FINANCE ADVICE
I need to raise finance - is my bank the right partner? A refusal from a big bank should not be the end of the line for a small business, but does a SME need to go there in the first place? As highlighted…
News & Articles
Read the most up-to-date news our industry has to offer
We work closely with our members, services providers and trade press to bring you the latest updates to our industry.
Designed to inspire, inform and educate, our news section covers everything from our members' success stories to our events, from the lastest industry news and updates through to government information directly related to our industry.
We pride ourselves on being in the know when it comes to helping your business save money, make money and save time.
A TALE OF TWO SHOWS
A TALE OF TWO SHOWS [gallery ids="2285,1977" type="rectangular"] With two of Autumns biggest trade shows for Home and Gift, Autumn Fair and Top Drawer Autumn taking weeks apart and in Birmingham …
ENTER GIFT OF THE YEAR 2018
Gift of the Year is the biggest product competition in the gift and home industry, and grows every year. This year, it's even more beneficial to enter. Why should I enter? In past years we have assembled…
TWO GREAT STORIES 'FROM YOU TO ME'
from you to me are delighted to introduce their new brand of gift books Forget Me Not Books, which will sit alongside their gift journals brand Journals Of A Lifetime. Beautifully designed and illustrated…
NEW LAYOUT FOR SCOTLAND’S TRADE FAIR SPRING
Kicking off the retail buying season next January is Scotland’s Trade Fair from 21-23 Jan 2018, with a new layout and many enhanced features to make navigating and ordering even better for…
NPW GIFTS HOST MARKET RESEARCH EVENT TO GATHER INSIGHTS INTO STATIONERY GIFTING CATEGORY
Known for their fun and novelty stationery offering, including the likes of giant unicorn erasers, scented watermelon pencil cases and glittery mermaid tape dispensers, NPW Gifts recently hosted …
PARLANE -WHERE STYLE COME NATURALLY - AUTUMN WINTER THE COLLECTION
We love using natural materials in our homeware collections; these are usually hand-worked into a creation to bring out the best in the material. We employ amazing craftspeople who skilfully manipulate…
THE DESIGN TRUST - CREATE A BUSINESS YOU'RE PROUD OF
Did you know .... ... that it's Christmas Eve in exactly 4 months from today?! (Hohoho, so sorry to mention it in August!) ... that there are 21.7 million active buyers on Etsy and 1.7million active…
BEST IN CLASS DESIGNS UNVEILED IN LONDON
Top UK and International design-led brands present a host of exclusive new launches at Top Drawer Autumn/Winter 17 (A/W17) A new adventure in design begins with an unrivalled world class edit of …
BOOKSPEED INVESTS IN NEW FACILITIES AFTER SALES SOAR TO £9M
A specialist supplier of books, toys and gifts in the UK has more than doubled its operational capacity by investing significantly in additional warehouse facilities. Bookspeed’s expansion comes …
GOING GLOBAL LIVE
The Giftware Association are delighted to announce that it has joined forces with Going Global Live as an official partner. Going Global is Europe's leading show for businesses and entrepreneurs …
A GUEST APPEARANCE
WIDDOP and Co. is delighted to welcome Rosanna Bowles, President of Rosanna inc, as guest of honour at their Autumn Fair stand. Rosanna is a well known, innovative leader in the homewares industry…
UK PAVILION - AMBIENTE, FRANKFURT 9-13 FEBRUARY 2018
Don’t miss the opportunity to exhibit within the UK pavilion in Hall 11.1 at the hugely popular Ambiente fair in Frankfurt, Germany, 9-13 February 2018. A DIT grant of £1500 may be available for …
JEREMY CORNER SPEAKING AT AUTUMN FAIR
Jeremy Corner, owner of Blue Eyed Sun and Vice-Chairman of the Giftware Association, will be speaking to retailers on social media and the digital marketing on the high street at Autumn Fair. Jeremy…
MAKING MEMORIES AT GIVING & LIVING
There’s nothing like a few days of sunshine to make us want to spend some time by the beach, and maybe even in the sea. Who doesn’t like a trip to the seaside? And whilst they say “take nothing…
Hallmarking by UK Assay Offices overseas
The Government is seeking views on whether hallmarks applied by UK Assay Offices overseas should be different from hallmarks applied in the UK. And we would like to remind our members how they can…
TOP DRAWER AUTUMN/WINTER
Top UK and international design-led brands prepare exclusive new launches for Top Drawer Autumn/Winter17 edition. This September, Top Drawer brings a refreshingly diverse and innovative selection…
SERVICE PROVIDER: EG CREATIVE
[gallery ids="2203,2202" type="rectangular"]I spoke to Ian Bamford from EG Creative, a marketing communications agency and one of our new service providers, who will be offering our members clear…
TRADE SHOWS
Autumn Fair – 3 – 6 September 2017 Yes, It is that time again to start thinking about Autumn Fair. Autumn Fair is the season’s number one wholesale gift and home trade event, showcasing amazing brands…
YES ITS JEWELLERY HAND-PAINTED IN WAX!
ValB’s Wax is uniquely hand painted jewellery capturing the beauty of encaustic artwork which is created using a craft iron and hot wax. The images are sealed under glass which magnifies, enhances…
MEG HAWKINS ART LICENSED BY MY GIFTS TRADE
Back in April 2017, Meg Hawkins exhibited for the first time at the Farm Shop & Deli Show at the NEC, Birmingham. It was at this event that Nicky Courtney and Paul Connett from ‘My Gifts Trade…
ALERT TO OUR MEMBERS...
Please make sure to check the small print before signing anything relating to any event and exhibitions that you are signed up to. Exhibitors are being targeted by companies claiming to be, or work…
LAUNCHPAD COMPETITION AT THE MANCHESTER STATIONERY SHOW… PASS IT ON!
Following its introduction at the London Stationery Show earlier this year, new sister show Manchester is also running a ‘LaunchPad’ competition to find fledgling stationery suppliers looking to …
THE GIFTWARE ASSOCIATION AT HARROGATE
The Giftware Association team had an extremely productive time at Harrogate Home and Gift where the sun shone and the weather was glorious. Simone Rose, Business Development Manager, said of the …