The Look on The Brightside Launch Event is a ground-breaking multi-channel programme of digital events, interactive digital content and socially distant appointment-based physical events. WIDDOP will launch 700 brand-new products across 14 key ranges.

“Given the current climate, we knew we had to bring new products, to match the rapidly changing tastes in the marketplace but we knew we would probably need an alternative to large tradeshows, which we would usually use as the main showcase for our new launches. We wanted to ensure the safety of our customers and staff, while ensuring that we could give retailers the new products that they need to capitalise on in the important autumn period following the return to bricks & mortar retail post lockdown. So we developed the multi-channel Look on The Brightside campaign.” Says Product Development & Marketing Director Stephen Illingworth.

The 5-channel programme consists of:

Digital Content:

• Interactive digital catalogues with the capability to place orders for all key launches
• Video content for each launch, available for use by stockists in-store & online
• An amazing 360-degree virtual showroom with the facility to shop while you tour
• Social media “Brightside Awards” scheme giving customers the chance to nominate their retail heroes to win great prizes

Digital Events:

• The Brightside Launch webinar on August 27^th kick starts it all– discussing all of the new products and the trends behind the autumn/winter season in giftware
• 4 webinars in September on key product trends and new products with guest speakers. These will include one for Jewellers, Garden Centres, Gift Shops and Card Shops.
• The “Brightside Awards” live event on social media – 30^th September
• eCRM Baby & Infant – a chance for Baby & Infant buyers to meet 1:1 with our team to discuss our baby brands & bespoke options at this important digital tradeshow
• The Evening Sessions from 7-9pm throughout September with your territory sales person to show you our virtual showroom and preview the new launches

The Roadshow

• Book a private session with your territory rep aboard our mobile showroom
• 10 locations across the south-east & south-west
• Over 100 appointments available
• Gourmet food & refreshments

The Showroom Show

• For the ultimate hands-on tour of all 8000 products
• Adhering to the highest standards of safety and hygiene
• Enjoy the famous WIDDOP hospitality with bespoke advice from the award-winning customer service team & free food & refreshments

Cheerfull by CELEBRATIONS is a brand-new collection of fun, bright and affordable pick-up gifts for family members, friends and people in key worker professions.

The range features colourful designs with motifs such as rainbows, as well as heartfelt uplifting sentiments and sayings. Products include frames, mugs, personalisable decorative ornaments, fun face masks and hand sanitiser.

Designed to provide some antidote to the difficulty of the past few months, the range is based on strong trends of empowerment and happiness, which have arisen post lock-down.

And 7% of each order from the Cheerfull range goes to NHS Charities Together, which will be a great bonus to shoppers and an incentive to buy.

WIDDOP are launching over 700 new products for the AW20 season, to cover new product trends which have emerged and are emerging from the COVID-19 lock down period.

“People have had time in isolation, and it’s made most reflect on what and who really matters to them. Our new products reflect this. Affordable gifts with heartfelt sentiments, gifts aimed at real-life heroes and key workers, self-care items and of course hygiene & PPE products such as designed face masks and sanitisers.”

WIDDOP’s portfolio includes home & gift brands each with a cohesive story and theme which makes for eye-catching and impactful displays in store. Each collection planned and designed meticulously to ensure maximum visual merchandising impact perfect for garden centres.

“Even before Autumn Fair was officially cancelled, we had decided to run a multi-channel launch campaign. We weren’t comfortable with the idea of attending a large show given the current climate. But this new approach opened some great windows of opportunity to innovate.” Says WIDDOP and Co. Sales Director Andrew Illingworth.

“We knew there would be trepidation amongst customers and buyers, but we also knew that there would still be desire for newness, as well as some key new product and thematic trends. And the only way for retail to thrive and prosper is to continue to dynamically dictate and promote these trends. And we knew we needed to make sure we could show new products to the trade. Hence our exciting calendar of virtual and physical content & events.”

The AW20 Look on The Brightside launch webinar will take place on August 27^th, for the full rundown on everything new to the WIDDOP portfolio.

WIDDOP are offering a 360-degree virtual showroom covering their entire 15,000sqft showrooms. Browse and buy as you tour.

Given social distancing requirements in store, WIDDOP are also facilitating Zoom based consultations with territory agents & reps. These will also be available in evenings to prevent the need for time away from customers – The Evening Sessions.

E-catalogues will also contain interactive shopping facilities as well as video content, available for retailers to use on their own websites OR as part of dynamic in-store merchandising.

“We’re also running an awards programme on social media, to give retailers the chance to nominate their retail heroes of the year. We’ll give away amazing prizes and celebrate the good news stories and industry legends that this crisis has inspired,” says Andrew.

