Harrogate Christmas & Gift show: Hall A, Stand A30
For veteran gift importers Giftware Trading, Harrogate Christmas & Gift is where it all comes together in terms of showcasing the company’s seasonal and Christmas collections. We spoke to Managing Director Ben Jeffrey ahead of the show…
Be under no festive illusion, for the brands who spend months preparing for the UK’s premier Christmas trade show Harrogate can be hard work.
But by the time the doors are thrown open to visitors the exhibitors show stands literally dazzle and there is simply no better place to showcase seasonal, celebratory and general gift collections.
Such is certainly the case for experienced gift import company Giftware Trading. The team travels to North Yorkshire from Bristol where their showroom is based, and they have been planning in anticipation of Christmas & Gift for months.
2023 proved another busy year for Giftware Trading, and the brand now boasts more than 2,500 different products covering the whole gifting spectrum, from everyday items to Spring, Easter, Halloween and of course Christmas.
“Christmas & Gift has become an essential fair for many buyers and the balance of exhibitors and size of venue is a perfect combination”
Giftware Trading MD Ben Jeffrey
“Christmas & Gift has become an essential fair for many buyers and the balance of exhibitors and size of venue is a perfect combination,” says MD Ben Jeffrey. “We’ve kept the same show stand location for a number of years – as have many other exhibitors – and this gives a great deal of familiarity to buyers.
“Having a show so early in the New Year does put a little pressure on ensuring that all the new samples have arrived and then of course we’re working on the displays, but it is exciting and rewarding when it all comes together.”
Over the past 12 months Ben says various obstacles impacting the industry since the Covid pandemic have eased, with physical trade shows taking place once more in China.
Giftware work with over 50 suppliers in Asia and are always sourcing new and unique avenues, as well as making sure they are completely on top of the latest product trends, so for them in particular the shows are key.
Ben explains: “It was great to be visiting the Far East once again after a few years’ absence and things appear to be getting back to some form of normality. It was nice to be able to ‘walk the aisles’ again rather than trawling through hundreds of photographs on a computer screen, however my legs may tell another story!
“2023 was another hectic year for us. Thankfully shipping has become more stable in terms of service and price which has been a welcome relief after the last few years.
“As we are all aware, times are still challenging with mortgage rates currently at their highest level in 15 years. Despite these challenges sales have been positive and customers appear to have been busy leading into Christmas.”
The Giftware Trading team has been hard at work on the company’s Christmas collection since the last buying trip and Harrogate is a great place to launch it for the upcoming year.
“The majority of the stand is dedicated to Christmas but we also show part of our Easter and Spring ranges which gives buyers a glimpse of some of our other collections,” Ben reveals. “Last year we showed a small selection of Halloween products for the first time and the reaction was fantastic with many customers wishing to repeat on certain products. We have added more Halloween items for 2024 and these will complement some of the best-selling items from last year.
“Quite simply there is much that is new and exciting from Giftware Trading, and we can’t wait to show it all off at Harrogate!”
For more information visit: www.giftwaretrading.co.uk
Harrogate Christmas & Gift show: Hall A, Stand A30
