Progressive Party Europe January/February 2017

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Welcome to the Party Contrary to popular belief and best intentions, nothing really changes at the stroke of midnight on 31 December. The date when most New Year resolutions fail (a shameful 14 January) has already passed, and the likelihood is that those of us who made businessrelated promises to improve themselves in one way or Inset: Progressive Party Europe’s another have probably already failed.

Rob Willis and Jacqui Parr.

But the last 12 months have been undeniably challenging and so many party retailers looking to keep their heads above water will have no choice but to make changes in one way or another. Whether it’s to finally set up a Twitter account, to be more polite to awkward customers, to file accounts at the end of each week or to rotate stock on a regular basis, those seemingly small changes really can make a big difference. And they can be made at any time of year!

If you’re stuck for ideas of what your Big Change can be for 2017, take a look at the Progressive Party Europe 2016 Retail Barometer for inspiration. The seventh such annual report, the results are packed full of valuable information from independent retailers the length and breadth of the country.

It makes for a fascinating read, with some admittedly tough figures being faced off by the resilience of the U.K. party industry as a whole. Independent retailers are fighting back against slow sales growth with a number of different and creative approaches to draw consumers in and get them putting their hands in their pockets.

New products were cited as the leading factor to have the most positive effect on business over the last 12 months - something which should fill suppliers Above: Rob Willis reviews H&P Expo on page 32. with hope for the coming trade show season.

He really does get all the difficult jobs.

There are two key shows coming up for the party and costume industry, with both Spielwarenmesse and Spring Fair taking place in the next few weeks. Buyers looking for new product to refresh their offering for the coming season should make the journey to at least one, if not both. Naturally, PPE has previewed both shows, which start on pages 59 and 47 respectively. There is a wide range of exciting new lines on offer at both which should really give retailers something to look forward to, especially when the current retail industry in the UK can sometimes feel very bleak, with stories of store closures, empty high streets and falling footfall grabbing the headlines.

Perhaps the most significant news at the moment is the Brexit-related uncertainty which we have seen in the financial markets over the last six months or so. The fluctuating markets have had a devaluing effect on the GBP which - in turn - has forced many manufacturers to put their costs up.

Unfortunately, thanks to the structure of much of the party industry, costume and party product is manufactured all around the world, making it vulnerable to the volatile financial markets and the associated price increases and rising costs.

What all this will mean for the retailer and end-consumer is yet to be seen although it’s almost certain that more significant changes will have to be made as the year goes on and the overall picture becomes clearer.

On that note, and in the face of what looks like it could be shaping up to be a turbulent year, the party industry needs to look forward, stay positive and take control. Welcome to 2017: the year of change.

Jacqui Parr – Editor @Prog_Party_Eu

Rob Willis – Publisher, Progressive Party Europe

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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CONTENTS

What’s inside: JAN/FEB 2017

21

32

47

59

65 NEWS

Read all about it – it’s the round up from the last month in the party world.

BAPIA John Bowler shares words of party wisdom.

THE JESTER PPE’s masked columnist tells it like it is.

RETAIL BAROMETER PPE’s annual retail survey results.

HALLOWEEN & PARTY EXPO Reporting back from New Orleans.

NEW PRODUCTS

Start the new year with more than just resolutions.

EUROPEAN NEW PRODUCTS

The latest releases from European suppliers.

LICENSED TO PARTY New licensed product ready for retail.

07 15 17 21 32 35 37 39

40 43 47 54 59 65 71 75 76

THAT’S ASDA PRICE

PPE chats to Asda about all things party.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

To Davies products, turning 70.

SPRING FAIR PREVIEW

A chance to plan your visit to The Party Show.

FEEDBACK

Retailers look back at 2016 and forward to 2017.

SPIELWARENMESSE PREVIEW

That’s Nuremberg to the rest of us.

Read the show preview here.

BOOK WEEK

The now vital event and how you can capitalise on it.

FIRST QUARTER EVENTS Don’t miss out on a busy first quarter’s party schedule.

NEW! PARTY HERO

A spotlight on the people who make the party.

BEST SELLERS

What’s been making the tills ring in December and January.

RAND UNVEILING B

NEW PRODUCTS

FOR 2017 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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NEWS PAGE

NEWS UPDATE The 2016 Party Picture

Lovely Bubbly!

Traditionally a time to sit back and reflect on the previous 12 months before making life-changing resolutions to live a better life in one way or another, the start of a new year is a perfect opportunity to take stock in business as well.

What was the big party craze to sweep the nation? What sold well? What difficulties did we face – both as an industry and individually? What can be improved? Once again Progressive Party Europe is delighted to be able to bring you the full results of our exclusive end-of-year report, the PPE Retail Barometer.

This is the seventh consecutive year we've picked your brains and crunched the resulting numbers accordingly, giving a snapshot of the party industry in 2016.

As ever, it's been a fascinating process, with retailers reporting fortunes and failures in equal measures. It should come as no real surprise to anyone on the front line of retail to hear that 2016 has been a tough year, Balloons were key and this is reflected in to the party retail the figures, with only business in 2016.

15% of independent party retailers reporting that their sales had Somewhat surprisingly though, grown over the last year. balloons jumped both of these, However, independent retailers taking the top spot as the number are fighting back with exciting new one best-selling product for the lines to draw consumers in and first time in the history of the get them spending. It's clearly PPE Retail Barometer. Birthdays worked, with new products being and weddings are the two named as the leading factor to most popular single-purchase have the most positive effect on occasions, with décor business trade in the past year, closely increasing by an impressive 60%. followed by licensed product.

All is not lost for the costume For the third year running, and dress-up business though, accessories outperformed with Carnival and Book Week costumes in terms of retailers providing two very welcome best-selling product areas.

breaks. As a relatively new addition to the UK party market, it's no surprise that retailers saw a significant growth in their carnival business (75% saw an increase), while Book Week has been a growth market for a number of years now and is showing no sign of slowing down, with 67% of respondents seeing their business increase. The knock-on effects of a Monday Halloween were clear, with only 6% reporting an increase in business.

It's been a challenging year across the UK retail market at large, and it's clear that the party market reflects that, with retailers rightly concerned about the second wave of internet retailing and potential Brexit ramifications. Turn to page 21 for the full and complete results and analysis of Progressive Party's 2016 Retail Barometer.

The Christmas Retail Report Christmas 2016 was a challenging seasonal period for many UK retailers, with the rise in online shopping and cautious shoppers looking to save money being blamed for a slow start to Christmas trading.

While a number of key high street retailers (including Next and M&S) reported a disappointing drop in sales, discount stores and supermarkets have posted far more positive results, indicating that shoppers were still out there and spending money.

Both Sainsbury’s and Tesco revealed that non-food sales had performed well, boosted by various initiatives in the festive run-up.

Also pleased with their performance were toy shop The Entertainer and discount retail chain B&M, which both revealed bumper Christmas trading periods, with total sales rising by 13.5% and 7.2% respectively.

Left: Christmas shopping got off to a slow start with shoppers looking to save money.

Angels Moves Into Partyware One of the leading fancy dress and costume suppliers in the UK, Angels Fancy Dress has extended its offering from its Hendon store. Previously concentrating its efforts solely on costume and accessories, the store is stocking a complete range of balloons and partyware as well. The famous Shaftesbury Avenue store will remain focused on dress-up.

Congratulations to Midlands Fancy Dress in Redditch, who won a bottle of fine champagne, delivered courtesy of Progressive Party Europe.

A winner was drawn at random from the hundreds of retailers who took the time to complete our annual party industry survey. PPE would like to thank everyone who took part for your help – we (really!) couldn't do it without you.

The Party Show @ Spring Fair February's Spring Fair is a key event in the party calendar, as the five-day event offers an unmissable opportunity to see what's new within the fancy dress and party market.

Taking place from 5 – 9 February, The Party Show is once again located in Hall 3 at Birmingham's NEC and is dedicated to party and costume exhibitors, offering everything from balloons to banners and fireworks to fancy dress. The highlight of The Party Show is The Stage, which is returning for the sixth consecutive year and plays host to regular seminars and catwalk shows, giving party retailers a lowdown of the latest trends, tricks and techniques.

“This is the place for party from Halloween to fancy dress,” said event director Alison Graham. “Any celebration goes and there will be plenty at Spring Fair 2017 from balloons to partywear and fireworks.

We expect a big focus on Halloween this year, as well as showmanship from Pioneer Europe, which will celebrate its 100th birthday at show with balloon art to mark it.”

Visit www.springfair.com to find out more and see our preview on page 47.

Price Check!

Pricing is key for all of us in the current UK economy and, with costs increasing for various reasons, it is important that retailers and decorators keep on top of their outgoings – even the boring ones like business insurance! BAPIA members are encouraged to check out the exclusive offer at www.bapiaonline.com/ businessinsurance

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PARTY NEWS

BAPIA Does GOSH 2016 Balloon experts have donated their time and expertise to ensure the décor at the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) Christmas parties makes an impact.

Each year, GOSH holds a number of Christmas parties for the children who will be receiving treatment in the hospital over the festive period. For the fourth consecutive year BAPIA has been honoured to organise the balloon décor which totally transforms the venue.

“It is a real opportunity for the industry to do something with our products and skills to put a smile on the faces of

these incredible children,” said BAPIA's John Bowler.

“As a high-profile event with around 2,000 youngsters and their carers attending the four parties over two days, and a host of celebrities turning up in support, it also allows us to show the public at large what can be done with balloons.”

This year there were five instructors leading the day; Tope Abulude, Bob Armstrong, Dominic Cassidy, Lucy Hennessey and Christopher Horne, who all deserve a huge thank you for their support and hard work in creating the designs.

With support from Amscan International, BOC Gases,

Inset: Co-owner Kirstie Pope will be saying goodbye to Top Hat in March.

Top Hat Says Goodbye Norwich-based fancy dress shop Top Hat has announced that it will be closing this March, following 30 years in business.

The store – which is currently in the throes of a closing-down sale – will close its doors for the final time on March 18, bringing an end to years of Halloween outfits, party wigs and scary masks. The decision to close was a difficult one for co-owners and sisters Kirstie Pope and Nicky Wigger, who finally made the call after last year's poor Halloween sales.

“We’ve known for a few years that business has been on a decline,” said Kirstie. “In this kind of business we rely on Halloween as it can keep us going for the rest of the year... the supermarkets were stacked out with costumes and if everyone steals a little bit of our market there is just not enough.”

The closure was announced via Facebook at the beginning of the month and there has been a surge in support both online and instore.

“The amount of support we have had has been amazing,” continued Kirstie. “The Facebook page will continue running as we want to be able to reflect on it, as we have had some really good fun doing this.”

Other factors leading to the decision included the economic climate and the growing online market.

Pioneer Europe and Premium Balloon Accessories, delegates were able to create designs, learn new ideas and have a highly enjoyable and fun day networking with industry colleagues from around the country.

“A great atmosphere builds through the day that culminates with a relaxed gathering in the bar,” said John. “I think everybody leaves having made some new friends and contacts

The whole team pose with some of their creations.

and with a smile on their face after such a great day.”

An exclusive opportunity for BAPIA members, this has now become a much sought-after annual event and is proving more popular each year, with over 75 members applying for the 30 places available.

New Look Folat Party company Folat has introduced a new corporate identity for 2017, getting the new year off to a strong start.

“We are a growing and dynamic company and we like to show it!” said sales and marketing manager Greg de Jong.

He continued: “We are building a successful future together with our customers and will continue to develop products and concepts that contribute

to a pleasant and unforgettable experience for the consumer.”

As a company, Folat likes to go beyond creating and supplying the latest party products; also developing merchandising concepts for complete shops, specific themes or product presentations.

A number of new lines for 2017 includes officially licensed product for spring release 'The Lost Village', the latest Smurfs movie.

Party Pieces Has Royal Model It seems that Kate Middleton has been used to living her life in front of the camera for some time, as this advert for her parents' family business Party Pieces shows.

Celebrating 30 years of being in business, the popular partyware company shared some classic shots from its early years, many of which featured members of the family. "It is still very much a family business today, and over the years all my children have played a huge part in it from modelling for the catalogue to developing new categories for the brand,” said owner Carole Middleton.

Below: This Party Pieces advert, from 1989, featured Kate at just seven-years-old.

Get Jammy There will be facepainting fun and new techniques galore at these jams, taking place over the next couple of months.

■ 13 Feb 2017: Façade Academy presents the 11th Peace & Love Paradise Jam, with competitions, demos and jams. Taking place on the Monday in half term, at Paradise Wildlife Park in Herts, entrance includes park entry! www.facadeacademy.co.uk ■ 3 - 5 March 2017: The Wham Bam Jam will be held at the FACE Conference 2017, in Chatham. Open to all painters of all levels, everyone is welcome, both members and nonmembers. Lots of trade stalls, demonstrations and competitions. Preconference classes will be taking place on Friday 3 March. www. facepaintingassociation.com ■ 18 - 19 March 2017: A brand new bodypainting festival on the North West, BodyCraft will offer competitions and workshops, with a jam area set up all weekend for those who want to join in without competing. The theme for 2017 is 'Beside the Seaside'. www.bodycraftfestival.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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PARTY NEWS

Christmas TV Balloon Boost

Balloon artist Lisa Dussek of inspiredballoons.co.uk appeared on primetime television in the run-up to Christmas, teaching TV’s Kirsty Allsopp how to make seasonal balloon sculptures.

Helping to get the nation in the mood for Christmas with her novel balloon art, TV awardwinning balloon artist Lisa Dussek of www.inspiredballoons. co.uk was invited into the Channel 4 studios to teach British celebrity crafter and presenter Kirsty Allsopp how to make a cute one-foot high balloon snowman, complete with hat and scarf.

Lisa also made a balloon tableau which stretched eight-feet-wide and comprised a winter wonderland of Christmas trees, snowball fights, snowmen, a penguin family and Santa being pulled along by his reindeer.

The show – which was Lisa shows Kirstie shown on Channel 4 on how it's done on Channel 4's Kirstie’s Wednesday 14 December Handmade Christmas. at 8pm – was Lisa's second appearance on Best Handmade Christmas the popular TV series Tableau Competition for her Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas. balloon recreation of the She made her TV debut in last nativity scene. year's show when she won the

The Nuremberg Focus As the largest toy fair in the world, over 70,000 visitors will be heading to the Nuremberg Exhibition Center in Germany to check out some 2,800 exhibitors across 13+ product halls. Taking place from 1 – 6 February 2017, the party, carnival and festive articles section of the show (Hall 9) is becoming more important each year – with 250 party and costume companies showcasing their latest lines for the coming year.

However, in 2018, the show will be taking place across five

days instead of six – running from 31 January to 4 February 2018. According to ceo of Spielwarenmese, Ernst Kick; “We are sending out a clear signal that is fully in tune with the needs of our customers, as we are aware of the pressures on both time and budgets.”

This year's show won’t be affected by the change and will continue to take place, as planned, from 1 to 6 February 2017.

For more information, see www.spielwarenmesse.de

Colin Stewart Classes Come To UK After the success of his 2014 tour, BAPIA is pleased to announce that Colin Stewart is coming back to the UK for three classes in March 2017.

This time Colin will be teaching his Lineart class along with some sellable sculpture designs.

Colin is a very successful decorator and retailer in Canada and has become a much soughtafter instructor for his very sellable designs and fab sales tips.

The dates and locations are: Glasgow (20 March), Enfield (22 March) and Halesowen (23 March).

