For Giftware Trading’s Managing Director, Ben Jeffrey, Harrogate Christmas & Gift Fair is quite simply the best way to bring in the new year…
How important is the Harrogate Christmas & Gift show to you as a major supplier – and how long have you been taking a stand there?
Harrogate Christmas & Gift 2020 will be our twelfth year exhibiting at the fair and it continues to go from strength to strength. It’s become one of the most important trade shows of the year for us, providing a foundation to build on for the year ahead. It’s the best way to start the New Year!
What is it about Harrogate that you think buyers like?
The show has a very strong festive focus, buyers know exactly why they are attending and that certainly helps. You genuinely feel as though Christmas is in January whilst you’re there.
Harrogate is a manageable size, which means buyers can walk the show and then decide where they wish to re-visit, without feeling pressured over time.
Christmas & Gift is also very diverse, with an excellent balance of some of the biggest names in the industry through to new and bespoke companies that may be exhibiting for the first time, or still be very much in the infancy of their business.
What about the show’s social ambience and the history of the town itself?
Harrogate is a unique town and to have a show within easy walking distance of the town centre is rare. At the end of each day it is a privilege to be able to walk into town and have such an amazing choice of restaurants where you can relax with colleagues and clients.
In terms of Giftware Trading’s extensive Christmas collection, what is it that enables you to stand out against the competition?
We have worked hard to develop our own niche with certain products which our clients seem to sell very well. We also understand our market and why clients visit us, and we do try to find some unusual products that are a little bit different but still with a sensible price point. We now work with many suppliers in Asia, developing certain ranges and collections that are exclusive to us.
Trying to find products with a real point of difference is what this business is about after all. I’m always amazed at the amount of fresh and innovative products at the show. Every year it genuinely seems to get better and better.
How do you manage to meet the needs of both multiple stores and one-off independents?
We work very hard to offer a diverse and eclectic collection with many different products and materials, so hopefully there are areas of interest that would appeal to both. We’re also in a unique position where we can always offer bespoke packing solutions so certain products are presented in the exact way our clients require.
We have our own warehouse in Bristol and all orders are picked and prepared by ourselves, so it’s all hands-on deck at Christmas. We’re flexible in our approach and as everything is done in house, we can pretty much manage anything – whether an order is one pallet or a hundred.
Will you also be at Spring Fair?
Yes, we are in Hall 5, Stand A01. This is the largest stand of any show we exhibit at and will include our Christmas collection, plus Easter and Spring collections.
We always try to make an effort when making our displays at shows, but I do think it is also important that clients can clearly see the products. Christmas is fun because it gives you the opportunity to go that little bit further and attempt to visually deliver some of the ideas that have been floating around in your head for the last few months!
What trends do you think will be big for Christmas this year?
I think outrageous and quirky tree decorations will continue to be popular, where you can put anything from a tiger to a train on your tree.
Finally, what does Christmas mean to you personally?
Simple, family. Despite working with Christmas products almost 12 months of the year I still completely see the magic of what Christmas brings. It’s truly the one time of year when families come together and that is special. I’m a dad of three so the big day is normally quite a chaotic affair with various grandparents, uncles and aunts descending on us for a few days. It’s crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
For more information visit: www.giftwaretrading.co.uk
