Home & Gift closed its doors on Wednesday (24 July), with the majority of exhibitors reporting a successful show.
“Home & Gift really is a fun show with a more relaxed feel about it,” Inis’ Elaine Nolan, UK & Australian sales manager, told GiftsandHome.net. “Buyers seem to make a trip out of it, so the mood is upbeat and we had a very busy show. As we’re based in Ireland, for us, it’s very much about meeting up with our customers, with the show a great opportunity to have a face-to-face chat which for us is absolutely key.”
Continued Elaine: “It was also great to be at the show to get feedback to enable us to discover more about what’s working for our customers. Plus, for our staff it was great for them to get out of the office and meet the customers too. In many instances, they’ve only ever spoken on the phone so when they meet, they ended up hugging each other!”
“It’s always lovely to be back in Harrogate and great to see so many buyers supporting the show,” commented Paul Hooker, managing director of Joe Davies. “We had a cracking week seeing lots of our regular customers as well new customers, with retailers looking to buy seasonal products in readiness for the festive season. We also saw a lot of interest in our slip glaze reflective ceramics range, and as ever, there was demand for our collectable Village Pottery collection, along with our Heartfelt Art sentiment plaques.”
Concurred James Mountfield, Design Collective’s sales director for the UK and Ireland: “Home & Gift was a really successful show for us. We were around 30% up compared to last year, and the quality of buyers we saw was amazing. Overall, we found the show very well curated and edited.”
It was a similar story from The Fragrance House’s David Brown. “Home & Gift went way past my expectations. We were busy from Sunday to Wednesday, with buyers constantly on the stand, and a huge number of lapsed customers returning,” he stated.
At Best Kept Secrets, managing director Vanessa Curry enthused: “The show was fabulous, with the second day exceptionally busy. We saw lots of new customers, as well as existing customers. Winning the Gift of the Year’s Best Home Fragrance Gift Product category has helped enormously to promote both the Best Kept Secrets brand and our Just Because range.”
We Love Seasons’ Malene Brondberg also reported a very busy show. “We saw a lot of independents and interior shops, with buyers placing orders.”
Freckleface’s co-owner, Tara Carlile-Swift, a first time exhibitor, confirmed: “The first day was phenomenal, super good,” stated Tara. “What I really love about Home & Gift is how social it is. As an example, our account manager, Vicky Rannard, met some lovely people in a taxi on her way in and ended up taking them on as a stockist! We also made some incredible contacts at the Sundowners drinks on the first night. We will definitely be back again next year.”
Also debut-ing at the show was Other Lovely Things, which was showcasing fun ceramics. “The show was really good and very busy for us,” confirmed director Rebecca Walker. “It had a nice atmosphere, with buyers commenting positively on how fun and original our products are.”
Meg Hawkins meanwhile, founder of her eponymous company, was back at Home & Gift after a six year lapse. “We had a really good show, seeing 90% new customers,” she confirmed. “While The Signature Collection’s home fragrance products initially caught the eye on the stand, buyers also bought into other products in the range, to include bath and body, stationery and housewares, where they were looking to build a story around the brand as well as to create an attractive display in store.”
Top: Exhibitors reported a busy four days at Harrogate Home & Gift this week.