For more details and updates keep

an eye on the BAPIA website at www. bapiaonline.com and also on the BAPIA Facebook page.

Below: Unusual décor from Colin Stewart.

One Door Closes Popular Manchester-based fancy dress business and joke shop, The Stage Door is being sold off after 45 years of business, as reported on BBC News NorthWest in early January.

The store was originally founded in 1971 by Pat Walsh using £200 she had saved towards a deposit for a house. Pat, now a grandmother-of-four, invested everything she had in the company, using a shoebox for takings until she could afford a till.

Today, after several moves up and down the street, The Stage Door is a four-storey treasure trove full to the brim of all things party-related, with jokes, fancy dress, dancewear and accessories for all ages, as well as having its own in-house

wig maker and professional stage make-up studio.

Despite an overwhelming passion for the successful business, Pat says ‘it’s been a good home’ but the time has come for her to move on. She is currently looking for new owners who will love the shop and industry as much as she has.

Above: Pat Walsh has been a part of the party industry for 45 years.

Pam's Goes Live!

A Fishy Theft The hunt is on for a brazen thief who stole a beloved metre-high sardine tin costume from a Surbiton pub.

The foam costume, which is among the main attractions in the upcoming Seething Festival, was stolen from under the noses of workers at The Lamb pub, in Brighton Road.

“I want to think it was just some kids,” said Adam Lewis, 45, who owns The Lamb. “We’ve got the Seething Festival coming

“My heartfelt thanks goes to BAPIA who alerted me to the tableau competition. It was a real honour to be invited back onto the programme this year in order to spread the joy of balloon modelling!”said Lisa, who set up her business three years ago.

“My passion is creating large-scale balloon installations which are filled with creativity, a sense of fun, attention to detail and wow factor.”

The 2016 show can also been seen on 40D and at Raise the Roof Production’s online blog showing viewers how to create a four foot balloon Christmas tree.

up and the costume is a big part of that – I feel gutted. I’m hoping it can be returned.”

The annual Seething Festival sees dozens of residents from across the borough march through Surbiton’s streets in unusual fancy dress attire. The surreal procession last year saw children dressed as cheese and guinea pigs led through the streets by the legendary ‘goat boy’.

The newly-designed Pam's website is now fully functional and – after responding positively to feedback and requests from customers – Pam's now believes it has created a truly efficient, easy-to-use website.

“We have added the ‘Quick Order’ system allowing our regular customers to re-order their weekly staples using our product codes,” explained sales director Carl Taylor. “New customers can browse through the categories and add products to their basket at their own pace and everyone can back order out-of-stock items which will be automatically shipped with the next order once the goods arrive.”

Right: Seasonal focuses make Pam's home page attractive and easy-to-use.

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PARTY NEWS

Brexit Blamed For Rising Costs British companies are grappling with higher costs as the first wave of Brexit talks threaten to drag the pound down further and ramp up the price of imports to the UK. Suppliers and manufacturers are also bracing for further pressure in the months ahead.

The party industry, which comprises product manufactured all over the world, is sadly not immune to rising costs and the resulting sharp price increases.

While the official Brexit plans are only now being tentatively discussed, the uncertainty has had a devaluing effect on the GBP which has forced a number of party suppliers to put costs up.

Major global costume supplier Rubie's announced that it would be putting prices up by around 10% just after Halloween, while

partyware wholesaler Party Plus issued a statement in the new year to the same effect.

The announcement read simply; "Due to price increases beyond our control by major suppliers, there will be a 10% price increase from Monday 9 January 2017."

Balloon and partyware company Pioneer Europe is the latest to have made a similar announcement. The company issued a more detailed statement, which read; "In 2016 following Brexit, we have been faced with

Left: Brexit is having an effect on the UK retail market before it even begins.

Party Zone Falls Victim To Business Rate Hikes

Balloon Art Unlimited The humble balloon is often used as inspiration for art projects - both as the material and as the subject - but one recent balloon-based installation was particularly notable.

Commissioned by Unlimited, a festival celebrating the extraordinary work of disabled and deaf artists, Cherophobia was Noëmi Lakmaier’s latest project.

During the 48-hour living installation, visitors were invited to St Leonard's Church in London, UK, where they could view Noëmi's bound and immobilised body, lifted off the ground by 20,000 colourful helium-filled party balloons.

Above: Over 20,000 latex balloons were used in the visual art installation.

rising uncertainty and challenges that we have not previously experienced which has resulted in increased costs in materials, fuel and services. We have been absorbing these costs for as long as possible but unfortunately we will be increasing our prices by 8% on 1 February 2017."

The company is able to continue to hold the prices on its partyware ranges for the time being, and all orders received and shipped by 31 January 2017 will be invoiced at the current prices.

Pioneer also points out that prices are likely to continue to fluctuate throughout the year, saying; "Due to the uncertainty surrounding Brexit we are unable to guarantee the new prices throughout 2017 and will advise you if it becomes necessary to make any further adjustments."

With these price increases affecting everyone in the industry we are yet to see how many other suppliers will be dealing with their rising costs. In turn,

Falmouth's only fancy dress shop is to close after eight years, with the owner claiming that rising business rates have made his business unprofitable.

Lawrence Fenton opened Party Zone in 2008, and has had steady business ever since, supplying costumes and accessories for a wide range of annual and community events.

However, following a 'massive hike' in rates, he is now paying nearly £1,000 per week in rent and rates. "I like the shop and I like the location in town, but it's just silly what the rates are," said Lawrence.

"It's just too much money now."

A half-price closing down sale is currently being held before the shop closes for good on January 20, 2017.

"We've had a lot of customers say that they're very sorry to see us go," he continued. "They don't like multiples as they're too boring, they like independent stores because they've got something different."

Below: Party Zone had been in business for over eight years

Christmas Suits Last Christmas was undoubtedly the year in which OppoSuits made their mark as the real contenders to the ubiquitous ugly Christmas jumper.

The festive suits were seen everywhere, from high-profile television presenters and other media personalities to groups of friends heading out for a Christmas Eve drink. The suits were also a social media phenomenon, with celebs as keen to post pictures of themselves as the rest of the online community.

retailers then have to make the tough decision - absorb the extra cost into their already squeezed profits or pass the increases onto the consumer? Turn to page 29 to see how the respondents to the PPE retail barometer answered.

Angels Open Days Angels Distribution is delighted to announce Open Day dates for 2017.

Taking place at Angels HQ in Hendon between 12 – 14 March, all new and exciting lines will be on show, as well as the popular classics from Rasta Imposta, InCharacter Costumes and Tinsley Transfers.

Guests will also be given the opportunity to tour the Angels Costumes warehouse, home to over eight miles of hanging rails and over one million items.

For more information or to attend an open day email customer.services@angels. uk.com or call 020 8732 8879.

Before flying out to their game in Florida the Tennessee Titan linebackers snapped this photo dressed head to toe in the Christmas suits. The response from the press was immediate and generated coverage throughout the US, with almost 50,000 'likes'.

Below: The Tennessee Titans enjoyed an OppoSuits photo opportunity.

Qualatex Training Programme 2017 The Pioneer Europe 2017 UK Training Programme is now live and available for booking. Now giving delegates more value for money than ever before, every business attending a Qualatex

course run by Pioneer Europe will receive a complimentary goody bag of Qualatex products. The products included will generate enough revenue to pay back the course fee and more!

Fundamentals ■ Cardiff - 2nd March Grays - 7th March Manchester - 9th March Glasgow - 14th March Dunstable - 16th March Leeds - 29th March Enfield - 26th April

Magical Party Designs Masterclass ■ Enfield - 24th May Glasgow - 21st June

Retail Essentials ■ Birmingham - 27th April Hayes- 6th June, Manchester - 8th June Cardiff - 15th June Belfast - 27th June

Wedding Series 2 ■ Manchester - 4th May Quick Links A-Z ■ Dunstable - 17th May Twisting Made Easy ■ Dunstable - 22nd June Care & Share Days (Qualatex sponsored days) ■ Halloween - 6-7th March Sutton - 3-4th July

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The BAPIA Boost

It’s All About The Confidence!

John Bowler has been part of the party industry for more years than he cares to remember! John currently runs the Balloon And Party Industry Alliance (or BAPIA) and can be contacted on info@bapiaonline.com.

Through 2016 I had the genuine pleasure and honour to work with some very creative and successful people both from within our industry and from other industries. I always try to take the opportunity to observe and chat with them to find out how they have become successful and what I might learn from them.

There is no one magic ingredient that makes a business successful as without fail, they all take a lot of planning and hard work. Setting up a business involves making business plans, taking on marketing, sales, and a whole host of other things – but there is always one constant that every successful person has, and that is confidence!

I know that many of us are not as confident as we would like to be, but this is not about self confidence, it is really about having confidence in what you are offering your client and how much you are charging for your expertise. If you do not believe in your product and what you charge for it, you cannot expect your client to believe in it either.

There are ways that you can Right: A little extra confidence can give your business the lift it needs. Below: With the right amount of confidence, you can achieve anything! Well, almost.

Price Reviews Have you reviewed your pricing recently? With many costs increasing for various reasons it is important that you take some time to review your pricing – otherwise you might find out down the line that you are not earning quite as much as you thought you were!

improve your business confidence and that will be reflected in your business success.

I speak with many industry retailers and decorators about their businesses, and very often I hear that people are not willing to pay very much for balloons.

I know that this can be true and that many members of the public do not put a great value on balloons, but take a look at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and you will see that there are a large number of people who can really see the value of professional balloon décor.

I believe that this only came about because the professional balloon artist had absolute belief in what they were offering to their client and they were confident that they were able to create décor befitting their clients requirements.

Many of us need to build our work confidence and this can be achieved in a number of ways: ■ Networking with other industry professionals to swap and share ideas and tips (always swap contact details so that if the opportunity to work together arises you can get in touch).

■ Attending training sessions and getting involved at every given opportunity.

■ Taking part in other industry events such as BAPIA’s GOSH day or the Hotel

BAPIA was created to work with its members, supporting growth and developing benefits - such as AVIVA’s fantastic business support website – which help the industry grow in a sustainable way. For more information or a copy of the latest newsletter please visit www.bapiaonline.com.

What Is BAPIA? The Balloon And Party Industry Alliance, or BAPIA as it’s more commonly known, is designed to work for the party industry to promote the benefits of using industry professionals and to bring significant benefits to our members.

BAPIA is a member of the European Balloon and Party Council (EBPC) and keeps members updated on the latest news, including the most recent initiative – the Code Of Best Practice for balloon retailers and professionals.

You can read more about this in BAPIA’s latest quarterly newsletter.

Mailed directly to members, John is happy to send a copy of the latest edition to interested parties – simply email him at info@bapiaonline.com.

Décor Day, both of which are fully handson and offer creative opportunities.

■ The important thing is to get involved and network, to build your confidence so that when you next speak to a client, you give your pricing confidently and are not afraid that they will think you are overpriced. Clients can sense a lack of confidence and this makes them uneasy about agreeing to what is being offered. You need to believe in and value your own work and your business; this will help you achieve greater results.

You might not achieve your biggest job every time but you will probably find that the value of each job is a little higher than it was previously and your new-found confidence will also help you secure those more impressive jobs. There will always be people who will not see the value in what we provide but we can make up for this by working with those clients who do understand that our time and work is worth paying for.

“

W “

hat do successful people really have in common?

According to John’s latest column, they might be in possession of a number of different skill sets and talents – but there is one key thing they do all share...

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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The Jester Says

THE JESTER SAYS

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

“S

o where do we start? I know if we were doing a proper review of the year we should really start in January, but hey, we are the party crowd – so have never been ones to bow to convention, and we’re not going to start now!

It started out as a bad year for celebrities with the passing of David Bowie in early January, just two days after his 69th birthday. We wondered how things could get worse, but in the same year we lost Gene Wilder, Leonard Cohen, Terry Wogan, Arnold Palmer, Prince and Alan Rickman – to name only a few.

On a brighter note we have had some great films out in 2016, not necessarily blockbusters in box office terms, but certainly good films for the costume industry. We had a new Ghostbusters, Star Trek, Batman v Superman, Star Wars and several Marvel films.

These will indeed keep us going with licensed costumes for years to come.

Deadpool, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Suicide Squad all gave us new characters which I am sure will be more than evident at the Spring Fair. My favourite film of the whole year was ‘Eye in the Sky’ – admittedly, there’s nothing in there that is of any use to the party industry, but if you have yet to see it I would recommend giving it a try.

Let’s get back to the costume and party industry though. As always, the year started with us checking our Below: A relatively new season, World Book Day is now core to the party market.

stock and seeing what sold and what did not go so well. Then we headed off to Birmingham for the Spring Fair to start all the madness again. It seems strange that in a large hall in the middle of England we make decisions on what stock we think will sell well at Christmas – a day more than 300 days away. We are there thinking of Halloween, fireworks, Christmas and New Year celebrations while it still feels as if everybody else is still trying to digest their Christmas dinner!

No sooner had we put the last few Santa suits away for another year than we were bringing out everything heartshaped. I do believe that for our industry Valentine’s Day has been showing a slow but steady decline – although I am happy to be proved wrong if a lot of you tell me that it’s better than ever.

Luckily, World Book Day wasn’t far behind. This children’s dress-up is now the new Christmas, and gave us a great boost to our sales in what was once a fairly quiet time of the year. I never thought something that accounted for just a few extra sales a few years ago would now be a major sales peak that requires quite a lot of preparation and stock!

After that we fell into the quiet summertime, with the occasional fancy dress party and pop festival thrown

Right: The roll call of celebrity deaths contributed to the popularity of iconic pop culture costumes in 2016.

in for good measure, just to keep us ticking over. This respite gives us all time to prepare for the four months at the end of the year when we do not have time to think straight. This is when I made the most of that spare time, spring cleaning, looking at the store layout and seeing if there was a better way to display our stock.

Then September came along and we needed window displays, and along with it we had to tackle the annual job of trying to squeeze our everyday range into the smallest space possible to make room for all the extra Halloween stock.

Despite reports, this year saw a fairly steady Halloween – but it fell on a Monday which is always a challenge.

Firework night was fair but I did notice that my local area seemed to have fewer fireworks being let off.

The final push of the year went to the Christmas and New Year season, which was never going to break the record books, but on the whole I am happy with the years results.

It seems that this year will be remembered for Brexit (if it ever happens), Donald Trump being elected president of the USA and all the celebrities that have sadly been taken away from us.

Let’s just hope 2017 brings more joy, more laughter and more reasons to party.”

“

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Retail Barometer: 2016 In Review

2016: The Year In Party Each year, Progressive Party Europe sets out to survey the party products retail market for the year previous. The results of this survey cover the 2016 year, a period that saw Halloween fall on a Monday, a nation voting to leave the European union and a record year for balloon sales.

T

he results and findings of this survey would not be possible without our fantastic pool of retailers, who gave up some of their busy working day to share their feedback, experience, and data of the past year. The collective results give us as an industry a global view as to the state of the nation. On behalf of the trade, sincere thanks to all those who contributed towards this.

It’s been a slightly tougher year, no doubt. Halloween fell on a Monday for the first time since 2011, a year which was also difficult thanks to the UK retail economy of the time. As readers will note, this Monday landing has once again affected the volume of product selling through.