The mobile showroom will stop at 14 destinations across the south-west and south-east, offering customers who wish to stay local to their centre with the chance to meet 1:1 for a bespoke tour of the WIDDOP offering.

Guests will be treated to complementary gourmet food & refreshments, as well as multi-award-winning bespoke customer service.

Spaces are limited to make sure you reserve your appointment early to avoid disappointment.

LINK TO REGISTRATION PAGE

The Brightside gifts range has been a staple in card & gift retailers for many years, the Man Tin is still a fixture in hundreds of window displays.

Fun, affordable and colourful, its appeal is as strong as ever. WIDDOP has taken over design & distribution of the range, working with creator Rachel Bright. The company will be offering classic best sellers such as the famous Man Tin and brand-new additions.

Product Development Director, Stephen Illingworth, says “We’re delighted to be able to work with this exciting and iconic brand. It’s such a recognisable style and a really appropriate message for the post lock-down climate. Full of positivity, joy and happiness.”

The range is packed with affordable pick up gifts for everyone from Mum to best friends and kids to teachers. Journals, storage tins, mugs and more make up this must have gifts collection.

Tinkerbell is one of Disney’s most iconic characters. She sprinkles her fairy dust not only over Peter Pan, but dozens of other classics in the opening titles, flying over the Disney castle.

WIDDOP is unveiling a brand-new collection of gifts & collectables with Tink taking centre stage. The ranges is designed with a real breadth of appeal, with plaques and photo frames perfect for a Disney themed girl’s room and luxury hand painted crystal embellished birthstone ornaments which appeal as much to an avid adult fan as to a young child.

Tinkerbell loves being the centre of attention, and this range sees her do just that. Sparkling, fabulous and magical.

Martin Gulliver is a big name in the baby & infant world. The themed illustrations from artist Finola Stack have been favourites of specialist retailers such as John Lewis & Jojo Maman Bebe for several years.

WIDDOP and Co. have acquired exclusivity on the license and are welcoming brand-new designs to their range this Autumn. There are melamine crockery sets, sleeved bibs and lunch bags all including best-selling and brand-new designs such as ‘Circus Fun’, ‘Safari Friends’ and ‘Trains, Planes & Automobiles’.

Sales Director, Andrew Illingworth, says “We’re over the moon to take over the production of this range from Martin as he retires. The range has a wonderfully distinctive style and a clear, functional area and it’s already extremely popular. New baby, birthday, Christmas, it’s the sort of product that you can gift at any time.”

Functional, fun and collectable, the range is full of great gift inspiration for young children.

Fragranced gifts & mindfulness is nothing new. But Serenity by SOPHIA combines the two to create a stunning range of gifting items perfect to help people relax & unwind in the stress of the current age.

The range features soothing blue ombre colours on a collection of candles, reed diffusers, self-care kits and room sprays. All are available in a range of 3 specially formulated scents – Relax, Calm & Revive - which use the power of essential oils to promote tranquillity and revitalisation.

Serenity makes the perfect gift range and also includes a range of countertop display sets perfect for cashing in on till point impulses.

The Aromatherapy Co. is a best-selling range of luxury home fragrance & body care gifts from New Zealand which uses sustainable and natural essential oils. It is exclusively distributed in the UK & Ireland by WIDDOP and Co.

The brand offers both luxury and a commitment to environmental & ethical friendliness while keeping an incredibly affordable price point, something vital in the current climate.

This new collection brings 4 fruity new fragrances: Pear & Jasmine, Fig & Violet, Orange Blossom and Rose & Dewberry to a range of candles, reed diffusers & hand creams. Products are packaged in eye-catching style with textured fabric flocked gift boxes.

The range offers incredible retail price points from just £9.99 to £11.99 to make perfect pick-up gifts and the vibrance of the range also makes these a visual merchandiser’s dream.

Objets d’Art by SOPHIA is one of WIDDOP and Co.’s best-selling collections, offering 100% unique handmade glass ornaments combining expert craftsmanship and eye-catching style.

The range is being extended for the AW20 season with a collection of brand-new miniature ornaments which make beautiful collector’s items and gifts.

The new additions are designed to retail at an average price of just £7.99 and all come complete with a luxury silk-lined gift box.

To make the most of the range in-store WIDDOP are also offering a new branded perspex display cabinet complete with LED lighting.

iFrame was launched by WIDDOP and Co. 3 years ago to add an even more affordable photo frame collection to their UK number 1 frame brand Impressions.

The range offers trend led colourful designs and affordable but quality materials such as die-cast metals, epoxy resin and satin plastics.

