Winners Speak!

“We have lots of new accounts,” said Hilary Cairns, a director of CGE World Globes, which won the Premium Luxury category.

“There are real benefits from winning Gift of the Year. Customers have actually asked to have leaflets about the competition with the product they are buying – and that is exactly what one is trying to achieve. Winning is an endorsement of the product and of our company – and it has certainly helped sales.”

The company used its triumph to “target customers we haven’t heard from in a while” and tell them about the award. “It gives us another intro into them and might grab a little more of their attention than when we’ve previously sent out brochures,” added HIilary.

Totseat’s alfresco range – for babies who lunch – won the Gift of the Year Outdoor Living category and was also highly commended in the Occasions voting.

Totseat owner Rachel Jones reported that “everyone has been ordering at Autumn Fair – from small independents to multiples” and she was unequivocal about the part that Gift of the Year played: “People do definitely want to stock products that have won the competition or been highly commended – particularly in a market that is so huge – so they seek us out because of that.

“We have put the Gift of the Year logo on our stand loudly in every shape and form and people have stopped to see us as a result. We also have it on our packaging too, which is lovely.”

Dartington Crystal won the Home Accessories category for its Flower Bottles. Craig Harwood, the company’s area sales manager for the north, said that aided by competition in-store point of sale material the product was “gaining momentum and we are now getting repeat orders on them”.

Inch Blue had a “fantastic” Autumn Fair. Production manager Jennifer Newbold revealed that since winning the Gift of the Year Kids’ category for its sheepskin booties – Cwtches – sales had “really taken off”.

“People have been seeking us out at the show as a result of the Gift of the Year branding. Now, with every single order for our shoes, buyers have taken the Cwtches as well!”

Sound Machine won the Hot Novelty category for Worldwide Co, and the Girlfriend Microfibre Hair Towel and Turban was victorious in Body, Mind & Soul for Natural Products.

Michael Sweeney, joint managing director of both companies, commented: “Both products continued to sell well throughout the show, especially the Sound Machine. This proves that entering and, if your product is chosen, winning the competition really does make a difference.

“And as Gift of the Year is judged by a panel of leading lights from the industry you can be assured that all entries are carefully considered and that the best products really do win.”

Junior Geo triumphed in the Collect It category with the Fossil Gift Box and was highly commended for the Crystal Gift Box.

“We’ve had some very good publicity on the back of the competition,” said managing director Bill Verkaik, who took “quite a few orders” at Autumn Fair. “We’ve been given a higher profile because people have seen in their show catalogues that we are a Gift of the Year winner. And the publicity seems to build.”