Gift Focus - Jan/Feb 2019 (Issue 111)

8 giftfocus JOE DAVIES CELEBRATES 100 TH ANNIVERSARY To celebrate a century in business, giftware importer Joe Davies would like to extend a warm invitation to customers old and new, friends and suppliers to join the company on its Spring Fair stand (5D50-E51) on 4 th February at 6pm for drinks and refreshments with the team. A lot has changed since the first product ranges of hearth fireside furniture became available in 1919, but the company remains very proud of delivering customer service the Joe Davies way – personally and from the heart. Pictured is Joe Davies’ old building in Manchester. XYSTOS BUYS DI PALOMO FROM UNEX AS IT CONTINUES TO BUILD IP PORTFOLIO Xystos has purchased leading bath and body brand Di Palomo from owner Unex Designs. Unex directors concluded that after a successful 18-month period distributed by Newcastle- based company Xystos that this is “unquestionably the correct commercial decision.” Unex says the sale of Di Palomo, a brand inspired by fond memories of Italy, enables the company to focus on other growing areas of its business, which have increasingly demanded attention over the past few years. Martyn Barklett-Judge, managing director of Unex, commented: “Xystos has unrivalled and invaluable experience in this market sector and is perfectly placed to take the brand that we have developed and cherished over the last 12 years to the next level. Fellow directors George Copeland, Rob Tyler and I wish Xystos the very best of luck in this acquisition and look forward to seeing the brand go from strength to strength under its banner.” David Lewis, managing director of Xystos, said: “We are delighted to own this prestigious brand and regard its acquisition as a natural development as we increase our own intellectual property portfolio. This is the direction our business is taking as we look to further invest in brands we own and strengthen our portfolio through natural growth and company/brand acquisition.” industry news FINANCIAL SERVICE FIGUREWIZARD LAUNCHES Giftware is a highly seasonal business, and because of this, it’s important that traders make sure that working capital, cash flow and financial arrangements are in place to deal with the up-front expenditure and investment needed to cope with high consumer demand in the busy season. This necessitates careful planning of profits, liquidity and cash for the year and years ahead. Figurewizard is a new service that’s designed to be inexpensive and straightforward. It can be used to calculate profit and loss, balance sheets, analysis, monthly cash flow and more. There is a low barrier to entry, as users need only enter proposed annual sales, gross profit margin, year-end stock, overheads, finance and investment to return a wealth of calculations and documents, including corporation tax and VAT calculations. The website also features articles to help break down and understand how to use the calculators and how to interpret the results that are returned. Figurewizard says that what makes it different to other services are its three calculators. The What-If Calculator and Planner gives a “before and after” view of figures, allowing the user to tweak details such as overheads and gross profit to see how profits, cash flows, working capital and tax update in real time. The second is the for factoring/supply chain finance and cash flow. The user can select the percentage of invoicing to be factored and add a service charge or interest to see updates in real time. The third calculator deals with proposed dividends. Dividend value and payment month is added, and the calculator reports monthly bank balance and undrawn facilities, as well as changes to year-end solvency, liquidity and equity. Figurewizard is available at a subscription cost of £20 per annum, and several features can be sampled free of charge at figurewizard.com