Industry news from Gift Focus magazine

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Industry veteran Alison Graham joins Clarion Retail

Clarion Retail has announced the appointment of Alison Graham, who will spearhead the commercial team on flagship tradeshow Home & Gift.

Graham joins Clarion having spent more than two decades working at Spring and Autumn Fair and more recently on logistics event, Deliver, and brings a wealth of experience and contacts to the role.

Clarion Retail Show Manager David Westbrooke said: "I'm thrilled to welcome Alison to the team – having worked with her previously, I know without doubt that she is the perfect person to help drive our portfolio forward; her impressive event experience combined with strong relationships across the retail industry reinforces our campaign to deliver the best possible customer experience."

Posted: 21 December 2023

ACID welcomes new COO

Anti Copying in Design (ACID) is delighted to announce the appointment of Laura Newbold Breen as Chief Operating Officer. Laura began her new role on 4th December 2023. Having previously been Head of Legal for Magmatic Ltd, which owned the Trunki brand prior to its successful transition to new ownership earlier this year, Laura brings a wealth of relevant experience through her incredible journey on the inside track of a company which, despite its incredible success, had to battle many copycat storms along the way. What better experience could she bring to ACID than being at the coal face of what many in the UK face.

Posted: 19 December 2023

Save the date for IHGF Delhi Fair 2024

Save the date for the IHGF Delhi Fair Spring 2024, taking place from 6th-10th February 2024 at the India Expo Centre & Mart, Delhi NCR, India.

The show will feature more than 3500 exhibitors in 16 Halls and 900 Mart Showrooms.

The sourcing show covers: Home, Lifestyle, Fashion, Furnishing and Furniture from India's leading manufacturer exporters.

It is a must-attend event to connect with a diverse manufacturing base and like-minded suppliers.

This five day trade event, with several curated lines and design affirmations from a cross section of exhibitors ranging from medium and small exporters, artisan entrepreneurs and designers to India's leading manufacturer exporters, is an inspirational sourcing platform for importers, wholesalers, retail chains, design professionals and others, interested to stock their reserves for upcoming seasons.

Posted: 18 December 2023

Spring Fair and Autumn Fair strengthen leadership team with new appointments

Hyve Group has announced the appointment of two new leaders to the team, Jackson Szabo as Portfolio Director for Spring Fair and Autumn Fair and Soraya Gadelrab as the new Event Director for Spring Fair and Autumn Fair.

The two senior appointments to the team will strengthen the leadership team for Retail's definitive wholesale shopping destinations, shaping the future of the industry.

Nicola Meadows, Divisional Managing Director for the Retail, Manufacturing and Engineering Division says: "We're thrilled to introduce our two new leaders Jackson Szabo and Soraya Gadelrab who are joining our team. Their fresh perspectives and wealth of experience will undoubtedly invigorate our sector. Bringing together years of experience with a track record of innovation and success, these talented individuals will propel the team forward."

Posted: 14 December 2023

Mad Beauty triumphs at the Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards

Trevor & Julia Cash, founders of Mad Beauty have been awarded Family Business Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 for East of England at The Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Recognised annually as one of the most prestigious accolades in the entrepreneurial world, The Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards received over 5,000 applications this year alone.

Making the shortlist is an achievement in its own right given the calibre of competition, underlining the significance of Mad Beauty's win.

Previous winner James Watt, founder of BrewDog, said that winning was "better than winning the World Cup." Steven Bartlett has gone as far as to dub the awards as "The Grammys of Entrepreneurship," highlighting the glamour and prestige associated with the event.

Posted: 11 December 2023

Top Drawer unveils new Spotlight Awards for Spring/Summer 2024 show

Top Drawer has announced the launch of the inaugural Spotlight Awards at the Spring/Summer 2024 edition of the show. Top Drawer will be returning to Olympia London from the 14-16th January with 600 hand-picked contemporary brands presenting their new collections to over 10,000 retailers, and the new Spotlight Awards will recognise best in class products from across all sections of the event. A distinguished judging panel made up of industry experts including retailers, designers, and members of the Top Drawer team will select the winners for each category, with the results being announced at the show on Sunday 14th January.

Posted: 8 December 2023

Feeling peachy with Pantone's Colour of the Year 2024 announcement

It's here, Pantone's Colour of the Year announcement for 2024 is... Peach Fuzz! We can't wait to see how this influences the industry. Pantone, the global color authority and provider of professional color language standards and digital solutions for the design community, today introduced PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, a velvety gentle peach whose all-embracing spirit enriches mind, body, and soul as the Pantone Color of the Year selection for 2024. At a time of turmoil in many aspects of our lives, our need for nurturing, empathy and compassion grows ever stronger as does our imaginings of a more peaceful future. A warm and cozy shade highlighting our desire for togetherness with others and the feeling of sanctuary this creates, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz presents a fresh approach to a new softness. Subtly sensual, PANTONE 13-1023 Peach Fuzz is a heartfelt peach hue bringing a feeling of tenderness communicating a message of caring and sharing, community and collaboration.

Posted: 7 December 2023

Max Publishing has acquired London Stationery Show

Max Publishing, known for its strong roster of B2B retail trade media and awards, as well as its Progressive Greetings Live trade show, has acquired London Stationery Show from Ocean Media Group. London Stationery Show is the UK's only event dedicated to the stationery, arts, crafts, paper and writing instruments sector. The acquisition also includes Stationery Matters magazine/online and National Stationery Week. Founded in 1990, Max Publishing is an independent media business, wholly owned and run by its four directors, Warren Lomax, Jakki Brown, Ian Hyder and Rob Willis. "We are absolutely delighted to welcome London Stationery Show into the Max Publishing family and look forward to really getting to know the stationery community. Ocean Media Group has done an outstanding job in the last few years, elevating the London Stationery Show as the most important event in the stationery industry's calendar. I would like to thank Ocean's CEO Robert Brighouse, and CFO Declan Cassidy, for their cooperation throughout the transaction," commented Rob Willis, COO of Max Publishing who concluded the acquisition with Ocean Media Group.

Posted: 4 December 2023

Home at Spring Fair offers new and exclusive brands

Inspiring retail's creators and curators, Spring Fair puts thousands of new products across home, gift and fashion at the forefront of UK retail.

Only available to see at the next show on 4th – 7th February at NEC Birmingham, a host of exclusive Home brands have been revealed including Coach House, Hill Interiors, Pacific Lifestyle, Garden Trading as well as the exciting new partnership between Libra and Laura Ashley.

Nick Davison, Portfolio Director, Spring Fair says, "I'm extremely excited by our Home destination for 2024. We're delighted to offer buyers some sensational exclusive brands at the show, alongside some great looking newcomers."

Posted: 4 December 2023

John Lewis report reveals a return of the Saturday shopper

A decade on from the first John Lewis How We Shop, Live and Look report, which looks back at the products and trends that shaped the year, we are a nation that has fallen out of love with DVD players and fidget spinners and gained a burgeoning obsession with air fryers and pizza ovens.

Over the last 12 months, we've seen customers return to shops, especially on Saturdays for a family day out where footfall is up 11 percent.

During the height of lockdowns, 81 percent of our sales came via the internet, this has fallen back to 57 percent with many dwelling in stores and hospitality and catering sales up 20 percent versus last year.

Posted: 1 December 2023

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