryfurnitureshow.com Above: The January Furniture Show.

Inspirational Ambiente A major new product group, Accessories & Jewellery, will feature in the Giving sector at Ambiente. Also new at the show, which takes place at Messe Frankfurt February 12-16, will be an ethical style guide to give visitors orientation and transparency. "Our exhibitors are the main shopping inspiration for buyers," states Nicolette Naumann, vice president of Ambiente/Tendence, who adds that the show will also be highlighting a greater emphasis on food gifts. "This ties in with many of the new young concept stores that are opening up," she explains.

Ambiente will also be welcoming Italy as its Partner Country, with acclaimed Italian designer Paola Navone creating an exhibition and cafe to highlight designer Italian products. p Great Britain is among the top 10 visitor nations to Ambiente, ranked No. 5 in the world.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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A World of Inspiration The dedicated hall for furnishings accessories is now 50% bigger.

See the very best of interior accessories and decorative gifts, essential for the complete home offering.

Gifts and accessories exhibitors include: Blue Bone British Art Company CIMC Culinary Concepts Danalight Dar Lighting Febland Gallery Direct Hill Interiors Julian Bowen Libra Makasi Home Mindy Browne Minster Giftware Pacific Lifestyle PD Global Steven Shell Stone the Crows Wilde Java

Register now for the most complete show of the year www.januaryfurnitureshow.com 20_GH_Oct Nov 2015.indd 1

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Left: John Jackson, md of Retro36 in Scarborough.

Below: Earlier this year, the Treasury's Chief Secretary, Danny Alexander, announced a 'radical' review of the medieval business rates system.

GIFT OF THE

GAB

The Business

Of Rates

Business rates, a major reason for shop closures, are one of the most contentious and controversial issues for small businesses, punishing high streets, and, most especially, independent retailers.

One brave gift retailer however, Retro36 in Scarborough, took their local Valuation Office Agency to court. But as md John Jackson reveals, although they were successful, it was a steep and time-consuming learning curve!

"The consensus within the retail industry is that the current business rates system is outdated and no longer fit for purpose.

Business rates are, in the main, too high, and do not fairly reflect the significant changes in customer spending patterns that we have seen in the last 10 years.

Although the government is well aware of the current shortcomings, it has not, as yet, introduced reform. This has been promised by 2017, but until then, any changes to rateable values will remain 'fiscally neutral', meaning the same amount will be collected by the government.

At Retro36, we recently made an appeal against the business rates for our Scarborough store, as we felt they were excessive. The first port of call was to lodge a proposal to alter the 2010 Rating List with the Valuation Office Agency (VOA). The proposal included all relevant property details and we had to give grounds as to why we felt the rateable value was wrong. The VOA validated our proposal and we were assigned a case officer (CO).

What became apparent early on was how unreasonable the CO was. His only objective was to keep the rateable value the same while also threatening us with the possibility that should we continue our appeal, the rateable value might actually go up!

We had long discussions with him, but no matter what we said, no matter what comparable evidence we presented, he always had a counter argument. We tried

to negotiate a rateable value which was in line with values of properties similar to ours. All the CO was willing to offer was a 5% reduction for a unique material disadvantage our property suffers from. But it wasn't enough and still made the rateable value unrealistic.

So the next stage was to take our appeal to the Valuation Tribunal (VT), an

'independent body' which deals with rating appeals in England, and who listed it for hearing. This entailed writing a detailed Statement of Case. It was like preparing documents for court, and although we could have used a specialist on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis, we decided to represent ourselves.

However, in an attempt to thwart the ratepayer, we had to send our case to the CO first, who had two weeks to submit his case, giving him the opportunity to find and expose any weaknesses - a definite disadvantage.

Once his Statement of Case arrived we started to prepare for the hearing, where you have to submit even more evidence on the

day. This includes location plans, shop plans, photographs of the property and comparable properties, and, of course, we pulled together as much evidence as we could.

Our hearing was held at the VT office in Doncaster. It was quite nerve wracking.

Before the hearing, the clerk who assists the panel sat with us, and went through what would happen and what was expected of us. We appeared before the panel - two members, a presiding senior member and his counterpart - at 10.30am sharp.

Although we were prepared, our apprehension was compounded by the fact that we were up against an experienced CO who does this for a living.

We spoke first, presenting our case as best we could. The CO spoke second. Each party then had a chance to ask questions of the other. The panel also asked questions and the hearing lasted two hours.

The panel then said they would deliberate and a formal Notice of Decision would be sent to us within one month.

Although, after the hearing, we regrouped back in Scarborough, it felt quite disempowering. But a month later, the Notice of Decision arrived and we had managed to secure a 12.5% reduction!

One of the main issues we have with the ratings system is that the ratepayer is ‘guilty before proven innocent’. As the VT says in appeals, the burden of proof is on the appellants to support a reduction in the rateable value. The VOA does not have to justify the rateable value it assigns to a property.

Where is the natural justice in this? We believe current legislation needs to be amended to put the onus firmly on the VOA to prove their valuation.

Let’s see what type of reform is forthcoming in the next couple of years.

The retail community deserves a fairer, more responsive system. A system which reflects current market conditions. A system which is progressive. A system which instils confidence and attracts investment. We all need to believe in a brighter future for the high street which has been struggling for almost a decade. What we need is strong government leadership and we need it now!"

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17—19 January 2016 Olympia, London

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25_New Grid 22/10/2015 15:29 Page 1

MICHAEL WEEDON

SOUNDING OFF

The Gift That Keeps On Giving Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, was one of the keynote speakers at the recent World Retail Congress in Rome, held in September.

As one of the privileged delegates, Mick Weedon, deputy ceo and communications director for the British Independent Retailers Association (bira), reflects on the consequences, intended or otherwise, of Sir Tim's unstoppable invention.

"I have a bit of a thing about unintended consequences and have to deal, on a daily basis, with heading them off at the pass. But not all unforeseen outcomes are bad.

When Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web at CERN in 1989, his ideas were, as they remain, egalitarian and idealistic. The fundamental technologies that he created (HTML, URL, HTTP), and the browser and server that he wrote, were to enable researchers to exchange data. When CERN made the technology available, royalty-free to anybody, it was with the best of intentions.

It was 'a good thing' and it still is. A third of the world’s population now use it. More will use it in the future. It has spawned whole new industries. When Sir Tim spoke recently at the recent World Retail Congress in Rome, no speaker spoke without mentioning omni-channel retail, and the web has been one of the key enablers of that ever expanding retail universe.

One of the key changes to his original pure vision came quite early. In 1993, Marc Andreessen of Mosaic and Netscape fame, proposed adding a new tag to the developing HTML specification and Sir Tim objected to it at the time - if only because he wanted to get a particular version of the standard to

Top: Mick Weedon.

Above: Sir Tim Berners-Lee.

bed. It was the IMG tag that lets you display pictures on web pages.

Online shopping on any device is unimaginable now without eye-catching graphics and sumptuous product photos. Try selling figurines or candles or homewares online with nothing more than descriptions even if your copy writing skills are sublime.

That one addition had a vital impact on the creation of the vast new channel on the growing internet, for both ecommerce and advertising, but that was not what he

"Online shopping on any device is unimaginable now without eye-catching graphics and sumptuous product photos. Try selling figurines or candles or homewares online with nothing more than descriptions - even if your copy writing skills are sublime."

intended. Not that he dwells on that now, or would propose ditching the IMG tag. Being a polite guest at the Congress, he didn’t grumble at the delegates about using what the organisers described as arguably "the most powerful communication medium the world has ever known" for flogging stuff.

He has expressed concerns about social media services, because their data is largely closed off from general accessibility when his vision is all about openness and collaboration, saying, "we need to use the web to work as a whole planet, like one team.” For many retailers though, especially independents, Facebook, Twitter and others have opened up really innovative, valuable and easy to use ways to connect with and interact with their customers.

So if Sir Tim could have a back-to-thefuture moment, would he think of all these unintended consequences and decide, “nah, I’ll nip it all in the bud before it starts", switch off his computer at CERN, turn out the lights and go home? Probably not. He’s concentrating on making a better future for it.

But the ramifications continue to affect us. On the one hand we can find that the effort and investment in trading online defeats us, and possibly sees our customers going elsewhere, or just using our shops as showrooms for products to be bought somewhere else. On the other hand, there is the possibility, if we choose, to make use of those global services on the internet and the web, to sell online, locally and worldwide, 24/7, as a large and growing minority of bira members do.

That’s the thing about life: nobody is really in charge, and even the creators and visionaries don’t really know where their ideas will lead. Unforeseen consequences can be good or they can be bad - but they will always be unforeseen."

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26-27_New Grid 22/10/2015 15:38 Page 2

Face To Face: Ted Baker

Ted At Ten Paces

There's definitely something extra-ordinary about global lifestyle brand Ted Baker. From the company name to its guerrilla marketing activities, from its quirky HQ in London to an irreverent sense of humour that's at its heart, Ted Baker clearly stands out as a luxury brand determined to live up to its reputation as 'No Ordinary Designer Label'.

This year, Ted opened a ‘one of a kind’ store - Ted Baker & Moore - in London's trendy Commercial Street, East London, focusing on the latest collections created by its licensed partners, which include Wild & Wolf, Portmeirion, KMI and Simon Harrison.

So what sets this retail store apart, and what's driving Ted Baker's licensing programme? PG&H put Ted’s head of product licensing, Paul Burden, into the hot seat to find out more. isiting the Ted Baker HQ - or 'Tedquarters' as it is known - in London's St Pancras, is an experience, to say the least. Firstly, there's the building itself. Dubbed the Ugly Brown Building, its distinguished only by the big red lobster on the front door, with no Ted Baker branding, which is part of the company's decision to remain 'faceless’.

However, like a book, the building shouldn't be judged by its 'cover'. When you push open the door, you know that this is no ordinary space. Busy lifts go up and down,

V

and, when you find an empty one, you're greeted with a panel of colourful, illuminated buttons that, when pushed, make silly noises, play music, or say something witty, which can't help but make visitors smile on their way to reception. Additional 'in lift' entertainment includes digital screens playing Ted’s latest brand film, Curiousities, from the AW15 season.

The four storey space is cavernous, housing some 400 staff. Complete with upbeat, illuminated signs on the walls, it all shouts Ted Baker - distinctive and

Who Is 'Ted Baker'?

For many fans of the brand, it comes as something of a surprise to discover that there is no 'Ted Baker'. Rumours abound, but founder and ceo Ray Kelvin's not telling. He's proud to run the business like the head of a family, leading from the front and surrounding himself with people with a similar attitude and personality. He's also a man who 'hugs' - there's even a 'hug circle' on the floor near his desk!

"He really enjoys being hands on, involving himself with every aspect of the business, with the team at every level appreciating the input and leadership he gives," Paul reveals.

However, there's one thing that Ray won't do and that's to advertise. "A pioneer of guerrilla marketing back in the '80s, he wants people to learn about Ted Baker by word of mouth - although nowadays, it's more likely to be social media, a big part of our marketing."

personality-led - words that crop up repeatedly when talking about the company and its licensing partners.

"The company's licensing programme started in 1998, ten years after Ted Baker's founder and ceo Ray Kelvin opened his first store in Glasgow selling quality contemporary men's shirts," explains, Paul Burden, now head of product licensing but who, as a university student, worked as a sales assistant at the Manchester store.

He cites the company's multi-product licensing programme as one of the biggest growth areas for the company, working with Inset: Ray Kelvin, founder and ceo of Ted Baker, who prefers to be 'faceless'.

Far left: Launched this Autumn, Technicolour Bloom, from Pormeirion Group's new collection of ceramics.

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Face To Face: Ted Baker

Ted Baker & Moore

each of the partners to help them to capture "the DNA and essence of the company" that befits the brand. KMI was the first company to come on board 17 years ago with a collection of fragrances, with the licence recently extended to include home fragrance products, namely ceramic candles and reed diffusers. In the world of gifts and home, Wild & Wolf was appointed the partner for gifting and stationery five years ago, and Portmeirion Group came on board with its first home collection launched earlier this year. Overall, Ted Baker now has 17 partners - affectionately known as 'Ted's extended family'. Paul works closely with all of them across design, distribution and marketing. "We are the guardians of our

One of the main reasons for opening pioneering retail outlet Ted Baker & Moore in London's Commercial Street this summer was to find a way to showcase the vast array of licensed partner collections. "In our retail outlets across the globe, it all comes down to the space available" explains Paul. "We hope that the new retail concept, which includes a focus on clothes, albeit a small one, will help to create awareness of what we do across the board, with some of our partners using the opportunity to offer limited edition and exclusive items."

