More Reactions From Greats And GOTY Winners

The Greats and Gift Of The Year winners are continuing to share their initial reactions with GiftsandHome.net – the very special moment when they heard their shop – or product – revealed as a category winner last Thursday (16 May) at the fabulous Gift Awards, which took place at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel.

Soni Ahmed, co-owner of Maia Gift in Glasgow, winner of The Greats Independent Gift Retailer of the Year – Scotland category, enthused: “We were so delighted to have our gift shop’s name called out. It really is an honour to be recognised by The Greats, and we are very proud of our achievement.”

Above: Mark Saunders, director of Springboard Events, category sponsor, presented winners Soni Ahmed and Samantha Rose, founders of Maia Gifts, with the Greats trophy as winner of The Greats Independent Gift Retailer of the Year – Scotland category. — **Above:** Mark Saunders, director of Springboard Events, category sponsor, presented winners Soni Ahmed and Samantha Rose, founders of Maia Gifts, with the Greats trophy as winner of The Greats Independent Gift Retailer of the Year – Scotland category.

Concurred Priya Aurora-Crowe, co-owner of Lark, winner of the Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Gifts category: “We are so thrilled to have won this amazing award! This year has been particularly challenging for us, as we welcomed a new addition to our family while balancing the opening of new stores and trying to maintain existing ones. This award gives us the motivation to keep going!”

Above: Lark co-founder Priya Aurora-Crowe was presented with the winning Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Gifts Greats trophy by Peter Beecroft of Allsorted, category sponsor — **Above:** Lark co-founder Priya Aurora-Crowe was presented with the winning Best Specialist Multiple Retailer of Gifts Greats trophy by Peter Beecroft of Allsorted, category sponsor

Meanwhile, delighted with the company’s multiple success – and adding a further two GOTY trophies to the company’s trophy cabinet, was Paul Sun, managing director and head of design at Gingko. “We were absolutely thrilled to find out that we were the winners of the Gift of the Year’s Best Contemporary Gift category, and also the Gift of the Year’s My Gift of All time category,” stated Paul.

Above: Ginko Design’s Paul Sun, managing director and head of design, was presented with the Gift of the Year’s Best Contemporary Gift category trophy by Bhavika Pattni, head of growth, Spring & Autumn Fair. The category sponsor was Spring Fair. — **Above:** Ginko Design’s Paul Sun, managing director and head of design, was presented with the Gift of the Year’s Best Contemporary Gift category trophy by Bhavika Pattni, head of growth, Spring & Autumn Fair. The category sponsor was Spring Fair.

He continued: “We were humbled that we were the only company to win two awards, in two different categories, at the 2024 Gift of the Year Awards, as I know the competition this year was tough, and we know that there were lot of other great products from many other great brands.”

Added Paul: “As this year’s winners, and the winners of Gift of the Year awards in 2018, 2019 and 2021, it’s a really massive credibility to our 12 years of dedication to sustainable, unique and elegant designs. We will continue with our focus, bringing out more amazing products to inspire our gift industry. We believe that, together we can make it even bigger and better.”

Also delighted to be among the Gift of the Year winners was Scott Garnerbundy-Higgs, UK sales director of Trixie. “We were honoured to receive the recognition as winner of the Gift of the Year’s UK Best International Product or Range category,” said Scott. “This award is a reward for our commitment to creating high quality and engaging products that trigger infinite imagination for children everywhere. A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us on this journey. We cannot wait to see our backpacks as we head into the summer, holiday and Back to School season.”

Above: Scott Garnerbundy-Higgs, Trixie’s UK sales director, received the Best International Product or Range GOTY trophy from Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association, category sponsor. — **Above:** Scott Garnerbundy-Higgs, Trixie’s UK sales director, received the Best International Product or Range GOTY trophy from Sarah Ward, ceo of The Giftware Association, category sponsor.

Added Gary Welford, general manager of IF, which won the Gift of the Year’s Best Novelty, Tech &/Or Gadgets Product Or Range: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won another Gift of the Year Award,” he stated. “Following our success in 2023, we did not expect to receive this honour again so soon, especially given the high level of entries this year. This achievement is a clear testament to the creativity and originality of our team.”