Gift Focus - Sep/Oct 2018 (Issue 109)

giftfocus 7 news and events WRAPTIOUS REVEALS CUSHION COMPETITION WINNERS Wraptious is excited to announce the winners of the latest Wraptious cushion competition. There were an amazing 2,014 entries this year, and the standard was higher than ever. The shortlist was decided by likes on Facebook, as well as shares and purchases on the company’s website. This shortlist was then shared with Wraptious trade customers, previous winners and industry leaders to help decide on the final winner. Congratulations go to Sue Gardner, who came in first place! Her vibrant animal oil paintings are stunning, and her work was launched at Harrogate Home & Gift. Customers will be able to buy Sue’s designs on a range of products, including cards, cushions and the brand-new art canvases. Congratulations are also due to runner up Aidan Sloan. Aidan’s striking animal portraits were loved so much that a selection of his work will also be available for Wraptious trade and retail customers. His designs will be on greetings cards and the company’s signature vegan suede cushions. MARMALADE OF LONDON SECURES NEW DISTRIBUTION CONTRACT Cheltenham-based home fragrance and candle manufacturer Marmalade of London is set to double its turnover after winning a distribution contract in the U.S. and Canada following visits to the countries, with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT). Established in 2012, the company operates across three manufacturing sites in Cheltenham. It supplies more than 500 UK retailers, which include Fenwick, Blenheim Palace, House of Bruar and Squires Garden Centres. Marmalade of London started working with DIT in 2017 when it was looking to launch its product line in North America. The business successfully applied for a grant to enable it to visit Canada and exhibit at NY NOW this year, a leading trade show for home, lifestyle, and gift products. During the visit to Canada, the company met 100 potential buyers, distributors and influencers. It secured its first two significant international contracts, worth US$1million and CAN$250,000, to supply products across the New York tri-state area and through Canadian distributors Pebble Cove Ltd, which has already placed a selection of Marmalade of London’s products with retailers, including Luckett Vineyard and makeup and skincare boutique Be Gorgeous, both in Nova Scotia. These new contracts will double the firm’s annual turnover in the next 12 months and 10 new members of staff will be hired over the year to keep up with the growing demand. Following its success in Canada and the U.S., the business has set its sights on exporting to the Middle East, India and China. Piers Flook, founder and CEO at Marmalade of London, said: “From the wick to the wax, our candles are 100 per cent British- made. This has helped us enormously when launching our products abroad, as the reputation and quality of British products is so strong. Our range has been so popular that our first container of exports were all pre-sold while still on the water to Canada. We are busily loading further shipping containers for Canada and the U.S. and have had to set up a warehouse operation in New Jersey to cope with future growth. The launch in Nova Scotia and NY NOW mark a new chapter for us and our business, as the contracts we secure are likely to double our sales. The costs involved with exhibiting at trade shows can often be prohibitive for small privately owned businesses like ours, but DIT was able to provide match grant funding support and export training to help us to get the most out of the trips. For businesses looking to export, I’d recommend contacting DIT in the first instance. The advice they give can lead to valuable overseas opportunities. If we can do it, so can many other local firms.” CELLO RANGE OF HOME FRAGRANCES WENT DOWN A TREAT AT HARROGATE The new Cello home fragrance collection of candles, reed diffusers and accessories from Xystos hit the right note with buyers when it was launched at the Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival in Harrogate. There were strong orders across the retail spectrum frommultiple stores, garden centres and small independent shops, as family-owned business Xystos put down a marker in the wax market with its own-brand range comprising 12 bestselling fragrances. Xystos director Tom Sykes said: “Fragrance products are at the heart of everything we do. We have taken our knowledge and passion for quality home fragrance and created an exciting, bespoke collection that has keen price points and gives added value. With global expertise in this category, we believe that our time has arrived.” The wax offering of muted colours is complemented by reed diffusers and accessory collections, with RRPs from £2.69 for Scent Cup to £25.99 for the Fragrance Burst Large Jar candle.

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