If things couldn’t get any spookier (or darker, or, well, insane) the June referendum to decide our status as a member of the European Union also saw a vote in favour of leave. While the effects of this decision are still unfolding in terms of consumer confidence, spending patterns and feel-good-factor, the reality has hit home in terms of the currency markets and cost of goods. Price increases have already started to come through, ranging anywhere between 5 and 20%. Retailers now have a tough job to work out if and how those increases are passed onto consumers, and what the effect of that will be. An average independent retailer simply won’t be able to afford to absorb them; leaving one solution: consumers will have to pay more for product.

And that is a bad thing. Or is it? Party products, balloons and dress-up form a specialist product market, where consumers do still very much value independent retailers who have the knowledge and experience to make an event or celebration work.

Retail has changed too. We now have so much more on offer that can make any independent look, feel, and offer a modernised operation. Facebook and Twitter are available for free and promotional print is cheaper than ever, meaning that local promotions and window displays really can shine – especially when you can legitimately put licensed characters on there for extra oomph. If you’re not making the most of Book Week then you’re probably costing yourself an extra holiday each year.

But it will take investment, both physically and in terms of brain-power. We need to visit every exhibition we can possibly get to, even on a Sunday. Even in the West Midlands. Even in the rain. We need to really listen and engage with our suppliers and reps. We should absolutely join trade and local business associations. If social media or preparing artwork for print scares you – there’s a teenager in your family who can have you hash-tagging in half an hour. We’re still that specialist market, but we need to recognise that before we capitalise on that.

Onto the numbers…

How has business been for you?

How has business been for you, 2016 vs 2015?

With the majority share of respondents reporting a slight decline in trade, you could be forgiven for panicking. But let’s remind ourselves of the two key factors, Monday’s Halloween and Brexit.

We have several further years of mid-week Halloween celebrations, and we’re coming off the back of two or three particularly good years for this event.

4% 18%

11%

27% 40%

4%

■ Significant growth ■ Slight growth

11%

■ Remained the same

27%

■ Slight decline

40%

■ Significant decline

18%

How have you seen the average spend per customer change?

With average spend per customer remaining largely stagnant, it’s positive to view that the perceived value of party products hasn’t necessarily lessened.

Increased

14%

Remained the same

57%

Decreased

29%

What promotional activities have you used to generate custom?

An increase in local advertising and local events for 2016. As mentioned in our introduction to this survey, there really is no excuse for not using the arsenal of cheap and free of charge tools available in the current time. #AdvertisingWorks

51%in towns 12%and46% Footfall50% may just74% be increasing shopping centres, as consumer confidence is evident.

Seasonal promotions

50%

Local advertising

74%

Enhanced window displays

51%

Staff training

12%

Local events

46%

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Retail Barometer: 2016 In Review

How have supermarkets and discount stores affected your trade this year?

22%

29%

8%

3%

67% 31% 40%

Over the last few years, independent retailers have stopped having sleepless nights about the buying (and selling) power of supermarkets, and are now dealing with the quantifiable risk. But, mass internet trading is now biting, and biting hard. We had an overwhelming response to say that web traders were now more of a threat than any grocer or discount store.

■ Significant effect

8%

Category Focus

■ Slight effect 3% ■ No real effect

0%

■ The internet is more of a threat

67%

■ Supermarkets hurt more than the internet

22%

Which main factors had a positive effect on your business this year?

Local area growth was reported as the top positive effect on trading in 2015. Increased house purchasing rates potentially endorse this in the suburbs, with more infrastructure and business development in major towns and cities potentially helping footfall. Coupling potential consumers with local advertising is clearly a win-win situation.

Trying new products

1st

Licensed product/films

2nd

Developing a website

3rd

Social media

4th

Store expansion/modernisation

5th

Which of these main factors had a detrimental effect on your business in 2016?

Taking categories as a whole, what have been your best-selling product areas throughout 2016?

Accessories has for the third year running taken a premium position on the board, ahead of packaged costumes. While the volumes may be higher, the final account figures may tell a different story.

Showing growth in 2016 is the balloon sector, with respondents stating this has been the overall best in terms of growth.

1

Balloons

2

Accessories

3

Costumes

4

Partyware (joint)

4

Décor (joint)

5

Facepaint/Special effects

6

Greetings/Gifts

All Seasons

The general economy hits home, doubtless funded – for want of a better expression – by the Brexit referendum. Higher up the tables than we have seen in recent years though, those mass-online traders really are starting to make a tangible difference.

UK retail economy

1st

Ebay/Amazon traders

2nd

Rent and rates

3rd

Increase in minimum wage/wage expectancy

4th

Parking issues

5th

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

A big hit for Halloween trading, and no significant growth in many other areas. Book Week continues to turn in positive returns, with a 67% growth, continuing from extraordinary growth of 70% in 2015. For the time being, will Book Week have to prop up Halloween?

Halloween Increased Remained the same Decreased

6% 33% 61%

Festivals Increased Remained the same Decreased

19% 51% 30%

Christmas Increased Remained the same Decreased

12% 33% 55%

Valentines Day Increased Remained the same Decreased

0% 38% 62%

New Year Increased Remained the same Decreased

33% 14% 53%

Book Week Increased Remained the same Decreased

67% 0% 33%

Hen & Stag Increased Remained the same Decreased

22% 56% 22%

Carnival Increased Remained the same Decreased

75% 0% 25%

Birthdays Increased Remained the same Decreased

11% 56% 33%

Saints Days Increased Remained the same Decreased

0% 76% 24%

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Retail Barometer: 2016 In Review

What have been your hero products in 2016?

Balloons:

Qualatex Deco Bubbles

Costumes: Wicked’s Carry Me costumes, Suicide Squad from Rubie’s, Roald Dhal from Smiffys.

Partyware: Glitz from Unique, Milestone ages from Creative Party.

Décor:

Scene setters from Amscan, 80s cutouts from Pam’s

Accessories: Special FX from Paintglow, 80s ranges from Smiffys, Eyemasks from Bristol Novelty.

You’re In My Top Five

Products Selection How have the following categories performed for your retail business?

Falling in line with the overall product feedback, balloon categories have held or grown well in 2016. Partyware has similarly shown no decrease, while on costumes and accessories there are a varied range of results, which testifies to the level of uncertain trading we’ve been feeling for the last twelve months. Overall, there are enough pocketed areas of growth to suggest width over depth of product offer might be the best way forward.

Kids Costumes: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased: Adult Costumes: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased: Sexy Costumes: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased: Comedy Costumes: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased: Licensed Costumes: Increased: Remained the same: Decreased: Dress-up Accessories Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

36% 36% 28%

0% 50% 50%

25% 52% 23%

49% 36% 15%

Wigs and Face-paint Increased: 48% Remained the same: 39% Decreased: 13% Partyware and Disposables Increased: 27% Remained the same: 73% Decreased: 0% Props and Décor Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

22% 39% 39%

What have been the key celebratory occasions for your BALLOON business in 2016: Birthdays

1st

Weddings

2nd

Anniversaries

3rd

Valentine’s Day

4th

Mother’s Day

5th

What have been the key celebratory occasions for your COSTUMES business in 2016:

0% 37% 63%

54% 27% 19%

Non costume product has significantly more opportunities to sell through during an average retailing year. While Halloween and Book Week remain the royal family of trading events, the balloon and partyware business enjoys an ongoing demand from birthdays, anniversaries, saints days and more.

Halloween

1st

Book Week

2nd

New Year

3rd

School Events

4th

Christmas

5th

Which of these celebratory occasions have been key for your PARTYWARE AND DÉCOR business?

Jokes and Novelties Increased: Remained the same: Decreased: Latex Balloons Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

12% 58% 30%

Birthdays

1st

Halloween

2nd

New Year

3rd

Christmas

4th

Hen & Stag/Family

5th

37% 63% 0%

Foil and Premium Balloons Increased: 68% Remained the same: 32% Decreased: 0% Commission Balloon Décor Increased: 60% Remained the same: 40% Decreased: 0% Gas Hire Increased: Remained the same: Decreased:

24% 26% 50% JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Retail Barometer: 2016 In Review

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

1st

Online Traders

2nd

Price increases

3rd

UK Economy/Brexit

4th

Counterfeit product

5th

Expansion of multiples and discount stores

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

Follow Me It’s positive to note that nearly 90% of all respondents to this survey had their own website offering. While not quantified into e-commerce or static, it is a huge shift from not too many years ago, where these numbers were closer to 50/50. The figures show that every single retailer with a web presence sees a direct impact onto footfall into their bricks and mortar store.

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

88% No

Yes

12%

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

98% No

Yes

2%

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

100% No

Yes

0%

Feel The (Character) Force The character business is a vital element of almost every corner at retail. Buyers and owners really do need to digest as much as possible in terms of trends, forthcoming releases, and recognise the difference between an evergreen and a fad.

Costumes remain static in terms of their licensed versus generic buying patterns, while balloons and partyware show a slight nod-towards generic lines bulking out sales in 2016.

Expanding product areas generally

2nd

Film franchises

3rd

Building relationships with local businesses

4th

Balloon décor

5th

Expanding online presence

Team Players Service levels from suppliers show a mixed response, perhaps a skewed view as harder and more serious discussions take place about price increases.

Retailers report that Spring Fair is still a major purchasing opportunity for them, with a slightly larger number joining the trip to Nuremberg for the infamous party hall at Toy Fair. Equal to that number, showing either ‘travellers or not’, H&P expo has become an accessible buying trip offering a return even for indies. Your friends at Progressive Party Europe also (thankfully) maintain a place among the top sources for purchasing influences and decisions. Reps and agents remain hugely valued by all, as the top source – something which PPE will report further on in coming months.

Spring Fair, still a major purchasing opportunity.

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

Improved

23%

Remained the Same

55%

Decreased

22%

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

Star Wars is set to be a key party license for some time.

How much of your overall business does licensed product account for?

Balloons Licensed Dress-Up Licensed Partyware and Décor Licensed

1st

Reps and Agents

86%

Spring Fair

67%

Progressive Party Europe

67%

Internet

50%

Supplier advice

47%

Trade associations

32%

42%

Vs. Generic

58%

Other Trade Shows

23%

68%

Vs. Generic

32%

Association Events

9%

19%

Vs.

81%

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

Generic

Information supply levels about licensed product and trends remain strong, with 7 out of 10 respondents saying they were satisfied with the level of information share from suppliers.

Yes

10%

No

90% JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Retail Barometer: 2016 In Review

Bloody Brexit

Knock Off Nigel Counterfeit product has been a source of disruption for as long as most of us have been in business.

But in recent years with a more masked manner of retailing via the internet, opportunity is rife for individuals or organisations to offer dangerous and also totally counterfeit product. A number of major suppliers have instilled formal teams of investigators, monitors, and legal counsel to deal with the growing threat. PPE wanted to hear what retailers thought, and was pleased that despite varying levels of concern – and no-one wanting to state they had ever been offered such product, they do want to know more about how this can be tackled, for the betterment of the industry united.

We can’t get away from the fact that the referendum happened, and despite any rebound views on the results, most in business – either supplying or retailing, tend to agree that the result was not positive.

Talking to retailers, though, shows that while there is some decisions still to be made, the issue of passing on price increases to consumers has been considered, and there’s enough willing to accept that might just be ok, too.

Do you feel there has been a rise in counterfeit product in the last year?

Yes, significantly

23%

Maybe, but no worse than usual

64%

No, I’ve not noticed

13%

Has your store been offered product that you deemed to be counterfeit or unsafe?

Yes

0%

No

100%

Would you be keen to work closer and to receive information from suppliers about the dangers of counterfeit and dangerous product? If so, how would you like to receive that?

Yes, I’d like to hear more with regular emails giving news and advice Yes, I’d like to have access to a dedicated person within key suppliers No, I don’t feel affected by this

72% 4% 24%

How do you feel Brexit uncertainty has or could affect retail trade for you?

It’s already shown an impact

42%

I’ve not seen any effect so far

25%

I do think it will have an effect

12%

I don’t think it will have an effect

21%

In terms of Brexit, are you prepared to increase prices to consumers?

Yes, I will and I think it will work

34%

Yes, but I think it will affect sales

33%

No, I will have to absorb increases I haven’t decided what to do yet

0% 33%

And Finally What one word would you use to describe the party industry over the last year?

Challenging, troubled and uncertain were among the most popular words.

If you had one wish for the party trade in 2017, what would it be?

Across the board pricing for retailers and internet sales, consumers to remember the value of specialist retailers, consumers to buy on quality over price, the implosion of the internet!

Imports and Exports While the reach of this magazine is now across 24 countries, this survey is based on the UK market. We would expect to see a predominance towards buying from UK suppliers, but it’s also keen to note that retailers are also making use of product from Europe and the States too.

In terms of the product you stock, what percentage comes from domestic suppliers, versus International suppliers?

UK suppliers

72%

European suppliers

19%

American suppliers

9%

Looking Forward With a whole year ahead, PPE was keen to understand what retailers were focusing on, looking to build upon, and indeed what concerns they had.

Balloons once again are being viewed as an area of growth, while online traders and counterfeit product make up some of the cause for concern.

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

1st

Growth in balloon sales

2nd Halloween 3rd

Book Week JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Be inspired by

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Come and see us at: 5-9 FEBRUARY 2017

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Hall 3 Stand A10-C11

TEL: 01908 288 500 E-MAIL: sales@amscan-uk.co.uk WEB: www.amscan.co.uk ©Amscan 2017, All rights reserved

12/01/2017 17:04

H&P Expo 2017

AS THE FOG SETS

On NOLA

S

how organisers can do a lot of things to make an exhibition more enticing, more fun, and more real. A great show catalogue goes a long way, as do good facilities where sandwiches don’t cost £17. (An Olympian price, you might say.)

Urban Expositions (a Clarion company) went one step further, somehow managing to cover New Orleans in thick, thick fog on the opening day of Halloween and Party Expo 2017. Coupled with the

Right: Pendra Maisuria of London’s iconic Escapade

Let’s Dance The Haunted Trends Runway was a huge hit with visitors. H&P Expo organisers handed out $300 in show credits during each runway show, which visitors could use to spend with exhibitors.

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Halloween and Party Expo took over New Orleans – or NOLA, for those in the know – for four days of fright and fare, connecting over 300 suppliers with thousands of retail buyers in advance of the seasonal party highlights ahead. PPE hopped on a train, plane(s) and an automobile to check out the action.

Party Town

mystic feel of voodoo-obsessed New Orleans, the organisers really did manage to make Halloween come alive in January.

Some 350 exhibitors make up the show-floor, and while you’d be forgiven for assuming it’s a Halloween show, those exhibitors really are a mix of traditional party product, from balloons and partyware, to wigs and costumes – where American suppliers almost always have a much wider width in ranges than British and European firms. Add into the mix the catwalk, aka the Haunted Trends Runway, plus a big emphasis on education via the Independent Retailer Conference seminars, and you’d be hardpressed to find a good reason not to attend.

Making buying decisions via a trip to an international show is becoming popular once again. A dip in travellers was evident last year as the UK and much of Europe is busy traversing some particularly tough financial times, but in general the trend is seemingly

The Brewing Boos and Booze exhibitor party was celebration central, attended by nearly every exhibitor, plus visitors too. There weren’t many who were afraid to dress-up!

Above and left: Exhibitors and visitors dress up for the show party.

returning. The harsh reality is that you really do have to speculate to accumulate – particularly where product is concerned, and by casting the net a bit wider there’s a clear opportunity to stock items that could really be unique to one’s store.

