Gift Focus - Mar/Apr 2018 (Issue 106)

come at an exclusive price. Our range starts at £5.99 for our medium paint tin which burns for up to 25 hours, and the most expensive product in the range is a set of three medium-sized tins, priced at £16.99. In addition, quality is very important to us too. Vigorous testing ensures that our candles have an excellent fragrance throw and burn all the way to the bottom. What have been the key milestones in the business? Not only have we quadrupled the number of stores we supply over the last year, we were also delighted to be presented with a ‘Best Product’ award at Scotland’s Trade Fair in January 2018. The judges were impressed by the fragrance names, packaging artwork and price points of our range. How are you finding the current economic climate in the UK? Is it affecting business? I think change is in the air, but I also think that the best way to deal with change is to embrace it and see it as a challenge. The fact is that people will always want to purchase gifts, but as an industry we need to think more creatively about how we sell them. What fragrances will be on trend in 2018? Anything new to look forward to? I think the idea of calm and escapism is going to be big this year, as well as the continuing trend of drink and alcohol- related fragrances. Stand by for our Cuban alcohol-themed range! Are you active on social media? How is this important for the business? Social media is very important although very time consuming. We have Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and plan to become very active on these platforms over the course of the year. Do you visit trade shows? Which ones, and how are these important for the business? I love exhibiting at trade shows. Getting face-to-face feedback and ideas from buyers isn’t something that is quite the same via an email. We will also be exhibiting at Autumn Fair in Glasgow 2018 and the Glasgow Spring Fair in 2019. Do you have any tips for new traders? Choose your store location carefully. Try to measure footfall if you can and ensure there’s a good but not an unhealthy amount of competition. Also consider an e-commerce site for your store and of course, get active on social media! What can we expect in the future from esscentualcandles? A stronger presence in the home fragrance sector. I’m really looking forward to the next couple of years. We’re developing a number ideas, fragrances and products to bring our own brand of creativity to market. Watch this space! T: +44 (0)7887 423 069 E: esscentualcandles@gmail.com W: esscentualcandles.com 22 giftfocus