Paul adds that Ted Baker & Moore is also about trialing products, using the shop as a testing ground. "The store is very organic and modular, with lots of scope to come up with new ideas. Also, it's in a very trendy area, a magnet for tourists, so commercially, it's a good opportunity for the business too."

Naturally, the team spent a lot of time talking about what would go into the new store, and, aside from merchandise, visitors will also find a Ted’s Grooming Room and a Ted’s Beauty Spot. The space also works well for events. "For example, we have something called No Ordinary Thursdays, which is a different customer engaging activity each week. This has included, bicycle services, a shoe shining station and a two man band playing a live set. Ultimately though, it's all about putting the brand at the centre, and if the retail formula works, it is something we might look at globally," he states.

brand and we are naturally very vigilant and protective. When we start a new partnership, it's very much about what the company can bring to the table. But it's also about Recognition for Achievement personality, making sure that there's a As head of product licensing, it was a particularly fit. Each season we have two to three proud moment for Paul when he heard that Ted Baker key prints across our clothing ranges, had been shortlisted in two categories - Best Licensed and I work with the partners to ensure Brand Property and Best Licensed Home and Decor, these prints are used across licensed Tableware category for Portmeirion Group's Rosie Lee collections to the same collection - at the prestigious Licensing Awards 2015, standards that we see on organised by Progressive Gift & Home's sister clothing so we are all aligned.” publication Licensing Source Book.

"We were delighted that one of our partners has From Paul's perspective, the been recognised for the Ted Baker brand and what it challenges are huge. As he puts stands for, in an industry that it is so character based," it: "one day it might all be about said Paul, commenting before it was announced at the event that both the brand and the Portmeirion Rosie Lee collection had won the awards!

Other recent award nominations for the brand this Autumn include being shorltisted for Draper's Innovation in Fashion Retail, Best Premium Brand and Fashion Retail Business of the Year (between £201m£500m turnover).

teapots, the next it could be gifting, stationery, candles, eyewear, footwear, watches, skincare, bedding or bicycles!

There's lots of detailed work involved with every single project."

Unsurprisingly, the company is continually approached by companies wanting to join the licensing programme with nine out of ten being turned away. "We're not actively looking for new partners, preferring to concentrate on the ones we have," comments Paul. "However, if the right company knocks on Ted’s door, and it's the right fit, then we would pursue it. However, one thing Ted's not about is simply putting our logo on a product and selling it. We’re all about the attention to detail, the design and the quality, as well as being involved in the whole process.”

Top: Wild & Wolf's new Ted Baker men's range.

Above: KMI's new Ted Baker Residence range includes a set of three ceramic travel candles reflecting the company's stores in London, Athens and Miami.

Right and inset: The new Ted Baker & Moore retail outlet at 132 Commercial Street, London.

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Feedback

Can’t Park, Won’t Shop

Inset: Parking issues are seen as the bane of the high street.

The suggestion of free parking has been in the news recently, initially led by Marcus Jones, the minister responsible for high streets, who suggested that councils should actively support their town centres and motorists.

This was further backed up when four parking ticket machines were vandalised in Cardigan's main car parks in June, with a surge of visitors heading for the Welsh town centre, and jubilant local retailers seeing their sales increase by a whopping 50%.

It's an emotive subject. So how do gift retailers feel about parking issues in their area, and are councils finally starting to listen?

No Charge "We are very fortunate to have free parking on the high street for one hour outside our shop," states Karen Ebers, buyer for Something Special in Edenbridge.

"In addition, you can also park for free for 24 hours in the local car parks with no restrictions. It's a marvellous advantage and really helps to drive footfall. However, where I live in East Grinstead, it's all parking meter parking except for Sundays. As a result, Sunday has inevitably become the busiest day of the week for the town."

Below: Something Special in Edenbridgde.

Free Parking David Theobalds is the co-owner of Emporium situated in Cheltenham and Winchcombe, with both shops in good areas when it comes to local parking.

"In Winchcombe, we have 76 free parking spaces - half of which are free for up to one hour and the other half free for up to two hours - as well as a long stay car park with 120 spaces charged at £1 a day," confirms David.

"The long stay is only a two minute walk Above: Emporium which has shops in Cheltenham and Winchcombe. to the centre of town, but is poorly signposted for visitors. On a few occasions, Tewkesbury Borough Council suspends parking charges, an example being on certain days in the run up to Christmas.

While the parking currently meets the needs of the town, with over 200 new houses under construction, it remains to be seen as to whether that will be the case when they are all sold."

David's other shop is on the outskirts of Cheltenham, on Bath Road. "The shops there are thriving due to a good mix of independent retailers and a great atmosphere," he highlights. "Parking in the large car park is 60p per hour compared with £1.80 in the centre of Cheltenham. Also, there are numerous other roads behind the shops where there are no parking restrictions. We even have four parking bays - a free one hour stay - right outside our shop."

Adds David: "In the two years that we have been trading there I have only had one person complain about parking."

Non-Shoppers Not Welcome "We have our own customer car park, but make a charge for parking because there is a market on Wednesdays and Fridays which means that people use our car park to leave their cars while they shop elsewhere," explains Peter Caitlin, buyer for home accessories at Fishpools in Waltham Cross.

"However, as long as Fishpools’ customers spend over a certain amount in our store, they are welcome to use the car park to park free of charge. We find that this way of dealing with parking works very well both for ourselves and our customers."

Below: Fishpools in Waltham Cross.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Feedback More Spaces Needed

Card Only Payment "In a perfect world, there would be free car parking," says Tina Botterill, owner of Cool! Cards and Gifts in Skipton. "But we live in a ‘not so perfect’ world and, obviously, councils have become so dependent on the money generated by councils that they can't afford to do without it. As with Cardigan in Wales, we had a similar incident where, overnight, the machines in our two local car parks were vandalised. Eventually they got one machine up and running on 'card only' payments, and since that incident, virtually all of the parking machines have been replaced with 'card only' machines. In fact, there is only one machine in each car park that takes cash. The result is that every day we get customers coming in to complain. The bottom line, however, is that people don't shop in the town and go somewhere else. For example, I hear that parking in Ilkley, the neighbouring town, is cheaper than Skipton, which is why a lot of locals shop in Ilkely. We're lucky though, because outside Cool! Cards & Gifts there's free parking for 20 minutes which is a bonus. It gives someone enough time to pop in to buy a small gift or card."

Tina believes that there should be more parking spaces in Skipton, although not for browsers. "No-one is going to pay £3.50 to pop in to buy a card," she says realistically. "However, for those that want to spend, say, an hour in the high street to do their shopping then there should definitely be free bays. After that it would be reasonable to make a charge."

Above: Cool! Cards & Gifts in Skipton.

AA Parking Survey Following a recent government request to the AA to see whether further steps should been taken to ensure that parking supports local shops and high streets, the Association's poll has suggested that free parking should extend to larger towns too. This would enable motorists to park without the threat of a parking fine, thereby helping to boost the bottom line for many local retailers.

Below: Could free parking become a reality for larger towns?

"Oh Lovely... in Lutterworth is on a tiny high street and, while previously you could park all the way down the street, now there's been some work done resulting in fewer parking spaces which has had an impact," comments Kim Brammer, Oh Lovely's shop supervisor. "Although parking is free for the first hour, people have to pay after that, and while there are more shops opening in the town, there aren't enough to warrant paying the parking charges.

Therefore, as an incentive, the shopkeepers are trying to collaborate on a scheme where shoppers get money off in the shops when they shop in Lutterworth."

Above: Oh Lovely... in Lutterworth

Could Be An Issue "We are very fortunate in the village, as at present we have free parking on three main car parks plus free two hour roadside parking," highlights Hilary Jones, owner of Let's Go Round Again in Wombourne. "We do have regular traffic warden patrol, which upsets those who get caught out by extending the free time, or by parking 'unsociably' on the car parks, but on the whole, parking has never been a major issue for our shop."

Adds Hilary: "We have always heard rumours that the free car parks are used by those who then to travel by bus to nearby Wolverhampton, where car park charges are quite high, and I must admit that some days the car parks do seem quite full in comparison to the footfall in the village. However, there is also now talk/rumour that the council are introducing pay and display in the village next year which is more than a little worrying. We have a large out of town shopping mall fairly nearby, and there is free car parking there. My personal opinion is that if something new like parking charges are introduced, customers will automatically choose to shop where they don't have to pay out of protest, although I would very much hope that the majority would return, choosing convenience shopping over car park charges in the long run. I really do hope that these charges do not come into force as any adverse reaction to local shopping is obviously highly concerning. " Above: Let's Go Round Again in Wombourne.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Spotlight On... Valentine’s Day Gifts

All

L ved Up

Valentine's Day may be seen as a predominantly upmarket 'chocolates and flowers' occasion, but as many gift retailers will agree, it's also the opportunity to put that loving feeling into the shop window and in store, with plethora of romantic red hearts and much more, reminding people that it's time to tell their loved one how much they care.

As PG&H discovered, love is all around.

While Valentine's Day may not set the tills ringing in the same way that Mother's Day does, it is nevertheless an opportunity to up the ante on everything from jewellery and fashion accessories to home fragrancing and social stationery, playing an important role for gift shops in helping them to differentiate their Valentine's Day gift and card sending on the high street.

For many, it's the first opportunity of the year to unveil new ranges, with hearts and heart designs naturally driving sales. But in 2016, while bright red may still seem to be the norm, suppliers are also pointing to a strong trend for more pastel colours, especially pinks.

Top: Love bird pendants from Miss Milly's Amora collection.

Above right: That loving feeling from Yankee Candle.

Right: Clare Davis' romantic mug says it all.

Below: A Malawi vase and poppies from Parlane International reflects the trend for pink in 2016.

"Spring is definitely the most romantic time of the year conjuring up thoughts of soft, pretty colours," concurs Mike Burgess, md of Parlane International, who is among the suppliers highlighting that pastels will be high fashion for 2016, with milky pink at the forefront.

"Mixing beautiful shades of pink with linen, white antiqued metallics and pearl finishes will create the most beautiful window display, with the heart the most important symbol as seen in our new collection of decorative hanging hearts. But probably the most important and romantic gift for a loved one is the gift of flowers," continues Mike. "Our flower collection includes the new soft petal poppy collection, which, added to a Valentine’s Day window display, is sure to attract true romantics to the shop."

Also thinking about hearts and flowers is Yankee Candle, which will be setting a romantic scene with a combination of home fragrance and flickering candlelight, both of which are, of course, synonymous with Valentine’s Day. "Our floral scents, particularly Fresh Cut Roses, and the classic True Rose, always prove to be popular with consumers because they fill the room with the aroma of a dozen red roses, instantly setting the scene for love," comments Yankee Candle's brand and marketing director Hannah Jenkins.

"This year, we're expecting that gift sets will continue to be extremely popular with

consumers, not only for Valentine’s Day, but for other occasions as well, with bright, eye catching, colourful packaging helping to enhance the look of the contents, avoiding the need for additional wrapping."

In fact, Yankee has developed two new Valentine’s Day gift sets for 2016 which, Hannah says, would be suitable to give as a romantic gesture, or simply to show someone they're special. "The packaging is decorated with hearts, but not branded as Valentine specific, so there is the potential for retailers to sell the sets for other purposes too," she points out.

"Every year, shops pull together anything they have with a red heart on hoping to make a good window display and not get stuck with too much Valentine's day stock," says Clare Davis, md of Clare Davis London.

"This year's trend will allow retailers to do this, but with just a little more decorum."

As she explains: "Muted pastels are replacing the traditional red hearts as people look to keep their special gifts on display for longer. Retailers should therefore opt for more general worded gifts about love and Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Spotlight On... Valentine’s Day Gifts special people, and pull it all together with, perhaps, one or two red heart themed products. Key items are pastel wooden hearts and polka dot patterned gifts."

From a retailer's perspective, Abbie Deeb, marketing executive at Enesco, says that a Valentine's Day gift should be lasting. "When selecting special gifts for loved ones, consumers should look for a product that has longevity," she suggests.

"As this gift giving occasion gives people a variety of price point options, it can become easy to get swept away with the choices on offer. However, trends for the coming year indicate cool neutrals as a base colour for interiors, allowing consumers to easily incorporate feminine pastel hues for the home. Pink has grown in importance over the past year, and will continue to develop as a poplar subtle accent colour."

By contrast, Denise Edwards, director of Best Kept Secrets, says that across many gift ranges, more vibrant colours are becoming the accepted norm, with magenta and violets being given a vibrant injection, and the hottest of pinks a popular choice for the home and across a wide range of giftware.

