Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - September/October 2020

12 FRAGRANCE COMPANY WAX LYRICAL ANNOUNCES EXPANSION PLANS INTO PERSONAL CARE SECTOR Wax Lyrical, the UK’s largest home fragrance company has announced expansion plans into the personal care sector following a successful quarter, having been commended by the UK Government on its agility during the COVID-19 crisis. Cumbria-based brand Wax Lyrical transformed its home fragrance business in March this year to manufacture hand and surface sanitiser and within 10 days from planning to production made its first delivery to the NHS, providing much needed products to local hospitals, care homes and pharmacies. In July this year, the brand received national recognition for its response to the coronavirus pandemic and was listed among 80 UK businesses in the UK Government’s international marketing campaign, “GREAT Inspirations” delivered by the GREAT Britain campaign. In spring 2021 Wax Lyrical will be entering the personal care sector and will be launching hand wash and lotion, and body wash and lotion. This new product range is a natural evolution for the team of fragrance experts who have been monitoring the personal care sector for some time with the intention of launching its own range. The brand has also committed to continuing to produce its 70% alcohol hand sanitiser and 65% alcohol surface spray and is predicting continued demand for the product. The Cumbria factory has been working hard to meet the national demand for sanitiser, with more than 1 million units distributed to trusts, health authorities and retail in the three months of production. Following the brand’s recent success, Wax Lyrical’s parent company Portmeirion Group is investing approximately £1 million in the development of a personal care plant annexed to its existing site in Cumbria, which is due to be completed by early 2021. The investment and extended facilities at the Cumbria factory will be used to support growth of personal care manufacturing operations. Jacqui Gale said: “Whilst this wasn’t how we expected to mark out 40 years in business it has been monumental nonetheless. There’s been a great sense of pride from the whole team to be able to support the country at this time. The extension to our site in Cumbria reflects the ambition for the brand which is exporting British-made home fragrances globally, with new territories in the pipeline for 2021.” www.wax-lyrical.com UNIVERSITY GAMES APPOINTS JESSICA FORESHEW AS NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER Games and puzzles specialist, University Games has announced the appointment of Jessica Foreshew as National Account Manager, following the acquisition of The Lagoon Group. Jessica has a wealth of experience in the gift sector, having joined The Lagoon Group in 2017 where she focussed on national and major accounts in the UK as well as working with international distributors. Prior to her time at Lagoon, Jessica also gained extensive experience in both the technology and cosmetic industries. Jessica’s role will see her work alongside Mark Jones, head of sales at University Games, on major national accounts across both the toy and gift sectors. Mark says, “Jessica is a fantastic asset to our sales team. She has brought with her a wealth of both customer and product knowledge that she has been able to share with our entire sales force, enabling them to get quickly up to speed on a large new product portfolio and customer relations.” ICONIC HERBIN BRAND CELEBRATES HISTORIC 350 TH ANNIVERSARY ExaClair, the UK subsidiary of the Exacompta-Clairefontaine group that owns the Herbin® brand, has launched a range of limited edition Herbin inks and gift sets to celebrate the brand’s 350-year anniversary. These incorporate vintage wax capped ink bottles, available in the first five colours launched by Herbin®; black, blue, red, green and violet. A selection of new Herbin® refillable brush pen products have also been released to complement its range of refillable marker pens. Ideal for lettering, watercolour and drawing techniques, these are filled using a pipette provided with each pen. In addition to a choice of either fine or medium tip brush pens, there’s a hand lettering practice pad, which features a mix of creative lettering, practice and inspiration A4 170gsm cards. There’s also a compact and attractive cardboard countertop display available, which can hold an assortment of the refillable marker and brush pens, alongside spare marker pen tips and artistic inks. Lawrence Savage, marketing manager at ExaClair, comments: “The anniversary inks and gift sets make elegant presents for traditional writing enthusiasts. Additionally, the new refillable brush pens are essential for those who enjoy or want to discover creative lettering and watercolours, complementing the calligraphy techniques that can be achieved with our refillable markers.” Manufactured in the heart of Paris since 1670, Herbin® has been a name recognised for its exceptional quality of inks and waxes which are exported all over the world. For further information, visit www.exaclairlimited.com