Pendra Maisuria of London’s iconic Escapade party store was quick to agree, telling PPE; “H&P has once again been a really worthwhile trip for both my colleagues and myself. We’ve placed a large number of orders with new and existing suppliers, and enjoyed listening to the conferences to get an idea of how retail is shaping up this side of the water.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

20/01/2017 13:28

H&P Expo 2017

Until Next Time Admission to the show is free for qualifying retailers and the dates for 2018 are already set as January 12 to 15, once again at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Centre in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Visit www.halloweenpartyexpo.com Exhibitors reported a similar level of enthusiasm for the type and number of customers they had seen across the four day show, too. Morgan Simpson of US supplier Mullet on the Go said; “It’s been a great show for new business and lead generation. The demand for our product from international buyers in particular has been fantastic, plus we’ve been approached by a number of key distributors, too.”

H&P Expo is widely regarded as an opportunity to trend-spot, as much as it is to make purchases. With the show taking place early in the year, a vast array of the product on the showfloor has never been seen before, especially from a number of smaller suppliers who are hitting the ground running.

Halloween is a huge season for party retailers in almost every country worldwide, but Haunt in America is simply a take-over event, sweeping the country and enjoying a value of some $8 billion plus, according to the National Retail Federation (of America).

But it wasn’t just Halloweenthemed suppliers enjoying a chance to engage with retail buyers so early in the year. Mike Hanners of Worthington Industries told PPE; “We’ve seen a good mix of domestic

Right: Mike Carlucci, part of the H&P Expo team. Below: Mullet on the Go were a a hugely popular exhibitor, Morgan Simpson (second left) and Louie Simpson (sort of behind Morgan). Below right: The Happy Boa Company’s founder Kyle Krebs hosted an unmissable stand.

and international contacts here at HPE. Our trusted standard and jumbo helium tank kits have continued to be a firm favourite with major and independent party stores.”

Kyle Krebs, founder and owner of The Happy Boa company agreed, saying; “As first-time exhibitors to the show, we’ve been incredibly pleased

as many orders have been placed, as our style of cruelty-free, mess-free boas are a big hit with buyers.”

The positive feedback was met with great enthusiasm by show organisers, Urban Expositions. The company’s senior vice president for Left: Worthington’s happy team; (l to r) Aida Pickering, Mike Hanners, Lindsay Phillips. Below left: Kizer and Bender were among a host of guest speakers as part of a daily line-up of conferences and workshops. Below: Everything’s bigger in America. The featured product showcases excited visitors, and were also a competition – won by Horrornaments (a first time exhibitor), with runners up including Rubie’s and Wild Ideas.

specialty shows is Mike Carlucci, who told PPE; “International buyers come here as product launches here first, so it’s become a trendspotting show as well as a real-time opportunity to buy product.”

“Reaction to the Haunted Trends runway has been fantastic,” continued Mike, “as brands and buyers alike have enjoyed the live, first-hand opportunity to see product in action.

It’s really added extra buzz to an already exciting show floor.”

The number of buyers attending is no surprise given the range of product available to them, with an increase in international visitors being the talk of the showfloor.

Retailers and buyers from nearly every European country, plus the United Arab Emirates and even Australia were all present and placing orders for the duration of the show.

New Orleans is an accessible location for an international show, and really does afford retailers with an opportunity to source product they may never otherwise even know exists. Transatlantic travel needs to be budgeted, but the return on investment is almost certainly in New Orleans, as is the fun and celebration of being at the home of Halloween.

God bless America – and H&P Expo.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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What’s New?

What’s New?

New products don’t come much better than this...

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■

Fabulous Fairies

The brand new Fairy costume range from Pretend To Bee is unlike any other on the market, with each high-quality costume featuring beautiful fabrics, detailing and colours. The new range includes Garnet Fairy, Sapphire Fairy, Diamond Fairy and Aqua Fairy, each with unique accessories including wings, headbands and wands.

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Costume Kits

The new range of instant kits from Fun Shack offer a great alternative to a full head-to-toe costume. Fun Shack is adding to its extensive costume range the kits, which allow party goers to quickly transform themselves into a nurse, robber or even a vicar, with the addition of just a few accessories.

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Time For Tea

Get ready for a wonderfully wacky celebration with Amscan’s new Mad Tea Party ensemble featuring a wide variety of tableware and decorations including centrepieces, confetti and a cakestands.

Co-ordinating costumes, such as the fabulous and colourful children’s Mad Hatter design, are also available.

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Under The Sea

Who doesn’t love a mermaid? The trend-spotters at Northstar Balloons have noticed that mermaids have been making waves right thorugh the children’s market and party scene.

The balloon expert has now added this adorable mermaid shaped balloon to its Sealife collection. Dive in!

All Aboard!

This colourful new collection from Creative Party features kid-friendly graphic trains with confetti smoke stacks which add a touch of whimsy for birthday parties. The range – which includes plates, napkins, cups and all the trimmings – matches perfectly with solid colours in Bermuda Blue and Classic Red from Creative’s Touch of Colour assortment.

Jump On!

With over 20million views on social media already, Morphsuits’ Piggy Back range is set to be a big trend for 2017. The range of 12 amazing designs includes frogs, leprechauns, teddys, scary clowns and skeletons. All feature self-stuff leg technology which means production costs are lower, shipping is cheaper and they take up 40% less space instore.

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What’s New?

What’s New In Europe?

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Baby Style

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This new luxury Baby Boy and Baby Girl collection from Folat comes in either pink or light blue and is finished with sparkling silver details and satin hanging ribbon. Product lines featured in these classic collections are latex balloons, foil balloons, garlands (with romper or stroller motif) and bunting to give a special touch to the celebrations.

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Looking for something a bit different? Then it’s time for an international shopping spree!

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Save The World

The popularity of superhero themes shows no sign of going away and one of Leg Avenue’s most popular costumes from its newest collection is this Sensational Super Hero costume. This stunning costume has an unique design and perfect fit, with close attention paid to the fine detailing and add-ons.

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The new year has seen an impressive selection of new costumes and accessories being added into Widmann’s party fashion range. This clever lightweight US police officer t-shirt offers features an all-over print which gives party goers a simple and effective way to become a US cop in seconds.

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Tropical Fever

This tropical Aloha collection is one of the exciting new ranges introduced for 2017 by PartyDeco. The range includes a number of tropical-themed products, ideal for creating fresh, funny and colourful events and parties. Perfect for summer events – or for summer-themed events at any time of the year!

Party Time

New designs for classic ‘everyday’ birthday celebrations are always wellrecieved, and Godan has introduced this bright and bold collection, perfect for all youngsters – and the young at heart!

The range includes everything needed for the party, from essential tableware through to cut-out invites.

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Cop Out

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A brand new range of classic Victorian costumes from Magic By Freddy’s include plenty of options to choose from, for both girls and boys. With high-quality outfits and accessories perfect for the hire costume market, the children’s costumes are ideal for amateur theatre productions and school events.

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For all your favourite

Book Week friends.....

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Licensed to party

Licensed to Party Spring Fair

Progressive Party rounds up the latest licensed releases.

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Beloved Bear

Magical Misadventures!

Balloon Boost

Following the huge success of the first Paddington movie in 2014, VMC Accessories has launched this supercute Paddington dress-up costume which is perfect for fans of the ‘bear of very little brain’. Second movie (Paddington 2!) is set to be released later this year and is expected to be similarly well-recieved.

Children can now dress up as the stars of popular television show Shimmer and Shine thanks to these detailed costumes from Rubie’s. The two magical genies – Shimmer is in purple while Shine is in blue – are the central characters in Nickelodeon’s latest preschool hit (shown on Nick Jr. in the UK) about the twin genies and their magical misadventures.

Following the current trend for big round balloons, Qualatex is bringing to market six new licensed designs on 3ft round balloons. Customers can now buy a collection of popular Disney prints in 5”, 11” and 3ft sizes to create stunning party decor. Product – which includes a wide range of Disney brands, from Frozen to Star Wars – is ready to ship now.

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Smurfing Great!

Licensed To Shop

Great BatParty!

Slated to release in spring 2017, there is already a lot of excitement building around the second Smurfs movie, The Lost Village. Folat is launching a complete range of Smurfs party products, including invitations, plates, cups, napkins, balloons, garlands and even a colour-it-yourself tablecover, perfect for creative young party guests.

The latest collectible craze Shopkins has taken the playground by storm.

The tiny toys have been a big hit in the children’s toy and party world for some time now, so its no surprise that Unique Party is particularly excited to announce that it now has Shopkins piñatas and other new party accessories ready to order now.

Never one to miss out on the action, Amscan has added a brand new action-packed new ensemble to its collection for 2017. The new partyware collection features star characters and core branding from the upcoming LEGO Batman movie, which is due to hit cinemas in February this year. Product is ready to order now.

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Talking Shop: Asda

Inset: The George@ Asda range of Marvel and Disney costumes is part of a DTR agreement with Christys by Design.

Dressing

Up Box

As one of the ‘Big Six’ Supermarkets – all of which have dipped their toe in the party and costume world in one way or another as they focus on various non-food sectors to drive business – Asda is often considered to be the place to go for parents looking for children’s fancy dress. PPE spoke to Jenna Perry, dress-up buyer, to find out more about the retail giant’s approach to the party world.

I

t’s a story that plays out every day across the country – timepressed parent pops into the supermarket to pick up a loaf of bread and a pint of milk. When dashing past the dressup aisle, they suddenly remember the superhero party their five-year-old has been invited to at the weekend. £14 later, and with everything a mini-Wonder Woman needs in the bag, timepressed parent can mentally tick one more thing off their to-do list.

Well-known – and loved! – among the parenting community for its accessible, affordable dress-up options, Asda is a popular choice for parents looking to kit their children out for World Book Day, themed parties, school curriculum days and – of course – the all-important everyday role-play.

Jenna has been working within George@ Asda for the last five years, and – after moving across from kids’ accessories and boys clothing – has been heading up the dress-up department for the past year.

“The dressing up department at George is a great place to work,” said Jenna. “Every

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Left: Generic costumes are popular for role-play and school events.

day is varied and the product is such fun to work with. I work with an amazing team and together, we’re driving to be number one for dress up!”

Jenna left University of Manchester in 2009 with a degree in Management and Marketing of Textiles and was lucky enough to get her first role in buying soon after, at Blacks Leisure Group, following a word-of-mouth recommendation from someone she had previously done some work experience for at George@Asda. She went on to work at Boots for a while as well before

making the move to George@Asda in 2012.

“I’d done a lot of work experience at George@Asda throughout my uni holidays and always wanted to work here eventually,” she explained. “Dress-up is like no other category I have ever bought for.

I really like the event side to the business and the product is so varied. There is still a lot out there for us to still go after!”

As a key buying period across most areas of retailing, Christmas is a key season for children’s dress-up, both in terms of gift-buying, school play costumes and the increasingly popular festive outfits.

“Our Christmas dress-up sales for 2016 were strong and we were really pleased,”

Right: Collecting the award for Best Licensed Dress-Up or Partyware Range at the 2013 Licensing Awards, on behalf of Christy’s, Asda’s Jonathan Tillery (category director of childrenswear and menswear) and Sarah Jackson (buying manager of boyswear and dress-up) were obviously delighted while Warner Bros’ Paul Bufton (far left) was all smiles too.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

20/01/2017 10:51

Talking Shop: Asda

Retail Recognition As well as being popular with consumers, Asda’s DTR arrangements with Christys by Design have been recognised a number of times by prestigious awards programme The Licensing Awards. George@Asda has been recognised for the Best Licensed Dress-Up or Partyware Range award a number of times; most recently for its dress-up collection.

Nominated as a finalist in both 2014 and 2016, Asda won the much sought-after award in 2013 for its Marvel Superheroes Dress-Up range.

Jenna revealed. “We saw good growth from both our nativity and novelty categories.”

Were there any stand-out trends across the costumes which flew off the shelves throughout December? “Our customers are still loving the traditional outfits, as well as some of the newer, more niche outfits, such as the camel, which was new for us in 2016.”

With retailers looking to diversify right across the board, supermarkets are no different. So how important is the costume and party supplies market to Asda’s nongrocery business across the rest of the year?

“On dress-up, outside of eventing, we have a core range in store and online all year round. Besides Halloween and Christmas, we also have Book Week, which is a very important period for us. Our seasonal business is equally important to us as our core range, as its the latter that keeps our customers coming back to shop with us all year round. Although it has to be said that dress-up is an important department all year round at George!”

Looking at the seasonal business as whole, it’s clear that Asda’s Halloween offering is becoming more impressive each year. How much planning goes into that?

“Halloween in particular is a huge event,” said Jenna. “We have already finalised our range for 2017, after beginning work on it in July 2016. A huge amount goes into planning for the event as you would expect, from initial design work with suppliers, to our sales planning and forecasting, as well as the marketing, and working out how we will implement the range, both instore and online.”

Working on the 2017 line over a year in advance must be tricky, when at that stage it’s still not clear what will sell for the 2016 season. Where do the designers take their inspiration from?

“We take inspiration from a variety of places such as cultural trends, film launches,

and what’s happening in the high street,” Jenna revealed.

“I can’t reveal too much about the Halloween range for 2017 unfortunately as we want to surprise and delight our customers when it launches later this year!”

Of course, it’s important that the current line of costumes follow the most upto-date trends and fashions. How

Above: This Marvel range from George@Asda was a finalist in The Licensing Awards 2016.

often are the everyday ranges refreshed?

“We refresh our core range twice a year but have multiple phases within each season. We review each phase in detail to make sure that what we have in the range warrants being there, as well as looking at trends etc to see what we should add in going forward. It’s really important to us that our product offer is exciting to the customer and relevant to what they

Asda Price ■ T here are 630 Asda stores across the UK. ■ Asda became a subsidiary of the American retail corporate giant Walmart after a £6.7 billion takeover in July 1999.

■ Asda was recently crowned the cheapest supermarket by Which?, for 11 of the 12 months in 2016.

Left: Jenna Perry, seen here at The Licensing Awards product judging day in 2016.

may want, whether that is what’s happening culturally or the latest film launch.”

Which brings us neatly to licensing, which is an essential part of the modern party market. A wide range of Disney and Marvel costumes (from Christys

by Design) are an essential part of George@Asda’s offering – are there any other licenses or characters Jenna expects to perform well in 2017?

“Licensing is hugely important; we’re always looking for new opportunities and new characters that we can arrange in addition to the key franchises. We anticipate that Trolls and Moana will be continue to be big this year, as well as the hugely-awaited live action Beauty and The Beast film which is launching later this spring.”

How much involvement does Jenna have in the development of licensed lines of the business? “We brief our suppliers in terms of the type of product we are looking for and then discuss potential ideas and fabrics. We also discuss any new licenses that may be emerging and decide whether or not to pursue them.”

With a number of ‘Online Exclusives’ – including a complete range of men’s and women’s adult costumes – how does Asda’s online offering compare with its instore business? “The online business is a key part of our business – as it is for everyone. We have a limited amount of space in store in which we can range our product and so the online offering enables us to deliver a full range including kids and adult. We regularly track online searches on our website to see what our customers are looking for.”

Of course, the range promoted instore is carefully chosen to best appeal to the casual browser as well as those seeking out costumes specifically. And with their relatively low price points, many costumes can be seen as an impulse buy during the weekly shop. As such, how important is the balance between price and quality?

“Quality is essential,” emphasised Jenna. “It is always our priority to deliver outstanding quality that our customers can trust without exception.”

