Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - January / February 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS 11 PPE SUBSCRIPTION BOXES LAUNCHED IN THE UK The first UK wellbeing and personal protection subscription boxes, Curakit, have been launched into the UK. Targeted at businesses, the personal protection and wellbeing subscription boxes enable employers to help protect and care for their employees by sending monthly Curakit boxes direct to the homes or desks of employees. In a world where personal protective equipment and physical and mental wellness is more important than ever, Curakit is the easy and affordable solution for UK businesses. Recent research has revealed that 91%* of UK workers would like to work from home at least part of the time and research from the ONS showed that 30% of the UK workforce were still calling home the office. Designed and made in the UK, the boxes retail at £20 per box for orders of 500 and over and at £25 per box for up to 49 monthly orders, the subscription service is just one way that business is evolving. Each colourful box comes complete with a 30-day supply of high quality personal protective equipment, as well as a series of items designed to lift mood, reduce stress and anxiety, which change monthly. It also features handy information on staying safe and physically and emotionally well in challenging work environments. The London-based company has teamed up with two local brands for the supply of the kit – On The Lane, a health and wellbeing business based in Belsize park, and Harley Street Care, a central London based brand of medical supplies. • An example box includes: • 20 disposable face masks (Type IIR) • 5 reusable KN95 masks • 2 x 100 ml antibacterial hand gel bottles • 30 antibacterial wipes • 10 ml aromatherapy oil blend • 50 ml luxury hand cream • Confectionary • Wellbeing booklet Curakit Founder, Josh White comments on the launch, “I’ve seen the world of subscription boxes grow significantly over the last two years and I saw a gap in the market for business subscription boxes when COVID-19 was at its peak in the UK. As businesses scrambled to help employees adapt to working from home, I saw that the obvious solution was for businesses to provide direct-to-home deliveries to ensure for wellbeing and personal protection from the virus. With after-work drinks a thing of the past, employers can continue to show they appreciate their staff but this time not with a pint, but PPE. Curakit makes it easy for businesses to show that they care for their teams, at an affordable price.” For further information visit www.curakit.com ENESCO ANNOUNCES PHIL ATHERTON AS NEW SALES DIRECTOR Enesco has announced the appointment of Phil Atherton as company sales director. Phil was most recently the group sales and marketing director of Portmerion Group plc, where, during his eight-year tenure, sales grew from £55m to £93m. He was previously with John Cotton Home textiles for fourteen years, where he similarly oversaw significant sales growth. Before that he held senior sales management positions in the drinks trade with Remy Martin, Gaymer Group and Allied Domecq. Phil says, “I am looking forward to working with the team at Enesco and to identifying and growing the many opportunities we have. The fantastic brands and products within the Enesco portfolio have huge potential across the whole of EMEA.” www.enesco.com RHS TO LAUNCH ITS FIRST ROSÉ WINE IN TIME FOR THE RHS CHELSEA FLOWER SHOW The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has announced a partnership with historic South African fruit and wine farm Babylonstoren to produce an RHS rosé wine. The wine will launch just before the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on 17 May 2021, for which it will be the official rosé wine. Visitors to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show will be the first to taste the special vintage. A fresh fruity rosé is best enjoyed soon after bottling and this wine is no exception. Babylonstoren will harvest and bottle the grapes mere weeks before the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021, then rush the first shipment to London. The rosé will feature a designation label on the front of the bottle. The RHS logo and information about Britain’s favourite gardening charity will appear on the label on the back of the bottle. Babylonstoren RHS Rosé will be available at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021 and for a limited time at some RHS gardens. It will also be available throughout 2021 via Babylonstoren’s friends in the UK, The Newt in Somerset at shop.thenewtinsomerset.com , as well as a variety of independent wine stores and hospitality outlets throughout the UK. The license includes an agreement that Babylonstoren will be the non-exclusive supplier of rosé wine at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2021. As with French rosé, the varietal Mourvèdre is being used for Babylonstoren RHS Rosé. Charl Coetzee, the Babylonstoren Cellarmaster, explains: “We keep it on skins for a mere one to two hours, to ensure a liquid the colour of a delicate sunrise. The result is a fuller and rounder rosé, with a lovely floral character. Its flavour incorporates creamy rhubarb, sweet freshness of watermelon and subtle punch of acidity. The style is elegant and ethereal.” This is a first for the RHS. The charity has a wine club for members and has also in the past endorsed a limited-edition honeybee gin with Warner’s Distillery. However, it has never licensed a specific wine before. Cathy Snow, licensing manager, RHS, says: “Rosé is an ideal spring and summer wine, and the first-ever RHS-endorsed rosé calls to mind flowers, gardens and the outdoors, with the promise that warmer days are on the way. What better way could there be to welcome Britain’s best-loved flower show? We’re delighted to be partnering with Babylonstoren on this wonderful wine.” 