Gift Focus - Jan/Feb 2019 (Issue 111)

giftfocus 147 spring fair preview SOCK ACADEMY Stand: 6N42-P43 W: sockacademy.com Sock Academy has another fantastic year planned with its ever- popular brands. The United Oddsocks product development team has been busy creating even more quirky and fun products to make 2019’s product mix the best ever. Within the gift box range, the company has gone all out with the launch of Unicorn vs. Llama in the Land of the Cactus, a mash-up collection for those who can’t decide what they want on their socks. Striped socks are taken to a new level with the amazingly vibrant Stripe Almighty – sure to be a success for those who love colour. The Cockney Spaniel line has a new range of Cheeky Christmas socks and a range dedicated to the divas, full of sass and fun and in a new range of gift boxes for the ultimate hit of humour. Cucamelon, launched in July 2018, continues to be a huge success. Originally focusing on baby socks up to two years, the company is now launching cute sock boxes in two-to-four years sizes. Also new are the Mini-Me’s gift sets, featuring a pair of baby socks with a matching pair of adult socks. Other wow-factor products include the Dino-Eggs range, bright and colourful dinosaur-themed socks packaged in an eggbox for extra fun, and Load of Pollocks, the funkiest socks for anglers ever created. Overall, Sock Academy is launching 70 new products in spring 2019, which will be available to view at Spring Fair. WILD THINGS GIFTS Stand: 4C61 W: wildthingsgifts.com In 2019 crystals will be sparkling away alongside freely flowing prosecco on the Wild Things stand at Spring Fair. Wild Things Gifts focuses on window Swarovski crystal-adorned ornaments, with customers loving the way they make rainbows when the sun shines through them. Ranges include Art of Glass, featuring handmade and hand-painted glass ornaments made exclusively for Wild Things, and British-designed and made Crystal Fantasies, incorporating mirror-bright metals. The company also creates an extensive range of crystal Guardian Angels. Most products are made by the ever-expanding team of homeworkers (45 and counting), some of whom have been with the company for nine years. Last year saw the development of the company’s lit display booth, which saw massive sales boosts for Wild Things retailers. Wild Things has such confidence in its selling power that it is giving the lit display booth away free at the show, subject to a minimum stock order. The company has undergone a rebranding and is launching a new all-bells-and-whistles website in January. UK sales were up 33 per cent last year, with garden centres and independents making up the core customer base. Wild Things will be launching many additions to the Crystal Fantasy range at the fair, with richly coloured toucans, swans and puffins added to the extensive range of bird motifs. The recently launched bees, flamingos, foxes, sheep and penguins were instant bestsellers.