"In the scent department, we are still seeing big demand for floral scents, with jasmine, fuschia and rose

Flirty Fun For those looking to up the ante on Valentine's Day, fun is also on the cards according to Thomas O'Brien, sales director at Boxer Gifts. "For Valentine's Day, gift shops should be on the lookout to offer something different to the supermarkets and flower shops," he states. "Valentine’s Day celebrates the brilliance of love, often the first stage of which is laughter, with cheeky gifts such as our Sexy Posing Notes putting some fun into the event with some cute or even rude messages for a partner.”

Adds Thomas: "For the couples who are constantly busy with their daily lives, a fun game to play can put love firmly back on top of the priorities list. A simple, and not too risqué, game, such as our Pillow Talk card game is a great gift to put some fun into this ‘day of love’, providing a great balance without being too serious or too jokey."

Above: Posing notes from Boxer Gifts.

Top left: Abundance from Willow Tree, which has a 'So much love' gift tag, and a palette of soft red and pink hues.

Above: Widdop Bingham's Wendy Jones-Blackett collection says it all.

Left: Best Kept Secrets’ True Love candle tin, which has been refreshed with stronger colours.

Right: A new red heart adds a romantic touch to Smiling Faces’ new Up In Lights letters.

featuring as the most positive fragrances well into 2016," Denise confirms. "In addition, we will continue to see many of the traditional and expected colours and designs holding strong for Valentine's Day, with hearts and roses continuing to play a central role."

"A simple gift, be it a photo frame, a small plaque or a keepsake, makes an ideal addition to card," comments Sue Grant, marketing manager at Widdop Bingham.

"Although red hearts will always rule, extra special finishes, including icons, metallic embosses and beautiful packaging turn a simple gift into something to fall in love with."

Tapping into a popular gift trend, Andy Osborne, md of Smiling Faces, points to personalised lighting. "As well as spelling out

Techno Love Technology, of course, is sure to play a role on the romantic front, with Lisa Marcuccio, sales manager at Really Good/Soul, stating: "the major spenders are in the 25-34 age bracket, who so easily express love, not with pen and ink, but with our gadgets! So expect to see a rise in sales of technology based gifts and gadgetry, especially for the boys. We anticipate emoji’s playing a huge part in the trend those love eyes will never get old!"

Lisa also highlights a trend for florals and brights, to include amorous shapes.

Left: New Soul Sunshine Valentine's giftwrap from Really Good.

LOVE, our Up In Lights letters and numbers can be used to remind a significant other of a poignant date or memory on a daily basis, with our new red heart adding a classic touch to the contemporary design.”

Continues Andy: "There's a strong desire to give original presents, so stocking products along these lines are a winning combination for Valentine’s Day, also helping stores to create appealing window displays.

And while hearts will always sell well, and Continued on page 37

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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while reds and pinks will always dominate at this time of year, retailers shouldn't be afraid to add in other colours."

For already marrieds, Julian Hunt, md of Lesser & Pavey, suggests a gift of two new mugs, with ceramic coaster lids, from the company's Mr & Mrs Right collection. "Originally we saw these designs as a wedding item, but from the huge sales across 40+ different products, these sell for every occasion and would make a great Valentine's present," he predicts.

Above: Gisela Graham's LOVE home accessory.

Left: The new Mr and Mrs Right mugs, with coaster lids, from Lesser & Pavey.

As Piers Croke, sales director of Gisela Graham puts it: "Wouldn't gift shops like even half the cash that lovers splash out in restaurants on Valentine's Day?" Yet he feels there's still a good few pennies to be earned. "Valentine's is a great topical theme for shop windows, guaranteed

I 'Heart' You Fashion accessories are an easy way to tell someone you love them. "For Valentine’s Day, gifts to be on the lookout for are fun yet practical, featuring subtle heart prints that are more relaxed, yet represent the day’s theme," says Caroline Gardner, the company's founder and creative director. "Our hearts gift range features a modern, innovative take on hearts, featuring contrasting bright oranges and pinks with grey, blue and black, on gifts that can be used every day."

Of course jewellery, a year round winner for gift shops, will always be among the best sellers for the most romantic day of the year. “Valentine’s Day will always be a key selling period for jewellery and is a category that shouldn’t be ignored by retailers," says Sarah Watmore, md of Miss Milly. "It's an appreciated, everlasting gift and an affordable alternative to the clichéd bouquet of flowers."

Above: A Caroline Gardner 'heart' tote bag isn't just for Valentine's Day. Above: Hearts remain a popular trend as shown by Carrie Elspeth's Sentiments range.

to bring in the desperate, last minute, overwhelmingly male, impulse buyer. So it's well worth gift shops stocking up with a few gifts to express love, adding a bit more weight of sincerity to the hasty bunch of red roses!"

As love continues to make the world go round, there's plenty of innovative gift ideas for shops to 'love' about Valentine's Day 2016!

Sarah says that with the increasing availability of beautiful packaging and giftwrapping services offered by stores, the convenience of jewellery as a present is sure to appeal to male shoppers, particularly during their last minute dash on Saturday February 13!

“While the dominance and popularity of heart designs continues unrivalled, we would also encourage retailers to add to their selections with flowers, butterflies and birds, as well as to try increasing their average transaction value through co-ordinated merchandising," she suggests.

Interestingly, Carrie Shapiro, creative director of Carrie Elspeth, says she feels that Valentine's Day has become increasingly about celebrating loved ones, family and friends.

"Showing love and appreciation for more than just a significant other is great news for the gift industry, as there is room for a wider range of products at a peak time," comments Carrie. "Hearts are still a hot trend - no longer just symbols of romance - as well as personalised, home-grown products. The heartfelt messages with our Sentiments collection are perfect for expressing platonic love, as well as being within the £10 bracket, as price is still a high priority for many consumers.”

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Retailer Focus... Whitehall Garden Centre

How DoesYour Gift Garden Grow?

Claire Self, a director of the multi-award winning Whitehall Garden Centre, based in Lacock in Chippenham, and Whitchurch in Bristol, came into the family business four years ago, completely transforming the gift department into a Greats Award winner this year.

With big expansion plans on the horizon for 2016, PG&H visited Claire at the Lacock site to discover what's giving the company's gift offer an award winning edge.

As many locals and tourists would confirm, Whitehall Garden Centre is the place to visit for a day out - a relaxing, unique destination shopping experience that includes multiple shopping outlets, an award winning farm shop, a tea room and restaurant, along with a host of exciting events across all age groups.

From outdoor and indoor plants, to gifts, greeting cards, books, stationery, homewares and housewares, to a huge cookshop, and an expanding children's and babywear section, visitors can also discover fashions and fashion accessories, as well as indoor and outdoor furniture, decorative home accessories and a pet centre. In fact, there's so much going on, that there's every reason to arrive early and leave late!

But that's just a part of it. At the beginning of September, the company's Christmas offer starts to be revealed, starting with cards and wrap, eventually evolving into two massive shops dedicated to Christmas - one focusing solely on Christmas decorations, the other on Christmas trees, lighting, ornaments, faux flowers, wreaths and table decorations.

Above: Whitehall Garden Centre.

Above right: Claire Self, centre, director of Whitehall Garden Centre, with the coveted 2015 Greats Award for Best Garden Centre Retailer of Gifts, sponsored by Premier Decorations. Also shown are other members of Whitehall's gift team, from left to right: Charlotte, Susan, Claire, Ali and Maisie.

Right: Boutique gift displays are created to have maximum visual appeal.

In fact, such is the magic of Christmas at Whitehall Garden Centre that last year, it won the Garden Centre Association's Greatest Christmas Display in the Wales and South West category, and came third in the national finals for the Best Christmas display team. The garden centre was also thrilled when, last December, ITV's This Morning

programme proclaimed it "one of the best places to visit at Christmas in the South West".

(The video can still be viewed on YouTube).

Meanwhile, in addition to its magnificent Christmas department, Whitehall also delights in creating a Christmas grotto, which attracted some 11,000 children last year.

And if even that's not enough, then there's the excitement of a real ice rink too!

"Each year, we seek to improve our Christmas gift displays, mixing traditional with the more contemporary to create a magical experience for our customers," explains director Claire Self, who is married to Whitehall Garden Centre's md Peter Self.

(The story goes that Claire came in to help in the Christmas shop four years ago and has never left!).

In fact, Whitehall has remained a family run business since Peter's great-great grandparents first came to Whitehall Farm in 1894. A further four generations of Selfs Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Retailer Focus... Whitehall Garden Centre Left: Garden gift accessories make a show stopping display.

Below left: Whitehall Garden Centre's magical Christmas shop entrance in 2014.

Below right: A themed display.

have continued the business, diversifying into other areas in line with consumer demand.

Eventually, the first Whitehall Garden Centre in Lacock, on the edge of National Trust Village, opened in 1972, followed by the smaller Whitchurch in Bristol in 2001. (The family was naturally very proud when Peter's late grandmother, Phylis Self, aged 100, was awarded an MBE by the Queen eight years ago, for her services to the community of Lacock).

Although both garden centres always stocked giftware, Lacock's gift department underwent a major refurbishment four years ago. Today, it's one of the largest departments and growing, revealing a mix of recognised brands that include Gisela Graham, Cath Kidston, Yankee Candle, Wax Lyrical, Crabtree & Evelyn, JOMA Jewellery, Hot Tomato, Powder, Coach House and fashion label Joules, all representing high end as well as value for money. Elsewhere, the men's gifting section has been expanded to concentrate on male grooming, gift accessories and gadgets, complementing the centre's 'country casual' fashions and footwear.

To encourage footfall, several exclusive shopping evenings are held throughout the year, with suppliers introducing customers to their products, most of which are not available in the smaller, neighbouring towns. (Major shopping destinations such as Bath and Bristol involve at least a half an hour's drive).

Another success story at the centre has been the toy shop, with Whitehall spotting a gap in the market when Mothercare closed down a few years back. The pet centre was duly moved elsewhere to make way for a larger baby and children's area, which includes toys from Lego, Bigjigs, Melissa and Doug, Le Toy Van, WOW Toys and Jellycat. "In general, we tend to avoid the really big licences as we can’t to compete with the likes of Argos," explains Claire. "The department is hugely popular with families, as there's nothing else like it in the area."

She believes that what inspires gift buying at Whitehall is quality, affordability and that 'something different'. "We also like to display in themes, such as Traditional Seaside, Vintage English Garden and Country Chic, in addition to our seasonal and special occasion displays."

Claire attributes much of the success of the gift department to her right hand woman, Ali Harding, who is in charge of visual merchandising. "We particularly look for eye-catching packaging which counts for a lot, as it make our displays more interesting," continues Claire. "In addition, Ali

Spreading The Word Publicity is definitely the name of the game at Whitehall Garden Centre, with a huge PR campaign in September leading up to the grand opening of the Christmas department, gift department and events.

A further presence for gifts is achieved through social media, especially Instagram. Elsewhere, gift products are also promoted on Whitehall's YouTube channel.

The garden centre also sponsors the weather for two national radio stations in Wiltshire - Heart FM and Breeze FM - and features heavily on Visit Wiltshire, the county's leading tourism website.

and the gift team somehow manage to create a relaxed atmosphere, with a strong visual appeal, while giving the department a spacious 'boutique' feel."

Tapping into a stronger UK economy and a less cautious shopper, Claire has gone for more upmarket brands this year, such as Emma Bridgewater ceramics and Susie Watson cushions. Both Claire and Ali jointly source products, attending all the major UK gift shows, with both also responsible for the massive Christmas decorations shop, buying primarily from Gisela Graham, as well as from Premier Decorations and Kaemingk.

With such a huge remit, which also includes being the buyer for an impressively large greeting card section, it's no wonder that Claire says that what she loves most about her job is the diversity. "I do cover an

extensive product area, and the job can often be quite challenging, but I nevertheless find it all hugely enjoyable," she smiles.

Currently, aside from the run-up to Christmas, Claire is also really looking forward to getting involved in further expansion plans for gifts in 2016. They include a still bigger gift and men's department, a larger children's section, with a "proper", dedicated baby area, and a bigger cookshop. "At the moment, we're bursting at the seams all round!" Claire smiles.

Other ideas in the pipeline include an area to hold children's parties in, with the emphasis on entertaining the garden centre's young visitors.

So will there be a sixth generation of Self's coming into the business in the foreseeable future? "Definitely!" exclaims Claire. "Our two daughters, Charlotte, aged 18, and Maddy, aged 15, would like to join the family business although Charlotte has just started a business and marketing degree at university. After all, Whitehall Garden Centre was started by their great grandparents, and, as the next generation of the family at the helm of the business, we continue to be the ones that are continuing to fulfil their dreams."

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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TRENDS: BLUE IS THE COLOUR

Winter ‘Blues’

As predicted by the leading trend forecasters, to include Trend Bible, a palette of blues will be a key trend colour for Winter 2015, from soft duck egg blue to teal, royal and dark navy.

