Giftware Trading are well-established, much-loved gift importers with thousands of well-priced products to offer. But part of the company’s charm is just down to making customers smile…

The Giftware Trading team will once again be taking seasonal style to Christmas & Gift, with product ranges that encompass the unique and quirky to offer a point of difference, along with affordable price points.

The company’s showroom is located in Bristol, and the team are also trade show veterans, and crucial to the calendar is always Harrogate, followed by heading to Birmingham for Spring Fair, in the opening two months of the year.

Giftware work with more than 50 different suppliers in Asia and have a broad collection of 2,500 products, encompassing a vast Christmas collection, Easter and Halloween.

“Our ever-popular decorations continued to sell well last year and for 2025 we have added more new items than ever before to the range”

“Interest and activity with our festive collection is always really busy,” says MD Ben Jeffrey. “Our ever-popular decorations continued to sell well last year and for 2025 we have added more new items than ever before to the range, with many items designed to make Christmas fun. If you can make people smile whilst shopping I think that’s always a step in the right direction.

“We will be showing Easter and Spring ranges at Christmas & Gift too but due to space we unfortunately cannot show everything, although we’ll be taking many of the best-selling items.

“Halloween was once again extremely popular for us last year with most items sold out before they even arrived in the UK. This was predominantly the smaller scary, but cute, decorations. A trend we’ve seen is people wanting to celebrate Halloween but not always wanting to spend a huge amount of money on it.”

Ben reports that, whilst successful, 2024 did also have its challenges for the brand – like in 2023, once again mainly due to shipping.

“The extended transit time for vessels having to navigate around the Cape of Good Hope obviously added to the picture,” he says. “Should there be delays due to production or shipping schedules those extra days did make a difference. 

“Despite the delays deliveries still arrived in good time and the team worked extremely hard to turn them around in record time.”

Ben says that people he chats to day to day who don’t work in the retail trade are often baffled by how busy companies like Giftware are in the weeks after Christmas.

“I often hear, ‘I guess you must be quiet now’, or: ‘I bet you’re looking forward to a rest in the new year’,” Ben reveals. “When I explain to them that we’ve been busy for the last couple of months working on Christmas for the following year there is often a look of bewilderment.

“Of course, for everyone attending Harrogate the end of the previous year is always very hectic ensuring all the latest items are ready for the fair.

“Harrogate Christmas and Gift is the first show of the year for us and is the first time we will show the new Christmas collection. The fair has really gone from strength to strength over the years and is now a ‘must’ show for many buyers.

“The event has a feel of familiarity for both exhibitors and buyers and it’s a really wonderful way to start the year.”

For more information visit: www.giftwaretrading.co.uk