The Gift-Cast

It's the B word - BREXIT! Now that everyone is slowly starting to understand the implications of the governments EU trade deal, we thought it the right time to bring a couple experts onto the Product-Cast to shed some light on some of the most common questions that they are asked and the kind of situations that have arisen in the recent months. Meet Taran Sahota and Laura Banner from the BJGI...

This week we're joined by our very first Gift of the Year 2021 winner - the lovely Julia Gash. Julia is a serial entrepreneur who talks us through the fascinating journey she took to arrive in the position she's in today - largely creating artwork within her incredibly iconic hand drawn maps collection, making her a unique guest - an artist, business owner, product developer and sales-pe...

On this, our 20th episode, we learn all about the inner workings of one of the largest businesses in our trade - Paladone Products Ltd who have offices in the UK, HK, LA, France and Australia and currently employ anywhere between 120-170 staff depending on seasonality. We meet Burton Munday who has been with Paladone since 2004 and currently heads up their speciality sales department (small to med...

FINALLY - on this, our 19th episode, we finally get to talking all things Gift of the Year - the history, how it's changed over the years and, more recently during the Covid era, exactly how the judging works, the trials and tribulations behind the scenes, and, of course why it's such a wonderful undertaking for the Giftware Association. Sit back, relax, and let the dulcet tones of the G...

Today we welcome Sara Allbright, Buyer of Candles & Gifts at John Lewis and now, more recently, Waitrose, as the stores extend and redefine their gift offering. Sara tells us everything we need to know about how to get in front of buyers, from the obvious trade shows and buyer meet-ups to the less obvious social media hash-tagging and their relationship with the Great British Exchange. If you&...

On today's episode we meet the wonderful Henri Davis, veteran of our industry having worked for many decades in the likes of WH Smith, Next, Habitat and The National Trust before choosing to go it alone as an independent retail advisor. In her latest foray into the industry, Henri is now the owner of Coverack Village Stores - a café and shop that sells groceries, essentials and gifts on a tin...

Happy New Year! Starting 2021 with a bang we meet joint MD of Apples to Pears, Mark Wash - a gardener turned gift business owner! Learn all about the path Mark took to end up launching the business with Alan Titchmarsh and the evolution of the business to the playful gift company that we know today. Of course, we also hear about Apples to Pears previous Gift of the Year successes, and they're...

A look to the future in this, our 16th episode of the Product-Cast as we are joined by one of the most respected voices within the industry, Michael Weedon. As well as running his own consultancy, Exp2, Michael serves as the Head of the High Street Advisory Board (SaveTheHighstreet.org) and Chair of the FSB Retail and High Streets policy unit. He previously ran BIRA for 29 years (the British Indep...

Today's episode introduces you to the fantastic Retaissaince and it's entrepreneurial Founder and CEO Cathy Osborne. Retaissance is a gifting and interiors platform that works in a few different ways depending on your requirements - as an online B2B marketplace, a sales agency and, most recently, an online trade show. We talk about how the business came about and the variety of ways in w...

Today we're joined by Founder and Director of Press Loft, Nicola Snell. Press Loft is the largest online PR tool specialising in the Interior & Gift sector with teams set up around the globe. In this episode we learn about the origins of the business and the services it provides, we talk about Press Loft's involvement with the GA and it's fantastic Gift of the Year prize of 1 ye...

Don't forget - Gift of the Year entry deadline is the 11th December! In this, the final week of entries for the 2021 Gift of the Year competition, we talk to the overall winner of the 2020 competition, the amazing Amanda Wooldridge, founder of Squelch Wellies. Her fascinating story details how she fell into the world of gift and product design, literally Googling her way into business before...

The final part of our special 4-part series of the Prod-Cast where we welcome Sarah Ward to the Mic. Before becoming MD of the British Allied Trade Federation Sarah was the CEO of the Giftware association and in this part of the series we talk on of the GA's flagship operations - the Gift of the Year competition, it's entrants and the judges, and even a little bit about the Product-Cast!...

This is part 3 of a special 4-part series of the Prod-Cast where we welcome Sarah Ward to the Mic. Before becoming MD of the British Allied Trade Federation Sarah was the CEO of the Giftware association and in this part of the series we talk all about the fantastic benefits that joining the GA can bring to it's members - which turns out to be support on pretty much everything a supplier or re...

In this special 4-part series of the Prod-Cast we welcome Sarah Ward to the microphone. Before becoming MD of the British Allied Trade Federation Sarah was the CEO of the Giftware association and is probably the best placed person to fill us in on the organisations rich and fascinating history (part 1 of 4). Part 1 - the history of the GA Part 2 - The GA's fantastic response to the C19 pandem...

This is part 2 of a special 4-part series of the Prod-Cast where we welcome Sarah Ward to the microphone. Before becoming MD of the British Allied Trade Federation Sarah was the CEO of the Giftware association and in this part of the series we talk all about the GA's amazing response to the C19 pandemic (part 2 of 4). Part 1 - the history of the GA Part 2 - The GA's fantastic response to...

Please note - the Gift of the Year entry deadline has now been extended to the 11th December. This week we catch up with the super-busy Kelly Smith, sole proprietor of Billy's Beach Hut. We learn about the businesses origins, it's journey since launch, Billy's Beach Bus, the addition of the Isla Jewellery range that won the Fashion Accessory award in both 2019 and 2020 and much, muc...

In this extended episode we get to meet the owners of two fantastic business that regularly do battle over the Food & Drink Gift award at the Gift of the Year competition. Ross Bearman (Ross & Ross Gifts) and Sanjay Aggarwal (Spice Kitchen) have both had victories and defeats and today we learn more about their friendly rivalry, their relationship with the Giftware Association, their passi...

Managing Director Jo Lochhead founded The Crafty Kit Co in 2012 after a varied career and a long-term interest in crafting. In this episode Jo talks us through her personal journey, her ethos that drives the business, the core values that they live by and, of course some of their previously successful Gift of the Year entries and their 2021 hopes.  ------    Welcome to the Product-Cast, aka the Pr...

Courtney Wood is our guest for this episode, founder and Director of Bubblegum Stuff. We'll hear all about his 8 years in business, including his stint on The Apprentice in 2016 where he was the runner up, the last 14months where he's finally recruited a team around him and, of course, the products BGS has developed this year and will be submitting to Gift of the Year!    ------    Welco...

In this, the first ever episode of the Product-Cast we're joined by the lovely Gary Schaffer who is a Director at United Oddsocks, and also Cucamelon and Cockney Spaniel. This episode is all about socks, of course, plus insight into how the business came about and what it's like to be part of this family-style business. Welcome to the Product-Cast, aka the Prod-Cast, brought to you by Gi...

In this episode we take a look into the wonderful world of Puckator through the eyes of inhouse designer Lauren Billingham. Having spent over 8 years at Puckator Lauren provides us with some fantastic insight into the business and, of course, the career and experiences of a product developer.    ------    Welcome to the Product-Cast, aka the Prod-Cast, brought to you by Gift of the Year and suppor...

We're joined for the episode by the wonderful Clare Harris, MD of Talking Tables. Hear about the inception of the business and how attitudes towards table dressing and parties have changed since the millennium, along with some insight into Clare's leadership style and the brilliant culture that she has curated amongst the Talking Tables team.    ------    Welcome to the Product-Cast, aka...

Welcome to the Product-Cast, aka the Prod-Cast, brought to you by Gift of the Year and supported by the Giftware Association . The podcast shines a spotlight on the UK’s thriving gift industry, providing insight into all aspects of the creative and sales process, from concept to retail and everything in between. Each week you will meet a new key player from retail or supply and learn about their r...