So how will the colour be translating into gift and homewares? PG&H asked a cross-section of companies to reveal what's making them turn 'blue' over the coming months...

Below: Star Wars fans are sure to appreciate the cool, quirky blue Spacewalk range from Really Good.

Above: HearthWick’s Paradise Blue, among the shades from US supplier Virginia Gift Brands, distributed by Xystos.

Above right: Puckator has chosen a trendy navy background for its Space Explorer gift bags.

Right: Assam & White Cedar, among the newest fragrances in Wax Lyrical's Fired Earth collection of candles and reed diffusers, in trendy navy blue.

Right: Parlane International's Miel range of handmade, oven to table ceramic pottery comes in ciel and marine blue.

Left: Libra's luxurious, rich, decadent Blue Room collection features a palette that reflects a jewellike Victorian drawing room.

Right: Rainstorm, from Ashleigh & Burwood's Simply Ceramic fragrance lamp collection, reveals a darker hue.

Below: Three shades of sea blue, from Gisela Graham's Shoreline range.

Above: A quirky blue purse from Boxer Gifts' Pretty Pocket Purses collection.

Left: Sea Gems’ jewellery includes teal earrings.

Left: Hot Tomato's Glam Rock Montana necklace sparkles in shades of blue.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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In stock NOW! Ready for Christmas

Joe Davies in partnership with Rose & Co速 in the UK Tel: 0161 975 6300 Fax: 0161 975 6301 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk 44_GH_Oct Nov 2015.indd 1

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Spotlight On... Bath & Body

Pamper Days, Pamper Ways

With relaxing spa breaks on the up, and everyone looking for relaxing 'me time', creating the same ambience at home, with luxurious pampering products is a must for many.

But with a more discerning customer, gift shops are now on the look-out for products that are not only beautiful aesthetically, but that also feature the finest ingredients.

With the festive season in mind, PG&H took a bit of down time to indulge in the latest lotions and potions that will be finding their way into Christmas stockings, both male and female!

When it comes to bath and body products, it's often the packaging that initially catches the eye, helping to make the sale. "If you want your products to visually connect with the customers, it's important to invest in making sure products stand out," says Bex Hewetson, sales and marketing director at Beefayre. "Our products feature hand drawn designs by the company’s founder and artist Sharon Jervis, based on the flowers and wildlife in her garden, which match each product’s individual fragrance elements.

Retailers and customers can instantly tell which fragrance our product is, with the eyecatching stencil designs instantly conveying the core message that Beefayre is inspired by nature."

Of course, attention to detail is paramount. According to Denise Edwards, director, Best Kept Secrets: "The detailed finishing on a product package can make all

the difference between a sale and the product being left on the shelf.

Personal hand finishing of products, which are sold as gift items, makes all the difference, often creating the impression of luxury or high quality on even relatively inexpensive products. Our experience of enhancing the packaging on products has paid dividends, especially in our natural soaps range, where we have completely revamped and re-launched our range of soaps, with new packaging, new fragrances and ranges available."

At Di Palomo, sales director Rob Tyler is quick to highlight that for gift retailers, bath and body is a key category for Christmas gifting. "Every year, favourite fragrances

Above: Beefayre's Mummy Bee soap.

Below: Among the Christmas gift sets from Di Palomo.

Bottom: Best Kept Secrets have repackaged their soaps.

are included on people's Christmas lists," Rob points out.

For Christmas 2015, the company is offering a series of five different gift boxes, ranging from £15-£30, containing the company’s best-selling fragrance, Wild Fig & Grape. "The sets offer great savings compared with buying products individually," he explains. "For example, there's a £27 saving in the case of the £30 gift set, and the products inside are all full size so the customers can clearly see the saving.”

Continues Rob, “we always encourage our retailers to build powerful Christmas displays and provide testers and point of sale material to highlight the gift sets and the value to the customer.

Outpost table displays provide an effective method of promoting our Christmas offer, and we also offer branded furniture to create maximum impact.”

He believes that packaging is critical to the success of a Christmas gift. "High quality boxes that are easy to wrap, which are trimmed with ribbons or tags, are all factors that play a key part in the customers decision to buy." However, he nevertheless adds a note of caution. "Gift sets should not appear over packaged or contain low value items as ‘space fillers’. Consumers are wise to that these days and are looking for gifts that offer high quality and genuine value.”

Also focusing on gift sets this Christmas will be The Somerset Toiletry Company, Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Spotlight On... Bath & Body

Male Grooming Of course, pampering is no longer solely a female preserve.

Nowadays, men too, take a far greater pride in their appearance, especially their grooming. "In terms of aesthetics/packaging at Christmas, we find that packaging is the key factor in driving sales," says Tamara Vazquez Perez, marketing & PR at Scaramouche and Fandango. "Men in particular can be difficult to buy for, so items that are packaged Above: A Christmas cracker neatly and look like ready-made gifts are hugely popular with of a gift set for men from customers. We try to offer sets that are either easy to wrap or Scaramouche and Fandango. don’t need to be wrapped at all, and have a variety of price points.

In fact, a well packaged item can really help to take the pain out of Christmas shopping and is ideal for people who might be stuck for ideas."

As Tamara points out, Christmas can be the perfect opportunity for gift retailers to take on beauty gift sets as 'go to' items for gifts and stocking fillers. "It's the time when people who are predominantly driven by the packaging are willing to try new brands so it’s a good time to introduce a new line," she suggests. "Our Christmas cracker retails at £15 and includes a face scrub and award winning hydrator. It’s a great introduction to the range and a good price point for an impulse buy." which will be launching new gift sets and products, ranging from hand creams, soaps, bath salts and luxury bath and body products. "Aesthetics play a huge part in driving sales," concurs the company's social media copywriter Emily Anderton. "Whether customers are shopping for gifts or for themselves, the way a product is designed and displayed is often the first thing that will grab their attention."

Above: Festive bath 'fancies' from Rose & Co. Left: The Somerset Toiletry Company's Gardeners Therapy hand and bath set.

Below right: With men in mind, among the products in Opal London's new Spa range.

Bottom left: Novel Ideas from MAD Beauty.

Bottom right: The Kaffe Fassett collection, new from Heathcote & Ivory.

Splish, Splash Creating a spa experience at home has become mainstream now, with Half Moon Bay recently launching a new range of Opal London Spa, bath and body and children’s bathtime products.

"The bath and body collection has been designed using an on trend colour palette that offers choice for any bathroom," points out marketing manager Ben Craddock. "We have also re-designed our packaging, making it clean and fresh."

The product range includes a men’s range for male grooming and a collection of spa products using natural materials like sisal, bamboo and loofah. "We are also introducing Time for Adventure a new children’s bathtime range designed to be fun and educational, with wide appeal." reveals Ben. Licensed products too, are finding their way onto bathroom shelves. “This year we have seen a much bigger interest in high quality bath and body products but with a fun and novel twist," confirms Julia Cash , MAD Beauty’s director of design. "Gift sets that carry that feel are very much in demand.”

To endorse the trend, MAD has extended its Kellogg’s Vintage range to include more gift sets, as well as adding many new novelty cosmetic gifts, including Message On A Bottle Bubbly Bath, which comes complete with a gold marker pen so that people can write their own personal message, and Novel Ideas - designed like a novel - which when opened, reveals a set of bath and body pamper products.

As an experienced retailer, as well as a supplier, Caroline Rose, md of both Rose & Co., and retail outlet Rose & Co. Apothecary, says she knows how much of a difference packaging and good merchandising can make to the impact of a brand in-store and its ‘shelf appeal’ for the customer. "We take great care over our packaging design to make sure that there are designs that suit different merchandising styles and colourways to suit all seasons. However, for Autumn/Winter, we thought we’d take a different approach, concentrating on a selection of products whose themes and Continued on page 49

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Spotlight On... Bath & Body

designs would sit in a Christmas in-store display. We have also produced a special Christmas shelf display for our individual bath melts, that can be used during the festive season and then recycled, offering a greater degree of flexibility to our retailers.”

Meanwhile, Amanda Pullen, marketing and PR manager at Heathcote & Ivory, highlights the design trends that gift shops should be on the look-out for "Tropical and carnival prints are still very much on trend featuring exotic flora and fauna, with bright colours, vibrant designs and fragrances capturing faraway destinations. Plus, the bold colours this season will simply jump off the shelf, with a mix of patterns, a spectrum of shades, and a simple backdrop, enhancing the beauty of each product."

Adds Amanda: "Giftable packaging is more important than ever, giving products the feel of value before people have the opportunity to explore and enjoy the contents."

For both retailers and consumers, bath and body has become an exciting market place, a million miles from the bath cubes of yesteryear. With quality, design and fragrance at its heart, it's the 'ready to go' Christmas gift that for most brands, lets the packaging do the talking.

Bees Are A Buzzing

Above: Beefayre's organic soap, hand and body wash and hand cream are free from parabens.

Below left: Hand cream from the Naked Bee collection, distributed

by Xystos.

The decline of the UK's main pollinator, the bumble bee, has hit the headlines over the past couple of years, with several bath and body manufacturers and suppliers keen to support bee conservation charities and their work.

Among them is Beefayre, with 3% of profits going to support the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Buglife. Products are inspired by nature and the plight of the honeybee, with the company's bath and body products - to include body lotions, soaps, hand creams and lip balm - using the finest natural ingredients.

A new bespoke collection, Mummy Bee, has recently been launched, made with lavender and geranium essential oils, renowned for their therapeutic and calming benefits. "This collection, which includes organic soap, lavender & bergamot organic lip balm, hand cream and a hand and body wash, make ideal treats for mums, or presents for mums-to-be and new parents," says sales and marketing director Bex Hewetson. "This is an indulgent, deeply nourishing collection, with the therapeutic qualities of the lavender essential oils making the Mummy Bee collection a bath time essential."

At Xystos, general manager Tom Sykes says that gift retailers should be making a beeline for its bath and body products. “Bees are big news for all the right reasons. You can’t turn on the radio or television without hearing about them, with the Naked Bee pampering products also continuing to create a buzz in the shape of an increasing number of consumers who are careful about what they put on their skin."

He points out that Naked Bee have an easy-to-carry range of products that contain 'all the good stuff, none of the bad stuff', with the Orange Blossom Honey bath and body products having personal care needs covered from head to toe - from shampoo to restoration foot balm.

There is a free counter display for the range too, which Tom says is a boon for retailers when placed by the till. “The Naked Bee is a great pick-up line with retro-style packaging that has great appeal,” he highlights. The range includes hand and cuticle healing salve, body wash and body lotion, as well as hand sanitiser, lip balm and soap.

Tip Top Display Tips p "When it comes to display, it’s important to lead with the gifting items and clearly show what is included in the sets - either with physical product or signage. Having a tester is imperative so that the customer can also smell the product."

Tamara Vazquez Perez, marketing & PR at Scaramouche and Fandango p "We recommend using items relevant to fragrances and designs of products to create show stopping POS displays such as figs, berries, pine cones and cinnamon sticks. Retailers can bring out the ingredients and key elements from the fragrance to make more impactful and sensual retail displays."

Bex Hewetson, sales and marketing director, Beefayre

p "Impulse buys should be in a prominent position, when the full range of products is on show. The bigger the choice the better, especially with seasonal product ranges. Also, at Christmas, people like to add ‘little extras’ into gifts, so gift retailers need to ensure that their displays are packed with options for ‘gift enhancements’."

Denise Edwards, director, Best Kept Secrets p "Retailers should position empty gift boxes and bags near to displays so that shoppers have the opportunity to make up their own tailor-made gift sets."

Emily Anderton, social media copywriter, The Somerset Toiletry Company p "We recommend the use of baskets to present bath and body products in the best way possible. Also, using appropriate furniture such as a vanity table can add character to a display.’

Ben Craddock, marketing manager, Half Moon Bay

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scented candles natural soaps fragranced gifts Just relax and see the Seriously Scented ranges from Best Kept Secrets.

COME AND SEE US AT

AUTUMN FAIR, NEC BIRMINGHAM // 6-9 SEPTEMBER 2015 // STAND 3G-40 T. +44 (0)1670 512222 E. sales@bestkeptsecrets.co.uk Best Kept Secrets, Coopies Field, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 6JT, UK www.bestkeptsecrets.co.uk

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IN THE ADE UK

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

Knitted Animal Range

Bee good to yourself

Aroma Home is excited at the launch of their new knitted animal gift ranges. This year, in addition to their hugely successful knitted Fox gift range, the new ranges include a Snow Owl and Polar Bear.

Products in these ranges include the popular Animal Hottie, Hand Warmers, Cosy Ear Muffs and Booties .