By offering the latest seasonal trends, the most current licenses and great quality costumes at an affordable price, it’s no surprise that Asda has carved out a strong niche for itself in the world of costume. As the retailer itself would say; ‘Save money. Live better.”

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20/01/2017 12:56

Face to Face: Davies Products

Inset: Davies Products’ Spring Fair stand carries product from the entire portfolio. Right: (l-r) Sophie, Alan and Gemma Davies make the company a real family affair.

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Celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2017, Davies Products remains as dedicated to supplying retailers with exciting and innovative product as ever. PPE spoke to owner Alan Davies to find out more about the long-serving party company and to hear his take on the importance of family in business.

T

his year’s Spring Fair will see party ourselves to our fantastic staff, customers expert Davies Products celebrating and suppliers. We love what we do.” its 70th birthday. With product Of course, much has changed in the last covering everything from Halloween to seven decades, not least the company’s Christmas and St Patrick’s Day to Easter, product offering and Davies Products has long been an industry approach to business. leader in the world of seasonal celebration.

Now split into a number As a family business, Davies Products of different collection, began in 1947, when Alex Davies and the Davies Products his brother Sol – Alan’s father and uncle portfolio offers a wide– started the business from very humble ranging collection of beginnings. In those early days they sold costumes, accessories and housewares, sweets and toys, and it was other party supplies. their hard work and sacrifices which “We design a considerable laid down the strong foundations for today’s vibrant and successful business.

Right: The Fun Machine is Davies “Seventy years is a wonderful Products’ everyday collection. achievement,” said Alan. “Our longevity is a real reflection of The Party Machine the commitment, hard work and SCREAM MACHINE: The dedication made by all concerned. flagship Halloween range, Scream Machine Davies Products is a family and that presents a constantly innovative, exciting is a very big part of how we present and fun range of scary and showcase products, ideal for Halloween.

FUN MACHINE: This widely-known brand encompasses Easter, everyday party ,Valentine’s Day and St Patrick’s Day. These ranges have become very successful, with many of them chiefly aimed at the spring seasons.

THEME MACHINE: The fabulous Christmas range has seen some incredible strides forward in recent Above: Christmas decorations in all colours and styles make up the festive Theme Machine years, with the 2017 collection collection Right: Scream Machine is Davies’ widely believed to be the best yet. popular flagship Halloween range.

amount of our own products,” explained Alan, “and have a focus on developing quality products with strong design at affordable prices.

Innovation, colour and style are essential, as retailers want to have desirable products, regardless of the size of their budget.”

As a company, Davies Products is constantly looking to improve and complete its portfolio. “We follow fashion trends and identify which items are missing from the market. We also place a lot of emphasis on ensuring the packaging, quality and pricing of our products are as good as they can be.”

Successful retailers expect exceptional service from suppliers in 2017 and Alan emphasises that the party and seasonal celebration trade are no different. “Our customers love our reliability and strong delivery record. This is a key factor in our customers’ minds and as a result orders being placed with us are increasing yearon-year. This is all essential as we operate in an increasingly competitive world.”

As a family business, Davies Products is an ideal partner for independent retailers as it understands and identifies with the value of providing good service to its customers. A team of sales reps out on the road and an office-based sales team are able to work together to provide efficient help and assistance to customers.

“Business is all about having the correct information, cementing good relationships and understanding and listening to the needs of customers,” continued Alan. “To that end, social media is the future! We have to look at what is trending, adapt where need to and ensure that it dovetails with our own vision.”

At the moment, new ranges and increasing orders indicate that 2017 is going to be a very exciting year for Davies Products – but what’s in store for the next 70 years?

“This is a very easy question for me ,” said Alan. “Our business is now in the very capable hands of our third generation, my daughters Gemma and Sophie. They achieve every day and have built a very strong team around them.

They love what they do and they very much aim to to please – so the next 70 years are going to fly!”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY

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Spring Fair 2017

Inset: Visitors to the 2016 Spring Fair. Below: The catwalk shows and seminars are a highlight.

PERFECT PARTY PRODUCT

H

ome of The Party Show, Spring Fair allows party and costume retailers to see exactly what the exciting and vibrant market has to offer for 2017.

With a wide range of exhibitors to browse, there will be plenty of opportunity to marvel at the finest party products – from classic balloons and costumes to hightech animatronics and the very latest in innovative accessories, as well as the hottest trends and Halloween hits that will make your shop buzz with excitement.

While the diversity of the modern party and costume retailer means that there is plenty of cross-category appeal throughout the rest of the show, most visitors looking

for party product will be wise to start their search for new product in Hall 3; which houses The Party Show as well as the Greetings and Gift exhibitors.

Traditionally, most of the party and costume exhibitors have exhibited in one hall, but that has changed for 2017 as a number of costume companies have relocated to show alongside children’s toys and gifts. However, breaking away from The Party Show and visiting other areas of the show is a good idea, with Hall 5 (Children’s Gifts, Toys & Gadgets), Hall 2 (Christmas Gifts, Floral & Seasonal Decorations) and Hall 10 – 12 (Volume Gift & Home) particularly interesting for party and costume buyers.

As the single biggest retail trade show in the UK, Spring Fair is one of the most important buying events in the costume and party retail calendar. Taking place from Sunday 5 – Thursday 9 February 2017, the show attracts buyers looking to place key orders for the rest of the year. PPE finds out what’s in store...

So whether you’re looking to expand your offering or focusing on a core area of your business, The Party Show is the perfect place to be inspired by the new products available in this exciting sector. Enjoy!

What’s On? The regular fancy dress catwalk shows held three times a day at The Stage are a real highlight for The Party Show, showcasing the latest in costume and dress-up accessories. The Stage also plays host to the ever-popular balloon workshops and seminars from both Amscan and Qualatex, which inspire and delight in equal measure.

■ Bristol Novelty

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■ Amscan Amscan’s latest ranges across the party, balloon and costume categories will include everyday ranges for popular occasions such as birthdays, weddings and baby showers, as well as new seasonal Halloween items. An array of new licenced partyware ensembles will include Batman Lego, Thomas & Friends and Nickelodeon’s Shimmer and Shine.

Amscan has expanded its dress-up offering, with a fantastic new variety of Book Week outfits for children of all ages, including themes such as fairytale, historical, careers and more. New adult lines include new decade-themed and Witch Doctor costumes and accessories. A brand new Amscan Create face-paint collection also includes a wide range of palettes, kits and accessories.

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Bristol Novelty never likes to disappoint and always pride itself in introducing a huge range of new and exciting products. Strong themes for this year include more party and Halloween décor to complement the existing range.

Of course, there will be plenty of the classic Bristol Novelty new lines that always turn heads at Spring Fair!

American partners Forum Novelties will also feature quite heavily in this year’s new offering. Bristol Novelty has introduced over 420 new Forum Novelties products to the UK market since May last year and there’s plenty more still to come!

■ Boland The Halloween-focused Boland stand will be themed around a haunted house, playing host to a great deal of new product including a range of animatronics as well as masks, fancy dress, wigs, moving props and various other scary decorations.

The 2017 catalogue will also be launched in full at the show, introducing over 600 new products, thanks to a relentless stream of new products and ideas. Within this launch will be a number of new party product themes, extra large piñatas and a huge amount of dress-up accessories covering hats, wigs, jewelry, and masks and photo booth glasses.

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■ Creative Party As one of the UK’s leading manufacturers and distributors of partyware, balloons and cake decorations, Creative Party is launching a number of new lines at Spring Fair. The wide offering includes the brand new Celebrations value range, with great quality designs such as Polka Dot Birthday, Pink Princess, Forest Friends and Fun Monkey.

Also new for 2017 are the brand new Glitter Numeral Moulded Candles and an addition to the already popular Glitter Table Decorations, featuring ages 70 and 80 in gold, 25 in silver and 40 in ruby as well as light pink and blue for first birthday celebrations.

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■ Henbrandt An importer specialising in children’s toys and novelties, Henbrandt also offers a wide range of party, dress-up, Halloween and hen night products as well as stationery, summer and Christmas items.

For the 2017 season Henbrandt will be showcasing a wide range of party product, ranging from decorations and other festive items to complete costumes (children and adult) and some fabulous new dress-up accessories. A new collection of Book Week costumes will be making an appearance, while novelty items including jokes, inflatables, party bag fillers and pocket money toys are also key for this year.

■ Mask-arade In addition to its popular licensed lines, Maskarade has launched a range of four Mexicaninspired Day of the Dead character face masks which will be launching at Spring Fair 2017.

These striking ‘Dia de Los Muertos’ designs feature two male and two female characters and will be available to a global market. The masks are are a great party accessory aimed at carnival, Halloween and of course, the Day of the Dead.

Mask-arade is also set to release four ‘Big Mouth’ masks to add to their diverse portfolio of face masks, ranging from beautiful lips to more graphic gobs! You ain’t seen nothing like ‘em!

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■ Davies Products Davies Products is celebrating its 70th birhday in 2017 and will be showcasing hundreds of new products, featuring new designs and themes across Halloween and Christmas as well as extensive everyday designs and other seasonal occasions, such as Easter and St Patrick’s Day. The Scream Machine range is a complete one-stop-shop for Halloween. The 2017 range has terrifyingly good selection of decorations, props, plus a huge selection of make-up and accessories.

Brand new Christmas accessories and decoration themes will also be sure to get your customers into the Christmas spirit, with Davies Products’ most impressive and extensive Christmas range ever.

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■ I.T.I. (UK)

■ Neviti

I.T.I. (UK) is the UK distributor for the world’s largest balloon manufacturer, supplying national multiples, wholesalers and independent chains the Fantasia, Globos and Globos Payaso brands. Making a splash at Spring Fair 2017 with a larger stand than ever before, the huge depth, variety and extent of the range will be on display. There will also be the unique opportunity to see a wide range of Latex Occidental products, items which are not widely available in the marketplace.

New product will include pink and blue marbled balloons, an extended range of the very successful link pack of balloon arches.

Neviti is launching some exciting new collections at this year’s Spring Fair. Suitable for a variety of occasions and super versatile with its mix and match options is the cute Pattern Works range, offering party essentials as well as special additions for baby showers.

Spring-ready and perfect for garden parties are the vintage-inspired Eternal Rose collection and the pretty Time for Tea range.

For weddings, the new collections Scripted Marble and Geo Blush are right on-trend, featuring contemporary designs and stunning metallic accents

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■ Premier Halloween ■ PaintGlow

■ Northstar Balloons Northstar Balloons is extremely excited to launch more Script Word Kits to its highly popular line. On top of the addition of new words – such as Party, Fun, Baby and Hello, it has also added new films, including brightly printed clear films and holographic.

These fun balloons are perfect for every occasion from a birthday parties to bridal showers – and are clearly fabulous.

Northstar has also added a new, highly sought-after colour to its 16” Letters and Numbers line. The new rose gold range is the perfect metallic shade – soft, yet makes a bold statement and is perfect for all occasions.

PaintGlow is an innovative cosmetics manufacturer based in the heart of the Lake District in England. It has created and developed some of the world’s most popular UV paint products, cosmetics and Glow in the Dark products.

All PaintGlow’s UV paint products are cosmetically certified and it maintains the highest standards when formulating the finest cosmetics. PaintGlow is a thriving pioneering manufacturing company and year-on-year the ground-breaking neon paint formulas continue to keep the company ahead of the competition in the UV make-up and paint party product industry.

New for 2017 are face paint sticks (available in 32 different shades) and semipermanent hair dye, available in 12 edgy and vibrant colours.

Premier Halloween has a great selection of hats, wigs and masks guaranteed to appeal to all, ranging from Faceless Freaks and Day of the Dead to Neon Skulls and Horror Hockey. As Halloween is not just about being scary any more, a selection of sequinned masquerade masks, colourful wigs, assorted hats and top quality makeup will also be on show.

Premier’s range of Halloween tablecloths, cups, plates and napkins will help prepare rooms for covens of little witches and wizards, who will also be pleased with Premier’s fantastic selection of ‘trick or treat’ bags and novelty gifts such as spooky gel stickers, glow sticks and batteryoperated Halloween toys.

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■ Oaktree UK Oaktree UK is a leading supplier and manufacturer of high quality foil balloons, innovative LED products, an extensive ribbon range, fine fabrics and party/event accessories. As ever, it is dedicated to bringing British-made foil balloons to the UK market.

On show at the Spring Fair will be more than 30 bright and vibrant new designs as well as large foil numbers made using brand new Indestructifoil technology. These numbers will last two to three times longer than conventional foil numbers.

Partyware ranges have also been added to the ever-expanding product offering, with new table covers, cups, plates, napkins and invites all on show.

■P almer

Agencies

Back again for 2017, and with a huge portfolio of new product, Palmer Agencies specialises in the party and Halloween market.

The exclusive range of Trick or Treat licensed masks features a number of additions to the already popular collection as well as brand new designs including a Day of the Dead overhead mask.

More than 50 new costumes are being introduced to the market, with clowns a key line for adults and children - and not just scary ones! Dolls, voodoo queens and comedy dress-up options will also be taking centre stage. A new range of animated props is also expected to be well-received.

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■ Pretend To Bee Pretend to Bee’s extensive range of highquality role-play outfits and licensed ranges includes costumes in a variety of themes to encourage imaginative play. Licensed collections include the Natural History Museum range of dinosaur costumes, popular CBeebies show CloudBabies and the successful Thunderbirds range.

Themes include people who help us, skills and professions, animals, mini-beasts, dinosaurs, superheroes and nativity. New role-play lines for 2017 are the baker, mechanic, beautician and shopkeeper, while new creature costumes include tortoise, snail and orangutan. A selection of educational dress-up lines also includes historical, into space and cultural costumes.

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Spring Fair 2017

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■ Pioneer Europe

■ Simon Elvin

■ Unique Party

In 2017 Pioneer Balloon Company will be celebrating 100 years in business and the company has prepared a few surprises to mark this occasion.

Pioneer’s Spring Fair stand will be bigger and better than ever before, with a number of ways to inspire customers for the year ahead, including new product demos, large scale décor, seasonal window displays, dedicated partyware section and special show offers.

With more than 200 licensed and nonlicensed new balloon products launching at Spring Fair, the 2017 Qualatex Everyday Catalogue is promising to be more exciting than ever, offering the perfect selection of balloons and party products for any occasion.

With a complete range of gift-wrap, foil balloons, partyware, social stationery, gift items and gift bags, Simon Elvin’s party range gets stronger and stronger each year Following on from its great success into the gift market, Simon Elvin is expanding its Simply Gifts range with a new exciting set of milestone age mugs that ties in neatly with its already popular foil balloon and wall banner collections. Covering ages 18 through to 65 and designed with the use of gold foil, these are made from finest china and supplied with a matching gift box.

The start of the New Year brings with it a range of new and exciting party products from Unique Party to be showcased at Spring Fair.

The 2017 catalogue features new ensembles, foil air fill balloon banner kits and 3D starburst foil balloons.

One of Unique Party’s most exciting launches for 2017 is a range of 62 brand new 18” foil balloon designs, ranging from ‘It’s a Boy’ to ‘Bon Voyage’. Complementing these new foils are happy birthday ensembles, cocktail party ranges and solid colour silver and gold tableware.

Unique has also expanded its solid colour range, with new bright neon, mint and coral ranges, sure to be a hit for spring/summer celebrations!

