The winners and highly commended for the Gift of the Year 2020 competition were announced last night at the annual awards ceremony on the first day of Spring Fair. The awards announcement held on The Inspiring Retail stage attracted a crowd of buyers, retailers as well as the eagerly awaiting competition entrants. The Finalists then went on to celebrate at a special dinner at Awards winning Asha’s Indian Restaurant in Birmingham.

CEO of The Giftware Association, Sarah Ward said “The standard of the entrants and products was very high this year, with many of the judges struggling to find their favorites with so much quality on offer, and there were a few very close calls for the winners. It’s great to see so many companies who made the shortlist stage using the marketing collateral already on their products, and I know this has been echoed by some of the judges of the competition”

Judge and buyer Tina Goeting from The British Shop said “ The Gift of the Year is really important to the trade and when I was at Top Drawer, you could see on various stands that it is a significant marketing tool to the companies.”

Onto the winners…

To celebrate their 20^th anniversary Orange Tree Toys are excited to be launching two brand new concepts featuring Sea Life and Farm Animals characters at this year’s Spring Fair. In addition, there are also some exciting additions to their licensing arm including a new Classic Pooh range and the introduction of Toy Story to their Disney portfolio.

Find them in Hall 5 on stand H44 to see these fabulous new designs.

www.orangetreetoys.com

Leading specialty food producer Stonewall Kitchen announced today that it has completed its fourth acquisition, acquiring the Village Candle® brand of fragranced candles, gifts and accessories. Based in Wells, Maine, Village Candle is a premium quality manufacturer of expertly crafted candles sold throughout the U.S and around the world.

“We’re extremely excited to welcome Village Candle to our growing family of specialty brands,” said John Stiker, Chief Executive Officer of Stonewall Kitchen. “We have long had our own small line of candles and fine home keeping products, but this allows us to really expand that offering with an incredible assortment of specialty candles made “just up the road” here in Maine. Like us, Village Candle has been selling high quality products for over 25 years to many of the same premium retailers nationwide, as well as directly to consumers online. And also like us, Village Candle specializes in both classic products – favorite scents such as Balsam Fir, Creamy Vanilla, or Pure Linen -- as well as innovative, creative offerings, with unique scents such as Black Bamboo, Rain, or Eucalyptus Mint. For all those reasons, we think this combination is a terrific fit.”

Long-running trade event Jewellery & Watch will rebrand in 2020 to become Jewellery, Watch & Fashion (JWF), debuting at Autumn Fair 2020.

The new format show will incorporate exhibitors across jewellery, watches, accessories and fashion in a move that reflects market trends and the cross-buying opportunities professionals are demanding from both Spring Fair and Autumn Fair.

The integration of Jewellery & Watch with fashion sector exhibitors is currently underway at Spring Fair 2020, which is taking place at NEC, Birmingham until Thursday 6^th February. The re-edited show floor and the relocation of Jewellery & Watch to Hall 1 has proved successful to date.

JWF will further this new vision at Autumn Fair from September 6-9, 2020 at the NEC, Birmingham, followed by Spring Fair from February 7-11, 2021.