Aroma Home Tel: 01793 487684 Email: sales@aromahome.com www.aromahome.com

The Naked Bee pampering products from Xystos continue to attract an increasing number of consumers who are increasingly careful about what they put on their skin. In Naked Bee they have an easy-to-carry range of products that contain “all the good stuff, none of the bad stuff.” The Orange Blossom Honey bath and body products have personal care needs covered from head to toe - from shampoo to restoration foot balm. There is a free counter display for the range, which includes hand and cuticle healing salve, body wash and body lotion, as well as hand sanitiser, lip balm and soap.

Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk Autumn Fair: Hall 5 Stand H01 Top Drawer: Stand U50

Drift Into A Dream World

Exotic Warmies Heatable toy inventors Intelex Group are showcasing their latest line-up of Warmies. Keen to capitalise on new trends, Intelex has this year launched their Cozy Pets and British wildlife range including Badger, Fox and Hedgehog, along with more exotic animal characters including a delightful dinosaur, a pretty Panda and an utterly adorable Unicorn. Intelex’s Warmies range can be gently warmed in the microwave to make brilliant bed warming companions. RRP £11.95.

Intelex Group (UK) Tel: 01933 679 777 Email: sales@intelexgroup.com

Envisage a tranquil evening beside the sea with the latest madebyzen aroma diffuser, the Marina, inspired by the ocean’s tides, which brings you closer to nature with its visually stimulating mood lighting. The new transitional colour spectrum creates a delicate rainbow, whilst the fragrant mist disperses through the air, invigorating your senses. This versatile aroma diffuser can be combined with madebyzen seductive scents to transport you into a world of calm by bringing you the peace of the ocean. Use as a humidifier to hydrate tired skin or as a decorative lamp.

Europium World Tel: 0161257 3524 www.madebyzen.com

Sweet As Cherry Pie Joe Davies are proud to be partners with Rose & Co in the UK and Ireland.

The Patisserie de Bain and No 84 collections were fantastically well received at Autumn Fair and post fair sales have been even stronger.This truly special British brand Rose & Co., is so aesthetically pleasing, that it’s very hard to resist its bath tartelettes, lip balms, aromatic bath fancies and gift collections with delicious sounding names that include Sugared Violet, Strawberry Cupcake and Lemon Bon-Bon. Each collection features the very best carefully chosen ingredients, amazing fragrances and beautiful packaging, designed to look as inviting as a box of chocolates or fondant fancies, making Rose & Co the perfect gift.

Everything is hand crafted and made in the UK too. Rose & Co® is supplied throughout the UK using Joe Davies’ trademark Little and Often ordering system with a minimum order of just £100 and free delivery. For further details please call the award winning Joe Davies sales office.

Joe Davies Tel: +44 (0)161 975 6300 Email: sales@joedavies.co.uk www.joedavies.co.uk

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Spotlight On... Location Giftware

My Kind Of

Town

There's been a growing trend for people to want to connect to the area they live in, with gift shops reporting strong sales for everything from cushions to coasters to framed prints, that feature a location on them.

With involvement in the community the name of the game for many independents, PG&H spoke to a mix of gift shops and suppliers to see why people want to have a piece of their locality in their homes, or, to take home a memory of someone else's town or country when they go on holiday.

It's not uncommon for holidaymakers to buy a T-shirt, stationery or a tote bag with, for example, I Love Paris on it. Even if they don't wear it, or use the items, it's 'making a memory' of a place and a time that they loved. Now, the trend has spread to the UK's high streets, with gift shops confirming a huge interest in products and greeting cards that show a town's name, its postcode and even a link to some of the world's most glamorous cities.

At Inside Out in Cheltenham, the majority of the shop's customer base are locals, with occasional tourists popping in, especially during the Cheltenham races or at Christmas when people travel to Cheltenham to do their Christmas shopping. "We have done particularly well with 'local' products, especially Cheltenham Monopoly, a London tube map style picture of Cheltenham pubs, and Cheltenham mugs, with pictures and historical facts of the town," confirms Inside Out's owner Sam Malvern.

"Customers tell me that they are buying for friends and family who either live in

Cheltenham, or for those who used to live in Cheltenham, so have a connection with the place. We also cater for tourists who want to take something home to remind of them of Cheltenham, which is why we are expanding this area greatly to include more choice for customers." As Sam points out: "People can be very passionate about where they come from, and having these types of products are a great talking point with customers, as well as being totally unique to my shop, bringing more people through the door."

Up in bonny Scotland, Fiona Fabien, owner of gift shop Papyrus in Glasgow, is happy to confirm that Scottish/Glasgow gifts are definitely among the shop's best sellers.

"The tourist gift market has come a long way from a stick of rock and a fridge magnet," quips Fiona. Although Papyrus doesn’t specialise in traditional Scottish gifts, the shop does offer a quirky alternative with a contemporary slant.

"This area of the market has grown in recent years appealing not only to foreign and UK visitors but, increasingly, to the local Top right: A Cheltenham Monopoly set on offer at Inside Out in Cheltenham.

Above left: A mug featuring the street name where Inside Out is situated.

Above right: A personalised mosaic print from Rare Interiors shows a South London underground station, and is an example of personalising a customer's own photographs.

Left: Among the personalised mugs sold by Papyrus in Glasgow, designed by Robert Chambers of TenTen.

market who believe that 'home is where the heart is', whether living in the area or settled far away," comments Fiona. "Our Scottish and Glasgow gifts sales are strong throughout the year, which proves that this appeals to the locals as well as to visitors."

Best sellers for the shop include TenTen graphic designer Robert Chambers, who spotted a gap in the market when he produced his range of brightly coloured mugs, inspired by the New York subway, covering areas of Glasgow, with Byres Road - where the shop is situated - very popular.

Other popular giftware includes mugs from Stubbs Mugs proclaiming, 'I’d rather be in Glasgow' and 'Glasgow Born and Bred'.

Meanwhile, men's gift shop The Inside Man, based in Wandsworth Common in South London, has gone one step Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Spotlight On... Location Giftware

Welsh 'Cwtch' Location gifts aren't something currently stocked by Wonder Stuff in Treorchy, but they're something that owner Alison Chapman will be looking into going forward. "I think there is a market for it in Wales, especially in the Rhondda where Wonder Stuff is based," she explains. "We do, however, stock gifts which have the Welsh saying Cwtch and Cariad on. Cwtch meaning 'hugs' or 'cuddles' and Cariad meaning 'love', and these are a big seller for us, especially cushions, mugs and plaques. Even English-based companies have seen the potential in stocking Welsh gifts. Richard Lang offers an increasing range of Welsh giftware, with many other suppliers looking to add to their range."

According to Alison, customers buy these type of gifts for friends and family members who have moved away and want 'a little piece of home.' "In the last four years we have been moving away from the traditional 'Welsh Dragon' with customers looking for something pretty and stylish that will become part of their home decor, while still being part of Welsh 'tradition'."

Above: Richard Lang's Cwtch cushion.

Left: A Welsh Cwtch plaque made by Dizzy Dots.

further."Late last year, we introduced a collection of framed prints of local photographs from the early 1900s," explains md Robert Alexander. "Sourced from a local collector with over 10,000 images, this has allowed our customers to specify nearby streets and roads and sometimes even images of their own homes. These have proved a big hit and make a perfect present for anyone leaving the area too."

Another success for The Inside Man has been personalised mosaics. "Rare Interiors allow us to offer mosaic prints of a customer’s own photographs, made into unique pieces of art, which tie in with the ever increasing desire for personalised gifts."

Robert believes that the trend for all things local chimes with an increasing desire to be part of a local community and have something to be proud of and show off about. "It's an area where independent shops really have an edge over the repetitive nature of much of the high street and internet."

From a supplier's perspective, personalised 'location' giftware is a rapidly growing trend. " With pressure on the high street, we wanted to give our independent customers a ‘personalised’ range of products made especially for them," explains Tim Clark, co-founder of Bluebell 33.

"We started our Love Where You Live journey over three years ago when we launched a postcode coaster collection Above right: A Love Thy Nation location hanging heart and tea towel.

Left and below: In demand, postcode coasters and cushions from Bluebell 33.

which are designed with vintage transport signs at their heart, simple, clean and iconic.

Examples include Barnes (SW13) to Bude (EX23) to Battle (TN33). We now offer lots of different design options from postcodes to street names, to Best Mum in..., to King of..., to Best Cyclist in…. across lots of different products including coasters, table mats, trays, mugs, luxury embroidered cushions and greeting cards. We are growing the range all of the time and will soon be adding tea towels, aprons, make up bags, mirrors and magnets."

Also doing well in the personalised geographical typography market place is Love Your Nation, a design-led giftware company that offers a range of gifts, cards and homewares, inspired by local landmarks, language and a general pride in the nation, with most products UK sourced.

"We have a gift shop ourselves, and noticed the demand for bespoke local products, particularly among students and ex pats as a reminder of home," comments director Steven Ramsay. "Our online sales have shown a significant growth this year, with products regularly sent to all corners of the globe."

Popular choices are the company's bone china products, along with textiles particularly tea towels and cotton bags - and a bespoke earthenware hanging heart which is made for the company by hand in Stokeon-Trent.

"Heading into the final quarter of the year, we have a range of bone china baubles which we hope will be strong sellers," adds Steve.

Mugs, of course, are an ideal way to get the geographical, personalised message across. "I was once asked by a retailer in Devon for a mug with the wording 'Devon born and bred... and proud of it'," reveals Peter Smith, director of Dunoon. "Thanks to him, we now have a growing range of 20 or so regional mugs following this theme, produced in a delph blue on an oversized bone china mug. We've seen great success and growth with these mugs, which are no doubt sold to locals proud of their history and heritage. Retailing at over £17 each it just goes to prove that if you hit the right theme price is not an issue."

Continued on page 57 Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Spotlight On... Location Giftware Meanwhile, mapping out her brand in giftware is Julia Gash, designer and founder of canvas tote bag brand Talented. Julia creates map-like illustrations of cities around the world from Bath and Brighton to Barcelona - incorporating key landmarks and buildings that can be customised to include a specific brand. Explains Julia: "My two passions are travel and art, with my Cityscape illustrations bring together these two loves on a stylish range of souvenirs, stationery and homewares."

But it's not just giftware that is hitting the spot for personalised locations. Four

years ago, designer Megan Claire, founder of her eponymous greeting card company, started out selling personalised greeting cards and framed prints direct to customers online. "The trend was only just emerging, but, over a matter of months, grew extremely quickly," confirms Megan.

"We soon realised that one of the most popular personalisations seemed to be based on memories of locations and lists of destinations.

With many more people travelling the world, there are lots of Top: Among the regional mugs in Dunoon's Born & Bred range.

Left: A tea towel that says it all from Proctor & Clark.

Far left: A London themed tote from Talented.

Dad, You're The Best "Celebrities love our destination designs too," says Karen Brown, co-founder of Bluebell 33. "We are reliably informed David Beckham received two cards and a mug for his 40th Birthday this year….'Best Daddy in Holland Park' and 'Best Footballer in Holland Park'! Well he is isn’t he!"

Below: Bluebell 33 were delighted to hear that David Beckham was a celebrity recipient.

memories that can be shared together about those places, as people like to relive memories with a product in their home."

Recently, the company launched a new contemporary typography style location card to offer another alternative to its customers, adding: "The marketplace for location based greetings cards is definitely growing."

Left: One of Megan Claire's best selling cards is 'Best Teacher in ...'

Left middle: Other examples of her designs include personalising people and places.

Scottish And Proud Of Our Heritage With tourism playing such a huge role in the success of Scotland's economy, Scottish designer Gillian Kyle says that place and personalisation are big themes. "The Scottish gift market has seen a definite shift in the last 10 or so years, away from tartan 'tat' towards independent Scottish design.

We want the things that we buy for ourselves, our homes and our loved ones to have more meaning than before," she states. "The signs, symbols and icons of ‘Scottishness’ have always done big business with the tourist market, but have now grown cool, sophisticated and desirable - themes like stags, tartan, Harris Tweed and modern kilts."

Adds Gillian: "I also think we Scots are also fond of poking fun at ourselves and our relationship with our heritage and popular culture evidenced by the huge array of witty and irreverent Scottish T shirts on the market which are aimed at street smart Scots rather than the traditional tourist. We have a very strong sense of place and personality up here which we love to celebrate!"

Concurring is Fiona Fabien, owner of gift shop Papyrus in Glasgow, who highlights the popularity of local ordinance survey maps, as well as mugs, placemats and coasters which are printed with the Scots language or Glaswegian banter, alongside greetings cards, tea towels, T shirts and shopping bags.