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■ Rubie’s For 2017 Rubie’s revamped stand will be showcasing all the latest additions to its comprehensive catalogue of licensed costumes and accessories. The updated portfolio features new lines across Disney, Star Wars, Marvel and DC Comics, as well as generic Halloween costumes and accessories and everyday dress-up.

Many of the new superhero ranges focus on upcoming 2017 blockbusters, ensuring that new ranges from DC Comics and Marvel will be key, as will the brand new kids’ costume range from the upcoming Power Rangers movie. The new Star Wars lines are expected to be popular, while Rubie’s ever-expanding preschool dress-up offering also includes new Paw Patrol, Shimmer & Shine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder and My Little Pony ranges.

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■ Travis Designs Travis Designs offers an imaginative range of dressing up styles for babies and children including beautiful ballgowns, princess dresses and fairy frocks, along with knights, pirates and plush animals – all aimed at children from newborn to 12-years-old.

The popular ‘ride on’ costume collection is being extended for 2017, with the brand new additions of the flamingo, giraffe and fairy tale pony.

The officially licensed Disney Baby range includes character outfits for 0-24 months featuring classic characters such as Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Minnie and Mickey, and New to the family is Woody, Jessie and Buzz Lightyear – and of course, the princesses!

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gem

■ Gemma Gemma delivers innovative product development across cards, wrap and partyware, all of which are designed in-house at our award-winning studio.

The company develops and designs products for some of the biggest licensors in the world and is proud to represent market leading licenses including Peppa Pig, Thomas, Hello Kitty, emoji, Mr Men, Angry Birds, Pokemon, Disney and Marvel.

Gemma is building its own ranges and brands too, such as Little Thoughts and Gem Fairies, so it can offer an even greater choice of top quality greeting cards, gift packaging and party ranges.

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FEEDBACK

Taking Stock Jean Harper owner, Masquerade, Watford

How do you think the party industry and the retail market in general has fared over the last 12 months?

“The last year has been a slightly uphill struggle, due to the party people buying more accessories instead of hiring costumes. And of course the loss of any clown costume hire and sales, due to the few idiots that spoilt it for everyone when they attacked and scared people using offensive weapons.”

What was your business highlight of 2016?

“Children’s costumes have been a great lift to the business for curriculum-based school projects such as Victorian days and Roman times.

What would you choose as the best new party product of 2016?

“For us, we found that for the men, King Henry VIII was a very popular hire this year, while the Mad Hatter was a strong seller from our packeted costume section. Ladies were going for Elizabethan hire costumes and buying 20s costumes from the retail range.”

What are your hopes and expectations for the party market in general next year?

“We hope that all the party people out there will get their buzz back. They dwindled a little in 2016.”

Will you be attending any of the trade shows in the first months of 2017?

“Yes we will be at the shows. It’s always good to see what’s new on the market.”

Can you reveal any of your plans for 2017?

“We are currently planning a big sale in May. We have rails full of costumes for hire, and all of them are in excellent condition. We just need to make room for a few new costumes this year!”

And finally.... can you sum up 2016 and 2017 in three words each?

“2016 – Fab – u – lous! 2017 – another fun year!”

There’s no denying that 2016 was a challenging year and 2017 already looks like it’s going to do its very best to keep things interesting.

PPE asked a selection of party retailers to share their thoughts on the last 12 months and what they are looking forward to in 2017.

Left: Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter (Rubie’s) was a strong seller for Masquerade last year.

Dan Parsons director, Fun ‘N’ Frolic, Reading How do you think the party industry and the retail market in general has fared over the last 12 months?

“It has been tough this year, but it could have been worse.

After the highs of Halloween 2015, it was always going to be difficult, and it has proven to be so. Fancy dress and dress-up as whole has been slow in 2016, but party (banners, balloons, décor and tableware) went well. We will continue to freshen up the range and diversify and we have seen glimpses that 2017 could be better, especially for balloons for corporates.”

What was your business highlight of 2016?

“We started 2016 with a flourish and book day sales were huge! Book day would be my highlight, but it gave us false hope for a challenging year ahead.”

What would you choose as the best new party product of 2016?

“Carry Me costumes caused a pretty big stir for us, but demand was let down by lack of supply. A fantastic product which has had some great exposure on social media.”

What are your hopes and expectations for the party market in general next year?

“2017 will probably be as challenging as 2016 was, but I am convinced the balloon décor and partyware side will go from strength-to-strength. We have some stock left over from Halloween, so, if most are in the same boat, forward orders for Halloween at suppliers will be down. It’ll certainly be an interesting year, but we will grab the bull by the horns and with new initiatives, we look forward to the year and any challenges it may present.”

Will you be attending any of the trade shows in the first months of 2017?

“We will be attending the Spring Fair, as we do each year. But our emphasis will be on new products and ranges and maybe even a step in to something completely new!”

Can you reveal any of your plans for 2017?

“We will be having a mass re-merchandise in store, to make it fresh for our customers and introducing a new qualatex tableware wall. After the huge success over the past 18 months of our massive Qualatex balloon wall, we have high hopes for it to turn an already good selling range, into an even better one. We will also be looking at different ways to market the business and the balloon décor side especially for corporate clients. We have been seen an increase in décor assignments for corporates in 2016 and hope to push this in 2017.”

And finally.... can you sum up 2016 and 2017 in three words each?

“2016… see ya later! 2017… let’s do this!”

Left: There was great demand for Wicked Costumes’ ‘Carry Me’ fancy dress in 2016.

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Feedback Left:World Book Day gave Jollyjesters a welcome boost in the first part of 2016.

at a sensible price. If wholesalers could cut down on the quantities we have to buy and/or the minimum orders, we would most likely end up ordering MORE from them. We deal with four or five main suppliers, and 26 fortnightly orders with each of them would generate more business than 12 monthly orders. We could carry a wider range and place a top-up order every week or fortnight, rather than a large order once a month or so.

ate Moore K owner, JollyJesters, Derby

Can you reveal any of your plans for 2017?

“Start drinking heavily. Or apply for Change Of Use and become a funeral parlour. But until then, I suppose we’ll just have to carry on doing what we’re doing. At least we’re doing it with a sense of humour!”

How do you think the party industry and the retail market in general has fared over the last 12 months?

“Feedback on New Year’s Eve is that it is no longer Fancy Dress And finally... can you sum up 2016 and 2017 in three words each?

“2016: Poundshops, chainstores, supermarkets. 2017: Ride it out.”

Night – most of the business we got was from people going to house-parties. In the run-up to Christmas, it was mainly Christmas jumpers and t-shirts rather than costumes.

Book Days and school dress-up days see parents feeling Creative Party also had some strong Adrienne D’Souza under pressure to deck their kids out in full Roald Dahl regalia. new lines towards the back end of They’re still paying the over-the-top licensed costume prices, owner, A Party Palace, London the year. but it can’t be long before they say enough is enough.

As for the Brexit effect... well... we’ve found that it depends How do you think the What are your hopes and who you talk to. Our wholesalers have all put up their prices, party industry and expectations for the party and since June it’s been used as an excuse for being out of the retail market market in general next stock of anything, i.e. not buying stuff in until the exchange in general has year? rate is stable, etc.” fared over the last 12 “For suppliers to get a bit months. more on it! The industry What was your business highlight of 2016?

“It was a challenging was too slow with some “Book Day(s), mainly because a lot of parents left it to the last year in many ways, obvious winners and trends minute in the hope it would go away, and then it was too late to however, it was great to see last year. They really need to order online.” some fresh new trends come ask retailers questions and use this though, particularly in balloons and feedback. We are the ones who know What would you choose as the best new party product decorations.” the trends and are frontline!” of 2016?

“Not sure if they were a new product in 2016, but Carry Me What was your business highlight Will you be attending any of the costumes have been easy to sell. ” of 2016? trade shows in the first months “Halloween. Due to it being on a of 2017?

What are your hopes and expectations for the party market week day it was slightly more spread “I’ll be at NEC for Spring Fair. I used in general next year? out this year so more manageable to go for a few days but it will just “I hope that the economy stabilises and that wholesalers will and less customers were less frantic be two days this year as the show is work with us to help us give our customers the items they want - which meant we were too!” diminishing year-after-year. It makes

Lionel Zeffertt owner, Pageant Party, Newbury How do you think the party industry and the retail market in general has fared over the last 12 months?

“It hasn’t been amazing, really. People are increasingly choosing cheaper accessories over complete costumes – or buying their costumes elsewhere and coming to us for the finishing touches. Halloween was very quiet and we didn’t even come close to selling the stock that we had ordered in. Even the basics like white face paint struggled this year. The discount stores and internet traders are a concern, of course, but it’s the supermarkets that are really making things so tough. We can’t compete with either the price or the convenience. The killer clown craze made things a bit interesting though – we had one particular latex clown mask returned twice, although we did manage to sell it in the end!”

What was your business highlight of 2016?

“Despite the slow start, we had a very strong Christmas and New Year period, with some real growth compared to last year. That was Inset: Significant Christmas and NYE growth – particularly in fireworks – made up for a slow start to the year for Pageant Party.

What would you choose as the best new party product of 2016?

“Amscan Sparkling Birthday range was really strong and very refreshing. Anything gold was a winner too. Unique did a great job with some of its new tableware and

me really sad as it used to be the buying highlight of the year, but not any more.”

Can you reveal any of your plans for 2017?

“To nurture the good things and ditch anything that doesn’t work!”

And finally.... can you sum up 2016 and 2017 in three words each?

“Let’s look forward!”

Above:Amscan’s new Sparkling Birthday collection was a popular choice in 2016.

very encouraging. It was great to finish the year on a high note and means we are going into 2017 with our heads held high.”

What would you choose as the best new party product of 2016?

“This was the first year that we made a real effort with our firework offering – we really went for it and it made a huge difference.

There were a lot of NYE house parties this year, which really helped. We completely sold out and will definitely be doing the same next year.”

Can you reveal any of your plans for 2017?

“Although this is only my fourth year at Pageant, the shop is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. We’re just going to keep doing what we do, promoting as many new ranges and increasing sales wherever possible!”

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Spielwarenmesse 2017

Spielwarenmesse 1 – 6 February, 2017 Nuremberg Exhibition Center, Germany www.spielwarenmesse.de

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uremburg toy fair – or Spielwarenmesse as it is more officially known – is billed as the place where ‘international toy markets come together’. The six-day show takes place between 1 and 6 February, and is ideal for retailers looking to be ahead of the game in 2017.

With over 250 exhibitors showcasing their latest lines in Hall 9 – which is dedicated to the festival, carnival

and fireworks market. The show is a truly international event, with Hall 9 exhibitors alone making the journey from over 34 different countries this year. Many of them don’t attend any other fairs, either locally or internationally, so it really is the place to be for buyers looking to secure exciting product that will set their offering apart from the competition.

So with no further ado, here’s a snapshot of what’s in store.

l 9, Hal - E58 2 1 D57117 97l2ty4.c0o.uk +44stolnove bri

Bristol Novelty “The Nuremberg toy fair has certainly become a destination on the tradeshow calendar with more UK retailers making the journey to see what is on offer. The show itself has a very different feel than other trade shows, it has a far more relaxed atmosphere with an informal approach to doing business. There’s plenty to look at, with all the main UK suppliers exhibiting at the show, alongside plus some really interesting European suppliers.” Bristol Novelty will be showcasing a wide range of new collections, with everything from Forum Novelties partyware to cutting-edge costumes and accessories.

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Delights Direct “It was our first Nuremberg last year and we had a decent first show,” said account manager Stuart Wheeler. “I think it is good for us to return, as it shows a commitment to the European market. Carnival is not so very close to the show as it was last year, which should be good for footfall.”

Delights Direct will be showcasing many new items at the show, including a brand new range of NFL party products, featuring tableware, decorations, favours and more.

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Boland Party Boland will be bringing Halloween to Nuremberg. The stand will be themed around a haunted house, with plenty of new product including a range of animatronics. The 2017 catalogue introduces over 600 new products, with a number of new party product themes, extra large piñatas and a huge amount of dress-up accessories covering hats, wigs, jewellery, masks and photo booth glasses.

Fun Shack After a successful show last year, Fun Shack will again be showing all its latest costume designs in Nuremberg. The dress-up and accessories company has expanded its Carnival range for 2017 which remains popular with European customers. The new clown costumes for both men and women are in traditional, bright carnival and Mardi Gras colours, making them ideal for the European party market.

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M I LANO

Party Fashion

y t r a P e h T n u es . . . i t co n ! d n a 9 t l S l r a u H o t i s Vi 7 1 0 2 6 e 9 s F s / 5 e 9 m E n e r a w l Spie mberg 1 - 6 Feb Nure

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Party Fashion

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23/01/2017 08:39

Spielwarenmesse 2017

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Leg Avenue Leg Avenue’s 2017 collection is full of new creations, as the costume company will be adding 50 new accessories styles to its current collection. One outstanding visible trend is the ‘Do-it-yourself’ costume, which contains lots of cool basics and accessories to mix and match, creating the customers’ desired outfit. Leg Avenue’s new collection arrives in the summer months, but retailers are able to place a pre-order at Spielwarenmesse, this way they can be sure they receive the products they want to stock, as popular styles tend to sell out quickly.

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Mask-arade Mask-arade has launched a range of four Mexican-inspired Day of the Dead character face masks. These striking ‘Dia de Los Muertos’ designs are a great party accessory aimed at Carnival, Halloween and of course, the Day of the Dead. The two male and two female characters are available to a global market, and are designed to fit any skull!

Mask-arade is also adding four ‘Big Mouth’ masks to its diverse selection of face masks, ranging from beautiful lips to more graphic gobs! You ain’t seen nothing like ‘em!

Givi Italia

The Spielwarenmesse Toy Fair, which although it is usually held close to Carnival dates, has become an important event for Nines d’Onil, and is where the company shows its collection of costumes, all made in Spain every year.

With more than 12 years experience in its national market, it is undoubtedly the participation in this event during last years that has allowed the company to take a quantitative leap in its sales. Offering a wide range of costumes and masks, Nines d’Onil is a must-see for all party buyers and specialists.

Following the latest fashion trends, Givi Italia is launching Party Glamour, the fashionable new party line for 2017. Gold, silver, black, white, kraft, glittered and hot-stamped items come together to create a great collection with extraordinary tableware and a full range of amazing accessories.

Givi Italia tableware is eco-friendly and offered in three decorated or solid-coloured collections: the New Round Line (the original shape), the New Wave Line (a chic and elegant shape with exclusive designs and 17 colours) and the Basic Line (a simple shape in 24 brilliant colours).

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Northstar Balloons

Mustaches

Northstar Balloons is extremely excited to be launching a whole range of new balloons to market at Nuremberg. The ever-popular Northstar Balloons Emoji line has grown and now includes the extremely popular Emoji Cat with Heart Eyes - it’s the purrfect addition!

More Script Word Kits have also been added, with new words – such as Party, Fun, Baby and Hello – as well as new films, including brightly printed clear films and holographic. These fun balloons are perfect for every occasion from a birthday parties to bridal showers.

An amazing range of more than 1,000 varieties of fake moustaches and beards will be on show in Hall 9 at this year’s Spielwarenmesse toy fair. “The party/ carnival hall at Spielwarenmesse is a major international event,” said Tomas Siuipys, the ceo of moustache-and-beard maker Mustaches. “For us, as European makers of quality false facial hair, this show is a chance to present our latest products to a diverse global audience early every year while getting an update on broader industry trends andideas for new innovations. And there’s a general understanding that you’re not a market leader if you’re not at the Nuremberg toy fair. We exhibit every year.”

