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| Find out more about the latest industry news and product launches in the current issue of Gift Focus. Why not download the magazine in PDF format from www.giftfocus.com? |
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Autumn Fair International
Get set for Birmingham's NEC with our bumper show preview
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Greener giving
Turning green to gold with eco-friendly gifts
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Countdown to Christmas
Part two of our festive product showcase
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The teen market
Hot lines for cool teens
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Seal of approval
Opening the envelope on the latest in greetings
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Competition
Win fabulous fashion jewellery from Rosa Red
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| Plus... |
| Regular features, news, events, Q&A special - and much more |
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| Next Issue Out |
| 31st October 2011 |
| Win! Rosa Red Jewellery worth a total of £750 RRP |
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Design, quality and service are key to the success of Rosa Red's co-ordinated fashion jewellery. Every piece is handmade, hand painted and hand polished to create a high quality, superior product.
Established in 2006, Rosa Red was created by Ann Atri and Marie McAleer. After years of working at senior levels for major high street organisations and scouring the world sourcing new products and suppliers, Marie and Ann decided to pool their wealth of experience to create a collection of jewellery that combined timeless elegance with the latest, on-trend fashion colours.
Based in Scotland, Rosa Red works in conjunction with its partners in the Far East to produce, original, vibrant designs. With matching necklace, earrings, bracelets and rings, available in almost all ranges and various colourways, Rosa Red jewellery provides designs suitable for retailing in gift shops, jewellers and boutiques, aimed at women of all ages.
'Glamour you can afford' is the Rosa Red motto - bringing glamour and style to any outfit - old or new, without breaking the bank.
"As we all know, we are in a very tough economic climate and if customers cannot afford to splash out on a new outfit they can revamp an old one by adding a new piece of fashion jewellery. Rosa Red designs help women extend the life of their wardrobe," says the company.
The new autumn/winter 2011 collection features a rich array of red, purple, teal and silver coloured jewellery. Continuing the Rosa Red ethos of distinctive, good quality fashion jewellery at affordable prices, there are many new designs as well as old favourites.
Dramatic statement pieces include Candy - an eye-catching, sparkling design designed to add instant impact to any outfit - comprising necklace, earrings, bracelet and ring for those that want to stand out from the crowd.
For a more classic look there is Solar - a hand-painted disc in black and in purple surrounded by 'silver' inlaid with diamanté chips and Liza - a simple yet stunning design in five colourways.
Hearts continue to be popular so Rosa Red has introduced three new heart designs. Amor features an interlocking hearts necklace and bracelet with matching earrings, Sara offers a cluster of silver hearts with matching earrings, bracelet and ring while Celia is an antique 'silver' design with filigree and plain hearts combined. RRPs start from £25 for the necklaces.
The new collection will be on show for the first time at Autumn Fair International this September at Birmingham's NEC in Hall 4, Stand K21 and at Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn on Stand G2.
For further information visit the company website
www.rosared.co.uk
Rosa Red's co-ordinated fashion jewellery offers a distinctive, affordable range and for one lucky retailer the company is offering the chance to win a selection of its designs worth a total of £750 RRP. |
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| More Moomin magic |
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Aurora World has expanded its successful Moomin plush range to meet expected demand during the Christmas period.
New additions to the soft toy range include a seasonal Christmas plush of Moomintroll with a stripy hat and scarf and a soft Moomin house with a range of Moomin character finger puppets.
Visit the website www.auroraworld.com to find out more. |
| New candle innovation |
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The Virginia Candle Company, known for the best-selling WoodWick® range, is introducing the Pluswick innovation.
Tom Sykes, general manager of Xystos, which distributes the range in the UK, comments: "The Pluswick patent-pending wick design creates a superior burn that ordinary cotton wicks just can't match!"
"The new technology delivers faster fragrance by creating a fully melted pool of highly scented wax up to five times faster than an ordinary cotton wick candle to fill a room with genuine WoodWick® fragrance."