"We find that these will sell for so many occasions - birthdays, new home, weddings - and not just for the traditional tourist souvenir, although they will sell for this market too."

She points out that local designers and suppliers have spotted the market trends with no shortage of superb products to stock. "The discerning shopper appreciates that these are designed and produced in the UK, a welcome departure from tourist products being massed produced in the Far East."

Above right: A Gillian Kyle Tunnock's Tea Cakes mallow biscuit plate.

Left: This 'glesga' tea towel can be found at Papyrus.

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Seasonal Decoration at its best 29. 1 – 2. 2. 2016

Your seat on the front row!

Keep a step ahead of the competition. Discover the latest trends and top exhibitors for your future business on an international stage. Start a successful year at the world’s leading trade fair for seasonal and festive decorations – with the best the industry has to offer.

Order your tickets now: www.christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 83

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Trend Charts: Christmas Best Sellers

Charting Success For gift retailers who would love to be able to see into the future when it comes to best sellers, i2i Events Group is giving them the opportunity to peek into a crystal ball.

Based on the most clicked products on the Spring Fair, Autumn Fair, Glee and Pure websites, retailers are just a couple of clicks away from discovering the Top 100 product category 'chart' hits when they visit, for example, the Spring Fair Live Chart.

PG&H put i2i's Saul Leese, head of retail brand marketing, into the hot seat to find out more about how gift retailers can make the most of the new technology.

Below: Saul Leese, i2i's head of retail brand marketing.

Bottom left: Royal Selangor's Star Wars Darth Vader mug, created in collaboration with The Walt Disney Company to commemorate the new Star Wars movie coming out in December.

Everyone has a 'eureka' moment - a flash when inspiration strikes - and there's nothing else for it but to excitedly follow your dream. For i2i Events Group's head of retail brand marketing Saul Leese, his eureka moment came following a series of focus groups with independent and multiple buyers. As he took on board their feedback, he realised that retailers across the board don't only place orders on the number of products sold but also on product 'clicks'.

"I therefore took that idea and developed it, looking initially at the Autumn Fair website, with the first charts launching in September to tie-in with the show. We monitor product interest using a new technology built into the website which enables us to predict trends and forecast the hottest products in retail," Saul explained.

The Mail Online's This Is Money picked up on it as soon as it was rolled out, asking i2i for a Top Ten Toys chart to help retailers and consumers make their buying choices in the run-up to

Top Best Selling Star Wars Memorabilia For Christmas p p p p p

The Star Wars Darth Vader mugs from Royal Selangor Darth Vader wall light from 3DLIGHTFX Star Wars Miracle Melting Trooper by Tobar Group Trading Star Wars storage boxes by Widdop Bingham Star Wars BBQ tongs by Bluw

(Source: Autumn Fair)

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Trend Charts: Christmas Best Sellers

Top Fashion Accessory Products

Christmas. (At the time, Sky Drone was and still is predicted to be the biggest selling children's toy for Christmas).

During Autumn Fair, the predicted Christmas toy chart was also picked up by BBC Breakfast, and was also featured on BBC Radio West Midlands. "The feedback has been very positive and has exceeded expectations," Saul commented.

"We feature between 40,000-50,000 products online and can therefore track what buyers are looking at. And with vast numbers of buyers constantly looking at our websites, we have a truly in depth understanding of what people are clicking onto. We are therefore able to monitor and track which are the most viewed products, which gives us a unique foundation for the chart." As he emphasises: "The charts are not based on sales. Instead, they are almost like a crystal ball which is based on the products that will be coming out over the next six months. It's very valuable because we can look into the future to see what buyers are looking at."

Clearly, retailers will be able to get a fantastic understanding of what is popular.

p Tamara Hat from Pom Pom Poodle p Raincloud glitter necklace from Little Moose p Twin aquamarine and druzy stone bangle from White Leaf (Source: Autumn Fair)

Above left: According to Autumn Fair, the Tamara Hat from Pom Pom Poodle is set to be one of the best selling fashion items for the year ahead.

Above: Sky Drone Pro is predicted to be the biggest selling children’s toy this Christmas.

Above right: Autumn Fair’s Most Viewed Product Chart.

Left: Abigail Ahern's collection of like-for-like faux desert stems and cactic could well inspire a cactus craze.

"That is really valuable for the industry," he states. "Firstly, because it allows the industry to predict the trends in product buying but it also levels the playing field for independents and multiples looking at the same products. It's a really good guide, and just a click away are the details of the suppliers and the product descriptions."

But, the 'crystal ball' isn't only looking at gifts and home. All product sectors are covered to include greeting cards, toys and housewares.

"As far as we know, the chart is the first of its kind in Europe, with no other exhibition organisers giving out this information. It's an amazing thing to be able to deliver to the industry, and has exceeded our expectations. It helps buyers to do their job, giving them an advantage in such a competitive retail environment."

"We monitor product interest using a new technology built into the website which enables us to predict trends and forecast the hottest products in retail."

Top Homeware Trends For 2016 p p p p p

Wild West: Faux plants and cacti from Abigail Ahern Woodland Cottage: Cushions from Voyage Maison Decadence: Ashby quilted bedspread from Gallery Direct Industrial Chic: Bright metal lanterns from The Satchville Gift Company Antique Romance: Candles from Chic Antique

(Source: Autumn Fair)

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Visit us at one of our fairs W W W. K A E M I N G K . C O M

SEASONAL

DECORATIONS

•

CHRISTMAS

LIGHTING

•

FLORISTRY

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

Clock This Istra offers a superb collection of contemporary, stylish clocks, with the new V-07 model available in six different colourways and two sizes. The new bigger V-06 model is also available in two colours.

They feature a best quality hand-polished stainless steel case, along with a rotating dial with a cut-out to indicate the hour hand. It comes with a superior Quartz movement and an AA battery is included. As with all Istra clocks, there is a one year guarantee.

V-07 dial diameter: 21.3cm; case diameter: 23cm; V-06 case diameter 30cm.

Spooky Monster Shadows

Istra Tel: 01245 262611 Email: malcolm@oldeani.com www.oldeani.com

Children will love presenting a brilliant shadow show with the brand new Monster Shadow Puppets Kit by House of Marbles.

This extremely entertaining and novel game includes spooky shadow puppets in a variety of designs, and a brightly coloured Monster torch that requires no batteries! Packaged in a humorous gift box, it will make the perfect gift this Christmas.

House of Marbles Tel: 01626 835358 Email: uk@houseofmarbles.com www.houseofmarbles.com

Christmas Glassware For Christmas 2015, Western House have launched three new glassware ranges under its Ella Sabatini brand: Alex Blush, Swan Platinum and Swan Rosso (pictured). The Swan range consists of an elegantly drawn-stem wine, flute and tumbler whilst Alex Blush has a more traditional shaped bowl and a featured stem.

Western House Tel: 01256 462341 Email: sales@western-house.com www.western-house.com

Christmas Stars These gorgeous light-up stars are German designed and make a super Christmas gift that will be used year after year. They are great for retail display and shop windows too, and are beautifully hand made in wood with star and snow effect LED lighting for that special ‘wow’ factor. All are battery operated. Joe Davies has an extensive Christmas collection which is easy to buy ‘Little & Often’. Select what you want and repeat as you sell. Great for cash flow!

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

Christmas Jewellery Christmas jewellery from Joe Davies’s best-selling Equilibrium Collection makes a great gift on the run up to the festive season. The Christmas range comes beautifully boxed, is silver-plated and tarnish resistant and includes top grade colourful crystals all hand applied. From the initial collection of just 12 bracelets 6 years ago the range now comprises over 2000 pieces of jewellery and fashion accessories all and on trend and very competitively priced. The collection is easy to buy ‘Little & Often’.

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

Christmas Dog Baubles Joe Davies’ charming dog baubles are brand new this Christmas and are a must for all dog lovers over the festive season.

There are 16 popular dog breeds in the series all in bright Christmas colours and attractively boxed. The retail price is just £4.99 and an eye-catching display unit is available too. The baubles are complemented by matching pens, keyrings and notepads. For anyone who has taken Joe Davies`s best- selling Visage Dog Cushions they are a must have addition to the range.

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

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Iconic scenes from your favourite Disney films beautifully captured in stunning limited editions.

we’ve got giftware all wrapped up Enesco Limited, Head Office & Customer Services, Brunthill Road, Kingstown, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 0EN Tel: 01228 404022 Fax: 01228 404041 email: uksales@enesco.co.uk Overseas Customer Services: Tel: +44 1228 404066 Fax: +44 1228 404080 email: eurosales@enesco.co.uk © Disney. © 2015 Enesco Ltd.

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

Ballerina Bling Snoozies!, the cosy little foot coverings, are Joe Davies best- selling product , ever! They are now in their fourth season and show no signs slowing down. In fact, this year’s new reduced retail price of just £6.99 has proved an extra boost this winter and this year`s brand new Deluxe snoozies! which retail at 9.99 are proving to be as popular as the originals.

An initial purchase invariably leads to repeat business.

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

Personalised Colouring Books Betty Boop by Britto America’s classic sweetheart, Betty Boop, has been given a modern twist by international pop artist Romero Britto for Enesco’s latest launch, Betty Boop by Britto.

The launch collection encompasses figurines, ornaments, glass plaques and tumblers decorated in vibrant colours, bold patterns and the exquisite detail that characterise Britto’s popular pulsating style. All make captivating seasonal gifts.

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

Colouring books for grown-ups can be seen everywhere.

However, Signature has added a personal touch to create the perfect luxury gift. Personalised with a name embossed on the luxury cover, this high quality gift also includes a personal message on the opening page. Individually designed, each page includes the chosen name delicately incorporated into the intricate pattern. This 100 page book is available in a soft cover or luxury cloth-finish hard cover.

RRP from £19.99.

Signature Gifts Tel: 01582 464809 www.signature-gifts.co.uk

Happy Grumpy Birthday Grumpy Cat has become one of the most famous cats of all time and has appeared in news and television shows around the world. As a popular addition to the beanbag range launched in January 2015, and new for June 2015, GUND has launched Grumpy Birthday Beanbag (pictured). As with the rest of the Grumpy Cat collection, this latest beanbag is carefully made by hand in GUND’s trademark style using soft tactile plush.

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

Christmas Magic June 2015 saw a wonderful selection of new festive items to Heartwood Creek, arguably one of the most recognizable brands of collectibles in the world. The enormous popularity of award-winning artist, sculptor and painter Jim Shore is the result of a lifetime of dedication, inspiration and hard work and showcases his passion for American and European folk art.

Innovation is the keyword in this launch, as we see the introduction of long-awaited musical and rotating pieces by popular demand!

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

New Pusheen Toys Two new huggable plush toys, featuring the internet sensation Pusheen, the cat dressed in her festive finery, are available from GUND. Pusheen Christmas is dressed in a soft bright red collar, trimmed with white fur and fastened by a red bow, while Pusheen Ornaments portrays Facebook’s favourite feline peeping out of a red and white furtrimmed stocking, ideal for decorating both the tree and the home.

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

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home reviews some of the gift products which were showcased at this year’s Autumn Fair.

Trilogy Christmas Classic There are 40 products in the ever-popular Trilogy range from Xystos, which offers three scents in one candle, and 42 pieces in the Mini Reed Diffuser range. There is also comprehensive collection of Wax Melts. WoodWick’s new Trilogy candle is the perfect illustration of the creativity of Virginia Gift Brands. Its Christmas Classic gives consumers three evocative festive scents in one product – Cinnamon Cheer, Frasier Fir and Candy Cane Cupcake.

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

Fragrances For All Earlier this year, American company Kringle Candle partnered with Xystos – the home of flame and fragrance – and promised to provide a comprehensive range of candle formats that offered something for everyone. Their latest scents do just that and include Grey (pictured) which brings together a blend of citrus, florals, exotic woods and musk. Undertones of vanilla and Tonka bean provide an elegant base – and the packaging is highly distinctive. Kringle’s premium products are ideal for home use and gifting alike.

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

Lighting Up Time Xystos now has its own stylish range of Flame & Fragrance Lighters to complement its beautifully fragranced candles from WoodWick, Kringle Candle and Aquiesse. The vibrant, eyecatching colours are perfect for the modern home and, with an RRP of just £2.99, buyers will be able to afford to have a different lighter in every room.