Henbrandt For the 2017 season Henbrandt will be showcasing a wide range of party product 6 to the European party 1 51its.com 3 1 market, ranging from +44 orphsu m decorations and other festive items to complete costumes (children and adult) and some fabulous new dress-up accessories. A new collection of Book Week With over 20million views on social media costumes will be making already, the Morphsuits Self-Stuff Piggyback an appearance, while range is predicted to be one of the biggest novelty items including fancy dress trends for 2017. Using self-stuff jokes, inflatables, party leg technology production costs are lower, bag fillers and pocket shipping is cheaper and they take up an money toys are also key impressive 40% less space instore. There are for this year.

12 amazing designs to choose from.

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Morph Costumes

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MicroAir™ Balloon Inflator Small and Economical! This inflator is designed to be powerful, compact, high quality and affordable, especially for inflating latex balloons.

• • • • •

Inflates all latex balloons from 9” and larger in size.

Includes Premium’s “Push-Down” nozzle activated switch for momentary operation.

Comes with Foil Nozzle Adaptor.

On/Off rocker switch for continuous inflation.

Premium Twin-Air Sizer™ Cord wrap built into the “Easy-Carry” handle.

The ONLY inflator available to digitally and accurately size latex balloons and all modeling balloons for decoration. ®

Cool Aire 4 Balloon Inflator

Designed for mass Inflation of latex balloons with 4-nozzles.

• Easily inflates 5” and larger latex balloons.

• Has three “Speed-Switch” settings for high pressure for small latex down to low pressure for large latex.

• Ideal for inflating balloons for balloon drops and arches.

• Inflates 1, 2, 3 or 4-balloons at one time, when using the supplied nozzle caps to close off “un-used” nozzles for faster inflation.

• High-impact, high-quality molded case for greater durability.

• Comes with high quality, padded protective carrying case.l

• Runs continuously without overheating.

• Inflates 5”, 160’s, double stuffed 260’s and double stuffed 5” latex.

• Push button display screen to adjust inflation time in seconds and tenths, and includes a cycle counter.

• Never needs to be calibrated.

• Immediate inflation pressure with the touch of the foot pedal.

• Can be used for ‘continuous inflation mode’, when foot pedal is plugged into the left outlet on Twin-Air Sizer™.

• Comes with high quality, padded protective carrying case.

• Nozzles for modeling and small latex balloons.

All Inflators shown: • Are available in 120-volt and 230-volt for Europe, UK and Australia.

• CE approved for UK and Europe.

• Twin-Air Sizer™ EPCS approved for Australia and New Zealand.

Cool Aire® 4 pending, • Are manufactured under Premium’s high quality standards.

• 1-year conditional warranty.

“Visit Premium’s Stand at Toy Fair, 2017, Hall 9, Stand E-07, mention this ad and get free samples.”

For more information contact Pioneer Europe LTD, the exclusive distributor of the Twin-Air Sizer™ and Cool Aire® 4 in the UK. Or visit Premium Balloon Accessories® at www.premiumballoon.com ©2017, PREMIUM BALLOON ACCESSORIES® ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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Spielwarenmesse 2017

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■ Pioneer Europe

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■ OppoSuits OppoSuits has developed a female range as well as a kids and teens range, both of which it will be showing in Nuremberg, so it is excited to showcase these new categories to its customers.

OppoSuits believes that the Toy Fair in Nuremberg is the most important European show on the party calendar. “We hope to see some of our UK retailers attending the show even though it’s not an easy location to get to,” said co-founder, Jelle van der Zwet. “We hope to see many of our existing customers as well as new prospects at our stand in Nuremberg, which is the same location as in previous years.”

■P remium Balloon

Accessories

Premium is introducing two great new products for special balloon applications. The FoilPro is designed for fast, easy, hands-free inflation of all multi-compartment foil, latex, and highpressure balloons, with a Flexi-Extension Hose, hands-free foot pedal and special suction-cup feet to secure during inflation. The Magnetic MaxiBase retail display kit is ideal for retail air-filled displays of all types and sizes of balloons. Mention Progressive Party Europe at Premium’s stand to receive some fabulous free samples!

■ Palmer Agencies The Hallowen and carnival market is key for European business and so Palmer Agencies will be focusing its attentions carefully at the Nuremberg show. Introducing a huge portfolio of new product for 2017, Palmer Agencies will be showcasing a number of brand new family-friendly Halloween lines, with the colourful funny outfits which are popular across the continent. More than 50 new costumes are being introduced to the market and a new range of animated props, such as the 7” dead clown, are also expected to be wellreceived.

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Nuremberg will see the launch of the brand new Qualatex Everyday Catalogue 2017, which will offer a great range of balloons and party product for every occasion.

In addition to the very popular range of licensed Bubble and latex balloons, such as Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Nickelodeon, and Carte Blanche, it offers an extensive range of birthday Microfoil balloons.

From the new 41” Golden Crown Microfoil shape with coordinating birthday foils to the new milestone birthday Bubbles and confetti Microfoils – buyers won’t want to miss out on these fun new designs.

■ Rubie’s New Rubie’s lines will include the much-anticipated new look Power Rangers ahead of the upcoming 2017 movie and an enchanting new dress-up range ahead of Disney’s live action Beauty & The Beast, due out in March.

Super heroes from Marvel and DC Comics will include new Spider-man costumes , ahead of 2017’s ‘Spider-Man: ll 9 Homecoming’ and Wonder Ha – E5807 7 Woman dress-up in time for D5478453s0.c7o0m June’s ‘Wonder Woman’ e 4 i + rub movie. New licensed preschool dress-up ranges will also make their debut, alongside the popular Paw Patrol and brand new My Little Pony ranges.

■ Widmann

A01 , 9 l 48 Hal 6360 478 .nl +31 thetru

■ Thetru Thetru has lots of experience in the sphere of fancy dress and seasonal clothing. It will be bringing its high-quality cosumes and creative designs to Spielwarenmesse, with a brand new collection of party costumes.

This new line – LED’s Start The Party – features a number of fancy dress items and accessories which feature fully-functioning LED lights. Product in the range includes jackets, shirts, waistcoats and top hats.

For 2017, Widmann has identified an increased demand for good-quality dress-up and party articles that allow for differentiation, are not bland and are available at attractive market prices.

“With visitors from so many different countries, being at the show helps us grasp the real depth of the industry and draw from experiences to identify new opportunities,” said head of export sales Charles Dulles. “Whether traditional or contemporary themes, fancy dress needs to be both original and exciting, while remaining affordable. Nuremberg is the place to experience, see, touch and feel it all.”

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World Book Day

Onc e Upon A Ti me...

There can barely be a school left in the country that doesn’t have a dress-up day or two at some point during the year, and World Book Day – or one of the many similar book-themed events – is one of the most popular. Progressive Party Europe turns the page on the latest chapter in this welcome boost to business.

A

s one of life’s simple pleasures, cultivating a love of reading fiction in young children is essential, offering opportunities for role-play, characterisation and creativity that can be matched by little else – except, perhaps, dressing-up. Primary schools, preschools and nurseries across the UK have quickly caught on to the fact that getting children into costume helps encourage them to embrace, explore and research their favourite books and characters.

Below: This ‘little wooden boy’ costume from Palmer Agencies is available in two sizes: 2-3 years and 3-4 years. It includes jumpsuit / waistcoat, collar and bow tie, hat and printed leggings. Middle: Fun Shack’s little pig looks far too clever to let any wolf huff and puff his way to dinner. Right: Fans of the Wizard of Oz will love this new Scarecrow child’s costume from Amscan featuring hat, top and trousers.

Whether schools choose to celebrate children’s literary favourites in March (World Book Day), April (International Children’s Book Day), May (Children’s Book Week) or even September (Roald Dahl Day), it’s no coincidence that this nationwide dressing-up extravaganza has risen through the ranks to become an important part of the party calendar in just a few years.

As the practise has become more popular (and competitive!) parents have increasingly given up on trying to create a life-sized The Very Hungry Caterpillar costume out of old tights and half a bottle of green food colouring and are now more likely to put in a last-minute dash to their local party shop.

As a result, these occasions – and of course a whole host of other curriculumbased fancy-dress events – continue to be a huge success year-afteryear for UK party retailers.

“Book Week is becoming an increasingly important dress-up occasion in our calendar,” agreed Amscan’s marketing executive Charlotte Cox. “We have a dedicated Book Week catalogue and are continually developing and expanding our range of great quality costumes. We have recently added over 35 inspiring new styles of costumes and accessories which will all be available to order in time for the 2017 season.”

Left: Babies’ costumes are becoming more popular, and InCharacter’s ‘Goofy Gator’ can be used for an adorable Peter Pan costume.

“Book Week is probably our most popular time for children’s costumes.

We’re expecting licensed lines such as Harry Potter to do very well, especially with the release of ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, and are also expecting Roald Dahl costumes to do well.

Comic book characters will be huge, following last year’s release of Suicide Squad and Captain America.

We are expanding our range to include more licensed lines and are also targeting the baby/toddler market with InCharacter baby costumes as preschool/nurseries are increasingly getting involved in events such as Book Week.”

Emma Angel, director, Angels Fancy Dress

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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NEW CATALOGUE E! AVAILABLE EOFONRLPIN RICES. VISIT OUR WEBSIT

FULLY PACKED WITH ORIES COSTUMES & ACCESSCHERS FOR CHILDREN & TEA

Upcoming Trade Fairs: Spring Fair (NEC)

Nuremberg Toy Fair

5th - 9th February 2017 Hall: 3-3A Stand: 3B20-C21

1st - 6th February 2017 Hall: 9, Stand: D57 / E58

(Shared with Rubies Germany)

Come see us...

Sales team: +44 (0) 117 972 4012 50_PPE_Jan_Feb 2017.indd 1

Www.bristolnovelty.co.uk 17/01/2017 10:57

World Book Day

“This year’s Book Week will see continued success for VMC Accessories with our core online retail platform which continues to support classic characters such as Peppa Pig, Thomas The Tank Engine and The Tiger That Came For Tea (the biggest heritage children’s book in the marketplace).

One to watch for 2017 is Paddington, which we are delighted to be launching in time for Book Week. We see this as a key opportunity to drive sales, following on from the huge success of the first movie and the excitement around the sequel, which will be released in November 2017.”

Louise Hinds, licensing and creative director, VMC Accessories

Offering everything from licensed options to classic fairy tale and historical costumes, adventure and animal themes; Amscan has a varied collection of costumes and wearable accessories available. “Our Book Week collection also features an array of career-inspired unisex accessory kits and costumes, covering police, vet, doctor, firefighter, chef, astronaut and builder,” offered Charlotte. “Fairy tales is another favourite choice for the occasion, so we’ve introduced some enchanting new additions including Queen of Hearts, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, Alice and more.”

The team at Rubie’s also believe that this year will be no exception regarding Book Week’s popularity. “While Harry Potter continues to be the most popular range for us, the recent success of the latest addition to the Wizarding World; Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them has added new characters to the ever-expanding universe,” said Rubie’s trade marketing and digita manager, Struan Robertson.

Below: Harry Potter continues to be the most popular Book Week range for Rubie’s, and this new Hufflepuff robe is ideal for the event. Right: One for the teachers, this famous Babysitter costume is new for Pam’s this year, along with many other new costumes for this key season.

Left: Newly launched just in time for World Book Day 2017 is this officially-licensed Paddington costume from VMC Accessories.

The licensed fancy dress expert has produced a brand new range of Newt Scamander costumes for both adults and kids, as well as new Hufflepuff robes and accessories, all ideal for Book Week dress-up.

“We have also seen super hero dress-up for girls becoming more popular in recent months,” added Struan, “so our new DC Super Hero Girls range is likely to be popular this year as well.”

Of course, Rubie’s generic ranges offer great value price points and cover all manner of topics, from historical figures and mythical creatures to characters taken from everyday life.

Book week is the second biggest seasonal event in the year for Bristol Novelty, with significant growth Right: A classic evacuee costume from Henbrandt has the potential to be used as a number of historical or literary characters.

“World Book Day is getting more and more popular and we are seeing a rise in sales accordingly.

Costumes, hats and costume accessories continue to sell well every year and we have confidence it will be the same for 2017.”

Bethany McCormack, marketing, Henbrandt

showing year-on-year in terms of sales, for both children’s costumes and accessories.

“Ironically there are still a large number of traditional retailers who have yet to realise the growth and potential of World Book Day as a significant season,” said business development manager Gary Vincent. “And given the disappointing sales from Halloween 2016, I’m sure many retailers will be looking towards World Book Day to kick-start the year and make up for lost ground.”

As far as trends go, Gary points out that; “The popularity of historical characters will always be strong,” although he also believes that popular dress-up options – such as super heros and comic characters – will start to mix things up a little.

As one of the biggest events of the early part of the year, Pam’s buying team starts working on World Book Day well before Christmas. A dedicated 15-page flyer will give retailers the heads-up on what to expect for 2017, and there are plenty of new lines.

“The general consensus is ‘anything

World Book Day Facts ■W orld Book Day 2017 falls on 2 March.

■W here’s Wally, Horrid Henry and The Famous Five all feature in this year’s £1 book list.

■M ore information on can be found at www.worldbookday.com goes’ for Book Week – it doesn’t have to be a book character; any character will do. We have seen super hero costumes a popular choice and of course the Disney Princess costumes are always a favourite with both children and teachers,” revealed sales director Carl Taylor. “Last year’s best sellers were a real mix of everything from traditional storybook characters such as Red Riding Hood and Aladdin to popular licensed characters including Harry Potter and Paw Patrol.”

Also making the most of the emerging Book Week tradition is Anna Solly, sales director at Sancto, UK distributor for Widmann. She emphasises the importance of stocking the right products during this busy period, saying; “Over the years we have noticed that sales can fluctuate between costumes which have been well-known for many years, to those that resonate with current movie and book trends.”

Another supplier to highlight the ongoing popularity of comic book characters, Widmann has expanded its range of these costumes for 2017. “We do see a huge increase in pop culture costumes and accessories sales in the lead up to Book Week,” Anna continued. But it’s not all about modern characters, as; “Most years we have seen large numbers of Little Peter costumes fly (with a little sprinkle of fairy dust) off the shelves.

They never land far off the mark!”

Thanks to the very nature of Book Week, there is more variety and scope to be creative when the children are choosing who to be. After all, channelling a fictional character means you can be whoever you want – even if they don’t live happily ever after!

Right: Delights Direct will have an extensive selection for 2017 and the Gruffalo is sure to be as popular as ever.

“Book week is getting bigger every year, although the main themes such as Roald Dahl, Julia Donaldson etc, remain the most popular costumes. Certainly, we have benefited from a quick turnaround time – many businesses are looking to fulfil orders at short notice to cater for the ‘last-minute’ crowd.”

Stuart Wheeler, account manager, Delights Direct JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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23/01/2017 10:15

World Book Day

Once Upon A Time This Roman goddess costume fron Henbrandt is one of the more popular lines for World Book Day.

This colourful Mad Hatter girls costume from Palmer Agencies is available in three sizes; 7-9 years, 10-12 years and 12-14 years. Includes dress, necktie, glovelets, hat and footless tights.

This wonderfully wacky new Mad Hatter from Amscan is perfect for Book Week, available in ages 6-8 and 8-10 years.

This classic Shakespearean girls costume from Palmer Agencies is perfect for a mini Juliet. Available in three sizes: 4-6 years, 7-9 years, 10-12 years.

