Despite the current political uncertainty, thankfully there’s plenty of good news to highlight in the May/June issue of Progressive Gifts & Home.
Two gift companies – Wrendale Designs and Rex London – were recently honoured with The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade, a terrific achievement for both companies and a great boost for the industry. (Click through to page 7).
It was also great to discover that three independent gift retailers (out of 14) – Cositas, Soden Style and We Built This City – topped the list in a joint Remarkable Retailers campaign organised by the British Independent Retailers Association (Bira) and Vend. All were praised for their stand out approach to retail. (Click through to page 19).
More good news is that the majority of gift retailers seemed to have a cracking Easter. For most, the warm, sunny Easter Bank Holiday was a very positive one, with the sunshine a bonus and a boost to sales. (Click through to page 11).
And that wasn’t the only good news on the retail front. In our Feedback article (click through to pages 23-27), eight gift retailers look back at the first quarter of the year and reveal that, for the most part, it’s been a really encouraging start to the year, with the timing of Mother’s Day and Easter helping shops to really make these two occasions work for them.
On the trade show front, be sure to take a peek at our dedicated greeting card show, PG Live, which is getting ready to open its doors on June 4 and 5 at London’s Business Design Centre. (Click through to pages 29-31). If you’re a ‘card-aholic’, then this show is a ‘must visit’ as you’ll find the hottest new talent as well as new and much loved publishers
Elsewhere, we go behind the scenes at Exclusively Housewares, which opens its doors on June 11-12, and also turn the spotlight on kitchen gifts with the popularity of The Great British Bake Off and MasterChef helping to turn up the heat for retailers. (Click through to pages 33-35).
Home fragrancing too, continues to up its game, with suppliers going all out to capture the scents of summer (click through to pages 49-51) and our bath and body feature (click through to pages 53-57) focusing on the trend for wellness. You’ll also find the latest wedding gifts (click through to pages 39-43), and an interview with Mandeep Singh, the founder of online market place Trouva (click through to page 75).
Globally, we turn the spotlight on STYLE Bangkok, highlighting the many unusual, creative and sustainable products spotted at last month’s show.
To read the full issue click here.
Happy reading!