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

Reserved For Men The famous WoodWick brand from Xystos continues to delight a loyal and fast-growing customer base. The range comprises hundreds of products across a series of collections, including Reserve, which is designed with men in mind. It has fragrance notes from a male perspective and names such as Driftwood, Leather and Canyon. Each of the candles is presented in a substantial piece of glass with stylish architectural detailing and a front label made of stamped leather. Pictured is Black Tea. Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk

HearthWick Keeps On Giving HearthWick is the gift that keeps on giving for retailers. It’s flying off the shelves, and supplier Virginia Gift Brands is working overtime to keep up with demand from UK stockists. It has been the star of the Xystos portfolio in 2015, with the gorgeously crafted vessels and sensational scents responsible for fantastic repeat business. Retailers can choose from scores of HearthWick products such as Dew Drops, Jasmine and Marionberry.

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

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Glass, Bottle... Bottle, Glass No, it’s nothing to do with Tommy Cooper, but Xystos, the home of flame and fragrance, is also enjoying strong sales of its Milk Bottles and quirky Drinking Jars from Cello, which are available in numerous colours. From October, there will be additions to the range: the new Skull and Owl jars are in three colours, while Milk Bottles are offered in nine colours. Each has an RRP of £4.99 Xystos Tel: 0191 499 1570 Email: sales@xystos.co.uk www.xystostrade.co.uk

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Face To Face: Emma Bridgewater

Still Potty About

Stoke

Hello, my name is Emma Bridgewater and I'm a Stoke-on-Trent addict. As Emma tells it, the moment she set eyes on the city and began to develop her knowledge of its great industrial past, the more she wanted to be a part of its future, to help make Stoke great again.

Currently celebrating 30 years, Emma, a keynote speaker at Autumn Fair, admits to liking 'grubby' cities, not letting rip-offs bother her, and why she still holds back when it comes to export.

Ask any of the big, important names in Stoke-on-Trent about Emma Bridgewater and they are quick to praise her for being a major player in helping to make The Potteries in Stoke great again. She has steadfastly refused to even consider manufacturing in the Far East, unlike some of the other ceramics companies who design in England but do the majority of their manufacturing abroad - one of her bêtes noires.

Instead, Emma, who currently employs some 250 staff, has stuck to her commitment to keep her manufacturing in the UK, staying true to her values and building her brand year on year, together with her husband, the designer Matthew Rice. (They met at Top Drawer in

the '80s and got engaged 10 weeks later!).

"I had a eureka moment in a china shop 30 years ago," she reveals by way of explaining how she started out and what inspired her."It was just after university and I realised that the mugs I was looking for colourful, mis-matched china for my mum' s kitchen - simply didn't exist and that I had to make them myself."

Once she knew what she wanted to do, the tenacious Emma made an appointment

Top: Emma Bridgewater. The company is currently celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Above and right: Polka Dots and Hearts, two of Emma's most iconic designs.

Eschewing Export Surprisingly, the export side of the business is not something the company is planning to expand.

"Export currently represents 10% of our sales, and that's fine," comments Emma. "We manufacture on a small scale, and when you do the sums, it's very costly to get product on the shelves in, say, a Manhattan store, so we prefer to concentrate on the UK market where we have 400 stockists and a turnover of £15million," she confirms. "Also, I wonder what people might think of my brand and its Britishness? I've always felt that retailers would be looking for iconic British images such as Beefeaters, rather than type of the designs that we offer which stand for family, home and quirky. We have to keep in mind the enormous fun we have in making products for ourselves."

with a manufacturer and went up to Stokeon-Trent as a young 23 year old to meet him.

"And it was that taxi journey that convinced me that my mugs had to be made in Stoke," she explains. "His route left me seriously gripped, amazed, shocked. Not only had Stoke-onTrent lost its coal and steel industries, it had lost its manufacturing too."

Continues Emma: "When I saw those derelict factories, I knew I had to have my name on one of them. I had the ignorance of youth, and success can often be about what you don't know as much as what you do know. All I can say is that when I got to the manufacturer and saw the skills and traditions he was using to make an eclectic range of products I knew that Stoke was where I wanted to manufacture too. I could feel such a strong sense of spirit, of real greatness, full of skills and traditions that still imbue the city. I sensed the most fantastic creativity and knew I had stumbled into an incredible resource of skills. It was that day that I realised that I could make my colourful pottery dream a reality. I was inspired. And it's those very same traditions and skills that are the very things that have given life and love and significance to what I make today. I still fervently believe that believe we need to take things from the past. When someone buys a product that's been made in Britain they are making our cities better places."

Emma says that seeing ‘me-too’s’ of the company's designs, such as the iconic Polka Dots and Hearts, in certain retailers doesn't bother her. "We're very relaxed about it and take it as a compliment, although Matthew has been known to do some re-arranging! I may not make the cheapest mugs, but I do make the loveliest mugs!" she smiles.

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home reviews some of the gift products which were showcased at this year’s Autumn Fair.

Starbust Aqua Vases Colours of the sea, fresh and alluring, these brand new ceramic style pieces were launched at the NEC by Lesser & Pavey in September and received a wonderful response from buyers. Starburst adds to the attraction of each piece, which comprises of four in the range. Fresh and new, this range is eye-catching and perfect for modern home-style living.

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

A Touch Of Vintage Among the new kitchenware ranges offered by Lesser & Pavey at Autumn Fair were canisters that will not let the sugar and coffee get damp, thanks to quality seals. The range consists of tea, coffee and sugar storage, a utensils jar, butter dish, biscuit store, a large tea pot, salt and pepper shakers, a mug with a spoon rest to catch the drips. The company also offered one of the largest ranges of fine china mugs at the show.

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

A Rainbow Of Colour Charming paperweights featuring vivid green and blue, and orange, red and yellow. The range, entitled Crystal Clear, depicts a coming together of colours with a swirl design inside. Twenty four different shapes, sizes and colours were launched by Lesser & Pavey at the NEC and received a warm reception by buyers.

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

Delightful Doorstops

Something For Gentlemen Gentleman's Quarter, launched at the NEC this September, is bold in colours and statements, with a touch of nostalgia. The range consists of quality items in the form of social stationery and housewares - pint glass, short tumbler, bottle opener ie a Topper bottle shape, as well as personal items - manicure, show clean, memo pad and pen, gift bag, note book, organiser, storage box, coasters, travel mug, hip flask and phone holder.

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

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These faux leather doorstops would have most people fooled. The characters are a delighted by served a very important role when holding the door open or keeping the winter chill out as draught excluders. Cat, Dog, Teddy, Rabbit, Fox and Owl came to the NEC and were ordered by buyers that visited the Lesser & Pavey stand to visit their store.

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

You Are My Sunshine New for the baby market was this little gem of a range from Lesser & Pavey at the September NEC fair. Little Sunshine is so very cute with an illustrated giraffe featured in baby colours. The range includes egg cup set, gift bags, keep sake boxes, storage box, money box, clock for the nursery wall, baby birth or naming certificate holder and lunch bag for baby’s lunch.

Charming and perfect for the arrival of a little one.

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

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home reviews some of the gift products which were showcased at this year’s Autumn Fair.

One Stop Warehouse This wooden green four door four drawer sideboard with shelf, is one from a choice of many others available in various finishes, colours and sizes. We carry not only sideboards but also cabinets large and small, many of which are glazed, with a varied selection to choose from. No two items within this range are the same, as they have all been re-furbished to some degree. They have always been very popular due to their individuality, visual impact, character and usefulness.

Dealers Ltd Tel: 01743 761241 Email: dealers@dealers-uk.com www.dealers-uk.com

Limited Edition Sets Ahead of the new year, Ashleigh & Burwood present a fresh collection of fragrance lamp gift sets, designed for the sprintime gift-giving season. There are three limited edition sets available, each presented in a beautifully decorative special edition gift box, featuring hearts and flowers for that special lady at Valentine’s or Mother’s Day. The gift sets are available to order now for delivery in the new year, ideal to get the key spring-time buying occasions sewn up early.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk

Colourful Hair Bands Carrie Elspeth has launched a brand new hair accessory range – mycolourband - wide, soft and colourful elastics which also double up as wrist bands. They make a practical gift and are all about colour, with a fabulous line up of plain and patterned options. They are displayed on their own individual card and sold as either a starter pack with their own branded stand, or as a universal hanger to create a colourful display. Call the studio for the mycolourbands brochure.

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

Festive Mini Trio Diffuser Recently launched in The Scented Home collection this year is Ashleigh & Burwoods’ Mini Diffuser Trio, Festive Collection. The Mini Diffuser Trio enables the enjoyment of harmonious scents throughout the home, as three rooms are fragranced simultaneously. The Festive Collection is therefore the perfect offering to create a festive atmosphere throughout the home in the run up to the big day. Featured in the set are three 50ml diffusers of Christmas Spice, White Christmas and Christmas Time.

Ashleigh & Burwood Tel: 01932 267060 Email: info@ashleigh-burwood.co.uk www.ashleigh-burwood-trade.co.uk

Quirky One Offs Always available in stock at Dealers, a most unusual mix of goods to meet your stocking needs and your refurbishment and design needs. Lots of unusual quirky one off feature items can also be found at our showroom/warehouse. New and exciting products come in daily - we never know what will arrive next !

Along with all the old and vintage items, we also carry our regular stocking lines - easy for you to repeat on. Here is an example of old and new just arriving at our warehouse.

Dealers Ltd Tel: 01743 761241 Email: dealers@dealers-uk.com www.dealers-uk.com

Colour And Light Carrie Elspeth’s gorgeous new collection for Spring 2016 is a celebration of colour and light. These elegant new ranges are a masterclass in beauty and subtlety, blending Carrie’s much-loved style with sophistication and a delicacy of touch that sets them apart from the crowd.

Alongside this exclusive new collection is a vibrant gift range of hairbands which double as funky bracelets. All of Carrie’s jewellery continues to be lovingly handmade in Wales.

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

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home highlights some of the latest gift products on show at Autumn Fair, 6-9 September 2015, at the NEC Birmingham.

Glittery Glasses Clare Davis glasses are all about the sparkle and the unique handbag packaging! So Clare has been busy redesigning her packaging with a clever little handle slotted into the wrap and a cute little swing tag. On the back of all the packaging is a new way for you and your customers to win prizes by simply uploading a "you and yours" celebration to our social media sites. Give it a try!

Davis & Brown Tel: 01494 883097 Email: clare@davisandbrown.co.uk

Limited Edition Collection Building on this best-selling partnership, Portmeirion Group has launched a limited edition collection featuring Ted Baker’s A/W16 prints. Appealing to the fashion focused, the two striking prints, Shadow Floral and Technicolour Bloom, adorn a mug and coaster set, a set of two stacking mugs and a set of two side plates. Each is presented in stylish gift packaging and supported with stunning point of sale to create an impactful in-store display.

Portmeirion Group Tel: 01782 744721 Email: homesales@portmeiriongroup.com www.portmeiriongroup.com

Christmas Gift Sets From advent calendars to traditional gift packs, Wax Lyrical has branched into gift sets for Christmas 2015. As Wax Lyrical’s products are British made in the heart of the Lake District, it’s a great selling point for the ‘Buy British’ shopper. Select gift packs for Christmas 2015 are still available. To order, call the Wax Lyrical Customer Care Team now for the last remaining stock!

Wax Lyrical Tel: 01229 461111 Email: customerservice@wax-lyrical.co.uk www.wax-lyricaltrade.com

All Things Christmassy For a last minute Christmas sales lift you don’t have to look much further than Wild Things. Most of their products are locally made, incorporate Swarovski crystal and are extremely ‘Christmassy’.

On their website are special offers on Guardian Angel suncatchers and jewellery, Art of Glass and their much imitated Crystal Fantasies (illustrated).

Register online now!

Wild Things Tel: 01392 211268 Email: info@wildthingsgifts.com www.wildthingsgifts.com

Seasonal Scenterpiece Yankee Candle has revealed a stylish new Scenterpiece Easy MeltCup Warmer for Christmas. Crimson Flurries is the latest addition to the innovative Scenterpiece range, which simplifies flameless home fragrancing into one easy process, and forms part of the Baby It’s Fun Outside and Cosy Inside collection. Scenterpiece Warmers and Easy MeltCups allow customers to quickly swap fragrances without the cooling, scraping and pouring normally associated with traditional melt warmers.

Yankee Candle Tel: 0117 316 1200 www.yankeecandle.co.uk

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All Wrapped Up Puckator recently launched a fantastic collection of gift wrap designs at Autumn Fair. The new designs included Donuts, Unicorns, Flamingos, Dinosaurs, Pugs, Woodland Friends, Cute Foxes and many more! All available in single sheets with a tag included. Puckator also have a great selection of Christmas gift wrap for the festive season including their very popular Christmas Pugs & Kisses!

Puckator Tel: 0800 011 6969 Email: customerservices@puckator.co.uk www.puckator.co.uk

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What’s New Progressive Gifts & Home reviews some of the gift products which were showcased at this year’s Autumn Fair.

