Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - November/December 2020

10 Industry news GREAT BRITISH CONFECTIONERY GROUP APPOINTS NEW SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR The Great British Confectionery Group has announced the appointment of Rachel Moverley to the post of sales and marketing director. Rachel will be responsible for steering the company’s brand identity into new areas and supporting and developing new and existing sales channels for the company’s traditional artisan fudge, toffee, boilings and bonbons. Rachel has over 20 years of experience in FMCG retail and has developed marketing strategies for a number of healthcare, personal care and food brands, across national and independent, grocery, food service, premium and online channels. Director Sunny Sharma says, “The past few years following acquisition, have been about restoring these wonderful heritage companies to full operational efficiency and high-quality standards. We’re looking forward to seeing Rachel take the best of what traditional confectionery has to offer and giving it a modern twist that appeals to contemporary customers.” Talking about the company’s future, Rachel says, “I think we will all agree that 2020 has thrown us a very unprecedented and unwelcome curve ball! It’s time to make progress, so I am looking forward to a very positive second half of the year and putting a smile back on the nation’s faces with our delicious range of indulgent treats!” For more information please contact enquiries@greatbcg.co.uk BLUE EYED SUN ADDS NEW COLORS TO BIOLOCO LOOP FLASK RANGE Blue Eyed Sun has added five new colours to its new flasks, called bioloco loop. There are now a total of sixteen iridescent shades to choose from. These stylish bioloco loop bottles have been a big hit with retailers. Each has a capacity of 500 ml (16.9 oz) and is made of double walled kitchen grade stainless steel 304. These elegant shaped flasks keep drinks warm for up to 18 hours and cool for up to 12 hours. The design is complemented by a unique wooden lid and a silicon looped handle. Plus, these eye-catching accessories are BPA-free, Phthalate- free and toxin-free. Hand washing is recommended. Trade price £8.33, RRP £19.99. Sold in threes. According to the company, “We all need to do our bit tackle the war on waste and these reusable bottles help users to reduce the million plastic bottles being sold every minute, most of which are not recycled with many polluting our oceans affecting wildlife.” Call +44 (0)1273 823 003 or visit www.blueeyedsun.co.uk for details. Catch up on all the latest in our news round up V&A WINS 2020 LICENSING INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE AWARD V&A took home the prestigious award for ART / DESIGN / CELEBRITY / FASHION BRAND at the 2020 Licensing International Awards. The ceremony took place virtually on 13 th August in front of a crowd of around 1000 licensing and retail executives. The V&A was also nominated for collaborations with Coco de Mer, People Tree AW19, Twinings and Shiseido. The winners unveiled at the event were selected from among more than 600 entries received from around the world, which was narrowed down to a field of 175 nominees and eventually just 23 winners, of which V&A was one. Also honored at the event was licensing powerhouse Martha Stewart, who was inducted into the Licensing Hall of Fame. Lauren Sizeland, Head of Licensing & Business Development at the V&A says, “We are delighted to have won this award, it’s a great privilege to bring our treasure trove of decorative arts for the enjoyment of audiences across the globe. A huge thank you to all our licensees who share our passion to achieve design excellence and for helping to make the V&A brand such a success!” www.vam.ac.uk SQUIZZAS! EXPANDS LICENSED PRODUCTS WITH MYNE CARDS Exponential sales during lockdown has seen Squizzas! looking to add to its licensed catalogue offering, with the company taking on the complete range from Myne Cards. The Myne Cards licensed range includes Wallace and Gromit, Skinnydip London, The National Gallery, Beryl Cook, To Home From London, Howard Robinson’s Selfies and Dominique Vari. Keith Milburn of Myne Cards says, “This is an exciting time for Myne Cards. As travel slowly starts to ease, we are seeing more customers take their bank card protection seriously. Working with Squizzas!, who has a wide presence online, is a great match as their customers love eye-catching licensed designs.” Luke Bedden of Squizzas! continues, “Our customers enjoy buying and collecting fun, interesting products with their favourite brands, from Funkoverse to Monopoly, so adding the Myne Cards licensed range provides more choice to our customers, just as they start travelling again.” The full range of Myne Cards is available now at www.squizzas.co.uk