Gift Focus - Nov/Dec 2019 (Issue 116)

40 Trending now Hot Tomato’s owner Alex Machin chats to Gift Focus about jewellery, accessories and tomatoes – well that is how the company got its name! When did Hot Tomato start up? What was the reason for setting up the business? We started trading in 2007. The business started as a response to my creative side and was something I could easily run in tandem with my job at the time, working as a sales agent selling giftware, fashion and interiors. How has your journey trading been? It’s been amazing. Putting yourself out there is always nerve wracking but we had incredible support from the industry from day one – something we continue to enjoy to this day. What challenges have you overcome? Fashion is a fickle mistress and always changing – keeping on top of that is always challenging. We’ve also had to relocate four times to accommodate the company growing, which although a challenge is at least a positive one. Currency fluctuations is also something most importers have to weather. Tell us how the name Hot Tomato came about. I love them – it’s as simple as that – fresh, sundried, tinned – any which-way! They’re in the fruit bowl at home and a go-to snack for me. I figured why not have a name of something you love – customers find it memorable too, which is an added bonus! Describe your product offering. Fashion accessories across the board from jewellery to textiles with bags and purses also in the mix. What are your most popular products or themes? That’s a tough one – regarding the product it does depend on where you’re based as to which category from our collection works best. Animal print motifs have been a real ‘thing’ for the past two seasons though. Have any products taken you by surprise with their popularity? We keep an eye on the trends and do our best to anticipate what will work well so we don’t get caught out. It’s always frustrating selling out too early with a winning line though! How do you keep your designs fresh and current? How often do you launch new lines? We launch two main collections a year – spring/summer and autumn/winter totalling around 800 new lines. Of those we might re- order less than 5 per cent so we’re naturally refreshing all the time. How do you predict trends? I have my favourite sites that I follow and Instagram is a great tool. “ I think our category is about the feel-good factor and in uncertain times that can be very therapeutic for the buying public.”