A decade on from the first John Lewis How We Shop, Live and Look report, which looks back at the products and trends that shaped the year, we are a nation that has fallen out of love with DVD players and fidget spinners and gained a burgeoning obsession with air fryers and pizza ovens.
Over the last 12 months, we've seen customers return to shops, especially on Saturdays for a family day out where footfall is up 11 percent.
During the height of lockdowns, 81 percent of our sales came via the internet, this has fallen back to 57 percent with many dwelling in stores and hospitality and catering sales up 20 percent versus last year.
Posted: 1 December 2023
Creative Solutions are suppliers of quality interiors, dressmaking, patchwork and craft fabrics along with a comprehensive range of trimmings/ ribbons, handmade buttons, Mettler threads, Prym haberdashery, Bag making, Macrame and a huge range of craft products. The company is looking for sales agents. The candidate would be responsible for identifying a customer's needs, pitching relevant products. Experience in the sewing, knitting, home decor and craft markets would be advantageous.
Posted: 28 November 2023
Anti Copying in Design (ACID), the UK's leading design and intellectual property (IP) advocacy organisation, and SnapDragon Monitoring, a renowned online brand protection and reputation management specialist, and have forged a strategic partnership aimed at safeguarding design businesses from the perils of counterfeits and IP infringements.
In today's landscape, counterfeiting poses a significant threat to all industries, as counterfeiters continually exploit genuine brand success to produce low-quality imitations of coveted products.
These counterfeit goods not only erode brand revenues and compromise IP, but also endanger consumers due to the use of toxic materials.
A recent SnapDragon survey discovered that nearly 20 percent of UK SMEs have fallen victim to counterfeit product sales, resulting in severe financial losses for 93 percent of them.
Posted: 24 November 2023
This is it, the final two weeks of the largest competition in the gift and homeware world, Gift of the Year awards, and a chance to enter your fabulous products and get them seen by the buyers and retailers who judge the competition.
Be quick to meet the 30th November 2024 to enter...
The competition is a great way to get products and business noticed, from just entering the competition businesses get collateral to shout about their nominated products and guaranteed for them to be seen by the audience that matters – buyers and retailers.
At each competition stage that entrants make it through to, they get extra opportunities to raise their profile, and their exposure will be raised from extra PR and promotions from trade press and partners.
Posted: 22 November 2023
Pentel has announced its upcoming social media Christmas campaign, bringing a mix of inspiration and creativity, guaranteed to make the season extra special. As the campaign unfolds Pentel will focus on their flagship EnerGel range together with the wide range of Pentel Arts products. Influencers will play a significant role throughout this campaign demonstrating the versatility of these products and motivate the followers to engage, learn about and connect with the Pentel brand.
Posted: 21 November 2023
Kite Packaging, a leading UK supplier of innovative and eco-friendly packaging, has added a brand new range of bubble mailers to its offering.
Available in twelve sizes in gold or white, this comprehensive range caters to the diverse packaging needs of any business and is particularly great for those with a large product profile.
Kite mailers comply with Royal Mail's PiP guidelines and can help businesses calculate and regulate their shipping costs to avoid any surprises.
Air-filled bubbles also keep overall package weights to a minimum whilst providing an effective, shock-absorbing barrier which cushions and minimises the risk of damage occurring during handling or transit.
Posted: 17 November 2023
The three leading international consumer goods fairs Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld focus strongly on the important meta theme of sustainability. With the Special Interest Ethical Style, they offer exhibitors the opportunity to present their particularly environmentally friendly, ethically produced and sustainable products to the trade fair public. The application for the sustainability programme runs until 24th November 2023. So there's still time!
Posted: 14 November 2023
Christmasworld rings in a new round with its globally unique product mix of seasonal decorations and festive decorations. All key players are on board. With optimised routes and better connections to global sourcing, buyers will be able to find the latest highlights even faster – whether for festive decorations at home, for shopping centres or for city centres. The question is: Which exhibitors will be there?
Posted: 13 November 2023
Thousands of knitters and stitchers are counting down until The Knitting & Stitching Show opens its doors at the Harrogate Convention Centre, 16th-19th November. Whether you're a newbie or an accomplished stitch expert, this popular annual textiles celebration has something for everyone. Want to start a new craft project or learn a new skill? The Knitting & Stitching Show's Learning Curve studios offer hundreds of workshops, all hosted by top tutors. A packed programme of daily classes covers every textile craft imaginable, from macrame, crochet and embroidery to Fair Isle knitting, post box toppers and jewellery making. Fans of Christmas crafting and handmade gifts will find fun, seasonal workshops to try, like needle felt gnomes, crochet beanie hats, macrame plant hangers, quilted purses, and beaded decorations.
Posted: 9 November 2023
With just weeks until the big day, new research shows that 45 percent of Brits will be spending the same this Christmas as they did last year. 73 percent worry about finding the perfect gift and 98 percent are keen to support local businesses.
Despite cost of living concerns, over 45 percent of Brits will be spending the same this Christmas, with 33 percent spending more, according to new research from local gift card champions Town & City Gift Cards.
28 percent of people say they'll be spending £751-£1000 this Christmas, with the need to purchase gifts for friends and family given as the reason for Christmas spend staying the same or increasing.
Posted: 8 November 2023