Licensed costumes from Amscan include Poppy and Branch from DreamWork’s Trolls, with matching wigs to complete the look.

Henbrandt’s matching pair of Ancient Egyptian pharaoh costumes are perfect for historical books and themes.

Dentists – like this simple costume from Fun Shack – are expected to be popular in 2017. Demon or otherwise!

The beauty of World Book Day is that children can use their imaginations as much as possible – this costume from Magic By Freddy’s offers a world of possibilities!

A popular choice for teachers is always InCharacter’s ‘Robin Hood’ as it’s such an easily recognisable character, by children and adults.

Children are fascinated by space exploration, so it’s no surprise that Fun Shack’s astronaut will be an important line for World Book Day.

A popular choice for girls for Book Week is this great value Red Riding Hood-style costume, now in stock at Pam’s.

Bristol Novelty finds that historical characters, kings and warriors are always popular choices for World Book Day

Large numbers of these Little Peter costumes fly off the shelves for Widmann, thanks to a little sprinkle of fairy dust.

These giants ears from Widmann are expected to be popular, thanks to Roald Dahl’s 100th anniversary last year.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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20/01/17 10:01 20/01/2017 11:23

Spring Events 2017

Every day’s

Party Dates

A PARTY

The first few months of the year offer lots of opportunities for party retailers willing to make the most of the smaller celebrations taking place. PPE takes a look at how to make the most of those allimportant mini-seasons taking place in the first few months of the year.

T

he last few months of any year are undoubtedly the busiest for most party retailers, with the Halloween madness closely followed by Christmas and New Year festivities. The season is a

tough act to follow – but that’s no excuse for putting your proverbial feet up.

In fact, the early part of the year offers plenty of party-related opportunity, with raucous novelty and costume-heavy

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

28 January: Chinese New Year 14 February: Valentine’s Day 28 February: Mardi Gras 17 March: St Patrick’s Day 1 April: Mother’s Day 16 April: Easter Sunday 23 April: St George’s Day

celebrations such as St Patrick’s Day sitting alongside Easter and Mother’s Day, two key dates in the party calendar for balloon bouquets, tasteful décor and fun partyware.

These events can provide a steady stream of business for fancy dress and party retailers looking to make the most of every opportunity. However, as the dates move each year, keeping on top of these mini-events can be tricky. So here’s PPE’s guide to spring’s seasonal picks to help you get your year off to a strong start!

St Patrick’s Day St Patrick’s Day – which takes place on the 17 March – sees people celebrate the patron saint of Ireland. More people are dressing up for the occasion which typically involves parades, dancing, and a whole lot of green.

Celebrate the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day with this fun new tabard costume from Amscan.

For St Patrick’s Day fun costumes like Rasta Imposta’s ‘Shamrock Sweetheart’ are perfect!

Fun Shack’s leprechauns and sexy leprechauns are great sellers all year round but especially for St Patrick’s Day.

This fun leprechaun hanging decoration is a new addition to Amscan’s seasonal collection.

Fantastic product design and famously great prices make Davies Products’ St Patrick’s Day range unmissable.

Boland has introduced a number of new products for St Patricks day, such as this photorealistic t-shirt – male designs are also available.

This brand new 18” Happy St Patrick’s Day! Microfoil balloon from Qualatex coordinates well with the existing St Patrick’s Day latex and shaped microfoil shape, creating the perfect décor collection.

Amscan has added some fabulous new balloons to its collection for spring events in 2017, including this Pot of Gold Banner SuperShape by Anagram.

Widmann sales show that green buckled top hats, novelty St Patrick’s Day glasses and green glitter ties sell well, so it will be well stocked in time for the big day.

These novelty glasses from Palmer Agencies are perfect for declaring your nationality on St Patrick’s Day! These great hats and rosettes are new additions to Henbrandt’s fantastic St Patrick’s Day collection which includes everything from head boppers and face paint to glasses and costumes.

Unique Party offers a whole host of items to celebrate St Patricks Day from full collections to complimentary accessories.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Spring Events 2017

Easter

Mother’s Day

One of the oldest Christian celebrations, Easter – which falls on 16 April in 2017 – is a popular holiday across the UK. Easter egg hunts and crafts are popular activities for children.

Offering a cheaper and longer-lasting alternative to flowers, Mother’s Day (1 April) is a key event for balloons which make the perfect accompaniment to cards other gifts.

Amscan has bolstered its offering with over 15 beautiful new designs

by Anagram. The Mother’s Day Ruffle Heart Insider features two balloons in one for an eye-catching effect.

This vibrant new spherical Orbz foil balloon by Anagram will brighten up any Easter celebration.

Available from Amscan.

Henbrandt has everything needed to make Easter fun for the kids, with fun masks, bunny ears and head boppers alongside craft kits and other party novelties.

InCharacter’s adorable baby costume ’Wee Wabbit’ is perfect for any Easter event, including easily accessible snap fastenings for nappy changing and skid-resistant feet for safety.

Mother’s Day is a growing season for Pioneer and ten new Qualatex balloon designs – such as this Mason Jar Bouquet – has been launched for the 2017 season.

This new Easter collection from Creative Party brings brilliant colours to the table with Easter eggs, nestled in a classic basket motif.

Perfect for all ages, it is a great choice for any Easter gathering.

It’s time to put your bunny ears on with Davies Products’ complete range of Easter party accessories and products.

With everything from tableware to banners, Unique Party has a complete Easter offering for your customers’ Easter celebrations.

The Qualatex Mother’s Day Petite Polka Dots and Floral Blossoms in pastel colours from Pioneer make a great arrangement when combined.

St George’s Day The 23 April is St George’s day. Schools and other small celebrations are common, but large parades celebrating the patron saint of England are also popping up around the UK.

Chinese New Year This Chinese New Year is the year of the rooster and will be celebrated across the world on Saturday January 28. Families gather together to exchange gifts and celebrate.

St George’s Day costumes are popular for Fun Shack, especially the kids Crusader Knight as well as classic kings, knights and knightess.

What’s a St George’s Day celebration without bunting?

This classic line is available now from Henbrandt.

This colourful Dragon range from Creative Party is perfect for a different take on a St George’s Day celebration. Dragon slayers can enjoy dragonthemed photo props too!

This fabric St George display flag from Pam’s is one of the top sellers for St George’s Day. Flags are a must-have for this National Day.

While many like to dress at St George, others like to don one of Widmann’s plush dragon outfits and take the opposing role in the well-known battle.

Amscan’s Chinese New Year party collection features a traditional design across tableware, decorations, a Chinese Dragon SuperShape foil balloon, hats, fans and party favours.

These good luck lanterns are just one of a range of Chinese New Year items from Pam’s.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

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Introducing a whole new line of holographic.

New Sparkle! Same Price!

Contact your local distributor or call 1-800 -325-0185 email: sales@betallic.com

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11/15/16 3:16 PM 20/01/2017 11:54

Behind The Scenes

UNSUNG

The first in a new regular feature in Progressive Party Europe, Unsung Heroes takes us behind the scenes at some of our favourite suppliers, to find out who keeps the wheels turning behind the scenes. This issue’s hero is Neviti’s account manager, Erika DeSousa. Here’s why the designled party supplies company couldn’t do without her....

VITAL STATS Name: Erika DeSousa Role: Account manager Time Served: Almost two and a half years.

Experience: Delegate sales executive for International Advertising Awards Events in a marketing company based in Borough, London.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR JOB IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS?

“My job consists of supporting our international customers across 15 different European countries, offering specific solutions for each business. I take care of daily requests for our bestsellers of the season and the most popular trends on the market. Market analysis is an important part of my job.”

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOUR ROLE?

“I love selling decorative products and the satisfaction at the end of each sales quarter when I can see how the customers are growing following my suggestions after a personalised business analysis. This makes me feel that all the effort and time is worthwhile. This is when I realise that I really care about what I am doing!”

HOW DO YOU THINK BREXIT WILL AFFECT YOUR ROLE ONCE IT TAKES PLACE?

“At the beginning the whole of Europe was in ‘shock’ and our customers took time to think about it and to digest the situation.

July was a hard month because of the doubts about negotiations and international business but we worked very hard to explain to our customers that we are here to help as always and nothing would change from our side.

Only one thing has changed in the martketplace so far, and that was the positive exchange rate for the Euro countries. This was the key to making people place orders as usual. We need to be aware of the market changes in the future to create the right strategies in order to work successfully with it.”

WHAT COULD YOUR CUSTOMERS DO TO MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER?

“Reply to all emails at least in two hours and to take all my phone calls!”

WHAT’S THE STRANGEST REQUEST YOU’VE EVER HAD?

“One customer asked me to call him every Friday afternoon because he was free and he likes to talk.”

WHAT’S THE MOST DIFFICULT / TRICKY PART OF YOUR JOB?

“To be in the customer mindset and think in the same way that they are thinking.

This is difficult when you are dealing with customers from fifteen countries at the same time! Each country has a different culture and a singular way to do business.

To give an example, in some places the people are emotionally expressive and in others people are totally the opposite. As an account manager it is very important to know each customer individually and the best way to make them feel comfortable to do business.”

ARE YOU ABLE TO IDENTIFY CLEAR TRENDS AND FASHIONS FOR EACH COUNTRY?

“Absolutely. Market analysis, both general and country-specific, is an important part of my job. To give you an example, people from the Mediterranean likes combinations of bright colours for a party theme, while in the Scandinavian region the decorations with white and subtle colours are the most popular choices.”

Above: The stylish Time for Tea range has all the makings of a sophisticated classic. Above right: Neviti’s licensed Miffy range is popular across Europe. Right: New for 2017, the Pattern Works Baby Shower Cake Topper in blue.

Team Talk “Erika is an asset to our business because she really takes the time to get to know and understand each customer. Despite having such a large and diverse customer base to look after, each customer is made to feel special and is cared for in a unique and independent way. This is the secret to Erika’s success and Neviti is very lucky to benefit from having her as part of the team.”

Tracey Cooper, director, Neviti

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Best sellers Pageant Party CAT E G O R Y

As retailers gear up for the festive season, PPE finds out what has kept the tills ringing over the last few weeks.

Lionel Zeffertt/ Newbury

M A N UFACTURE RS / RANGES

Fancy dress and party shop in a prominent and accessible position at the end of a busy high street.

COMMENT

Fancy Dress

Cowboy, pirate and 20s; Smiffys and Wicked

We sold lots of cowboys and pirates this Christmas, although I’m not really sure why! The 20s flapper dresses are always big for NYE.

Accessories

Day of the Dead and 80s; Bristol Novelty, Pam’s

Accessories sold particularly well, with many people choosing them over costumes.

Anything which can be added to ‘normal’ clothes sells well.

Masks

Latex masks; Creative Collection

The Ghoulish masks are great quality and always sell well, especially at Halloween.

Balloons

Milestone birthday foils; Pam’s and Oaktree UK

We didn’t sell many seasonal or themed balloons, it was all about everyday birthdays and ages.

Fireworks

Brother Fireworks

We extended our range this year and made sure we really promoted them. We totally sold out.

Jokes and Novelties

Jokes and magic tricks; Pam’s

We made a point of promoting the range for Christmas and they sold really well as a result.

Anything Else?

Eye masks; Bristol Novelty

These sell well all year round for us, but there’s a huge sales spike over the Christmas / New Year period. Bristol Novelty has a fantastic range.

Magic Box CAT E G O R Y

Carol Richardson/ Newcastle M A N UFACTURE RS/RANGES

COMMENT

Nativity and licensed dress-up; Wicked Costumes, Rubie’s

The nativity lines are always popular at this time of year, while the Disney princesses and superheroes sold well as gifts.

Adult Costumes

Comedy costumes; Rasta Imposta, Wicked Costumes

People really went all out for silly this year, we sold lots of bananas and whoopee cushion costumes. Wicked’s Carry Me range has been great as well.

Accessories

Decades; Smiffys, Bristol Novelty

All of the decades are key for our accessories business, with everything from 1920s pearls right through to the 1960s with hippy glasses and headbands.

Make-up

SFX make-up; Snazaroo, Mehron

The market for facepaints has really changed and people are getting more creative with special effects these days.

Jokes and Novelties

Magic tricks; Mak Magic and own brand

This is very much a seasonal business for us – magicians have lots of shows in the summer and over Christmas so we’ve been busy over the past few months.

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Oaktree UK

A fancy dress and party shop in a busy town centre. One of three Magic Box stores based in and around Newcastle.

Children’s Costumes

76 PROGRESSIVE PARTY EUROPE

Creative Collection

Rasta Imposta Mehron SFX

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Best sellers Frog Orange Party CAT E G O R Y

Rebecca Lee-Allen/ Oxford

M A N UFACTURE RS / RANGES

Well-known fancy dress, party and ballon shop in a busy high street location. Sister store sells balloons and gifts.

COMMENT

Children’s Fancy Dress

Harry Potter; Rubie’s

This is a best seller for us at any time of year. It always sell brilliantly for us – maybe because we are in Oxford. It’s a great all-rounder.

Adult Fancy Dress

Hire lines; Magic By Freddy’s, Smiffys

Elaborate, historical lines are always popular. Mascots do well too – a chicken costume from Smiffy’s is easily our mosthired costume!

Accessories

Venetian eye masks, Viking and pirate hats; Bristol Novelty

We sell the eye masks constantly, they are incredibly popular. The more dramatic hats also tend to do well as they make a big impact.

Items like ‘Sherlock’ pipes and giant oversized watch medallions also sell very well.

Balloons

Jumbo numbers, Bubbles; Qualatex

The jumbo numbers are always very strong for us and have been for a long time now. Our best sellers though, are plain foils from Unique Party, which we then personalise instore.

Partyware

Spot/stripe; Unique Party

A strong seller all year round, this is a relatively plain design in a range of colours so it works with a lot of themes. Talking Tables’ sprout collection sold well too.

Fireworks

Fireworks; Kim Bolton, Jonathan, Brother

We have an all-year-round fireworks license so they’re always steady business for us.

This year’s Saturday New Year’s Eve meant that we had a fantastic season.

The Dressing Up Shop CAT E G O R Y

Shirlee Gibbs/ Aldershot

M A N UFACTURE RS/RANGES

Smiffys

In business for over 30 years, in a central high street location. Specialises in hire and also makes costumes to order.

COMMENT

Children’s Costumes

Christmas costumes and army costumes; Bristol Novelty

People were doing a lot of cute Christmas photo shoots this year I think! We sell a lot of the army costumes as presents as we’re near the barracks.

Adult Costumes

Pirates, Cowboys; Bristol Novelty

These classic dress-up themes have been very popular recently and the costumes are great.

Adult Hire

Authentic decades; BBC archives and various auctions

The hire costumes come from all over, and are fantastic quality. We have authentic 70s outfits, ganster suits, pirates – everything really. We also make costumes ourselves – to order, if necessary.

80s and neons; Smiffys, Bristol Novelty

The 80s is always a popular decade for us, but our recent George Michael tribute window probably gave the range a bit of a boost as well. Anything bright and colourful does well, from beads and wigs to tutus and legwarmers!

Masks

Eye masks; Bristol Novelty

Bristol Novelty has the most fantastic range of eye masks and they sell well all year round for us.

Anything Else?

Eye accessories; Mesmereyez, Edit

These are consistently popular. I prefer to have the novelty lines than the fashion colours.

Accessories

Unique Party

Bristol Novelty

Mesmereyez

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