With exciting new product sectors, a fair trade initiative, innovative product trails, and over 900 exhibitors showcasing their latest products, Home & Gift is gearing up to be an exciting hot-bed of Christmas gifts and autumn/winter trends and the one show buyers cannot afford to miss this summer!
The industry’s favourite event of the year will unveil fresh new products from General Gifts, Design-led Gifts, Collectables & Traditional Gifts, Home Accessories, Greeting Cards & Stationery, Jewellery & Fashion Accessories and China & Glass. Joanna Bush, show director, Home & Gift, Harrogate comments: “We are so excited about this year’s show and confident that our fresh thinking and new features will inspire visitors and essentially work to benefit their businesses. To highlight the growing trend for fair trade products, we are launching a new fair trade initiative so visitors can find the very best of these products on show.” EVENTS & NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES Sunday 13 July, Sunday Sundowners, Majestic Hotel – South Terrace: visitors and exhibitors are invited to get together for a well-earned drink and excellent opportunity to network and make new contacts.Monday 14 July, Indigo Drinks, Indigo Lounge: exclusively for Indigo Club members.Tuesday 15 July, Home & Gift Summer Party, Revolution Bar: an opportunity to soak up the atmosphere and celebrate the successes of the show with fellow visitors and exhibitors. BRAND NEW PRODUCT CATEGORIES FOR 2008 With more exhibitors than ever before, Home & Gift, Harrogate has extended its breadth of product offering and this year has introduced two new focus areas: Bath & Body (in DP3) will be dedicated to beautiful feel-good pampering products! Key exhibitors include: Arran Aromatics, Colony Gift Corporation, Burts Bees, Heathcote & Ivory, Nougat London, Picture Palace/Bath House, Scottish Fine Soaps, Wild Wood & Rose (won gift of the year 2007), Di Palomo, Heyland & Whittle and Potions & Possibilities. Outdoor Living (in DP5) is a unique new category that will showcase products that capitalise on the current trend of accessorising your garden as well as your home. Key exhibitors include: Archipelago Designs, Banlon Ltd, Fallen Fruits, Garden Trading Company, Ailsa Wood Products, Ashleigh & Burwood, Nether Wallop Trading Company, Dotty Designs, Tweedmill Textiles, The Libra Company, One World Trading, Ora Home Ltd and Nutscene Ltd. PRODUCT TRAILS So that buyers can pinpoint the products that are most relevant to their customers, Home & Gift has highlighted key products in sector-specific trails around the show on special Trail Cards in the following sectors: Gifts, Home Accessories and Jewellery & Fashion Accessories. To reflect the growing consumer interest for fair trade goods (sales soared 46% in 2007*), Home & Gift is working with ethical expert Juliet Bernard to highlight the best fair trade products and exhibitors at the show on each of the product trails. Juliet comments: “The fair trade market has become an important part of the UK’s retail landscape in recent years, not just in food or clothing but gifts as well. For people that want to give a really thoughtful present, a fair trade gift is ideal. From jewellery to home accessories and gifts of all kinds, we will be promoting products which show commitment to the fair trade principles outlined by IFAT (the global network for fair trade organisations).” These products will also be highlighted on the Home & Gift website to ensure visitors are aware of which products are fair trade and can keep up with customer demand. ‘BUSINESS BITE’ SEMINAR SCHEDULE Home & Gift will be hosting a number of free ‘business bite’ seminars, open to all visitors and exhibitors at the show, held in Hall Q. Clarion Retail has a clear understanding of the pressures facing retailers in the current economic climate and these seminars are designed to help visitors stay ahead of the competition and strengthen their awareness of today’s marketplace, ultimately making their business more profitable. These seminars can be booked online and will be offered on a first come first served basis. MONDAY 14th11.00 – 12.00: Visual Merchandising & Making Shops Work – Craig Phillipson12.30-13.30: What’s Hot for Christmas – Joanna Feely
TUESDAY 15th12.30-13.30: Online Retailing – Roger Willcocks
WEDNESDAY 16th12.30-13.30: British Association of Fair Trade Shops – Margaret Johnston
RETAIL SURGERY SCHEDULE < span style="font-size: x-small">Home & Gift will also be offering free one-to-one advice to all visitors and exhibitors at the show, through a series of Retail Surgeries taking place in Hall Q. Designed to assist and develop new and existing businesses, these surgeries will run over the course of the show. For free one-on-one business advice, visitors and exhibitors can book their session today on a first come first served basis at www.homeandgift.co.uk. MONDAY 14th1.30-3.30 Launching Your Retail Business Nigel Carrier1.30-3.30 Visual Merchandising & Making Shops Work Craig Phillipson
TUESDAY 15th10.00-12.00 Jewellery & Fashion Accessories Janet Finch12.30-1.30 Online Retailing Roger Willcocks
WEDNESDAY 16th12.30-1.30 British Association of Fair Trade Shops Margaret Johnston
TRADE ASSOCIATION AREA In order to support trade associations, Home and Gift, Harrogate has set up a specific Trade Association Area in Hall Q which is highly beneficial to retailers looking for support and further information on key matters relevant to their business. Further information on the following can be found in the new area: British Association of Fair Trade ShopsThe Garden Centre AssociationGreeting Card AssociationBritish Shops & Stores Association To register for Home & Gift Harrogate for free, please visit www.homeandgift.co.uk or call the ticket hotline on 01923 690645 For further press information and images, please contact Sylvia Palamoudian, Debbie Coxon or Kate Thomas at Focus PR on +44 (0)20 7845 6600 or email: Clarion-FocusPR@focuspr.co.uk
