Progressive Gifts & Home September 2024 Issue Out Now

Welcome to the September issue of Progressive Gifts & Home that’s buzzing with the latest insightful news, views, trends and new product launches.

September is something of a special month, one that not only heralds a new chapter – the start of a fresh new school year, and that ‘back to work after the holidays’ feeling for the rest of us – but also, the beginning of the fourth quarter of the year and the run up to Christmas for retailers. Will it be an Indian summer, with warm, sunny weather taking us into Autumn – giving a boost to fashion retailers, and gift retailers, desperate to sell off summer stock? Or will an early ‘nip in the air’, and crunchy Autumn leaves remind us that we’re heading towards Halloween and Christmas?

At PG&H’s annual Retailer Round Table, held at Harrogate’s Home & Gift in July, PG&H asked a cross-section of gift retailers how they’re feeling about the run up to the festive season, as well as what the new government can do to help the retail industry survive and thrive, plus much more besides. For some very insightful answers, click through to pages 21-27.

Above: Gift retailers are shown at the recent PG&H Retailer Round Table which was held at Harrogate Home & Gift in July. — **Above:** Gift retailers are shown at the recent PG&H Retailer Round Table which was held at Harrogate Home & Gift in July.

Staying with retail, a visit to The Voewood in South East London – winner of The Greats Best Non-Specialist Gift Retailer category – revealed how owner Nicola Hibon Jackson was destined for a career in gift retail, having attended Spring and Autumn Fair with her parents – owners of The Mugwump in Durham – at the tender age of four! Click through to pages 46-47 to discover more about Nicola’s passion for retail.

Above: PG&H’s editor Sue Marks recently popped into Greats winner The Voewood in South East London to meet up with owner Nicola Hibon Jackson (left). — **Above:** PG&H’s editor Sue Marks recently popped into Greats winner The Voewood in South East London to meet up with owner Nicola Hibon Jackson (left).

Meanwhile, as we transition into Autumn/Winter, nothing evokes the festive season like fragrance, with leading home fragrance suppliers revealing their Christmas ranges. Click through to pages 37-41 to sniff out the scents of the season that will be fragrancing homes up and down the country.

Above: Best Kept Secrets Three Lite Boxes Christmas Collection. — **Above:** Best Kept Secrets Three Lite Boxes Christmas Collection.

Elsewhere, David Brown, ceo of the recently launched The Fragrance House, discusses his vision for taking the company forward and how he’s already hit the ground running. Click through to pages 34-35. And Lesser & Pavey’s Julian Hunt and Jonny Greves talk us through the company’s newest launches for Autumn/Winter. Click through to pages 30-31. You can also find out more about The Giftware Association (GA) events that are getting the industry talking, sharing and networking. Click through to pages 60-61.

Above: The newest Lynsey Johnson designs from Lesser & Pavey. — **Above:** The newest Lynsey Johnson designs from Lesser & Pavey.

Plus, this October, the GA’s ceo Sarah Ward is delighted to be celebrating her milestone 20 years in the gift industry. Click through to page 29, as Sarah looks backwards and forwards at her career trajectory, while Libby Holden, owner of Lovely Libby’s in Rayleigh, ramps up her Halloween offer and gets ready for the festive season. Click through to page 33.

Above: Halloween witches are a key theme for Lovely Libby’s in Rayleigh. — **Above:** Halloween witches are a key theme for Lovely Libby’s in Rayleigh.

With the focus now very much on Autumn Fair, click through to pages 9 and 49, and Top Drawer – click through to pages 11 and 69 – the PG&H team looks forward to heading off to both shows in September, as well as to Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) which is celebrating its 25^th anniversary. Click through to page 17 and to Licensed Giftware – click through to pages 63-65. But first, click through to pages 9-17 for all the latest, most up-to-the-minute industry news.