New for AW20 the range welcomes new wood finish styles and suites using the season’s must have colours, all while maintaining the range’s signature affordability.

Ice & Slice by Hestia made quite the splash when it was introduced in 2019. The large balloon copa glasses with realistic resin fruit embedded in the bowls were eye-catching and completely unique. Perfect for drinks parties and gin connoisseurs they proved incredibly popular and stylishly innovative.

WIDDOP and Co. has extended the range for AW20, introducing different cocktail, whisky & highball glass shapes and even decanters, all featuring the signature resin fruit details.

The products also all feature a gift box complete with cocktail recipes, to make the perfect gift.

The last year or so has been full of trials and tribulations. And as we all return to the new normal, we all need some fun and positivity to provide some respite.

Oh Happy Day gifts are the perfect celebratory birthday gifting solution. The range includes photo frames, flutes, pint glasses, novelty giant glasses and novelty cotton socks.

Previewed by WIDDOP and Co. in Spring, the range was a hit and in the current climate it is even more appropriate. Each of the 70 products includes branded gift packaging and all prices are at perfect pick up points under £9.

Harvey’s Bored Games was introduced last year as an addition to WIDDOP and Co.’s Harvey Makin men’s gifts range. The range started as a small number of tabe top, miniature and pocket sized versions of games such as golf, basketball, magnetic darts, table football and pool.

The range was extremely popular for its affordability and signature giftable style. So, in Spring some large outdoor games such as tic tac toe and ring toss were added to the range.

For Autumn the range is being extended once again to include some retro style wooden game sets perfect as stocking fillers.

Thoughts of You by Celebrations is a range of empowering memorial ornaments and keepsakes designed to give people strength in times of need.

The range offers realistic and weather-resistant resin memorial stones, weatherproof graveside poem cards and ornaments to display in the home. All gifts also include remembrance sentiments, so people can express their loss.

New for AW20 WIDDOP and Co. are introducing a range of outdoor concrete memorials, glass angel keepsakes and resin figurines.

Help your customers remember their loved ones.

Getting Mother’s Day right is essential in any gift retail calendar. It’s a key peak point in the yearly cycle. A strong display with a coherent theme and motif is vital in creating an impact in-store.

This is why WIDDOP and Co. is offering a pre-sale for all Mother’s Day products for 2021. SO retailers can guarantee their Mother’s Day offering will be strong, cohesive and impactful.

To appeal to a variety of tastes and styles, 10 separate brand led Mother’s Day stories offers you an unparalleled choice and variety in Mother’s Day gifting, meaning WIDDOP is a one stop Mother’s Day supply shop for 2021.

• Cheerfull by Celebrations
• Disney Icons and classic scenes
• Disney Baby & Mums in Magical Beginnings
• Bambino - Mummy’s 1st Mother’s Day & Mum to Be
• Sophia - Peaches & Cream
• N.O.N. - Fuzzy Duck
• Sophia - Frida in partnership with hotchpotch cards
• The Aromatherapy Co. Bloom Collection
• Country Living - Mum’s garden
• Thoughts of You - In loving memory collection

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Every week GTN receives and analyses epos data from a number of UK garden centres to produce the GTN Bestsellers charts and weekly bestsellers sales tips.

The full charts which provide useful insight into product sales peaks, new trends and new link sales opportunities are published in the weekly GTN Xtra newsletter.

As the year goes on we give sales volume comparisons with 2018 as well as 2019 to allow your teams to see variations over a three year period.

Access is by subscription only.  For £145.00 per year you and your team can have access to the most up-to-date gardening sales analysis that has already helped many UK garden centres increase their sales.  To subscribe call 07973 504214, e-mail karen@pottingshedpress.co.uk or buy on-line using this link.

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GTN Bestsellers is the only industry source of weekly garden centre sales information, collating Epos data from centres with an aggregate turnover in excess of £100m.

Use the weekly Garden Products and Growing Media Top 50 sales volumes charts to plan your hotspot and other promotions and ensure you have the right products in stock to satisfy the needs of your customers.

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WIDDOP have opened the doors to their showstopping 15,000sqft showrooms to enable buyers to browse all 8000+ products on offer, including all 700 new additions for AW20.

Adhering to the most rigorous hygiene and safety standards, visitors can browse safely and still enjoy the Greats Award-winning hospitality and service.

WIDDOP are also offering support for visitors to help make the journey, in the form of fuel expenses, free point of sale packs, printed catalogues, exclusive digital content, marketing materials, vouchers and more.

Enquire about visiting the WIDDOP showroom: LINK TO REGISTRATION PAGE