Gift Focus inc Attire Accessories - January / February 2021

85 COMPANY PROFILE Scented candles, was the Foot and Mouth disease of 2001. At the time, Best Kept Secrets was located on a farm park, but Foot and Mouth disease caused the whole business into ‘lockdown’. We had no sales and no customers for four months. It was devastating for everyone involved. Rather than do nothing, Denise decided to use her time to create new products and the initial range of six candle tins was born. Three of the six are still selling, twenty years on. The challenges now are different. Retaining the ‘New’ theme is essential so the range stays fresh. However, the focus remains on quality and customer service. Best Kept Secrets is always striving for the best possible product quality and service at sensible prices. Tell us about your product offering. Candle Tins have remained the most significant part of the business. Now there are 46 different fragrances to choose from, which are all great fragrances and, of course, our sparkly toppings – who doesn’t love a bit of sparkle! Sparkly diffusers were added and more recently a soap company ‘Thistle Soaps’ purchased to expand the range. All three have been re-vamped in the last three years as I put my stamp on the business. For 2021 we have new and exciting products. We’ve always made glass candles but adding to the range are three new glass candles. Twist, Crackle and Cut – it sounds like a breakfast cereal! There are 12 different fragrances to choose from, beautifully boxed, and an ideal as an extra special gift. What are your most popular products? Despite the additional products, Candle Tins remain the most popular line. Plum Champagne, Pink Pomegranate and Classic Cotton are all year winners. Candle sales inevitably peak in the run- up to Christmas and Best Kept Secrets has a very successful Festive range. Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh is the festive top seller, with Snowflake and Hot Cinnamon in close pursuit. Have any styles taken you by surprise with their popularity? Yes, I introduced a new ‘Own Label’ service where customers can retain their own brand whilst benefitting from Best Kept Secrets products and fragrances. I was expecting a modest success, but the achievement has been nothing short of amazing. The concept has helped international sales with labels in many languages including French, Spanish, Maltese and Swedish. Oh, also Welsh! How do you keep your designs fresh and current? Do you follow trends? Of course, Best Kept Secrets is always looking at trends, but it is crucial to be ahead of them whereever possible. This means always looking many months ahead. I’m very strong about using Focus Groups to anticipate trends and to steer the company when new ideas are being considered. 