To find out more call +44 (0)1914 991 570 or visit the website www.xystostrade.co.uk |
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It's buying season again with Autumn Fair International and Top Drawer set to unleash thousands of brand new products on to the market.
As an official media partner of Autumn Fair International we will be walking the halls over the four days, from 4th to 7th September, seeking out latest designs, new trends and stand out products. Free copies of our bumper Autumn Fair edition plus sister titles Attire Accessories and Craft Focus Magazine will also be available throughout the show - a must-have guide for product-hungry buyers. Drop by the media stand outside the press office near Hall 2 to get your copy.
With a new dedicated hobby and crafts sector at this year's event organiser Emap Connect has forged partnerships with dedicated UK and international press, including trade specialist Craft Focus.
To find out more about the show and to pre-register visit the website www.autumnfair.com.
At the time of going to press with this edition the nation was reeling in the aftermath of the recent riots. As well as the personal price to innocent people, hard-pressed retailers suffered looting and damage and were left counting the cost. A plea immediately went out to the Prime Minister David Cameron for help in rebuilding ravaged high streets wrecked by the violence.
Since then measures outlined by the Prime Minister to meet some of the short term needs, have been welcomed by the British Retail Consortium(BRC). These include a temporary suspension of business rates for affected premises and reassurance that stores with inadequate insurance will have access to compensation. BRC director general Stephen Robertson commented: "The Prime Minister has listened to our pleas and satisfied the majority of them."
Business rates are a hot potato for many retailers all over the country, as we discovered when we canvassed views on the government's high street review being headed up by retail guru Mary Portas. Find out what they had to say in our industry insight feature.
One way of staying ahead in today's difficult economic climate is by going the extra mile, keeping offering bang on trend, refreshing the shelves on a regular basis, walking the aisles at trade shows looking for the next big thing.
Great customer service is also key to success - providing a shopping environment people want to return to, that is friendly and relaxed. For top tips on how to get shoppers coming back for more see our customer service special.
Packed full of news and essential information, we also offer a wealth of business advice from industry experts covering everything from insurance, multichannel retailing, protecting stock and how to make the most of promotions.
With features on the latest London 2012 Olympics merchandise, toys, greeting cards, eco-friendly products, the teen market, tableware and more, there's plenty to inspire and get in shape for the crucial Christmas period ahead.
Enjoy reading and see you at Autumn Fair.
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| Sarah Reeve, Editor |
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| Make sure your email editor@giftfocus.com to keep us up to date with all your news |
| London 2012 Scandinavian-style |
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Ary Trays will be revealing new additions to its collections this autumn from fresh talent including Swedish designer Anna Viktorsson.
The London 2012 range has been designed by Anna to mark the Olympic Games in London next year. The new line is an addition to the already successful London Icons and Royal Guards collections by the same artist.
Anna studied BA(hons) Design at HDK in Gothenburg and at University of the Arts in London. Her fun designs have a strong Scandinavian feel and feature bold colours.
Since the 1950s, Ary has been based at the same site in Sweden and today combines age-old skills with innovative techniques. Using only birch wood from sustainable Scandinavian forests, the company aims to be as eco-friendly as possible, including recycling raw material waste to generate new energy for the factory.
Each Ary tray is formed by hand before a high quality finish seals in the design. There are a wide choice of designs available from geometric to intricate images of flora and fauna.
Vist the website www.arytrays.se to find out more. |
| Top draw for Top Drawer |
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Imaginasia is running a free-to-enter draw at the forthcoming Top Drawer trade show, which takes place at London Olympia from 11th to 13th Sept 2011.
The prize will be a Repose figure, one of four in a brand new signature range based on artworks by the renowned Chinese sculptor, Qiao Qian, which are being launched at the show.
Repose (pictured) is one of Imaginasia's chrome finished polyresin creations, mounted on a granite base and presented in a special foil-blocked Qiao Qian signature box. It has a retail value of £175.