Disney Collectable Craze Posh Paws Disney Tsum Tsum plush are the very latest craze in collectable soft toys. All your favourite Disney characters are now cuter than ever in this Tsum Tsum collection. New Disney characters are being released each month so that fans will keep coming back for more.

Posh Paws Tel: 01268 567317 Email: sales@poshpawsinternational.co.uk www.poshpawsinternational.co.uk

Distinctive Diffusers Best Kept Secrets, the seriously scented candles, soaps and fragranced gifts specialist, launched its new range of diffusers at Autumn Fair, and received significant interest and orders. The new range of 12 fragranced diffusers comes in distinctive gift packaging, with seven coloured reeds and a newly designed cube container. Denise Edwards commented: "These are a fantastic gift option with a great price range. The coloured reeds and the glass scent container mean the product looks great in any setting."

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

New Season Collections Dew, the essential everyday sterling silver collection from the team at Kit Heath. New season collections combine crafted sterling silver designs with yellow and rose gold adornments.

Delicate floral pieces decorated with freshwater pearls, best selling shapes and lavish colour using shell, topaz and cubic zirconia. Create a sophisticated look from our classic, timeless heart, cross and knotted silver designs. Pick and mix from our cute animals range or make your own seaside collection with starfish, shells and seahorse motifs.

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

Natural Wax & Essential Oils Parks, manufacturers of natural wax candles and fragranced products, have introduced some fabulous gift sets. Parks uses only the highest quality perfume containing essential oils sourced from all regions of the world.

Created for the more discerning and sophisticated, these are wonderful gifts to give and receive at any time of the year but especially at Christmas The Luxury Gift Set is comprised of four votives, diffuser and room spray and is available in seven different aromatic fragrances. The Premium Gift Set consists of three votives and diffuser available in another seven exquisite scents. Amongst the 14 fragrances across the range there are the Christmas scents of Myrrh, Frankincense, Orange Cedarwood & Clove, Champagne or Wild Berries as well as the more delectable and popular scents such as Lime Basil & Mandarin or Wild Fig & Cassis.

Parks London Tel: 44 (0) 208 830 6300 www.parkscandles.com PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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

Denise Laird, owner, Spirito, Broomhill, Glasgow A small/medium sized gift shop in the West End of Glasgow CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Just Slate Company: across the board;

Lovely designs, good quality and nicely packaged. There are always new designs to maintain interest.

A very on trend product that appeals to lots of age groups.

Smiling Faces: Up In Lights letters Fragranced Gifts

Orla Kiely: candles; Arran Aromatics: across the board

Jewellery

A lovely brand offering great designs. A premium product.

A favourite with customers who love Arran for their fragrances and great quality.

Above: Spirito, Broomhill, Glasgow.

JOMA Jewellery: across the board; Pilgrim: across the board

A pretty, popular gift covering every occasion. Lovely white branding.

Powder: scarves; Earth Squared: across the board

An array of fashionable colours, featuring contemporary designs and accessories to suit the seasons.

Quality gloves and scarves in soft fabrics. A popular choice as a gift and a self-purchase.

Greeting Cards

Caroline Gardner

Great selection, design and price points. A popular choice with customers.

Giftwrap

Glick

The wrap covers most occasions and features strong designs and lots of colours. Competitively priced.

Other Hot Hits

Davis & Brown: birthday champagne flutes

We love the newly designed birthday flutes in their new packaging.

Fashion Accessories

On trend, always forward thinking. Quality designs.

Michelle Ellingham, owner, Box of Delights, Flitwick A large store situated near a railway station in a small town CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Smiling Faces: Up In Lights letters; La De Da: LED Carnival letter lights;

Excellent for home decor, impulse purchases or special occasions such as weddings and christenings.

Fragranced Giftware

Xystos: Acquiesse; Melt Candles: across the board;

Luxury high end candles with gorgeous fragrances.

Customers love them and usually repeat self purchases.

Jewellery

JOMA Jewellery: 'a little'; Tales From The Earth: silver sentiment jewellery

The range continues to be a strong seller across all age groups.

Purchased for friends’ special birthday or, as a keepsake.

Fashion Accessories

Powder: across the board; One Button: Hem & Edge: across the board

Good quality, good prices and fabulous packaging.

Great quality fashion items with lovely gift bags included.

Greeting Cards

Five Dollar Shake

Customers shop here for these cards alone.

Giftwrap

Caroline Gardner

Customers know the brand and like the contemporary designs.

Other Hot Hits

Jellycat

New baby gifts are always very strong sellers.

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Above: Box of Delights, Flitwick.

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Craig Forbes, manager, The Mains of Drum Garden Centre in Banchory The Garden Centre has a medium sized gift department CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

LSA: Tweed vases;

This range puts a modern twist on the traditional vase.

Gisela Graham always offers something new.

Nicely designed, well priced collections.

Gisela Graham: seasonal ranges

Fragranced Gifts

Wax Lyrical: reed diffusers;

Heyland & Whittle: Home range

Good quality diffusers, competitively priced, which are made in England. There's a wide range of fragrances.

Nicely packaged and appealing fragrances. The hand lotions are particularly popular.

Above: The Mains of Drum, Banchory.

Jewellery

JOMA Jewellery: 'a little'; Banyan Jewellery: Opalite

A firm favourite with young customers.

Bespoke, handcrafted designs with semi-precious stones set in silver. The range covers stud earrings, pendants and necklaces.

Fashion Accessories

Junction 18: spotty scarf collection; Quintessential: Braemar bag and accessory collection

Spots and stripes are always popular designs.

Greeting Cards

Nigel Quiney: Pizazz

Something for all ages, well priced and regularly refreshed.

Giftwrap

Piccadilly

Bright, uniquely designed and well priced.

Other Hot Hits

Joseph Joseph

Modern, innovative designs that sell well in our Cook and Dine department.

The popularity of this collection is attributable to Braemar being on our doorstep. Items are finished in a fresh, modern tartan.

Sally Matson, owner, Red Card, Petworth A small/medium gift shop on a high street CATEGORY

SUPPLIERS/RANGES

COMMENT

Decorative Home Accessories

Bluebell 33: bespoke Petworth cushions;

These have been among our best sellers this year. The festive season range in red and black is sure to be a hit. Customers love the quality and uniqueness.

Top quality mugs that come beautifully boxed with hilarious captions. Customers can't resist humour!

Urban Graphics: mugs

Fragranced Giftware

Jewellery

Beefayre: candles and diffusers

We know the gorgeously fragranced Christmas range will fly out! People also love the fact the products are made in England.

Tilley & Grace: necklaces;

We have branched out into necklaces for the first time. Customers really like the brand's style and quality.

These watches are really popular. They are fun, colourful, stylish and great value.

Icon: Anaii watches

Above: Red Card, Petworth.

Fashion Accessories

Powder: long socks

These socks are an ideal stocking filler for teenage girls. The colourways and range of designs are fabulous.

Greeting Cards

Belly Button: Darling Denim

Our favourite range at the moment. Great for guys and girls.

Giftwrap

Arte Bene

A best seller is a gorgeous animal print design showing badgers and squirrels.

Other Hot Hits

Laurence King: colouring books by Johanna Basford

The Enchanted Forest and the Secret Garden, paired with a set of fine liners from Faber-Castell, are flying out.

PROGRESSIVE GIFTS & HOME WORLDWIDE

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Best Sellers

What better testimonial for products than those of your fellow retailers. Here's all the information you need to get in touch and start stocking!

NIGEL QUINEY PUBLICATIONS T: 01799 520200 E: info@nigelquiney.com W: www.nigelquiney.com

GISELA GRAHAM T: 020 7708 4956 E: sales@giselagraham.co.uk W: www.giselagraham.co.uk

BELLY BUTTON DESIGNS T: 0161 902 0200 E: kerry@bellybuttondesigns.com W: www.bellybuttondesigns.com

LA T: E: W:

XYSTOS T: 0191 499 1570 E: sales@xystos.co.uk W: xystos.co.uk

BLUEBELL 33 T: 01932 506406 E: info@bluebell33.com W: www.bluebell33.com

JUNCTION 18 T: 08704 420732 E: Customer.services@Junction18.com W: www.Junction18.com

TRANSOMNIA LTD T: 01892 703660 E: sales@transomnia.com W: www.transomnia.com

DE DA LIVING +44 (01242) 250 653 enquiries@ladedaliving.co.uk www.ladedaliving.co.uk

JOSEPH JOSEPH T: 0207 261 1800 E: info@josephjoseph.com W: www.josephjoseph.com

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Anne Sutton

On The Road Anne Sutton, who has been a gift agent for 24 years, looking after the East Anglia region, is seeing a more positive approach to buying for Christmas this year. Her principals include Ashleigh & Burwood, Pure by Coppercraft, Ladygrow and Morgan Wright.

"Although gift retailers are still buying cautiously this year, they are more positive and are looking to do more repeat orders in the run up to Christmas," confirms Anne. "That's not to say that retail has been easy, but those retailers that have continued to give their shop a fresh feel through moving their merchandise around are doing well."

She says that, as always, home fragrances is still a very strong sector, with traditional fragrances definitely the most popular for Christmas this year. "As for fashion accessories, especially scarves, I've noticed that retailers are going more upmarket this year, with price points at retail between £15-£25. Shop owners tell me that a typical scenario is that two or three friends will go shopping, one of them

will buy a scarf, and the other two will come back together or separately another day to buy one too."

Anne highlights that, in general, retailers are looking to increase their retail price points and therefore want to buy quality products."Compared to Autumn 2014, this Autumn is definitely a stronger market place, with retailers more confident going into the festive season," Anne states. "We're still at the mid-point, but I'm seeing a reassuring confidence coming back into retail.

Despite everything that is going on in the world, including the turmoil with the financial markets, retailers are showing a more positive outlook towards the future, and looking ahead, I see no reason why this shouldn't continue. Global events are having a certain impact, but unlike the recession years, there's much less negativity and a much more of a 'can do' attitude. Overall, I have lost far fewer customers in the area, with the majority of closures down to people retiring, rather than through retailers selling their shops. I'm therefore looking forward to 2016 and to further growth. We will never see the likes of the '80s again, but retail seems to have adapted this year."

Left: Anne Sutton.

Last Word Brad I. Root, president of Root Candles, based in Medina, Ohio, is the fifth generation at the helm of the A.I. Root Company. Founded by Amos Ives Root in 1869, Brad is continuing the family tradition of keeping bees and making his own honey. p Three words that best describe you?

"Honest, passionate, hardworking." p A quirky fact that we don’t know about you/your family?

"My great grandfather Amos I. Root, provided the first full, eye witness account of the first time the Wright brothers - Orville and Wilbur - flew at Huffman Prairie near Dayton. He published an article in his magazine Gleanings In Bee Culture." p The best advice you have ever been given?

"Stick to quality." p The best advice that you would give to someone else?

"Stay open to new ideas and allow the business to evolve."

Brad I. Root

p Your favourite film?

"Skyfall." p Your favourite book?

"The Wright Brothers by David McCullough." p Your favourite holiday or place to visit?

"America's National Parks." p What time do you start work, and how to you begin your day?

"I'm an early riser and wake at 6am. I start my day with an Americano and am at my desk by 7am." p What time do you finish and how do you usually end your day?

"I'm a night owl and exist on just four hours sleep.

My head is always buzzing with new ideas! However, when I can, I like to relax with music, and enjoy listening to '70s rock 'n' roll." p Who would you most like to have dinner with?

"I'm very intrigued by the UK, so it would have to be Her Majesty The Queen. I'd like to talk to her about being the longest reigning monarch." p Which one item would you take to a desert island and why?

Inset: Brad I. Root.

"Honey."

Progressive Gifts & Home Worldwide

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Gillian - Intelligent Retailer since 2011

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Call us on 0845 68 00 126 or email info@intelligentretail.co.uk

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Contact Angie Bryant on 01993 212 994 for further information.

AGENTS WANTED DISPLAY/SHOPFITTING

We are back as Odey Designs and need new agents to help put Odey back out there.

If you would like to see more designs please visit our website www.odeydesigns.co.uk If you want to join our team please contact Beccy 07730195587 or beccy@odeydesigns.co.uk

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www.dealers-uk.com We have a constantly changing assortment of over 8,000 items including decorative goods, old and new, recycled, vintage, upcycled and reproduction items of furniture, accessories, garden wares, architectural and unusual items It is well worth a visit to our 36,000 square feet warehouse and acres of outside show area or visit our website

www.dealers-uk.com Contact us on: Phone: +44 (0)1743 761241 Email: dealers@dealers-uk.com TRADE ONLY IBC_GH_Oct Nov 2015.indd 1 Dealers Advert.indd 1

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