To enter the draw visit Imaginasia at Top Drawer (Stand C65) and drop a business card into the Qiao Qian box. The draw will take place at 2.30pm on 13th September at the company's stand.
To find out more about the company visit the website www.imaginasia.co.uk. |
| Text Speak Mugs |
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Can't find the words? Let your mug do the talking with Boxer's new Text Mugs!
Text Speak is the latest fun addition to Boxer's quirky collection of mugs, to be unveiled at the forthcoming Autumn Fair International.
The humorous mugs feature latest text phrases like Lol (Laugh out loud), Omg (Oh my god), Tmi (Too much information), Xoxo (Hugs and kisses) and Bff (Best friends forever). The Text Mugs are individually boxed in funky and colourful packaging. Also in Boxer's Text Speak range are the Wackisnapz wrist snapz and Text coasters..
Contact Boxer on sales@boxergifts.com, telephone +44 (0)1133 955 595 for more information or visit them at the Autumn Fair International, 4th to 7th of September 2011 at Birmingham's NEC, Hall 5 stand A10. |
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| For all gift retailers... |
| Cupcake vases |
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Fleur Daily from Enesco is a new collection of spill resistant, nonbreakable cupcake vases for creating perfect posies every time.
Made from soft, safe non-latex material, the vases are reusable and recyclable. Designed with professional and DIY florists in mind, the cupcake vases have 17 placement holes for positioning the flowers. The vases are available in six delicious colours - bubblegum, lavender, chocolate, vanilla, lemon and raspberry.
Call +44 (0)1228 404 022 or visit the website
www.enesco.co.uk for details. |
| Fair trade pioneer in walk against crime |
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Managing director and founder of Shared Earth, Jeremy Piercy is walking from Land's End to John O'Groats next spring to help youngsters in Nairobi escape a life of crime.
He will be joined by Milton Obote, a rehabilitated gangster from Nairobi's Mathare slum. They will walk across Britain together to raise money for a community project in Nairobi that helps children stay out of trouble by getting involved in dance and other activities.
Until recently, Mathare - Nairobi's second largest slum - had a crime rate of 80 per cent and was rife with child theft, drug abuse and prostitution.
A project set up by local people aims to engage youngsters in activities, provide work and training, and rehabilitate drug users, prostitutes and criminals.
Initiatives include a jewellery workshop, which employs around 20 teenagers and young adults, football training, acrobatic training and dance sessions. The group's ultimate ambition is to travel abroad, and this dream is set to be fulfilled by Jeremy Piercy and Kathleen Scanlan of Zuri Design, who have pledged to organise a tour of Britain for them next summer.
Jeremy and Milton are doing the walk to raise funds for the tour. The pair would like anyone who is interested and wants to take part to join them, for a day, week or the whole journey.
Fair trade friends from India, South Africa and Nepal have already promised to join them, and there is a solidarity walk planned in India.
For details email info@walkagainstcrime.org |
| Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn |
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Scotland's Trade Fair Autumn 2011 takes place in Glasgow on 18th and 19th September and looks set to be better than ever.
The show attracts a wide range of exhibitors across the gifts and homeware, jewellery and fashion accessories, textile and clothing sectors and gives retailers an opportunity in Scotland to source final stock for Christmas.
Despite the challenging economic climate, the fair has grown year on year with many new exhibitors booked for September.
Mark Saunders, MD of Springboard Events, who organise the show said: "Despite the challenging economic times many retailers enjoy this chance to source final stock for Christmas and add some new lines. In the current climate many retailers are loathe to carry excess stock so want to place smaller orders more frequently. This fair provides the perfect platform for such retailers from Scotland and the North of England. The Show is looking strong in terms of mix of exhibitors and quality. Jewellery in particular is a robust sector with a very high demand for stands."
Visit the website www.scotlandstradefairs.co.uk
for further details. |
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